The effects of power Essay Example for Free

The effects of power Essay The power of union and the management although different in nature both affects the outcome of a negotiation.   The power of the union is based on numbers whereas power exercised by management is power conferred upon it by the nature of the business.   In negotiations, there is always a point of equilibrium where both parties are going to benefit from the exchange and which is the most profitable point for both parties.   However, this point of equilibrium can be manipulated into moving towards either side by the power the two parties possess.   The effects of the power exercised management and the power exercised by the union during negotiations differ as to the situation or the environment, when the company is involved in a business that requires highly technical employees, the union will probably have a stronger bargaining power than the management especially since the workers are under short supply.   In cases where the management is required to face-off with a union that is composed of low-skilled employees and the situs of the company is abundant on such resource, then management will be able to steer the negotiations towards the direction that is most favorable to it. Balancing of power   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Balancing of power can be equated as the power of both parties negating each other and thus ending in a state of equilibrium wherein both parties have reached the best possible solution to their problems.   Balancing of power can only be achieved if both parties â€Å"assume that mutual gains are possible, and should not assume that one party must suffer for the other to benefit† (McCarthy, 1991).   Balancing of power is important because it is in this state that both parties are benefited without sacrificing too much of their demands.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are several ways to maintain this balance of power and prevent its abuse.   One tactic is to understand others’ interests, another is to analyze the sources of power available to all parties – but not being paralyzed by it, another tactic is to consider other options making your position flexible thus reducing the risk of the other party easily influencing or manipulating you, and also, you must understand your personal style, your own strengths and weaknesses to know what you are capable of and protect oneself from the other party’s bluffs (Kochan, 2005). Power over employment status   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Power that is normally exercised by management is the power over the employment status of an employee.   Although several state policies and internal company policies are aimed to prevent the abuse of this power when dealing with individual workers, it is still commonplace that management easily manipulates the lowly worker into succumbing to its wishes under the pressures of losing his or her job.   It is because of this power that there can be no effective communication between a worker and management in conflict situations.   When entering into conflict negotiations, the ideal state is that the parties are on equal footing, however, there can be no equality when the other party has control over your livelihood.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Regardless of this power that management holds, the lowly worker can seek redress from the courts on grounds of equity.   Courts knowing the imbalance between the two parties are more inclined to rule in favor of the lowly worker given there is sufficient basis.   Because of this fear of litigation and the prospect of losing more money in the long run, most companies are now shifting towards justice and fairness in conflict resolutions.   As a matter of fact, â€Å"Eighty-three percent of corporate executives report the fear of a lawsuit affects their decisions† (Hubert, 1998) and tend to do what is equitable. References Hubert, Denise V.M. (1998). The First Step in Alternative Dispute Resolution: Fact-Finding. Retrieved January 27, 2008, from http://www.management-advantage.com/newsletr/jul98.htm Kochan, Tom (2005). Negotiations and Conflict Management Basic Concepts: Theory and Practice. Retrieved January 27, 2008, from http://ocw.mit.edu/NR/rdonlyres/Sloan-School-of-Management/15-668Fall-2005/F06D4B27-6A22-4FDD-9449-B2664318C7C4/0/lecture_12.pdf McCarthy, William (1991). The Role of Power and Principle in Getting to Yes. Retrieved January 27, 2008, from http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/mcca7535.htm

The Breakfast Club :: essays research papers

The Breakfast Club Five teenagers who don't' know each other spend a Saturday in detention at the suburban school library. At first they squirm, fret and pick on each other. Then after sampling some marijuana, a real encounter session gets underway. The stresses and strains of adolescence have turned their inner lives into a minefield of disappointment, anger and despair. The catalyst of the group is Bender (Judd Nelson), a rebellious working-class punk who seethes with rage and attacks his peers with sarcasm. A cigar burn on his arm is a sign of the abuse he receives at home. Andrew (Emilio Estevez) is a Varsity letterman in wrestling. He's spent most of his youth trying to measure up to his father's machismo image of him. This entails winning in athletic competition and preying upon weaker peers. He and Bender clash. Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) is an unhappy honors student who wishes he could be accepted as a person and not valued just as a brain. Upset over a poor grade in shop, Brian has contemplated suicide rather than live with the ire of his disappointed parents. Allison (Ally Sheedy) is the eccentric of the group. "My home life is unsatisfactory," she confides. Living in her own fantasy world, Allison can't really tell the difference between the truth and the lies she fabricates. These teenagers don't like or respect their parents very much. One asks: "My God, are we gonna be like our parents?" Another in the group replies: "When you grow up, your heart dies." But the storm clouds over their lives are really the result of rigid high school caste systems. Despite an inappropriate music-video sequence and a phony up-tempo finale, The Breakfast Club offers a breakthrough portrait of the pain and misunderstanding which result from the social hierarchy created by youth themselves. The lookers and the jocks are popular and can do whatever they want — except relate to those outside their social circle of winners.

