Organization

In 1950s, ETA as organization emerged as a more radical political wing of Basque national movement, represented by the PNV. ETA’s activity has been conducted on the both ideological and “practical” or terrorist basis. According to historians and politicians, examples of ETA’s ideological basis were denunciation of racism, defense of the Basque language, national rights and history and ultimate commitment to the Basque working-class. However, ETA became more famous due to their terrorist practices with explosions in Bilbao, Vitoria and Santander in 1959 being first examples of such organizational strategy carried by ETA.

Lrvin (1999) describes ETA as an organization that has caused many deaths and injuries, and a great deal of damage to property, and many of its own members have fallen in the armed struggle. ETA played a leading role in the struggle over nuclear plant at Lemoiz, which resulted in total of 300 attacks against installations, and about a dozen of people killed. Despite serious mistakes ETA made over decades, the social policies advocated by this terrorist organization have given it considerable influence in various sectors of Basque life, such as politics, culture, festivals, international relations, the language, and in others.

This paper aims to analyze the political and organizational dynamic binding the Basque nationalism and Euzdaki ‘ta Askatasuna (ETA), in both their non-violent and violent manifestations, from the ETA’s establishment through decades of democratic rule. The paper also defines and assesses the methods, tactics and strategies developed by ETA accompanied with Basque nationalist forces to advance their particular organizational and ideological interests.

Option 4

Ethical and Social Issues inside the Business Organization.

Resource Usage: Internet Access

            In the broad aspect of business organization, the role of management manifest a significant importance wherein each organization must properly utilize and correlate their available resources and assets with their necessary operations and tasks to achieve optimum efficiency for their company’s development. In this concern, each of the assets and resources of the business organization is important thus, they must be properly used and correlated with each other in terms of the operational necessity to meet the group’s common interest. Under this management concern, it is indeed important for the business organization to monitor and evaluate the usage of their resources and assets to ensure that their operation is going according to their common interest.

            In the aspect of resource management, each of the respective organizational resource group is indeed valuable in the development of an effective business operation including both the human resource aspect and the material assets of the group. The classification of material assets includes the information resources, facilities, and equipments of the business organization which are necessary for their operation. On the other hand, the human resource is mainly composed of the workers and employees of the group of which physically utilizes and converts the material assets of the group in their operation. In this concern, managing the connection and correlation between the said two assets becomes the main concern of the organization’s management towards achieving the ideal effectiveness and efficiency in their operation.

            However, in actual scenarios, there are numerous problems and issues in the management aspect of the organizational resources and assets. As the concern involves human interaction namely the business-employee relationship, ethical issues and concerns are commonly adamant in this field. A particular problem is the proper usage of the business resources wherein employees must utilize the provided assets of the business in the interest of the organization and not on personal matter. In dealing with this issue, the business management is commonly hindered by ethical concerns and privacy rights significant to the social nature of the business organization.

            Consider the scenario a certain small insurance company with six employees in their monitoring approach towards the usage of their business resources particularly their internet access. In the summary of the monitoring report of the administration, it is evident that some employees might be utilizing the company’s internet access for their personal interest such as entertainment, online chatting, and others. The summarize weekly monitoring report shows that  most of the employees are ideally using the internet access for business purpose however, basing from their website choices, others are still promoting self-interest of which are generally almost half of their internet access weekly usage. In the summary of the weekly monitoring report, Talbot, Helen ranked first in terms of time spent online of which most of the site she visited are dubious to be on the company’s interest. Second is Kelleher, Claire yet based on her visited sites, she is likely performing business interest on her internet usage. Utilizing the information contained in the said report, the business management can develop certain measures and policies to address the said issue of improper resource usage. With these information learned, the business organization can indeed optimize their resource allocation to promote development in their business organization in achieving their common economic interest.

