Healthcare Management Essay

Executive Summary There are over 850,000 physicians practicing in the United States today, covering every imaginable specialty and sub-specialty (Young, Chaudhry, Rhyne, & Dugan, 2011). According to the World Health Organization (2000), even though our country spends more money per capita than any other country in the world, the USA ranks 37 out of the top 191 countries in the world in terms of overall health system performance. Although there are many reasons for this poor performance, several experts cite the lack of emphasis on primary care and true preventative medicine in the US (The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System, 2011). This is a proposal to create a community ambulatory health center in a suburban community that would provide the setting for training family medicine residents. The establishment of such a center would allow a hospital to provide better primary care services to the uninsured and underinsured patients in its community. It may also help reduce unnecessary emergency room visits as well as hospital readmissions by providing quality care to these patients. A training program would also improve the hospital’s ability to recruit and retain actively admitting primary care physicians. The proposal discusses the process for choosing the center’s location, funding models, administrative structures, as well as staffing and architectural requirements. Strategy of Service Lines and Location As mentioned in the executive summary, it is well known that many communities in the US could benefit from increased access to primary care services (Commonwealth Fund Commission, 2011). Even within suburban communities that may appear seemingly affluent, there are often significant socioeconomically challenged populations. The parent hospital would have to conduct a SWOT analysis, to identify its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (Longest & Darr, 2008). In this case, the presence of a family medicine residency program is a great strength, both in clinical and economic ways. Family medicine residents (and their faculty) are well versed in current, best standards of care. Graduate medical education often provides significant revenue streams, as described below. Up to four residents can work under the supervision of a single faculty  physician; often the number of patients seen in a residency clinic far exceeds that of a private office. Weaknesses include the presence of other residency clinics in the region, as well as difficulties recruiting quality residents to a new training program that has no established reputation. It can also be difficult to recruit and retain skilled and motivated faculty physicians for progams, as the compensation for such academic positions is often less than that of purely clinical posts. Threats to this proposal include changes in GME funding (external environment) and the possibility of the residency program losing its accreditation (internal and external environment). In scanning the external environment of the organization, it is possible to identify specific geographic locations that have significant numbers of uninsured/underinsured patients (but still within the hospital’s catchment area). It would also have to be convenient to public transportation, such as bus stops, subway stations, or railroad stations. Analysis of the various economic, political, demographic, and regulatory sectors would also identify the best time and location to create such a clinic. Significant forecasting would also have to confirm that the current external environment would not change in a way that would significantly worsen the chances for the clinic’s success. The creation of this new community health center would fall under the hospital’s directional strategy, as most hospital’s mission and vision statements include caring for the needy in their communities (Longest & Darr, 2008). Management and Personnel Structure Being a hospital-owned facility, a hospital administrator would be the senior manager / liaison; this would most likely be the Vice President for Ambulatory Affairs or Chief Medical Officer. The organization itself would have two chief administrators reporting to the hospital liaison; an Administrative Director (who would be the middle manager responsible for the overall management and vision of the center) and a Medical Director (who would be responsible for clinical activities, supervision, and initiatives). The Medical Director might well be the hospital’s department Chair of Family Medicine. The family medicine residency program would require a full-time physician serving as both Director of Medical Education and residency Program Director. The residency itself would have 24 residents.  In order to maintain an appropriate ratio of preceptors to trainees, there would need to be at least 4 full-time faculty attending physicians (American Osteopathic Association, 2011) An office supervisor (first-level manager) would be responsible for the day-to-day operations in the front (reception) and back (finance) portions of the office. In the front office, the practice would need 3 receptionists who would register patients upon their arrival and answer telephone calls. They would also verify patients’ insurance status. The back office would require 2 coders who would be responsible for verifying correct coding for practice visits, submit claims, and process payments from both patients and third-party payors. Another clerical staff member would be needed to process pre-authorizations and referrals (both incoming and outgoing). Finally, a charting person would be needed (even in an electronic medical record-equipped practice) to accommodate incoming paper / faxed documents. The middle (clinical) part of the office, would require 2 medical assistants who would be responsible for bringing patients from the waiting room into the appropriate area (exam room, laboratory, or procedure room) and triage them (taking and recording vital signs, documenting the chief complaint, and verifying medications and allergies). A registered nurse and licensed practical nurse would be needed to administer vaccinations and medications. Finally, a phlebotomist / lab assistant would be needed to perform venipuncture’s, prepare specimens, and perform CLIA-waived tests. The registered nurse would also serve as the Clinical Supervisor (first-level manager) for the clinical support staff. Funding Model Medicare is the primary formal financier of graduate medical