Why Study Organizations?

In order to answer an essay question, first of all, we need to understand what is meant by the term ‘organization’ from the sociological point of view. Then we need to understand what role organizations are playing in our life and why it is essential to study them. As we can imagine, there are different types of organizations. All of them have their own structure and purpose. In this essay I would like to focus on business organizations: how they appeared and developed; how employees’ relations were changing, etc. I would like to pay the specific attention to such department as Human Resource Management – how this term appeared and why it is so important nowadays. So, why do we actually need to study organizations? This question, from my point of view, has a very easy and obvious answer: we need to study organizations for the same reason we study the world around us. We are intelligent and curious people. We always need an explanation of what is happening, how the things are working, and what place do we take among other people. Organizations are the huge part of our modern daily life: we either study or work for them, or we are obtaining goods and services from them. We are interacting with organizations all the time, so it is not surprising, that we want to study them; and it does not matter if you are a manager or consumer – you are still involved in it and you want to be aware of what is happening around you. What is organization? In sociology term ‘organization’ has a very general meaning. This â€Å"is basically a structure for carrying out a particular social activity on a regular basis† (Fulcher and Scott, 2009; p. 542). All the organizations have such features as specific goal, defined membership, rules of behaviour, and authority relationships. This is also important to mention, that all organizations have the characteristic of continuity. This means that personnel can be changing, but the organization will still exist. There is no clear definition of what social units come into the category of organizations. Some of them are easy to define, other will bring us some difficulties. For instance, business corporations, schools, hospitals, trade unions are definitely organizations, as they all have the characteristics mentioned before. On the other hand, communities, social groups, and class are not organizations, as they do not have rules of behaviour or specific goals. The problem can occur, when we come across the term ‘institution’. The first thing we need to understand here is that organization is not an institution. Institution is â€Å"an established practice that regulate the various activities that make up social life† (Fulcher and Scott, 2009; p. 543). The most common examples of institutions in daily life are weddings and funerals. Although, these are two different terms, there is one class of organizations which is called total institution. Most of the organizations leave people with their separate private lives, but it is not the case with total institution. It is characterised by such features as disappearance of private life, planned and supervised activities, sharp division between staff and inmates, the mortification of the self. The biggest examples of the total institution are mental hospital and prison, where people are isolated from the outside world and society. Now we know what defines organizations, but we still did not get to the point why do we need to study them. From my point of view, it is essential to look at the historical background of organizations. We need to understand how they were appearing and developing trough the time, in order to understand how they are functioning nowadays. In this essay I have decided to look specifically at one type of organizations – business corporations. Weber (1914) said that modern society is distinguished from the earlier one by the appearance of the multiplicity of administrative tasks and the need to expertise and carry them. He called it â€Å"the increasing complexity of civilization†. Weber said that this phenomenon is caused by growing size of organizations, greater wealth and increasing social problems. If we would refer to the history of organizations, we can see the significant changes in structure, polices, employee relations, values, etc. The first interest in organizations appeared in the 19th century, which was driven by industrialization. Industrial revolution was caused by development of technologies, which completely changed the structure of most of the organizations, and lead to the transformation of society. The introduction of manufacturing process completely changed the employment relations. Discipline was the key feature of the new organization, as it helped to control and organize people more effectively – this lead to the process of bureaucratization. New industrialists were looking for the profitable production. In order to achieve it, they needed punctuality and uninterrupted work during fixed hours from their employees. These targets were achieved by bureaucratisation, which was central to the administrative revolution. These rganizations were highly rational, they functioned in a discipline and unemotional manner, their activities were calculated, systematic and predictable. This approach helped the manufacturers maximize the return on their capital. This new manufacturing process was the beginning of the new era of employment relations. Bureaucracy is a systematic approach; all the workers had their duties and were paid respectively. But, as many other theories, this sys tem did not work so smooth in the real life, as it seemed on paper. Employers’ main purpose was to increase the profit, in order to do so, they were underpaying their employees. At the beginning people were happy just to have