            However, the approach the resource usage monitoring used by the organization in the previous scenario is commonly challenged by ethical and social reasoning deeming it to be improper in respect to privacy and individual rights. In particular, most people consider the approach of internet access monitoring to be a violating of ethical business conduct. Yet on this reasoning, the said approach still falls within the management concern wherein the business organization still maintain it to be their right mainly as the resources remain their property. On business interest, the business administration has its duly right to monitor how their resources are being used as part of the management approach. Indeed, inside the workplace, the internet access provided by the business remain as their property so as the involved computer unit and the electricity consumed thus, its management sector can monitor its usage whether it is within company’s interest.

            In general, the aspect of business management includes the concern of organizing the business assets and resources to achieve effective and efficient production operation towards the organization’s economic interest. A critical part of this concern is the part of understanding the resource usage inside the business operation through monitoring the job tasks and production process of their employees and workers. As part of the interest, the business must ensure that their resources are indeed being utilized for production concern thus, ensuring effective and efficient growth and development in their business organization.

Bibliography

Buckley, M. Ronald & Beu, Danielle S. & Frink, Dwight D. & Howard, Jack L., Berkson, Howard & Mobbs, Tommie A. & Ferris, Gerald R. (2001). Ethical Issues in Human Resource Systems.  Human Resource Management Review. Volume 11, Issues 1-2. Pages 11-29.

Hubbard, Joan C. & Forcht, Karen A. & Thomas, Daphyne S. (1998). Human Resource Information Systems: An Overview of Current Ethical and Legal Issues. Journal of Business Ethics. Springer Netherlands. Volume 17, Number 12.

Noon, Mike (2001). Ethical Issues in Contemporary Human Resource Management. Employee Relations. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Volume 23, Issue 1.

Putnamn, Mark S. (2008). The Stuff of Work: Ethics and Assets. About.Com: Human Resources. New York Times Company. http://humanresources.about.com/cs/businessethics/a/ethicsassets.htm. May 20, 2008.

In 1960 the Xerox Corporation was in a position where it could corner the copy machine industry for the next 15 years. Xerox had practically invented the copy machine, and had secured its dominate stake in the copy machine industry with patents. However, this security backfired on Xerox because it didn’t allow them to focus on new product development. During this period, their research and development goals diminished, and the quality of their products remained the same if not worsened.

The strategy Xerox had remained stagnant. Xerox found itself in the mid 1970’s with a loss in profit, market share, and competitive stance. By effective supply chain management, Xerox would be able to revamp its structure. In order to confront new competitors such as Ricoh and Canon, Xerox was going to have to make major changes within its organization. First, Xerox management sought to simplify the purchasing process. By consolidating its supply base, it was able to reduce overhead, pass lower costs onto customers, improve quality of its products, and work better with suppliers.

Next, the “commodity teams” were designated to reduce defect parts per million through a five step program it developed. Thirdly, internal restructuring brought about the “circle groups” which resulted in a new system of competitive benchmarking and customized products. Finally, with a new research and development approach Xerox was able to delve into new product development, bringing them brand recognition. And, with a new “central logistics and asset management” program the company was able to reduce excessive inventory and related costs.

· Determine how Xerox’s strategies transformed from the late 1970’s to the 1980’s.

· Determine how the change in strategies and organization allowed Xerox to be competitive.

· Identify the source of guidance it received for its restructuring , and what this revealed about the advantages of a multinational firm.

· Determine how taking a global perspective make it more competitive in the global marketplace.

· Evaluate the role of global manufacturing, materials management, and R & D in better performance in the 1980’s.

Once Xerox found themselves in a poor competitive position in the mid to late 1970s, they were forced to make general changes in strategy and structure or organization. In the late 70s, the copier environment consisted of just a couple of competitors with a rapidly declining market share. Xerox’s new strategy was segmentation-to keep their three main legs (Fuji, Rank, and Xerox) as separate entities.

Therefore, structural and organizational areas were decentralized. In the 1980s, the copier environment consisted of even more competitors who had superior products at lower prices. The market was more hostile, and if Xerox didn’t make a significant change in its strategies, they would lose the battle. At this stage, Xerox’s strategy was aimed at streamlining supply ties and reduce production costs by improving the supply chain. Bringing together the three entities was the new centralized approach for structure and organization.

