Harassment

AP English Letter to the Editor “Speak when you are angry- and you will make the best speech you’ll ever regret. “- Laurence J. Peter. Words are powerful tools that can build up, tear down, discourage, encourage, bring life, or bring death (Assonated). Words have always been impact, but in the last 30 years the way words can affect people have increased dramatically in scope. With the widespread use of cell phones and the advent of social media, words and ideas travel in the blink of an eye, regardless of the content.

Sadly, many people find themselves regretting the words that were spoken over the web, over the phone or in open air; such is the case of Archie Incognito. Incognito is an offensive lineman on the Miami Dolphins who is praised by many as extremely talented. Although his athletic talent is impressive, it does not overshadow his anger issues. Throughout his career as a football player, the inability to control emotions has been his downfall, which has contributed to one of the biggest scandals in National Football League history.

The organization that has defined American sports, that attracts millions of viewers from all walks of life and provides common ground for all people, is experiencing a dishonor that brings into question everything the NFG stands for. (Periodic Sentence) As previously stated, Incognito has long had issues handling anger on and off the field, but in a recent turn of events his private issues have spilled into the public eye (Antithesis).

Allegedly, Incognito caused Jonathan Martin, a teammate and fellow offensive lineman, to quit playing football because of Incognitos incessant bullying and disturbing behavior. The harassment involved sending threatening and racially charged messages, making threats against Martin’s family and even Martin himself. Jason La Conform of CBS Sports reported that Incognitos intense harassment caused Martin to come to the point of fearing for his safety, and that leaving the team was his only option.

At this time Incognito is suspended from play indefinitely and his fate with the Miami Dolphins remains to be seen. Incognitos behavior is obviously insensitive, selfish, and extremely offensive, but does it warrant rejection and scrutiny that Archie Incognito is now receiving? Absolutely. The language that Incognito used goes above and beyond the tolerance level for the vast majority of individuals. Not only did he threaten Martin, but also his family, which reaches a different level of offense.

When bullying forces a grown man to leave his Job as a professional football player, something must be done. On top of the series of events involving Martin, there is evidence that this type of behavior is not new to Incognito. His previous transgressions include a sexual harassment charge, three counts of assault, multiple cases of serious violations of team rules room high school to college to pro football, and to top if off was voted the Dirtiest Player in the NFG in 2009. Clearly, it was only a matter of time before something as shocking as this most recent event came bubbling to the surface.

This type of behavior should not be acceptable in any way, shape, fashion or form, and should be punished. By “shunning” Incognito, he may learn to control his words and actions more carefully and therefore may save more people from his scathing tongue and callous behavior. But couldn’t this Just be a case of overreaction, Just some crude locker room talk hat found it’s way out into the open? Incognitos defense of himself was that that was just how the two men talked. While crude and offensive to a 3rd party observer, could it have Just been normalcy for the two men?

While this argument has some merit it is invalid on several points. Firstly, Jonathan Martin DID leave the team, naming the reason for his departure as the intense invective leveled against him. It is hard to believe that he did not show any signs of sadness or speak up for himself before leaving. Would that have stopped Incognito? Given his previous record, most likely to. Secondly, death threats go beyond friendly razzing but step into the realm of seriousness, especially when family members are threatened.

Lastly, Incognito knew that Martin had thinner skin than the guys he was used to dealing with. According to Fort Lauderdale newspaper the Sun-sentinel, the Dolphins coach had commissioned Incognito to toughen Martin up; Incognito apparently attempted this by using tirades of abusive speech. Martin needed a brother, he needed support, he needed genuine motivation. (Anaphora) But what he received only pushed him further to the brink of oppression, paralyzing fear and self-pity.

In this case the ends did not Justify the means; the wrong action was taken and should be dealt with in the public eye. In the end, it is obvious that Incognito was in the wrong and should be dealt with according to the degree of his offense. We should not allow him to call darkness light, and light darkness, or to call evil good and good evil (Intolerable) but hold him accountable for the malicious actions he took towards an undeserving human being. But the want of Justice should not prevent Incognito from sincerely apologizing and running from his old ways of malice and damaging words.

Everybody has things that are regrettable in their past and would not wish to be denied forgiveness if it was brought to the public eye. So although Incognito demonstrated unacceptable behavior, he should always be allowed the opportunity to ask for forgiveness; forgiveness for things said, forgiveness for things done and forgiveness for such blatant insensitivity (Indianapolis). Hopefully this type of punishment will ward off any future disturbing cases of harassment and make people think twice about inflicting extreme emotional damage on people.

Women all around the world who are in the military are constantly getting harassed and raped by the soldiers and there is nothing that anybody is doing about it. There are many solutions that have been tried to prevent women abuse in the military, but many of them have failed. For example, the government, a few years ago made it clear that they were not going to tolerate any harassments from anybody, yet they did not keep their word. A few years ago, the government tried to prevent women from getting abused, by just warning the men to not to do it again.

Apparently, that solution did not work out very well. Up until now there are women that are still getting harassed and raped, yet the only thing that is being done, is that fact that the men are the one’s that are being told, “Don’t Do It Again! ” This is all that they do. Only a simple warning, no punishment. Before World War I, women assisted the military during wartime mainly as nurses and helpers. Some women, however, did become involved in battles. Molly Pitcher, a Revolutionary War water carrier, singlehandedly kept a cannon in action after a artillery crew had been disabled.

During the Revolutionary and the Civil War, a few women disguised themselves as men and took part in hand-to-hand combat. The first enlisted women served in World War I as telephone and radio operators, translators, and clerks. But it was not until World War II that women became part of the regular military. Each service had its own women’s corps commanded by female officers. The first of these units, the Women’s Army Corps (WACs), enlisted 400,000 women during the war to work in jobs that freed men to fight.

