https://research-methodology.net Necessary knowledge to conduct a business research Sun, 12 Jun 2016 09:31:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://rm-15da4.kxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/cropped-logoBRM-32x32.jpg https://research-methodology.net 32 32 https://research-methodology.net/complexity-of-technology-employed-in-the-industry-as-the-prime-cause-of-alienation-in-the-workplace-2/ Sun, 12 Jun 2016 00:01:11 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=7868 Introduction Increasing range and complexity of technological developments employed in various industries has had dramatic implications on professional and even personal lives for many employees, along with impacting organisational culture. This article aims to assess the complexity of the technology employed in the industry as the prime cause of alienation in the workplace. The article starts with discussion of Marx’s Theory of Alienation followed by Blauner’s Theory of Technology and Alienation. Moreover, the article addresses a set of other relevant theoretical frameworks and approaches such as Nichools and Beynon’s (1977) criticism of Blauner and a brief analyses of studies conducted by Gallie (1978) and Zuboff (1988). It has been stated that “in the workplace the feeling of alienation mean that the individual has lost control over the process of production” (Sharma, 1998, p.22). Generally, alienation can be defined as “the feeling of being powerless to control one’s own destiny; a worker’s feeling of powerlessness caused by inability to control the work process” (Kronblum, 2011, p.474) and alienation is justly considered as an important issue from sociological viewpoint. Marx’s Theory of Alienation in the Workplace Marx specifies four types of alienation – alienation between worker and the work, alienation between workers, alienation of worker from the product, and alienation of worker from the process of work. Famously, Marx blames capitalism for the emergence of all of above types of alienation. It has to be noted that certain aspects of Marxist ideology including Theory of Alienation has been challenged from within communists by some philosophers such as Milovan Djilas, whereas different group communist philosophers such as Louis Pierre Althusser voiced against initiatives directed towards revising theoretical foundations of Marxism (Rehmann, 2013). Assessment of the impact of technology on the emergence of each of these types of alienation increases depth of this discussion. Specifically, with…]]> https://research-methodology.net/individual-differences-and-their-impact-on-learning-styles/ Thu, 11 Dec 2014 09:34:21 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=6220 There are differences amongst employees in multiple levels and these differences do affect learning styles and capabilities of employees. This argument can be illustrated more effectively with the application of Honey and Mumford (1982) learning styles. According to this model learning can be divided into four different groups on the basis of individual preferences or styles: activists, theorists, pragmatists and reflectors. Activists include specific type of individuals who best learn by doing. Theorists, on the other hand, attempt to understand theoretical frameworks and they like to analyse core ideas behind the phenomenon to be learned. Pragmatists tend to be highly practical individuals, and accordingly unlike theorists pragmatists are interested in application of knowledge in real-life environment. Reflectors are observers who prefer to adopt a holistic approach towards the subject of learning. The model of Honey and Mumford learning styles has important practical implications in organisational settings. Senior level managers need to identify learning styles of key employees in order to be able to facilitate their learning more effectively. For example, employees with theorist learning style need to be assigned with tasks of analytical nature. Alternatively, individuals with advanced pragmatist learning styles need to be appointed in positions where problem-solving skills are prioritised. However, it has to be acknowledged that identification of learning styles of each individual employee is a challenging task and therefore this strategy needs to be applied only in relation to key members of the workforce.   References Honey, P. & Mumford, A. (1982) “Manual of Learning Styles” London]]> https://research-methodology.net/motivating-staff-and-volunteers-in-international-food-event/ Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:41:05 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=6055 Employee motivation tools can be divided into two categories: tangible and intangible. Salary and monetary bonuses is the main form of tangible motivation tools, whereas intangible motivation tools include sense of contributing to a great cause, recognition of employee performance by managers in verbal and written ways, celebrations of group and individual achievements etc. Both, tangible and intangible tools of motivation are going to be used in relations with chefs and sales assistant before and during the International Food Event.  