Essay about What is a child - 1374 Words

What is a Child? Discuss how a scientific, a social constructionist and an applied approach attempt to answer this question. This essay will attempt to discuss how sociologists have attempted to answer the question. Childhood is viewed differently, depending on the country being considered, the period of time being studied or a personal viewpoint. According to the UN convention, a child is anybody under the age of eighteen. Several studies have been undertaken by sociologists to examine childhood. This essay will attempt to discuss three major approaches: 1) a scientific approach tries to study this objectively by observation and experimentation to prove a theory. This essay will discuss Kohlberg’s theory of â€Å"Moral development†. It will†¦show more content†¦The Reliability of Kohlbergs testing is questionable. (Woolfolk, A.E) questioned if all researchers assess a child’s moral levels in the same way. Is moral logic the same moral behaviour? Critics question if the answer to problems that a person chooses given a moral situation has anything to do with the age of an indiv idual or the reasoning powers of an individual. Do both sexes Male and female go through the same stages of development? Carol Gillian (1982) claimed that the masculine and feminine perspectives of moral dilemmas differed depending on concepts, relationships, justice and equality. The answers has more to do with the fact of the person’s reasoning rather than age or the stage of moral development In the course of conducting the studies it was discovered that there were various variations between ages and reasoning of children. A Child’s ability to reason and make moral choices at different ages is dependent on the socio-economic upbringing of the children. The examples in the book about Childhood indicate that children from different countries and backgrounds emphasise this. For example when the children from Chittagong in Bangladesh coming from two different socio economic background were asked the question,Show MoreRelatedWhat Is Child Slavery?907 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is child slavery? This is the slavery of children right from a very young age, in which this young kids are forced into labor or all other conditions that are not suitable for a little child. The rights of this children are taken away while they are young and are forced to do different things against their will for which they are often not rewarded or underpaid. In their book Modern-Day Slavery 2008, Van de Glind and Kooijmans defined child slavery based on the two different strategies usedRead MoreWhat Is Child Dedication? Essay2618 Words   |  11 Pagesâ€Æ' II. CHILD DEDICATION What is Child Dedication? It is the ceremonial act of publicly consecrating a child’s life to God, undertaken by parents, during a worship service in the temple. Through this symbolic rite, parents, on one hand, promise to raise the child in the fear of the Lord, and the congregation, on the other hand, commits to help the parents achieve such a goal by keeping an eye on the child in the community and by encouraging them to bring the child to Sunday schools, worship servicesRead MoreWhat Are The Causes Of Child Obesity?906 Words   |  4 PagesWhat are the Causes of Child Obesity? The rates of child obesity have been increasing in America, and there are more than nine million children between the ages of six to nine years old that are considered overweight (â€Å"Obesity Statistics†). A large percentage of these children are likely to be obese as adults. Lack of diet, exercise, and psychosocial environments are the main risk factors for child obesity. Our First Lady’s platform on child obesity has helped educate children and adults to becomeRead MoreWhat Affects Child Obesity? Essay1397 Words   |  6 Pages What Impacts Child Obesity?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Child obesity is fast growing epidemic throughout the United States, and is becoming a major health concern for the children of today’s society. A child with a BMI (body mass index) greater than 95 percent is considered obese; however, if a child has a BMI of 85, but still less than 95, they are only considered overweight. Since the 1960’s, the prevalence of child obesity has tripled beyond its original percentage. Many factors can influence a child becomingRead MoreThe Importance Of What A Child Needs960 Words   |  4 PagesWhat a Child Needs In many decades back, a family was seen as a stable foundation between men and women. Men were seen as the breadwinners. Women as housewives who provided social, emotional, and physical support. That was an ideal family for all cultures and religion. Families followed their cultural icons by having kids, proper education, and a stable household. However, since the beginning of the 1960s, the traditional family structure began to decline. Movements around the country encouragedRead MoreWhat Are The Child s Strengths?866 Words   |  4 PagesWhat are the Child’s Strengths? Be specific with examples. Cassandra, the student I have been observing, demonstrated interpersonal (social) and intrapersonal skills and academic strengths. First, I recognize one of Cassandra’s social strengths was her ability to follow teacher directions. I observed three instances in which Cassandra demonstrated the ability to follow directions compared to her peers. For example, I notice students at three workstations ignoring the teacher directions to cleanRead MoreWhat Is Child Care Programs?914 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction The US department of health and human services has indicated a commitment to â€Å"reduce the dependency of needy families through the promotion of job preparation, work and marriage† and to â€Å"provide assistance to needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes† (Office of Family Assistance, 2017). With changes in family dynamics and the shifting economy it is increasingly less plausible for single-earner households to achieve economic stability (Stevens, 2017). ParentsRead MoreWhat Does It Become Child Abuse?797 Words   |  4 PagesChild Abuse Is disciplining your child ok? To what extent does it become child abuse? Discipline your child is an everyday thing. What else would they know what not to do when your kick, slap, punch or even hot scolding bath/showers. It comes to the point where it needs to be controlled. There are other ways. Physical abuse Children are innocent human beings. Growing up they have to learn