education programs, contributing 72 percent of all tax-financed support. Other federal payors include Medicaid (11 percent), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (10 percent), the U.S. Department of Defense (3 percent), and the Bureau of Health Professions (3 percent) (Young & Coffman, 1998). A teaching hospital will receive direct medical education (DME) payments cover the cost of resident and faculty stipends and benefits, and overhead costs that are directly related to the teaching programs, such as ambulatory  office space. Hospitals also receive funding for indirect medical education (IME) costs because teaching hospitals have more complex case mixes, more uninsured patients, and provided services that were costly but not necessarily well reimbursed, such as trauma centers and transplants units (Cymet & Chow, 2011). These payments are, on average, total $100,000 per resident per year. However, over the last 20 years, the federal government has either frozen GME funding or in some cases, reduced it significantly (especially under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997) (Phillips, et al., 2004). Currently, the family medicine residents in this proposal do result in a net gain for the hospital. With an average salary of $45,000 plus $20,000 in benefits, the hospital stands to net $35,000 per resident. For a program of 24 residents (8 in each year), the hospital would have a net income of $840,000 from Medicare GME funding. Each of the faculty physicians would have their own clinical practice (about 0.25 FTE), so they would bill Medicare and third-party payors for their services. They would have a productivity plan whereby each month they would receive 25% of their revenue after fulfilling their monthly salary/benefit costs. Physical Characteristics / Layout of the Facility Because of the educational nature of the practice (i.e. a residency teaching clinic), the physical layout of the facility has specific needs. In the front portion of the office, the waiting room needs to have ample seating to allow for extended wait times associated with teaching clinics. The waiting room would also have to be child-friendly, with easily disinfected toys (i.e. no stuffed animals). Because many potential patients will have to apply for Medicaid or hospital-based charity programs, it would be ideal to have an office (or at least a kiosk) where a financial coordinator could meet with patients in a private area. Since this would be a multi-specialty practice with dozens of residents and attending physicians, there would need to be a large number of exam rooms, perhaps 18, all with exam tables equipped with stirrups to accommodate pelvic exams, Pap smears, and STD testing. There would also need to be a large procedure room to accommodate the need for various gynecological (colposcopy, endometrial biopsy, IUD placement/removal, etc.) and other types of procedures (suturing, biopsies. etc.). The center would also have a spacious area dedicated to residents for  charting and research, as well as two precepting rooms where clinical cases can be discussed with faculty physicians. There would be a conference room equipped with a computer and LCD projector for presentations and discussions. Numerous computer workstations throughout the clinic would allow access to an electronic medical records system. One exam room could be equipped for videotaping that is used (with the patient’s permission) to observe residents as they demonstrate the core competencies while providing patient care. The center would need a laboratory for the collection and processing of blood and other specimens. In order to avoid the same stringent regulations and testing associate with a hospital or reference laboratory, the center would only perform CLIA-waived tests such as finger-stick blood glucose testing, throat cultures, and urine dipstick analysis (CDC and CMS, 2006). The building would al so ideally have offices for each of the faculty attending physicians, as well as for administrative and support staff. Clinical Practice As mentioned previously, this community health center would offer multiple specialties. The main service would be primary care. Family medicine residents, under the supervision of faculty preceptors, would provide general internal medical, pediatric, obstetric (pre- and post-natal), and gynecologic care to patients of all ages. Additionally, other specialty physicians would be available for special â€Å"clinics†: obstetrics (perinatal) and advanced gynecology twice a week, dermatology once a week, and general surgery, gastroenterology, pulmonology, cardiology, and urology once a month. These specialty services are essential in serving the needs of the target population: uninsured and underinsured (i.e. Medicaid) patients who are unable to see these specialists in private practice. Credentialing The Chair of Family Medicine is responsible for maintaining records of each attending physician’s credentials. These would include a New York State Medical License (with updated registration), DEA registration (to prescribe controlled substances), copies of medical school and residency diplomas, proof of board certification (and maintenance), records of continuing  medical education, and CPR/Advanced Cardiac Life Support training cards. The Director of Medical Education / Residency Program Director is responsible for maintaining records for each resident physician such as their medical school diplomas/transcripts, licensing examination transcripts, ACLS training, and signed residency contracts. Local zoning and legal concerns Consideration must be given as to the choice of commercial property for this ambulatory health center. The ideal location would be a pre-existing medical office building that has already been zoned for a medical practice, and has the required number of parking spaces (especially handicapped) and adequate access in and out of the building. A multi-level building must have elevators that are compliant with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) regulations. In County, a Certificate of Need must be granted before a new healthcare facility can be built. There are also village and town zoning ordinances that must be considered when modifying or creating a medical office building . The center would fall under the jurisdiction of the same regulatory bodies as that of its parent hospital, and would be setup as a not-for-profit organization, since a significant portion of its care would be uncompensated.