Following the war, the Women’s Services Integration Act of 1948 established a permanent place for women in all branches of the military. But promotions for female officers were limited, and women were banned from ground combat jobs as well as from most Navy ships and Air Force aircraft. By the mid-1960s, about 70 percent of enlisted women worked in clerical and other office jobs. The Army and the other services at first resisted sending women to Vietnam fearing that they would notbe able to handle the stress of being in a war zone. But 7,500 military women, mainly nurses, eventually served in Vietnam. Several died in hostile action.

Two Practices in Business related to the topic from Business Magazines. The case of American Apparel(a clothing manufacturer): Charney squarely declares : “I’ve had relationships, loving relationships, that I’m proud of. I think it’s a First Amendment right to pursue one’s affection for another human being. ” And he is talking about his staff. He has admitted to having numerous love affairs with colleagues in the past. He is even known to work at office dressed in nothing other than underwear.

This attitude in fact percolates to American Apparel’s culture, is almost second-nature for most of the employees and is visible even in the decor of its stores. The stores’ white walls are dotted with product shots. Like the company’s signature advertisements, these are grainy, seemingly candid photos of young people in various states of undress. Charney has been adept at weaving his libertarian sexual attitude with his progressive labor practices. But to make it the gospel or the bedrock principle for it to be followed by ALL of its employees is another story.

In May 2005, he was sued by three women — all former American Apparel employees — who claim they were sexually harassed by him at work. Businessweek spoke to multiple employees of American Apparel to gather an understanding of the under-currents of their workplace. Most stated that the place reeks of a highly sexual atmosphere and they were offended by it. So much so that Mr. Charney himself does not deny a report that precluded the sexual harassment case filed, which reported that he engaged in graphic sexual acts with a female employee in presence of the journalist.

Seniors actively pursued sexual relationships with the junior colleagues and rewarded them accordingly. Yet, there are people with sound sense everywhere and there were 3 women employees who complained of sexual harassment. They consequently filed a case against Mr. Charney. He came out in his defense flatly refuting the charges against him and claimed that these 3 women were sub-standard employees and gave no indication before they left that they had felt harassed. By all accounts, the 3 litigants were not involved with him physically.

Yet, all 3 accused Mr. Charney of using foul and unparliamentary language frequently when conversing with them. They also said that this offended and shocked them and created “a hostile work environment. ” One of the women stated that her boss made her work life miserable with unwelcome sexual comments and suggestive signals. And she says she was dismissed after she complained. One of the purposes that this case serves is that it clearly illustrates the role of perception of sexual harassment at workplace.

Business owners, managers and the business culture they propagate are critical components of any no-tolerance plan regarding sexual harassment. Should harassment occur, evidence needs to be provided that appropriate steps are undertaken to prevent and handle the incident. This is why a sexual harassment policy is critical. However, in American Apparel’s case, instead of a robust policy to take care of any potential sexual harassment case, the CEO of the firm himself indulged in harassing his exployees. This resulted in the perception that has come to be recognized now with the name of American Apparel.

The company even maintains a string of apartments in the U. S. and Canada to save money on hotel rooms for obvious purposes. Any potential employee now goes looking for a job in A. A. knowing fully well the attitude of the firm towards sexual and suggestive behaviour in the workplace. Practices in business related to sexual harassment: Sexual harassment training programs: As much as 62% of all US businesses now offer some kind of sexual harassment prevention training programs for employees: managers and subordinates alike.

Though not a legal requirement for any business(yet), these programs do tend to serve as an assurance in the minds of the employers that should there be a case of sexual harassment at work, they do have a recourse, a channel to address it. And to protect them in case a lawsuit is filed. Some reports suggest that sexual harassment cases are increasingly on the rise. Not only this, the reports also suggest that the harassment has reached the higher levels of management, as in the case of American Apparel.

Keeping this in mind, it becomes all the more imperative and necessary for a firm to adopt a sexual harassment prevention policy. It is imperative that an employee is provided a safe and comfortable environment to work in. In “Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: A Primer”, Barry Roberts and Richard Mann recommend that businesses need to understand sexual harassment; communicate a policy; enforce a policy; establish procedures; and enforce policy. In that respect, a sexual harassment training program plays an all important role. For a policy or set of grievance procedures to be effective, all employees, from upervisors to line workers, administrators to custodial staff, need to be knowledgeable about the company’s policy and grievance procedures. Sexual harassment training needs to be very explicit in explaining the laws pertaining to sexual harassment, clearly define and describe the company’s policy and its grievance procedure. Effective programs reflect good teaching and learning practices. They are descriptive, intensive, relevant, and positive (Berkowitz 1998): –They require the involvement of all members of a company or school and include family and community members who have an influence on the employees’ or students’ life. -They offer participatory, problem-based learning experiences that are interactive and actively engage the student in learning. –They are tailored to the “age, community culture, and socioeconomic status of the trainee and are contextualized to the individual’s peer group experiences” (ibid. , p. 3). –They present information from a positive viewpoint, encouraging healthy behavior rather than forbidding poor behaviour.

Workplace Bullying (the persistent exposure to interpersonal aggression and mistreatment from colleagues, superiors or subordinates) is a reverent problem in contemporary working life, with devastating effects on both targets and organizations (Nearest, Hole, Zap, & Cooper 2003; Earner & Seashell, 2005) There are different forms of bullying in this 21 SST century as it need not be physical with such advancement in technology. Bullying can be direct, indirect passive and through social media as well. Therefore we must outline the scope on what is bullying and what is not before we are able to draw up a way to manage such incidents.

There is no specific legislation to combat workplace bullying in Singapore (Jay Parka’s, Inciting Injury: An Expos of workplace bullying in Singapore). There are many a time where workplace bullying is so minute in nature and often left undulate with that it is left unnoticed, however this acts of bullying builds up in time creating a hostile and fragile working environment. What is bullying and harassment? Physical and verbal abuse can be factored in as bullying but other forms of bullying may be too subtle. Harassment can be a highly sensitive topic as each individual person can take it to be in different ways.