Tangible motivational tools offered to staff include financial compensation of £8 per hour. A set of intangible motivational tools to be used in this event include verbal encouragement of staff at all stages of the event, explanation of contribution of the event in terms of increasing the levels of cross-cultural awareness, and contributing to good cause as the profit to be made from the sale of food and ingredients are to be donated to the selected charity. Moreover, application of Hertzberg’s Two-Factor Theory (1959) assists in explaining staff and volunteer motivation practices in International Food Event. Two-Factor Theory makes a clear distinction between hygiene factors and motivators. Hygiene factors include salaries, adequate working conditions, appropriate management-employee relationships, acceptable levels of work-life balance etc. Hygiene factors are expected by employees to be in place and their presence may prevent dissatisfaction amongst employees. However, the presence of hygiene factors is not sufficient for employee motivation and employee motivation can only be achieved through the application of motivator factors. Accordingly, motivator factors to be applied in International Food Event include creating challenging, yet rewarding working environment, recognition of contribution of chefs, encouraging the sense of personal achievement due to the participation in the event etc. Alternatively, the issues of motivation at the event can be explained using the framework of Theory X and…]]> https://research-methodology.net/recruitment-and-selection-process-example-for-international-food-event/ Sun, 12 Oct 2014 10:40:21 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=6052 The difference employee recruitment and selection needs to be specified in an appropriate manner. Recruitment can be defined as “the process of confirming the need to employ fresh staff, locating where potential recruits exist and attracting appropriate application for employment” (Akwetey, 2011, p.18). In simple terms, employee recruitment is Recruitment process of staff and volunteers is going to comprise the following five stages:   Stage One: Recruitment Planning  The first stage in recruitment process relates to identification of skills requirements and clarification of numbers of staff and volunteers needed. Six cuisines – Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, English and Indian cuisines are going to be represented at the event, and accordingly one chef needs to be employed for each cuisine. There is a vacancy for a member of staff to sell food and ingredients for each cuisine during the event. Moreover, all five group members are going to participate as volunteers and additional volunteers are also welcomed.   Stage Two: Identification of Recruitment Sources Generally, recruitment sources can be internal and external (Werner et al., 2012). Internal source of recruitment relates to finding candidates within the company, whereas external source of recruitment relates to recruitment of individuals outside of the organisation. Internal source is going to be explored for recruitment and potential members of staff will be sought amongst second and third year students within the University.   Stage Three: Candidate Generation Petition is planned to be launched on Facebook social networking website and applications are going to be attracted from candidates amongst second and third year students studying in University. Dedicated Facebook page is going to explain job specification and candidate requirements for chefs such as cooking experience of at least three years, being passionate about food, possessing advanced communication and interpersonal skills etc. in a detailed manner. Job requirements for…]]> https://research-methodology.net/contribution-of-changing-nature-of-work-to-human-well-being-and-its-relation-to-sociology/ Wed, 08 Oct 2014 14:44:17 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=6017 Major tendencies in the 21st century such as intensifying levels of globalisation, increasing levels of multiculturalism in workplaces, increasing threats of international terrorism, rapid innovations in information technology and others have direct and indirect implications on various processes in society, and their analysis from sociological viewpoint is necessary in order to assess these implications in a holistic manner. Changes in the nature of work include increasing level of informality of organisational culture, increasing popularity of alternative working patterns and decline of popularity of lifelong employment for a single organisation have great potential to contribute to human well-being in various levels. Theoretical perspectives to sociology can be divided into three categories: functionalism, conflict and interactionist. Benefits of changing nature of work to human well-being can be effectively explained through the lenses of each of these perspectives. Changing nature of work related to increasing popularity of alternative working patterns such as part-time, flexitime, telecommuting, job sharing and compressed workweek have a great potential to improve the levels of work-life balance for many people. Sociology studies rationale behind human behaviour, and from this perspective rationale behind increasing numbers of people preferring engagement in alternative working patterns can be explained as the willingness to improve the levels of their work-life balance. Businesses can reduce the levels of operational costs by adopting alternative working patterns and this relates to conflict perspective in sociology to a certain extent.  