HR as a Strategic partner Essay Example for Free

HR as a Strategic partner Essay Human Resources – the one department that is the most important to a company’s bottom-line is also one that is treated with the least respect across all industries. The general consensus is that the HR Department and the rest of the organization are Strange Bedfellows, when in fact they are Strategic Partners who should blend seamlessly to achieve organizational objectives. But what we see is a single-minded dislike for the HR department by most employees of the organization. The reason for this sorry state of affairs can be traced to several widespread myths regarding the function among employees. Two of the most important ones are as follows: Myth No. 1 – Employees feel that â€Å"The HR function is responsible for making employees happy. They should take care of everything, from providing employees good food to ensuring that the AC’s temperature is just right†. When in reality, an HR manager’s job is not to make employees content; it is to make them competent. In simpler words, HR Managers will not provide you a beanbag at work to recline on, but they will strive to increase your competencies that would hold you in good stead for the rest of your life. And that is all that matters in today’s professional and highly competitive world. Myth No. 2 – â€Å"The HR department comprises of a bunch of people who sit around in their ivory tower and make rules according to their whims and fancies†. While actually, HR as a function not only belongs to HR Managers, but to all managers across the organization. Translated, it means that the HR function is highly inclusive and works in tandem with all departments of the company. The criticality of the HR function can be understood by asking a simple question – What is it that makes any organization a success or a failure? Planning, Strategic decisions, Productivity, Sales figures, etc. , are a few things that instantly come to mind. What we forget to acknowledge is the fact that all these factors are a result of the efforts of the â€Å"people† of the organization. And who ensures that the right kinds of people are positioned in the right jobs in the company? The answer to that one is quite obvious. The HR department performs an array of complex activities – From Manpower Planning to Recruitment, Performance Management to Compensation and Benefits, Training and Development to Career Advancement; all of which aim at Organizational as well as individual employee development. And yet they are accused of being a ‘necessary evil’ and a ‘dark bureaucratic force’ by many. The HR function is Necessary, Yes; is it an evil? No! It is a Force, yes; but Dark and Bureaucratic? No and No! So why is HR misunderstood and mistrusted by so many, especially when the function is a benign one? Honestly, the blame lies partly with the HR managers as well for letting things get out of hand. Somewhere in the trade-off between the various roles that they are expected to play, HRs in general have started placing more importance on the roles of the ‘Admin Expert’ ‘Strategic Partner’ and have foregone the roles of the ‘Change Agent’ and ‘Employee Champion’. While they are performing the former two flawlessly, the latter roles are of great importance as well. And this negligence has resulted in widespread manifestation of disregard for the function. And unless we strike a balance between these paradoxical roles, redefining HR as an EmployeeFriendly function would be an uphill task. That said, let’s take a look what other options we have, as future HR personnel to dispel the feeling of general animosity towards the function? The answer quite simply lies in the basics. As with any other relationship, proper communication is the key to mend damages in professional relationships too. The HR person is every employee’s first point of contact before/ immediately after joining an organization. Right from the induction programs, it is the HR who facilitates the transition of a person from an outsider to a member of the organization. And we need to leverage this power for all its worth right from the word go! We need to establish proper communication channels right from the time of entry of the employee into the organization and ensure that this process of communication is a perpetual process and not an intermittent one. Next of course are the all-encompassing and highly coveted employee engagement programs. Ensuring that the HR department is projected not merely as a facilitator but also as the interface that conducts such engagement activities would ensure that employees have a change in perspective regarding HRs in general. Instead of going about this the tried and tested way, HRs can get creative and use several innovative means to achieve this. From videos depicting ‘a day in the life of an HR’ to shadowing programs (which would give employees a real-time feel of the trials and tribulations of an HR person) the possibilities are endless. And most importantly, as stressed upon earlier in this article, HR is not just about performance appraisals and pay cuts. The function is the backbone of any organization, performing an array of critical activities. HR managers need to convince the employees that they are in fact their allies and not their detractors. The new age HR managers need to remember that each action of theirs reflects on the image of the function as a whole. A slight change in our attitudes would go a long way in changing employee perceptions about our function. We as a team honestly believe that it is not a question of ‘If’ this change would happen; rather it is a question of ‘When’ it would happen. And when this happens, the HR function would assume its rightful position of importance in the Organizational structure.

Disneyland Essay examples -- Disney Amusement Parks essays research pa

Disneyland   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The greatest place on the face of the earth is Disneyland. Nowhere else has the magic that a day at Disneyland possesses. From my childhood to my adulthood, I have never experienced a day at Disneyland that didn't put enough joy in my heart to far exceed the admission price. Rides, shops, shows, and characters. These are just a few of the many great aspects of a wonderful place called Disneyland.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Disneyland has always been a very special place to me. My parents took my family there for the first time when I was about three. To this day I still remember shaking Mickey Mouse's hand, giving Goofy a hug, and meeting all of the rest of my favorite Disney characters. It was a truly euphoric experience to meet stars of all my favorite cartoons that I so loyall...