What one individual considers being an act of playful gesture the involved party may think otherwise. The Workplace Bullying Institute defines workplace bullying as “abusive conduct that is; threatening, humiliating, intimidating, or work interference and verbal abuse”. The consequences to the employers may include; reduced efficiency, productivity and profitability. Increase in absenteeism, sick leaves and staff turnover. Increase in indirect costs such as management time, engaging mediators and counselors. This list is not exhaustive as there are many other uniqueness an employer might face due to workplace bullying.

On the other hand when we are to look at the consequences for the employees workplace bullying and harassment can cause extensive health problems including physical and psychological illnesses and injuries causing detrimental effects for them. Therefore for the organization to work towards sustainability it is important to first identify and try to eradicate if not hundred percent at least 90 percent of this problem, reason being it is not only the victim who suffers and feels the effects of bullying it is felt across all bevels of the organizations as we have seen from the non-exhaustive list given above.

While it may seem that the above analysis may provide an insight into bullying in organizations, it is becoming evident that management has to start taking proactive steps and measures in identifying and putting forth solutions and implementations to address these pressing needs whereas if not losses can be incurred for the organization. 00006718 The first step to this is that the organization spells out clearly their stance and their and harassment before a person is being pointed to any post in the organization, also the management of the organization should clearly state and constitute which activities are considered to be bullying or harassment therefore making it difficult for employees to find any loopholes in the system therefore escaping the penalties.

Once this is done, a directive should be spelled out and sent out to all employees in the organization regardless of their position or role in the organization, therefore bringing everyone in the organization to a common single understanding. Clear penalties and actions should also be included in he directive so as to deter any potential bullies from committing such acts. All staff across the board should be made to sign this directive enabling the management to take actions and hold guilty employees liable .

These directives should be clearly formalized and well communicated to the frontline managers so that they can take actions if any one of the staff were to breach the directive. Secondly the organization should have a clear communication channel across the board from bottom up. Staff and personal across all level should have access to this communication channel and mad ware of such communication channel. The magnitude of effective internal communication is evident in past researches ( Muhammad Raff et al. 2009; Mark Chon, 2007) For example, Barrett (2002) accentuates, the best way to reach and employee is via face to face communication than relying on indirect channels such as electronic media. Falkland and Hide (2008) emphasizes on bottom-up communication. Furthermore, Welch and Jackson (2007) claims that, rather than treating employees as a single public, they should be segmented based on say structural levels of demographics. This can help in insuring that the relevant information targeted to reach the relevant person can reach them in a meaningful and smooth manner.

Therefore with such communication channels put in place the management team are well aware of complaints against bullying in any levels of the organization and necessary steps and actions can be taken swiftly. Special helpline or trained HER staff in the area of counseling can be put in place to tackle sensitive issues which some employees may find it difficult in putting forth to their direct supervisors. Information from all cases must be upheld with the highest infallibility so as to protect the interests of the employee who is suffering or facing bullying or harassment in the organization.

Lastly is to create a strong bond among the employees working in the organization. Inculcating a strong sense of bond between them and creating a strong sense of ownership towards the company and its common goal would enable the employees to work hand in hand to achieve the goals thus enabling the organization to realize its true benefits and bring out the fullest from an employee. If strong bonds are created at the start employees would e able to identify the differences which they have and sort them out accordingly without the help of the management of the interference of their superiors thus creating a better working environment.

To achieve this, the organization can hold yearly bonding activities for their employees, invite professionals to give their opinions and facts on employee relationships, hold monthly meetings to iron out any issues arising and to let the employees swiftly handle the matter within themselves, Muhammad Shaffer s/o Mohamed Kids In conclusion, a well working and robust organization largely depends on heir sustainability of their employees. Toxic and unfriendly working environment may lead the organization to lack in certain areas, therefore immobility’s the organization in their growth.

Organizations should therefore from the Start deter such bullying and harassment issues, even if these issues were to crop up in the later part of the organizations growth the management must be swift in handling and weeding out such problematic activities before it impacts the whole organization. As said above, bullying or harassment does not only affect the person who is the victim it’s effects can be felt across the hole organization as a whole.

ETHICAL ISSUES AND MANAGEMENT PAPER Ethical Issues and Management Paper Jamie Culley University of Phoenix Online Campus Ethical Issues and Management Paper Introduction. The responsibilities of a manager go far beyond supervision. In fact, managers are forced to make important decisions every day that affect the company, their employees, and possibly the public depending on the circumstance. Managers take part in hiring, performance, evaluation, discipline, and termination. They are also involved in any circumstance that pertains to harassment and diversity, and they must make a conscious effort to set a good example for their employees.

The following paper will focus primarily on discipline; describe the moral and ethical issues faced by managers dealing with discipline; include how the issue affects other individuals; explain how relationships between social issues and ethically responsible management practices apply to discipline; provide a workplace example of an ethical dilemma involving discipline; and discuss any laws governing the manager who provided the discipline in such an ethical dilemma. Discipline Describe the moral and ethical issues faced by managers dealing with your selected topic. Include how the issue affects other individuals.

In the case of discipline, managers must know how to appropriately discipline their employees. Managers must ensure equality amongst employees in regard to discipline so as to obey the U. S. Sentencing Guidelines, which “specify that all employees in an organization must receive consistent discipline for similar infractions” (Trevino & Nelson, 2007, p. 159). Managers must also ensure equality amongst employees in regard to discipline because it is the ethical thing to do. For instance, consider that a certain man has been working for a company for 20 years and he gets aught misusing corporate resources. In this scenario, a manager might be tempted to give him a warning or even write him up for his actions because of his loyalty to the company. Now consider that a certain man has been working for the same company for two years and he also gets caught misusing corporate resources. Yet, in this scenario the manager terminates him for his actions. The U. S. Sentencing Guidelines seek to ensure that both employees are given the same measure of discipline, which is also the ethical thing to do on the manager’s behalf.