right from wrong. When they do something bad or not right you have to properly discipline them without hurtingRead MoreWhat Should Be The Punishment For Child Marriage?845 Words   |  4 Pagestalks about what should be the punishment for child marriage. Women that was sitting on the group with the nose covered with their saris kept chanting out â€Å"punishment for child marriage†. The women wanted the punishment for child marriage to be one month in jail for the parents and all concerned. Basic needs for the parents if they go to jail for one month are food, clothing, health treatment, education, housing, rightful work, and rightful rest. The first page also talk about what are the fundamentalRead MoreWhat Are Three Stages of Child Development3389 Words   |  14 PagesWhat are the three stages of child development Write two paragraphs on each of the two sub-phases of the first stage 0 to 6 years. Child development refers to the biological and psychological and emotional changes that occur in human beings between birth and the end of adolescence, as the individual progresses from dependency to increasing autonomy. Because these developmental changes may be strongly influenced by genetic

Milton Friedmans Ideas Essay - 1646 Words

INTRODUCTION Milton Friedman’s ideas where thought to be radical, but he was the most authoritative figure in the economics field in the 20th century, (Placeholder2) and was known most for his thoughts on free enterprise, classical liberalism and limited government. (Placeholder3) His views shaped modern capitalism. (Placeholder2) He was against government intervention and favored free markets (Placeholder6). If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years thered be a shortage of sand. – Milton Friedman His contributions were many, to name a few: †¢ Monetary theory and policy †¢ Price theory †¢ Permanent Income †¢ Quantity Theory †¢ Consumption function and permanent-income hypothesis †¢ Friedman-Phelps†¦show more content†¦In an effort to finance the war effort, he designed the income tax withholding system. It was supposed to be a temporary emergency measure but the government later made it a permanent part of its peacetime taxation. He would always reget forcing withholding on Americans. (Placeholder6). (Placeholder8) Another job Friedman held was author, creator and narrator of the PBS TV documentary series Free to Choose. and he worked as a columnist for Newsweek for over 15 years authoring several books, technical academic papers and columns. His books, Capitalism and Freedom and Free to Choose were best sellers. (Placeholder3) He had also won the Noel Prize for Economic Science in 1976 (Placeholder2) Mr. Friedman was influenced by Fredrich von Hayek a free-market thinker and believed that the government should stay out of peoples affairs whenever possible letting and that market could solve economic problems more efficiently than government officials could. This idea became known as the â€Å"Chicago School† of economics, a concept of free-market capitalism. (Placeholder2) In the 1960’s Milton Friedman was known to say â€Å"there’s no such thing as a free lunch. â€Å"If the government spends a dollar, that dollar has to come from producers and workers in theShow MoreRelatedCritique of Milton and Rose Friedman, Free to Choose.1587 Words   |  7 PagesEssay question: Milton Friedmans claims that ‘voluntary exchange is a necessary condition for both prosperity and freedom. Carefully examine the assumptions about ‘power, ‘choice and ‘market efficiency that underpin his claim. Give reasons for your agreement or disagreement with him. This essay is a short critique of the theory by Milton and Rose Friedman, Free to choose: A personal statement, focusing on chapter 1. I will argue that Friedman is right in saying, Â… voluntary exchange isRead MoreEssay on Friedman vs Freeman827 Words   |  4 Pagesethical concerns? These are central questions in the field of business ethics. There are two approaches to answering such questions. The first one is Milton Friedman’s shareholder theory of management and the second one is Edwards Freeman’s â€Å"Stakeholder† theory of management, two different views about the purpose and aims of a business. Milton Friedman’s shareholder theory of management says that the purpose of a business is to make money for the owner or the stockholders of the business. FriedmanRead MoreMilton Friedman Vs. Monetarism1580 Words   |  7 Pages Milton Friedman and Monetarism Tomas M. Kuhn Robert Morris University Milton Friedman and Monetarism In politics, our nation is divided into many different parties. Each party has their own stance on how things ought to be and what changes need to be made in order to have society function they way they’d like. Macroeconomics also can be viewed as divided. Instead of being divided into parties, economists are separated by different schools of thought. There’s many schools of thought becauseRead MoreMilton Friedman1624 Words   |  7 PagesIn this essay I evaluate Milton Friedman’s essay: â€Å"The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits† in 1970, on the Social Responsibility of a business and his theory, which is called the â€Å"Efficiency Perspective†. In every article and book that I have read about social responsibility, Friedman’s â€Å"Efficiency Perspective is placed centrally. During my research I found that Friedman is often criticized for being too classical. Friedman believes that manager’s foremost ob jective or evenRead MoreThe Ford Pinto Case Analysis1576 Words   |  7 PagesThe Ford Pinto Case Milton Friedman believed a free-market system, in which goods and services are exchanged and controlled by individuals and privately-owned businesses without government authority, was the only way to achieve personal freedom. Adam Smith, a 18th century philosopher and economist, held the belief that in a free society, the role of government should be limited to the protection of the people, the administration of justice through the court system, and the maintenance of all publicRead MoreMilton Friedman and His Contribution For The Economic Field Essay1218 Words   |  5 Pagesthe frequency of war. CONTRIBUTION FOR THE ECONOMIC FIELD Contribution of Milton Friedman can be categorize into many different fields that are The Field of Pure Economics and Economic Analysis Methodology, Empirical Analysis, The Field of Economic Policy and The field of the theory of comparative economic systems. The Field of Pure Economics and Economic Analysis Methodology Theory of money