April 19, 2010

Today in class we got our presentation grades back and did a few wrap up activities. Then we did a review for the test and were done for the day. I can't believe that was our last class, this semester went by really fast. Hopefully I will continue to remember all the things we learned in this class and put it to use in my career.

April 12 and 14 Reflections

These last two days of class we have watched everyone present their research topics. It has been interesting to see the different topics chosen and presented. I think we have all learned a lot of new and interesting information. Now we all just need to continue to work on and finish our research papers.

April 5, 2010 Reflection

Today in class we discussed the differences between Wal-mart and Costco, two of the biggest and most successful companies in America today. They are both very successful in the way they are fun but they are also very different. Wal-mart does not take the best care of their employees while Costco does an excellent job. It was interesting comparing them and thinking about how it's amazing Wal-mart still has people that want to work there so regularly. After that we discussed other random things from the chapter and then talked about our presentations that are due next week!

March 31, 2010 Reflection

Today in class we watched a Johnson & Johnson video about how they create such a great company to work for. J & J does a great job in making their employees really feel valued and as if they are an asset to the company. After watching the video and discussing it, we talked about the common ethical perspectives. These include: 1. Utilitarianism 2. Deonotology 3. Virtue ethics. It was interesting listening to the differences between these three and going more in detail about them.

March 29, 2010 Reflection...

Today in class we continued to discuss the factors affecting HRM in international markets. Then we covered Hofstede's five dimensions of culture. 1. Individualism/collectivism 2. Power distance 3. Uncertainty avoidance 4. Masculinity/femininity 5. Lon-term/short-term. Then we talked about foreign assignments and the emotional cycle that accompanies it. The emotional cycle is: 1. Honeymoon stage 2. Culture shock 3. Learning 4. Adjustment. We were able to cover a lot of important topics today in class.

Chapter 16...

- -Concept and Brief Description: Creating and Maintaining High-Performance Organizations
Chapter 16 is all about creating a high-performance work system, which is: The right combination of people, technology, and organizational structure that makes full use of the organization's resources and opportunities in achieving its goals. By creating a high-performance work system companies are stronger, run smoother and have higher success. Conditions that contribute to high performance include: Ethical behavior, employee participation, variety of skills, etc.
- - Emotional Hook:
My emotional hook to this chapter was reading about teamwork and empowerment. As I read this it reminded me of my own job and it was amazing the difference you could feel when we all worked together compared to us all doing our own thing. It completely changes the whole feel of the company.
- -Key points to elicit in discussion:
1. Losing retirees' knowledge 2. Job satisfaction 3. HRM importance
- -Facilitative Questions:
What is the best way to create a high performance team? How long do the people need to work together before they feel a sense of security and belonging in order to help the team?

March 22, 2010

Today in class we discussed how to avoid union problems in the workplace. We discussed the best way to do this is keep a good communication between management and employees. By recognizing and appreciating employees it makes a much happier workplace. Management also needs to keep policies constant between employees with a little flexibility between specific cases. We then talked about our research papers and went over some specifics as well as dates. And last we discussed global HRM. We decided companies need to find what things work best in each specific country. The four main topics that need to be considered include; culture, education, economic systems and political legal.