Grading Guide Essay

†¢All key elements of the assignment are covered in a substantive way. †¢Paper addresses the following: External forces and trends considerations: Legal and regulatory Global Economic Technological Innovation Social Environmental Competitive analysis Internal forces and trends considerations: Strategy Structures Processes and systems Resources Goals Strategic capabilities Culture Technologies Innovations Intellectual property Leadership Include economic as well as legal and regulatory forces and trends. Critique how well the organization adapts to change. Analyze the supply chain operations of the organization. Identify issues and/or opportunities: oIdentify the major issues and/or opportunities that the company faces based on your analysis above. oGenerate a hypothesis surrounding each issue and research questions to use for conducting analysis. oIdentify the circumstances surrounding each issue; classify the circumstances; attribute the importance of each classification; and test the accuracy of the importance for each classification. 10.5 Good coverage of the assignment. Need the objective of the paper. Organization / Development 20 PercentPoints Available 4Points Earned X/4Additional Comments: †¢The paper is no more than 1400-to 1750-words in length. †¢Paragraph transitions are present, logical, and maintain the flow throughout the paper. †¢The tone is appropriate to the content and assignment. †¢Sentences are complete, clear, and concise. †¢Sentences are well constructed, strong, and varied. †¢Sentence transitions are present and maintain the flow of thought. 4Good writing. Mechanics 20 PercentPoints Available 4Points Earned X/4Additional Comments: †¢The paper—including tables and graphs, headings, title page, and reference page— is consistent with APA formatting guidelines and meets course-level requirements. †¢Intellectual property is recognized with in-text citations and a reference page. †¢Rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation are followed. †¢Spelling is correct.3.5In the future papers use the citations to support your analysis.

