Allstate Insurance Company Introduction free essay sample

| Allstate Insurance Company Elizabeth Haskins Strayer University Instructor: Dr. Yohannes Abate Leadership and Organizational Behavior – BUS 520010VA016 July 24, 2011 Abstract As our population becomes grows more ethnically and culturally diverse, companies struggle more and more with the subject of diversity in the workforce. The latest strategy is to leverage diversity as a competitive business strategy. This paper will evaluate Allstate Insurance Company’s goal setting process and how they have used diversity as a strategy leveraging differences in order to create a competitive advantage in today’s diversified market. It will also discuss Allstate’s competitive advantage with the development of the Diversity Index and recommend what types of high-performance reward systems Allstate could use to motivate its employees to assist the company in reaching its diversity goals. . Introduction The fundamental point of the case is how Allstate has succeeded in linking their diversity strategy to a competitive advantage. In a competitive, corporate environment companies must constantly be looking for ways to improve performance in parallel with achieving corporate goals and initiatives. We will write a custom essay sample on Allstate Insurance Company: Introduction or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Diversity at Allstate is ingrained in the companys culture; they launched their first affirmative action program in the 1960s; however, their commitment to diversity at that time was not linked to recruitment, development, and retention strategies to business performance or strategy. It was focused mainly through education and training and therefore, was not linked to the company’s business strategy. Allstate realized it had to reinvent its diversity strategy. According to the director of diversity management the key question had become â€Å"How do you take this workforce of differences and bring them together in a more powerful way so that it can impact business results? † (Hellriegel and Slocum, 2011). In its reinvention, and using the four goal setting process, Allstate has succeeded in making diversity a core value. Joan Crockett, senior vice president for human resources at Allstate, stresses that the companys diversity initiative isnt a nice-to-do, social conscience program. Its a compelling business strategy,† (Wah, 1999). Their strategy extends to all facets of the organization, including employees, customers, agents and suppliers and has made Allstate a leader in aligning diversity with their business strategy. Using the model for goal setting, evaluate Allstate’s goal setting process to determine whether or not Allstate has an effective goal-setting program. In an attempt to bring together the workforce of differences in a more influential way to achieve the business strategy results they were seeking, Allstate developed four specific steps. The first step is the succession programming step, which identifies candidates for key positions for career development and opportunity, which in turn ensures the company’s future workforce will remain diversified at all levels. The second step is Development, wherein employees complete an assessment of their current job skills and the employee’s ambition for possible future advancement. This step allows management how to address the career goals of their employees, whether through education, coaching or mentoring. The third step, Measurement, uses the Quarterly Leadership Measurement System (QLMS) and utilizes a Diversity Index Survey. This survey allows the employees to evaluate the company’s processes, management style, treatment of customers and relationship with their management. Based on survey results, the company initiates action programs to fix areas that showed concern. The fourth step, Accountability and Reward, links management compensation to the company’s diversity goals through the QLMS and Diversity Index Survey. Establishing an effective goal setting program is based on several conditions: 1. Employees must be able to obtain the goal. 2. The employee must be committed to the goal. 3. Employee should be provided feedback on their progress towards reaching their goal. 4. Tasks should be broken down so goals can be achieved in a reasonable timeframe. 5. Employees should be provided the resources to obtain their goals. The four step action that Allstate has implanted in direct alignment with the conditions for succeeding with an effective goals setting program. Discuss the competitive advantage Allstate has from the development of the Diversity Index. In creating the Diversity Index, Allstate established an advantage in the competitive business world. Through the Diversity Index the company developed a way for its management to evaluate what is working and what is not working as far as service, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, work behavior, and utilization of employee skills. In communicating the results of the survey to all employees, employees are able to observe management making an effort produce and improve a diverse work environment. When employees know that management is looking to find areas within the company that need improvement and that such improvements will help make the company a bigger success, employees tend to become much more self-driven to make the company a success as well. This has worked well for Allstate as according to numerous sources like â€Å"Fortune Magazine†, â€Å"DiversityInc Magazine†, â€Å"Working Mother Magazine†, â€Å"Diversity Executive magazine †, and â€Å"Forbes Magazine†, to name a few, which have awarded Allstate such titles as â€Å"Americas Most Admired Companies â€Å", â€Å"Top 50 Companies for Diversity†, â€Å"100 Best Companies for Working Mothers†, â€Å"Top Companies for Supplier Diversity â€Å"Top 100 in Global 2000 Companies â€Å"(Allstate Insurance Company, 2010), Allstate has been highly recognized for its diversity programs. Recommend the types of high-performance reward system Allstate should use to motivate its employees to reach its diversity goals Specifically for diversity, Allstate could implement a referral program, which most companies today have in place; however, this program will reward a referral bonus based on the hiring of minority employees. For instance, an employee will receive $250. 