paul essays

paul essays Me and Literature Parm Hothi Although I have been reading books from a very early age, the first book I really liked was a kids story book that was printed in India. We lived in a small town near Los Angles called Riverside. Since we had no South Asian grocery store or even a little shop in the town, my dad would especially ask my uncle in Vancouver to send us Indian books because he liked reading. This one time with some of my dads novels came a wonderful little color filled book with strange pictures within . My dad handed it to me said dont lose it (not his exact I went to an elementary school called Cameno Real elementary and I was the only Indian in the entire school. None of the kids even understood who I was so they just assumed that I was a weird Mexican. Everyday I would come home and read that same book. I had other books but I didnt find the warmth and friendliness in those books that I found in this particular one. This book gave me a sense belonging and it evoked and showed a lot of sentiments. The book was about a boy who couldnt go to school because he had to go work in the fields with his dad. Later I realized that the books was to teach us not to take the privileges we have for granted. Even though the story was too complex for me at that age, the illustrations in the book were the ones that attracted me. I use to imagine my self in the field and all the kids in the pictures that looked like me was an astounding thought. I believe because of my dads efforts I have started a serious interest in India generally and modern Indian novels specifically. Since I started watching a lot of Indian movie it has become easier for me to make sense of the allusions in the novels. I have read several modern Indian fiction first editions. My interest coincided ...

