Case Study Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Case Study Analysis - Essay Example The environment may range from tangible to intangible factors, humans to objects. However, for Tim’s case the influences are situational given the problems he sought to solve arose from non ideal situations. The situation in this case is low morale. Morale is a psychological attitude characterized by enthusiasm and energy to work. Workers in the club clearly have low morale. The second problem is the lack of adequate motivation from the employee’s environment namely the management and fellow employees. This is an analysis of the psychological ties motivation and morale has by examining the workplace discrepancies (Nelson, 2010). The first discrepancy in the organization is the conflict between the management and employees. The case study on â€Å"money is not always the best reward† points out that the first problem Tim encounters is that of employees on stress leave due to conflict with management. Barling (2005) holds that conflict may result in psychological s trains such as stress. Three employees out of seventy five on stress leave is an indication that the problem is spinning out of control. This also reflects that the organization lacks appropriate conflict resolution strategies. This discovery also implies the lack of confidence the employees have in the management. Tim further discovers that additional four employees had work related accidents. Further research further shows that psychological strain may increase accidents at the workplace (Barling, 2005). Logic dictates that the club should investigate the cause of these accidents, but instead they set up a compensation policy and left it at that. A second problem at the club is that employees receiving directives from many authorities such as the board of directors overstepping their boundaries and giving direct instructions to employees. The result of this is that the employees experience conflict of interest which may lead to psychological strain. This conflict of interest goes as far as interdepartmental conflicts in between the club employees. Seeing as the employees roles were not well defined, they were not sure which functions to perform and how to perform them. In summary, the company did not a have proper job description and specification outline. The company also lacks Human Resource guidelines and Operational policies to guide the running of the institution (Nelson, 2010). Tim’s solutions: Tim’s critical decisions utilize a few psychological perspectives. Establishing that the main problem the employees have is low morale and lack of motivation as the start. Tim then set out to solve this problem. The findings of Elton Mayo concur with Tim’s reluctance to prioritize monetary reward to in solving his problems. The Hawthorne studies reveal that human needs in all spheres of life are complex; therefore, they require more than material rewards. Essentially a sociological approach, the human relations approach, however, has some es sential psychological characteristics that reflect on the situation at the club. The first, vital aspect Mayo reflects on is that individuals like feeling a sense of autonomy at the wok place. As such, they prefer that the management consult them on issues that involve their work situation. Modern work perspectives view employees in an organization as key partners, a source of sustained competitive advantage

How Does Nikes Questionable Manufacturing Practices in Asia Affect Dissertation

How Does Nikes Questionable Manufacturing Practices in Asia Affect Their Brand Image - Dissertation Example Critics accuse Nike for malpractices and gaining fame and success without any Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in its own manufacturing plants. Instead of improving the working conditions in its manufacturing plants the company spends more on marketing by using faces of high profile celebrities such as Michael Jordan to popularize its brand and attract customers (Mujtaba et al. pg. 1, 2005). With Jordan, the company’s sales went through the roof. After him a number of celebrities were heavily paid to endorse the brand. These included Tiger Woods, Ken Griffey Jr., Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi (Sporting Goods Companies: Nike, n.d.). The issue of malpractices by Nike was disclosed in the 90s decade. The issue of low paid foreign factory workers first became prominent when the world renowned celebrity, Kathy Lee Gifford, was accused for endorsing garments that were manufactured by low wages workers in the developing countries. Gifford promised to participate in improving the condi tion of the workers. The famous brand, Nike, also became a subject of similar controversy. Nike was accused of having sweatshops in the developing countries where workers were paid even below the minimum wages standard (Mujtaba et al. pg. 1, 2005). ... The social activists criticized the unethical practices of the firm in public and exerted pressure on the firm to take a look at their corporate responsibility. Nike customers all over the world criticized the malpractice by the firm. Social activists called on the customers to boycott Nike products until necessary actions were taken by the firm to improve the working conditions of the workers all over the world, especially in Asia (Mesarosch, pg. 1. 2008). While these charges might be true or simple perceptions, the accusations did affect the brand image of Nike in a negative way as not being a socially responsible firm. Since then Nike has been battling with such charges and trying to improve its image as a socially responsible firm (Mujtaba et al. pg. 1, 2005). The aim of this paper is to highlight how Nike has suffered due to its malpractices in Asia. I shall also discuss in brief the history of the brand and the malpractices for which it received criticism. For that matter relev ant literature and peer reviewed articles will be explored to evaluate the situation. Towards the end a conclusion shall be made which will be based on the research. Nike and Its Brand Image: Nike is a massive billion dollar firm that produces sports products. It factories are situated all over the world and likewise its products are sold all over the world. Since 1990’s Nike has expanded its product range and has started producing clothes, watches, bags and golf gear. It has also gained partnership with an electronic company to produce Nike electronics. Nike has achieved tremendous success which is evident from the fact that it has taken over ALL STAR CONVERSE which was one of the biggest rivals of the firm (Hossain, pg. viii, 2010). For the past four decades,