is the core of Friedman’s contribution to pure economic theory. Monetarists declared the slogan â€Å"moneyRead MoreIn Response to Friedman’s View of Corporate Social Responsibility946 Words   |  4 PagesIt is not a common sentiment to hear Milton Friedman described as left of center in political spheres. Certainly, Friedman’s landmark essay The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Profits in the New York Times magazine was filled with many assertions that placed him as a bulwark for a growing conservative movement who felt a vindication for the free market mechanism and skepticism for the role of government. However, while reading Friedman muse over the social responsibilities of businessesRead MoreMilton Friedman And Milton Keynes1580 Words   |  7 PagesThere have been different views from John Maynard Keynes, Milton Friedman and central banks when it comes to inflation. However, what both John Maynard Keynes and Milton Friedm an can agree on is the fact that inflation is seen to be a great evil. Moreover, the central banks interpret inflation as moderate being the fact that some inflation is seen to them as tolerable. Historically, Friedman and Keynes have had disputes on a better system for the control of inflation. For instance, Friedman put forwardRead MoreThe Economic And Political Challenges Of The 60s And 701519 Words   |  7 Pageshuge influence on the policies and actions of politicians today. From stagflation to the Vietnam War many politicians use these past issues to justify their decisions of today. One of the most influential economists who emerged in the sixties was Milton Friedman, who fought against the establishment’s Keynesian view and many of the policies of FDR. He won a Nobel Prize in 1976 for his work on monetary policy with specific beliefs in controlling the federal debt, keeping inflation low, and maximizingRead MoreThe Milton Friedman Rule 538 Words   |  2 PagesOTHE R SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT OR CONTRIBUTION IN ECONOMICS FIELD Other significant contribution or achievement of Milton Friedman in economy field is in economics scholarly. He had introduced a few of rule, function and hypothesis such as Friedman Rule, Friedman’s K-percent Rule, saving utility function and permanent- income hypothesis. Friedman Rule Friedman Rule was proposed by Milton Friedman in 1969. This rule is about monetary policy. â€Å"Money† is anything that generally accepted as payment for

Apollo Food Berhad Business Environment & Strategic Management Case

Question: Discuss about the Business Environment Strategic Managementfor Apollo Food Berhad. Answer: Porter Five forces for Apollo Food Berhad London Biscuit Bargaining power of suppliers: The bargaining power of suppliers is medium for Apollo Food and London Biscuit. These companies operate in bakery and confectionary business. There are a large number of suppliers that provides raw materials to companies in this sector. The companies are dependent on the suppliers to get quality raw material. Therefore, it can be said that the bargaining power of suppliers is medium in this industry. It is expected that the number of suppliers would further increase in the market and it should further reduce the existing bargaining power of supplies (Cross Belich, 2015). Bargaining power of buyers: The bargaining power of buyers is high in this industry. The competition is high in this industry and the players like Apollo Food compete with several other players. The end customers have the options to choose from various companies. Therefore, the bargaining power of buyers in this industry. The buyers or the consumers would often want to try the food from different vendors. It is expected that the bargaining power of buyers would further increase with time. With the increased penetration of e-commerce, the consumers have got more choice. It is expected that the bargaining power of buyers would further increase as the customers would have more options to choose from (Anders Schiendorfer, 2015). Threat of substitutes: The threat of substitutes is high in this industry. The food industry is a dynamic industry where customer loyalty is usually low. The customers would easily change their taste and preferences from bakery to some other food. Therefore, it can be said that the threat of substitutes is high in this industry. The threat of substitutes is also high as people do not feel any cost to switch from one player to another. Moreover, there are number of food options to choose from. The people would often get bored from the same type of food. Therefore, there would be a natural desire in people to change their food preferences. Threat of new entrants: The threat of new entrants is also high in this industry. The organization in this industry does not have to make any huge initial investment. Therefore, companies would easily enter the market and exit the market. The low barriers to entry and low barriers to exist make the threat of new entrants high. The Malaysian market is a growing market and it is expected that the threat of new entrants would further increase in the market. Going forward, there would be more and more domestic and international players that would enter the market (Bhattacharjee Berger, 2014). Industry rivalry: The existing industry rivalry is high in this industry. There are a large number of players in the market that compete among themselves for customers share of mind and wallet. The companies would often expand to increase their business. It would further increase the existing industry rivalry. In recent times, the industry rivalry has also increased due to entry of various international players. In the current business environment, both domestic and international players compete together (Berthon Pitt, 2015). SWOT Analysis: Apollo Food Holdings STRENGTH 1. The brand name of the company is its biggest strength. Apollo is a reputed name in Malaysia and global market (Huang Sarigollu, 2014). It provides a unique strength to company The legacy and the experience of the company is another key strength of Apollo Food Holdings. The company has the experience in food industry in not only in the local Malaysian market but at international level. Apollo Food Holdings has several patents on its names. This is also one of the key strength of the company. There are few products of the company that competitors cannot imitate. Therefore, the company is able to charge the premium prices for its products. The company is able to keep its prices low and this