Managing Diversity in South Africa Essay Example for Free

Managing Diversity in South Africa Essay Introduction In the workplace, diversity in terms of ethnicity, locality, education and skills, age, and gender exist. Managers or employers therefore require innovative ideas to successfully manage employees in the workplace. Diversity management is a relatively new field in the South African business environment. Managing employees and the work environment involves different aspects and is influenced by the internal environment such as in the mission, vision and goals of the organisation as well as the external environment. These aspects include areas where diversity management is important. Managers have various roles to carry out in an organisation in order to provide effective management and deal with the ethical issues. Factors such as changing structures and polices, providing diversity skills training, creating cross functional teams and employee network groups, building relationships, and providing complete managerial support are all factors that contribute towards effective diversity management. A successful diversity management approach must be more accommodating and more capable of promoting the diversity within an organization to bring everyone together and generate effective participation. This means that employees should be regarded as an organized whole that brings meaningful contributions from their social, political, economic, and geographical experiences. 2. Diversity Diversity can be defined as all the ways people differ, that is the different influences to approaching the workplace, communication between employees, satisfaction achieved from performance and identification in the workplace (Daft, Kendrick, amp; Vershinina, 2010). It is a commitment to distinguishing and appreciating the range of characteristics that make individuals unique in an atmosphere that supports and celebrates individual and collective achievement (Tennessee, 2003). Diversity â€Å"represents the multitude of individual differences and similarities that exist among people (Kreitner, 2001). According to Erasmus, diversity applies to all employees and does not only encompass certain differences but rather the entire spectrum of individual differences that make people unique. Therefore diversity cannot be viewed as only racial or religious differentiation but s all differences combined. The notion of diversity describes differences among people as well as similarities. The discipline of managing diversity requires that these two aspects are managed simultaneously. He further suggests that managers are expected to integrate the collective mixture of similarities and differences between workers into the organisation (Erasmus, 2007). Diver sity is more than being politically correct; it is about nurturing a culture that values individuals and their wide assortment of needs and contributions Diversity management is a moderately new field in the South African business environment. Diversity management is ensuring that the necessary factors are in place to provide for and to encourage the continuous development of diversity in the workplace, by incorporating actual and perceived differences to achieve the utmost efficiency (Bandyopadhyay, Hazra, amp; Goswami, 2007). Diversity management can also be defined as the commitment on the part of the organisations to recruit, retain, reward and promote a heterogeneous mix of productive, motivated and committed workers, including people of colour, whites, females and the disabled (Inancevich amp; Gilbert, 2000). The two areas where diversity management are particularly important include: * Workplace diversity. * Global diversity. Workplace diversity refers to the array of distinctions between people in an organisation. Some of the benefits of implementing workplace diversity are; increased adaptability which supplies a variety of solutions to problems in service, sourcing, and allocation of resources, various opinions which include ideas and experiences, and effectiveness in terms of employee performance to attain goals (Greenberg, 2005). Furthermore, enhanced use of employee capacity is encouraged. This involves competitive advantage over other organisations along with prospects and development of employees for retention purposes. Diversity initiatives retain a competitive advantage by improving employee confidence, decreasing interpersonal conflict, facilitating development in new markets and increasing creativity. It also includes the understanding of the marketplace in terms of the changing needs of consumers. Building workplace diversity will also result in the improved extent of understanding in leadership positions that encompasses a variety of skills. Better quality of team problem solving to bring in different perspectives resulting in creativity of ideas and solutions and lastly reduction of costs induce lower turnover, absenteeism and lawsuits (Daft, Kendrick, amp; Vershinina, 2010). Global diversity is more than just demographical factors (such as age, race, gender, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation), it is about thinking, leadership, skills and style which integrates peoples differences to achieve all the goals planned and is acceptable universally, that is by breaking though barriers through globalisation (Dell, 2011). Globalisation refers to standardisation of products plan and marketing strategy throughout the world by assuming a homogeneous global market of consumers and industrial products (Daft, Kendrick, amp; Vershinina, 2010). A benefit of global diversity is broader services through customer satisfaction and product availability. By managing diversity, managers access a range of skills which the organisation has never had before and thus a broader array of individual strengths, experiences and perspectives. There is also a wider legitimacy and organisational image across a wider audience. Managers however should realise that managing diversity is fairly tough and cannot be implemented immediately. It is instead a long-term strategy in order to correct the imbalances in the workplace. 3. Mission, Vision and Goals A mission is defined as the organisations’ reason for existence. A mission statement is a broadly stated definition of the purpose of the company. Well designed mission statements can enhance employee motivation and organisational performance.

