Wal-Mart Employee Relations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Wal-Mart Employee Relations - Research Paper Example Wal-Mart will, therefore, have to consider hiring an external consulting firm to help in settling this issue once and for good. Wal-Mart should start arrangements to hire a consulting firm which is well versed with labor issues in order to help it look for a solution which will bring its issues with its employees to a halt. The internal management will be tasked to procure these services by analyzing the available consulting services in order to choose at the best consulting services. Since the issue at hand is a human resource issue, Wal-Mart will have to look for a consulting firm which is experienced or which specializes in human resource and labor issues. The employees through their representatives should also be involved in the process of hiring the consulting firm so that they do not feel that they have been left out of the process. This will be important since the issue at hand is one that affects the employees, and therefore, the need to involve them in the process of solving the issue. According to Mendy, the success of organizational change starts with the managers', as well as the employees', understanding the need for change. This is why it is necessary for managers to be able to inform their employees of the issues the firm is facing. Failing to involve the employees in the process of developing the solution will only lead to them rejecting whatever solution will be provided to them and, it is, therefore, necessary to make sure that they are involved so that they will own the solution at the end of the process.... As Bruce, Cheryl and Coskun (1994) say, information systems help an organisation to be ahead of the competitors in the industry. Wal-Mart has, however, failed to use this opportunity to reform its workforce and has only concentrated on using technology for other uses such as streamlining its supply chain systems. According to Kharbanda (2002), organisations are supposed to continually change in order to be able to overcome the many issues which they face in the market. As such, well-designed information systems can and do help the organisation in gaining the kind of information and knowledge which will be useful in the strategic decision-making process, thus helping it to deal with the issues it may be facing (Jamieson & Szeto, 1989). Wal-Mart has, however, seemingly ignored this and has failed to look at the issue of employee dissatisfaction. While it is very imminent that Wal-Mart needs organisation change to be able to deal with the human resource it is facing today, it continues to ignore the issues. This lack of organisational change continues to be eminent in Wal-Mart, where the need for change is always disregarded, even in cases where it is very obvious that change is needed. One of the major instances where Wal-Mart has been seen to fail to change was in the 1980s during the Buy-American euphoria era. While Wal-Mart’s competitors refused to fall for this euphoria but rather continued to buy from across the international borders in order to access cheaper goods for their stores, Wal-Mart refused to use this and continued to buy stock from local manufacturers, which were more expensive. This adamant refusal to change regardless of the fact that this was causing the firm to lose its strategic edge in the market can

The cinema of Hong Kong Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The cinema of Hong Kong - Essay Example They are able to share the costs and expenses, as well as able to gain large market coverage in Mainland China The contents of a film have mixture of elements from the Hollywood and elements from traditional Chinese drama and art, particularly a penchant for stylization and a disregard for Western standards of realism (Wikipedia, 2008). Successfully surviving and competing in the industry since about fifty years, Shaw Brothers is one of the most famous production companies in Hong Kong having more than 80 films to their credit. Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. is the biggest movie production company of Hong Kong movies. The company focuses on investment holding and investments in media and entertainment industries. Activities mainly consist of distributing films and the provision of filming facilities and services. Sir Run Run Shaw, Chairman of Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) Ltd., has said "In the film industry, one walks a tightrope, with all its thrills, satisfactions and dangers. That is perhaps why the business of making movies has given me the pleasure, the excitement and the fulfilment which I have always craved" (Sir Run Run Shaw, Movie/TV Marketing, Eighth issue, 1977). Sir Run Run Shaw started Shaw Studios with his vision to produce quality Chinese movies in Hong Kong. This information was found in the company website of Singapore (www.shaw.sg). Section Two - Informal Learning - 500 words An important approach to managing the creation and exchange of tacit knowledge is the creation of a shared workspace, or environment, for the elicitation and sharing of knowledge (Smith, 2001). I shared the space with Mr. Wong and his secretary Miranda. By sharing the space I was provided with a chance to undertake knowledge creation. According to Nonaka, there are two dimensions to tacit knowledge. The first is the technical dimension, which encompasses the kind of informal personal skills often referred to as "know-how." The second dimension is cognitive. The cognitive dimension consists of beliefs, ideals, values, and mental models, which are often taken for granted (Nonaka and Konno, 1998, p. 42). But in my placement case I not only focused at the technical dimension of learning but also gave importance to the cognitive aspect. Section Three Placement Analysis: As the production assistant of Mr. Lawrence Wong, my general duties were to assist in some projects he was working on. My work involved assisting Mr. Wong in different stages of film and movie production, from early preparations to finalizing the film. I participated I each step with him from the negotiation of the contract to the final step of shooting and editing the films. My learning process at Shaw Brothers was undertaken according to the theory Y assumptions being presented by McGregor. According to these assumptions: "The expenditure of physical effort and mental effort in work is as natural as play or rest". I found it as entertaining and pleasant to gain knowledge at Shaw Brothers as I could have at any other leisure activity. "External control and the threat of punishment are not the only means for producing effort toward organisational