Issues Concerning African Americans and Puerto Ricans Essay Example for Free

Issues Concerning African Americans and Puerto Ricans Essay There are four major ethnic, cultural and racial groups present in the United States today. These groups which compose the nation’s population are the African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic and Native Americans or the Non-Hispanic Whites. From the dawn of time, issues of racial profiling have haunted the American Society, although United States of America is said to be the birthplace of patriotism unity and believed to be a nation that will adhere to intense dedication to freedom, justice and equality (Feagin, 1978). The vast diversity of the American population which characterizes the nation’s inhabitants has often resulted to disorder and chaos, as discrimination exists across the nation. Although the government has taken some actions and laws have been made and are implemented, they are not enough to counteract the racism problem at hand which is deeply rooted in the American tradition, as a longer time may deemed necessary before the public become accustomed to a racial free society. If the authorities are keen on abolishing and eliminate racial discrimination, it then important that they see to it that the public would have a better understanding and background of the different ethnic and minority groups. Awareness to their values, customs and traditions are small little steps that may eventually lead to these groups coexistence. For this reason, the paper discusses two of the major groups that play important roles in shaping the United States social structure, the African Americans and the Puerto Ricans. The emergence of Africans Americans or the black Americans population, which are United States residents but with blood lineage from the black racial group of Africa, in the United States can be traced back way before 1800’s as majority of black Americans have their descendants in the United States. While White Americans came to the United States voluntarily, their Black counterparts were not given a choice as majority of the black population came in America as slaves (Feagin, 1978). It is noting to know that among the different ethnics group that come and settled in the United States, African Americans are the only group which have come not in accordance with their own free will. They were used as servants in large agricultural fields. It was believed that the first African American that had entered the borders of the United States settled in Jamestown. Their slavery and the hard labors they performed served as their free passage to the United States as they are compared to English poor people. However during the great American Civil War, by virtue of the proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln, the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans became free. But then the post war era, the restoration period, calls for the segregation of blacks from the whites and deteriorates what was supposed to be period of new beginning for the blacks.. In order to free themselves of troubles and violence brought by discrimination, most Black Americans followed the law which dictates racial segregation. However, as violence related to racial discrimination became widespread, calls for abolishing the racial profiling laws also intensify as growing African American heritage and intellect became more evident. The era of civil rights movement which aimed to promote camaraderie and embed equality by eliminating racial discrimination help largely to the Black Americans cause of seeking dignity for their culture and race. Thus, when the Black Power Propaganda was formed a more complex ideology was born as African American seeks for moral dignity, fairness, justice and freedom from white oppression. Today, free from slavery and contributing vastly to economics and politics and enjoying a legal status, Black Americans have enjoyed a great deal of success as they experienced and enjoyed greater rights, far from what were their ancestors have before. However, complete satisfaction and recognition of their rights will have to wait for another few years as white people and custom is still the dominant culture in the United States. The radical change, however, which started from the nineteenth century are strong indications and evidence of the emerging power the African Americans are obtaining. African Americans now have greater access top higher educations and growth in employment as blue and white collar workers are also evident. Disparity between the poverty of black and people have also reduced and many black Americans now have there owned home. However, the sad part is although continuous improvements are achieved each day, black Americans are still at disadvantage with the white people. It can be observed in issues regarding health insurances and benefits and institutional racism, which is very much present especially in middle school’s class. In fact, a report in Rutherford country showed that massive complaints of racial discriminations are filed as parents are alarmed with the growing numbers of black students that are suspended. Compare to their white counterparts, black students continue to be suspended at much higher rates, raising the question of racial discrimination in imposing discipline among the students. In 2006 for instance, 14. 4 % of black students were suspended in the district, which causes a handful of students to lag behind their studies (Scott, 2007). On the other hand rate of suspension for white students stand at 6. 6% (Scott, 2007). Figures and numbers indicate that the rates at which black students are suspended are more than double of the rate at which whites are. This then has poses an alarmed to the black population as their children are put into a disadvantage situation. Just like the African Americans, Puerto Ricans suffer a great deal of oppression and poverty as they occupy the bottom most part of the United States’ social hierarchy for years (Feagin, 1978). They are considered as one of the world’s poorest groups, however, Puerto Rico posses a great link to the Caribbean world and the developing counties across the globe, which the United States social failed to utilize for their own advantage as it failed to realize its importance to the nation. The emergence of the Puerto Rican Ethnic group dates back to the time when the island which was then named as Borinquen, was a colony under the rule of Spain. For 400 years, Spain uses it as a strategic base. The island was a home for different tribes of Taino, however as the Spanish settle with in the island, population of the Indian tribes gradually diminished as generations passed by. Disappearance was due to the fact that Spain used them for forced labor in mines -which causes natives to acquire disease, massive exterminations and racial intermingling and merging. During that time, where in slavery was widespread, large number of African Americans was brought to Puerto to replace the natives as workers. Thus, the present genetic component of a modern Puerto Rican is a mix of Spanish, native Indians and African American. In 1898, as Spain succumb to American power during the Spanish-American War it surrendered Puerto Rico to the United States. Americans deemed Puerto Ricans as ignorant and as result, self governing was denied to them and Puerto Rico become entirely dependent to the US government. Puerto Ricans were left confused politically and culturally as they desperately ask matters about the issue of their citizenship. US Congress however, denied them of acquiring US citizenship relating that Puerto Ricans and Americans should not be treated as equal and they are inferior compare to them. But a year before the US plunged into the World War I, it granted Puerto Ricans US citizenship. With the booming population and stagnant economics, Puerto Rico became one of the poorest countries around the globe in the 1940’s. In an effort to escape the harsh reality of life in the island, many of the population migrated to the United States, bringing with them the hope and the promise of an American Dream. However, the situation would not be different, as immigrants would fail to land jobs and are exploited. Furthermore, housings were prioritized for Native Americans. Language handicapped was also a barrier, which leads to them being discriminated. Puerto Ricans are also identified with Catholicism and Christianity which is teaching based from Spanish colonial times, and since the structure of the American church is Protestant, conflicts often arise. Businessmen of Puerto Rico descends, would often complain of the difficulty in getting loans. With automation starting to engulf the business and industrial sections, Puerto Ricans further sink to the bottom of the social pyramid as they become more isolated, like the black people. There were no opportunities that were presented for them as they lack the skills to land jobs. But then came the era of being unrest, the emergence of Civil Rights Movement and Anti-Poverty Groups in the 1960’s helped Puerto Ricans stimulate and assimilate into the American society, culture and politics (Nash, 2000). The movement and program covers every Puerto Rican and led to astounding solutions to the problems that result from ethnics and cultural differences and inconsistencies which are related to the failure to be in accordance with the dominant American Culture. The emergence of theses groups had opened the eyes of the Puerto Rican public to seek for fair and just treatment and uphold their dignity. Although they have been successful in appealing for changes, after decades of struggling for political representation, culture and customs respect and their placed into the American Society, Puerto Ricans are today just slowly beginning to achieve and realize the progress and results. Whether it is questions about citizenship status, welfare and housing programs, bilingual and multi-cultural education or electoral power, Puerto Ricans had stood the test of time and has proven it is capable of complex assimilation to the dominant American society. However for Puerto Ricans and other ethnic minorities and racial group in America, being subordinate to the dominant American culture is a continued struggle as still they are treated unjustly. References Feagin. J. (1978) Racial and Ethnic Relations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall. p. 212, p. 298 Scott, B. (2007). Daily Race Colors Suspensions. News Journal Murfreesboro. Nash, K. (2000). Contemporary Political Sociology: Globalization, Politics, and Power. Blackwell Publishers.