In other words, the conflict perspective to sociology and related theories which are mainly derived from teachings of Karl Marx focus on competition between various groups for resources, as well as, power and influence. According to this approach, cost reduction by businesses achieved by adoption of alternative working patterns can be used as a source of competitive advantage to compete with other businesses in the global marketplace. Decline…]]> https://research-methodology.net/sociological-approach-to-changing-nature-of-work/ Mon, 06 Oct 2014 00:34:43 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=6013 In simple terms, sociology can be defined as interaction between individuals and groups. Sociology is a broad area and encompasses a wide range of topics and issues such as culture, interactions between people, levels of inequality in a society, socialisation etc. and impact of all of these on human behaviour and thinking.  This essay focuses on a narrow segment of sociology, which is explanation of changing nature of work through sociology. The approach to sociology can be divided into two groups: micro and macro. Micro-sociology focuses on study of behaviour in various situations in a daily life.  Macro-sociology, on the other hand, has a broader scope and employed to explain the various aspects of broad social systems. Changing nature of work can be explained from both perspectives – micro-sociology and macro-sociology. From micro-sociology perspective, changes in the nature of work as described above have certain implications for employees in individual and personal levels such as possibility to achieve greater levels of work-life balance in multiple ways. Alternatively, from macro-sociology perspective, national and global implications of changes in the nature of work are assessed such as resulting changes in cultural values, competitive advantage to be gained by local producers due to cost reductions, and others. Relatively recently the notion of meso-sociology has also been introduced and this refers to “analysis of social phenomena in between the micro and macro levels” (Doda, 2005, p.17). Moreover, embracing of alternative working patterns is becoming a popular pattern of social behaviour. Distinctive features of this behaviour include extensive use of internet for a wide range of purposes and social mobility. Popular theoretical approaches to sociology include Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism, Post-Modernism, Theory of Rational Choice and others and each of these approaches is a broad topic on their own accounts. Nevertheless, assessment of implications of changing…]]> https://research-methodology.net/changing-nature-of-work-in-the-21st-century/ Fri, 03 Oct 2014 14:34:01 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=6007 The last several decades have witnessed gradual and dramatic changes in the nature of work due to a number of reasons that include, but not limited to intensifying level of competition in marketplace, developments in information technology and other technological developments, increasing forces of globalisation and certain aspects of demographic changes. Increasing popularity of alternative working patterns such as part-time working, flexitime employment, telecommuting, job-sharing and compressed workweek marks the most important change in the nature of work in the 21st century. It has been estimated that “currently around 29 per cent of UK employees work part-time or in some other form of flexible working pattern” (Holbeche, 2013, p.58). Part-time working is not a new practice in modern times; however, the popularity of part-time employment has increased during the last couple of decades due to attempts to improve the levels of work-life balance and a set of other reasons discussed below in a greater details. Flexitime employment as a different version of alternative working patterns “specifies core hours when people must be on the job, with flexible starting and finishing times as long as required total hours are worked” (Swanepoel et al, 2008., p. 217 as taken from Bartol et al., 2008, p.413) Telecommuting, on the other hand, can be explained as “to work at home using a computer connected to the network of one’s employer” (Free Dictionary, online, 2014) and it offers the advantages of working from the comfort of home. Job sharing involves roles and responsibilities of a single position being assumed by two or more employees so that each employee has extra free time to devote to pushing hobbies, spending time with the family and other activities of their choice. Compressed workweek working pattern permits employees to complete required hours for the week in less than traditional…]]> https://research-methodology.net/baldwin-and-fords-transfer-of-training-model-1988/ Sun, 16 Mar 2014 00:45:49 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=3419 Baldwin and Ford’s Transfer of Training Model (1988) is based on the idea that the transfer of learning depends on training inputs that include trainee characteristics, training design and work environment. However, an important point in the model is that the outcome of training is impacted by trainee characteristics and work environment in a direct manner, whereas the impact of training design depends on the levels of training outputs such as learning and retention. Baldwin and Ford’s Transfer of Training Model (1988) Source: Baldwin and Ford (1988)  The Transfer of Training Model has made a valuable contribution on the study of training transfer. The main benefit of the model in practical levels can be explained in a way that it allows framework for evaluating the impact of each individual input factor in training and identify and utilise the potentials for improving the impact of elements associated with each individual factor.   