00 for referring someone from a diverse background. Of course a simple referral does not get the employee the reward. There is typically a 90-day wait or probationary period to ensure the employee does not hire on and leave within a short period of time. After the 90-day probationary period, the employee receives the bonus. The Company can go one step further and increase the referral bonus for the 2nd candidate referred and hired, and so on. Since motivation is not based solely on monetary awards, a non-monetary reward system can be reached by a mentoring process. Mentoring is typical in today’s business world; however, the company can match candidates with different backgrounds, cultures, nationality, and/or gender. This is a win/win situation for the company as well as the individual. It allows individuals to learn other areas of the company. For instance, Allstate can team a Hispanic female from the claims department with a black male from the sales department. This system is harder to implement but it is effective in teaching individuals about different areas of the company and learning from someone with a completely different background. If employees know all aspects of how a company works (the inside and outs), they become much more successful, and in turn, the company becomes much more successful. References Hellriegel, D. , Slocum, J. W. , Jr. (2011). Organizational behavior: 2011 custom edition (13th Ed. ). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Louisa Wah. (July/August, 1999). Citing Websites. In Business Ethics Review. Diversity at Allstate: A Competitive Weapon. Retrieved July 6, 2011, from http://www. wahansa. com/portfolio/diversity. html. Allstate. (2010). Citing Websites. Allstate Digital Newsroom. Retrieved July 11, 2011, from http://www. allstatenewsroom. com/channels/Awards-and-Recognition/pages/awards-recognition

buy custom Grades and Academic Achievement essay

buy custom Grades and Academic Achievement essay Student grades and academic achievement go hand in hand in many ways. Grades are as an evaluation tool to gage students comprehension of the subject matter, to assess their reading and writing skill and to determine their overall intelligence or ability level. Grades can also be used to determine other things about students. If a consistent A student starts failing tests or assignments, that may be an indication to teachers that the student may be experiencing a personal issue, such as trouble at home, drug use or health concern. In these ways, grades help teachers to establish and track students learning progress, intellectual growth and general well-being, which in turn enables teachers to provide appropriate opportunities for learning to foster academic achievement among students. By establishing a students grade point average, a teacher can learn how to fine tune instruction on both an individual and whole-group level. If a teacher sees, for example, that a student with a good or average grade point average starts receiving less-than-average grades, the teacher will be able to infer the students difficulty with that particular topic, chapter or concept and can provide extra help to improve student achievement. Or if a teacher gives a test and the entire class scores 20 percent lower than normal, the grades will indicate to the teacher that perhaps her instructional approach was ineffective and she will know to revise the lesson in order to reach students and foster achievement. Grade patterns can alo help teachers recognize and provide opportunities for bright students who arent being challenged or identify and differentiate instruction visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners. If, for example, a student consistently scores low on oral tests, the grades might indicate that the student is a visual or kinesthetic learner and the teacher can then provide suitable assignments to those learning styles, such as written exams or hands-on art projects. In these ways, grades are essential to academic achievement in that they can illuminate students learning needs, point toward ineffective instruction and help the teacher establish her students individual learning styles. Grades can also influence students academic achievement and performance on future assignments, tests and projects. Since grading consists of a scaled, weighted ranking system that ultimately determines a students ability to move forward or repeat a grade, grades can be used as a motivating factor both in and out of the classroom. A student with consistently average or even poor grades can be motivated to improve their scores when a teacher assigns special rewards to high marks. A student, for example, may be encouraged to put additional effort into his work if he knows that all students who receive a grade of A will be given a homework pass to use on the day of their choosing. On the other hand, students may study more vigorously for a test if they know that anyone who receives a D grade or lower will be required to participate in a one-week extra-help workshop during free period. Attaching lower-stakes, but releevant, consequences such as these to students grades can improve academi c achievement over time, especially among disinterested students who are particularly difficult to engage or motivate in the classroom. Important to note are the few negative or detrimental ways in which grades can impact academic achievement among students. If a grading system is not used properly, it can be ineffective or even harmful to students academic progress. To begin with, if a teacher does not chart the grades or is unable to establish and recognize the grade patterns of her students, the grades will not be effective in alerting the teacher of her students needs, as previously discussed. The grades alone are not enough to improve student achievement rather, their successful interpretation by an educational professional is essential to their use as a method to improve student achievement. In addition, graded assignments must be diverse in order to give all learners the opportunity for achievement. If students are only graded in one way, this can limit, hinder or even skew students performance results. If students are only graded on tests and quizzes, for example, students who are hands-on, discovery learner s will not have the opportunity to achieve because they are not being given an opportunity to demonstrate learning in a way that is suitable to their learning style or needs. By basing grades on a variety of assignments that include group work, presentations, written work and creative projects, the teacher will be able to provide all students with opportunities for academic achievement. Buy custom Grades and Academic Achievement essay