Role of Human Resource Managers in Diversity Management

Role of Human Resource Managers in Diversity Management CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter presents the background of the research on â€Å"How can international human resources managers effectively manage diversity in multinational company?†- Case study Tesco. The company overview of Tesco in UK, background of the research, organisation background, rationale statement, research questions, and purpose of the research conducted the aim and objectives of the research identified by researcher. The structure of the dissertation is described at the end of the chapter. 1.1 Background of the Research 1.1.1 Managing Diversity Managing diversity means maximizing diversitys potential benefits such as greater cultural awareness and broader language skills, while minimizing the potential barriers such as prejudices and bias that can undermine the companys performance. Dessler (2008, p.61) referred to diversity as potentially a double-edged sword. Generally diversity refers to the variety or multiplicity of demographic features that characterize a companys workforce, in terms of race, sex, culture, national origin, age and religion. Many organisations have implemented various types of initiatives within the last few decades in an effort to deal with diversity. A possible missing link between how the human resource managers deal with diversity and its impact on the organisation is a diversity strategy that is executed using a planned approach to systemically manage diversity (Leopold Harris 2009). The increasing diversity and changing demographics of the UK workforce, the expansion of anti-discrimination legislation, legal rights for individuals with caring responsibilities and government policy commitment to the work-life balance have created new challenges for employers across employment sectors. This research explores some of the issues that arise for employers, managers and employees in the development and application of multinational organisational human resourcing policies which are intended to promote equality of treatment and recognize diversity in the workforce. The 2004 WERS survey (Kersley et al., 2006) found that 73 percent of workplaces had a final written equal opportunities policy or a policy on managing diversity compared to 64 percent in 1998. This figure increased to 98 percent in the public sector (97 percent in 1998) with the incidence of formal policy being higher in large workplaces which means that most employees work in establishments with a formal poli cy. This was evident in the 2007 CIPD annual recruitment and retention survey which revealed that only half of the 905 participating organisations had a formal diversity strategy although again the public sector is more proactive with 83 percent reporting a strategic approach to diversity (CIPD, 2007 a). Todays business and service organisations are meeting the challenge which demands systematic efforts, as many of them have come to realize. Whether the multi-cultural character of the organisation arises from its international workforce and its local operations in various countries, from the mixed backgrounds of a workforce in a single location, the organisation must address this diversity if it is to be successful. Groups of people see the world through their own set of assumptions, values, beliefs, customs, traditions and attitudes that are shared by an organisations members. Learn about their culture and how it shaped them, and aim to understand how other culture work that can be an effective global manager. 1.2 Organisation Background In this research, selected company will be Tesco Metro (Whitton, Branch) London outlet where different cultural people working. Tesco is one of the UKs major retail supermarkets. Tesco is an international retailer where there are working different countries and cross-cultural people. This research is a collection of how the Tesco Company has used diversity to support their business goals and valuable learning and what makes good diversity practice. Tesco is the fastest and largest growing retail chain in UK as well as international arena. Tesco started its journey in 1919 in the East End of London. As a result, Tesco came as a national store across the country in 1970. To beat others and to reach top Tesco brings more innovative idea and implemented those from 1992 to 2004 like slogan â€Å"every little help†, Tesco value, Club card, 24 hours service, Online service and so on (A history of Tesco: The rise of Britains biggest supermarket). Tesco is operating in the UK set its position as a market leader with over  £2 billion of profit with total 3728 stores around the world, where in the UK 2,306 stores and employing over 286,394 staff. It provides online services through its subsidiary, Tesco.com. The UK is the companys largest market where it operates under four banners of Extra, Superstore, Metro and Express. The company sells almost 40,000 food products, including clothing and other non-foods lines. The companys own-label products (50 percent of sales) are at three levels; value, normal and finest. As well as convenience produce many stores have gas stations, becoming one of Britains largest independent petrol retailers (Tesco Annual Report Review, 2009). According to market share Tescos positions in number one in UK and third position around the world. Tesco is the market leader with 30.40% (March, 09) of market share though its lost a bit of market share 0.5% in recent year due to credit crunch. Tesco market s hare is nearly two times higher than other retail shop like Asda (17.5%), Sainsbury (16.1%). (Retail Analysis) Tesco has a very friendly and supporting approach in the routine ways that staffs at Tesco behave towards each other, and towards those outside the company that can make up the ways people do things, where at great place to work. The control systems and measurements are constantly under the management review to monitor the efficiency of the staff and managers decisions. On-going meetings and communication at every level of the companys hierarchy represent a strong internal environment (Tescos Value and Strategy). Cultural web theory application (The cultural web theory is also an effective analysis for management in order to represent the underlying assumptions linked to political, symbolic and structural aspect of the company) is a useful tool in considering the cultural context for Tescos business (Tescos Value and Strategy). Culture generally tends to consist of layers of values, beliefs and taken for-granted actions and ways of doing business within and outside the company. Therefore, the concept of cultural web is the representation of these actions taken for granted for understanding how they connect and influence the strategy (Veliyath and Fitzgerald, 2000; Johnson and Scholes, 2003). It is also useful to understand and characterise both the companys culture and the subcultures in adaptation of future strategies. 1.3 Rationale statement Generally, a self assessment for international human resource managers is to evaluate and improve their global management skills. But it also creates a challenge for individual managers who must manage with working across geographic and cultural areas; understand how issues of managing diversity inform and influence human resource strategies and evaluate the respective responsibilities of international human resource managers for managing diversity policies and practices. The key concept of managing diversity accepts that different cultural workforce consists of a diverse population of people. The diversity management can recognize a wide range of individual differences and benefits to the employment relationship to individual needs which can lead to the organisational competitive advantage. This research explores the key principle of diversity in one of UKs leading super market named Tesco Metro (Whitton Branch) London. The researcher intends that how managers mange working with diversity people in workplace in Tesco, whereas equal opportunity focuses on different ethnic groups. 1.4 Research Questions As human resource manager in a multinational company needs to consider the following major issues: 1. How people manage a group of different culture people? 2. What is the communication within work? 3. How do the managers manage diversity and equal opportunity within the service? 4. How can the manager influence teams performance? 5. How can the manager help people learn and develop? 6. How can the manager help people to manage change? 7. How he is motivating people? 8. How can the manager handle equal opportunity? 9. What strategy managers should apply to get a good result from employees? How a human resource manager can handle all those areas and successfully the organisations mission with different countrys people. 1.5 Purpose of the Research 1.5.1 Research Aim The aim of the dissertation is to analyse the competitive advantage of the organization that are managing people as assets which are fundamental. And to examine diversity, equality and discrimination issues in a multinational company, in the particular way of human resource managers to manage work with different culture people. Tesco has been used as a case study in this dissertation. 1.5.2 Research Objectives 1) An international human resource managers needs to know the way of managing people in the organisation. An overview of what a manager needs to do in relations to managing people in a changing environment which will be include at diversity issues and international human resource management policies. 2) To observe a multicultural company from the perspectives of diverse social peoples. 3) For an organisation to succeed on a global scale, radical shifts in business procedures are required. To become a successful global manager is to develop a global outlook. 4) A global manager needs to know what point an organisation has reached in the globalization process, and where it wants to go. Understand the process and recognize the strategies that will give the organisation a global advantage. 5) Understanding people as individuals and recognizing their differences as well as drawing up some general principles for managing them like motivates them, job satisfaction, and job design. 6) Recruiting, and selecting the right people. This research will disclose some essential factors which help organisations to maintain their diversity effectively within the organisation and make a fair working environment of employees within the organisation. 1.6 Structure of the Dissertation The dissertation report has been structured into the following chapters. Chapter 1: This provides an introduction to the research, where justification of the research is presented and the purpose of the research is explained. Chapter 2: The second chapter is the literature review of this dissertation concerned about, the works of various authors who have discussed relevant existing theories and policy of diversity and the different interpretations of diversity management which is based on secondary data. Those relevant theories and policy will help to find out the appropriate analyse of the following research. Chapter 3: The third chapter will discuss the research methodology. Research method presents the research philosophy, approach and sampling, data collection procedures and shows the right direction to achieve an outcome. This chapter also explains the reasons behind the use of selected research method and the advantages by using the research approach. Chapter 4: This chapter contains the analysis and findings. This part of dissertation informed the research findings quantitatively with the help of constructed research model and research hypotheses. It also shows the data gathered in the company through interview and questionnaire of Tescos managers and employees, and analysis the data to provide a productive meaning of the research finding. Chapter 5: This chapter encloses the conclusion of the dissertation within the research questions and objectives, describe limitation of research and recommends opportunity for further research. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction This chapter discusses the works of various authors and scholars who have highlighted theoretical exploration of the existing knowledge that is relevant to the diversity area. This chapter also focuses on similar and contrasting perspectives that researchers have used to approach this research areas. 