How was the Gupta Empire (India) scientifically advanced Essay

When thinking back to the Gupta Empire in India, one might remember the famous works of literature, or perhaps the vast lands conquered by the great rulers of the time. But it would be imprudent to ignore the influential achievements made in the areas of science, medicine, mathematics, and astronomy that made the empire scientifically advanced. Many people fail to realize that countless things mistaken for solely modern-day science, for example, plastic surgery, existed centuries ago. Here, the technologies of the Gupta Empire (320-467), such as the development of a more accurate value for pi, the perfection of the modern numeral and decimal system; surgery, inoculation, the formulation of medical guides and a better calendar; and lunar astronomy, will be discussed in detail. First we will deal with the area of mathematics. One of the most recognized achievements of the Gupta period was the highly accurate calculation of pi, made by the renowned mathematician Aryabhata. Before this time, pi, the value that explained the relationships between the area, circumference, diameter, radius, and volume of circles and spheres, was frequently represented by Indian mathematicians as three, or the square root of ten. (Although both of these values are far from accurate, the fact that the civilization had a knowledge of geometry and mathematical relationships is proof of scientific advancement, especially when one compares it to Europe, which in the eleventh century still had no knowledge of mathematics.) Aryabhata calculated pi to the fourth decimal place at a value of 3.1416. Aryabhata also studied and improved other concepts of mathematics; for example, he determined the rule for the area of isosceles triangles and researched algebraic identities and intermediate equations. His work can be observed in the Gitikapanda, a book which includes a trigonometrical sine table, rules for extracting square and cube roots, the concepts of spheres, pyramids and other plane figures, concepts of interest, the rule of three, and fractions, as well as the principles mentioned previously that pertain to him. All of these ideas can be found in modern-day science, which shows their great influence. Another prominent Indian mathematician of the Gupta period was Brahmagupta, who systemized the rules of astronomy, arithmetic, algebra, and geometry and  published his works in the Brahmasphuta-Siddhanta and ‘Khandakhadyaka.’ Other mathematical knowledge that had its foundations with Indian mathematicians were the so-called â€Å"Arabic† numerals and the decimal system, as well as the concept of zero and symbol for infinity, all of which previously did not exist. The number system that Gupta mathematicians devised was based on ten, and was the first of its kind. After a period of time, it was passed on to the Muslims of Baghdad, and then to the Europeans, which is why it is referred to as Arabic, though it really had its origins in India. Indian medicine was also remarkably advanced. Indian doctors of the Gupta period knew how to perform surgery, including plastic surgery to repair injured ears and noses–something thought of exclusively as new-age medicine and only recently perfected in the United States–and were experienced in setting broken bones. Furthermore, their surgical methods were quite sophisticated, as they knew to sterilize their tools before and after usage in order to prevent the spread of diseases and to keep a level of hygiene. More proof of their advancement in medicine comes from their philosophy of it; like ancient Greek doctors, as well as the doctors of today, the doctors of the Gupta Empire used an ethical code similar to the Hippocratic oath, in which they pledged to be honest and moral in their practice of medicine. Indian doctors were the first to give inoculations to prevent diseases, and were well ahead of their European peers, who did not give vaccines for another 1,000 years. Their cowpox vaccine was helpful in preventing epidemics of the fatal smallpox disease, and they even had free hospitals in which to administer it. Ironically, this is perhaps more progressive than today’s society, where free hospitals are considered an unreachable ideal. As well as advanced surgery and inoculations, the Indians of the Gupta Empire possessed medical guides much like those of today, such as the Bower Manuscript and the Hatyayurveda. These manuals contained information on things such as medicinal plants, prescriptions, diseases and children’s medicines. In total, â€Å"†¦these works classified more than 1,000 diseases and  described [the properties of] more than 500 medicinal plants,† such as garlic, a lotion that promoted eyesight, oils from trees, etc. There was even information on animal disease treatment! For these reasons, the Indians from the Gupta period were extremely advanced in their knowledge of medicine and treatment of ailments. Another area of science that flourished during the Gupta Empire was astronomy. The partial cause of acquired knowledge pertaining to it was the increase in trade, because while at sea, sailors used