Free Essays on Gawain

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is filled with magic and symbolism. Morgan le Faye and Merlin are responsible for the magic of the Green Knight. There are three literal hunts (deer, boar, and fox), three symbolic hunts (the attempts to seduce Gawain), and three hits of the Green Knight's ax. The deer is timid, the boar is ferocious, and the fox is cunning and sly. The characteristics of the animals are symbolic of Gawain and the challenges set before him. There is great significance in the fact that the events in this poem occur in multiples of three. Three times Gawain is tempted by the lovely lady, and on the third time, he succumbs to her temptations, by accepting the green belt. The hunts take place on three different days. The third day, Gawain withholds a portion of his earnings. The Green Knight swings at Gawain three times. He purposely misses the first two times. On the third time he taps him, leaving a scar. The significance of all these threes is that Christianity teaches the trilogy: the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost. Almost everything in life falls into groups threes: man, women, child; three trimesters to the birth of a child; the Sun, Moon and the Earth. The fact that the events unfold in counts of threes explains the depth with which the anonymous poet was trying to connect this story and this passage to the bible and biblical events.... Free Essays on Gawain Free Essays on Gawain Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is filled with magic and symbolism. Morgan le Faye and Merlin are responsible for the magic of the Green Knight. There are three literal hunts (deer, boar, and fox), three symbolic hunts (the attempts to seduce Gawain), and three hits of the Green Knight's ax. The deer is timid, the boar is ferocious, and the fox is cunning and sly. The characteristics of the animals are symbolic of Gawain and the challenges set before him. There is great significance in the fact that the events in this poem occur in multiples of three. Three times Gawain is tempted by the lovely lady, and on the third time, he succumbs to her temptations, by accepting the green belt. The hunts take place on three different days. The third day, Gawain withholds a portion of his earnings. The Green Knight swings at Gawain three times. He purposely misses the first two times. On the third time he taps him, leaving a scar. The significance of all these threes is that Christianity teaches the trilogy: the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost. Almost everything in life falls into groups threes: man, women, child; three trimesters to the birth of a child; the Sun, Moon and the Earth. The fact that the events unfold in counts of threes explains the depth with which the anonymous poet was trying to connect this story and this passage to the bible and biblical events....

Motivation and empowerment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Motivation and empowerment - Assignment Example Charlotte and the reactions of the employees to those demands because it argues that various employees needs should be recognized and varied rewards be given to them according to their individual needs (Daft 2011). The first option is that she be paid salary according to her level of production as stated by Taylor’s theory minus commissions. The second option is that she be paid on commission basis according to the sales she makes. The option I choose is that of commission basis minus salary because it will avoid complains by fellow employees as she will receive pay according to her hard work (Daft 2011). Mayo’s theory which states that pay alone does not satisfy employees but social needs such as treating employees in a humane and caring manner can be applied to boost the employees’ morale (Daft 2011). It is clear from the passage that the employees are demoralized and they need to be motivated by showing them how important they are so that they will not see as if Charlotte is given a royal treatment than them. Also Maslow and Herzberg theory that states that individual needs of employees should be recognized and rewarded accordingly be applied (Daft

PESTEL REPORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PESTEL REPORT - Essay Example Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environment and Legal issues greatly differ in respect to domestic as well as the global structure. PESTEL analysis provides an overview towards the different external factors that the business or organization has to take into consideration. The Political environment of the country highly contributes to the stability of the nation which is as vital aspect to consider regarding the business development. Political factors include intervention of government policies, labor laws, trade restrictions and tax policies. The Economic influences of a nation or the global environment provide a great impact on the business operation and decision making. These factors include the growth of the economy, inflation rate, exchange-rate, globalization, GDP and GNP growth. The Social and cultural aspects of a region contribute considerably to the products demand and business market. The social factors include population growth rate, career attitudes, age dist ribution safety measures, educational infrastructure and cultural taboos. Technological aspect of the business determines the production level and affects the cost and quality of the products. Technological factors include R&D activity, automation, rate of technological change, emergence of new technologies and impact of communication. Environmental issues directly or indirectly affect the business well-being in regard to its kind. Environmental factors include ecological and environmental aspects such as climatic change, weather. Also environmental awareness creates an impact towards the production of products either positively or negatively. Legal issues are widely taken into consideration when establishing a business in a particular region. Legal factors include consumer law, discrimination law, employment law, and health and safety law. Depending on these factors, a PESTEL analysis should provide a context for the business in relation to its external environment. After having a brief introduction about all these factors, let us take a deeper discussion on the effect and influence of economic factors in business growth and development. Influence of Economic factors on business: The economic environment of a country greatly influences the businesses and their market. Though economic factors are out of control for business, it shows a profound effect on the performance and marketing of the business products. It contributes to the product demand, cost structure, pricing strategies, profitability and various other issues within the concern. In addition, it provides a direct impact on the behavior of the consumer in buying the business products. In case of international business, it is a vital one to consider the economic environment of the region or country as it provides a prominent influence over the business growth and its products market. On the whole, â€Å"the strengthening of an economy will generally benefit industries, but the extent of its effect wil l vary according to which economic factors are most affected.† (Henry 2008). One of the major aspects that impact business and economy is the Gross Domestic Product rate (GDP). A constant and positive level GDP is essential to sustain a good business economy. A business GDP has to be on a constant check and appropriate measures have to be taken to maintain the same. Appropriate changes to the policies will