2.2 What is Diversity Diversity means relating and working with people who hold different perspectives and views and bringing different qualities to the workplace. According to (Kandola Fullerton 1994, p.19) diversity consists of visible and non-visible differences which will include age, background, race, sex, disability, personality and lifestyle. The concept of diversity means respect and acceptance, means understanding each individual is unique and recognizing our individuals differences. It can be the aspects of race, age, gender, ethnicity, sex, disability, religious beliefs, and political views and so on. It is also exploration of these differences in a safe positive and development organizational environment. As the Wall Street Journal (2005) put about diversity, as companies do more and more business around the world, diversity is simple a matter of doing what is fair or good public relations which is a business imperative but diversity is supposed to enrich an organisations human capital, whereas equal opportunity focuses on various ethnic groups. Brewster (2002) defined that managing diversity tries to build specific skills and to create policies that derive the best from each employee and it is based on the assumption that diverse groups will create new ways of working together and have understanding in that group, profit and productivity will increase in the organisation. Where he found, diversity management is fast becoming a management approach that is being applied effectively within the organizations. 2.3 Benefits of Diversity Diversity needs to be seen as an integral part of the business plan, essential to successful products and increased sales. This is especially true in todays global marketplace, as organizations interact with different cultures and people. Kandola Fullerton (1998) identified the possible areas of diversity benefits, these are: a) Creativity increases when people with different ways of solving difficult problems work together towards a common solution and the more ideas can obtain from different people. b) Productivity increases when people are from all cultures pull together towards a single inspiring goal. Increased productivity is an obvious advantage of diversity in the workplace. c) Provide strong leadership they take strong stands on advocating the need for a diverse workforce and can handle effectively different cultural people. d) New attitudes are brought to the business by people from diverse cultures. In most other countries around the world time is for building relationships and an integral part of getting to know that are considering doing business with before starting a transaction. e) Provide diversity training and education are obviously needed in todays increasingly global market and diverse employees often have this ability. Every company needs specific knowledge or language skills where the international job seekers have the advantage. f) New processes when people are with different ideas come together and collaborate. In todays first moving world, employee must bring multiple skills to the working environment and adapt quickly to new situations. (Harris et al. 2003) International human resource manager can make organisations more successful and productive by managing diversity in the work place. Diversity brings real benefits to business environment where employing a diverse workforce enables it to use a wider range of skills and lead to creativity and innovation. 2.4 Human Resource (HR) Policies HR policies provide guidelines on how key aspects of people management should be handled. The aim is to ensure that any HR issues are dealt with the values of the organisation with certain principles. Armstrong (2009) defined the philosophies and values of the organisation on how people should be treated and all organisations have HR policies. HR policies can be expressed formally as overall statements of the values of the organisation or in specific areas. Kandola Fullerton (1994), these values are espoused by many organizations in one form or another. HR policy on managing diversity recognizes that there are differences among employees and properly managed where will enable work to be more effectively. 2.5 Managing Workforce Diversity Legislation and the high profile of equal opportunities in the UK has had both positive and negative effects on the way people view each other, (Barker, 2000). On the one hand, there is now widespread recognition that discrimination at work on the grounds of gender, race or ability alone is unjust, although the practice still continues. However, the grouping of minorities such as women or ethnic or disabled has produced responses. More recent thinking has moved towards ‘managing diversity-recognizing and valuing differences in people and their unique contributions to the workforce. Managing diversity involves creating an environment that allows all employees to contribute to organizational goals and experience personal growth. This requires the company to develop employees that they are comfortable working with others from a variety of ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. Noe et al. (2003) found that managing diversity may require changing the company culture. It includes the companys standards and how employees are treated, competitiveness, innovation and risk taking. Where management of diversity has been linked to innovation, improved productivity, lower employee turnover and other costs related to human resources, (Cox, 1993, p.24). Price (1997, p.265) noted that the management of diversity goes beyond equal opportunity instead of allowing a greater range of people the opportunity to ‘fit in the concept of diversity embodies the belief that people should be valued for their differences and variety. Diversity perceived to enrich an organisations human capital. Whereas equal opportunity focuses on various disadvantaged groups, the management of diversity is about individuals and model of resourcing aimed at finding flexible employees. According to Harvard Business Review, managing diversity does not mean controlling or containing diversity, it means enabling every member of workforce to perform to their potential and getting from employees; everything right to expect and if it is well then thing they have to give, (Thomas, 2001). The future success of any organisations relies on the ability to manage a diverse of capacity that can bring innovative ideas, perspectives and views to their work. The challenge and problems faced of workplace diversity can be turned into a strategic organisational asset if an organisation is able to make the most of diverse talents. Especially for multinational companies, who have operations on a global scale and employ people of different countries, ethical and cultural backgrounds. Thus, a HR manager needs to be aware and may utilize a Think Global, Act Local approach in most circumstances, (Jackson, 2002). The goals of diversity training are eliminate values and managerial practices that restrain employees personal development and allow employees to contribute to organisational goals within the cultural background, (Jackson Associates, 1992). It is because of equal opportunity employment laws that companies have focused on ensuring equal access to jobs. With a population attempt towards high technology and knowledge-based economy; foreign ability are tempt to share their expertise in these areas. Thus human resource managers have to undergo cultural-based human resource management training to further their abilities to motivate a group of professional that are highly qualified but culturally diverse. 2.6 Achieving Equality and diversity Approach The diversity approaches argue that diverse workgroups generate wealthier ideas and solutions than homogenous groups where benefits of diversity management include a greater concern for socially responsible behavior in organisations and more flexibility in organizational policies, (Wentling Palma-Rivas, 1998, p.237). Ross Schneider (1992, p.49) discussed the fundamental perspective from equality to diversity that employers will find competitive advantage in encouraging diversity at work. Equal opportunities should become internally driven not externally imposed and focused on individuals where the responsibility of all. Fredman (2001) observes that traditionally equality laws have been informed by neutrality, individualism and promotion of autonomy principles. These principles aim to ensure that people are treated in the same way and appear to be the most consideration in the UK anti-discrimination framework which is an approach to workplace equality based on achieving fairness. Walsh (2007) in her analysis of the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey findings points out that womens representation in senior management in UK workplaces had only marginally improved by 2 percent between 1998 and 2004. So diversity is a concept which recognises the benefits to be gained from differences and equal opportunity has traditionally been a concept, which sought to legislate against discrimination. These two concepts have the following characteristics:. Those characteristics suggest that how organisations can move from where most are at present to a situation in which diversity enters the majority. 2.7 How the Diversity Concept has developed Changes in the social and economic landscape led to legislation covering equal pay, sex and racial discrimination in the 1970s, followed by disability laws in the 1990s, (Daniels Macdonald, 2005). More recently discrimination of sexual orientation and religion has been added by the law. By 1990s, it was being recognised that they had limited success in achieving their goals. At around the same time, researchers were also finding that culturally diverse teams were more creative than homogenous teams and contributed more effectively to meeting organisational goals. Three separate commissions have promoted equality and particular aspects of the legislation: the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Commission for Racial Equality and the Disability Rights Commission. From October 2007, a new Equality and Human Rights Commission has been established to cover all equality issues as well as of human rights, from (CIPD, 2007). From the recent survey, unemployment is twice as high among people from ethnic minorities, although in UK relatively more Asian and Black African graduates than white graduates where only 12 percent of white men are in professional occupations. Statistical survey found that 41 percent of white women in employment work part-time but only 7 percent of white men and as opposed to 38 percent of Bangladeshi men, (http://www.cipd.co.uk/surveys). 2.8 Diversity Policy Changing workforce demographics and new organisational forms are increasing the diversity of work teams in general and decision-making teams in particular. The perspectives of diversity policy may lead to a variety of different consequences for decision-making teams in the organisation. 2.8.1 The Business Issues Equal opportunities are often seen as meaning treating everyone in exactly the same way. Kandola (2006) argued that the social justice and business issues for diversity are complementary because unless people are treated fairly at work they will therefore under-perform. But diversity takes equality forward and evidence indicates that organisations that are serious about diversity show better overall financial performance. Diversity policies also help organisations to create an environment in which people from all backgrounds can work together. 2.8.2 People Issues People are aspiring to work for employers with good employment practices and feel valued at work place. Dowling et al. (1999, p.262) states that to be competitive organisations need to derive the best contributions from everyone and need to create an inclusive workplace culture in which everyone feels valued. The HRM aspects are operating different countries as a way of illustrating the situation that may confront multinationals attempting to penetrate developing markets. 2.9 The Nature of Diversity in Decision-Making Teams Many organisations use the term diversity to refer only to demographic differences among employees, with gender, ethnicity and age being the dimensions of greatest concern. Changing workforce demographics and new organisational forms are increasing the diversity of work teams in general and decision-making teams in particular. Diversity may lead to a variety of different consequences for decision-making teams. 2.9.1 Gender Diversity Gender diversity in teams may indicate the extent to which team members form same gender relationships outside the team. Studies on social networks suggest that employees form relationships with each other based on their gender. In a study of male and female managers in an advertising firm, Ibarra (1995) found that men and women formed same gender networks that served both social and instrumental goals. 2.9.2 Ethnicity Diversity Social identity and organisational demography suggests that people are preferred to interact with members of their own identity group rather than with members of other groups. Where white males tend to perform in higher positions, (Chow Crawford, 2004) females and ethnic minorities tend to occupy more junior positions. Experiences of racism shared by women and members of different ethnic groups affect their attitudes and behaviours in the workplace. 