The Role of Unions in Improving and Disrupting an Organizations Culture Essay Example

The Role of Unions in Improving and Disrupting an Organizations Culture Essay The Role of Unions in Improving and Disrupting an Organization’s Culture Describing and identifying the importance of abstract terms is a difficult task because their meaning rely more on substance than form. For this and other reasons, individuals as well as organizations tend to overlook or underestimate their importance for a successful career and for the effective functioning of an organization. Organizational Culture† is one of those terms, we can’t see it, but we can feel and experience it, and it has a profound impact in the way people behave in an organization. It denotes the attitudes, experiences, beliefs, and values of the work group or team within the organization, which to an extent affect the organization as a whole. All employees whatever their grade is, and whether they are professionals or not, contribute to the culture of an organization by bringing their diverse talents, knowledge, skills, values, and beliefs to the entity. Employees may possess abilities and talents that might enable them to fit into the organization and empower it, partly as a result of socialization, but they might need assistance from others, such as Human Resource Development specialists and Union cooperative efforts, in order to learn the skills that will enable them to play their part in the team, group, or department. The culture of an organization is important not only to individuals but to the organization itself. This makes culture an important part of every organization and union leaders and management need to understand the central role it plays in forming an effective organization. Union understanding of the important role culture play for an organization is essential since the recognition of unions and the labor agreement usually means structural changes to an organization’s policies, practices, strategies, and the environment. According to Neal M. Ashkanasy, author of the book Handbook of Organizational Culture and Climate, more and more practitioners are coming to realize that, despite the best-laid plans, organizational change must include not only changing structures and processes, but also changing the corporate culture as well. We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Unions in Improving and Disrupting an Organizations Culture specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Unions in Improving and Disrupting an Organizations Culture specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Unions in Improving and Disrupting an Organizations Culture specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Unions can play a role in creating and changing an organization’s culture, since they are in a position to provide the workforce with information designed to influence decisions about work practices, rules, preferred behaviors and attitudes, etc. Management as well as staff developers need, therefore, to communicate frequently with trade union officers. Improving organizational culture has become a necessity in todays ever- changing business environment. However, it can be a big challenge for the organization and its members. Managing in a union environment can be frustrating and confusing. Managers in a unionized workplace are challenged to manage effectively within legal and contractual parameters. This make the decision-making process more difficult for managers who must count with the union approval for many decisions and changes that might conflict with the labor agreement. If managers are not flexible in outcome, or are too specialized, then the organization may become too narrowly focused and the motivation and creative thought, a necessary precursor for innovation may be stiffed. Also, although individual ideas are important, strategies for team-working are essential. One of the primary responsibilities of strategic leaders is to create and maintain the organizational characteristics that reward and encourage collective effort (Neal M. Ashkanasy, 10). Individuals should be motivated to work as part of a team sharing a common vision of the direction in which they would like the organization to develop. To this end, unions are one of the most effective institutions that can be used to bring people that share common interests, goals, and principles together and motivate them to work as a team, since the mechanism of the union itself encourages team participation. Today, organizational leaders are confronted with many complex issues during their attempts to generate organizational achievement. A leaders success will depend, to a great extent, upon understanding organizational culture. Paul Clark, author of the book Building More Effective Unions contends that â€Å"Many of the problems confronting leaders can be traced to their inability to analyze and evaluate organizational cultures. † Many leaders, when trying to implement new strategies or a strategic plan leading to a new vision, will discover that their strategies will fail if they are inconsistent with the organizations culture. For example, a CEO, SES, political appointee, or flag officer who comes into an organization prepared to shake the place up and institute sweeping changes, often experiences resistance to changes and failure. These difficulties with organizational transformations arise from failures to analyze an organizations existing culture. According to Franklin Ashby, author of the book Revitalize your Corporate Culture, â€Å"When an organization has a union, most of the culture of the organization is dictated by the union contract, and the on-going relationship with the union. Unless Union cooperation is obtained, little can be done to change the culture of an organization. However, Unions often resist change to protect the interests of their members. One of the strongest cultures in the United States is the United Automobile Workers. Over the years and through many negotiations, they have established work rules that workers and companies must follow. These are now an integral part of the organizational culture of the Big Three Automobile Makers. For example, when competition from Japanese car makers cause the Big Three U. S. utomobile firms a significant loss of market share, the organizational culture of American Auto manufacturers had to be changed. This could be accomplished only through negotiation with the union. Although some labor leaders oppose any change they feel may weaken the union’s position, more and more enlightened labor union leaders are moving from an adversarial to a more cooperative