Myrtle Beach vs. New York City Essay -- compare and contrast paper

Myrtle Beach vs. New York City   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Picture a beautiful city surrounded by tall skyscrapers soaring into the clouds and the beautiful statue of liberty standing still on the water. You walk down the street passing hundreds of little shops and restaurants, all the while you are taken a back by the breathtaking beauty of the city that you are gazing upon. Now picture laying on the beach at sunset listening to the ocean waves. The air is crisp and the smell of saltwater is bitter sweet. The locations I’m describing are New York City and Myrtle Beach. I have 2500 dollars to take on vacation to one of these destinations and I am comparing and contrasting the two. I will be considering the cost of travel, food, hotel, and also activity and miscellaneous expenses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both locations offer a wide variety of fun. Shopping, sightseeing, dance clubs, and scenery are among both places. To get to New York would take about nine and a half hour’s or approximately 554 miles. My car gets about 40 miles to the gallon and gas prices are about $2.30 a gallon. I would have to fill up twice to get to New York City and twice to get back, which would cost about $120.00. If I stayed for three nights and four days, I would need to set aside another $100.00 dollar’s for gas while traveling the city. If I traveled by plane it would cost $201.00 dollars round trip if tickets were purchased on www.orbitz.com.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hotels in New York City are very costly especially near the holiday’s. After reviewing some hotels that were near Times Square, I chose to go with a three star hotel at the rate of $184.00 a night. For a total of three nights it would cost $552.00 tax included. That cost would include a room with two double beds, television, high speed internet access, a full kitchen, and a great view of Times Square.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are a wide variety of restaurants in New York City. You can eat cheap at places like Arturo’s Pizzeria, McHales, Hi Life, and Zen Palate just to name a few. On the other hand you don’t want to miss out on the celebrity owned restaurant’s like Fashion Cafà ©, Planet Hollywood, Tribeca Grill, and Nobu. Since I’m going to be staying for three whole days, we’ll just say that I will eat approximately three meals a day which is a total of nine meals. If I ate four of those meals at twenty dollars or less and the other five at seventy or less, I would need approx... ...maining amount of $800.00 will be set aside for miscellaneous expenses such as extra gas money, or emergency situations’ like having a flat tire. My grand total in Myrtle Beach would also be the whole amount of $2500.00. Both, New York and Myrtle Beach are very alike in costs, but the city’s offer completely different experiences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Based on all the information I have obtained I now must make my decision on which one of these places I want to go. Since there really is not much of a difference in cost I am going to make my decision based upon what these places have to offer. New York offers great scenery that I have never laid my eyes upon. Myrtle Beach has great sightseeing also, but I have seen most of what it has to offer. I also wanted to go see a real Broadway show and they don’t have those in Myrtle. My decision is New York City. I want to take in as much of the city as I can. I want to see where the Trade Towers were and I want to see where they will stand again someday. I want to experience some of the things that the New York people experience on a daily basis, which are crowded streets, a great night life, and the chance of possibly running into someone famous. Myrtle Beach vs. New York City Essay -- compare and contrast paper Myrtle Beach vs. New York City   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Picture a beautiful city surrounded by tall skyscrapers soaring into the clouds and the beautiful statue of liberty standing still on the water. You walk down the street passing hundreds of little shops and restaurants, all the while you are taken a back by the breathtaking beauty of the city that you are gazing upon. Now picture laying on the beach at sunset listening to the ocean waves. The air is crisp and the smell of saltwater is bitter sweet. The locations I’m describing are New York City and Myrtle Beach. I have 2500 dollars to take on vacation to one of these destinations and I am comparing and contrasting the two. I will be considering the cost of travel, food, hotel, and also activity and miscellaneous expenses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both locations offer a wide variety of fun. Shopping, sightseeing, dance clubs, and scenery are among both places. To get to New York would take about nine and a half hour’s or approximately 554 miles. My car gets about 40 miles to the gallon and gas prices are about $2.30 a gallon. I would have to fill up twice to get to New York City and twice to get back, which would cost about $120.00. If I stayed for three nights and four days, I would need to set aside another $100.00 dollar’s for gas while traveling the city. If I traveled by plane it would cost $201.00 dollars round trip if tickets were purchased on www.orbitz.com.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hotels in New York City are very costly especially near the holiday’s. After reviewing some hotels that were near Times Square, I chose to go with a three star hotel at the rate of $184.00 a night. For a total of three nights it would cost $552.00 tax included. That cost would include a room with two double beds, television, high speed internet access, a full kitchen, and a great view of Times Square.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are a wide variety of restaurants in New York City. You can eat cheap at places like Arturo’s Pizzeria, McHales, Hi Life, and Zen Palate just to name a few. On the other hand you don’t want to miss out on the celebrity owned restaurant’s like Fashion Cafà ©, Planet Hollywood, Tribeca Grill, and Nobu. Since I’m going to be staying for three whole days, we’ll just say that I will eat approximately three meals a day which is a total of nine meals. If I ate four of those meals at twenty dollars or less and the other five at seventy or less, I would need approx... ...maining amount of $800.00 will be set aside for miscellaneous expenses such as extra gas money, or emergency situations’ like having a flat tire. My grand total in Myrtle Beach would also be the whole amount of $2500.00. Both, New York and Myrtle Beach are very alike in costs, but the city’s offer completely different experiences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Based on all the information I have obtained I now must make my decision on which one of these places I want to go. Since there really is not much of a difference in cost I am going to make my decision based upon what these places have to offer. New York offers great scenery that I have never laid my eyes upon. Myrtle Beach has great sightseeing also, but I have seen most of what it has to offer. I also wanted to go see a real Broadway show and they don’t have those in Myrtle. My decision is New York City. I want to take in as much of the city as I can. I want to see where the Trade Towers were and I want to see where they will stand again someday. I want to experience some of the things that the New York people experience on a daily basis, which are crowded streets, a great night life, and the chance of possibly running into someone famous.