2.9.3 Age Diversity People within age groups share common experiences, attitudes and values (Lawrence, 1988), a persons age can act as an indication that triggers social categorization processes and promotes communication among group members. Descriptions of workforce demographics usually emphasize the fact that the average age of the work force is increasing but the distribution of ages represented in the workforce is also changing. Following figure showing age distribution where non-white groups are younger: White groups have an older age structure where the mixed group had the youngest age structure 50 percent were under the aged of 16. The Bangladeshi, other Black and Pakistani groups also had young age structures of 38 percent were aged 16. This was almost double the proportion of the White British group, where 20 percent were under the age of 16. 2.10 Managing Diversity is Different from Affirmative Action Managing diversity focuses on maximizing the ability of all employees to contribute to organisational goals. Affirmative action focuses on specific groups because of historical discrimination, such as people of colour and women, (Kravitz Klineberg, 2000). Affirmative action emphasizes legal necessity and social responsibility where managing diversity emphasizes business necessity. So it is much more inclusive and acknowledges that diversity must work for everyone. Affirmative actions having the employer take actions in recruitment, hiring, promotions and compensation to eliminate the present effects of past discrimination. Affirmative action is still a significant workplace issue today. The incidence of major court-mandated affirmative action is down, but courts still use them. Furthermore, many employers must still engage in voluntary programs. For example, executive order 11246 (issued in 1965) requires federal contractors to take affirmative action to improve employment opportunities for groups such as women and racial minorities. EEO 11246 covers about 26 million workers about 22 percent of the US workforce, (Dessler 2008, p.63). 2.11 Organisational Context Managerial approaches to diversity will inevitably be informed by the specific organisational context. Attracting different types of people to an organisation will be determined by peoples perceptions of the industry in which the organisation operates. The image and reputation of the organisation as an employer will affect the types of people attracted to the organisation, (Markwick Fill, 1997). The maternity and children specialist retailer who came 18th in the 2008 Sunday Times 20 Best Big Companies to Work For list attribute their ranking to a number of factors to their employer brand. These include an emphasis on work-life balance, flexible working, better than average maternity pay and leave. These argue helps to attract and retain staff especially female employees, (Leopold Harris, 2009). If an organisation is able to employ a diverse workforce, the extent to which these individual differences are recognised in employment practices will be significantly affected by the size and structure of the organisation. 2.12 Diversity in Multinational Companies As more and more organisations become global and people of different cultures and ethnic backgrounds work together, the need for multicultural understanding becoming obvious to many organisation. Harris et al. (2003, p.25) referred that a multinational team would be much stronger in communication which is vital aspect in business. Most of the multinational company gives priority to work with diversity people as a result they are success in international market. Ansari Jackson (1995, p.12) described, multicultural teams led to more people from different culture and ethnic intermarrying. Globalisation and advances in communication and technology have reduced trade barriers and increased interaction among people. Companies and leaders who recognise the cultural diversity and find the right cultural mixture among the team can achieve comparative advantages. To understand how diversity is managed in multinational company, in that case need to understand the concept of corporate culture which describe the organisational diversity programs and how to minimize conflict between employees. 2.13 Why Culture Counts According to Mattock (1999) organisations have moved on from international to multinational to global. Multicultural teams have become very common in recent years. With cross border mobility becoming much easier the number of people moving from one country to another has grown significantly. As a manager need to successful interaction with others like sharing ideas, their needs and helping to improve performance, where need to consider cultural context. A diverse multi cultural work place enables a company to handle diverse projects. Erlenkamp (2007, p.7) found, in the last decades many scientist tried to define intercultural difference to enhance the communication between different cultures. ‘The most important studies were conducted by Geert Hofstede, Edward Hall and Fons Trompenaars, that shows the importance of multicultural workforce and HRM of many organisations do study these theories to implement it in their employee training. 2.14 Understanding Cross-Cultural Communication Language issues can develop into a source of conflict and inequality within culturally diverse organisations becomes more and more multicultural, (Ansari Jackson 1995). In the international business environment of today and tomorrow communication is a business necessity Role of Human Resource Managers in Diversity Management Role of Human Resource Managers in Diversity Management CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter presents the background of the research on â€Å"How can international human resources managers effectively manage diversity in multinational company?†- Case study Tesco. The company overview of Tesco in UK, background of the research, organisation background, rationale statement, research questions, and purpose of the research conducted the aim and objectives of the research identified by researcher. The structure of the dissertation is described at the end of the chapter. 1.1 Background of the Research 1.1.1 Managing Diversity Managing diversity means maximizing diversitys potential benefits such as greater cultural awareness and broader language skills, while minimizing the potential barriers such as prejudices and bias that can undermine the companys performance. Dessler (2008, p.61) referred to diversity as potentially a double-edged sword. Generally diversity refers to the variety or multiplicity of demographic features that characterize a companys workforce, in terms of race, sex, culture, national origin, age and religion. Many organisations have implemented various types of initiatives within the last few decades in an effort to deal with diversity. A possible missing link between how the human resource managers deal with diversity and its impact on the organisation is a diversity strategy that is executed using a planned approach to systemically manage diversity (Leopold Harris 2009). The increasing diversity and changing demographics of the UK workforce, the expansion of anti-discrimination legislation, legal rights for individuals with caring responsibilities and government policy commitment to the work-life balance have created new challenges for employers across employment sectors. This research explores some of the issues that arise for employers, managers and employees in the development and application of multinational organisational human resourcing policies which are intended to promote equality of treatment and recognize diversity in the workforce. The 2004 WERS survey (Kersley et al., 2006) found that 73 percent of workplaces had a final written equal opportunities policy or a policy on managing diversity compared to 64 percent in 1998. This figure increased to 98 percent in the public sector (97 percent in 1998) with the incidence of formal policy being higher in large workplaces which means that most employees work in establishments with a formal poli cy. This was evident in the 2007 CIPD annual recruitment and retention survey which revealed that only half of the 905 participating organisations had a formal diversity strategy although again the public sector is more proactive with 83 percent reporting a strategic approach to diversity (CIPD, 2007 a). Todays business and service organisations are meeting the challenge which demands systematic efforts, as many of them have come to realize. Whether the multi-cultural character of the organisation arises from its international workforce and its local operations in various countries, from the mixed backgrounds of a workforce in a single location, the organisation must address this diversity if it is to be successful. Groups of people see the world through their own set of assumptions, values, beliefs, customs, traditions and attitudes that are shared by an organisations members. Learn about their culture and how it shaped them, and aim to understand how other culture work that can be an effective global manager. 1.2 Organisation Background In this research, selected company will be Tesco Metro (Whitton, Branch) London outlet where different cultural people working. Tesco is one of the UKs major retail supermarkets. Tesco is an international retailer where there are working different countries and cross-cultural people. This research is a collection of how the Tesco Company has used diversity to support their business goals and valuable learning and what makes good diversity practice. Tesco is the fastest and largest growing retail chain in UK as well as international arena. Tesco started its journey in 1919 in the East End of London. As a result, Tesco came as a national store across the country in 1970. To beat others and to reach top Tesco brings more innovative idea and implemented those from 1992 to 2004 like slogan â€Å"every little help†, Tesco value, Club card, 24 hours service, Online service and so on (A history of Tesco: The rise of Britains biggest supermarket). Tesco is operating in the UK set its position as a market leader with over  £2 billion of profit with total 3728 stores around the world, where in the UK 2,306 stores and employing over 286,394 staff. It provides online services through its subsidiary, Tesco.com. The UK is the companys largest market where it operates under four banners of Extra, Superstore, Metro and Express. The company sells almost 40,000 food products, including clothing and other non-foods lines. The companys own-label products (50 percent of sales) are at three levels; value, normal and finest. As well as convenience produce many stores have gas stations, becoming one of Britains largest independent petrol retailers (Tesco Annual Report Review, 2009). According to market share Tescos positions in number one in UK and third position around the world. Tesco is the market leader with 30.40% (March, 09) of market share though its lost a bit of market share 0.5% in recent year due to credit crunch. Tesco market s hare is nearly two times higher than other retail shop like Asda (17.5%), Sainsbury (16.1%). (Retail Analysis) Tesco has a very friendly and supporting approach in the routine ways that staffs at Tesco behave towards each other, and towards those outside the company that can make up the ways people do things, where at great place to work. The control systems and measurements are constantly under the management review to monitor the efficiency of the staff and managers decisions. On-going meetings and communication at every level of the companys hierarchy represent a strong internal environment (Tescos Value and Strategy). Cultural web theory application (The cultural web theory is also an effective analysis for management in order to represent the underlying assumptions linked to political, symbolic and structural aspect of the company) is a useful tool in considering the cultural context for Tescos business (Tescos Value and Strategy). Culture generally tends to consist of layers of values, beliefs and taken for-granted actions and ways of doing business within and outside the company. Therefore, the concept of cultural web is the representation of these actions taken for granted for understanding how they connect and influence the strategy (Veliyath and Fitzgerald, 2000; Johnson and Scholes, 2003). It is also useful to understand and characterise both the companys culture and the subcultures in adaptation of future strategies. 1.3 Rationale statement Generally, a self assessment for international human resource managers is to evaluate and improve their global management skills. But it also creates a challenge for individual managers who must manage with working across geographic and cultural areas; understand how issues of managing diversity inform and influence human resource strategies and evaluate the respective responsibilities of international human resource managers for managing diversity policies and practices. The key concept of managing diversity accepts that different cultural workforce consists of a diverse population of people. The diversity management can recognize a wide range of individual differences and benefits to the employment relationship to individual needs which can lead to the organisational competitive advantage. This research explores the key principle of diversity in one of UKs leading super market named Tesco Metro (Whitton Branch) London. The researcher intends that how managers mange working with diversity people in workplace in Tesco, whereas equal opportunity focuses on different ethnic groups. 