Grandparents Raising their Grandchildren Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Grandparents Raising their Grandchildren - Essay Example This paper discusses the difficulties, benefits, causes and other such factor related to the topic of grandparents acting as parent to their grandchildren. Grandparents who raise their grandchildren have become prevalent as an alternative family.(Bert, 2005) It is reported that 5.7 million children are living with their grandparents out of which 3.7 million live in grandparents household. Various factsheets reveal that there thousands of grandparents in United States taking care of their grandchildren due to numerous reasons. It is not an easy task to identify the exact number of grandparents raising their grandchildren without a parent due to informal relationships. With rising divorces, death of parents, disability, inability to care for their children, have increased the number of grandchildren being raised by grandparents. Kleiner et. al (1998) has classified grandparents into three sub groups as custodial grandparents, caregivers and day care parents. Casper & Bryson (1998) Custodial grand parenting is growing trend in American society with some 5.5 million grandparents have reported to be housing their own grandchildren in the year 1997. (Bert, 2005) It is also reported that the ages of most of the grandparents are between 55 and 64 years and 20% are over 65 years. Caregiver is explained as 'living with' grandparents who provide daily care but do not have legal custody. In such cases, grandparents focus on providing the child with economically and emotionally stable environment. The another classification 'day care' grandparents focus on helping the child's parent and function closest to societal function of grandparent. Causes for Grandparents Acting as Grandparents According to American Community Survey, 6.1 million grandparents are engaged in parenting activity in respect to their grandchild. 8% of grandchildren lived with their grandparent in the year 2006 in United States. (US Census Bureau, 2006) Grandparent after retiring from parenting activities after their child has settled well, if resumes the parenting job again, it needs a lot of careful thinking on the topic. Grandparents usually accept the task out of natural love and affection towards their grandchildren and would not accept the role of stranger in raising their grandchildren. (www.cornellcares.org) Most of the causes would revolve around the normal parents. Most of the statistics reveal that drug or alcohol abuse among natural parents is the main cause for inviting grandparent to step in and take over the responsibility of raising their grandchildren. It has been reported that in 1998 nearly 44% of youngsters were living with their grandparents because of their parents' substance abuse. And interestingly 28% were victims of child abuse, neglect or improper attention and 11% because of death of their any one or both of the parents. (www.egyptianaaa.org) Various reasons include ill health of their parents, or inability of parents to take the responsibility of their child, divorce, unexpected pregnancy of teen or adult child, etc. The reasons why the grandparents are acting as parents may vary on various factors. Difficulties of Grandparents to raise their child Many researches have been

Cadbury plc UK division- Global Strategy analyses Case Study

Cadbury plc UK division- Global Strategy analyses - Case Study Example The present opportunities for Cadburry UK Division chocolate sector and its possible growth are considered and evaluated with the competitors'. This also examines the competitive and technological advancement threats the company receives from its rival competitors. SWOT Analysis Using the SWOT analysis and the SFAS matrix, the subsequent TOWS Matrix relating to the company's strategies in significant internal and external factors that poses effects to its performance and position in the chocolate market are as indicated below. This also includes the strategies the firm should adapt to leverage in order to achieve current and future growth and get a better position over its rivals. Internal Factors Strengths Weaknesses Strategies for Strength Opportunities Strategies for Weakness Opportunities Opportunities Maximize production to optimize on the benefits of the raising market. Integrate company brand for expansion and growth in emerging markets. Achieve growth through new acquisitions and mergers with other companies. Optimize the benefit of increasing market and increase sales by reducing prices of best selling products. Increase profits through new and up coming markets Target on research and development to reduce cost and increase profits Increase profit margin via Innovations and fresh products Threats Strategies for Strength Threats Leverage to differentiate Brand Venture into innovations to target higher profit margin Invest in research and innovations to produce new products attractive to customers. Optimize production in high selling products while reducing production of law market products. Strategies for... Looking at everything that has been stated above the company has a very strong portfolio of products. And each of the products and the product lines is in a different stage of the product life cycle, thus making it extremely necessary for the business to understand each of the different products, their markets and their potential thoroughly. This is necessary because the unique nature of the portfolio calls for different strategies to be adopted for the different products in the portfolio. As seen in the BCG matrix, the Ansoff and GE/McKinsey Matrix, the organization can undertake a host of different strategies to increase the profits that are reaped from the product lines and also to reinvest and in different activities such as research and development activities that will help the organisation to develop newer products to replace others that are now spent and in the decline stage and also to ensure that the present products that are bringing in the profits will increase their marke t share, or defend their market share in a manner that would only increase the future profits of the organisation. In summary the outlook for Cadbury’s internal and external environment is very good. The strengths of the organisation are very good when compared to the weaknesses and likewise the macro environmental conditions that are prevalent are very conducive to the company even in these difficult economic times.

