Instructions are in Word Doc 

10 -15 slides 

 

Week 4 Brainstorming Discussions

Must post first.

Topic: Stress as a component of workplace efficiency.

The CEO of VMI is a confessed workaholic. In a recent HR interview with Chinn, he lays out his personal conflict of demanding employees to work long hours as he does. He also is conflicted with the need to be open for business all the time due to its international markets. He is aware that his own Chinese cultural heritage influences his work practices. In China, the issue of personal time is not a concern. Workers do what is expected of them. Chinn knows this is not true in many western companies and especially in the southern states of America. As the newest set of management employees, Chinn wants you to examine this issue and make recommendations on how to deal with conflicting cultural expectations. What demands should VMI place upon its employees?

Stress at the workplace is a constant problem especially since technology has placed the worker in a 24/7 work environment. Use the articles listed below and your required learning materials from our week 4-course content to address this specifically for the circumstances of VMI.

Why Work stress is Bad for Your Relationships

Whither the Ping-pong Table? Which Perks Matter Most to Employees

What is the future of office spaces? 

Directions: 

1. By FRIDAY, complete the following:

Preparation: It is necessary to read the articles listed above as well as those in your classroom materials. This assignment cannot be completed without required learning materials, in particular the articles on cultural values and Geert Hofstede’s website.

Orientation/perspective: Continuing on with our scenario, you are a newly-hired manager not yet placed into a permanent assignment. Since week 1, you and Chinn have been talking about your vision for VMI’s future as given in last week’s assignments. Ultimately, you are convinced that the future VMI needs to be cognizant of the changing workplace while embarking upon VMI’s further international expansion, all under the umbrella of developing a learning organization culture to support this.

Deliverable: Once prepared, you will create a 2-page single-spaced report for President Chinn on the topic of the new modern workplace. In this report, include the following:

• Chinn has a sense of cultural differences between his own heritage and that of VMI. Explain to him your understanding of these differences and how these may be underlying his observations.
• Share with him your knowledge of workplace stress: its effects upon the employee, the idea of work and family life balance, differing cultural and generational views on this, and ways that organizations address it.
• Enlighten him as to the difference of an engaged vs. ‘happy’ employee, with that difference expressed in effects upon specific types of performance and commitment. (As we have had readings explaining engagement every week, you need to express your own understanding of this and not paraphrase an article).
• Your explanations should indicate that you understand typical pitfalls, misunderstandings, and misperceptions in cross-cultural communications and age-cohort attitudes.
• With an understanding of the above, include specific and clear recommendations of addressing this within VMI.

The above are not distinct questions to be answered. Rather, you are to formulate your own report (2 pages, single-spaced), structuring your own points in a conversation with your reader (Chinn) that convinces him of its importance. Your report should incorporate key concerns and knowledge that has been expressed in our readings this week while also tying in your knowledge gained from past weeks (all cited). In order to accomplish this, your report must be focused on VMI’s situation, the type of work they perform, and how to carry forward their excellence and familial culture. Do not pitch ideas from sources that do not apply to VMI’s circumstances.

You must use course material to support your initial and final reports as well as APA in-text citations with a reference list

 Write a page discussing why you believe PMI is focusing BA as the first step in the project management model. 

• Provide an example and discuss how poor BA effects project success.

Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with citations and references in APA format.

Diversity Training

Instructions:

While many may frame discrimination in the workplace as being solely a legal issue, most in HR also recognize that discrimination decreases the overall productivity and effectiveness of not only an individual worker but the organization as a whole. HR departments work to eliminate discrimination when it becomes apparent. Unfortunately, there is not a set group of steps or procedures that can address all situations.

• Considering this please address the following prompts in your one-page discussion.
  • Think back to an instance of discrimination that you may be familiar with, or create a discrimination scenario based on your reading. What are the specific steps you would take as an HR manager to prevent discrimination from occurring in your present or in a previous employer?

Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with citations and references in APA format.

 

Learning Activity: Creating a Severance Package

Completing this activity will help you prepare for the upcoming assignment in Week 7. Think of it as practice for the assignment. As such, focus on content, not formatting. Your paper should be no more than 1 to 2 pages in length.

For this activity:

• Create a severance package for a separated employee in a fictitious company.
  • At a minimum, include:
    • Position differences.
    • Years of service.
    • Actual compensation amounts.
    • Any additional benefits that you want to add.
• Determine whether severance pay is taxable.
• Create a chart that depicts the timeline of the disbursement of the compensation.
  • Use Microsoft Word or an equivalent application, such as OpenOffice.

Use at least one quality academic resource in this activity. Consider beginning with your course textbook and quality sources that can be found in the Strayer Library.

Note: Wikipedia and other websites do not qualify as academic resources.