1.4 Research Questions As human resource manager in a multinational company needs to consider the following major issues: 1. How people manage a group of different culture people? 2. What is the communication within work? 3. How do the managers manage diversity and equal opportunity within the service? 4. How can the manager influence teams performance? 5. How can the manager help people learn and develop? 6. How can the manager help people to manage change? 7. How he is motivating people? 8. How can the manager handle equal opportunity? 9. What strategy managers should apply to get a good result from employees? How a human resource manager can handle all those areas and successfully the organisations mission with different countrys people. 1.5 Purpose of the Research 1.5.1 Research Aim The aim of the dissertation is to analyse the competitive advantage of the organization that are managing people as assets which are fundamental. And to examine diversity, equality and discrimination issues in a multinational company, in the particular way of human resource managers to manage work with different culture people. Tesco has been used as a case study in this dissertation. 1.5.2 Research Objectives 1) An international human resource managers needs to know the way of managing people in the organisation. An overview of what a manager needs to do in relations to managing people in a changing environment which will be include at diversity issues and international human resource management policies. 2) To observe a multicultural company from the perspectives of diverse social peoples. 3) For an organisation to succeed on a global scale, radical shifts in business procedures are required. To become a successful global manager is to develop a global outlook. 4) A global manager needs to know what point an organisation has reached in the globalization process, and where it wants to go. Understand the process and recognize the strategies that will give the organisation a global advantage. 5) Understanding people as individuals and recognizing their differences as well as drawing up some general principles for managing them like motivates them, job satisfaction, and job design. 6) Recruiting, and selecting the right people. This research will disclose some essential factors which help organisations to maintain their diversity effectively within the organisation and make a fair working environment of employees within the organisation. 1.6 Structure of the Dissertation The dissertation report has been structured into the following chapters. Chapter 1: This provides an introduction to the research, where justification of the research is presented and the purpose of the research is explained. Chapter 2: The second chapter is the literature review of this dissertation concerned about, the works of various authors who have discussed relevant existing theories and policy of diversity and the different interpretations of diversity management which is based on secondary data. Those relevant theories and policy will help to find out the appropriate analyse of the following research. Chapter 3: The third chapter will discuss the research methodology. Research method presents the research philosophy, approach and sampling, data collection procedures and shows the right direction to achieve an outcome. This chapter also explains the reasons behind the use of selected research method and the advantages by using the research approach. Chapter 4: This chapter contains the analysis and findings. This part of dissertation informed the research findings quantitatively with the help of constructed research model and research hypotheses. It also shows the data gathered in the company through interview and questionnaire of Tescos managers and employees, and analysis the data to provide a productive meaning of the research finding. Chapter 5: This chapter encloses the conclusion of the dissertation within the research questions and objectives, describe limitation of research and recommends opportunity for further research. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction This chapter discusses the works of various authors and scholars who have highlighted theoretical exploration of the existing knowledge that is relevant to the diversity area. This chapter also focuses on similar and contrasting perspectives that researchers have used to approach this research areas. 2.2 What is Diversity Diversity means relating and working with people who hold different perspectives and views and bringing different qualities to the workplace. According to (Kandola Fullerton 1994, p.19) diversity consists of visible and non-visible differences which will include age, background, race, sex, disability, personality and lifestyle. The concept of diversity means respect and acceptance, means understanding each individual is unique and recognizing our individuals differences. It can be the aspects of race, age, gender, ethnicity, sex, disability, religious beliefs, and political views and so on. It is also exploration of these differences in a safe positive and development organizational environment. As the Wall Street Journal (2005) put about diversity, as companies do more and more business around the world, diversity is simple a matter of doing what is fair or good public relations which is a business imperative but diversity is supposed to enrich an organisations human capital, whereas equal opportunity focuses on various ethnic groups. Brewster (2002) defined that managing diversity tries to build specific skills and to create policies that derive the best from each employee and it is based on the assumption that diverse groups will create new ways of working together and have understanding in that group, profit and productivity will increase in the organisation. Where he found, diversity management is fast becoming a management approach that is being applied effectively within the organizations. 2.3 Benefits of Diversity Diversity needs to be seen as an integral part of the business plan, essential to successful products and increased sales. This is especially true in todays global marketplace, as organizations interact with different cultures and people. Kandola Fullerton (1998) identified the possible areas of diversity benefits, these are: a) Creativity increases when people with different ways of solving difficult problems work together towards a common solution and the more ideas can obtain from different people. b) Productivity increases when people are from all cultures pull together towards a single inspiring goal. Increased productivity is an obvious advantage of diversity in the workplace. c) Provide strong leadership they take strong stands on advocating the need for a diverse workforce and can handle effectively different cultural people. d) New attitudes are brought to the business by people from diverse cultures. In most other countries around the world time is for building relationships and an integral part of getting to know that are considering doing business with before starting a transaction. e) Provide diversity training and education are obviously needed in todays increasingly global market and diverse employees often have this ability. Every company needs specific knowledge or language skills where the international job seekers have the advantage. f) New processes when people are with different ideas come together and collaborate. In todays first moving world, employee must bring multiple skills to the working environment and adapt quickly to new situations. (Harris et al. 2003) International human resource manager can make organisations more successful and productive by managing diversity in the work place. Diversity brings real benefits to business environment where employing a diverse workforce enables it to use a wider range of skills and lead to creativity and innovation. 2.4 Human Resource (HR) Policies HR policies provide guidelines on how key aspects of people management should be handled. The aim is to ensure that any HR issues are dealt with the values of the organisation with certain principles. Armstrong (2009) defined the philosophies and values of the organisation on how people should be treated and all organisations have HR policies. HR policies can be expressed formally as overall statements of the values of the organisation or in specific areas. Kandola Fullerton (1994), these values are espoused by many organizations in one form or another. HR policy on managing diversity recognizes that there are differences among employees and properly managed where will enable work to be more effectively. 2.5 Managing Workforce Diversity Legislation and the high profile of equal opportunities in the UK has had both positive and negative effects on the way people view each other, (Barker, 2000). On the one hand, there is now widespread recognition that discrimination at work on the grounds of gender, race or ability alone is unjust, although the practice still continues. However, the grouping of minorities such as women or ethnic or disabled has produced responses. More recent thinking has moved towards ‘managing diversity-recognizing and valuing differences in people and their unique contributions to the workforce. Managing diversity involves creating an environment that allows all employees to contribute to organizational goals and experience personal growth. This requires the company to develop employees that they are comfortable working with others from a variety of ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. Noe et al. (2003) found that managing diversity may require changing the company culture. It includes the companys standards and how employees are treated, competitiveness, innovation and risk taking. Where management of diversity has been linked to innovation, improved productivity, lower employee turnover and other costs related to human resources, (Cox, 1993, p.24). Price (1997, p.265) noted that the management of diversity goes beyond equal opportunity instead of allowing a greater range of people the opportunity to ‘fit in the concept of diversity embodies the belief that people should be valued for their differences and variety. Diversity perceived to enrich an organisations human capital. Whereas equal opportunity focuses on various disadvantaged groups, the management of diversity is about individuals and model of resourcing aimed at finding flexible employees. According to Harvard Business Review, managing diversity does not mean controlling or containing diversity, it means enabling every member of workforce to perform to their potential and getting from employees; everything right to expect and if it is well then thing they have to give, (Thomas, 2001). The future success of any organisations relies on the ability to manage a diverse of capacity that can bring innovative ideas, perspectives and views to their work. The challenge and problems faced of workplace diversity can be turned into a strategic organisational asset if an organisation is able to make the most of diverse talents. Especially for multinational companies, who have operations on a global scale and employ people of different countries, ethical and cultural backgrounds. Thus, a HR manager needs to be aware and may utilize a Think Global, Act Local approach in most circumstances, (Jackson, 2002). The goals of diversity training are eliminate values and managerial practices that restrain employees personal development and allow employees to contribute to organisational goals within the cultural background, (Jackson Associates, 1992). It is because of equal opportunity employment laws that companies have focused on ensuring equal access to jobs. With a population attempt towards high technology and knowledge-based economy; foreign ability are tempt to share their expertise in these areas. Thus human resource managers have to undergo cultural-based human resource management training to further their abilities to motivate a group of professional that are highly qualified but culturally diverse. 2.6 Achieving Equality and diversity Approach The diversity approaches argue that diverse workgroups generate wealthier ideas and solutions than homogenous groups where benefits of diversity management include a greater concern for socially responsible behavior in organisations and more flexibility in organizational policies, (Wentling Palma-Rivas, 1998, p.237). Ross Schneider (1992, p.49) discussed the fundamental perspective from equality to diversity that employers will find competitive advantage in encouraging diversity at work. Equal opportunities should become internally driven not externally imposed and focused on individuals where the responsibility of all. Fredman (2001) observes that traditionally equality laws have been informed by neutrality, individualism and promotion of autonomy principles. These principles aim to ensure that people are treated in the same way and appear to be the most consideration in the UK anti-discrimination framework which is an approach to workplace equality based on achieving fairness. Walsh (2007) in her analysis of the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey findings points out that womens representation in senior management in UK workplaces had only marginally improved by 2 percent between 1998 and 2004. So diversity is a concept which recognises the benefits to be gained from differences and equal opportunity has traditionally been a concept, which sought to legislate against discrimination. These two concepts have the following characteristics:. Those characteristics suggest that how organisations can move from where most are at present to a situation in which diversity enters the majority. 