Crime And The Impact On Modern Society

Crime And The Impact On Modern Society The threat and fear of crime are constant concerns that impact many people in modern society. The safety of schools and communities are usually indicated by crime rates, and are justifiably major factors in choosing where to reside. Research denotes that juveniles are involved in numerous crimes each year, as perpetrators who are subjected to legal intervention for status offenses such as running away, school truancy and curfew violations and as victims (Regoli, Hewitt, Delisi, 2007). Literature review reveals that there are official measures of juvenile crime which include those by police, the courts, and corrections agencies; and unofficial measures of juvenile crime such as self-report and victim surveys, that try to give a more complete description of the true extent of juvenile crime (Schmalleger, Bartollas, 2008). This paper will discuss several methodologies of official and unofficial measurements of juvenile delinquency and the identifiable problems with these types of data collections. Keywords: Uniform Crime Report, National Incident-Based Reporting System, self-reporting Criminologists for years have recognized that there are major problems in defining and measuring juvenile delinquency. The first is the legal definition that applies to youth who have been officially labeled in juvenile court. Legal definitions vary by time and place, making comparisons difficult because they are not uniform in all jurisdictions with respect to age of the prosecution; thus they tend to provide an unrealistic picture of the extent and nature of delinquency since they deal only with youth who are caught and processed (Regoli et al., 2007). Behavioral definitions in contrast to the legal definition can sometimes provide a more accurate picture of the extent and nature of delinquency and the characteristics of the offenders and victims. By using behavioral definitions, juveniles who violate statutes are seen as delinquent whether or not they are officially labeled (Regoli et al., 2007). The results have the appearance of delinquency being evenly distributed across social class and more frequent than official statistics would lead us to believe; thus showing a highly noted problem of relying on self-reporting processes and the difficulties in collecting accurate data (Regoli et al., 2007; Schmalleger, 2009). Measurement is not new to the juvenile justice system. Too often data collected by juvenile justice agencies have been unrelated to outcomes, and seldom allowed the public to assess performance in a meaningful way (Schmalleger, Bartollas, 2008). I suggest that this one of the reasons information does not completely help juvenile justice systems and organizations determine impact or cost-effectiveness of their interventions. Data is most useful when it provides input to juvenile justice professionals regarding public awareness and support, and can provide citizens and other government stakeholders with a sense of what the juvenile justice systems and agencies are really accomplishing or trying to accomplish. Official Measuring of Juvenile Delinquency Even with all the debates about the methodology of juvenile delinquency measurement, official crime statistics are considered the most accurate measures of crime and are often used in the news media and by justice agencies. This data is usually compiled by police, courts, and corrections agencies. The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) a program which began in 1929 and provides this type of data on the national and local levels, and track occurrences of eight specific crimes including the locations and frequencies of each (Lynch, Jarvis, 2008). This useful information is collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from law enforcement agencies across the country, and presents descriptive statistical, historical profile of violent juvenile crime in America based on the percentage of all arrests (Lynch, Jarvis, 2008). Another official measure for data collection of juvenile crime is the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). This system was developed in 1988 by the federal government to address some of the shortcomings of the UCR, and is generated from the records management systems of federal, state and local agencies (Regoli, et al., 2007). The NIBRS which collects information on every arrest and incident was intended to be a broader crime reporting system in comparison to the UCR program; and it gives much greater details on specific crimes because it differentiates between crimes that are attempted and crimes that are completed (Schmalleger, 2009). Proponents for official measurements have recently argued that these measures show validity for certain crimes; any problems tend to be stable over time allowing trends and patterns to surface; there