LEADERSHIP Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LEADERSHIP - Case Study Example He came up with strategies to bring change in the organization without analysing what the existing culture of the organization is and it has been the major reason for failure. Harold was ineffective as a change agent and as a social architect for HTE. There are different reasons for him for considering him ineffective and the most important reasons include that he did not understand the organizational culture of HTE and implemented things without knowing what has been prevailing at HTE for years. If Harold has another chance to become the President of HTE, then it is important for him to first understand the organizational culture and how the work is performed at the company and then come up with strategies and recommendations. Also he needs to communicate the reasons for bringing change to make the change successful. Making strategies can be ineffective if it does not match with the organizational culture. Also vision is important for the company, however the execution is as important and therefore he should have planned things both in short term and in long term rather than targeting long term objectives only. Dr. Cook is a good example of transformational leadership. There are different characteristics found in how he manages the team that can be compared to transformational leader. Behaviours of a transformational leader are found in the leadership style of Dr. Cook as he sets his example as a role model that influences others. He articulated goals to make the tour a success, communicated high expectations and encouraged two-way communication that lead to high morale and increase in confidence, and all these behaviours resulted in achievement of goals of each and every individual. The leadership style of Dr. Cook can be considered as highly effective with respect to full range of Leadership Model. Highly effective leader would include the 4

Saudi Arabia's political future in the region Research Paper

Saudi Arabia's political future in the region - Research Paper Example There have been a number of uprisings which in actual fact led to the brining down of 3 Arab leaders, whereas others have been threatened and introduced to a whole new historic period of transformation (Agence France Press 56). These events painted one of the significant features of modern Arab societies which include their huge and growing youth populations. Studies have been undertaken from time to time, indicating the extent which the youth in Arab countries influence the political, social and economic future of the Arab countries (Alexander 87). This is what forms basis in this paper, Saudi Arabia’s Political future in the region. On the other hand, the events of the precedent historical developments in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Syria, Yemen, Morocco and even Oman highlight the advancing position of the youth in shaping the future of this region (Alexander 96). It is therefore evident that Saudi Arabia is facing the Arab Awakening which is strong enough to shift the regions political central force from an old generation of dictators to a new and young generation of democratic leaders. And without warning, the youth of Saudi Arabia are in the fore front more than willing to shape and change the political future of their own country. It is evident that the young people and the entire population of old people in Saudi express a lot of patriotism for King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz for the reason that he is largely perceived as a religious, compassionately and a person who has good interests for the people of Saudi at heart (Schanzer 111). A large number of King Abdulaziz subjects show admiration to his reformist standpoint for instance in various fields like education and the rights of women. Whereas the good regards may not go further than to everybody in the administrative royal family, the political framework of Saudi obtains prevalent and well known authority among Saudis which includes the youth. In March 2011, a call on social media for Saudiâ⠂¬â„¢s â€Å"Day of Rage† was evident. As a matter of fact, this occurred several weeks subsequent to the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had been thrown out and anxiety in the region was becoming apparent (Alexander 96). However, on the day that the rage was to take center stage, journalists in Riyadh were able to capture only one protestor in the town of five million people. In the real sense there are a number of reasons behind this evident change of mind or lack of interest in the rage anymore. Firstly, there was an intensive police presence which entailed use of helicopters in the Riyadh streets that particular day. Secondly, the government is known to deal severely with those who resist its injunctions or go against/criticize its rules further subjecting them to illogical arrest and long-serving detention (Lynch 43). For instance the â€Å"Day of Rage’s single protester, a forty year old teacher Khalid Al Johani was put to detention moments subsequent to his pu blic declaration to journalists that Saudi Arabia is a â€Å"police state†. Several months soon after, Al Johani was jailed with no charges 4 months (Lynch 43). On the other hand a cluster of a dozen reformist and activists in Jeddah who were deliberating on coming up with a political party, that is prohibited in the Kingdom, were lately sentenced to long serving prison terms of up to thirty years subsequent to undisclosed trial charges,

Managing Human Resources In Modern Business

Managing Human Resources In Modern Business Human Resource Management is a way of management that links people-related activities to the strategy of a business or organisation. HRM is often referred to as strategic HRM. It has several goals: To meet the needs of the business and management (rather than just serve the interests of employees); To link human resource strategies / policies to the business goals and objectives; To find ways for human resources to add value to a business; To help a business gain the commitment of employees to its values, goals and objectives The link between Human Resources and Business Strategy All elements of the business strategy have implications for human resources, as illustrated in the table below. The challenge for management is to identify and respond to these HR challenges: Examples of Key Strategy Issues Possible Human Resource Implications What markets should the business compete in? What expertise is required in these markets? Do existing management and employees have the right experience and skills Where should the business be located to compete optimally? Where do we need our people? How many do we need? How can we achieve improvements in our unit production costs to remain competitive? How productive is the workforce currently? How does this compare with competitors? What investment in the workforce (e.g. training, recruitment) and their equipment is required to achieve the desired improvement in productivity? How can the business