Organizations as Organisms

Organizations as Organisms Free Online Research Papers Organizations are not just a working machine that functions for its own benefit without regard to the environment, but should be viewed as living systems that are comprised of smaller units that work inter-dependently to create a whole organism, or in other words, an organization. The military and the orchestra are two examples of distinct entities that can be viewed as an â€Å"open system† that is distinctive in that in order to survive, it must depend on its environment and interact with its own sub systems or units in order to survive. Sub units can be seen as aspects of an organization that contribute to its working parts. When looking to the environment for survival, resources that are deemed necessary, such as money, people, or the community, we see this as an open system since an organization’s interactions with its sub units will depend on its survival. This paper intends to provide that organizations, such as the military and the orchestra are different organi zation, but relate in that they can relate as a living system and both depend on its environment for survival while at the same time prove its distinct difference prove productive on how they obtain their needed resources. The military is considered a basic-economic system, an â€Å"Eco system† comprised of different basic units with its own labor source that works towards the overall goal of creating a military â€Å"aggregate soldier† that can exceed the addition of all subunits to create a bigger entity that impacts the world. The military is a unique organism but at the same time, its size and force can work against it. The military unit is a continuous force of input and output that drives on the economic resources it needs to produce its domestic product, a ready military force. This constant need can sometimes create a burden because our society allows a voluntary source; by creating a constitutional duty that is seen vital, the military mandates a period of time for people to serve to help produce that economic resource. The military relies on the external economic environment to provide resources to create its domestic product and depending upon the stability of the environm ent, the military’s performance may be hindered due to reduce combat capability as well as the member’s personal consumer society. In order for the military to be a true productive force, the ingrained economic laws in which society follow that govern life and activity are used by each unit to determine the effectiveness each subunit can provide. Labor efficiency is done by upgrading logistical and technical equipment capability, ensuring every member is qualified, raising economic awareness to reduce waste, fostering cohesion and teamwork, as well as investigating other national and foreign units to develop a cohesive, economically sound team (Federov, 2001). Like the military, the orchestra can also be system a similar organism with subunits that comprise the unit as a whole. It has complex interdependent subsystems that cause the orchestra to rely on its economic environment for its survival. An orchestra runs like an organization in terms distinct job function boundaries, the orchestra itself, staff, board members, and volunteers. These systems may be broken down further by departments within each job function. The orchestra relies heavily on the external environment for income through ticket sales and contributions to support the orchestra’s â€Å"personnel intensive† asset needs. To help the support the orchestra, marketing advertises concerts to generate income as well through record sales. To promote the environment’s love for music, members are reaching out to their community with music education in hopes that the community will provide inputs. Another issue is not in the form of economic need, but a pers on’s quality of life that music brings. It is an intangible asset to consider in terms of the impact on the community, the community’s economy and the value added. Measuring an intangible asset is hard, but looking at the community as a whole and the stability of an orchestra’s economic input-process-output stability can give a better indication Roelofs, 2005). The military and an orchestra are similar in terms of a living system in that they both have relationships with its smaller units and is an integrated whole. The military is a single whole process where each military member creates a unit that in turn produces a systemic effect. These individual units build and each section produces an effect that when in combination, creates a military force that can create a large labor force in a limited space. Relationships are formed through cohesiveness, a common sense of duty, and an understanding of economic expectation of labor outputs. The orchestra also consists of systems and subsystems that work to create the orchestra as a whole. Subsystems consist of board members that work to obtain contributions for the orchestra, staff, volunteers, and the musicians themselves. Both the military and the orchestra are seen as a whole unit as the military impacts the entire globe. The military combat warring nations to protect communities and ser ve as ambassadors to other nations to build friendships and strengthen units to ensure longevity. The orchestra work to provide music to communities to build a sense of pride and unity and establish themselves with people. Every system has its autonomy and function; managers work through systematic processes within its own logic and how the organization reacts to situations. By treating organizations as a living system, managers cooperate and try to build partnership for sustainability (Capra, 1996). Looking at an orchestra and the military in terms of a systems approach, there are some important differences in the way it functions for the environment. Both parties function in that they each are developed through sub units with its own interdepartmental system and how they work to support the overall whole unit, but one can look at the orchestra as its own subunit of the organization whereas the military is still just considered the whole of an organization. With an orchestra, one can be found in almost every community and each one works to support itself to provide music to the community and the various programs it provides. Each organization may run a little differently, budgets and contributions will vary and each orchestra’s depth will vary; its output will be based on what their own individual organization wants to deliver. With the military, the sub units as a whole works towards a common goal set by the organization. Its living systems are predetermined on how they will exist and to what function. The goal is a two-fold process, how do we become the best technologically and maintain the skill set needed through the economic boundaries set forth and how do we create a sustaining mindset within thousands of individuals to understand we are a living system as one? Each organization is common in that they require an open system of resources for sustenance but each is different in their output. All things can be considered living systems, take TUIU for example. TUIU can be looked at as a whole unit because it is a university organization with different subunits that make up the sum of the whole part. Like a human body, students are like cells that create different organs and tissue. The tissue can be seen as the classes offered to the cells, like food to exist within the subunit. The organs are each department of the university that takes in all the cells and refers it to various parts for answers and needed functions. The whole university functions as the brain, which needs all parts to help function. TUIU becomes a social system when students come together for a common purpose and have mutual interaction and focuses on the basic principles of what they are trying to accomplish. If students fail to interact, processes begin to dissect. As we discussed living systems in comparison to the orchestra and the military, how could we put this in terms for a new organizational member? An organization is considered a living system when you look at the autonomy each department has is accomplishing the processes to reach goals. Managers take in the logic and emotions of the organization’s mission and implement ways to influence its employees to create ways to make processes better, faster, and cheaper as a way to empower them and be committed to the organization by cultivating what is important to them (Capra,1996). Even though many see an organization as a living system, how can we relate it to a machine? Organizations are a relationship that persists over time, as does a well-running machine. Members that work machines (inter-departments) must anticipate changes that a machine may need as the environment changes since information is the food that drives it. The levers (people) take signals from the environment and bring the data forward to modify the organization’s actions. For example, your organization is marketing a new shoe. You decide to do a marketing analysis through random cities that are selling the shoe (feedback loop) and your levers (people in the organization) are providing the feedback signals to the machine (inter-departments) to determine the changes needed to modify in relation to the change in environment to market new changes to the shoe (Flower, 1995). The military and the orchestra are but two examples on how anyone can break down an organization in a living system, a whole unit with sub units that relate and interconnect in order to support being a whole unit. The wholeness of a unit comes from its social system, the community or ecosystems. The military is unique in that it survives not only on the technology and economic resources it is given, but the global need for protection and people who feels it’s their constitutional duty to serve those people. The orchestra is also unique in that its survival completely rest on their community. Music is a way to bring communities together but its resources must come from those same people to survive; inter-departments work together in order to support the orchestra as a whole. Another concept viewed is how an organization or an organism can function as a machine. The environment acts as the feedback loop and uses the organization’s levers to provide signal for change. The environment is the driver of change and organisms, us, must learn from our past in order to adapt to the changing environment and function as a whole unit. References Capra, F. (N.D.) Living Systems. The Light Party. Retrieved May 18, 2009, from lightparty.com/Visionary/LivingSystems.html Fedorov, G.S. (2001) The Military Unit as Part of the Armed Forces Economic System . Military Thought . July. Retrieved May 18, 2009, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JAP/is_4_10/ai_78839805/ Flower, J. (1995) The Structure Of Organized Change: A conversation with Kevin Kelly. The Healthcare Forum Journal, vol. 38, no. 1, January/February 1995. Retrieved May 18, 2009, from well.com/user/bbear/kellyart.html Roelofs, L. (N.D.) Organizational Change: Open System Concepts. Symphony Orchestra Institute. Retrieved May 18, 2009, from soi.org/reading/change/concepts.shtml Research Papers on Organizations as OrganismsOpen Architechture a white paperBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfGenetic EngineeringAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeDefinition of Export QuotasIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalThe Project Managment Office SystemInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2