Moreover, by using Fuji-Xerox as a guide to restructure, Xerox benefited by having various cultural organizations to choose from and achieving global learning. In addition, by taking on a singular identity rather than a three leg multinational, Xerox was able to capitalize on location economies in relation to the product life cycle. Therefore, both Xerox and the local suppliers were able to achieve economies of scale. Also, a global perspective resulted in more uniform products. In regards to performance, restructuring global manufacturing allowed them to deal with suppliers more effectively and to get one or a few suppliers for one global product.

Effective materials management helped Xerox gain closer supplier and customer ties, which in turn reduced inventory costs. By staying in sync with customer demands and needs, Xerox’s R & D division was able to come out with customized product lines, which in turn gave Xerox a first mover advantage and resulted in a stronger competitive position. Finally, the internal restructuring regarding the “quality circles” involved all areas of the company.

With an encompassing implementation of the Leadership Through Quality groups, Business Area Work Group, and “Quality of WorkLife” Circles, Xerox increased in performance. By allowing workers to find quality shortfalls and generate ideas about problems, these programs allowed them to find better solutions to those problems, for example, via the process of competitive benchmarking.

Our team consensus is that Xerox shouldn’t have relied solely on their patents and previous technological know-how to maintain their large market share. Because of this reliance, Xerox paid less attention to quality and new product development. If they would have focused on developing newer, higher quality products, their market share would have remained the same or better once the patents expired.

They should have foreseen the expiration of the patents, and been better prepared with a stronger product line and global strategy to confront the competitive market in which they were going to enter in the 1970s. The competitive benchmarking allowed them to integrate the most efficient practices of other global companies. This integration, as well as the efficient supply chain management and emphasis on quality, was a smart move which enabled Xerox an efficient structure for years to come.

Recognizing the current challenges surrounding ServeNow and the associated hurdle of utilizing tools for better transition of leadership and management, here are some possible recommendations that Edward Bushley need to consider to address particular issues. The options shall be divided to short and long term strategies to allow ServeNow to fully utilize available technologies and carryout innovative solutions to further the business’ leverage and control of the market. Short Term Objectives Utilizing Videoconferencing and Emails

One relevant aspect that Mr. Bushley needs to understand is that technology can now bridge people better regardless of location. All they need to have is a reliable Internet connection and through this they can effectively transmit information, data, and ideas to numerous recipients with just a click of a mouse button. Seeing this, ServeNow may utilize the strategy of becoming virtually connected as it can lessen the time and cost of traveling from one destination to another. This also remains essential because it can allow Mr. Bushley to balance the tasks related to management and training potential employees in the company.

Given these elements, the most appropriate technology mediated mode of communication that ServeNow can use is a balance between videoconferencing and electronic mails (E-mail). The reason behind the use of videoconferencing revolves around optimizing the time spent providing training and education to potential managers. This also helps target valuable information (especially urgent ones) at a faster pace (Potter, p. 50). Also, this strategy can solve the issue of time constraint of Mr. Bushley as he can consolidate all information and transmit them all at the same time. On the other hand, E-mails are also valuable process where employees and managers can communicate with one another.

Allowing formal communication to be facilitated by technology makes it easier for organizations to synchronize processes, identify constraints, and resolve issues both internally and externally (Potter, p. 51). Likewise, this is a cheap and effective instrument that the store can use to provide reporting and appropriate adherence to specific tasks.

Increasing Monitoring and Feedback Another valuable aspect that Edward Bushley can do is to increase his connectivity among employees among different stores. This would entail setting up a particular channel of communication among assistant managers to fill in the gaps left by the resigned managers. Under this process, Mr. Bushley can utilize the Internet as a valuable tool for increasing opportunities for overlooking at how managers run the stores. One key dynamic that increased connectivity can provide ServeNow is the ability to monitor the development of each store.