philosophy (Franklin Ashby, 3). According to Paul F. Clark, author of the book Building More Effective Unions, â€Å"Most efforts to change an organization’s culture will meet with some resistance. A systematic approach to change is most effective in meeting such resistance. Many of us are familiar with the slogans, songs, jackets, parades, banquets, and picnics of unions because they are all part of the labor movement. To some they are simply windows dressing, unconnected to the important things that build an effective union. But, in fact, these things are part of a potentially and powerful phenomenon called â€Å"organizational culture† (Paul F. Clark, 10). It is important that unions understand the central role that culture plays in an effective organization and work to build a strong culture consistent with the union as well as the organization’s values, beliefs, and objectives. This is essential to avoid conflict by having two different cultures with different organizational objectives in the same company. Although one general culture might be ideal and best for an organization, subcultures exist and they do not necessarily exist to hurt the overall culture of the organization as long as the culture that involves the common interest of most members is accepted and recognized. The existence of subcultures is normal. In an organization with a strong culture, subcultures created by union members do not cause problems because the overall values and beliefs of the group are well recognized and accepted. If the culture of an organization is week, however, subcultures can override and compete with the overall culture, which can be disruptive to the organization’s culture. In his analysis, Paul Clark mentions that the effectiveness of a culture can be measured by the degree to which that culture and its various elements and subcultures clearly communicate the values of the organization. One of the core values emphasized by unions is the welfare of the collective group. Towards this end unions emphasize the principles of solidarity, unity, and togetherness. One common aspect of union culture that helps to communicate these values is the use of the terms â€Å"brother† and â€Å"sister† to refer to union members (Paul F. Clark, 6). Other values held in great regard by unions are fairness, equity, and justice. Unions help improve an organization’s culture by enforcing these values whenever they are violated or necessary for the welfare of employees. For example, managers often complaint about the tendency of unions to challenge through the grievance procedure many of the disciplinary actions taken by management. However, such challenge simply reflects the value that unions and union members place on due process and the fairness it brings to the workplace. By challenging any questionable management decision, unions are forcing management to evaluate the fairness of every action they take, before they take it. The member-union contract has an impact not only on union attachment, attitudes, and behaviors, but also on how it affects organizational culture. In summarizing the findings of their widely cited book, What Do Unions Do? Freeman and Medoff conclude that â€Å"Unions alter nearly every aspect of an organization’s culture. † The authors suggest that unions exert effects on organizational culture through collective bargaining. The primary effects of collective bargaining are the gains that the union is able to realize at the bargaining table for the employees. For example, extrinsic benefits like wages, job security, and working conditions, are all concerns that have dominated the collective bargaining agenda of North American Unions. Gains in these areas are determined primarily by the union’s ability to acquire and use power in the bargaining relationship. For example, the union wage effect is largely dependent on the ability of the union to achieve monopoly power within an industry. It is important to note that the union effects on organizational culture are also outcomes that emerge though management’s reaction to collective bargaining provisions. Management’s adjustment to the conditions imposed by collective bargaining and the union’s counteraction to managerial action will determine the nature and extent of union effects on organizational culture. The ability of unions to achieve their goals in areas such as wages, job security, and working conditions have important ramifications for organization culture both within the union and within the organization. For example, unions have a direct effect on the level, form, structure, and system of compensation plans. Through effective bargaining unions can improve an organization’s culture by emphasizing and enforcing the values, principles, and beliefs the members of the organization consider important. For example, the union can achieve fairness and equity with wage increases and justice and dignity with provisions for job security and better working conditions. Although these effects wary across industry and individuals, some general conclusion may be drawn. First, and most important, unions raise wages. Estimates of union wage effect wary but in general wage levels in unionized industries are 10 to 20% higher than wages for comparable non-unionized industries (William Holley, 324). Similarly, unions have a positive impact on employee benefits with unionized industries spending more on fringe benefits than comparable non-unionized firms. Job security is another factor through which unions help improves an organization’s culture concern for layoffs. For example, collective agreements often contain clauses that directly influence individual’s job security such as provisions for layoffs, job transfers, and contracting out. The prevalence of such provisions indicates the high priority placed on job security by union members. Based on the Quality of Employment Survey data, union membership was the best predictor of whether individuals would trade a 10% increase in real wages in exchange for increased job security. Unions also increase the security of their members from arbitrary decision making though the provision of grievance systems. Through the implementation of grievance systems with provisions for third-party dispute resolution, unions substantially increase the costs of arbitrary management decisions. As mentioned by Julian Barling, Author of the book The Union its Members, One would expect, and empirical evidence confirms that â€Å"Management decision making in a unionized environment would be more regulated by formal procedures and based on more objective criteria. Other areas in which Union have helped to improve an organization’s