2.7 How the Diversity Concept has developed Changes in the social and economic landscape led to legislation covering equal pay, sex and racial discrimination in the 1970s, followed by disability laws in the 1990s, (Daniels Macdonald, 2005). More recently discrimination of sexual orientation and religion has been added by the law. By 1990s, it was being recognised that they had limited success in achieving their goals. At around the same time, researchers were also finding that culturally diverse teams were more creative than homogenous teams and contributed more effectively to meeting organisational goals. Three separate commissions have promoted equality and particular aspects of the legislation: the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Commission for Racial Equality and the Disability Rights Commission. From October 2007, a new Equality and Human Rights Commission has been established to cover all equality issues as well as of human rights, from (CIPD, 2007). From the recent survey, unemployment is twice as high among people from ethnic minorities, although in UK relatively more Asian and Black African graduates than white graduates where only 12 percent of white men are in professional occupations. Statistical survey found that 41 percent of white women in employment work part-time but only 7 percent of white men and as opposed to 38 percent of Bangladeshi men, (http://www.cipd.co.uk/surveys). 2.8 Diversity Policy Changing workforce demographics and new organisational forms are increasing the diversity of work teams in general and decision-making teams in particular. The perspectives of diversity policy may lead to a variety of different consequences for decision-making teams in the organisation. 2.8.1 The Business Issues Equal opportunities are often seen as meaning treating everyone in exactly the same way. Kandola (2006) argued that the social justice and business issues for diversity are complementary because unless people are treated fairly at work they will therefore under-perform. But diversity takes equality forward and evidence indicates that organisations that are serious about diversity show better overall financial performance. Diversity policies also help organisations to create an environment in which people from all backgrounds can work together. 2.8.2 People Issues People are aspiring to work for employers with good employment practices and feel valued at work place. Dowling et al. (1999, p.262) states that to be competitive organisations need to derive the best contributions from everyone and need to create an inclusive workplace culture in which everyone feels valued. The HRM aspects are operating different countries as a way of illustrating the situation that may confront multinationals attempting to penetrate developing markets. 2.9 The Nature of Diversity in Decision-Making Teams Many organisations use the term diversity to refer only to demographic differences among employees, with gender, ethnicity and age being the dimensions of greatest concern. Changing workforce demographics and new organisational forms are increasing the diversity of work teams in general and decision-making teams in particular. Diversity may lead to a variety of different consequences for decision-making teams. 2.9.1 Gender Diversity Gender diversity in teams may indicate the extent to which team members form same gender relationships outside the team. Studies on social networks suggest that employees form relationships with each other based on their gender. In a study of male and female managers in an advertising firm, Ibarra (1995) found that men and women formed same gender networks that served both social and instrumental goals. 2.9.2 Ethnicity Diversity Social identity and organisational demography suggests that people are preferred to interact with members of their own identity group rather than with members of other groups. Where white males tend to perform in higher positions, (Chow Crawford, 2004) females and ethnic minorities tend to occupy more junior positions. Experiences of racism shared by women and members of different ethnic groups affect their attitudes and behaviours in the workplace. 2.9.3 Age Diversity People within age groups share common experiences, attitudes and values (Lawrence, 1988), a persons age can act as an indication that triggers social categorization processes and promotes communication among group members. Descriptions of workforce demographics usually emphasize the fact that the average age of the work force is increasing but the distribution of ages represented in the workforce is also changing. Following figure showing age distribution where non-white groups are younger: White groups have an older age structure where the mixed group had the youngest age structure 50 percent were under the aged of 16. The Bangladeshi, other Black and Pakistani groups also had young age structures of 38 percent were aged 16. This was almost double the proportion of the White British group, where 20 percent were under the age of 16. 2.10 Managing Diversity is Different from Affirmative Action Managing diversity focuses on maximizing the ability of all employees to contribute to organisational goals. Affirmative action focuses on specific groups because of historical discrimination, such as people of colour and women, (Kravitz Klineberg, 2000). Affirmative action emphasizes legal necessity and social responsibility where managing diversity emphasizes business necessity. So it is much more inclusive and acknowledges that diversity must work for everyone. Affirmative actions having the employer take actions in recruitment, hiring, promotions and compensation to eliminate the present effects of past discrimination. Affirmative action is still a significant workplace issue today. The incidence of major court-mandated affirmative action is down, but courts still use them. Furthermore, many employers must still engage in voluntary programs. For example, executive order 11246 (issued in 1965) requires federal contractors to take affirmative action to improve employment opportunities for groups such as women and racial minorities. EEO 11246 covers about 26 million workers about 22 percent of the US workforce, (Dessler 2008, p.63). 2.11 Organisational Context Managerial approaches to diversity will inevitably be informed by the specific organisational context. Attracting different types of people to an organisation will be determined by peoples perceptions of the industry in which the organisation operates. The image and reputation of the organisation as an employer will affect the types of people attracted to the organisation, (Markwick Fill, 1997). The maternity and children specialist retailer who came 18th in the 2008 Sunday Times 20 Best Big Companies to Work For list attribute their ranking to a number of factors to their employer brand. These include an emphasis on work-life balance, flexible working, better than average maternity pay and leave. These argue helps to attract and retain staff especially female employees, (Leopold Harris, 2009). If an organisation is able to employ a diverse workforce, the extent to which these individual differences are recognised in employment practices will be significantly affected by the size and structure of the organisation. 2.12 Diversity in Multinational Companies As more and more organisations become global and people of different cultures and ethnic backgrounds work together, the need for multicultural understanding becoming obvious to many organisation. Harris et al. (2003, p.25) referred that a multinational team would be much stronger in communication which is vital aspect in business. Most of the multinational company gives priority to work with diversity people as a result they are success in international market. Ansari Jackson (1995, p.12) described, multicultural teams led to more people from different culture and ethnic intermarrying. Globalisation and advances in communication and technology have reduced trade barriers and increased interaction among people. Companies and leaders who recognise the cultural diversity and find the right cultural mixture among the team can achieve comparative advantages. To understand how diversity is managed in multinational company, in that case need to understand the concept of corporate culture which describe the organisational diversity programs and how to minimize conflict between employees. 2.13 Why Culture Counts According to Mattock (1999) organisations have moved on from international to multinational to global. Multicultural teams have become very common in recent years. With cross border mobility becoming much easier the number of people moving from one country to another has grown significantly. As a manager need to successful interaction with others like sharing ideas, their needs and helping to improve performance, where need to consider cultural context. A diverse multi cultural work place enables a company to handle diverse projects. Erlenkamp (2007, p.7) found, in the last decades many scientist tried to define intercultural difference to enhance the communication between different cultures. ‘The most important studies were conducted by Geert Hofstede, Edward Hall and Fons Trompenaars, that shows the importance of multicultural workforce and HRM of many organisations do study these theories to implement it in their employee training. 2.14 Understanding Cross-Cultural Communication Language issues can develop into a source of conflict and inequality within culturally diverse organisations becomes more and more multicultural, (Ansari Jackson 1995). In the international business environment of today and tomorrow communication is a business necessity

Beowulf as a Hero Essay -- Seamus Heaney

The poem, Beowulf, by Seamus Heaney, depicts Beowulf as a perfect hero. Beowulf is the mythical son of Edgetho and later becomes the king of the Geats. In the poem, Beowulf's shows heroism in two different phases of his life, youth and old age. Throughout the poem, Beowulf faces three difficult conflicts with Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon. Throughout the novel Beowulf is a noted and respected warrior from Geatland. During Beowulf's youth, he is considered to be a great warrior, portrayed by his strength, courage, and bravery. Beowulf begins his legacy in Denmark with an evil monster, Grendel. Grendel is ruining King Hrothgar's kingdom and is ritually tormenting him. The monster breaks into the castle and eats as many of Hrothgar's men as he can hold each night. King Hrothgar calls Beowulf for help because the king has tried everything else. Beowulf arrives with a ship of his warriors to help King Hrothgar in stopping Grendel. King Hrothgar accepts Beowulf's pledge to kill Grendel. Beowulf pledges to face Grendel with, "no weapons, therefore, for either this night; unarmed he shall face me if face me he dares" (47). When Beowulf meets Grendel he fights barehanded and rips his arm off. Beowulf comes back with Grendel's arm. It is hung in the battle hall as a trophy of Beowulf's bravery, courage, and victory over the monster. Beowulf's defeat of Grendel certifies his reputation for bravery and es tablishes him as a full hero. Even though Grendel is dead, the danger has not passed. Grendel's mother comes to King Hrothgar's battle hall. She retrieves, "their trophy, Grendel's bloodied hand" (91). Hrothgar is very disappointed and calls on the hero, Beowulf, once again. Beowulf travels with his men to the fiery lake whe... ...he only one left of the WaegmundingsÂ…Now I must follow them" (189). Wiglaf is the only warrior who stayed to help Beowulf, the rest fled. Therefore, Beowulf leaves Wiglaf to rule his kingdom. Beowulf should be considered a hero because he gives his life to keep his kingdom safe. Beowulf is a great warrior, portrayed by his strength, courage, and bravery. Beowulf also exemplifies the manner and values dictated by the Germanic heroic code. He is considered to be both a warrior and a king. When Beowulf encounters the dragon, the responsibilities of being king are thrown. He must act for the good of his people, not just for his own glory. Throughout the poem, Beowulf holds a good reputation and is respected by the people. Works Cited Beowulf. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed M H Abrams, et al. Vol. 1. Sixth ed. NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1993.