Here, the Internet can serve as valuable tool in gauging the abilities of employees to perform according to given standards (Potter, p. 52). At the same time, it also harnesses better ways to consolidate data and reports. Given that ServeNow has several branches, Mr. Bushley can better supervise each location. The company can also effectively carry out synchronization strategies using the Internet particularly on issues related to pricing, inventory checks, and personnel issues. Another important aspect that increased connectivity creates is the ability to promote feedback and openness within ServeNow.

By incorporating new technological means to communicate and interact, the time delegating and resolving issues related to production and employees would be lessened (Potter, p. 54). It is important to note however that appropriate standards for feedback must be created so that it won’t be abused or neglected by specific persons of authority. This strategy also remains crucial because of its ability to increase the likelihood of effectiveness of how people do their tasks since responsibilities remain to be clear and lines are open to sort out confusions (Potter, p. 55).

Long Term Strategy: Developing a Training Manual Given that Mr. Bushley currently faces the dilemma of managing and handling issues in ServeNow, one long term approach in helping him deal with problems would be creating online manual and training videos for managers and potential managers to use. This remains crucial for the company because it can help increase the opportunity of transition and training potential candidates for management positions. The ability to create a particular medium can best complement Mr. Bushley in identifying which candidates are most suitable for the job and what issues need to be resolved.

Likewise, the information obtained from this endeavor would also provide Mr. Bushley the capacity to focus on more important aspects related to the company. Indeed, this feat may prove to be challenging for ServeNow today however it can reap its benefits in the long term as the company now has an appropriate guide on how to address conflict, management of tasks and performance, and resolving current issues in the workplace.

Overall, diversifying business opportunities and promoting change corresponds to adapting to current trends shaping business today. With the increasing developments towards technology, ServeNow can utilize the mechanisms provided to further opportunities for growth and development. By seeking to understand the dynamics, Mr. Bushley can cater towards optimizing tasks, bridging communication barriers, and furthering options to increase productivity and value of ServeNow’s among its employees. Work Cited Porter, Lyman. Managing in contemporary organizations: MGMT 5. 2002 US: Pearson Custom Publishing

NISSAN Corporation is an organization which takes initiative to develop the society as well as the earth, pleasant and reliable, through all business activities. They conduct their business with honesty and reliability. They act in accordance with all the mandatory national as well as international laws and policies. The basic corporate vision of this organization is to respect humans irrespective of different languages and location. Their main vision of this Corporation is to be the high-quality corporate citizen of this earth. They give respect to the different culture as well as customs.

The main business of this company is the automobile manufacturing (Certo, 2003). The main goal of this company is to put emphasis on quality assurance. NISSAN not only values its customers, but the people who belong to local community, its employees as well as stakeholders. This is the reason that today, NISSAN has its base across countries amongst the world and it is achieving consistent globalization and liberalization. This company also takes an active part in reducing global warming, improving environment, eco-friendly automobiles plantation etc to save earth.

What is its purpose? The mission of this company is to provide high quality products as well as services to catch the attention of customer and conquer their faith and also to experience the most gratifying ownership in the Unites States of America. It wants to develop a more flourishing civilization by contributing to society, people’s lifestyle and the financial system with the help of automotive manufacturing. It believes that key to success in this extremely competitive markets are innovation in the field of technology and managing reforms.

The key area which NISSAN believes that need to be improved are production engineering, next-generation technology, along with globalization of every aspects of operation starting from development, production and procurement to sales as well as services. Who are the stakeholders and how does the organization balance their interests? Stakeholders are those people, group or an organization that have a direct or deviating stake in the organization. They can effect the organization by their power of decision and on the same side they can also be affected by the organizations objectives, policies as well as actions.

Primary stakeholders in an organization like NISSAN include creditors, top management like CEO and directors, customers, employees, government, owners, unions, suppliers and the community from where the organization is drawing its resources. One of the important stakeholders is the employee. They are the person in the service of NISSAN Motors. They came under the contract of employment which can be express or obscure. The employees of NISSAN Motors have the authority or right to control the task which is to be performed, that is the automotive manufacturing.