culture is through their intensive efforts to improve occupational health and safety in the workplace by advocating for government regulations, negotiating health and safety provisions, and encouraging the formation of labor-management committees to deal with health and safety issues. In additional to the negotiation of clauses dealing with health and safety, unions may also negotiate compensating wage differentials for workers exposed to higher risks. By doing so, they increase the incentive for management to improve working conditions by increasing the cost of dangerous work. Overall, unions substantially increase awareness of health and safety issues in the workplace. In addition to safety and health issues, unions also negotiate contact provisions dealing with a variety of working condition (William Holley, 435). For instance, hours of work, scheduling of rest breaks, and, in some cases, and rate of production. To the extent that unions are successful in negotiating these gains, unionization may have an indirect effect on occupational health and safety. Provisions such as rest breaks, minimization of overtime, and shift scheduling may all affect the risk of on-the-job injury. According to Clive Fullagar, the Neo-Classical Economic Theory suggests that â€Å"Management may react to the increased costs associated with unionization by replacing labor with capital. However, an alternate theory suggests that unionization has â€Å"shock effect† on management, whereby management reacts to unionization by becoming more efficient. † Such increased efficiency may be evidenced by the introduction of centralized, professional human resources functions and increased reliance on formalized decision making. Union involvement in the formulation of management decisions may be seen as usurping the rights of management to run the workplace. On the other hand, collective bargaining maybe e viewed as a way of managing the workplace rather than an abandonment of traditional management prerogatives. In this regard, it should be noted that through their involvement in establishing work rules and organizational policies, unions may have both positive and negative effects on organizational culture. The impact of unions in managerial decision making is seen clearly in the development of personal policies. It is commonly recognized that unions influence the use of seniority as a criteria for promotions and job transfers. Unions also have an effect on hiring decisions. For example, one managerial response to wage premiums maybe to raise the hiring standards of the firm and in particular to place more emphasis on education as a hiring criteria. The presence of a union may result in the implementation of policies that are in the organization’s best interest. Thus, the presence of a union is associated with more efficient managerial decision making. In particular, this increased efficiency is attributable to the formalization of decision making and the substitution of policy for individual judgment as a basis for decision making. As the preceding discussion indicates, unions have substantial effects on organizational culture through the negotiation of specific provisions in the collective agreement. Additional union effects on organizational culture also accrue during the administration of the collective agreement as management and the union adjusts to the new environmental conditions mandated by the collective agreement. Unions improve organizational culture by supporting, developing, and enforcing values, beliefs, attitudes that are of importance to the members of the organization. As a result, this has a direct effect at increasing productivity and performance. Freeman and Medoff have concluded that unions substantially increase the productivity of organizations. That is, after controlling for various organizational characterizes, unionized firms are more productive than their non-unionized counterparts. However, nionized firms are found to be less profitable than non-unionized firms because the increase in productive do not seem to offset the increased costs of unionization. Freeman and Medoff point out that â€Å"The union impact on the firm’s productivity can be explained by two factors. † First, unionization leads to a more stable workforce by reducing voluntary turnover. A direct consequence of this increase stability is the firm’s investment in human resources management. Second, the union effect on productivity provides a conceptual basis for the hypothesis that unionization may have an effect on individual job performance. For example, through more rigorous selection, investment in employee training, and the institution of more professional management practices, an organization attempts to adjust to the cost of unionism by increasing individual job performance. While the end result of such strategies is an increase in firm productivity, the initial effect is plausibly an increase in individual job performance. It is imperative to note that the union’s effect on firm productivity is moderated by the quality of union-management relations. When the industrial relation climate is favorable, unionization is associated with higher firm productivity. Conversely, a poor quality of union-management relations is associated with decreased productivity in unionized firms. The quality of union-management relationships influences the motivation of employees. When the quality of union management relations is poor, the potential for increments in job performance maybe be offset by decreased individual motivation, work stoppages, and work-to-rule campaigns. Perhaps one of the most well documented effects of unions in organizational culture is the reduction in voluntary employee turnover in unionized industries. According to Clive Fullagar, unions help to reduce turnover in two different ways. First, unions increase wages and improve working conditions. These primary union effects make unionized jobs more attractive and conversely reduce the likelihood of finding an equivalent job. The union affects on benefits and particularly the increase in deferred compensation schemes that favor senior workers, contribute to the union effect on turnover. Similarly, benefits based on seniority also help to decrease the voluntary turnover rate. Second, unions reduce turnover by providing individuals with a voice. Through the provision of employee grievance systems, unions provide the individual an alternative to quitting, the opportunity to redress specific dissatisfactions through the grievance system. Unions provide mechanism for individual to express their dissatisfactions and influence their working conditions. The