Merck & Co. Performance Appraisal System Essay

1) WHY? Brief Background on Merck & Co. Performance Appraisal System The past and existing performance appraisal of Merck & Co. was ineffective to identify and reward performance to a certain extent. Although the company was paying their employees around seven to eight percent more than the average compensation in other large companies, the performance appraisal system did not clearly identified outstanding performance, which caused inequity in rewarding performance and led to unhappiness among the employees, especially the high performers. Compared to the average performers, there was only marginal increase in salary for outstanding performers. Without proper recognition and rewards, the company was at risk of losing its high performers and keeping the worst performers. Core Problems and Its Causal Identification: High Degree of Criterion Deficiency and Criterion Contamination The core problems identified for inequity in performance appraisal was the high degree of Criterion Deficiency and Criterion Contamination in performance appraisal, forced distribution in performance rating and biasness in performance appraisal. There were 3 causal for the core problems. The 3 causal were namely: 1) the company’s absolute performance rating scale, 2) company’s salary determination under the old plan and 3) superiors’ biasness in appraisal. Recommendation Using Core Concepts to Solve the High Degree of Criterion Deficiency and Criterion Contamination The 3 proposed recommendation to address the 3 causal are namely: 1) identifying conceptual criteria through employees’ job analysis to eliminate criterion deficiency and contamination in performance appraisal, 2) employee comparison models (rank-order method) to identify outstanding performers under salary determination and 3) introducing an ongoing assessment to eliminate superior’s biasness. 2) WHAT? Causal 1: Performance Appraisal under the Old Plan (Criterion Deficiency & Criterion Contamination) The Absolute performance rating scale could only rate the individual’s performance independent of the performances of other employees. In my opinion, this individual’s performance rating scale was no longer relevant or sufficient in big company like Merck & Co in the present. From the case, it was noted that an employee was dissatisfied that the company’s performance was average and 83 percent of the employees  were actually exceeding job expectations. This had proven that the performance appraisal system was inaccurate in measuring the employee’s performance. For example, it might be due to the fact that the effectiveness of the company depends on an individual’s performance, that was interdependent on his subordinates, superior and even colleagues in a team context. Thus, an absolute performance rating scale would be ineffective in identifying and rewarding true performance as it had caused a criterion deficiency of excluding the team performance as one of the important criteria for performance appraisal. Causal 2: Salary Determination under the Old Plan (Forced Distribution for Performance Rating) In Merck & Co., the salaries of the employees were determined by a salary line formula comprises of the Hay points system. The employees would then get their actual salary based on their percentage for compa-ratio on the control point. On the surface, this system seems to be structured in rewarding based on merit, but in fact, it was not effective in rewarding outstanding performers. Firstly, an employee’s compa-ratio would always be capped at the maximum of 125 percent. In other words, an employee can only earn a maximum of 25 percent more of the normal 100 percent salary even he had performed exceptionally well in his job. Secondly, consisten t good performers were unable to maintain compa-ratio of 120 percent and above due to the annual revision on the control points. When the control points increased, the compa-ratio of an employee would dropped for most of the time, regarding his performance. Thirdly, an outstanding employee with high compa-ratio would get lower pay increase compared to an employee with average compa-ratio, given the same performance ratings. This salary determination system discouraged outstanding employees to continue to perform as the reward they get out of this system was capped and limited, and similar to what average employees would get for their effort. From the case, one of the employee had actually voiced out that it was demoralizing and demotivating as no matter how hard he work, he will still get the same rating as everyone else and the same 5 percent increase in salary. In addition, as reflected from the case, the vast majority of the employees received 3 or 4 while very few received 1,2 and 5. There was a forced distribution for performance rating. This system had caused criterion deficiency as the determination of the employees’ salary was not clearly assessed on their performance and thus,  making the outstanding performers to feel inequity. Causal 3: No fairness in the Performance Measures (Biasness) There was a significant amount of complaints from the employees on the performance appraisal system as there were no fairness in the performance measures. This was caused by the biasness of the appraiser. The contributory factors of biasness could be vanity, narcissism, laziness and frivolity (Michael, 2007). For vanity, the appraiser would want to give high ratings to his subordinate so as to make his people and department to look good and get good bonuses and other rewards. In the case, an employee who was an appraiser commented that he was unable to rate his people objectively as other directors were giving all their people a rating of 4, and it makes him hard to give his people a rating of less than 4. For narcissism, the appraiser would measure performance using his own point of view. An employee reflected that managers were afraid of giving experienced people a rating of less than 4 but willing to give new people a rating of 3. The managers’ point of view was that experienced employees would get a rating of 4 and above while new employees would get a rating of 3. In the case of laziness, the appraiser measures assumed performance without any thoughts and efforts. This cou ld be related to the case whereby the experienced employees would be rated higher than the newcomers as it was assumed by the appraiser that the experienced employees were better than the newcomers in term of performance. Lastly, for frivolity, the appraiser was not serious in the appraisal and would look for ways to blame others rather than shouldering the responsibility for improving performance. From the case, an employee who performed well was not given a rating of 5 by his supervisor, as his supervisor did not get a 5 for his performance appraisal. It might be due to the supervisor’s self-interest that made him reluctant to give a rating of 5 to his subordinate. These errors of appraisal had caused the performance measures to lose its values and resulted in criterion deficiency and contamination as the appraisers were not doing their appraisal properly. 3) How? Recommendation 1 to address Causal 1: Identify Conceptual Criteria through Employees’ Job Analysis Firstly, the company should use job analysis as the procedure to find the criteria and job performance scope for its employees in order to eliminate criterion deficiency and contamination and increase  criterion relevance. Job analysis would help to identify conceptual criteria such as observable job behaviors and characteristics of the job environment. Based on a relevant set of performance criteria, the management would then be able to measure and reward their employees’ performance effectively and would in turns, accurately reflects the effectiveness of the organization and eliminate cases whereby most of the employees exceeded job expectations when the company was only doing average in performance. Recommendation 2 to address Causal 2: Employee Comparison models (Rank-order method) as the Appraisal Method for Salary Determination Secondly, in order to improve on the way that the company determine the employees’ salary, the management can implement rank-order method as the performance rating for salary determination. In the company’s existing performance appraisal program, the management used forced distribution whereby the vast majority of the employees were given an average ratings and very few employees were given in the high and low ratings. This was reflected in the salary determination for the employees where there were no significant difference in the salary among the employees. It was ineffective to some extent in rewarding the outstanding performers as only a small proportion or percentage of the employees would get high ratings for their performance. Thus, it was recommended for the management to use the rank-order method so as to force the appraiser to p erform detailed analysis on the employees and rank them in order of their performance. Unlike forced distribution, the rank-order method can be motivating for the employees to perform as it objectively identify the worst and outstanding performers without the restriction of the quotas to meet in these two categories. When the salary determination system was paired up with Rank-order Appraisal method, according to the order of employees’ ranking, it can create a distinct gaps in terms of Hay points and Compa-Ratio between poor to average and high performers. Also, the employees in top rankings would get higher ratings in performance appraisal. Based on the salary line formula, rank-order performance rating method would significantly increase the salary gap between average and high performers contributed by the increase in the Hay Points, Compa-Ratio and performance ratings earned by the high performers. Recommendation 3 to address Causal 3: An Ongoing Assessment & Self-Assessment (360 Degrees Feedback) Thirdly, in addition of the  yearly formal performance appraisal, the company can introduce a weekly or monthly ongoing performance assessment and self-assessment to measure its employees’ performance effectively. The ongoing assessment must be objective, job-related and provide appeal process for employees who are not satisfied with the performance rating. With an ongoing assessments put in place, the management would minimize biasness by using and compare a variety of performance evaluations such as 360 degrees feedback that involve multiple appraisers and would also prevent the appraiser to appraise based on their own biasness without any substantial proof on the employees’ performance. The ongoing assessment would promote fairness in performance appraisal. Reference: Case Study 1) Merck & Co., Inc. (A) 2) The 7 Deadly Sins of Performance Measurement and How to Avoid Them