Dwight D Eisenhower :: essays research papers

Dwight D Eisenhower was our thirty-fourth president, serving from 1953 to 1961. He was born in Texas in 1890, and brought up in Abilene, Kansas. He was very good in sports in High school and recieved an appointment to West Point. He was stationed in Texas as second lieutenant where he met Mamie Geneva Doud, whom he married in 1916. He excelled at many staff assignments and served under the guidance of many great generals. After Pearl Harbor he was called to Washington for a war plans assignment. He commanded the allied forces landing in North Africa in November 1942. On D-Day, 1944, he was the supreme commander of the troops invading France. After the war he became President of Columbia University. In 1951 he took supreme command over the new NATO forces. Republican emmissaries to his headquarters near Paris persuaded him to run for President. On June 4, 1952 he announced his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination for Presidency. He was soon nominated at the Republican convent ion and elected on November 4, 1952. He was able to use the catchy slogan â€Å"I Like Ike† to help him win. He was able to serve two terms as President of the United States from January 20, 1953 to January 20, 1961. He saw the end of the Korean War, and promoted â€Å"Atoms for Peace† and dealt with several crisis in Lebanon, Suez, Berlin, and Hungary in Foreign affairs. He helped make Alaska and Hawaii become states. Throughout his presidency he was very concerned with civil rights issues and the interstate highway system in domestic affairs. Between his two terms he suffered a heart attack in September 1955 in Denver, Colorado. He left the hospital after seven weeks and was reelected for his second term in November. President Eisenhower was very concerned with promoting peace and equality. He began with the desegregation of schools, of which he had to send troops into Little Rock, Arkansas to assure the compliance with the Federal courts decision. He also ordered th e complete desegregation of the armed forces. He wrote â€Å" There must be no second class citizens in this country.† A program that eisenhower was quite proud of was his â€Å"Atoms for Peace† program which was the loan of American uranium to â€Å"have not† nations for peaceful purposes.

Jungle Book :: essays research papers

Part 1: Identifying 1.) Protagonists- In a story or movie the Protagonist(s) is/are the main character(s). In the story A separate Peace the protagonist is Phineas(Finny). 2.) Antagonists- In a story or movie the Antagonist(s) is/are the character or force in conflict with a main character, or Protagonist(s). In the story A Separate Peace the Antagonist is Gene. 3.) Setting- In a story or movie the Setting is the time & place of the action. In the story A Separate Peace the setting is at the Devon School. 4.) Mood- In a story or movie the Mood is the feeling created n the passage. In the story A Separate Peace the mood is sad because jealousy ruined Gene & Finny’s friendship. 5.) Conflicts- In a story or movie the Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces. There are two types of Conflicts: Internal & External. An Internal Conflict involves a character in conflict with himself or herself. In the story A Separate Peace the Internal Conflict is Gene vs. himself. In an external conflict, the main character struggles against an outside force. In the story A Separate Peace the External Conflict Gene vs. Finny. 6.) Suspense- In a story or movie the Suspense is the feeling of curiosity or uncertainty about the outcome of events. In the story A Separate Peace the Suspense is when Gene shakes the tree limb & Finny falls & shatters the bone in his leg. Part 2: Elements of plot   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.) Exposition- In a story or movie the exposition is the background information, which sets the scene for the conflict. In the story A Separate Peace the exposition is the following: At the beginning of the story Gene has been out of school for fifteen years & has decided to come back & visit. While visiting he saw the tree that Finny & he had jumped from into the Devon so many years a go, which brought back a lot of memories. He then remembers the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session. That was the club that Finny came up with.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To be in the club you had to jump off a high tree limb & into the Devon. Since Finny was a daredevil, he decided to go first. Gene was an intellectual & was afraid to jump, but he jumped anyway. They were then late for supper, which had been noted by Mr. Prud’homme.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next morning Mr.

North or South: Who Killed Reconstruction Essay

â€Å"†¦the slave went free; stood a brief moment in the sun; then moved back again toward slavery† (W.E.B. Dubois). After the Civil War ended in 1865, Reconstruction began. All slaves were finally freed because of the 13th amendment. Other amendments were passed such as: the 14th amendment which gave black Americans citizenship and the 15th amendment had made it illegal to deny someone the right to vote based on race. To enforce these new laws, northerners went south to help Freedmen and Reconstruction; these people are also known as carpetbaggers. Many people resisted in the South, so it was difficult to carry out the new ideas of Reconstruction. Rebuilding the United States was not an easy task because it soon ended in 1877. Reconstruction is the process of rebuilding or reorganizing of something. Both the North and South contributed to the end of Reconstruction; but southern resistance did the most to end it. Northern neglect was one of the reasons that had ended Reconstruction. â€Å"Weary of the ‘Negro Question’ and ‘sick of carpet-bag’ government†¦ North began to turn against Reconstruction policies† (Littell). The North grew tired of trying to get the South to help Freedmen. In an article called The Death of Reconstruction: Race, Labor and Politics in the Post-Civil War North, 1865-1901, by Heather Cox Richardson, she wrote about how blacks were uncivilized people. They assumed it would take time for ‘them’ to learn the methods of the white people. Northerners started to focus on their own concerns such as the Panic of 1873, which was the loss of millions of jobs; even the president turned away from the problems of Reconstruction. Southern resistance also, had a big impact on the end of Reconstruction. In a letter, a man named Albion Tourgee wrote about the Ku Klux Klan’s actions in the south. Tourgee served as a judge in North Carolina and he believed the Klan was after carpetbaggers, such as Tourgee himself. The KKK is made up of many ordinary people; lawyers, doctors, and farmers. They threatened and killed anybody who supported Freedmen and Reconstruction. They even intimidated people as they voted. In a picture found in Harper’s Weekly in 1876, it showed white southerners forcing a black American to vote for the Democratic Party. Whites who did not support Reconstruction ensured not to  permit Reconstruction in the south. Southern resistance was what had caused the end of Reconstruction in 1877. They threatened Freedmen, Carpetbaggers, Scalawags, and Radical Republicans. The South resisted so much; the North could not support Reconstruction any longer. The KKK was constantly killing people who favored Reconstruction, and the North was losing hope. The Klan wanted to end Reconstruction and stop African-Americans from joining the white society. They killed people in public to show they would not back down, and the resistance from these people made Reconstruction a struggling task.