Second important stakeholders are the shareholders of the NISSAN Company. They are an individual or company which legally possesses some share of stocks in a company, preferably a joint stock corporation. They can perform various types of job depending on the type and amount of stock they own. They can vote as well as give their decision on different affairs like board of directors’ elections. Furthermore they can also recommend shareholder resolutions and also plays a vital role in lifting the capital for organizations. A creditor also plays a vital role.

They can be the person, business or government who has claim over the services provided by NISSAN Motors (LLC, 2010). They are basically an individual or an institution who gives money to the organization in agreement to the condition that after a fixed point of time they will receive their money back with an interest. They purchase debt securities or equity for financial profit in substitute for providing financial support to that expanding company. 4. Describe its domestic and global strategies. A multinational corporation, NISSAN Motor Corporation has it’s headquarter in Japan.

In the current market scenario, NISSAN is has high rank, in the field of automobile manufacturing. Its main attraction is providing reliable cars to its customers. This organization has celebrated multiple years of success in the field of making and selling cars. If we go by the records, in the year 2007, this giant automobile company has sold around 8. 52m vehicles and now it has rose to $14 billion. If we go by the geographical location, it is the most popular automobile company in Bangladesh and around 70% market share in India. The target markets for this company are all category of people.

NISSAN Motors spends a lot of money on various departments like R&D, production, design, sales as well as marketing operations. This company follows a policy of waste elimination.  What are the main changes in the business environment that could affect this organization? Identification of key macroeconomics factors are needed Macro Environment forces are the societal forces that effects different environment like demographic, economic, natural, technological, political and cultural forces. These forces represent the limitations within which every organization has to function.

The different components of this macroeconomic environment are following: political, economic, demographics, cultural and technological factors (Deepashree, 2006). Political Factors- Government is the important guardian of the general environment. No one can work against the laws and regulations made by the Government. Its inconsistent policies and frequently changing duty tariff can be the main cause of unstable market conduction and like many other motor companies, NISSAN has also been affected by Governments current changing regulations.  Economic Forces- this force is also dominated by the government.

At the federal level, governments economic norms have again influence the companies to continue and develop. Inflation is the best example of the economic factor which has affected the whole nation. Demographics Forces-building trust and faith is the most important task for any organization. NISSAN is a status symbol because of its reliability. Cultural Factors-NISSAN give respect to different culture as well as customs and contributes to the development of the communities. It respects different law as well. Technological Forces. NISSAN always supports technology.

It believes in innovation and provides high class cars.  Testing should be done to analyze the impact of changes and which change is going in favour and which not so that the negative changes should be removed urgently.  Third step is to assess differential consequences among competitors Forth step is generates key issues after analyzing the competitors to improve the organization. Last but not the least step is to apply those issues to formulate strategy. 6. How competitive is the organization’s market environment? According to Porter, NISSAN’s profits making strategy depends on the following five factors:

•  The likelihood of new entry- these factors explain the role of competitors. It’s very difficult for newcomers to jump into the market and it’s very expected that the existing ones can have chance to make moderately high profits.
• The power of buyers- second factor is relation between the buyer’s power and the profits. More the power of buyer will be, more will be the chance of price reduction and hence the profit will also get reduced. If we study the market for NISSAN, buyers are not very powerful as not many people are financial sound to buy cars and hence the market is in favor.
• The power of suppliers- again shows the relation between suppliers and profits. If the supplier will be stronger, it will reduce the amount of profit as suppliers are aware of the terms and conditions upon which the organization is running and hence the change the flow of market.
• The degree of rivalry- there should be healthy co petition between the organizations. If the competition increases, it can reduce the flow of profit making. NISSAN follows healthy competition with its competitors like Ford.
• The substitute threat- this is also one of the important threat.
• It says that a buyer can not always stick to same product. Whenever he will get better one, he will switch to that one. Hence, maintaining the quality and reliability is very essential and NISSAN is leading the world, following the same principle.
• What are the key success factors in its market? In today’s world of automobile manufacturing, NISSAN is a respected brand name.

The principles which were used at each and every step of this company had undoubtedly led to that standard of quality where no one has reached still now. These are the basic principles which have been implemented by the Corporation to achieve the success.