References Baldwin, T.T & Ford, J.K. (1988) “Transfer of training: A review and directions for future research” Personnel Psychology, 41 (65)]]> https://research-methodology.net/human-resource-development-hrd-as-a-distinctive-philosophy-in-organisations/ Wed, 18 Dec 2013 00:24:28 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=5144 It has been justly stated that Human Resource Development (HRD) is becoming a unique philosophy in organisations and central to bringing about effective change. Intensifying levels of competition in the market has caused the profile of HRD to increase for organisations in both sectors, private, as well as, public. HRD can be defined as “the process by which corporate management stimulates the motivation of employees to perform productively” (Roussel, 2006, p.195). In simple terms HRD can be explained as a set of initiatives and programs introduced by organisations with the aims of equipping its members with necessary skills and competencies to be able to meet the demands of their jobs. HRD can have a substantial positive impact on the level of implementation of organisational changes, as well as, on the overall outcome of change initiatives. As it has been briefly mentioned above, this impact can be maximised by organising relevant employee training and development programs that aim to increase the level of knowledge of employees about the importance of change and teaching employees about the ways of dealing with the change. Employee training and development programs offer a range of significant benefits at various levels that include positive implications on the level of employee productivity, higher level of employee motivation and job satisfaction and improvement on the quality of work.]]> https://research-methodology.net/factors-affecting-team-functioning/ Tue, 03 Dec 2013 00:53:21 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=5055 There is set of factors that effect team functioning. These factors include, but not limited to the nature of group norms, the level of cohesiveness, team leadership, rewards and others. Group norms resemble a code of conduct that specifies the extent of acceptable behaviour within the groups. As an important factor impacting team functioning, group norms need to be formulated in a clear and straightforward manner. Moreover, group members need to be communicated about penalties for deviating form group norms. Group cohesiveness can be explained as the level of attractiveness of the group to its members and is a major factor impacting group functioning. Managers need to be focusing on increasing the levels of cohesiveness through associating being group members with personal and professional growth, as well as, a range of tangible benefits. Moreover, leadership plays substantial role on the effectiveness of team functioning. Team leaders need to be able to command respect from team members and they need to be emotionally intelligent as well. Importantly, team leaders need to be able motivate each member of team in personal levels. Rewards associated with team performance can be listed as another important factor impacting team functioning. Rewards to team members need to comprise tangible elements such as financial compensation and various perks, as well as, intangible elements such as celebration of achievement, recognition of contribution of each individual team member in formal and informal ways. Failure to achieve the positive impact of the factors listed above may cause the formation of dysfunctional teams that are not well positioned to achieve organisational aims and objectives.]]> https://research-methodology.net/group-characteristics-and-group-behaviour/ Sun, 01 Dec 2013 16:27:45 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=5042 Group has been defined as “an avenue through which group members experience mutual benefit” (Horn, 2011, p.214) and groups can be formal or informal. Teams can be specified as a specific form of group that aim to solve long-term problems and teams have a greater level of commitment to achieve common goals compared to groups. Therefore, it is important for managers to be transforming workforce groups into teams. Belbin’s Team Roles Theory specifies a set of different roles to be present in successful teams as plants, resource investigators, co-ordinators, shapers, monitors/evaluators, team workers, implementers, completer/finishers and specialists. Group behaviour can have positive, as well as, negative implications on the achievement of organisational goals. Positive implications of group behaviour on the achievement of organisational aims and objectives can be achieved through associating group identity with the achievement of those aims and objectives. In simple terms, in order to generate desirable group behaviour team loyalty to the achievement of organisational goals need to be increased through promoting relevant shared beliefs and improving overall organisational culture. Group behaviour can also have negative implications on a wide range of organisational processes. This can be expressed through resistance to change, lack of commitment to organisational aims and objectives and a range of other ways. It is critically important for organisational managers to adopt a proactive approach in terms of impacting group behaviour with positive implications on the achievement of organisational aims and objectives.   