provision of such mechanism reduces the probability that an individual will voluntarily resign his or her position. If unions reduce voluntary turnover by providing voice mechanisms to individuals then these effects may be logically extended to other forms of individual withdrawal from work such as absenteeism. However, unionized firms experience higher absenteeism rates. Therefore, in this sense unions hurt organizational culture. For example, increased sick-leave benefits negotiated during collective bargaining are associated with higher rates of absenteeism. Another ways in which a union can hurt an organizational culture is by causing strain and stress. While not widely researched, there are conceptual reasons to suggest that unions and the practice of industrial relations have consequences in terms of individual stress and strain. First unions negotiate contract provisions that directly affect working conditions. Management may react by implementing more formal policies and standardized job descriptions. The result of such increased formalization may be experienced as a reduction in role ambiguity and increase in role conflict, which are two components of roles stress. The consequences of worker participation in union activities also have an impact on organization performance and various behavioral outputs. Unions provide discontented workers with a participatory forum and a collective voice at the workplace by means of which they may articulate their feelings rather than exiting temporarily through absenteeism or permanently through turnover. Unions encourage member participation making employees feel valuable to the organization. Union organizations have mechanisms such as a written constitution and bylaws that ensure an opportunity for members to participate in the governance of the organization, hold office, attend meetings, vote in elections, or express dissatisfaction with the leadership. Unions help improve an organization’s culture by maintaining some balance between employer and employee’s rights and responsibilities. Although employers and employees share some common interest, each group is motivated by self-interest. The inherent conflict of interest between employers and employees inevitably creates conflict within any employment relationship, which must be managed effectively. Unions rather than an individual are more effective in managing this conflict of interest and creating an enjoyable working environment. The presence of the union formalizes the employee representation activities because employees may file a grievance if they believe the company has violated the terms of the negotiated agreement. If the company employs an accommodation and labor management cooperation strategy, unions can help by cooperating with management rather than the parties having an adversarial relationship. Management and the unions can actively work together to create an organizational climate and a way of operating that will allow employees to participate directly in decisions in their work areas as members of task teams and as members of problem-solving groups. Unions can contribute to companies’ strategic planning and implementation activities which directly affect the organization’s culture. For example, a union can provide input from a clearly defined group of employees, as well as transfer information about corporate plans and direction to those represented employees. The union leaders can help the rank-and-file employees better understand the business plan and lend credibility to the plan. According to our textbook, The Labor Relations Process, â€Å"Unions can help improve an organization’s culture by reducing the employees feeling of alienation which have resulted from the extensive use of machinery in manufacturing operations. Employees might feel alienated because they have lost contact with their own labor when the product they created were taken away from them, thereby reducing their spirit and status or when they became estranged from fellow employees when their work made them too tired and competitive that they were incapable of having authentic relationships. Unions can and do address a possible aspect of employee alienation, namely the employees’ desire to speak their minds without fear of management reprisal. For example, a union typically indicates to its potential members that the employee’s rights to voice their opinions regarding a managerial action are protected by negotiated grievance procedures and disciplinary polices. In conclusion, Unions play a crucial role in improving an organization’s culture. Therefore the union’s members understanding of organizational culture as well as management recognition of the union as a key player in improving organizational culture is imperative. The above examples indicate that failure to achieve organizational change when necessary can be accredited to the lack of management’s understanding about the important role culture plays for an organization. The most important point of this is that such as an organizational culture is made of members that might be union’s members in a unionized firm, and their approval, understanding, and acceptance of any change in their inherent or traditional culture is essential for an organization to operate effectively. Although, the majority of examples and research suggests that unions have more positive impacts in improving an organization’s culture, they can also hurt it if they don’t develop the skills needed for mutual union-management cooperation such as understanding the business and the problem-solving process. They can hurt the organization’s culture if they don’t maintain contact with the membership to better represent members’ interests. Also, if management doesn’t take steps to reorient its view from seeing unions and labor agreements as constrains to recognizing a more cooperative union-management relationship and provides the union with a secure position as the legitimate, permanent representative of the bargaining unit employees. Bibliography Ashby Franklin C. Revitalize Your Corporate Culture: Powerful Ways to Transform your Company. Golf Professional Publishing. Burlington: MA, 1999. Ashkanasy M. Neal, Wilderon Celeste, and Peterson Mark. Handbook of Organizational Culture and Climate. London: New Delhi, 2004. Clark F. Paul. Building More Effective Unions. Cornell University Press. New York: Ithaca, 2000. Julian Barling, Fullagar Clive, and Kelloway Kevin. The Union Its Members: A Psychological Approach. Oxford University Press. New York: Oxford, 1992. Holley William, Jennings Kenneth, and Wolters Rogers. The Labor Relations Process. South-Western. Ohio: Mason, 2005.