Difference Between Subjective and Objective Forms of Appraisal

Difference between subjective and objective forms of appraisal Subjective appraisal is of where the appraisal is evaluated on the feelings of the evaluator. This isn’t judged on criteria as the objective appraisal is judged on set criteria and has no basis on how the evaluator feels about the performance, just how he views each select sector. Explain the process of creating movement. There are many steps that are relevant to the sport of rugby league in creating movement.There are many elements that influence and create the process of movement; these include coaches, improvising, motivating factors, rules and variations. Coaches play a large amount in the structure of a team, so therefore they play are large part in the what movement is done by the individual players. Often the coaches and administrators will practice what movements they want their chargers to do. Improvising is an integral part of movement in rugby league as the dynamics of the general play is always changing and often you cannot stick to a set play that is practiced.This is because you have direct opposition and it is unpredictable of what they are going to do. Motivating factors are another major factor in the process of movement. Often this is directly related to the score of the game. A good example is in rugby league upon a field goal is a great idea at equal scores with a minute left. The main motivating factor of sport is to win and therefore all movements are drawn on accordingly. Rules govern how the game is played and have an immense impact on the decisions made by the players and coaches and what movements are done.In rugby league, it is well known to go for the legs or the midriff in a tackle so you don’t slip and go around the head which results in a penalty. Variations are small differences in plays, this is normally attributed to the opposition understand what you are trying to, and varying to get a different outcome. These can often include different and more diff icult changes to the basic skills, like look away passing. These elements of rugby league and many others create a basis of which movement is created in game.The elements not only affect movement but are an integral part of the process and the creation of movement. Each sport is different and has different examples of what elements affect the process of movement. Using a movement medium of your choice critically analyse how each of the elements of composition can be applied to the activity when comprising and performing Combining and arranging movement so that it is fluent and unpredictable to the defence. This is the main component of creating successful movement in the sport of Rugby League.Some of the things that effect composing and performing in rugby league include the space, dynamics, time and rhythm and relationships. Space plays a big part in the game of Rugby League. Playmakers in the game are always trying to exploit space to use it to the team’s advantage to score points. This use of space is personsified no better than with the kick and chase. This uses the space behind the defensive line and uses a small chip kick over the line with the player chasing through the line to attempt to catch the ball and make a run to the tryline.This type of play utilizes the space that is often not thought about and can often make a large difference to the mindset of the opposing players. Patterns and Formations play a large key in the sport of Rugby League. A lot of the the attacking and defensive plays are practiced rigiously and in detail at training. They are used to correct any possible faults that would usually occur during a defensive position that was unplanned. A usual formation that occurs in defence is the fullback staying behind the play in case of a line break through the defensive line.Also having the wing players drop back to align with the fullback on the 5th tackle is another ploy to stop the effectiveness of an attacking kick that attempts to gain field position. Dynamics is an important part of rugby league, most notably in defence when force and flow can create a strong tackle to stop the attacking player. This can often change the feeling of the game and the team morale, as well as the momentum of the general play that is current. Force can also help you break tackles as the defenders arms cannot react to the physical contact they receive in the tackle.Flow is the degree of control of movement through time and space. This is imperative in the success of an attacking team as having bound flow usually presents a positive effect in a rugby league team. Timing and rhythm is imperative in the game of rugby league. Many aspect of this are more important than other, momentum is crucial as an attacking player, as the defensive player rarely has more momentum, the attacking player often needs to use this to his advantage. Timing of the run and timing of the pass is also important for a play to work successfully.If the timin g of either the runner or the passer is out of the zone then often the pass will be unsuccessful and the play will break down due to either a failed pass or a failed catch. Timing is something that is picked up to almost a telepathic event after much time spent as partners or teammates, a lot also derives from direct communication. Relationships are a huge key to a positive performance in a rugby league game. Having positive relationships with your fellow teammates can have them help you to be in position and create a movement they need for what they are trying to achieve.This can stem back to team formations and positional play. Often knowing your teammates positive attributes and their strengths can result in better movements suited to them and their style. In conclusion, these elements of composition can easily be applied to the sport of Rugby League in many different ways. All of the elements are important and can have a profound effect on the overall performance and the result of the game. The positive use of all elements of compositions can maximise the potential of the performance and all of the possible results that can occur.