References  Horn, T. (2011) “Advances in Sport Psychology” Human Kinetics]]> https://research-methodology.net/factors-impacting-employee-behaviour/ Mon, 25 Nov 2013 00:49:49 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=4966 There are set of factors that impact employee behaviour in direct and indirect ways. These factors can be internal to organisation such as work culture, leadership, job responsibilities relationships with colleagues etc., or external such as the extent of work-life balance, changes in personal circumstances, employee cultural background, the extent of interpersonal skills etc. Work culture can be defined as “applying the general characteristics of culture to the specifics of how people work at a point of time and place” (Moran et al., 2007, p. 30) and work culture is one of the major factors impacting employee behaviour. Work culture is usually set by founder(s) of organisation, but it can change over a course of time. In simple terms, in order to survive employees have to fit in the current work culture. The quality of organisational leadership has also great impact on employee behaviour in a way that effective organisational leaders can inspire and motivate employees for greater performance, at the same time when ineffective leaders can cause employee knowledge, skills and competencies not being fully utilised. Employee job responsibilities can be mentioned as important factor impacting employee behaviour because extensive range of roles and responsibilities can cause burnout for employees with all the negative consequences. In personal level, the extent of work-life balance of employees has direct and significant implications on their behaviour. Specifically, lack of work-life balance is most likely to have negative implications on employee behaviour and performance in various levels. Similarly, employee-specific factors such as cultural background and interpersonal skills and competencies greatly affect employee behaviours. Therefore, managers need to take into account these differences when dealing with each individual employee.   References Moran, R.T., Harris, P.R. & Moran S.V. (2007) “Managing Cultural Differences: Global Leadership Strategies for the 21st Century” 7th edition,  Routledge]]> https://research-methodology.net/barriers-in-organisational-communication/ Mon, 28 Oct 2013 00:12:59 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=4691 There is a set of factors that could have negative implications in facilitation of organisational communication. These barriers include choice of the wrong communication medium, incorrect use of language, wrong type of message, inappropriate appearance of message, use of jargon, emotional barriers, and physical disabilities.     1.     Choice of Wrong Communication Medium The choice of wrong communication medium is one of the most common communication barriers. The choice of communication medium need to correspond to the nature of the message. For example, giving negative feedback regarding any aspect of employee performance is better done through a verbal communication in a constructive way, rather than sending a letter or an e-mail.   2.     Incorrect Use of Language Incorrect use of language can also be specified as one of the major barriers to effective communication and this may relate to grammar, punctuation, spelling and a range of other issues.   3.     Wrong Type of Message Another significant barrier to communication may relate to inappropriate choice of the type of message.  Complex instructions to employees need to be communication in written forms, whereas interpersonal and other conflicts are best resolved with oral communication.   4.     Inappropriate Appearance of Message Ineffective appearance of the message can also prove to be a communication barrier in organisational settings. Inappropriate appearance of the message is usually caused by its poor expression associated with readability, light print, omissions, ineffective sentence structure and others. Ineffective organisation of ideas and poor choice of words in verbal communication can be specified as additional reasons of inappropriate message appearance.   5.     Use of Jargon A range of occasions and reasons when jargons are used may relate to communicating with individuals within the same industry, unthinking use of jargons, attempts to impress the receiver(s) of message, altering the attention of receiver from…]]> https://research-methodology.net/channels-of-communication-at-workplace/ Thu, 24 Oct 2013 00:00:25 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=4666 Channels of communication can be divided into four categories: nuturative, requisitive, directive, and emotive. Moreover, employees can also be divided into reactor, workaholic, persister, dreamer, rebel, and promoter categories. Pauley and Pauley (2009) correspond the utilisation of each of these channels to the types of employees in the following manner:   Type Channel Reactor Nuturative Workaholic Requestive Persister Requestive Dreamer Directive Rebel Emotive Promoter Directive Source: Pauley and Pauley (2009) References Pauley, J.A. & Pauley D.J. (2009) “Communication: The Key to Effective Leadership” ASQ Quality Press]]> https://research-methodology.net/verbal-and-non-verbal-communication-at-workplace/ Wed, 23 Oct 2013 03:59:33 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=4660 Verbal Communication Verbal communication is facilitated with the use of voice and words. Generally, the key elements of verbal communication include words, sound, languages, and the physical act of speaking. The majority of verbal communication account for casual exchanges with other people. In verbal communication there is a clear and personal communication link between senders and receivers. Challenges associated with verbal communication include poor choice of wording, physical disabilities, ineffective utilisation of communication techniques, and subjective opinions. The outcomes of verbal communication between managers and subordinates can be compromised in terms of achieving its objectives through the negative impact of certain factors. These factors include poor listening skills of managers, emotional barriers, use of inappropriate language.   