Victorian Era essays

Victorian Era essays The Victorian Era was a time of wide extremes. elegant city streets, gas lamps, and in contrast grinding poverty. It was also a time of exploration and invention. With their pioneer spirit wild frontier towns were born across the world. and with their flare and ingenuity the Victorians took with them their values and elegance. the term Victorian, which literally describes things and events in the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), conveyed connotations of "prudish," "repressed," and "old fashioned." Although such associations have some basis in fact, they do not adequately indicate the nature of this complex, paradoxical age that was a second English Renaissance. Like Elizabethan England, Victorian England saw great expansion of wealth, power, and culture. (What Victorian literary form do you think parallels Elizabethan drama in terms of both popularity and literary achievement?) In science and technology, the Victorians invented the modern idea of invention the notion that one can create solutions to problems, that man can create new means of bettering himself and his environment. In religion, the Victorians experienced a great age of doubt, the first that called into question institutional Christianity on such a large scale. In literature and the other arts, the Victorians attempted to combine Romantic emphases upon self, emotion, and imagination with Neoclassical ones upon the public role of art and a corollary responsibility of the artist. In ideology, politics, and society, the Victorians created astonishing innovation and change: democracy, feminism, unionization of workers, socialism, Marxism, and other modern movements took form. In fact, this age of Darwin, Marx, and Freud appears to be not only the first that experienced modern problems but also the first that attempted modern solutions. Victorian, in other words, can be taken to mean parent of the modern and like most powerful parents, it provoked a powerful ...

Minor v. Happersett - Womens Voting Rights Denied

Minor v. Happersett - Women's Voting Rights Denied On October 15, 1872, Virginia Minor applied to register to vote in Missouri. The registrar, Reese Happersett, turned down the application, because the Missouri state constitution read: Every male citizen of the United States shall be entitled to vote. Mrs. Minor sued in Missouri state court, claiming her rights were violated on the basis of the Fourteenth Amendment. Text of Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments After Minor lost the suit in that court, she appealed to the state Supreme Court. When the Missouri Supreme Court agreed with the registrar, Minor brought the case to the United States Supreme Court. Fast Facts: Minor v. Happersett Case Argued: Feb. 9, 1875Decision Issued: March 29, 1875Petitioner: Virginia Minor, a female U.S. citizen and resident of the state of MissouriRespondent: Reese Happersett, St. Louis County, Missouri, registrar of votersKey Questions: Under the 14th Amendments Equal Protection Clause, and the 15th Amendments assurance that voting rights must not be denied or abridged ... on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude, did women have the right to vote?Majority Decision: Justices Clifford, Swayne, Miller, Davis, Field, Strong, Bradley, Hunt, WaiteDissenting: NoneRuling: The Court ruled that the Constitution  did not grant anyone, specifically female citizens of the U.S., the right to vote. The Supreme Court Decides The US Supreme Court, in an 1874 unanimous opinion written by the chief justice, found: women are citizens of the United States, and were even before the Fourteenth Amendment passedthe right of suffrage the right to vote is not a necessary privilege and immunity to which all citizens are entitledthe Fourteenth Amendment did not add the right of suffrage to citizenship privilegesthe Fifteenth Amendment was required to be sure voting rights were not denied or abridged ... on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude in other words, the amendment was not necessary if citizenship conferred voting rightswomens suffrage was explicitly excluded in nearly every state either in the constitution or in its legal code; no state had been excluded from joining the Union for lack of womens voting rights, including states re-entering the Union after the Civil War, with newly written constitutionsthe US had made no objection when New Jersey explicitly withdrew womens suffrage rights in 1807arguments about the need for womens suffrage were irrelevant to their decision s Thus, Minor v. Happersett reaffirmed the exclusion of women from voting rights. The Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, in granting suffrage rights to women, overrode this decision. Related Reading Linda K. Kerber. No Constitutional Right to Be Ladies. Women and the Obligations of Citizenship. 1998

The Role of Leaders in Harnessing the Individual Qualities of Members Research Paper

The Role of Leaders in Harnessing the Individual Qualities of Members on a Team - Research Paper Example Motivation has been explained to be a reactive mechanism to a reinforcement that people receive in a workplace context (Kerzner, 2003). This means that motivation is a way that people respond to reinforcement to give off their best at work. Motivation, therefore, needs to be triggered by something. In most organizational settings, the word motivation is used to refer to the desire that people should have to put up their best to ensure improved productivity. A worker who is result oriented and normally seen to be on top of his or her job and delivering up to expectation or beyond is therefore seen to be a highly motivated person. It is in this direction that Cherry (2011) explains that â€Å"motivation is defined as the process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviours.† From her definition, it can be seen that motivation actually sets the pace for success as it initiatives goal-oriented behaviours. Motivation also serves as roadmap or yardstick to success a s it guides goal-oriented behaviours. Motivation also acts as an agent of preservation of success as it maintains goal-oriented behaviours. The absence of motivation is, therefore, tantamount to haphazardness at the workplace as it eliminates clear cut focus and goal-oriented behaviour from the organisation. All organisation and institutions are set up with a basic principle of achieving something positive. It is in line with this that there are often mission statements and vision statements for all well-meaning organisations. But in order to achieve the overall mission or vision set by any given organisation, it is very important that a series of projects and tasks are delivered.