has been possible with an efficient and effective supply chain (Lewis Siu, 2015). WEAKNESSES The employees of the company have limited say in the company strategy making. They dont feel that their employees should have a say so when it comes to executive decisions, therefore management makes all the decisions based on what is best for the company rather than the employees themselves. Another weakness of the company is that it has a closed system in place. consist of a large number of heterogeneous agents that are embedded in a dynamic and potentially hostile environment. Since the agents behavior and objectives are possibly not under the control of the system designer or other agents, only few assumptions can be made about them (p. 3). This statement succinctly summarizes one problem that could arise from this type of system. It is often difficult to ensure collaboration and cooperation among diverse entities. At times, two departments or environmental agents may actually be working against each other, rather than working together for the good of the organization. THREATS The biggest threat for Apollo Food Holdings is the threat from competition. There are several players in the market that compete among themselves for customers share of mind and wallet. In recent times, the industry rivalry has also increased due to entry of various international players. In the current business environment, both domestic and international players compete together. There also exists threat from various external factors like government regulations and environmental factors. The manufacturing of the products and food items requires large volume of Palm oil. It pollutes the environment and there is a possibility that the government intervention would increase to use the clean form of energy. OPPORTUNITIES The good thing for Apollo Food Holdings is that the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) industry is a growing industry in Malaysia and internationally. It is expected that the industry would continue to grow at a CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) of 7% to 8%. It means that the company would have various avenues and target market to explore in domestic and international market. There is also an opportunity for the company to increase its reach. In recent times, there has been an increase in the disposable income of consumers and this possess a huge opportunity for Apollo Food Holdings (Rocker Homburg, 2016). SWOT Analysis: London Biscuit Food Holdings STRENGTH The biggest strength of London Biscuit is its brand equity. People consider London Biscuit as a premium brand. The company has been really successful to improve its brand image and brand perception. The organization has a unique way and unique formulae to manufacture the biscuits. There are a large number of people that are fan of the existing products of London Biscuits. The use of Information Technology and ERP systems to manage its supply chain is also a big strength for Apollo Holdings. With the Supply Chain Management System, the company is able to optimize its cost. WEAKNESSES One of the weaknesses of the company is lack of HR policies in the organization. When managers receive feedback internally and externally, it is important to analyze the information in order to make informed decisions about future actions. When there is a vast amount of information available to managers, they should try to implement filters so that information is disseminated to the proper channels to be utilized in helpful ways. Daft (2016) mentioned that the use of liaisons can be helpful to filter and communicate changes with teams in order to keep everyone aligned toward specific goals. THREATS The biggest threat for London Biscuit is the threat from competition. There are several players in the market that compete among themselves for customers share of mind and wallet. In recent times, the industry rivalry has also increased due to entry of various international players. In the current business environment, both domestic and international players compete together (Vargo Lusch, 2014). There also exists threat from various external factors like government regulations and environmental factors. The manufacturing of the products and food items requires large volume of Palm oil. It pollutes the environment and there is a possibility that the government intervention would increase to use the clean form of energy OPPORTUNITIES The growing demand in the market and increasing growth rate of food industry is biggest opportunity for London Biscuits. The market would continue to grow at a good growth rate and it would create more market possibilities for London Biscuits. There is an opportunity for company to improve its leadership skills and abilities. When a leader is dedicated to serving others, it only helps to improve the employees knowledge, abilities, and performance. While culture may vary from one country or religion the qualities of desiring to serve others comes from within. References Anders, G., Schiendorfer, A., Siefert, F., Steghoffer, J, Reif, W., (2015).Cooperative resource allocation in open systems of systems.ACM Transaction on Autonomous and Adaptive Systems, 10(2), 1-44. doi:10.1145/2700323 Bhattacharjee, A., Berger, J., Menon, G. (2014). When identity marketing backfires: consumer agency in identity expression. Journal of Consumer Research, 41(2), 294-309. Berthon, P., Pitt, L. F. (2015). Marketing and Human Resource Managers: Differences in Perception and Decision-Making. InProceedings of the 1995 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference(pp. 63-63). Springer International Publishing. Cross, J. C., Belich, T. J., Rudelius, W. (2015). How marketing managers use market segmentation: An exploratory study. In Proceedings of the 1990 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference (pp. 531-536). Springer International Publishing. Huang, R., Sarigollu, E. (2014). How brand awareness relates to market outcome, brand equity, and the marketing mix. InFashion Branding and Consumer Behaviors(pp. 113-132). Springer New York. Lewis, L. F., Siu, W. S. (2015). Corporate Entrepreneurship and Ethical Decision-Making of Marketing Managers. InProceedings of the 1997 World Marketing Congress(pp. 646-655). Springer International Publishing. Rocker, L., Homburg, C., Vomberg, A. (2016). Which Characteristics Make a Difference? Comparing Successful Managers in Marketing and Sales. Vargo, S. L., Lusch, R. F. (2014). Service-dominant logic.What it is not, What it.

