Abstract The question of an employee's right to privacy in the issue of drug testing presents a dilemma for employers in terms of the correct action to take in this regard. This essay critically examines this question, and argues the thesis that although ethical principles support employer's right to test in numerous cases, legal requirements constrain this right. The paper contends that the result is an ethical, legal and practical minefield for management. In this context, this essay recommends that a utilitarian perspective offers the best single ethical and legal guide to follow in this question.
Abstract This paper discusses whether money is an effective motivator at work. It presents theories that may or may not support our common knowledge of money being an effective motivator, but they all have one thing in common - that their premises are based on observations of outward behavior and reports made by individuals who participated in the studies.
From the Paper "Our long-standing belief is that money is what keeps our farmers cash-cropping, our nurses flocking abroad, our athletes training for competition, our writers pleasing their editors, and our telemarketing agents on the job at three in the morning. But is it really cold, hard cash that makes the world go round? Is it the only thing that keeps us up and about and motivated to do a good job?"
Tags: labor, money, motivator, psychology, theory, work
This paper considers conflict resolution through the team dynamic and discusses effective strategies towards resolving conflict while building a cohesive team.
Abstract This paper discusses conflict resolution, defined as the ability of a team to discuss and resolve differences. Conflict resolution strategies for a team charter do not prevent conflicts, however, using them as a reference when conflict arises should enable a team to get back on track. Because the strategies have been developed and agreed upon by each team member, the success of a team is directly related to the ability to resolve conflicts effectively. This paper specifically discusses the types of conflict, results of positive and negative conflict resolution strategies, stages of team development and the cost of unresolved conflict.
From the Paper "Once the team members have identified the types of conflict, and determined whether they have a negative or a positive impact on the team's ability to function effectively, they need to identify the sources of conflict.
"Teams need to be aware that poor communication is the leading cause of negative conflicts. When communication is not effective between team members, they are unable to share ideas, thoughts and opinions, and when active listening is not employed, misunderstandings are the result. Another major source of negative conflict is overlapping authority. This occurs when two or more members in a group claim authority for the same activity activities. (Parker, 2003, 172-173)"
Tags: conflict resolution, strategy types stages development cost
Abstract This paper examines the public policy implications of minimum wage laws and to a lesser extent living-wage laws (with the understanding that the two are philosophically linked to each other). The author writes, for those of us just now entering the labor force, it would be unthinkable to contemplate the working world without the presence of a minimum wage law. The paper provides a brief history of labor law and public policy in the United States. The paper includes graphs and charts.
From the Paper "The minimum wage does not seem to be one of those causes over which people become sufficiently impassioned to protest in the streets. But that is in large measure only because when people are protesting in the streets they tend to call for economic fairness or distributive justice, and both of these concepts are connected to the idea of a minimum wage or its newer and more radical cousin, the living wage."
Abstract This paper examines the treatment of African and Indian American laborers in Colonial America. The paper reveals that the fate of early modern American laborers was based primarily upon color and race. While class was an important consideration in the treatment of laborers in colonial society, the effect of class was much less important than that of color. The paper examines the effect of these racist practices and how they effected racist policy and thought for generations.
From the Paper "African American slavery was based largely on the idea that white Europeans were inherently superior to all other races. This inherent racism made it easy to justify slavery, and the mistreatment of slaves. Slaves were often treated as less than human, and lived their lives in servitude to their white masters.
"In contrast, white Europeans brought over to the Americas for use as labor were largely retained as indentured servants. Due to the whiteness of their skin, indentured servants were eventually granted freedom (after working off their debt) and faced no enduring social stigma. They often became landowners and leaders within the community (The United States Information Agency)."
From the Paper "In order to explore the relationship between gender and work, it is essential to define the fundamental difference between sex and gender. Sex refers to the biological distinctions between male and female based on reproductive organs and functions. On the other hand, gender is a social construct that reflects the interaction between biology and sociological factors such as class, culture, race and the individual. Coltrane and Collins delineate the difference between the two terms clearly in Sociology of Marriage and the Family: ?Gender reminds us that the social roles of being male and female are largely produced by the culture, while sex refers..."
From the Paper "The Teamsters Union was formed in 1902 with a decentralized group of horse-and-buggy men, otherwise known as team drivers. They wielded tremendous power because businesses depended on their deliveries (Brill, 1978, p. 3). Because strikes affected the public adversely, the public was supportive of business owners against the workers. In order to fight back against the business owners, police and the public, the workers enlisted the assistance of local gangsters. Therefore, from the beginning of its existence, the Teamsters were plagued by internal conflicts, violent strikes and association with gangsters (Friedman & Schwarz, 1989, pp. 8-9). During the ?20s, Teamster membership hovered around 75,000; compared to other labor unions, the Teamster Union exerted little influence. However, after 1934, with the passage of the ..."
Discusses some of the many ways in which new computer technology is aiding handicapped people to enter the workforce and encourage more and better social interaction.