jobs, but the time passed and workers started to understand and fight for their human rights. This situation caused the appearance of the new type of organizations called ‘trade unions’. Trade union is an organization of workers, who tied together in order to achieve better working conditions. It is suggested that the origins of trade unions lay in the failure of the early Factory act to protect children and women at the work place; as a result many began to work together, forming unions to agitate for change in the law and greater respect for the workers (BBC). As we can see, relationships between employers and workers were getting more and more complicated. In order to keep company’s profitability, employers had to meet workers’ conditions – this brought the necessity of new management approach, which was called scientific or personnel management. This approach was first introduced by Frederick Winslow Taylor in the late 19th century. Personnel Management was an administrative record-keeping function; it attempted to maintain fair terms and conditions for employees. This was the beginning of the employee relations. Its main idea was to pay people for their productivity, the new reward system was introduced. In other words people were paid for the amount of time they worked and for the quantity of items they produced. This was the beginning of new era of management. Lately Personnel Management evolved into the Human Resource Management, it was again caused by the employee’s unsatisfied demands. People were paid properly, but it was not enough anymore. Workers were tired of being treated as machines, they were demanding for more personal attitude. It was the time when Human Resource Management was introduced. It was concerned with carrying out the same functional activities traditionally performed by the personnel function, such as recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management, etc. But HRM approach was looking at employees from the point of view, that they are the main organizational assets. It was seeking to achieve the competitive advantage trough the strategic development of highly committed and capable work force. In other words, employers were trying to create the comfortable and friendly working environment, in order to keep the best employees in the company. As we can see from the historical background, there were massive changes in the organizational structure; and these changes appeared in a relatively small amount of time. We are living in the world of progress, where everything is developing so fast, that it is sometimes very hard to catch up. By ‘everything’ I mean every aspect of our lives: technologies, government, countries, and of course people. People is the most important cause of all these changes: organization, on the first place, is all about its employees – without them it wouldn’t exist. Thinking about personal development, I would like to mention Maslow Hierarchy of needs: This pyramid clearly explains how workers’ needs were changing through the time: first of all they needed job to earn money for living; when they got it they needed to be secure that their income would be stable (Trade Unions appear); then they needed to feel comfortable in their working environment (Personnel Management); the top two requirements consider the personal recognition and the opportunity for development (this is what HRM is dealing with). Summarising everything said above, we can finally try to answer the question: â€Å"Why do we need to study organizations? † Organizations are imprescriptible part of our life: we are dealing with them practically in any aspect of our lives. We all study at the University at the moment, which means we are all part of this organization. In the future we are going to find the job and, most likely nowadays, going to be the part of another organization. As we can see, we cannot avoid this component of our life. As the Latin saying claims: â€Å"Forewarned, forearmed†. Studying organisations gives us an opportunity to know more about the world we live in, to know our lives and grab our chances. As we can see from the history. It was people, who changed the structure of organizations – simple workers, who was looking for better life. The world has changed a lot and it keeps on changing. Organizations nowadays have to be more flexible and open-minded, in order to attract the best ‘human assets’ and remain competitive; enormous amounts of money are spent on the Human Resource Development. There is prediction that the relationship that individuals will have with organizations will change: there were no longer be fixed working lives. People still need to earn money, but they do not want to be tied up with their jobs. Humanity is developing, we are having different demands and priorities from our predecessors. To go with the times, we need to study the society we live in, and organizations is one of its biggest and important parts nowadays. References 1. BBC/Learning zone Broad Band. Why Did the Trade Unions Come About? Available at: < http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/why-did-the-trade-unions-come-about/11082.html> Accessed: 20/03/2011 2. Bratton, J. & Gold, J. (2007) Human Resource Management: Theory & Practice (4th edition). Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke. 3. Clegg, S. and Hardy, C. (1999), Studying Organizations: Theory and Method. London: Sage. 4. Clegg, S. Kornberger, M. and Pitsis, T. (2008) Managing and Organizations: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. London: Sage. 5. Fulcher, J. and Scott, J. (2009) Sociology (OUP, 3rd edition). Oxford University Press. 6. Giddens, Anthony. (2009) Sociology (6th edition). Cambridge: Polity Press. 7. Storey, J. (1995), Human Resource Management. London: Routledge.