These principles are also helping other automobile manufacturing in the States of America as well. They are total in 14 are compared with few of the policies which other automakers have applied. These ideologies given below are followed by NISSAN: Management decisions should always be based on long term philosophies. Short term goals can help you making decision but they can not be the foundation. Process flow must be in continuity in order to bring the problems down. To avoid over production, pull systems should be used. Arrange the workload properly, to avoid frustration among employees.

To ensure quality at the beginning only, a process of identifying, discontinuing and fixing problems is required.  Uniform tasks are necessary to build the base for continuous enhancement as well as employee satisfaction. Visual check is required everywhere to locate the root cause of any problem. Reliable, carefully tested technology should be used to offer better quality.  Search for the leaders who know the job very well so that they can maintain the philosophy and educate it to other employees as well. Develop outstanding people and their group so that they can preserve the organization’s philosophy.

Love and respect for each other should be there which can help the organization for betterment.  Inspection should be done by you just to avoid any miscommunication and which will definitely lead to improvement. 1 Decision making is the most important task so its better take time to consider each and every options, however implementation should be fast.  Learning at any time is not bad. Hence, make your organization a learning one through persistent self assessment and continuous enhancement. 8. How can the organization reduce the external threats to its position?

Which weaknesses does it need to improve? What opportunities match its strengths?

Strengths of NISSAN Motors

First strength of this company is the globalization which brings this organization capturing a strong position in countries among the whole world. Secondly, its improved financial strength and sales growth. NISSAN is a brand name and this strong image is based on the following feature like quality, customized range of product and eco friendly nature. It has good position with respect to Industry leader in manufacturing and production (Lewis, 2006).

Weakness

One of the most important weaknesses is its foreign location because of which it is mainly known as Japanese car manufacturer. Its production capacity is the second weaknesses. It mainly manufactures its cars in US as well as Japan however most of its competitors are strategically worldwide located to acquire benefit of universal efficiency.

Opportunities

First opportunity for this organization is its innovative approach. Based on its advanced technologies and R&D activity, it is able to beat competition.  Second opportunity to earn profit is a need to expand its root into new segments of the market. It needs to manufacture more cars which should be fuel efficient, have greater performance and less harmful to the nature. Also, manufacturing of new vehicles is required which should react to social and institutional desires and needs.

Threats

First common threat is the increased competition.  Inconsistency in the exchange rates affects profits in a broader way. Downturn in economy like recession, affects a lot.  Demographical change also affects a lot.  Changing usages as well as priority as per needs and requirement also possess a greater threat to the company like family cars etc.  Inflation of oil prices and the maintenance cost can make people deciding not to use cars.  Define and develop a new organizational strategy that enables the company to achieve a distinctive competitive edge in the global market. NISSAN Motors Corporation is an international business organization. Examining different fields like, distribution channels, supply chain, marketing and production aspect, clearly illustrates that it’s executing its global agenda very well.

NISSAN has implemented two different principles which later became world’s famous global strategy. They are Kaizen which means continuous improvement and the second one is NISSAN Production System. Kaizen says that continuous improvement is needed in every area, so that sudden failure should not hamper the production process. on the other hand, NISSAN production system provide links between different critical aspects of manufacturing like supply chain, inventory management, distribution channels, production capabilities and planning methods.

These two have been the most unbeaten strategies which have led NISSAN to dominate the automotive market. 10. Identify and implement relevant measurements for the proposed strategy. One of the major suggestions for NISSAN motors will be such that they must utilize their different core competencies to lead market. First core competency is the management of brand. They have a brand name so they should continue provide good quality, low emission inbuilt cars to attract customers. Next is the supply chain management. Third one is its product development technology.

If a sustainable development is needed to be achieved, integration between planning and measurement systems is needed (Spitzer, 2007). NISSAN should follow the updated measurement norms and them while manufacturing products. Its vehicles should not pollute the environment in a large scale and it should continue developing hybrid-oil-gas vehicles.