Furthermore, “hiring, performance evaluation, discipline, and terminations can be ethical issues because they all involve honesty, fairness, and the dignity of the individual” (Trevino & Nelson, 2007, p. 162, 163). If values such as honesty, dignity, and fairness are acknowledged in circumstances involving discipline, then managers and their companies should have no real concern for negative, public exposure. There are effective ways that managers can go about disciplining employees for their actions. These ways should involve disciplining employees in a constructive and professional manner.

Discipline should generally be done in private, allow input from the employee, and it should be consistent with the way past employees have been treated for similar actions or behaviors (Trevino & Nelson, 2007). Discipline affects other individuals such as the affected employee’s family members, co-workers, and the general public. When an employee is disciplined in the appropriate manner, a message is sent to the rest of the company’s employees. This message communicates that certain measures will be taken to address and rid the company of inappropriate behaviors and actions.

As a result, employees will know to be more conscious of their behaviors and actions to ensure that they are not disciplined for the same reasons. If discipline has been taken to the extreme and an employee has been terminated from a company, the family of that employee will be greatly affected. What if that employee is not eligible for unemployment? This could trigger a huge financial burden for the entire family. Finally, the public is very much affected when an employee endures termination as their disciplinary measure.

As a result of a termination an employment opportunity opens up for the public to apply for. This could mean that the man or woman who has been searching for a job to provide for their family will be employed and now able to fulfill the needs of his or her family. The economy is affected in various ways as people are terminated from their employed positions (Trevino & Nelson, 2007). Explain how the relationship between social issues and ethically responsible management practices apply to your topic.

Social issues and how they relate to ethically responsible management practices need to be considered when disciplinary action is involved between management and employees. Managers need to research why an employee is exuding behaviors such as tardiness, harassment, misuse of corporate resources, and discrimination. For example, a newly hired employee named Judy has been consistently late for her first month of employment. Her manager should address her behavior privately, and ask her why she is often late for work.

The case could be that Judy is a single mom of three children who attend a private school on the other side of the city where no bus route has been established. In this case, her manager should find out if flexible work hours can become more available to all employees on the team and go from there. Another social issue could be that Joe, a long-time employee, is going through a divorce, which is costing him a fortune. As a result, Joe cannot afford his car payments and is now without reliable transportation to and from work. Joe’s financial status is communicating poverty.

Over time, Joe is not only tardy to work because of his transportation issues, but his clothes are looking ragged and he is in no position to meet with clients. Joe’s work performance is now failing because of his financial situation. In this case, disciplinary action needs to be carefully considered and documented when dealing with Joe’s poor work performance. It is important to document the disciplinary action taken so that the same discipline can be directed at a future situation to ensure equality (Trevino & Nelson, 2007). Provide a workplace example of an ethical dilemma involving your topic.

Did any laws govern the manager’s actions? A workplace dilemma involving discipline could involve an employee who is being harassed because of her sexual preference, and as a result she is harassing people in retaliation by directing hateful comments toward fellow co-workers. In this scenario, several people’s behaviors need to be addressed: the employees initially harassing the woman because of her sexual preference, and the woman being harassed who is retaliating. Laws do govern the manager’s actions, especially if the manager ignores the issue at hand.

Managers are now being held responsible for their employees’ actions if inappropriate behaviors are not dealt with and knowingly ignored. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which is linked with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission is in place to ensure discrimination is eliminated from the work place and dealt with appropriately (Trevino & Nelson, 2007). Conclusion. In summary, employees are held accountable to their managers and managers to their employees. Managers are held accountable to their employees because it is their responsibility to make ethical decisions and abide by laws that govern their decision-making.

Managers must strive to practice honesty, dignity, and fairness in their workplace as pertains to disciplining employees. They should also discipline employees the ethical way by holding a private meeting, being constructive, professional, allowing the employee’s input, and in consistency with past disciplinary action. Social issues that pertain to the work place involve family issues, personal issues, diversity, and much more (Trevino & Nelson, 2007). References: Trevino, L. , & Nelson, K. (2007). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right (4th ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Meeting the Challenge of Sexual Harassment At an office of Goldman, Sachs and Company in Boston, some male employees allegedly pasted photos of bare-breasted women on company newsletters, next to biographies of new female employees (suggesting that the photos were pictures of the new staff members). Copies of the newsletters were circulated around the office. Sexist literature such as “The Smart Man’s Creed or Why Beer Is Better Than Women” (“After you’ve had a beer, the bottle is still worth a dime”) was allegedly also distributed.

Kristine Utley, a former Goldman sales associate, has made these allegations in a suit charging that the environment at Goldman, Sachs constitutes sexual harassment. Fired for refusing a transfer to a New York office, she is suing to gain reinstatement and damages and to eliminate the harassment. Joanne Barbetta has filed a similar suit seeking damages for harassment caused by an environment that she asserted “was poisoning my system. ” Ms.Barbetta reports that during her tenure as a clerk at Chemlawn, male employees circulated pornographic magazines and pinup posters. She viewed a slide presentation that included suggestive pictures (e. g. , a nude woman) put there, according to management, “to keep the guys awake. ” After these experiences and continual breast-grabbing by a male employee, Ms. Barbetta quit. Marie Regab, formerly an 18-year employee of Air France, has filed similar charges concerning the Washington office where she worked as a salesperson.

She alleges that several characteristics of the office environment combined to create harassment, including propositions by one of her bosses, circulation of Playboy and Penthouse magazines in the office, and open discussion of sexual activity by male employees. “It was sickening and an insult to women in the office,” she claims. Ms. Regab was fired; she is suing to gain reinstatement, for $1. 5 million in damages, and to eliminate the harassment in the office.