Public and Humanitarian International Law Essay

Public and Humanitarian International Law - Essay Example Not everyone believes this to be true. This paper shall now assess the following statement: public international law is nothing more than a reflection of what powerful states choose to do. It shall review the claim that international law is based on not what the international community wants, but what the powerful nations want. This thesis shall be evaluated in this discussion via theories and discussion by experts and scholars in international law. This paper is being undertaken in order to provide a comprehensive and academic discussion of the subject matter. Discussion International laws are ideally implemented based on principles and mandates which are formulated by its member nations. These mandates are voted on and ratified by member states and later implemented to govern international transactions and relations. In the actual setting, these laws in relation to political processes may often be considered irreconcilable and conflicting with each other. For the most part, dominan t states may not want to use the different processes available under international laws; they may sometimes consider turning to politics instead1. However, the international systems seem to dissociate itself from power and domination. Based on the principle of sovereignty, the international laws are distancing itself from the more dominant applications of power and of political might. However since international laws always need power in order to enforce its policies, on its own, these laws seem to be powerless in most situations2. It is in unable to control power states based on its own standing, therefore it seems to depend on the application of the balance of power. In other words, in instances â€Å"when there is neither community of interests nor balance of power, there is no international law†3. Consequently, international law sometimes appears as a beacon of equality where justice prevails and power plays are consigned to the realm of politics where the more cutthroat relations prevail. This difference in application finds its best expression in the designated roles of law and politics in the early 19th century in the era of the Concert of Europe. In its interaction with weaker countries, the Concert carried out its processes via political, not so much in the legal processes4. This mutual exclusion is sometimes utilized to define the contemporary relations in international and the United States. The US, which is disinclined to ratify treaties and is more inclined to be relieved of international legal processes, often appears as a â€Å"lawless hegemon, however in spite of that, international law among the rest of states seems to flourish on its way to realizing the values of the international community†5. Moreover, the laws and political power seems to function in differing plains. As a result, international law appears idealized and the realists and critical legal scholars have accepted the fact that the laws are shaped and dictated by po wer6. Many scholars have even accepted the fact that the history of international laws marks milestones of power dominance. This paper shall proceed to evaluate whether or not the power displays in the international realm impact on the application of international laws. The international processes of dominant states straddles two policies, that of instrumentalization and withdrawal. The orientations of these two policies are different from each other as they move in two

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT TERM PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT TERM PAPER - Essay Example Although external factors have played a very crucial role in the current situation of GM Europe, still, the internal strengths of the company like recognition, state support, global operations, U.S. leadership and many others are making the company capable to avoid the threats of closure. The report also shows that the current opportunities in European market such as demands of fuel-efficient, small cars and green cars are some of the unexplored opportunities for GM Europe. The internal and external factor analysis shows that company is less responding to threats and opportunities than its average ability however, it is efficiently responding towards its strengths and weaknesses. The SPACE analysis shows that in consideration to the current position of GM Europe, company should adopt conservative strategies such as product development, market penetration. Such strategies will help the company to remain consistent in its revenues and to grow its market shares. During the last year, GM Europe has been planning different strategies however, finally in February 2010; the restructuring plan of the company has been announced. The report critically analyses all different alternatives presented by GM Europe throughout the year. Finally, selling the percentage of Opel Shares, downsizing, bottom cost cutting, development of green and fuel efficient cars have been considered as the most appropriate strategies for GM Europe. This report also shows the three years projections of GM Europe and it has been highlighted that in 2010 revenues of the company will go in negative, however, breakeven profit is expected in 2011 and positive profit is expected in 2012. The market shares of the company will also grow during this period and costs such as manufacturing costs, fuel costs will be reduced because they are the major parts of restructuring plan. Therefore, GM Europe survival is