Interplay of Bilbo's Tookish and Baggins sides in J.R.R Tolkein's 'The Essay

Interplay of Bilbo's Tookish and Baggins sides in J.R.R Tolkein's 'The Hobbit' - Essay Example Bilbo Baggins, the protagonist, is a timid hobbit who although a good man from inside is prone to living the life that he has always led. He doesn’t leave his home even though he has a ‘Tookish’ adventurous enigma in his blood from his mother’s side. It seems as though the Baggins side (His father’s), overwhelms his personality more than anything else. At the beginning, he is seen to be kind and serene, living in the nobility of his name in his home town and drinking tea like the old English. However, after he is set on the adventure at the persistence of Gandalf the Wizard, probably the friend he admires the most, that he lets other aspects intercept his usually peace and quiet loving nature. At the end though after the battle and when he sees the familiarity of home, he feels at peace again and does not want to go away from it for a long time. He lives in the stories and even though the days seem long to him because he has, after all, made the most exciting journey that settling would be hard after that. Still, it is very clear that he has embraced his Tookish side and is very confident about himself. The conflicts that he was facing early on and during the middle of his journey is nonexistent the heroism he had portrayed at circumstances forth facilitates the better understanding and self-reliance he has now. He does not possess a dual personality; he just had not experienced the many talents and hidden courage he had. They were explored only because Gandalf had faith in his little friend. The transformation he faced from start to end is just learning and molding of character because he still is the same Bilbo Baggins.

Tours To Niagara Falls From New York City Tourism Essay

Tours To Niagara Falls From New York City Tourism Essay New York is one of the most popular tourist destinations. It is the financial capital of America and is also called the big apple. A large number of tourists visit New York every year and the number just keeps on increasing. New York has a number of beautiful locations for sightseeing, such as the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Times Square, WTC memorial, Central Park and many museums, theatres, art galleries, university campuses and amusement parks. Various city tours such as escorted tours, group tours, bus tours, car tours, private tours and individual tours are arranged for the tourists according to their preferences. Escorted tours are structured programs inclusive of sightseeing, meals and accommodations for a group of tourists traveling together, led by well-informed escorts. Escort tours are very popular in America, as they take care of all the details, such as flight bookings, arrival pick up and drop, hotel accommodation, sightseeing and any other requirement that may arise. This gives the tourists a stress- free and enjoyable experience and they are able to make the most of their holiday. The duration of these escorted tours depends on the package chosen by the tourists. They are normally fast paced and wind up in a day or two. Some of the tours cover all the major sightseeing locations in a day, while others offer a more detailed tour. These escort tours give real value for money and time. Tour directors mainly conduct escorted tours and take full responsibility for the tourists and their needs. These tours are conducted by motor coach. Escorted tours offer a very secure sightseeing experience, as the escort is available for any issues tourists might have. A number of New York tour operators offer escorted tours priced at a slightly higher rate than regular tours. Tours To Niagara Falls From New York City New York city is a popular holiday destination, with many attractions and exotic locations. Niagara Falls is located at a distance of one hour, by flight from New York City. Many tour operators arrange convenient one-day tours from the city. The tour operators even arrange the pick- up from the hotel. This is extremely beneficial for tourists who are staying at the New York hotels. Niagara Falls is on the international borders of USA and Canada and can be accessed from both the countries. It is close to Buffalo in New York State and from there, it can be accessed by road. The Niagara Falls is the second largest waterfall in the world and attracts nearly twelve million tourists every year. Some of the tours are conducted at night, when the falls take on a different look. The guided tours are available in foreign languages, such as Spanish, Mexican, Chinese and Russian. These are season specific and are available only in the peak seasons. Most of the tours from New York are also designed for handicapped people and the tour operators make the necessary facilities available, for their transportation and movement. The tour operators also offer discounts on their services. Some tours are arranged by road, but it takes almost eight hours to reach the falls and so the duration of the tour could exceed a day. Boat rides are also included in the tour package, by which tourists get to experience the thrill of being showered by the Niagara Falls. The tours also include a ride in the specially designed elevators that are very close to the falls, to give a closer view. A number of tour operators arrange a variety of tours from New York City to Niagara Falls. Prices vary depending on the type of tour chosen. Free New York City Tours The big apple, as New York is fondly referred to, is the busiest tourist destinations in America. It has a number of attractions and breath-taking locations, that are a tourists delight any time of the day or night. New York is one of the leading metropolitan cities in the world and is considered the finance capital of the world. New York is one of the most expensive cities to tour in the world. Many NGOs and local groups arrange free tours for groups of five to six people. The main purpose of these free tours is to change the opinion many people harbor, that New York is a city without a heart. The idea behind the free tours is to enable tourists with rigid budgets, to be able to enjoy their holiday. These tours help the