effect cultural change? What are the current values of the workforce. How can the prevailing culture be influenced/changed to help implement a change programme? How can the business respond to rapid technological change in its markets? What technological skills does the business currently possess? What additional skills are needed to respond to technological change? Can these skills be acquired through training or do they need to be recruited? An important part of HRM is the Human Resources Plan. The purpose of this plan is to analyse the strategic requirements of the business in terms of manpower and then to find a way of meeting the required demand for labour. Human resource management can be identifying in direction of Hard-Soft and Loose-Tight. HRM has both side hard (tight) and soft (loose).Soft HRM in an important strategic planning building it will show the company the path of further where its now what need to be done in future and it can be well defined as a future planning process a development in HRM. The components of SOFT HRM are categorized as; Defining where the company is now Identification of where the company is now and what its strengths and weakness is an important component for soft HRM in decision making. Without a proper understanding of the companys present situation HRM cannot be continued else it will end up with a mess. Defining where the company want to be in the future. A proper forecast of the future is an essential component not only for HRM but also for any other management function. This will give a guide to human resource and its easy to make decisions and plans. Analysis of the external environment. Environment is an important fact to business because environment consists of people who some time company identify them as customers and sometimes as employees. The knowledge of external environment will give company opportunities and threads.HRM is managing people the source where people come from is the external environment so analysis is an important fact. Plans to implement necessary changes. After identification of the company present, future progress and the external environment company can take HRM decisions which are necessary to the company. This will be very useful to a company in planning decisions such as recruitment and cost management. The determination of type of works need to be carried out by workers are recognized as HARD HRM. In human resource management a proper level of activities are need to be maintain. There might be different departments in a company and it doesnt want all departments to be efficient. HARD HRM activities can be categorized as; Forecasting of employees A certain number of employees are needed to be in the company to carry out day to day work and to give out the expected out put in a given period. The forecast of demand in future about the product and services makes employee changes. Analysis of employees Analysis of the current working employees within the company makes the company future demand plans on product or supply. This will also effect on the future recruitments Monitoring and reviewing employees HR activities are practically monitored and review of the existing employees is important in order to get a successful HRM in a company. Human resource is an asset to a company some companies dont know how to handle it. According to Storey (1995) HRM is A distinctive approach to employment management which seek to achieve competitive advantages through the strategic deployment of a highly committed capable work force using an integrated array of cultural, structural and personnel techniques. He as defined Personnel management as A series of activities which first enable working people and their employing organization to agree about the objectives and the nature of their working relationship and secondary ensure that agreement is fulfilled. According to the above definition we can understand that HRM is a resource centred and PM is work centred which mean that , according to HRM its main focuses is on recruiting people to work and managing them as management need and PM focuses on the employee work, giving them goals, employee arrangement to work and arranging them to be paid. According to David Guest there is a frame work for HRM in a company which is called as GUEST model. The model can be achieved a superior individual and organizational performance. If companys HRM practises are applied in to the model that will produce an excellent individual performance. Unilever Since 1885 Unilever has developed dramatically and as a result of that the company has lasted for more than 100 years. Although Unilever wasnt formed until 1930, the companies that joined forces to create the business we know today were already well established before the start of the 20th century. In 1990 Unilevers founding companies produced products made of oils and fats, principally soap and margarine. At the beginning of the 20th century their expansion nearly outstrips the supply of raw materials. First World War affected the company in 1910 through tough economic conditions. Lot of companies at that time tried to keep their investors interest in Their Company and not loose them. In 1920 when this situation turns up side down when business expanding fast all the companies agreed not to manufacture same product in order to have profit, as a result of this the company named U NILEVER was created. The business didnt start as a flash it had been formed in a critical era of world war and in economical crisis stages. The turning point for unilever was in 1940 when they expand their business internationally and continues to do further investments in research and development. They mainly focused on the food market which was a great business at that time. With the emerge of European Economic Community in 1950s the standard of living has rose and new markets were opened unilever made that as a advantage and instantly get in to the global market. In 1970s Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector had been very difficult economic condition to manage and the inflation was high the company had to change their view and to change their process in business. In 1980s the company however manage to be the one of the world biggest companies, and at that time the companys main focus was in the products and brand names. With a clear mission in the 21st century company has launched a path to growth, a five-year strategic plan, and in 2004 further sharpens its focus on the needs of 21st century-consumers with its Vitality mission. Unilever new mission to meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene, and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good, and get more out of life The new mission of the company provides a new entry to consumer health and life style through good manufacture process to their needs. This mission was launched in 2004 mainly focusing on bringing Vitality to life UNILIVER BRANDS UNILEVER GUEST MODEL HRM Strategy: The focus of Unilever is to recruit the best employee to the company which will produce high level of out come with good quality. Unilever has more than 100,000 employees and the cost of employee recruitment is very high and the salary is also the same, so as a result in some branches unilever has decided to reduce the number of employees to maintain the cost. HRM Practice Each year Unilever