is easy to access to the data and relatively inexpensive; they allow for city and regional trend comparisons; and they provides detailed information on reporting patterns, who is arrested, and homicides (Lynch, Jarvis, 2008). In contrast, opponents have raised the issues that the reports do not capture unreported crime because under or over reporting by law enforcement often referred to as the dark figure of crime; and as it relates to juvenile crimes the number of arrests is not equal to the actual number of youths who committed crime, and group arrests overestimate juvenile crime (Lynch, Jarvis, 2008). Un-Official Measuring of Juvenile Delinquency Even though most of the fundamental problems with official crime statistics had been identified before the end of the nineteenth century, including the major problem of the dark figure of unknown crime, it was not until the mid-twentieth century that systematic attempts to unravel some of the mysteries of official statistics were initiated (Regoli, et al., 2007). Turning to data sources outside of the official agencies of criminal justice, unofficial crime statistics were generated in order to explore the dark figure of crime not known to the police, and to create measures of crime that were independent of the official registrars of crime and crime control, which many felt would address more validity and reliability issues in the measurement of crime (Doerner, Lab, 2005). One un-official data collecting measure used for juvenile delinquency is self-reporting. These reports are confidential questionnaires administered to samples of youth who voluntarily report on their own involvement in delinquent activities, which sometimes provide a more complete picture of juvenile delinquency (Webb, Katz, Decker, 2006). They however are not error free. These measures use population samples that arguably are small, and it has been suggested by some criminologists that they are not representative of juvenile offenders as a whole (Webb et al., 2006). Recently, it has been proposed by some researchers that victim surveys recognize the inadequacies of official measures of crime, particularly the apparently substantial volume of crime and victimization that remains unknown to, and therefore un-acted upon by, criminal justice authorities (Doerner, Lab, 2005). The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), a survey sponsored by the federal government and has been collecting data on personal and household victimization since 1973 (Doerner, Lab, 2005). It was designed with four primary objectives: to develop detailed information about the victims and consequences of crime; to estimate the number and types of crimes not reported to the police; to provide uniform measures of selected types of crimes; and to permit comparisons over time and types of areas (Doerner, Lab, 2005). In general, victimization surveys have the same problems and threats to validity and reliability as any other social-science survey. Ironically, there is a double dark figure of hidden crime that is not reported to interviewers in victimization surveys designed to uncover crimes not reported to the police (Doerner, Lab, 2005). Such incomplete reporting of victimization means that victimization surveys, like official data sources, also underestimate the true amount of crime, and this then suggests that the discrepancy between the crime rate estimates of the victim surveys and the UCR may be even larger than reports indicate. A noted strength of victim surveys is that most crimes included in the questionnaire are F.B.I. index crimes; but research also reveals that two index crimes (murder and arson) are not included in the survey, though many other important crimes are measured in the victimization surveys (Doerner, Lab, 2005). It is fair to argue that many times the results from thi s type of data collection show that the victimization statistics are somewhat limited in their representativeness and generalizing ability. Conclusion Debates have been heated over the last few decades on the proper way to measure delinquency. Research reveals that there are three major sources of data that have been used, self-reports of delinquent behavior, victimization surveys, and official accounts (e.g., arrests, court records) (Regoli et al., 2007). These sources of data results do not always agree, and studies have shown that certain methodologies such as survey-reports show weaker associations between social status (e.g., poverty, race, gender) and delinquency than official records (Regoli et al., 2007). Proponents for methodological measurements argue that these sources of data yield reasonably similar patterns when the object of inquiry is serious and persistent delinquency (Schmalleger, 2009). I suggest there is still a need for more methodologies to aid in the challenges of prevention and recidivism juvenile crime.