Lecture Notes Beowulf Essay

Genre A heroic folk epic rooted in the oral tradition of the Anglo Saxons, Beowulf is an anonymous poem committed to paper by an unknown Christian monk in 1000 Common Era, some 300 years after it was first composed. The manuscript is part of a document known as Cotton Vitellus A housed in a British Library. Beowulf belongs to the epic genre of long, narrative poems dealing with heroic deeds against a background of war and the supernatural and themes of grandeur and significance. Full of legendary myths and somber, elegiac cadences, it has been composed in the Anglo Saxon vernacular and can be classed amongst other great epics such as the Illiad, Odyssey, Aenied and Paradise Lost to name a few. The name Beowulf is a kenning, Bee-Hunter reflecting the warrior heritage of the central character Basic Plot The poem is eponymously named for its hero Bewoulf, a great warrior and later King, who sets out to rescue King Hrothgar and his people from the monster Grendel. During the course of the poem, we see Beowulf slaying first Grendel and then his revenge seeking mother. Beowulf’s final conflict takes place with the Dragon angered by the plundering of the treasure it is guarding. Structure of the Poem There are three prevailing views as to the structure of the poem: -the structure is defined by the three increasingly difficult conflicts Beowulf faces -the structure can also be viewed in terms of kingship for instance, young Beowulf and old Beowulf with a different set of problems to be faced during each phase -the structure is that of interlacing of memories with narratives of present, a cyclical process of action, memory and reflection Background Although the poem is rooted in the Anglo Saxon as well as early Christian traditions, it reflects two distinct value systems frequently at odds with each other. For instance, in line with its Anglo-Saxon origins, the poem celebrates the Germanic heroic code, which, exemplifying the pagan warrior culture, lays stress upon family ties, genealogy, immortality through fame and revenge for wrongs done to one’s kith and kin. It values ancestral heritage and individual reputation. Christianity, on the other hand, believes in immortality in terms of the afterlife and teaches that vengeance is best left to God. Bewoulf and Grendel Bewoulf is not just a warrior and king. He also serves as a cultural ideal and as an incarnation of Anglo Saxon values and beliefs. The ‘Cain-descended’ Grendel, with his innate desire to tear asunder whatever has integrity, represents chaos and disorder, in contrast to Bewoulf, who represents order and cosmos. Grendel is the ultimate exile. Unferth Unferth acts as a foil to Beowulf by accentuating through contrast the character of the latter. He redeems his earlier verbal taunting (flyting) of Beowulf by offering him his sword in a later conflict. Literary devices/techniques Litotes-understatement e. g, ‘Cain had no pleasure from that find’ Kenning-metaphorical descriptions combining two words to offer evocative alternative to original Caesura-a pause in the line of a poem Alliteration- In language, alliteration refers to the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of a series of words or phrases.

Post College World A Utopia Or A Mirage - 985 Words

Post-College world: A utopia or a mirage? College education has consistently remained the most significant factor dividing the haves and the have-nots in the United States. A diploma does not merely bring increased earning, social status, but even a better choice of marriage partner (Cohen). Anya Kamenetz wades right into the current zeitgeist of college affordability by arguing that we may have reached a post-college world in which graduates armed with formal education and credentials will cede to the creative and curious self-learners. It is not an accident that this image is starkly similar to the mythical pull-yourself-by-bootstraps entrepreneur of the Silicon Valley who vanquishes the dull suited MBA to conquer the castle of economy. Indeed the coinages â€Å"edupunks† and â€Å"edupreneurs† point to such relationship. And yet, is the fabled Silicon Valley formula applicable or even desirable in education? Kamenetz skips such questions despite being confronted by them on several occasions. Instead, like a good post-modern writer, she ignores any value judgement, instead she arguing that her thesis as a product of historical progress. This historical project began the sixteenth century when the foundations of colleges were laid down, continued during the establishment of the modern Universities in the early to mid twentieth century and finally has reached its conclusion in the modern Universities where the students are offered not only a large number of courses to choose from,Show MoreRelatedGame Theory and Economic Analyst83847 Words   |  336 Pagesand selection  © 2002 Christian Schmidt; individual chapters  © the contributors Contributors Sà ©bastien Cochinard. LESOD, University of Laon, France. Claude d’Aspremont. CORE, Catholic University of Louvain, France. Mary Ann Dimand. Albion College, Michigan, USA. Robert W. Dimand. Brock University, Canada. The late Louis-Andrà © Gà ©rard-Varet. Universities of Aix-Marseilles II and III, France. Hervà © Moulin. Rice University, Texas, USA. Jean-Pierre Ponssard. Laboratoire d’Economà ©trie, Ecole