Starbucks High HR Commitment practices

Introduction There have been major evolutions in human resources for the last 3 decades. This has been necessitated by the fact that employees improve their performance when they are motivated at their respective workplace. Competition in all industries in the world is being experienced especially after the adoption of the globalization strategy.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Starbucks High HR Commitment practices specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This has caused companies to develop better strategies of improving their performance to overcome stiff competition in the global market. Improving human resources management practices has been identified as an important strategy of promoting the performance of organizations. The relationship that exists between employers and their employees determines the performance of an organization. The culture of an organization also determines the direction of an organizati on (Searle 2010). This paper discusses high commitment HR practices as experienced by Starbucks Company. Starbucks is a company that produces and markets beverages. The company has been successful in maintaining high commitment HR practices. The company has also encountered challenges in maintaining better HR practices. High commitment HR practices According to Marchington and Wilkinson (2006), â€Å"a particular bundle of HR practices has the potential to contribute improved employee attitudes and behaviors, lower levels of absenteeism and labor turnover, and higher levels of productivity, quality and customer service† (p. 71). He further explains that such practices improve the profit levels of an organization. Some examples of such practices include the provision of security of employment; offering opportunities for employees to train and develop their skills; providing relevant information and consultation; increasing the pay rate among other aspects. Therefore, there is a direct link between high commitment practices and improved performance in an organization. The ingredients of high commitment HRM are â€Å"employment security and internal labor markets; selective hiring and sophisticated selection; extensive training, information sharing and worker voice; self-managed teams/team working; high compensation contingent on performance; and reduction of status differentials/harmonization† (Marchington and Wilkinson 2006, p. 73).Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More High commitment practices allow companies to attach wages and salaries to performance. This means that employees’ performance is highly valued. To increase the performance of employees, managers increase wages to match the performance of employees. Any promotions or awards are based on the performance of individual employees. This encourages employees to improve their performance and the firm benefits by gaining better results (Searle 2010). In addition, teamwork is encouraged in high commitment HR practices. As such, all employees are grouped according to their skills and talents. Therefore, companies develop better skills development because workers with similar skills are grouped together, and they can learn from each other. Teamwork encourages employees to seek help from each other and from their seniors. In a team, there is no bureaucracy and this allows junior employees to interact freely with their seniors. With the existence of teams, individuals provide support to each other. This allows informal and formal systems to prevail in the organizations. Informal groups offer support to workers morally, spiritually and in other ways. Teamwork allows all workers to contribute successfully to the goals of the organization (Burke, Martin and Cooper 2011). In the modern organizations, training employees has become necessary especially where techno logies change. Training offers employees improved skills to perform better. When employees are trained regularly, they acquire skills to develop innovative products. Innovations can only be done by use of modern technologies. With the increasing competition in almost every industry, innovation has become important in the production, marketing and other processes of a company. Innovation has caused product differentiation in many industries (Cooper and Burke 2011).Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Starbucks High HR Commitment practices specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Product differentiation allows companies to develop better products which match the needs of customers. A company can survey the prevailing needs of customers and develop products which match their needs. Product differentiation has increased competition in industries because it increases the demand for products. In an effort to increase competi tion in modern organizations, the need to differentiate products has intensified. Industries which have reached maturity stage have found it impossible to develop new brands and the only way to attract customers is to differentiate the existing products. This allows companies to improve the existing products. Therefore, innovation, product differentiation and adoption of better technologies have been applied to increase competition in the market (Godwyn and Gittell 2012). Market research has become essential in identifying the needs of customers. Research has been applied in developing better methods of production and marketing. As such, companies identify the changing needs of customers. This allows a company to develop products which match the needs of customers. Companies are investing a lot of resources in research to identify the appropriate methods of production and marketing processes. Research helps develop better products and prevents companies from manufacturing products w hich have no demand in the market. As such, companies develop products which have high demand in the market. Research has also been applied in human resources management strategies. This helps companies to identify the best practices to promote the performance of employees. Therefore, research has been of great importance in achieving high commitment HR (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel 2009). Companies find it challenging to balance the costs of maintaining high employee benefits and the profits made from sales. Providing employees with superior benefits requires a company to incur a lot of costs.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This affects the profits made by a company. Some companies extend the costs of maintaining employees’ benefits by increasing prices of products. This affects the demand for the products of such companies and this may reduce the sales volume (Araimi 2011). Countries have adopted legal frameworks which require companies to improve the welfare of their employees. These laws are developed to safeguard the interest of workers at all levels. The right to unionize has become essential for companies to embrace. The role of trade unions is to protect the interests of employees and to solve conflicts between employees and their employers. High commitment practices require that companies should allow employees to unionize to ensure their interests are safeguarded. Any company that restricts its employees from unionizing may face legal actions (Cooper and Burke 2011). Starbucks high HR Commitment practices An example of a company that practices high commitment HR practices is the Starbuc ks Inc. In 2005, the Fortune Magazine voted Starbucks as one of the best companies where people can work. Starbucks treasures its human resources and this has drawn a lot of attention from many labor organizations. The company has a strong relationship with its employees and this has increased the performance of employees at the work place. Employee turnover at Starbucks is minimal because employees