the stars to find their positions. Knowledge of astronomy also increased because of the work of Aryabhata, the mathematician previously mentioned. He was the first to tell that the earth was a sphere that rotated on its axis and revolved around the sun, and that lunar eclipses were caused by the shadow of the earth falling on the moon. He even founded his own mathematical-astronomical school and wrote a book on astronomy, called the Aryabhatiya. Thus, scientists of the Gupta period were knowledgeable even of such complex areas of science as astronomy. With an increased knowledge of astronomy, scientists were able to keep better time, basing their calendars on the cycles of the sun, appropriating a seven-day week, and breaking each day into hours, as is the way with Western timekeeping. Aryabhata had calculated the length of the solar year to 365.3586805 days, which is very close to modern measurements made by an atomic clock–thus the calendars of the time were accurate. Another well-known astronomer from the Gupta age was Varahamahira, who in the sixth century wrote the Panchasiddhantika, which summarized other astronomical works, and the Brihat samhita, an encyclopedia of astronomy and other sciences. Paired with the work of Aryabhata, Gupta knowledge of astronomy was ample. The people of the Gupta Empire were technologically very well developed. They had a great knowledge of medicine, astronomy, and mathematics, had an accurate value for pi, knew how to perform plastic surgery and administer inoculations, understood the stars, and were far ahead of other areas, such as Europe. Their advancements were a representation of an excelled and  sparkling civilization that will be remembered for centuries to come by scientists and philosophers alike. Bibliography Beck, Roger B. (et al). World History: Patterns of Interaction. McDougal Littel. Boston. 1999. This textbook provided quality information that was relevant to the topic and accurate when compared to other sources. Binongo, Jose Nilo. â€Å"Randomness, Statistics, and Pi.† Proquest. online. Internet. 1 June 2002. The source was not relevant to the topic, as it pertained to modern estimations of pi, but was interesting and of good quality. The website through which I obtained it was helpful and easy to use. Cajori, Florian, Ph. D. A History of Mathematics. Macmillan. New York. 1924. The book gave good information on general advancements that were made in India, but did not state periods, which made the information difficult to navigate. However, the information was accurate and easy to read. Chattopadhyaya, Debiprasad. History of Science and Technology in Ancient India. Firma Klm Private Limited. Calcutta. 1991. The majority of the book focused on very early advancements that took place long before the Gupta period, but there was some valuable information at the end on the topic. â€Å"Gupta.† Encyclopedia.com. online. Internet. 7 May 2002. The information, though accurate and relevant, was not specific enough to really help. Jaggi, O.P. Dawn of Indian Science: Volume Two. Atma Ram & Sons. Delhi. 1969. The information was irrelevant to the time period as well as inconsistent with the other sources. Jain, Nem Kumar, M. Sc. Science and Scientists in India. Indian Book Gallery. Delhi. 1982. The book was helpful in identifying names of people and their achievements, but had very little information on the topic otherwise. Krieger, Larry S. (et al). World History: Perspectives on the Past. McDougal Littel. Boston. 1997. The textbook gave a general overview of the information but did not go into specifics. However it was accurate, relevant, and helped spark interest in the topic. Langer, William L. (ed.). An Encyclopedia of World History. Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 1968. The information was relevant and accurate, but not specific. It did, however, provide some interesting new details that were not known previously. Mookerji, R. K. The Gupta Empire. Shri Jainendra Press. Delhi. 1969. The information was relevant and accurate when compared to other sources. It was well-organized and provided useful information of the topic. Papanek, John L. (ed. et al). Ancient India: Land of Mystery. Time-Life Books. Virginia. 1994. The information was accurate and somewhat relevant to the topic. It was a little difficult to follow, but did provide some good information. Ronan, Colin A. Science: Its History and Development Among the World’s Cultures. Facts on File Publications. New York. 1982. The information was interesting and relevant, but badly organized, as it did not provide specific dates. Also, it did not go into great enough detail. Saran, Santosh and Ravindra N. Singh. History of Science and Technology During Gupta Period. Prachi Prakashan. New Delhi. 1994. The source contained some relevant information in the beginning that was accurate and of good quality. It gave specific information on areas usually ignored, such as animal medicine. Smith, Vincent A. The Early History of India. Oxford University Press. England. 1924. The book was not very relevant to the topic, but helped clarify previous information with dates.