Bullying in Schools Causes, Effects and Possible Solutions Assignment

Bullying in Schools Causes, Effects and Possible Solutions - Assignment Example It is reported that around 14% of the victims of bullying report poor self-esteem, depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts as a result of bullying. In addition, there is the stunning revelation that most of the bullying occurs on school grounds (Olweus, 2013). Scholars have identified so many reasons behind bullying and none of these reasons exhibits considerable supremacy. The first cause as identified by people like Rigby (2007) is the family background of the bullies. It is found that the students who belong to families which are dysfunctional have three times more chance to be a bully at school. In addition is the finding that when the children belong to families where there is good parent-child relationship, the chance of becoming a bully is considerably reduced. Moreover, people like Olweus (2013) have observed a link between media and bullying. The children who watch violence in the media for long hours are more likely to exhibit violent behavior and aggression at school. It seems that when children watch violence in media, they fail to learn the socially acceptable ways of behavior and start dealing with day-to-day life in the way they watch in media. In other words, children learn what they observe, and when there is a lot of violence in media, children fail to distinguish between fiction and reality and resort to violence in real life. In the opinion of Olweus (2013), some students are more likely to be bullies because of certain individual characteristics. To illustrate, the ones who are bullies generally have above average physical strength. In addition, they are more aggressive in their behavior and exhibit little compassion towards the sufferings of others. Thus, Olweus (2013) reaches the conclusion that bullying behavior is considerably linked to individual traits. Thus, as the bullies share certain similarities in their physical and psychological makeup, the victims of bullying too exhibit certain common characteristics. For

Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Discussion Questions - Essay Example Then the responsibility of the decision lies with the manager. In case the manager feels that the team can provide valuable inputs, he chooses facilitative decision making style. The team, thus, feels empowered and the morale of the team members increases. In such a case it is well communicated to the team that the responsibility of the decision lies with the team. The commonly used tool in my organization is the problem-option checklist. A list of problems is prepared against which the option/ solutions are mentioned and the best possible solution is chosen. In case of authoritative decision making, the leader selects the best possible option and communicates the same to the team. Some of the trainers complained that they were not getting valuable feedback from their trainees in lower levels of the hierarchy. Hence analyzing them and showing the training impact was difficult. The manager chose the facilitative decision making style. The team sat together and discussed that the answe rs they were getting were ‘good’, ‘yes’, ‘no’ etc. Thus the subjective feedback form should be replaced by and objective one for trainees from lower levels of hierarchy.