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 7 sources, 1997, $ 31.95
From the Paper "According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, there are some 48.9 million Americans with disabilities. Based on the 1990 U.S. Census, there are 13.2 million Americans requiring assistance in instrumental daily activities. Computer technology is bringing new hope to the disabled.
Safko International Inc. is a company which develops technology for the disabled, and president Lon Safko says that we are all only "temporarily able bodied" and so will need some sort of assistance at some time in our lives. The company undertook ten years of research and development and sought input from more than 1,000 disabled individuals and rehabilitation centers to develop a system that allows the disabled a level of independence."
From the Paper "Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
How do people determine if they are victims of sexual harassment at their places of work? For more than a century, cases of supervisory and management personnel intimidating and abusing members of the opposite sex for the single reason that the underlings are members of the opposite gender have been documented. Sexual harassment is widespread in the United States. The targets are usually female in subordinate positions to a male authority. Sexual harassment occurs for several reasons: the definition of sexual harassment is poorly understood and constantly changing; men and women tend to perceive situations from different perspectives; and men knowingly or unknowingly may try to intimidate women in order to force them away from male-dominated domains so that the men can ..."
From the Paper "VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE
Introduction
Aggression and violence are of increasing concern to employees and employers in the United States (O?Leary-Kelly, Griffin, and Glew 381). Statistics indicate that violence has become a fundamental organizational problem. Homicide is the second leading cause of death in the workplace, behind transportation accidents (Filipczak 40).
Employers may be liable for violence done by an employee in the workplace based on either direct liability such as negligent hiring and retention or vicarious liability. The employer owes a duty of care in selecting employees, and the actions of an unfit, dangerous employee can demonstrate breach of this duty. For the employer to be vicariously liable, the actions of the violent employee .."
From the Paper "LABOR PARTICIPATION AS A FUNCTION OF SELECTED VARIABLES: A MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSIS
This research assesses the labor participation rate in the United States as a function of selected demographic factors. The labor participation rate is the proportion of the non institutionalized population aged 16 and over that is included in the civilian labor force, i.e., the proportion of that population segment that seeks paid employment (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1994). The demographic factors selected for the assessment of the labor participation rate were as follows:
1. The proportion of African Americans in the total population. The U.S. Department of Labor publications refer to African Americans as ?blacks.? Thus, the term "blacks" is used in the remainder of this research report."
From the Paper "DOWNSIZING: TRENDS AND IMPACTS
Downsizing is the planned elimination of positions or jobs within an organization (Kets de Vries & Balazs, 1997, p. 11). While relatively recent in origin, downsizing has become a pervasive business practice among large troubled corporations. Starting with factory closures in sunset industries during the recession of the early-1980s and continuing as an after-effect of merger and acquisition mania, downsizing, according to its proponents, "has turned into one of the inevitable outcomes of living in a global world where continual adjustments to products, services, and the price of labor are needed to remain competitive" (Kets de Vries & Balazs, 1997, p. 11).
During the 1990s, almost all of Fortune 1000 firms have engaged in downsizing (Kets de Vries & Balazs, 1997, p. 11). Further, the .."
From the Paper " The "glass ceiling" remains a formidable barrier between women and the executive suite. Relatively few women have succeeded in penetrating this barrier, in America as well as Europe. Given that women are consumers of products and services developed by the very companies that discriminate against them, it is surprising that more women have not assumed an activist role in public policy and corporate initiatives to eliminate the glass ceiling. Part of the reason could be that a significant number of women are not aware of the extent of the problem.
Many feminists suggest that gender bias in the workplace is a byproduct of gender socialization in the schools. Ravitch (1996) refutes this contention, "Teachers do not subtly discourage girls from pursuing their goals. Girls are doing very well indeed" (p. 1). Although boys score higher on national.."
From the Paper "Introduction
Managers with even the best understanding of motivational processes are likely to encounter situations where their expectations and the performance of their subordinates fail to coincide. In these situations, it is up to the manager to determine what the problem is, and how best to remedy the situation. Fundamentally, it is the manager's responsibility to evaluate the performance of the subordinate, and counsel the subordinate on how best to improve that performance. This research examines the role of performance appraisals and rewards in the business environment.
Importance of Employee Appraisals to Companies
Evaluation and counseling is important not only to the immediate job at hand, but also in anticipating the needs of the organization in the future.."
Effects of legal & illegal immigration on labor market & economic conditions & policy. Role of govt., discrimination, assimilation, nationalism, wages and solutions. Includes table & charts.
7,650 words (approx. 30.6 pages), 27 sources, 1999, $ 135.95
From the Paper "IMMIGRATION AND ITS EFFECTS ON FRENCH UNEMPLOYMENT
Introduction
In the late-twentieth century, more than at any time in the past, migration is a global phenomenon. In search of employment, higher wages, educational opportunities for themselves and their children, and escape from persecution and violence, millions of people cross international borders each year. Over one hundred million people now live in a country other than that of their birth, and millions of these immigrants maintain their ethnic identities in their adopted countries.
In industrialized societies on average, non-citizens now typically constitute more than five-percent of the population. These large and typically visible immigrant populations are a cause of concern for both governments and their citizens. These concerns.."