has been designed more than 10,000 new jobs and the process of selection is getting rough. Since E-Recruitment has been invented Unilever has chosen that in recruitment process and that has given the company the best employees and that will ensure the security of employees. The existing employees will be rewarded with salary incensement and other benefits. HRM Out comes The flexibility in company is very high and there are lot of part-time workers than fixed workers in the production unit. The reason for that is most of the production unit was in Asian countries and the labour is cheaper than European countries and they work either contract basis or part time. Though employees work flexibly the qualities of products have been in a good standard. Behaviour out come The company has spread over 150 countries and each has been producing same products in four major business criteria and all are working harder in order to achieve future goals. The company motivation is to improve employee skills so that in turn it will benefit the company. Performance outcome Though the company has spread around the world with more than 100,000 employees, the labour turnover is very high and complains of employee dissatisfaction is very high. Unilever in UK has the best productivity rate than any other unilever round the world. Due to low quality of out put in products customer complaints are increasing and as a result the company has to analyse the mistakes and re arrange the production plan which will cost an extra. Financial Outcome The labour cost maintains will reduce the extra cost that company has to hold and that will give a profit to company. Each year company will produce about à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5 billion net income. Evaluation of the GUEST model The guest model is an important measure to be use to get knowledge about HRM in a company. The main advantage of the module is that it critically classifies the HRM input and out puts and its easy to study the companys Key HRM strategies. Unilever is a multinational company and the module is rather complicated to calculate the specific HRM strategic and its rather concern on individual performance than social index. Some concepts such as commitment and involvement are a mess. Such concepts cannot be measured or identified because the company is widely spread. The company more prefer the Legge module than guest model because its complicated and some concepts wont match with the company. Module is efficient in calculating the human recourse management within the company and its a summary of what HRM means the company but in case of multinational company like Unilever cannot get through this process perfectly because of that the company has spread all over the world and as one unit company cannot collect the sufficient data and if company performance and the nature is always defer from one country to another. Task 2 Today flexibility in the work environment is considered important. Taking your organization as an example, review and discuss the ways of developing flexibility within the workplace Flexibility in work is an important key to a company, if the company need employee attraction and not to lose them. Flexibility means the way of working, which means that flexibility can be based on time and location. The flexibility in work can be categorized as follows; Part-Time Workers Part time workers are cheaper to recruit and they are not permanent and cannot involve in management procedures. The rights of part time workers are limited. 2. Fixed/Short-Term Contract Workers Workers who are taken at a specified period as the company need. 3. Outside Contractors/ Sub Contractors Group of workers or individual worker requites from out side the company for a special work at a specific time. 4. Self Employed labour People who work for an exact company as a self employed basis. 5. Agencies Agencies which supply employees to companies which seeks for labour. 6. Get the customer to do the work Without any employee customer fulfil his needs by him self by use of technology. 7. Shift working A continue way of working where employees work according to a time based system. 8. Flexi-Time A way of making decision by employee about his working time with in a core time 9. Job Share A way of sharing once works with other who work full time job on a part time basis. 10. Annualized Hours A number of hours labour is given to employee and he need to complete that within a year. 11. Tele working An easy way of working, by the use of technology employee can work at his own place, home, or even at road. 12. Hot Disking/Hotel ling Employees need to go outside the company for specific job and they have a specific desk for them self in the office for permanently. 13. Home working This is the same as tele working and work can be carried out in home and this no need of network or communication As shown above flexibility of work can achieve the company a high standard in business and the satisfaction of the employee will be high because they get what they need. The flexibility in work will give advantage as well as disadvantages. Some of them are as follow. Employer view Employee satisfaction will reduce employee strikes etc. High level of outcome can be achieve Cost of employee is low Sometime cost cannot be maintained Employee internal competition will effect on company Company manufacture process or sales can be continue without a stop Employee view Employee satisfaction is high Working stress is low There will be a new can do attitude in the business Time can be managed to do personal works Employers will miss use the labour Some times salary payment will be postponed. At Unilever, they are giving employees (and not just the women) the chance to work flexibly for years. Flexible working can mean Working part-time, Working from home Job sharing . Most who take up the opportunity are parents. But not all. One Unilever employee played hockey for the Olympic team and was allowed to work flexibly in order to train more often. Another was given a sabbatical to practice with his rock band. These examples show how unilever has given flexibility for their employees. When it comes to maternity and paternity packages, Unilever beats many other businesses. Company also believe in educating managers about the merits of employing mums. Work life initiative has been developed many years in response to employee request in Unilever. Unilever believes that this will make employee attraction on the company and the satisfaction will rise above the roof. Unilever sees the flexibility as an important issue because that directly effect on employees and without them company cannot carry out the works. Unilever as a company has arrange different ways of flexibility in work specially for mother who work full time, company has given them a holiday system where they can take holidays without a pre notice. The most of the part time worker in the company are employed in Europe rather than Asia. Task 3 Discuss the issues of providing equal opporlunities within the workplace and evaluate how well the chosen organization provides equal opportunities for its employees. Over the past 30 years, several federal laws have been passed to ensure equal employment opportunity. Some of the most significant legislation and executive orders are as follow; Civil Right Act 1991 Americans with