These three situations are examples of a growing number of suits being filed by women who charge that a sexist environment in the workplace constitutes sexual harassment and that their employers are therefore liable. Plaintiff actions in this area have been fueled by the Supreme Court’s ruling that sexist behavior that creates an “intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment” is sexual harassment and violates Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The Court’s ruling has spurred an increasing number of companies to act to revent sexual harassment in the workplace and to deal with if effectively when the problem occurs. Other factors have also triggered company action. Employers are realizing that the costs of harassment can be high in terms of lowered productivity, absenteeism, and turnover. One study of female employees in the federal government concluded that the government loses about $200 million each year to the effects od sexual harassment. Costs can also be high if an employee sues. Even if the plaintiff opts for an out- of-court settlement, the costs of these settlements are often in six figures, and it’s the company that pays.

Companies are also realizing that sexual harassment is a very real issue in today’s workplace; from 20 to over 50 percent of working women have experienced sexual harassment (and so have at least 15 percent of male employees). Thus, companies are tackling the issue; the more effective strategies developed so far contain four primary features: Training programs the educate employees concerning the meaning of sexual harassment and the behaviors that constitute a hostile and harassment workplace: Training is especially important simply because men and women often differ in their perception of what constitutes harassment.

Most training is in the form of seminars and workshops, often with films and videos. Philip Morris USA conducts a mandatory training program for its field managers that include viewing a video called “Shades of Gray”. General Motors conducts an awareness seminar for employees and offers this benchmark for judging the appropriateness of office conduct: “would you be embarrassed to see your remarks or behavior in the newspaper or described to your own family? ” Du Pont has developed one of the most comprehensive antiharassment programs in business (begun in 1981).

Recently, the corporation added a $500,000 course on personal safety, rape, and harassment prevention primarily for its female employees (many of whom are moving into traditionally male jobs at Du Pont such as agricultural products sales). The course offers no-nonsense advice on how to handle a harasser. For example, if a male customer fondles a women’s knee, Du Pont advises that she “firmly remove his hand . . . and then say, ‘Let’s pretend this didn’t happen. “If she receives a verbal proposition, Du Pont advises that she say, “No, I wouldn’t want our business relationship to be jeopardized in any way. About 1,600 employees have completed the course. Like General Motors, Du Pont offers its employees a guideline for evaluating their behavior. Said a Du Pont spokesman, “We tell people, it’s harassment when something starts bothering somebody. ” Some other companies provide advice concerning how to handle harassment. One popular piece of advice: Document the incident as soon as possible by describing on paper what happened in full detail and talking to someone informally about the incident.

A relatively mild case of harassment can be handled by taking to the harasser, explaining what he or she did , how it made you feel, and telling the harasser to stop. In a more serious situation, communicating these points via a certified letter sent to the harasser, with the victim keeping a copy, is often recommended (and reportedly proves to be quite effective). An internal complaint procedure: Ideally, the procedure provides for fast action and confidentiality and ensures that the employee can report the problem to a manager who is not involved in the harassment.

Some companies encourage employees to report a problem to their immediate supervisor but also designate an individual (often a woman) in the HR department as someone employees can speak with in cases where the immediate supervisor is involved in the problem. To ensure speedy action, some companies require that an investigation begin within 24 hours after the harassment complaint has been reported. Ideally, the procedure also stipulates how investigations will be conducted. Speedy, corrective action that solves the problem: If the investigation supports the employee’s claims, corrective action is quickly taken.

Such action can range from simply talking to the harasser to discharge, depending on the severity of the offense. One federal agency requires offending employees to publicly apologize to the individuals they’ve harassed. Staffing changes also sometimes occur. Our New York bank faced a problem of a highly talented male executive who generated much profit for the bank-and also several costly EEOC complaints from his secretaries. The bank solved the problem by assigning the executive an all-male secretarial staff.

Corrective action is particularly important because it communicates to both victims and potential offenders that harassment will not be tolerated. A written and communicated antiharassment policy. The written policy is documented and distributed to all employees. The policy contains a definition of harassment, the company’s position prohibition harassment, the grievance procedure, and penalties. While a growing number of companies are implementing antiharassment policies, the courts have yet to establish consistent record concerning the issue of “hostile environment” as illegal harassment.

For example, a federal district court in Michigan dismissed a claim by Vivienne Rabidue that sexual posters and obscene language in her office at Osceola Refining Co. constituted illegal sexual harassment. However, Joanne Barbetta has won the first round of her court battle with Chemlawn. The judge hearing her complaint rejected Chemlawn’s motion to dismiss the suit; he has ordered Ms. Barbetta’s case to trial. Chemlawn is expected to present a vigorous defense, asserting that the men involved in the newsletter incident have been disciplined and that the situations Ms.Barbetta cites fall far short of creating a hostile, harassing environment because they occurred “over the course of two years. ”

Questions Assumes that you are an HR executive for a company that manufactures and sells agricultural products (for example, fertilizers and grain feeds). The company’s workforce of 1,200 employees is 70 percent male and 30 percent female. Drawing from this case and the chapter content, develop an antiharassment policy and program. What are the major challenges you see in implementing the program?

Many experts assert that reported cases of sexual harassment represent only a small percentage of the total number of incidents that actually occur in the workplace. If their assertion is true, why do so many cases go unreported? How would your HRM policy on harassment address this situation? As research indicates, people differ widely in their perceptions of sexual harassment. What is a harmless remark to one individual can be an annoying, even infuriating insult to another. In your view, what separates harmless conduct from harassing behavior? In the same vein, when does a sexist environment become a hostile, harassing one?

When eBay realized that fact they began using Ballpoint as an online payment system. Soon after that, Papal was introduced and it was very heavily outweighing the daily use of eBay”s Ballpoint service. It was clear that consumers preferred Papal over Ballpoint so eBay then proceeded in 2002 to purchase Papal to use on their website for 1. 5 million dollars. Today, eBay has over 94 million users worldwide and in 2010 the total worth of goods sold on eBay “website was 62 billion dollars (“Who We Are”).