Non-verbal Communication The majority of communication is facilitated in non-verbal ways. Non-verbal communication can be divided into the following eight categories: facial expression, appearance, haptics, gestures, eye gaze, paralinguistics, proxemics, and body language and posture. One of the main differences of non-verbal communication from verbal communication can be specified in a way that in former form the communication can be done intentionally, as well as, unintentionally. In other words, when an individual is experiencing specific feelings such as boredom, excitement, or fear, his or her feelings can be communicated through non-verbal channels even when the individual does not aim to communicate them intentionally.]]> https://research-methodology.net/communication-definition/ Fri, 18 Oct 2013 00:55:17 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=4596 The origin of the term of ‘communication’ is linked to the Latin word of ‘communis’ that means common. There are many definitions of communication. One of the most comprehensive definitions of communication can be proposed as “the process of creating meaning between two or more people through the expression and interpretation of messages” (Cleary, 2008, p.xii). In simple terms, communication can be defined as a process in which a message is encoded by a sender and passed to receiver through certain channels, or order for the message to be decoded. Adppted from: Anthony Wanis-St.John’s “Communication and Negotiation”   References  Cleary, S. (2008) “Communication: A Hands-on Approach” Juta  ]]> https://research-methodology.net/repairing-employee-morale-and-boosting-motivation/ Wed, 16 Oct 2013 00:12:15 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=4616 Employee morale is “a composite of feelings and attitudes that individuals and groups have toward their work, working condition, supervisors, top level management, and the organisations” (Leonard, 2012, p.375), whereas motivation can be defined as “the process that determines the reinforcement value of an outcome” (Kalat, 2010, p.375). Strategies offered to Managing Director in terms of repairing employee morale and boosting motivation include determining the types of employee motivation, applying to the most immediate needs of employees, adopting an individualistic approach in employee motivation, using an effective combination of tangible and intangible motivational tools, and achieving equity in motivation. The rationale behind each of these strategies is discussed below in greater details.                                                                                                                                      1. Determining the Types of Employee Needs It is important to determine types of employee need in order to repair employee morale and boost the level of motivation at Company. McClelland’s Achievement Motivation (1965) can be used to deal with this task. McClelland (1965) divides employee needs into three groups: need for achievement, need for power, and need for affiliation. It has to be noted that all three types of needs – need for achievement, need for power, and need for affiliation can be possessed by any one individual; nevertheless, specific type of need generally prevails over others for each individual. Accordingly, managers need to engage in employee motivation taking into account their specific needs. For example, employees that have need for power can be effectively motivated by positions with greater level of responsibility. Motivation of employees with a greater need for affiliation, on the other hand, can be achieved through publicly acknowledging their contribution to the achievement of organisational goals in front of groups in general, and their immediate team members in particular.   2. Applying to the Most Immediate Needs of Employees Maslow’s Hierarchy of…]]> https://research-methodology.net/employment-issues-in-eu-and-implications-for-expatriates/ Sat, 14 Sep 2013 20:04:45 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=4341 As a “group of European countries that participates in the world economy as one economic unit and operates under one official currency, the euro” (Investopedia, 2013) European Union (EU) has specific measures, rules and regulations that govern employment relations and human resources management aspect of businesses in its territory. The most significant themes related to employment issues in EU include specific characteristics of Euro HRM, EU social charter, employment issues and rights within EU, and European employment law. Specific characteristics of Euro HRM relate to legislative framework, trade union and consultation, and pattern of ownership among other issues and these points need to be taken