Disability Act 1990 Vocational Rehabilitation Act 1973 Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) 1967 Civil Rights Act 1964 The point of the law is to stop discrimination practices that are unfair to specific groups and to define enforcement agencies for these laws. EEO legislation attempts to balance the pay given to men and women; provide employment opportunities without regard to race, religion, national origin and sex; ensure fair treatment for employees of all ages; and avoid discrimination against disabled individuals. The heads of all operating companies and units in the UK have committed their businesses to achieving greater diversity. Every Unilever Company in the United Kingdom has an equal opportunities Policy and actively pursues equality of opportunity for all employees. Companys equal opportunities policy is designed, among other things, to ensure that people with disabilities, and other under-represented groups, are given the same training, development and prospects as other employees. The company carries out regular employee monitoring surveys and has also conducted an equal pay audit. The company continues to review ways in which greater diversity can be achieved in recruitment and selection. The company continues to put in place policies which promote the achievement of diversity in the business. Unilever has policies on home working, flexible working, maternity and paternity leave, child care provision and career breaks, which help company to meet this objective. Equal opportunities and managing diversity at Unilever Unilever understands the importance of diversity and thats why it is a critical component of company has a diverse consumer base with a diverse array of needs. By mirroring that diversity within companys own organization, Unilever can develop powerful consumer insight and incorporate it throughout the business. Company seek and welcome unique talents and perspectives at Unilever, because they strengthen us as a company and help us on our journey to add vitality to life in a variety of ways. Unilever has created many avenues to enhance and expand the diversity of the company. Led by senior management, companys diversity councils help shape the diversity and inclusion philosophy company deliver to employees. Through training and awareness efforts, employees appreciate the power of diversity and the need to leverage the unique ideas, experiences and abilities employees all possess to build their business. Unilever recruitment strategy continues to evolve to ensure that our workforce reflects the demographics of their consumer base and fulfils the talent needs that will keep Unilever competitive and successful now and in the future. Diversity for growth of the company Unilever believes that working in an environment of openness and respect helps employees perform at their very best and ultimately succeed. When employees express their own thoughts and ideas and encourage others to do so it contributes to a diverse marketplace of ideas that helps make Unilever a more robust organization with a better understanding of its markets. Because Unilevers diverse employee base reflects the broad backgrounds of our consumers, were able to anticipate and respond to what they want more quickly. The employees express pride and satisfaction when were first to market innovative products that meet consumers evolving needs. The individual uniqueness of each and every employee, and our commitment to growing diversity, make that possible. Diversity at Unilever Unilever recognizes the strength of inclusion and diversity. Understanding, respecting and valuing their similarities and our differences are powerful and compelling concepts for todays business environment. They are also the tenets by which we have outlined a fundamental business strategy to assist in reaching company goals. 1. Recruit Recruit a diverse workforce that appropriately reflects the demographics of our consumer base and fulfils the talent needs that will keep Unilever competitive and successful. Diversity furthers company understanding of the marketplace by valuing the ideas and thoughts of all employees and other stakeholders in the business. 2. Retain Employees within the company Retain employees by fostering an environment in which all employees understand and value each other and our differences. company recognize that all businesses change over time. For business to grow, company need employees who possess an in-depth understanding of the business and the flexibility to anticipate and respond to changes in the marketplace. Company can develop and retain employees by providing equitable opportunities, together with a challenging environment that rewards new approaches, risk-taking and novel points of view, thereby creating a culture that values diversity. 3. Grow the business innovate Continually grow the business and innovate by embracing diversity of thoughts and ideas. Create a work environment that fosters and supports enthusiasm, business risk and new ideas. Innovation is key to driving their business forward both now and over the long term and it hinges on a multiplicity of ideas and ways of approaching a problem. By building a diverse employee population that brings many different life experiences to the table, we vastly improve their prospects for innovation and growth. 4. Development of employees Develop employees to help them reach their professional potential. As organization customers and distribution channels continue to evolve, so too must our employee base. Investing in the development of employees is essential to organization growth. 5. Hold accountable in company Establish accountability. All employees are responsible for proactively supporting Unilevers goals, and they are evaluated accordingly. Specific behaviours and actions that promote an understanding and appreciation of diversity are incorporated into individual performance plans. Diversity is one of the thrusts of Strategy into Action, the plan that drives all aspects of our business. Employees are expected to contribute to the success of diversity goals just as they are expected to contribute to other priorities of the business By focusing on Unilever goals for diversity as part of our overall business strategy, we recognize that they are intertwined. Indeed, our success and prosperity are inextricably linked to company ability to embrace diversity in every part of the organization. Valuing diversity is the job of everyone Unilever employees, contractors, and vendors. It is the way we work and the way we do business, day in and day out. Task 4 Identify the key emerging issues in the area of human resources management in generai and explore the topical issues and practices of human resources in your organization. Armstrong and Baron define performance management as A process which contributes to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organizational performance. As such, it establishes shared understanding about what is to be achieved and an approach to leading and developing people which will ensure that it is achieved. They go on to stress that it is a strategy which relates to every activity of the organization set in the context of its human resource policies, culture, style and communications systems. The nature of the strategy depends on the organizational context and can vary from organization to