Strategy for Introducing a New Product Research Paper

Strategy for Introducing a New Product - Research Paper Example The company has loyal customers in the market because of its persistence. Today, it is still a dominant player in the tea industry in most of its countries. Tetley is just about to introduce a new product into the market. However, before the launch, the company needs to establish whether the market will accept the new product. In addition, the company needs to identify the specific target in the market. This paper will examine the market trends in order to provide the answers to these issues. Tetley has had immense impact in the market. It is through their marketing strategies that they have managed to win a large market share. Through this therefore, the company owns the credit for innovating tea bags in the early 1900s although the venture came after accidental realization that tea bags were a possibility in packaging. The company has its roots in the United Kingdom where its founders started out venture. The company has posted growth in several other countries. Despite the competi tion that has grown over time as new entries in the tea industry, Tetley tea still dominates the United Kingdom market. Tetley group has several sister companies operating separately. The entire sister companies offer unique brands to the region in which they operate. In 2011, Tetley dominated the market achieving 24% retail value in Canada. Tea products had a retail growth value of 4%. The volume growth in the same year was 1 %. The Canadian market posted C$ 547 million. The Canadians prove to be a good market for tea. They easily try out new tea products with the right persuasion (Masterson and Pickton, 2010:85). Tetley’s products did well in the Canadian market with black tea special brand scooping a 44% share followed by green tea with 31% while standard black tea got 18 %, which was a one percent rise from 2010. In addition, the herbal tea and fruit ranges of products as well as the color therapy proved a real success in the Canadian market. Future prospects indicated a growth in tea sales by 2016. In the United Kingdom, tea prices recorded an increase in 2010. Black tea made more sales in the market though it portrayed minimal growth. Herbal and green tea exhibited more growth in the market because of the health benefits. 12% of total sales of tea were the herbal and green tea. Most of the sales of tea were to people above 65 years accounting for 88% of consumption. Tea consumption was relatively lower for the younger generation. Tea is receiving competition from other products among the younger generation and the 90% breakfast tea sales were going down. The trends in 2011 changed because of the campaigns on the benefits of tea. This year saw Unilever take a lead in the percentage of sales. In the United States of America, tea exhibited an increase in popularity in 2011 because of the increased awareness of tea benefits on health. Tea posted a growth of 2% reaching 72278 tonnes. In this market, Unilever was leading in the percentage of sales. The tea industry in America is likely to show a 10% growth by 2016. The healthier products such as herbal tea, iced tea, and fruit-varieties stand a chance to indicate growth because of the health benefits (Masterson and Pickton, 2010: 86). The Indian market trends portrays that black tea, the standard variety still dominates because of the Indian cultural and traditional set up (Pride et al, 2011:131).

Interview a veteran using these questions (be descriptive) Assignment

Interview a veteran using these questions (be descriptive) - Assignment Example ved during a period of time when our Country was heavily involved in the Vietnam conflict, where he says that though death was a common occurrence, it was one that you never get used to; Ron did three tours in Vietnam, despite this. During times of peace Ron acted as a weapons instructor, training men on the firing range. â€Å"The hardest part of the military, initially, was basic training,† stated Ron, â€Å"later on it became the loss of human lives.† Basic training serves as a trial by fire proving ground for Marines, pushing them to their limits both physically and mentally. Ron’s time in the military allowed him the opportunity to travel and he spent time in North Carolina, Kentucky, and Germany. The whole experience was one of learning and Ron says he most enjoyed that fact, along with the travel. After the military Ron became a successful Deputy Sheriff on the Special Reaction Team where he recently retired with a full pension. Ron says his military experience taught him to view issues from all sides, though he does believe that the Government keeps soldiers to long in combat situations. He now takes the time to actually focus on what others are trying to communicate and also helps those Veterans who may not have been as fortunate as he. He says he has finally gotten more acclimated to a society that is anti-war and he see’s people in a different light, understanding that our differences are the very thing which unites each of

Structured Essays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Structured Essays - Essay Example The fear of a German uprising was no longer in the minds of the French as all the land that Germany was required to hand over was returned; the most important regions being Alsace and Lorraine. Germany's army was down sized to a maximum of 100,000 men; they were denied the use of tanks. The air force was disbanded and the navy was only allowed to staff and operate six ships; however, no submarines were allowed to remain operational. The land fifty kilometres east of the Rhine was pronounced a demilitarised zone, where no soldier with a weapon could enter. Overseas land previously owned by Germany was given to different European countries. The Saar, Danzig and Memel were put under the control of the League of Nations. One of the more important outcomes was the "War Guilt Clause" that required Germany to take on full responsibility for starting the war. This was important as it would show the world France's reason for participation in the war was only to defend against the German attacks. This also meant that Germany would have to pay reparations to France for the physical damage caused during the war. Wilson was very pleased because as a result of the Paris Peace Conference his vision of the League of Nations had become a reality. ... He said as much: "To promote international co-operation and to achieve international peace and security." (Wilson) The cost of creating the League was losing his other 13 original ideology points to gain the global support that was necessary to start the League and make it a success. As the post-war world was in struggle of finding peace, there were a lot of countries intrigued by the international organisation that promised to bring the world peace. Wilson was of a peace loving nature and was clearly angered by the great number of restrictions Germany had to agree to in the Treaty as well as all the reparations they had to make. The harsh conditions that were imposed on Germany embarrassed and shamed Wilson. Nevertheless, he was very satisfied with the start of the League of Nations. One fact to be noted is that reparations to the United States were not mandated in the Treaty. It is true that the losses of the United States were not on the same scale as Britain and France because of their late entrance into the war. Lloyd-George was perhaps the least satisfied with the final terms of the treaty because of Clemenceau's persistence to bankrupt the German economy. As Lloyd-George's key point was to keep Germany's economy as stable as possible so as to increase European market strength, he was not happy with the end result. Most people in Great Britain had wished for revenge on Germany, and indeed received satisfaction as many of Germany's colonies went to Lloyd-George such as Egypt and parts of China, including important, major trading ports. These acquisitions greatly enriched great Britain's economy, a large amount of wealth coming from the