into account by expatriates with assignments within the EU. Moreover, there are certain differences in HRM practices within the among the EU countries as well. It has to be stressed that “the differences in HRM within European countries stem from national factors, namely cultural values and norms, societal structure and language, from company factors, including size, ownership and geographical scope of companies and also from regional factors, such as north/south or east/west divide” (Nikandrou et al., 2006, p.178). European Social Charter as an important treaty adopted in 1961 deals with human rights and freedom issues associated with employment relations. The Charter has been revised in 1996 and it has been ratified by all members of EU. The fundamental employee rights have been specified in the Charter and the most significant points include the freedom of movement, freedom of association, protection of health, equal treatment of both genders, social protection etc. European Social Charter as an international labour law within EU has made significant contribution to dealings with expatriates not only within EU but also to a global scale to a certain extent. This contribution relates to the fact that expatriates coming to EU countries are…]]> https://research-methodology.net/team-life-cycle-application-to-conducting-a-presentation/ Wed, 28 Aug 2013 20:55:49 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=4242 Team life cycle to consist of the following stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning. All of these stages were passed by the team during the course of preparing the presentation and presenting it. 1.Forming. Five team members were identified. All of the members of the team had known each-other before the team project, however, team presentation had given team members a chance to know each other closer.    2. Storming. There were some arguments within the team at the beginning of the project when the team members were dividing the project into parts and distributing these parts to the team members. Moreover, opinions within the team differed about what company needed to be selected. However, disagreements were not serious, without any emotions attached, and came as a natural part of the project. 3. Norming. Towards the end of the first group meeting major points of argument were settled, company for the presentation was selected, and roles and responsibilities were divided among team members with everybody’s consent. 4. Performing. The team had several meetings and during each meeting a specific part of the work was completed according to the plan that has been formulated during the first meeting. Specifically, in this stage areas within the practice of Viva managers were formulated that needed to be improved as a result of the training and development program. Also, various training and development methods were reviewed to identify which of them were the most suitable to be integrated into Viva training and development program. As a result of the analysis and heated discussions within the team, it was identified that time management and team working were the skills that needed to be developed in Viva supervisors and managers. Accordingly, relevant training and development elements were selected presentation materials have been prepared. Roles within the…]]> https://research-methodology.net/application-of-training-and-development-schemes-a-case-study-of-viva/ Tue, 27 Aug 2013 10:52:52 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=4237 Viva is a leading provider of risk, savings and investment management products based in UK, with operations also in France, Germany, Netherlands, USA, Gulf and India. Being established in 1836, the company serves nearly seven million customers worldwide. Viva has organised its foreign operations efficiently, taking into account local specifications. For example, the company offers Takaful products in Gulf countries, that is financial products that have been devised according to Sharia Islamic laws, due to the fact that local customers are very sensitive about these issues. Also, Viva has engaged in joint-ventures in India with Bank of Baroda, and Andhra Bank. This article briefly introduces Viva Company and discusses the various elements of development scheme that group has proposed for the company in the form of presentation. Moreover, additional development elements are included in the article, and the rationale behind the choice of each element is explained in detail, listing their advantages, as well as disadvantages. Training and Development Schemes for Viva Initially the purpose of training and development scheme for Viva managers have been identified. The primary purpose for the scheme has been found as equipping Viva managers with necessary skills and knowledge so that they can manage the business globally in the most efficient manner. Moreover, the following purposes of training development as proposed by Beardwell et al (2004) were planned to be achieved for Viva as a result of the project: a)  Maximising  productivity and service provision for the company b) Developing  the adaptability for the workforce c) Developing  the Viva as an organisation as a whole d) Increasing job satisfaction, motivation and morale of Viva workforce e) Improving  standards and safety at work f) Promoting the Better utilisation of other resources g) Standardisation of work practices and procedures Wood (2009) divides trainings methods into two categories: traditional…]]>