EBay’s auction site is a place for both buyers and sellers to come together and buy and sell just about anything imaginable. Sellers come to eBay and list the item or items that they want to sell and then are able to choose from two options. The first option is a traditional auction scenario where the seller lists the item and then selects a price for bidding to start and then a set time that the item will stay listed and then at the end of the time the buyer with the highest bid wins the item.

The second option that a seller can choose is a buy now option where the seller sets a price for the item and the first buyer to pay that wins the item (“What is EBay? “). Today, eBay has over 94 million users worldwide and in 2010 the total worth of goods sold on eBay’s website was 62 billion dollars (“Who We Are”). As a company, it’s also own other e-commerce companies such as Stub Hub, Shopping. Com, Half. Com, entrant. Com. Also included in our portfolio are payment services such as Papal and Bill Mission and Vision Statements At eBay do not have either a clearly defined mission statement or vision statement.

However, if you look at their 2010 Annual Report you will find the following two statements: “Our purpose is to pioneer new communities around the world built on commerce, sustained by trust and inspired by opportunity’ (Ebay 2010 Annual Report). “We seek to create a global platform that provides individuals and businesses of all types and sizes with access to broad markets” (Ebay 2010 Annual Report). I believe that eBay vision is encompassed in the second statement above. A vision statement should always answer “What do eBay want to become? In this statement it’s discussed what eBay want business to be come. Not only do that eBay ant to play a part in commerce and payments but it’s wanted to create a fully global platform that combines their products. EBay want these products to work together for both individuals and businesses and allow their consumers to reach more markets than they would typically have been able to reach. This statement however could be a little more specific possibly, and mention something about commerce and payments. As for the mission, I believe that the first statement above could constitute eBay’s mission.

In that statement it’s mentioned exploring the Hub, the trust, which involves making Papal an even more dependable and trusted moment service, and opportunity which means capitalizing on any venture that it can add to benefit their company. There is a lot missing from this statement to make it a quality mission statement. To make this a better mission statement it’s could; mention their customers more specifically, explain the state of our current technology, give a brief statement on the beliefs and ethics of their company, and mention the employees of their company.

Organizational Objectives As with any company, it is important for the eBay company to have objectives that they can strive for. These objectives along with the mission and vision give eBay and heir employees a goal to focus their activities on. Having these organizational objectives helps their company to continue to grow and improve different aspects that we need to in the future. EBay’s 2010 Annual Report lists in the section to their stockholders certain areas that we have been working on and plan to work on in the future.

These areas include; extending our lead in payments, delivering a better eBay experience for customers, expanding our capabilities, connecting buyers and sellers anywhere, anytime, any device, driving sustainable commerce, and operating more efficiently and reducing costs (eBay 2010 Annual Report). For our company to extend our lead in payments, we have to work to attract more buyers and sellers to Papal. In order to attract more buyers and sellers, we need to expand our Papal more and more internationally.

Some ways that we have done that recently are by forming partnerships with local governments and banks and also in Mexico, Brazil, and China we have been working along with mobile providers. Not only is it our goal to expand Papal more globally but we are aiming to expand it more for digital products. Another objective for our company to increase payments is by attracting more illume to our Bill Me Later service (eBay 2010 Annual Report). eBay have also been striving to make consumers feel more comfortable and better about using their products.

In order to help consumers feel more comfortable, it’s worked on adding features to eBay’s sites to protect consumers and highlight which other users are more trusted to do business with. Not only have it’s added those features but eBay has been adding additional features to make the overall site much easier to use and find the stuff that you want (Ebay 2010 Annual Report). For our company to expand our capabilities it comes down to our ability to purchase and work with companies that improve our reach locally, globally, and digitally.

There are countless companies across the world that will help in improving our company and help against our competition (Ebay 2010 Annual Report). Going along with other objectives of our company is the objective of connecting buyers and sellers anytime, anywhere, and on any device. EBay are continually aiming to increase the total volume that they can see on their mobile platforms. Also according to their 2010 Annual Report, in 2010 eBay annual mobile volume increase to over billion dollars. Bay focus is to constantly increase the total number of people using these mobile applications in every market in the world (Ebay 2010 Annual Report). N the business world it is becoming more of a need to meet increasing environmental needs. At eBay we recognize these growing needs. That is why eBay has been determined to make their company more environmentally conscious and sustainable. They have been enacting various working to benefit the environment that way but they have been encouraging their workers to go out into their communities and help with the environment as well (Ebay 2010 Annual Report). T is also important for eBay company to reach a goal that we set in 2009 of reducing our cost structure by billion dollars over a 3 year period.

At the time our 2010 Annual Report came out we were still on track to meet that goal that we set. They are not Just focused on reducing our cost structure but eBay also working to find other ways to improve their financial standing (Ebay 2010 Annual Report). Company Background Name eBay Inc. Logo Industries served Internet, Online retailing Geographic areas served Worldwide Headquarters U. S. Current CEO John Donahue Revenue $ 14. 07 billion (2012) Profit $ 2. 0 billion (2012) Employees 27,770 (2012) Main Competitors Amazon. Mom, Scraggliest, Ibid, ibid Auctions, Google, Overstock. Com and many other companies. For any business to grow and prosper, managers of the business must be able to anticipate, recognize and deal with change in the internal and external environment. Change is a certainty, and for this reason business managers must actively engage in a process that identifies change and modifies business activity to take best advantage of change. That process is strategic planning. Internal and External Environment All businesses have an internal and external environment.