are satisfied. The company adopted strategies which encourage friendship between employees and the management staff (Boudreau and Ramstad 2007). Employees are supported at their places of work. Starbucks has experienced low rates of employee turnover despite the high rate of turnover in the retail industry. Starbucks extends benefits programs to employees working on part time basis. This is not a normal thing that other companies in the industry offer. The employees of Starbucks were rated the most productive in the retail industry. The company has adopted a culture of supporting its emp loyees to improve their performance (Regani 2005). However, despite the fact that Starbucks has been rated as the best employer, it faces challenges which affect its expansion programs. The company has experienced the challenge of attracting and retaining the right category of workers in the correct numbers. This challenge affected the company during its initial stages because it was unable to expand its operations rapidly. However, after establishing its first Initial Public Offer in 1992, the company started to improve its performance. Today, the company faces the challenge of supporting its workers at high level of benefits because the number of employees has increased unexpectedly. Reducing the HR costs by decreasing employee benefits would affect the policy of the company of retaining employees (Boudreau and Ramstad 2007). Historical background of Starbucks Company In 1971, Starbucks was established by Bowker, Baldwin and Siegl. The initial intention of establishing the company was to make and sell coffee beverages to customers. The company started by selling whole bean coffee only. The idea of selling coffee bar was developed later after the company had already started its operations. The company’s growth was slow during the initial stages. Only four stores had been opened after one decade of operation in the US market (Boudreau and Ramstad 2007). Howard Schultz was later hired in 1981 as the marketing manager of the company (Regani 2005). Schultz introduced the idea of using coffee bars, an idea borrowed from Italy. This strategy increased the sales of the company and more stores were opened within a short time of period. However, the partners of the company conflicted with Schultz idea of selling coffee bars because it would distract the company from its core business strategy. Schultz left Starbucks and established Giornale. The performance of Giornale improved within a short time, but Starbucks’ performance went down. In 1987, Starbucks was acquired by Giornale. Starbucks expanded rapidly, and within a decade, the company had been able to open more than 100 retail stores. Today, the company has retail stores in other countries and there are strategies to continue opening more stores in other countries in the world (Boudreau and Ramstad 2007). Starbucks HRM policies and challenges in growth strategy The management of Starbucks realized that motivating and human resources commitment would offer the company a competitive edge in the retail business. This ideology has made the company to take caution when recruiting employees and efforts have been made to retain employees of the company. The company is committed to improve the welfare of its employees (Regani 2005). Starbucks hires people on the basis of how they are adaptable, dependable and their team working abilities. The job posts of the company clearly states that the company seeks people with such skills (Kossek 1999). This makes interested people to self-test their skills before applying for any job post in the company. After the selection process, the company trains the employees to acquire skills relevant to the activities of the company. This enables employees to improve their efficiency of performance. Starbucks trains all classes of employees, including the part time workers. The company has created training centers where employees are trained. After selection, employees undergo 24 hours training process at the training centers located at each region where the company operates. The training syllabus was organized by a team of experts to standardize the skills of employees. Doctrines of the company are included in the training curriculum (Boudreau and Ramstad 2007). Making coffee in Starbucks is regarded a science, and all new employees are required to undergo rigorous training to acquaint them to the procedures of making the best coffee brands. During the training process, employees are educated on how to conduct retail business, sk ills on making coffee, and creating positive experiences for customers. There are more details of activities involved during the training program. In relation to human resource management, the training program improves the skills of employee by encouraging them to maintain high self-esteem; listening and acknowledging others; and asking for help when need arises (Boudreau and Ramstad 2007). The managers are trained differently and their training takes a longer period of time. A period of 2 to 3 months is used to train managers. Other training aspects include operations at the stores, procedures that have been set by the company, and other management aspects. Starbucks also trains its managers on how to handle people from diversified cultural backgrounds. Employees of the company also take training courses from other training centers. The company sponsors training activities for all its employees (Regani 2005). Employees of Starbucks appreciate the training programs because they make them feel valued and appreciated. The training sessions also creates a sense of importance to the employees, because the company invests significantly to prepare employees for their jobs. The benefits programs for the employees are highly appreciated by the employees (Wright and Kehoe 2007). The program covers employees working on both part time basis and full time basis. Schultz adopted a philosophy of handling employees like a family, to increase their loyalty and morale. Through this philosophy, Starbucks has designed a schedule that creates a balance between work and life for employees. This program considers the welfare of employees physically, mentally and spiritually (Regani 2005). Starbucks offers the highest wages to its employees. The hourly wage exceeds the required state regulation by a great margin. The company also offers benefits such as health, options of buying stock, and other attractive perks for the employees. Schultz played a key role in creating an employee-fr iendly program after acquiring Starbucks. Schultz was of the belief that employees would improve their performance if they are included in the decision making process. Making employees own the performance of the company was important because they felt that they contributed to the success achieved. In 1990, Starbucks established the Bean Stock Plan which allowed employees to buy stocks of the company. This program provided part time employees to buy shares of the company. Employees who had worked with the company for half a year and worked for at least 20 hours weekly were allowed to buy shares of the company. Employees of the company were offered subsidized prices for products they bought from the company (Wright and Kehoe 2007). Starbucks did not only offer monetary benefits, but also created other strategies which offered non monetary benefits. Starbucks offers its employees with offset fitness packages, provides childcare, as well as elder care. Working Solutions Plan was establi shed to cater for employees’ personal needs. These programs helped employees not to miss work when problems affected their families. In addition, partner Connection Plan was created to help employees link up with employees from other stores. This led to the creation of informal groups within the company. Examples of such groups were: the Wonderful World