tourists to cut down on the extra expenses they would normally incur on sight seeing. Some well-known banks also offer free tours of their premises on certain days. The duration of these tours is limited to few hours and tourists need to make advance reservations in order to avail of them. Similarly many public parks, stadiums, art societies and museums offer free tours on certain days and at specific times. These tours also have the free services of qualified guides, who give all the historic and strategic importance of the place being toured. Tourists can also research all the free tour options and reduce their cost on touring considerably. Most of these tours are held as free walking tours to the citys famous landmarks. These free tours are a great way to tour the city and enjoy it with family, friends and fellow tourists. A list of all free tours reveals that, almost half of New York City can be toured without spending much. A Guide To New York City Tours New York city is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world. It is well known for its tall buildings, nightlife and the world famous Statue of Liberty. This finance capital of the world is expensive to tour, but a little research definitely helps. It is natural to get confused while personally designing a tour of this big city, after observing its diverse cultural heritage. Hence, it is advisable to conduct a little research and use the expertise of a tour guide. Many reputed newspapers and magazines of New York publish city guides, in order to help the tourist to find relevant information, even before arriving in the city. Many travel agents conduct their own research and compile their own guides. These guides could be biased towards their own services. Many professionals choose tourism as a profession and dedicate their whole life to gaining valuable, hands- on experience of the tours available. The tour guides compiled and written by them are by far the most accurate and useful to all tourists. These tour guides can be purchased at reputed bookstores and on the Internet. Many travel related websites also conduct their own surveys and compile tour guides. There are many websites dedicated to tourism in New York and tourists find them very useful. A standard tour guide gives the names, addresses and contact numbers of all the hotels and resorts present in the city. It includes the names of all the travel agents, timings and information regarding all the flights and trains arriving and leaving New York, with location maps. The guides also have information of all the tourist attractions and suitable timings. Important information regarding the emergency telephone numbers and contact addresses of all hospitals, police stations and country specific embassies are also included in these guides.

Foxconn and Apple

Subject: Apple and Foxconn controversy from the eye of the consumer Over the last couple years, Apple and Foxconn have been partaking in poor business methods thus causing them a great deal of deserved criticism. The consumer, must decide whether or not to continue buying from Apple because the consumer is what causes Apple to continue to make new products which results in the poor conditions at Foxconn. Foxconn and Apple violate many ethical, moral and basic human principles. The SituationOver the past several years, Apple's major hardware and development contributor, Foxconn, has received a great deal of criticism over their working conditions and benefits. There are over a dozen Foxconn factories in China, all of which employ hundreds of thousands of people. To this day Foxconn remains the leader in electronic component manufacturing. Since 2010, various accounts of mistreatment of employees have arose, causing many controversies. The most significant to date, are the many reporte d suicides of Foxconn plant workers.In early June, the most recent suicide occurred of twenty three year old man. It was the first suicide since Foxconn agreed with the United States and Apple to improve working conditions (Foxconn Suicide, 2012). Prior to this suicide, there had been over a dozen suicides in direct correlation to the poor working conditions and low pay. Various news reports and documentaries arose in 2012 exposes this supposedly giant scandal. Apple, one of the worlds most prominent developers of consumer electronics, is making numerous attempts to fix the current issues at Foxconn. The move comes after Apple, criticized over working conditions at its sprawling chain of suppliers in China, agreed to an investigation by the independent Fair Labor Association earlier this year to stem criticism that its products were built in sweatshop-like conditions† (Foxconn Suicide, 2012). The next several years will be dedicated to making Foxconn a positively labeled corpo ration thus giving Apple is good reputation back. The Impact on a Stakeholder Group (Consumer) As a consistent consumer of Apple products over the last decade, one can only be disappointed in the decisions made by Apple.Of course the consumers were not directly involved in the poor conditions of the company or the deaths of many workers. In reality, we the consumers, are indirectly contributing to the current issues at Foxconn. We choose to purchase their products, buy stocks and invest our hard earned money into a company that chooses to do things the easy way rather than the smart way. In a report written by the Insider Staff in 2012 called Apple, Foxconn and China: The Cost of Manufacturing, they said â€Å"Think of your iPhone you would as a hamburger—the meat was once part of a living, breathing animal.Its life was taken so you could have lunch. This is the price for the type of life we lead, whether it's the price we pay to buy something once living that's now a packag e of hamburger or the price for a brand-new iPhone. † The iPhone, Macbooks and iPods we purchase were all at one point a collection of parts. Thanks to the many news reports, we realize that these parts are stained with the blood, sweat and tears of the many workers just trying to make a living. The consumer is the most affected party in this scenario. We choose to purchase Apple's new products for lower prices and faster shipping.We demand Apple to make newer products