Reference

1. Certo Samuel C. , Modern management: adding digital focus, 9, illustrated 2003, Prentice Hall, ISBN: 0130670898, 9780130670892 Deepashree, Microeconomics And Macroeconomic Environment For Ca Pe I, 2006, Tata McGraw-Hill, ISBN: 007063565X, 9780070635654
2. LLC, Books, Nissan: Nissan Motors, Datsun, Nissan Motor Manufacturing Ltd, Yokohama F. Marinos, Nismo, Attesa, Nissan Electric Vehicle, 2010, General Books, ISBN: 1156548594, 9781156548592
3. Lewis Pamela S. , Goodman Stephen H. , Fandt Patricia M. , Michlitsch Joseph F. , Management: challenges for tomorrow’s leaders, 5th, illustrated, 2006, Cengage Learning, ISBN: 0324302592, 9780324302592
4. Spitzer Dean R. , Transforming performance measurement: rethinking the way we measure and drive organizational success, illustrated, 2007, AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, ISBN: 0814408915, 9780814408919

Table of Contents

Assignment Topic
Look at various corporate and organizational websites and notice how important employee are to the organization. Questions

Are there indicators that employees are a key concern?
Or are the employees merely a means to helping the company succeed? What are some methods of building relationships with employees? What communications can help with that relationship-building? Methodology

To answer the above question, I am collecting data regarding the respective companies from the websites and provide my opinion based on the collected data. Companies under study are:
Harley-Davidson
Danone
NIIT

Harley-Davidson
About the company:
Harley-Davidson, Inc. is a motorcycle manufacturer that produces heavyweight motorcycles and a complete line of motorcycle parts, accessories and general merchandise. Company culture:
Harley Davidson believes that employees are the long term competitive advantage of the organization. They provide employees with opportunities for growth and professional development. Employee benefits:

Medical Plan
Prescription Drug Plan
Dental Plan
Vision Plan
Retirement Plan – 401(k) and/or Pension Plan
Life Insurance
Disability Benefits
Employee Assistance Plan
Flexible Spending Accounts
Vacation and Holidays
Tuition reimbursement
Harley-Davidson Stock Purchase Plan
Discounts and/or Financing on Company products
Wellness Resources
Variable Compensation Programs
Employee feedback:
Positives points
Free lunch are provided
Exercise/workout room is available for the employees
Good Pay comparable with other industry standards
Work 4 days a week
Free clothes
Free accomodation
Negative points:
Weird work schedule
Job Rotation
No Paid Holidays & Benefits
Over time
Danone
About the company:
Group Danone is a food company that primarily produces fresh milk products, baby foods, biscuits, cereal products and medical nutrition products. It also co-produces bottled water. The Company operates through numerous subsidiaries in Europe, Asia and Americas. Company culture:

Danone values the employees and offers benefits in terms of equality (comparable to other industry) and equity (based on individuals performance) Employee benefits:
Remuneration based on Geography and Economy
Social Protection
Pension Policy
Profit Sharing
Employee feedback:
Positives points
Good Pay
Challenging Job
Good Social Benefits

Negative points:
Work Time
Bad Logistics

NIIT
About the company:
NIIT is an information technology (IT) solutions organization engaged in application development and maintenance, managed services, cloud computing and business process outsourcing to organizations in the financial services, insurance, travel, transportation and logistics, manufacturing and distribution and government sectors. The Company delivers services across continents directly and through its network of subsidiaries. It is servicing customers in North & South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. Company culture:

NIIT values employees as the most important and strongest asset. Employee benefits:
Healthcare and Insurance
Retirement Plan – 401(k)
Holidays and Vacation
Tax free Commuter Program benefits
Dependent Care Employee Assistance Programs
Family Medical Leave
Health Club
Take a break scheme – eEmployee gets refunded for going on vacation once in a year Dating allowance – Rs:3000/- per year paid on birthday for dating/going on dinner with family Work from Home – 24 days a year an employee can work from home with approval from supervisor Happy Nappy Day – birthday is a compulsory holiday for an employee Employee feedback:

Positives points
Employee friendly policies
Good growth opportunity

Negative points:
Rigid internal process
Very slow decision making
Low pay

Conclusion

Are there indicators that employees are a key concern?
Yes, all the companies under study had indicators that employee are the key concern of the organization in their HR policies.