The Odyssey :: essays research papers fc

When one ponders the Greek mythology and literature, powerful images invariably come to mind. One relives the heroes’ struggles against innumerable odds, their battles against magical monsters, and the gods’ periodic intervention in mortal affairs. Yet, a common and often essential portion of a heroic epic is the hero’s consultation with an oracle or divinity. This prophecy is usually critical to the plot line, and also to the well being of the main characters. Could Priam have survived in the Achaean camp if not at the gods’ instruction (200-201)? Could the Argos have run the gauntlet of the Prowling Rocks if not for the gods’ advice of using a sacrificial bird (349). Moreover, prophecy can be negative as well as positive. Achilles was prophesied to die gloriously in battle if he chose his life’s way as a warrior. Oedipus was exiled and condemned by his own words, after he slew his sire and wed his mother. This type of prophesy can blind eve n the gods themselves; Chronos was fated to be defeated and his throne stolen by his son. Demeter loses Persephone periodically every year because her daughter ate Hades’ pomegranates. Prophecy plays an important role in the whole of Greek folklore. Something this ever-present bears further examination. In The Odyssey, prophecy in its myriad forms affects nearly every aspect of the epic. Prophecies are seen in the forms of omens, signs, strict prediction of the future, divine condemnation, and divine instruction. Though conceptually these forms are hard to distinguish, they are clearly separate in the Odyssey. Moreover, prophecies can be interpreted not only on the "plot device" level, but also on the level of characterization. Whether a character accepts or denies the gods’ prophecies tells the reader something about the character himself. Omens are brief prophecies intimately connected to the action at hand, which must be interpreted in terms of that action . Halitherses comments on the eagle attack after Telemakhos condemns the suitors (463-464); he correctly interests it to mean that if the suitors keep feeding off Odysseus’s possessions they will be destroyed. Yet the suitors ignore the omen, inviting their eventual destruction. This haughty treatment of a divine omen is a justification for their deaths. When Penelope says if Odysseus had returned he would, with his son, surely slay the suitors, Telemakhos let loose a great sneeze (429). This omen reinforces the previous one, and simultaneously prepares the reader for the carnage to follow.

Ethics and Human Resources

Why is it important for companies to conduct Ethics Training? Conduct Ethics Training is important for companies because it not only involves doing what is right and proper, but it is also good for business. Ethical conduct is the basis for long-term success in any organization. Here are some of the many advantages to ethical conduct at work: * Ethical conduct promotes a strong public image for the organization. People respect an organization that makes ethical choices. Customers like doing business with an organization they can trust. * Ethical conduct makes the best use of resources. Money, time, and effort are put into productive activities rather than diverted for questionable purposes or personal gain. * Ethical conduct on the part of all employees also helps maintain quality and productivity. When employees follow ethical standards, they do not cut corners or short-change the company or its customers. * Ethical conduct assists the organization to comply with laws and regulations. What is ethical is also legal. * Ethical conduct ensures good and proper relationships with customers and vendors. * Ethical conduct boosts morale and promotes teamwork. When employees can trust one another and management, they can work together more harmoniously and effectively. Week two: What are the most critical steps to successful implement high-performance work systems? First, work flows are organized around key business processes, and people are often grouped into teams to carry out those processes. Second, high performance work systems include a number of human resource policies and practices: staffing, training, performance management, compensation, etc. , that are intended to enhance employee skills, knowledge, motivation, and flexibility. These practices take different forms, but are based on the belief that people are a critical competitive asset of the organization. Third, most high performance work systems rely on new approaches to leading employees. Often this means fewer levels of management and new roles for managers. Managers become facilitators and integrators and share responsibility for decision making and results with their employees. Discussion Board: * Discuss how would you go about diagnosing poor performance problems If I find the problem, I can work in the solution. To figure out what's causing the performance issue, you have to get to the root of the problem. In my opinion, performances depend of the ability and the motivation of the employee. Someone with 100% motivation and 75% ability can often achieve above-average performance. If an employee is not making enough effort is necessary increase pressure to see if performance increase. If the problem is the ability; for example over -difficult tasks, increase the pressure can aggravate the problem. The ability can be lower when the employee was promoted to a position that is to demanding for him or maybe they no longer have the motivation to realize a good performance. * Suggest ways in which the motivating value of merit raises may be increased. Ethics and Human Resources Policy In the consulting industry, ethics play a very important role. Ethics are the baseline for every business decision that is made. For this reason, all employees of the AJ Consulting firm are required to adhere to our strict ethics policy. AJ Consulting’s ethics policy is based on three areas. These areas are as follows. People AJ Consulting’s employees are the most important asset that we have. All employees will be treated with the highest respect and trust. Management is expected to lead by example and set