Analysis Of The Prince - 1849 Words

Not by coincidence, JK Rowling nicknamed her most complex, morally ambiguous Harry Potter character â€Å"The Prince†. Severus Snape’s royal epithet has more than a little in common with Machiavelli’s The Prince, which Rowling, as a student of Classics and Literature surely read. To be Machiavellian, one must be â€Å"cunning, scheming and unscrupulous,† (OED) and those who belong to Snape’s Hogwarts House of Slytherin are â€Å"cunning folks [who] use any means / to achieve their ends† (Rowling, Philosopher’s Stone, 88). Even firmer parallels are drawn between Severus Snape and Machiavelli’s Prince as the texts continue. Severus Snape is not a likable man. Whether or not he is morally good or evil keeps most if not all witches and wizards in his vicinity questioning whether or not he is truly on their side. Harry and his friends spend nearly their entire educational careers trying to reveal Snape as working for Voldemort, and even one of his fellow elite Death Eater’s expresses her distrust of him after eighteen years of working together. â€Å"I don’t trust you Snape, as you very well know† Bellatrix Lestrange, Voldemort’s most prized confidant tells him in the dead of night (Rowling, Half Blood Prince, 30). Snape accepts the Machiavellian attitude that â€Å"how men live is so different from how they should live that a ruler who does not do what is generally done, but persists in doing what ought to be done, will undermine his power rather than maintain it† (Machiavelli, 54). For this reason,Show MoreRelatedThe Prince Machiavelli Analysis1490 Words   |  6 Page sThroughout The Prince, Machiavelli advocates for the use of force to achieve the Prince’s goals. However, these acts are justified because they are done to benefit the state. Moreover, Machiavelli’s political philosophy repetitively stresses the fact that the Prince should not act in a way as to cause hatred. In this, constant cruelty is inappropriate and unjustifiable because it provokes contempt towards the ruler. In The Prince, Machiavelli discerns that good acts of cruelties â€Å"are carried outRead MorePrince Sports Market Analysis1289 Words   |  6 PagesPrince Market Analysis As the sport continues to experience growth due to the younger interest, Prince has created its own death warrant because it fails to see how it can create a positive and lasting strong hold in a market that has seen a recent upswing. One of the things that sticks out the most to me was the amount of time it took for Prince to realize its superior position in the niche market of tennis and other racket designated sports, I can’t grasp the idea that Prince was not alreadyRead MoreMachiavellian Prince Analysis1688 Words   |  7 Pagesgoodness and wisdom above all else, and would find Machiavelli’s concept of a prince to be a leader void of these qualities. Socrates would be critical of a Machiavellian prince’s character and actions for failing to meet his morally absolute standard of goodness, and of the Machiavellian prince’s notion of wisdom for conflicting with his own. Socrates would not be supportive of the political system formed under a Machiavellian prince, the perpetuation of which inherently clashes with his stringent moralRead MoreThe Little Prince Character Analysis1557 Words   |  7 Pagesseem to work quite as well as the novel, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupà ƒ ©ry. These lessons taught in the short novel even helped Saint-Exupery’s great nephew improve and learn in his life (Inman). An analysis of The Little Prince shows that there are many lessons to be learned about adulthood and how to better live your life. It teaches children how to be grown-ups and it teaches grown-ups how to become better grown-ups. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is a short novel all aboutRead MoreAnalysis Of The Prince By Niccolo Machiavelli832 Words   |  4 Pagesand philosophies. His comprehensive work The Prince is considered as a remarkable piece of historical writing not only for the age of renaissance but also for the contemporary age. He was of the view that politics has the morality of its own, and that there is no repute of justice or injustice, of brutality or forgiveness, of agreement or dishonor, which should interfere with the decision of defending the state and preserving its freedom. 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According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, a prince is a â€Å"monarch, king; the ruler of a principality or state, a male member of a royal family; especially a son of the king.† In the dictionary definition, there is no mention of the expectations, or the characteristics of a prince. Throughout history, leaders have taken many roles. Some leaders, like Alexander the Great, tookRead MoreMachiavelli The Prince Analysis873 Words   |  4 PagesIn the prince, Machiavelli explores a world of governments and presents the many different ways in which a ruler must adapt in order to run an efficient government. Machiavelli provides a number of applications in which a ruler can acquire and maintain the leading position of a government. While many of these applications are just and moral, there is no denying that some of the Machiavelli’s tactics are cruel and immoral. However, as we advance deep into the meaning behin d Machiavelli’s choice ofRead MoreAnalysis Of Niccolo Machiavellis The Prince 1246 Words   |  5 Pages Niccolo Machiavelli, the author of The Prince, said â€Å"Never was anything great achieved without danger.† This could be rephrased to â€Å"Nothing great is achieved without taking on risk†. The definition of risk is as an â€Å"act or failure to act in a way that brings the possibility of an unpleasant or unwelcome event†. And even though risk has a negative connotation, all risk is not bad. Intelligent businesses understand they must take on calculated risks to be competitive in the marketplace. However, takingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Two Princes Of Calabar 1536 Words   |  7 Pagesthere is little documentation of individuals from the African Slave Trade. As such a familiar occurrence in history, there is little to be known about the individual experiences of captives during this horrific time. Randy Sparks, author of The Two Princes of Calabar, ends the silence as he provides the reader with a glimpse into an eighteenth century odyssey, and first hand ac count to the trading communities along the coast of West Africa. This trade not only transported people, but the exchange of