Or are the employees merely a means to helping the company succeed? No, the companies believe that employees are the long term advantage and asset, it can have. And they provide necessary training and benefits to the employees

What are some methods of building relationships with employees? The commonly used method of relationship building with employees are good remuneration
social and health benefits
vacation and additional resources
career growth options

What communications can help with that relationship-building? Relationship building can be communicated through or as a part of the companies culture, HR Policy and among employees through forums or unions.

References
Harley-Davidson
http://www.harley-davidson.com/fr_FR/Content/Pages/home.html http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Harley–davidson/reviews
http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Harley-Davidson-Reviews-E314.htm Danone
http://www.danone.com/
http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Danone/reviews
http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Danone-Reviews-E3471.htm
NIIT
http://www.niit.com/careers/
http://www.forbes.com/
http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/NIIT-Reviews-E19732.htm
Employee – Personal Feedback

The paper below gives a view of one of the most persistent problems of Etisalat Telecommunications Company. The issue that is identified is conflict among the employees. The reasons of the conflict have been defined and the tools to overcome these conflicts have also been mentioned. Overview of Organization The organization that I have chosen as the discussion topic is Etisalat Telecommunications. Etisalat is a UAE based company. It provides internet, TV and phone services across UAE and even better packages for the businesses. Apart from UAE, their services can also be accessed internationally.

They have a diversified business and different services are provided to various classes. Cable service is provided for home and personal use. Everything from Indian soaps to European programs can be viewed through this service. For office and business use, internet and efficient phone service is provided. Web service enables the businessmen to secure their data and at the same time access it whenever required. For travelers, Etisalat has designed various means of communication so that they can travel without worries as far as they desire to. No matter how successful Etisalat may be, problems always exist in organizations.

The magnitude of each problem is different. It may be small or large and hence the effect varies from the intensity. These problems or issues can be persistent and permanent if not dealt with intelligence and care. Hence the leader needs to be very efficient in problem recognition and solution. One of the problems of Etisalat will be discussed in this paper. (www. etisalat. com) Problem Definition I am a Human Resource Manager in Etisalat Telecommunications and since the last couple of months there have been conflicts among the employees. His problem came up when new employees were recruited.

Due to this new people were introduced in the organization due to which the senior employees were shifted to other posts. There was a change in the entire organization setup and many employees were disturbed due to the permanent change and were unable to adjust to the new setup. Also there was conflict among the new as well as the old employees. Conflicts and tension are a common problem and tend to exist in every organization. There is no permanent solution to this issue except that the leader needs to be really efficient in recognizing and defining the problem so that the appropriate solution can be suggested and implemented.

This happened due to fluctuation and variation in various hobbies, interests, different backgrounds and personalities. This ultimately gave rise to an unproductive and an unhealthy environment which was rapidly affecting the company’s overall performance. It retarded its functioning and the advancement rate. The employees’ performance was not up to the mark because half of their time was spent in stewing and fuming over other employees’ issues. Errors were made and the work rate was highly affected making the organization lag behind.

The competitive spirit was dying and maximum time was devoted to backstabbing rather than focusing on the assigned tasks. Along with this, the time managers could spend on dealing with more important issues was lost in solving conflicts among the employees. There was a dire need to solve these issues to solve these issues as soon as possible so that he normal pace of work could be resumed without further delay and work could be done in a much peaceful and healthy environment. This is of course the requirement of every organization be it big or small.

Work was not being done with the same pace due to which deadlines were coming closer and employees were unable to compete with it. Work load was increasing; employees had to work for late hours, clients’ demands were increasing. This created a highly stressful environment in the organization due to which the employees tensed. The organization already lacked in cooperation and this factor further aggravated this issue. The employees family and work preferences clashed and they were unable to maintain balance between these two priorities. (Harris & Hartman, 2002)