organization. In other words performance management should be: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Strategic it is about broader issues and longer-term goals à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Integrated it should link various aspects of the business, people management, and individuals and teams. It should incorporate: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Performance improvement throughout the organization, for individual, team and organizational effectiveness à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Development unless there is continuous development of individuals and teams, performance will not improve à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Managing behavior ensuring that individuals are encouraged to behave in a way that allows and fosters better working relationships. While most firms have a human resources or personnel department that develops and implements HRM practices, responsibility lies with both HR professionals and line managers. The interplay between managers and HR professionals leads to effective HRM practices. For example, consider performance appraisals. The success of a firms performance appraisal system depends on the ability of both parties to do their jobs correctly. HR professionals develop the system, while managers provide the actual performance evaluations. The nature of these roles varies from company to company, depending primarily on the size of the organization. This discussion assumes a large company with a sizable HRM department. However, in smaller companies without large HRM departments, line managers must assume an even larger role in effective HRM practices. HR professionals typically assume the following four areas of responsibility: establishing HRM policies and procedures, developing/choosing HRM methods, monitoring/evaluating HRM practices, and advising/assisting managers on HRM-related matters. HR professionals typically decide (subject to upper-management approval) what procedures to follow when implementing an HRM practice. For example, HR professionals may decide that the selection process should include having all candidates complete an application, take an employment test, and then be interviewed by an HR professional and line manager. HR professionals also consult with management on an array of HRM-related topics. They may assist by providing managers with formal training programs on topics like selection and the law, how to conduct an employment interview, how to appraise employee job performance, or how to effectively discipline employees. HR professionals also provide assistance by giving line managers advice about specific HRM-related concerns, such as how to deal with problem employees. Line managers direct employees day-to-day tasks. From an HRM perspective, line managers are mainly responsible for implementing HRM practices and providing HR professionals with necessary input for developing effective practices. Managers carry out many procedures and methods devised by HR professionals. For instance, line managers: Interview job applicants Provide orientation, coaching, and on-the-job training à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Provide and communicate job performance ratings à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Recommend salary increases à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Carry out disciplinary procedures à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Investigate accidents à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Settle grievance issues The development of HRM procedures and methods often requires input from line managers. For example, when conducting a job analysis, HR professionals often seek job information from managers and ask managers to review the final written product. Additionally, when HR professionals determine an organizations training needs, managers often suggest what types of training are needed and who, in particular, needs the training. Health and Safety at Unilever Occupational Health and Safety is an essential element of a successful and sustainable business in todays global village. Consequently, Unilever takes responsibility for Occupational Health and safety very seriously. Sustainable, profitable growth for Unilever is dependent on: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Providing consumers and customers with products that are safe in use. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Protecting the health and safety of employees and contractors. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Managing activities so as to provide care and protection of the environment To achieve a safe working environment and a world class reputation for Unilever in Health Safety at Work Some companies take some actions in order to retain health and safety in the company. Some may be in success but some companies cant achieve that goal. Unilever achieves health and safety by followings; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Developing, designing, operating and maintaining facilities and processes that are safe and without risk to health. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Developing, introducing and maintaining systems, which will establish appropriate standards of occupational health and safety and ensure compliance with all applicable legislation and internal Unilever standards by means of regular auditing? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Setting annual improvement objectives, targets, and reviewing these to ensure they are being met at company, divisional and departmental levels to ensure continual improvement. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Involving all employees in the preparation, review and implementation of this policy and providing appropriate training and safety awareness. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Holding management at all levels accountable for the occupational health and safety performance of their staff. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Providing for dissemination of information on health and safety at work by establishment of suitable communication networks both within Unilever Ghana and with outside bodies. Recruitment Process at Unilever Recruitment refers to the process of screening, and selecting qualified people for a job at an organization or firm, or for a vacancy in a volunteer-based organization or community group. While generalist managers or administrators can undertake some components of the recruitment process, mid- and large-size organizations and companies often retain professional recruiters or outsource some of the process to recruitment agencies. External recruitment is the process of attracting and selecting employees from outside the organization. The recruitment industry has four main types of agencies: employment agencies, recruitment websites and job search engines, headhunters for executive and professional recruitment, and in-house recruitment. The stages in recruitment include sourcing candidates by advertising or other methods, and screening and selecting potential candidates using tests or interviews. Job Analysis The proper start to a recruitment effort is to perform a job analysis, to document the actual or intended requirement of the job to be performed. This information is captured in a jo