The internal environment is very much associated with the human resource of the business or organization, and the manner in which people undertake work in accordance with the mission of the organization. To some extent, the internal environment is controllable and changeable through planning and management processes. The external environment, on the other hand is not controllable. The managers of a business have no control over business competitors, or changes to law, or general economic conditions. However the managers of a business or organization do have some environment. 1. 3 Strategic Business Planning Process

When the company processing a strategic planning, it must be using following steps they are; Identify the various steps in the strategic planning process Initiate and manage a strategic planning process Determine appropriate tools for strategic planning Understand strategies for evaluation Initiate community support and involvement in the process Develop communication strategies to promote the strategic planning process Identify partners to be involved in strategic planning process Participate in the strategic planning process (if applicable) Core Values At eBay it has a list of five core values that EBay Company follows each and every day o make sure that eBay run an ethical and legal business. This last of core values can be taken from their Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.

It includes that: eBay believe people are basically good eBay recognize and respect everyone as a unique individual eBay believe everyone has something to contribute eBay encourage people to treat others the way they want to be treated themselves eBay believe that an honest, open environment can bring out the best in people. All of these values apply to each and every subsidiary of the eBay company. It is also outlined in our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that to work at eBay they must eve an active and relevant knowledge of regulations and laws that affect our businesses. Just like most companies if these laws and regulations are not followed then eBay will face employee sanctions along with any lawsuits that might come forth from our actions.

As a company eBay of course strive to generate good returns for ourselves and for our shareholders. At no point though is it approved focus to cut corners or do anything else illegal or unethical to reach what they want to. Not only is it viewed as unfair to their company but it is also viewed as unfair to the community that eBay operate in. At eBay it is also of utmost importance for the company to never falsify any of our books or records. We believe very strongly in properly disclosing any information that should be included in any reports that are given to the Securities and Exchange Commission and other agencies. There should also never be any falsification to any records that are given to the public and shareholders. Bay’s employees should always be sure to follow any guidelines that are set and if they are suspicious of any violations to auditing, accounting, or finance regulations they should report this to any auditors, Legal, or Finance. Employees of our company are not to use internal resources from our company illegally and unethically. Also, the only use of these internal resources should be to benefit eBay. EBay’s employees will also deal with different contracts while they work for our company. When working with these contracts our employees should never promise anything that they will not we can deliver or any products that they have Just to gain a contract as that usually leaves both companies in a difficult situation. Bay should also never exaggerate anything in any advertisements that they use in our marketing campaigns. Again this leads to difficult situations for the company and any user that feels they have been misled by information that they have displayed. Conflicts of Interest can occur in any company. This is when you are in a position to influence a decision that hurts the company you work for but that same decision will benefit yourself or a close friend or loved one. At eBay if you feel that you will not be able to avoid a conflict of interest we believe that you should disclose that to the company and simply avoid any decision that you feel you can’t make. At eBay, they also have employment guidelines. Bay’s employment actions are governed by the fact that we are an Equal Opportunity Employer and also that we are a harassment and discrimination free workplace. With eBay being an Equal Opportunity Employer, they are committed to not discriminating against any applicant to a position. When they are evaluating the applicant they will look only at the abilities of that person. That being said they will not discriminate by race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy status, sex, age, marital status, disability, medical condition or sexual orientation, or on any other basis protected by law (“Code of Business Conduct and Ethics”).

By being a harassment and discrimination free workplace they are allowing all employees the environment where they can reach their fullest potential and be most productive. However, if they are experiencing any harassment or discrimination eBay asks that you always make the company aware of what’s happening so that they are able to keep a safe environment. In order to keep their company safe, eBay must protect the confidential information that they deal with every day. Not only is it important to protect this information to save our company but it’s also important in protecting other impasses. As a company they must never disclose any personal information to any out ciders or anybody that does not need to know the information. Bay must always be sure to keep up to date in protecting this information and never let our guard down because it only takes one time to ruin the company (“Code of Business Conduct and Ethics”). With everything that we do at our company it is always important to follow the guidelines that we have set. EBay also need to be sure that they are meeting all the governmental and ethical standards that affect our business on the day to day basis. Any documents that they ever have to report should never be falsified or made to look better than what they actually should. All in all eBay strive to be a most ethical company in every aspect of their business and operations.

2. SOOT Analysts

Weakness 1 . Current and Quick Ratios indicate we are more able to meet our current obligations than Amazon

1. Decrease in Return on Assets
2. We are financed little by debt which means our returns should not be outweighed by debt
3. Have not declassified our Board of Directors
4. Thorough Guidelines for Governance Have been streamlining positions . Effective Structure for segments to report to CEO
5. Company culture beats down employees
6. Organization is diverse and socially responsible 5. No long-term employment agreements with key personnel
7. Hire and develop best employees and offer competitive benefits to retain them
8. Need to expand or improve facilities to accommodate future growth
9. New Data Center in South Jordan, Utah 7. Charge fees to users when a product is listed and when it’s sold
10. Users can find nearly anything with our product and are able to pay with our secure payment service
11. Following innovations
12. Extensive research at eBay labs on many new features including mobile platforms
13. COT has other responsibilities than Just Info System
14. Social Network for Information Systems Opportunities

Threats 1.

Chinese Business Model

1. Violating Laws and Regulations
2. Lower Effective Tax Rate
3. Illegal Use of our Products
4. India/Asian-Pacific Market
5. Foreign Currency Exchange Rates
6. Bargain Hunting Consumers
7. Current Economic Downturn
8. Improve Buyer Certainty
9. Internet Security Risks
10. Mobile Platforms and Payments
11. Internet Access
12. Expand Portfolio Internationally
13. Strong Local

Competition 2. External Organization Environment Analysis One big threat to the payment segment of this business is if eBay are found to be violating any laws or regulations. These laws and regulations include those that govern money transmission, electronic funds transfers, money laundering, counter- terrorist financing, and banking and lending. In Europe, they have been providing localized versions of Papal in different EX. countries.

That being said, Papal is subject to fines and enforcement if eBay violate the disclosure, reporting, anti-money laundering, capitalization, funds management, corporate governance or other acquirement imposed on Luxembourg banks (Ebay Annual Report 2010). Any fines or enforcement that eBay may encounter from their payment operations in these countries will inevitably increase their costs and also slowdown their business expansion. EBay also encounter these problems in their other global markets including Australia and China (Ebay Annual Report 2010). In the United States, eBay operate as a money transmitter in every state. Of the fifty states, forty two states require Papal to be a licensed money transmitter, seven states licensing is not required, and the last state does not regulate money transmitters.