the tone for our ethics program.They are expected to act and behave in the highest ethical manner. Through these actions they will enforce ethical decision making and guide subordinates through the development process. Open and honest communication is key to providing an environment that supports the development of people and business. All managers have an open door policy for employees to voice any concerns regarding violations of company policy. The Employee s are the eyes and ears of AJ Consulting and should be comfortable bringing any violations to the attention of management without fear of retaliation.All reported concerns of unethical behavior will be addressed and investigated in a timely manner, and the findings of the investigation will be shared company wide. The report of findings will be nonspecific to protect the privacy of our employees. We are an equal opportunity employer and take a zero tolerance stance against retaliation and discrimination. This includes all behaviors that are deemed harassing, abusive (both verbal and physical), and offensive. AJ Consulting is dedicated to providing an environment where every employee can unlock and reach their potential.All opportunities for advancement and self-improvement will be offered to all qualified personnel equally, thus allowing the employees of AJ Consulting to reach their full potential. Allowing employees to reach their full potential directly contributes to the success of our business. Employees should contact their manager or human resources if they feel that they have been harassed or discriminated against. Place (community) AJ Consulting is dedicated to improving the community in which we operate.To fulfill our obligation to improve our community, and to better understand our nonprofit customers, all employees will be required to volunteer eight hours per calendar year. Volunteer time can be during business hours and regular wages will be paid by AJ Consulting for this time. We will build trust in the community through our actions and credibility. To gain the public’s trust we will follow through on our commitments and operate with honesty and integrity. Under no circumstances will an employee of AJ Consulting act unethically or immorally without disciplinary action.If questions arise when considering a certain action or business deal consider the following questions. Will this action be perceived favorably by the public? Can AJ Consulti ng fulfill this commitment? Will this action help build trust within the community? Is this action legal? If you cannot answer yes to these questions, seek guidance from management. Profit AJ Consulting is not in business to make a profit. We make a profit to stay in business. A portion of our profits will be reinvested into our people and our community, thus reinforcing our commitment to the community and our people.No business should be done and profit made thereof, by violating our code of ethics or our high standards of integrity and honesty. Any violation or possible violations should be reported to a member of management. Ethics in Business Dealings While we strive to be competitive in the market; we will offer our services based on quality and ethical business decisions. AJ Consulting will not coordinate any of business decisions with our competitors to create an unfair and unethical advantage in the marketplace.We will also not accept gratuities or gifts from our customers o r competitors to gain an advantage. All of our services will be competitively priced based on company guidelines and not outside influences. AJ Consulting will conduct its business in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations, and company policies. To ensure that employees are familiar with and understand these laws and regulations; employees will be required to attend regular update meetings on a quarterly basis. It is every employee’s obligation to see that we are in compliance with governing law and regulations.Managers should be made aware of any violations or possible violations of laws, regulations, or company policies. Managers are then in turn, responsible for investigating any concerns brought to their attention in a timely manner. If the suggested violations are substantiated the manger is then required to take the appropriate steps to correct the violation. Gifts While negotiating a contract with a potential customer, no gifts or gratuities shall be given or received. Business dinners are permissible as long as they do not present the appearance of favoritism or any attempt to influence business decisions.We need to reinforce our reputation as a fair and ethical business and the appearance of favoritism can severely tarnish our reputation. Under no circumstances may an employee of AJ Consulting solicit gifts from their customers. After a contract is awarded, small gifts may be given or received if they are unsolicited and are of menial value. If you have any questions regarding whether or not a gift is appropriate contact a member of the management team to verify if accepting the gift violates company policy.Confidential Customer Information Our customer’s confidentiality is of the upmost importance to AJ Consulting. In order to build a trusting relationship; employees of AJ consulting will under no circumstances, use any information about our customers for the purpose of personal or financial gain. To avoid a conflict of intere st, no employee with a vested interest shall make recommendations or consult the organization in which they have stake in. Nor shall any employee divulge any sensitive or confidential information to anyone outside of the company.Our customer’s sensitive information shall be kept secure, and be used for the sole purpose of making recommendations for process improvement. We shall also ensure recommendations do not include our customer’s sensitive information to minimize the risk of leaking such information to the public. Ethics Training Program Within the first 90 days of employment, all new hires will attend an initial ethics training. This training will be facilitated by the Human Resources Department with the support of the employee’s first line supervisor.During