of Food and The New Parent Network among others. These groups were based on social, recreation, parental and volunteer activities (Regani 2005). Starbucks has introduced flexible workplaces to accommodate the needs of all classes of workers. This was established to help employees have a balance between work and life activities. There was also flexibility in the benefits program of the company. As such, employees are free to select the most suitable benefits according to their needs (Wright and Kehoe 2007). Employee surveys are also conducted on a regular basis to monitor their performance. Feedback from employees would be obta ined to identify their needs. The surveys are important because they help identify the effectiveness of the benefits programs. The company changes its strategies based on the feedback from employees. The company designed good benefits programs to attract, as well as retain professionals and other skilled employees (Wright and Kehoe 2007). Gretchen (2005) opines that the culture of Starbucks helps the company in recruiting and retaining the best employees. The culture of the company has its origin from the mission statement that was created in 1990. The culture also reflects the values upheld by the company. The principles of the company are based on providing a good work environment and treating employees in a respectful and dignified manner (DeNisi and Griffin 2005). The management has made a lot of efforts in maintaining the mission of the company. Employees are issued with copies of the mission statement upon joining the company. The management reiterates the mission statement of the company to ensure that employees are aware of it. The company has gone to an extent of printing the mission statement at the back of the business cards of all employees. This shows that the company is aggressive in maintaining the mission of the company (Regani 2005). The values of the company treasure equality among employees. To implement the equality values of the company, Starbucks acknowledges all its employees as partners. This shows that all workers have a right to own the shares of the company and that they can contribute to the decisions of the company. There is no single employee who is superior to others. This has led to the creation of few job titles. As such, the company encourages humility among all employees irrespective of their job group (Wright and Kehoe 2007). Starbucks has made efforts creating the environment of a small company. This has encouraged the entrepreneurial spirit of all employees of the company. Senior employees appreciate the work of their juni ors whenever good performance is reported. This has been encouraged irrespective of the high growth rate that the company is experiencing. Starbucks has encouraged an informal work set up. Interaction among employees is allowed and this has helped during conflict resolution. In addition, the employees are free to interact with customers. The company proposed that the employees should have the ‘Starbucks Experience’ when handling customers. This has created customer loyalty to the company because many customers are willing to buy as many times as possible from the company (Regani 2005). Starbucks encouraged employees to be innovative by offering them all the essential resources. The strategy has helped the company develop unique products. For example, Frappuccino is a brand that was developed by the employees of the company. This strategy gave employees a sense of belonging and this increased the rate of employee retention. The company also empowered employees to form te ams; the top management would be involved in the initial stages then other team members would continue with daily operations. Starbucks offered awards such as Warm Regards, and MUG among other awards (Wright and Kehoe 2007). Starbucks also conducts research about the best HR practices. The company has employed a team of experts to identify the HR practices in the market. These are integrated in the business processes of the company. Research has also been applied in identifying better production and marketing processes. As such, the company is able to identify the best products to manufacture depending on the prevailing conditions. Starbucks has been able to develop innovative methods of production, marketing and HR management. The company develops better products compared to competitors because (Noe 2008). An example where the company applied research was the use of internet in the retail stores of the company. The company installed internet services in all stores to allow customer s browse while consuming products of the company. In addition, employees have the freedom to use these services. This allows customers and employees to identify better internet tools. This has attracted many customers to the company because the company has supportive products. Starbucks also applies other technologies in attracting customers and potential employees (Miller 2009). The beverages industry has encountered a lot of competition in the recent past. There is free entry and exit in the industry. The labor market has also been competitive in the industry. This scenario has required companies in the industry to improve their production systems. The high competition has also been accelerated by globalization of the markets (Bohlander 2010). With globalization, investors can establish businesses in as many countries around the world as possible. It is also possible to trade in many countries. The autarky condition has made companies which were prosperous under domestic trade to face competition. Starbucks encounters stiff competition in today’s market environment compared to the initial scenario. This has made the company to strengthen its competitive strategies to overcome the stiff competition in the market. Starbucks has been able to dominate the US market by offering superior quality products. This has been achieved by applying appropriate HR practices. The employees of the company have been a core competence of the company. This has made the company achieve better results despite the high competition in the market (Jackson, Schuler and Werner 2011; Wright and Kehoe 2007). Challenges in HRM at Starbucks Starbucks started experiencing challenges in managing employees in the 2000s. The company encountered a lot of challenges in maintaining its mission of being a good employer when rapid changes started to be experienced in the company. In the 2000s, the high labor costs started to be reflected in the financial strength. The increase in employee co sts forced the company to increase the prices of its beverages. In 2004, Starbucks had to increase its beverage prices by 11 cents. However, the prices were burdensome to customers because they were already paying premium prices for the products of the company. The problem was worsened by the fact that the company could not reduce employee benefits because it would negatively affect the morale of employees (Regani 2005). Starbucks was affected by the economic recession that affected global economies in the year 2008/2009. Many countries were affected and this reduced the sales of the company. The purchasing power of customers was reduced and this reduced the sales volume of the company. The company was forced to close some stores because it was not profitable to maintain high number of stores during the turbulent economic conditions. The company had to apply retrenchment strategy to reduce the number of employees. This policy was aimed at cutting down the costs of the company (Lussi er 2012). To solve this problem, the some retail stores of the company restricted benefits to full time employees. This affected part time employees. The impact of this strategy was worsened by the fact that the company employed approximately 65 percent part time employees. As the company continued to grow, the costs