Environmental and Social Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms in Botany Bay

Environmental and Social Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms in Botany Bay; When planning offshore wind farms the following impacts are studied to make sure the purposed project has a net benefit environmentally. Steps can then be taken to manage any negative impact resulting from the construction of the wind farms. Environmental Impact: Botany Bay has a diverse marine life the impact of the wind turbines on the environment; have surprisingly shown to produce artificial reefs.A recent study; â€Å"Effect of the Horns Rev 1 Offshore Wind Farm on Fish Communities†(Leonhard, Stenberg, Stottrup;2011) has produced positive results illustrating the turbines have no adverse effect to the marine life; and has actually increased the population of some species of fish in the area. It is also shown the most disturbance will coming in the construction stage of production. Wind farms also would have effects on the local bird-life; as both a collision risk with the rotors and disturbance and bar rier effect to migrating birds.Botany Bay is noted to have close to seventeen species of shorebirds prompting the need for further research to be looked at bird behaviour the area. Social Impact: Many studies have been developed to review wind turbines effect on the health of people; an Australian study â€Å"Wind Turbines and Health† (National Health and Medical Research Council, 2010) concluded that overall wind farms have minimal health effects compared to health burdens of conventional electricity generation.The concept of â€Å"wind turbine syndrome† includes the worse of the adverse health issues; involved in hear loss and insomnia resulting from noise levels of the wind farms but it is generally believed to be a nocebo reaction to the presence of wind turbine. The noise level of 10 turbines at 350 metres is 35-45 dbA, in comparison to a standard quiet room being 35 dbA. The main legitimate health issue includes annoyance impact by locals and according to World H ealth Organisation (WHO; 1999) annoyance is an adverse health effect.In terms of the planned wind farm at Botany Bay’s area; designing offshore greatly reduces the sound and visual impact; Being far out enough to have no shadow flicker to no effect. Also located in such an urban area sound from city is found to offset the noise level of the wind turbines (Ion Paraschivoiu). Recreational fishing in Botany Bay is a large attraction to Botany Bay with commercial fishing currently banned. Several artificial reefs were construction in 2006 to help fish habitats.With the potential of more artificial reefs from the wind farms; marine wildlife will look to prosper; however building of offshore wind farms will pose safety issues to fishing in the area. Closing fishing areas closest to the wind farms may be necessary to provide proper safety; which will most likely irritate local fishermen. Environmental and Social impact of off shore wind farms cannot be taken lightly and for closer l ook on such effects proper detailed investigation have to be made on the surrounding wildlife and population of Botany Bay.Bibliography NSW Department of Primary Industries. (2006). Six artificial reefs for Botany Bay. Available: http://www. dpi. nsw. gov. au/archive/news-releases/fishing-and-aquaculture/2006/artificial-reefs-botany-bay Last accessed 12 Oct 2012. Science Daily. (2010). Offshore Wind Power and Wave Energy Devices Create Artificial Reefs. Available: http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2010/01/100118132130. htm Last accessed 12 Oct 2012. The Fish Site News Desk. (2010). Offshore Wind Power Creates Artificial Reefs.Available: http://www. thefishsite. com/fishnews/11577/offshore-wind-power-creates-artificial-reefs Last accessed 12 Oct 2012. Hazel Watson. (2010). Shorebirds of Botany bay. Available: http://www. wetrivers. unsw. edu. au/research-projects/shorebirds/shorebirds-of-botany-bay/ Last accessed 12 Oct 2012. The Society for Wind Vigilance. (2010). Annoyance and Wind Turbines. Available: http://www. windvigilance. com/about-adverse-health-effects/annoyance-and-wind-turbines Last accessed 12 Oct 2012.Magnus Johnson. (2009). Fisheries, the environment and offshore wind farms: Location, location, location.. Available:http://www. academia. edu/892929/Fisheries_the_environment_and_offshore_wind_farms_Location_location_location Last accessed 12 Oct 2012. Sustainable Development Commission (United Kingdom) (SDC), (2005): Wind Power in the UK: A guide to the key issues surrounding onshore wind power development in the UK, Government of the United Kingdom, England.Available at: http://www. sdcommission. org. uk/ World Health Organization (2004): Energy, sustainable development and health. Background document for the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, 23-25 June 2004, Geneva. Rogers A, Manwell J & Wright S. (2006): Wind Turbine Acoustic Noise. Renewable Energy Research Laboratory, University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Wind Tu rbine Design: With Emphasis on Darrieus Concept by Ion Paraschivoiu Environmental and Social Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms in Botany Bay Environmental and Social Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms in Botany Bay; When planning offshore wind farms the following impacts are studied to make sure the purposed project has a net benefit environmentally. Steps can then be taken to manage any negative impact resulting from the construction of the wind farms. Environmental Impact: Botany Bay has a diverse marine life the impact of the wind turbines on the environment; have surprisingly shown to produce artificial reefs.A recent study; â€Å"Effect of the Horns Rev 1 Offshore Wind Farm on Fish Communities†(Leonhard, Stenberg, Stottrup;2011) has produced positive results illustrating the turbines have no adverse effect to the marine life; and has actually increased the population of some species of fish in the area. It is also shown the most disturbance will coming in the construction stage of production. Wind farms also would have effects on the local bird-life; as both a collision risk with the rotors and disturbance and bar rier effect to migrating birds.Botany Bay is noted to have close to seventeen species of shorebirds prompting the need for further research to be looked at bird behaviour the area. Social Impact: Many studies have been developed to review wind turbines effect on the health of people; an Australian study â€Å"Wind Turbines and Health† (National Health and Medical Research Council, 2010) concluded that overall wind farms have minimal health effects compared to health burdens of conventional electricity generation.The concept of â€Å"wind turbine syndrome† includes the worse of the adverse health issues; involved in hear loss and insomnia resulting from noise levels of the wind farms but it is generally believed to be a nocebo reaction to the presence of wind turbine. The noise level of 10 turbines at 350 metres is 35-45 dbA, in comparison to a standard quiet room being 35 dbA. The main legitimate health issue includes annoyance impact by locals and according to World H ealth Organisation (WHO; 1999) annoyance is an adverse health effect.In terms of the planned wind farm at Botany Bay’s area; designing offshore greatly reduces the sound and visual impact; Being far out enough to have no shadow flicker to no effect. Also located in such an urban area sound from city is found to offset the noise level of the wind turbines (Ion Paraschivoiu). Recreational fishing in Botany Bay is a large attraction to Botany Bay with commercial fishing currently banned. Several artificial reefs were construction in 2006 to help fish habitats.With the potential of more artificial reefs from the wind farms; marine wildlife will look to prosper; however building of offshore wind farms will pose safety issues to fishing in the area. Closing fishing areas closest to the wind farms may be necessary to provide proper safety; which will most likely irritate local fishermen. Environmental and Social impact of off shore wind farms cannot be taken lightly and for closer l ook on such effects proper detailed investigation have to be made on the surrounding wildlife and population of Botany Bay.Bibliography NSW Department of Primary Industries. (2006). Six artificial reefs for Botany Bay. Available: http://www. dpi. nsw. gov. au/archive/news-releases/fishing-and-aquaculture/2006/artificial-reefs-botany-bay Last accessed 12 Oct 2012. Science Daily. (2010). Offshore Wind Power and Wave Energy Devices Create Artificial Reefs. Available: http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2010/01/100118132130. htm Last accessed 12 Oct 2012. The Fish Site News Desk. (2010). Offshore Wind Power Creates Artificial Reefs.Available: http://www. thefishsite. com/fishnews/11577/offshore-wind-power-creates-artificial-reefs Last accessed 12 Oct 2012. Hazel Watson. (2010). Shorebirds of Botany bay. Available: http://www. wetrivers. unsw. edu. au/research-projects/shorebirds/shorebirds-of-botany-bay/ Last accessed 12 Oct 2012. The Society for Wind Vigilance. (2010). Annoyance and Wind Turbines. Available: http://www. windvigilance. com/about-adverse-health-effects/annoyance-and-wind-turbines Last accessed 12 Oct 2012.Magnus Johnson. (2009). Fisheries, the environment and offshore wind farms: Location, location, location.. Available:http://www. academia. edu/892929/Fisheries_the_environment_and_offshore_wind_farms_Location_location_location Last accessed 12 Oct 2012. Sustainable Development Commission (United Kingdom) (SDC), (2005): Wind Power in the UK: A guide to the key issues surrounding onshore wind power development in the UK, Government of the United Kingdom, England.Available at: http://www. sdcommission. org. uk/ World Health Organization (2004): Energy, sustainable development and health. Background document for the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, 23-25 June 2004, Geneva. Rogers A, Manwell J & Wright S. (2006): Wind Turbine Acoustic Noise. Renewable Energy Research Laboratory, University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Wind Tu rbine Design: With Emphasis on Darrieus Concept by Ion Paraschivoiu