the initial training the President and Chief Operating Officer of AJ Consulting will discuss the importance of ethics in the consulting industry. The human resources department will inform the new hire of the policies and procedures of AJ Consulting’s ethics program. Included in this training will be an overview of the laws and regulations that govern the consulting industry, AJ Consulting’s position on ethics, proper use and disposal of sensitive information, how to file an ethics complaint, resources available for ethics questions, and the disciplinary consequences of ethics violations.After the initial ethics training employees will be given and annual refresher training. The annual refresher training will cover all ethics violations or potential violations and how they affected the company and its reputation. Role playing will be used to evaluate how well employees understand the ethics program and how they use this knowledge in real life situations. The training will also update the employee on new rules and regulations governing the consulting industry. It will also review the disciplinary actions that may result from ethics violations.The violation reporting procedures and resources for ethics questions will be updated and passed on during the annual refresher training. Reporting Suspected Ethics Violations AJ Consulting takes the issue of ethics very seriously. That is why it is the responsibility of every employee of AJ Consulting to report all actual and suspected ethics violations in a timely manner. The likelihood of diverting a crisis is dramatically increased if we can respond to potential violations quickly. We have developed a quick and anonymous way for our employees to report ethics violations.If you wish to report an ethics violation anonymously we have set up an ethics hotline. The number for the ethics hotline is (800)ajethics. This hotline will direct you to our ethics officer during business hours. If you are calling outside regular business hours you will be directed to their voicemail. We have also setup an email account for those personnel who prefer to report ethics violations this way. The email address is [email  protected]consulting. com. You will receive a response within 48 hours of submitting a violation.The third way of reporting is by contacting any member of management or any member of the ethics compliance committee. Remember when reporting a violation, supply us with as detailed information as you can. This information should include dates, times, names, and companies. While all of this information is not required to file a complaint, it will help us investigate the issue. We do understand that ethics can be confusing, so if you have any questions about ethics or how ethics is applied in a given situation please reach out to our ethics officer who is also our human resources manager.If they cannot provide you with an answer they will research the situation and respond as quickly as possible. Monitoring the Ethics Program AJ Consulting is dedicated to providing the most efficient and stable work environment possible. Since a solid ethics program is the basis for our core values it i s very important for us to monitor and evaluate how effective this program is. Monitoring and auditing our ethics program allows us to become proactive in preventing ethical and illegal misconduct whereby the public’s trust and the company’s reputation may be damaged beyond repair.To fulfill this requirement AJ Consulting has implemented a compliance committee. The committee will consist of the president, chairman of the board of directors, human resources manager, and the accounting manager. They will be in charge of evaluating all aspects of this program. Quarterly first line supervisors will observe 10% of their employees. During the observation the supervisor should note any behaviors or decisions that could be seen as unethical. The observation should be documented and turned into the human resources department.Semiannually they will review all financial documents to ensure they are complete and accurate. They will look for any anomalies in the financial documents and investigate any discrepancies. The compliance committee will also verify that all financial reports are filed on time and give an accurate view of our company. Under no circumstance is it permissible to file reports that are misleading or false. Annually the committee will send out a workplace survey to gain the employee’s perspective.These surveys will be anonymous in order to allow employees to question or comment on any decision making or instances that they feel may be unethical. No place on this survey shall it ask for any information that may identify the person filling out the survey. This will allow honest and open feedback without the fear of retaliation. The compliance committee will review the annual training attendance, roll playing, supervisor observations, financial reports, and employee surveys and compile a state of ethics report that will be kept on record.This will allow AJ Consulting to look for trends in our ethical behavior and ensure that we are on the path to success and allow us to reevaluate and adjust our program as necessary. Biannually AJ Consulting will contract an outside agency to audit and evaluate our ethics program. They will look at our financial records, ethics reports, and reported violations to provide an unbiased assessment of our ethics program. AJ Consulting will use our internal audits and external audits to improve the ethics program and align our values, mission statement, and direction with ethics.Summary While every manager is responsible for the day to day ethics at AJ Consulting, every employee is responsible for doing business in an ethical manner every time. Under no circumstance is it permissible to conduct yourself in an unethical manner. We have assembled an ethics compliance committee that consists of the president, chairman of the board of directors, accounting manager, and human resources manager. The human resources manager is also the ethics officer for AJ Consulting. If you have any questio ns about ethics please contact one of these members.