incurred on human resources increased (Cowitt 2010). As the company grew larger, complaints arose that the company no longer cared about the needs of its employees. It was alleged that Starbucks blocked its employees from forming unions. The company lost its mission of being friendly to employees as expansion continued. Complaints were made that the employees had physical problems and that wages, as well as working hours were not favorable. It was reported that employees who sought to establish unions were fired. The management argued that the employees were being treated well and this provides no need to unionize. Starbucks stopped compensating work-related injuries (T ania 2004). The ability of the company recruit and retain qualified professionals is in high doubt because people have developed a bad perception about the work practices. Competition for good employees has intensified because more companies are entering the market (Regani 2005). However, despite the challenges facing Starbucks’ human resources management, the company is still successful. The company has a turnover rate of 60 percent against a turnover of 200 percent in the industry. Some part time employees have worked with the company for more than ten years. This is not normal in other companies in the industry. The company enjoys a high employee rate of satisfaction compared to some competitors in the industry (Wright and Kehoe 2007). The success of Starbucks has been attached to the way it treats its employees. The rapid expansion has been attributed to the strong workforce. The Starbucks Experience was made possible by the employees of the company. This has differentiat ed the company from other companies in the industry. Starbucks still recognizes employees as the building blocks, especially in achieving competitive strategies. Starbucks invests a lot of resources on the welfare of the employees. The management of the company has realized that offering premium products requires treating employees well. It has been a philosophy of the company that achieving high customer satisfaction requires improving the level of employee satisfaction (Wright and Kehoe 2007). Despite the challenges that Starbucks encounters in the industry, the company still holds a better position. The company has opened many stores in the US markets. The management has also been able to penetrate into other countries. The company employs people from different cultural backgrounds. This has made it possible to access more markets abroad (Lewis 2011). Recommendations The management of Starbucks should introduce micro-management. This means that each retail store should be managed independently. As such, all the activities of one store will not affect the other stores. Managing employees of the company will improve because the costs will be allocated to the activities of a specific store. This will reduce the burden which the company is currently experiencing. The benefits provided to employees should be related to the performance of the store they work at. This will reduce sharing the cost burden; and the managers of each store will be forced to improve the performance of their employees. In addition, managing a small group of employees will be efficient, compared to a large organization. Conclusion High commitment HR practices refer to the behavior of organizations in managing their employees appropriately. With the increasing competition in the global markets, there has been a great need to improve the welfare of employees so as to achieve competitiveness. High commitment in HR practices has been applied as a core competence by companies. The increasing c ompetition has made it necessary for companies to develop strategies which improve the welfare of employees. Competition has not only been experienced in the market for products, but also in the labor markets. Professionals and skilled employees have been in great demand. Starbucks has advocated for good employee relationship, and this has been implemented to achieve high performance for all workers. During the growth stages of the company, the management encouraged the application of good human resource practices. The company offered numerous employee benefits to both part time and full time employees. Starbucks has improved the performance of its employees by training them after recruitment. The company also improves the skills of employees by performing continuous training. Starbucks has achieved a lot of success because it offers better employment packages. The company experienced a lot of challenges in maintaining high employee benefits costs, especially after the expansion. Th e company has been forced to cut down the benefits and increase the prices of its products. The image of the company has been affected and the company has been unable to attract and maintain high qualified employees. However, despite the challenges facing the company, Starbucks remains on course in maintaining high employee satisfaction. The company enjoys low employee turnover compared to other companies in the industry. The company has employees who have worked for more than ten years as part time workers. This shows that the company is still valued by employees. Reference List Araimi, F. A., 2011, Power of human resources, Authorhouse, S.l. Bohlander, G. W., 2010, Managing human resources: [Hauptbd.], South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, Ohio. Boudreau, J. W. and Ramstad, P. M., 2007, Beyond HR: The new science of human capital, Harvard Business School, Boston, Mass. Burke, R. J., Martin, G and Cooper, C. L., 2011, Corporate reputation: Managing opportunities and threats, Gower , Farnham, Surrey. Cooper, C. L. and Burke, R. J., 2011, Human resource management in small business: Achieving peak performance, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK. Cowitt, B., 2010, â€Å"Starbucks CEO: We Spend More on Healthcare than Coffee,† Fortune. Web. DeNisi, A. S. and Griffin, R. W., 2005, Human resource management, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA. Godwyn, M. and Gittell, J. H., 2012, Sociology of organizations: Structures and relationships, Pine Forge Press/Sage, Thousand Oaks, Calif. Gretchen, W., 2005, Preserving the Starbucks’ counter culture, Workforce Management. Kossek, E. E., 1999, Managing human resources in the 21st century: From core concepts to strategic choice; [modular approach], South-Western College Publishing, Cincinnati, Ohio. Lamb, C. W., Hair, J. F. and McDaniel, C. D., 2009, Marketing, South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, Ohio. Lewis, L. K., 2011, Organizational change: Creating change through strategic communication, Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester , West Sussex, UK. Lussier, R. N., 2012, Management fundamentals: Concepts, applications, skill development, South-Western, Mason, Ohio. Marchington, M. and Wilkinson, A., 2006, Human resource management at work: People management and development. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Miller, C. C., 2009, â€Å"New Starbucks Ads Seek to Recruit Online Fans,† New York Times, Web. Dec. 18, 2011. Noe, R. A., 2008, Human resource management: Gaining a competitive advantage, McGraw-Hill, Madison. Regani, S., 2005, Starbucks human resource management policies and the growth challenge. ICMR Center for Management Research. Searle, R. H., 2010, Trust and human resource management, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham. Tania, P., 2004, Discontent heard at Starbucks as union fails, Long Island Newsday, New York. Wright, P. M. and Kehoe, R. R., 2007, â€Å"Human Resource Practices and Organizational Commitment: A Deeper Examination,† CAHRS Working Paper Series. 472. This assessment on Starbucks High HR Commitment practices was written and submitted by user Camren D. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.