Drunk Drivers Should Be Imprisoned on their first offense Essay

Drunk Drivers Should Be Imprisoned on their first offense - Essay Example Because of this drastically increased risk of death, it is the assertion of this particular author that the penalties for drunk driving must be increased significantly. One such effective mechanism through which drunk driving can be ameliorated is to change the dynamics of the criminal justice system so that the penalty for doing it becomes so severe that individuals will reconsider whether it is ultimately worth it risk driving themselves or whether they should opt instead for the inconvenience and potentially more expensive alternative of arranging alternate means of transportation. Within such an understanding, it is the belief of this particular analyst that if the penalty for first offense drunk driving was mandatory prison time, the dynamic that is exhibited throughout the United States would significantly shift; promoting safer roads and protecting the lives of thousands that might otherwise be victim to the loss of life, paralysis, and injury that tens of thousands of drunk d rivers cause each and every year. The most important rationale behind seeking to increase the penalties for drunk driving has to do with the impulse and nature of the crime itself. As with many crimes, narcissism and the desire to promote one’s own needs and goals above that of society is the root cause of drunk driving. Within such an understanding, the reader can appropriately note that mandatory prison sentences for first time offenders may very well promote two approaches to the dynamic that has been described. Firstly, it will engage the potential drunk driver with an understanding that their own narcissistic goals are not maximized by taking the profound risk of facing a mandatory prison sentence if they are caught (Friel, 2005). Secondly, it provides those individuals that are caught, prosecuted and imprisoned with valuable time to consider the misdeeds that they have done and rehabilitate themselves via an enforced and

Discuss about emotional intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discuss about emotional intelligence - Essay Example icity disclosed in the article entitled â€Å"What Makes a Leader?† that a high degree of emotional intelligence is significantly linked to effective leadership in terms of exemplifying qualities or five components such as â€Å"self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill† (Goleman, 1998, p. 136). In the article, Goleman (1998) conducted studies that aimed to evaluate the specific capabilities that actually emerge as the predominant variable that singles out exemplary effective leaders. After categorizing the capabilities into technical skills, cognitive abilities, and possessing emotional intelligence, the results have revealed that leaders that are high in emotional intelligence are deemed most effective. Findings also apparently link emotional intelligence to outstanding performance, in conjunction to exemplary leadership. The five components of emotional intelligence clearly establish how possessing these traits make an ordinary leader extraordinary. Self-awareness, for instance, was defined as â€Å"the ability to recognize and understand†¦moods, emotions, and drives, as well as their effect on others† (Goleman, 1998, p. 137). Effective leaders were deemed to be honest of their own capabilities and those of others. Their abilities encompass being able to admit failures; yet possessing resiliency and the ability to maintain an optimistic stance. The other component of emotional intelligence, self-regulation, shows its direct influence to effective leadership in terms of â€Å"the ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods† (Goleman, 1998, p. 136). This component likewise manifests the leaders’ ability â€Å"to think before acting† (Goleman, 1998, p. 136). There is much rationalizing done prior to decision-making. Effective leaders are good motivators; as well as they are driven by factors beyond satisfying physiological needs. As a sensitive and discerning person, a leader is able to assess the needs and drives

Human Resource Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Human Resource - Essay Example It is important for all organisations to ensure that proper strategic human resource planning is implemented in their firm. Proper job descriptions need to be developed so that the right type of employees can be hired and all work operations take place smoothly. If Twinkle Toe proper makes investments of time on the recruitment and selection policies, then the right staff can be hired and the day care may face success. Training and career planning for employees is a very important element for remaining a competitive firm. Twinkle Toe has been suggested to implement training programs so that employee performance can improve. Career progression is important for employees as they look forward for achieving growth and success in their career life, therefore Twinkle Toe needs to provide the career progression opportunities for its employees so that they remain interested in working with the day care centre. The industry of the day care centre is booming due to the increase in the number of women who are willing to walk through their career paths without it being distracted by their personal family lives. The industry includes a number of day care centres, each with their own idea of how the children should be brought up or the importance of having children to develop their skills around other children. A major concern for the parents is to find the right day care that they can afford. All day care centres are not that affordable for every parent and hence, they do consider other alternatives such as hiring help within their own home, which has its own risks as well. The risks of hiring a babysitter at home and actually having the child admitted at a day care centre must be evaluated before a final decision is made. Another concern for the parents is the minds of their children. The minds of the children at the age of five tend to be like a sponge where they can absorb absolutely all facts and figures that they are