Mathematics and the U.S. Presidential Elections Essay

Mathematics and the U.S. Presidential Elections - Essay Example Moreover, this paper will discuss how the processes and concepts involved in the US Presidential Elections may be related to mathematics. The US Presidential elections happen every four years, starting from 1792. The existing process came about as a middle ground to appease the two arguing groups in which one wanted the Congress to appoint the President while the other wanted the elections to go by popular vote (Schantz). This compromise led to how the elections process goes on now. In the current electoral process, the Electoral College is responsible for electing the next president of the United States of America. The Electoral College is composed of electors from different states of the country. The number of electors that a state may have depends on the number of representatives that it has in the combined houses of Congress (Harris and Tichenor). The candidate who wins a majority of the electoral votes (270 out of 538) wins the US presidency as well. This elections process is qu ite different from other election processes in such that elections outside of the United States are usually won by popular vote. Each registered citizen of the country has the same contribution as every other citizen of the country. ... Again, with plurality voting, every person gets the same exact chance and â€Å"power† as another to decide on the next US president. Since all that is needed to win the elections is to have the most number of votes among the candidates, then it is not a requirement to acquire majority of the votes. As such, with four people competing for the same post, it is possible for somebody to acquire 26% of the votes (obviously not the majority) and still win. Relating such a concept to mathematics, all that is needed is for A > B > C > D. Moreover, that A’s votes ? 50% + 1 (indicating the majority) is not really a requirement. The Electoral College system in voting for the US President presents a more complex form of mathematics than that. Each state is given its respective weight in terms of votes, depending on its population. The candidate, then, that receives majority of the electoral votes and not necessarily majority of the states or majority of the people’s votes, wins the election (Schantz). For a very rough example, suppose we have Alice, Ben, Cathy, Dennis, and Earl deciding which of two ice cream parlors to go to. Because of their different sizes, they also get to have different â€Å"voting powers† in deciding their place of destination. Alice and Ben each weighs twice as much as Cathy, Dennis weighs three times as much as Cathy, while Earl weighs four times as much as Cathy. Thus, Alice and Ben each gets two voting points, Cathy gets one voting point, Dennis gets three voting points, and Earl gets four voting points. If it were merely up to the popular vote, the ice cream parlor which gets three votes would automatically win. However, with this scenario, we can see that if Dennis (3 points) and Earl (4 points) votes for

Advanced Writing for Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advanced Writing for Marketing - Essay Example The document helps the President improve job performance evaluation, in terms of sale manager’s performance. The document is intended to replace the current job evaluation rubric, in terms of the manager’s job benchmarks. The document explains the superiority of the proposed annual report-based benchmark over the current attendance based criteria. It is highly recommended that that annual report, income statement, replace the current job performance benchmark (Weaver 2007 293). The current benchmark pales in comparison with the proposed annual report rubric. The income statement is used by most business entities as job performance yardstick. Judging from the use of the income statement as the standard global criteria, it is highly recommended that you, my president friend, follow suit. Further, implementing your current attendance-based criteria is understandable. You are reducing the manager’s job responsibilities. The human resource department is tasked with collection the attendance reports of the managers. All the managers have to do is to â€Å"time in† by swiping one’s identification card through the attendance machine. When the manager leaves the office, all the manager has to do is to â€Å"log out†. Logging out is done by swiping one’s identification card through the time recording machine strategically located near the entrance / exit pathways. The human resource department presents the attendance report to you, President, indicating your sales managers’ tardiness report. Furthermore, this is comprehensible. Your current impression of the best employee is one who is devoted to one’s job. A loyal employee will normally reduce absences and tardiness to allowable levels. Your company allows excused absences on reasonable ground. Reasonable grounds include unexpected traffic from home to the work area, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other reasonable causes. Lastly, labor law regulations allow absences your employee is