Their business is subject to restrictions on the investment of customer funds, reporting and bonding requirements, and they are also inspected by regulatory agencies of each state. If they were found to be at fault with the laws and regulations, then Papal may be forced to stop doing business with certain states or to alter their business. Either of these options would be costly to their company and make us a less attractive payment company which will also hurt business on eBay. Com (Ebay Annual Report 2010). At eBay, they also have difficulties with their products being used for illegal purposes. Their service has dealt with people selling unlawful or stolen goods and unlawful services. EBay has had several lawsuits against their company for this reason.

Due to these lawsuits and accusations against their service for allowing these illegal activities they may be forced to use additional resources to protect their service against these illegal operations. There have also been large retailers lobbying for legislation regarding stolen goods. With this legislation it would require their company to confirm the source of the item for sale and that the seller has a legal right to sell the item (Ebay2010 Annual Report). In China, eBay has created a business model that has been working well for their auction company. EBay realized that the auction site that was dominating the Chinese market had very little reach outside of China. To capitalize on this they have been catering to the Chinese consumers.

In order to provide a service that worked for Chinese consumers to sell their product to global consumers easier we have worked with the Chinese Post and the United States Postal Service to provide free shipping from China. This cross-border model works well for our company which is continually trying to find ways to connect buyers and leers (Northern, Bruce). This is a model that eBay may be able to use to attract business in other countries. At eBay, they have a strong international presence. In fact the majority of their revenues is generated from their international presence. That being said, the revenues that their company generates are going to be subject designed to reduce the effect of the foreign currency exchange rates. This program’s effectiveness will vary from period to period. Their operating results will be significantly affected.

Recently, the movement of foreign currency relative to the dollar has been negatively affecting their business. For the year ended December 31 , 2010, these movements negatively affected their revenues by $9. 6 million compared to the previous year. These foreign currency exchange rates affect both the market place and the payment segment of their company. The marketplace segment of their company was negatively affected by approximately $7. 1 million and their payment segment was negatively affected by approximately $2. 5 million. These two segments combined for the $9. 6 million for our whole company (Ebay 2010 Annual Report). The current economic downturn is also adversely affecting their business. Our business is dependent on consumer purchases.

The economic downturn has resulted in reduced buyer demand and reduced selling prices and may reduce the volume of purchases on their Marketplaces platforms and the volume of transactions paid for using their Payment services, all of which would adversely affect their business (Ebay 2010 Annual Report). This is not the only part of business that this has affected. EBay company has also been experiencing negative effects on their advertising revenue. With the current downturn eBay also may need to focus on increasing their reserve or bad debt, transaction, and loan losses (Ebay 2010 Annual Report). According to the Asian Exporter’s Index, India has been eBay’s second fastest growing exporter. Indian’s eBay exports have been growing 85% year on year.

This trend can be attributed to the rise in demand that developed nations have had for country- specific, exotic items. Not only have the exports been increasing, but the majority of these exports are coming from small scale manufacturers. With these exports coming from these manufacturers, this is a very good situation for eBay. If they continue to purport these items their company should see a good return from areas such as the Asia-Pacific Region. In recent years, their effective tax rate has been decreasing. In 2008, our effective tax rate was at 19% and it then decreased to 17% in 2009 and was most recently at 14% in 2010. The decrease from 2009 to 2010 was mainly Papal because they won’t be using it to pay on eBay.

Therefore if less people want to use Papal then they won’t feel comfortable using eBay because Papal is the main payment system on eBay. At eBay because eBay’s services are placed on the internet, eBay is always at risk for security risks such as breaches. The company stores their user’s proprietary information which could be at risk if there is a security breach on their sites. It is often hard to tell when a security breach may happen so it is important for our company to always be working to prevent them. However, a security breach may occur and the information eBay store may be compromised then. If the information we store is compromised this can lead to a market perception that believes that they are not a capable site and they will stop using our service.

Stakeholder analysis in conflict resolution, project management, and business administration, is the process of identifying the individuals or groups that are likely to affect or be affected by a proposed action, and sorting them according to their impact on the action and the impact the action will have on them. This information is used to assess how the interests of those stakeholders should be addressed in a project plan, policy, program, or other action. Stakeholder analysis is a key part of stakeholder management. A stakeholder analysis of an issue consists of weighing and balancing all of the competing demands on a firm by each of those who have a lain on it, in order to arrive at the firm’s obligation in a particular case. A stakeholder analysis does not preclude the interests of the stakeholders overriding the interests of the other stakeholders affected, but it ensures that all affected will be considered.

There are dangers inherent in NOT making an inventory of the stakeholders in the intervention being evaluated and in the evaluation. Normally, those who have an interest in the success or failure of the project also have an interest in how the evaluation is carried out, its findings, and how these findings affect the future of the project. Stakeholder mapping in 4 steps 1. Define your stakeholders 2. Analyses stakeholders by impact and influence 3. Plan Manage stakeholder communications and reporting 4. Engage with your stakeholders eBay is made up of two different business segments; Marketplaces and Payments. These two segments will react nearly the same when looking at Porter’s Five Forces.

That being said, in order to analyze eBay using Porter’s Five Forces Model, they will look at the eBay company as a whole rather than analyzing their company separately. The first of Porter’s Five Forces that they will look at is the potential entry of new competitors. The potential entry of new competitors for eBay is relatively high. There are low technological barriers to prevent new entrants from entering the same market. Established companies are also always looking for different markets to get into and can have resources to start up similar companies. Any retail site that opens up is a competitor to eBay because it can steal away users from their site. There is also the availability of many companies to enter into the payment industry too.