The Performance Evaluation and Bonus

Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of managing a company is to provide a performance evaluation technique that does not frighten employees. The fear in my organization, among those marginal performers, is that the evaluation may cause their being fired. â€Å"One of the most controversial tools for boosting performance is ranking employees and dismissing the laggards. Proponents argue that the practice stretches star employees†¦(Marchetti 2005 16). Those at the bottom of the performance scale tend not to be as motivated as they might be, simply because the fear of being poorly evaluated stifles their determination to improve. While there are many companies which automatically provide a cost of living raise to their employees (sometimes due to labor contracts), the idea of providing bonuses or merit awards also can cause some serious problems, and such â€Å"merit raises† often cause more conflict within a business than they solve in the way of increased productivity and/or efficiency. Here is one author's proof: â€Å"It's clear that employers' compensation systems aren't making the grade. Only 10 percent of organizations describe their merit pay programs as â€Å"very effective,† according to an employee attitude survey conducted in 2002 of 335 companies by Hay Insight (the research and survey arm of Philadelphia-based HR consulting firm The Hay Group), WorldatWork and Loyola University of Chicago† (Wells 2005 76). One problem with many businesses today is that management is too lenient, too worried about hurting someone's feelings. In today's competitive world, where every worker must pull his weight or make way for someone who can, such leniency may be costly. Wells (2005) suggests something called â€Å"tough love.†: â€Å"By contrast, adopting–and enforcing–the get-tough approach to merit pay has clear advantages: It doesn't waste increasingly precious salary-budget dollars, it sends the right message that improvement is imperative, and it doesn't fund under-performers at the expense of high-performing employees† (Wells 2005 78). In my particular organization, the idea of performance evaluation and some sort of bonus or merit award is now no longer strictly limited to the top performers. It is the middle level, what some tend to call â€Å"B performers† that have some stake in the company's bottom line. Again, here is some proof of that: â€Å"Midlevel performers thrive when they know they've got something to work toward–and you've got to give that to them. In fact, 52 percent of respondents who qualify for incentive programs at their companies–which typically reward the top 10 percent of workers–feel they have only somewhat or no chance of winning an award. This is far from motivating. ‘Your B-players have a significant effect on your bottom line,' says Rodger Stotz, vice president and managing consultant for Maritz Inc. ‘You'll always have a top five percent, but those rewards don't move the middle'† (Galea 2005 9). What is needed to ease the pain and strain of performance evaluation and resultant merit increases or bonuses is the fact that top management must now set specific targets and goals, by the month, by the quarter, by six months, annually, and even provides some projections for one, two and five years into the future. With such goals specifically outlined, employees- whether on a production line or white collar, now know exactly what is required of them. To make performance evaluation less painful; and more effective requires supervisors to keep track of performance of their section or departments, as well as individual employees. In this way, if someone falls short, there is an opportunity for a one-on-one discussion that may provide both a reason for such a shortfall and a means of improving performance. This personal oversight by supervisors can go a long way to eliminate the fear of being discharged as a marginal or low performer, and at the same time reward what Galea (2005) calls â€Å"B Performers.† Therefore, what will make performance evaluation and compensation tied to it far more effective in my company is to focus on these mid-=level performers as well as providing a means â€Å"up the ladder† for the marginal ones, knowing the top performers will always continue to shine. By also stressing teamwork, it becomes the responsibility of everyone within a section or department to make sure everyone contributes to reaching the goal.

Why Mindfulness Meditation Gaining So Much Popularity Essay

Why Is Mindfulness Meditation Gaining So Much Popularity in the West? By Charles A Francis | Submitted On March 26, 2012 Recommend Article Article Comments Print Article Share this article on Facebook Share this article on Twitter Share this article on Google+ Share this article on Linkedin Share this article on StumbleUpon Share this article on Delicious Share this article on Digg Share this article on Reddit Share this article on Pinterest Expert Author Charles A Francis If you re new to meditation, you know how hard it is to learn how to meditate properly. With all the different forms of meditation and books on the market, it s almost impossible for the beginner to figure out where to start. In this article, we re going to look at why mindfulness meditation has become so popular in recent years. This will help you understand why it s so effective in helping practitioners find true happiness and inner peace. What Exactly is Mindfulness Meditation? Mindfulness meditation is a secular form of meditation that has its roots in insight meditation--the oldest form of meditation the Buddha taught over 2,500 years ago. The main goal is to attain freedom from suffering. This is accomplished by developing self-awareness, or mindfulness, because it is our inaccurate views of the world that trigger our negative emotions. Growing up we learned that in order to be happy we had to indulge in positive emotions, and avoid negative emotions. The problem with this approach isShow MoreRelatedThe Therapeutic Benefits Of Yoga And Mindfulness Meditation3027 Words   |  13 PagesThe Therapeutic Benefits of Yoga and Mindfulness Meditation We live in a world today in which we are continuously looking for the â€Å"new thing.† With the speed of technological advances in our society, individuals have become accustomed to reading up on the newest, most-innovative-to-date jet plane, new shoes with new technology for speed and agility, and, of course, new iPhones coming out twice a year with cool new applications. The common word here is ‘new’ and it is a simple syllable that hasRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pages PERSONAL SKILLS 44 Developing Self-Awareness 45 Managing Personal Stress 105 Solving Problems Analytically and Creatively 167 PART II 4 5 6 7 INTERPERSONAL SKILLS 232 233 Building Relationships by Communicating Supportively Gaining Power and Influence 279 Motivating Others 323 Managing Conflict 373 PART III GROUP SKILLS 438 8 Empowering and Delegating 439 9 Building Effective Teams and Teamwork 489 10 Leading Positive Change 533 PART IV SPECIFIC COMMUNICATION