knowing that we will then buy them. Through these actions taken by the consumers, it allows for all the problems occurring at the Foxconn factories to continue. Apple does deserve come credit for the attempts they have made to fix all of the previously stated issues. â€Å"There is no question that Foxconn has been scrutinized because it produces products for Apple. Also a few years ago there were a number of suicides at Foxconn factories, which prompted labor groups to start looking into working conditions the re.Apple sent a team to China, including a group led by Tim Cook, who is now Apple's CEO. Apple also hired the non-profit Fair Labor Association to audit working conditions at Foxconn. The group has said that Foxconn has made progress at reducing workers' hours and improving conditions, and that Foxconn and Apple do make an effort to let students know they can resign from Foxconn and still graduate, and link the jobs they do at Apple with their studies† (Adams, 2012). The Fair Labor Association conducted a two week examination of the company to make sure it was up to date on all laws and regulations.Foxconn has raised all workers salaries by 16 to 25 percent. They have chosen to hire tens of thousands of more workers so that never again would an individual die from working a thirty hour shift. The FLA conducts interviews of over a hundred thousand employees to make sure they are content and have no serious, life threatening issues with Foxconn (Poeter, 2012). They correct step s have been taken to regain Apple's status as an ethical and beneficial company, while also fixing all of Apple's supplier companies like Foxconn. Ethical Dilemmas There were many ethical dilemmas after the Foxconn Apple scandal was exposed.A CNN documentary team went there and filmed the companies average work day. On January 29th the CNN report appeared which displayed graphic images of the Foxconn factory. â€Å"The segment graphically showed the suicide nets and the factory, it showed workers reportedly as young as 12 who worked shifts as long as 12 to 14 hours a day, six days a week. It also reported on the death of one worker who died at work after a shift of more than 30 hours. There's no question these condition approach the emotional feeling of slavery, if not legal definition.What's missing from the conversation is that Foxconn builds electronics products for a wide variety of companies, not just Apple† (Apple, Foxconn and China, 2012). All of the previously stated conditions violate countless ethical laws. In an article called Business Ethics- Issues written by Jim Riley, he says that a business can not claim to be ethical if the violate ethical practices such as child labor, production is sweatshops, violation of basic rights and ignoring health and safety issues. Foxconn violated absolutely every single one of these practices.The employed children to work and had them working shifts just as long as your average adult would. The physical conditions of the company were terrible, people were hardly allowed to eat, grime and dirt layered the floors and people worked countless hours shoulder to shoulder. Some have even chosen to compare it to Nazi death camps and the blood diamond controversies in Africa. Due to the constant allegations and controversies, Apple has taken giant steps towards creating a bright future. Apple sent in a Chief Operating Officer to the Chinese facility.The team interviewed more than one thousand workers along with crea ting a 24-hour care center (Sherr, 2011). Since 2007 Apple has audited 288 supplier facilities and even continues to do so even if it mean no longer working with them. Apple has found 91 underage workers in these facilities and will break off any ties to those who choose to overlook the issue. Apple is working hard to establish a good reputation for itself. They are pushing their supplier factories to follow every ethical and business guideline so that we the consumer can be happy and comfortable with the products we are purchasing.Analysis of Solution/Actions The 7 Guidelines for Making Ethical Decisions are a perfect example of the rules in which Apple and Foxconn decided to disobey. Firstly, the TV Test states that managers should always ask, â€Å"would they feel comfortable explain this to a TV audience? † Going back to Foxconn and Apple the clear and most obvious answer to this question is NO. Apple and Foxconn hid every negative aspect of the company for over two years . It was not until 2012 where CNN was allowed to go in and film the factory.If the numerous child workers, poor conditions and suicides were exposed earlier, this issue may have been resolved by now. Instead Foxconn covered up the scandal and allowed it to grow and infest throughout the company. Secondly, every child was raised by the Golden Rule, treat others they way you want to be treated. From the managers perspective, they chose to get things done rather than doing them the right way. What this means is that managers did not obey any ethical rules, rather they pushed workers to the extreme so that they could make as many products as possible.In conclusion, Apple's and Foxconn's violations were unacceptable. However, Apple has taken the right approach in correcting all of the issues at Foxconn. Whether or not it works, Apple has done all they can. Now it lies in the hands of the stakeholders to continue to or not to buy the companies products. Cited Work Adams, S. (2012). Apple' s New Foxconn Embarrassment. Forbes. Com, 8. Apple, Foxconn and China: The Human Cost of Manufacturing. (2012). Channel Insider, 1-2. Foxconn Suicide: Company Says Plant Worker Jumped From Apartment. (2012, June 14). HuffingtonPost.Retrieved  October  7, 2012, from http://foxconn suicide: Company says plant worker jumped from apartment . (2012, June 14). . Retrieved from www. huffingtonpost. com/2012/06/14/foxconn-suicide_n_1596138. html Poeter, D. (2012). Report: Apple Supplier Foxconn Raises Worker Pay at Chinese Plants. PC Magazine, 1. Riley, J. (2012, 9 23). Business ethics- issues. Retrieved from http://www. tutor2u. net/business/strategy/business-ethics-issues. html SHERR, I. (2011, February 15). Apple Says China Partner Made Changes For Workers. Wall Street Journal – Eastern Edition. p. B5.