Responsibilities of sports engineers Essay Example for Free

Responsibilities of sports engineers Essay Sports is something that attracts every person in this world towards itself. Sports has become a very common field that everybody has interested in. People are gaining more and more interest in different sports from all over the world. And that is why sports engineering is gaining significance and recognition. It is a special field of engineering, which involves everything from the development to the testing of the different sports equipment. The discipline includes numerous activities and everything related to sports and sports equipment. The sports engineers have several responsibilities that are discussed here at length. The very first responsibility of a sports engineer is the designing of the sports equipment. With the development of different sports and an increase in their popularity, people are eager to make use of the best of the sports equipment. And this is where the sports engineers can contribute by developing new equipment that would help the athletes perform better. Sports engineers are also responsible for carrying out a complete lab and experimental testing of the sports equipment, athletes and the interaction between them. This is one of the most important parts of the job of a sports engineer because it is not possible to make use of anything without testing the equipment and the nature of interactions the users would have with the equipment. The sports engineers not only carry out laboratory testing but are also required to test the performance of the athletes and different devices in the field, i. e. the environment of the sports. Field testing needs to be completely accurate so that there is no scope of mistakes and the athletes are prepared to use their equipment in the real conditions and situations. Computational modeling has been used only for scientific purposes till now. Computational modeling approach is usually employed in physics and other scientific applications, whether it is fluid dynamics or any other experiment. Sports engineers are also making use of this technique and approach for determining the forces acting upon the working of the equipment and for stimulating its working before actually developing them. Sports engineers also need to continuously work with the different government bodies and the authorities for making sure that the rules are adhered to and everything is carried out within the pre-defined guidelines. Sports engineers also have to work with the athletes to regularly keep a track and improve the performance of the different athletes in different fields. They need to find out new ways and measures for enhancing the performance of the sportsmen. Thus, we see that sports engineers are extremely important people and they need to carry out all of their responsibilities sincerely for the development of different sports and for the betterment of the athletes. Reference link: http://classof1. com/homework-help/engineering-homework-help.

production and cost curve :: essays research papers

Production/Cost Curves   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Every company has some kind of Revenue and they all have costs that are associated with running the company. It is also true that if a company wants to increase their Revenue, their costs will increase too. It is every company’s goal to maximize revenue and either through Production or Services, and minimize cost. These things are easy to figure out, but actually identifying the production and figuring out how it will increase or decrease with change is very difficult.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Fred Meyer our output like in all grocery stores, is not a product but the amount of items we sell. Sales is what drives the company, it is the source for our Revenue. Similar to manufacturing companies where they have numbers that tell them how much they produced, we have numbers that tells us how much we have sold. Every department has a goal that they have to reach. They have to sell their products to come to that number. The number varies daily, and managers expect from every department that they will sell more products compared to last year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For departments to achieve that, managers have to look at the output level and decide how they can increase profit. It will be very difficult for them to do that because if they want to increase the production/output which is sales in my situation, they would incur costs. So if managers decide to try and sell more products, they could hire more employees to persuade customers to buy more products. We can see that when we go to â€Å"Circuit City† and â€Å"Best Buy†, they have employees just standing around and not doing anything, but once a customer shows up, they are all over them. So for managers in my Home-electronic department they could hire more employees to sell more products. That concept would not be very efficient after a certain number of employees are hired. If we h ire 10 more employee, than a lot of them would just stand around and be in the way of customers and even each other. This situation could be a bottleneck for people that are trying to get something done. Graph A could best describe this example. This graph shows you what happens to the output when more labor is added. The output will slowly level off and then start to decline. If the managers want to maximize the output they would have to look at the max point on the graph to get the highest output with the lowest labor force.

Walmart’s Key HR Functions Underperforming

Introduction The success of any organization depends on its strategic asset, the human capital. As pointed out by Lawler (1996), organization’s competitive advantage comes from its human capital. Efficient management of this resource can bring significant benefits to the company. It should be remembered that motivation is the epicenter of performance and an important factor ensuring the success of a company. Improving workplace productivity however remains a major challenge in most companies. In this regard, this study explores the human resource management approach at Wal-Mart. It identifies the ways in which two HR functions (employee motivation and employee performance practices) are underperforming. This includes a brief account of how the functions operate within the organization, how they are applied and what the outcomes for the business are given that they are underperforming. The paper evaluates why these particular functions are considered to be underperforming using Herzbergâ₠¬â„¢s motivator Hygiene Theory. Further the paper makes some recommendations for improvement of these HRM practices and the benefits to the company. What is human resource management? Human resource management encompasses all activities associated with management of the human capital and in ways towards achieving the corporate goal or objective. In any organization, the human resource department plays a crucial role. Not only are HR managers required to recruit and train employees, but they also have the obligation of motivating and engaging the workforce. Understanding what motivates the employee and ensuring good employee employment practices is key for talent retention and performance (Lockwood et al. 2010). Regardless of the economic environment, it is imperative for companies to create an engaged and motivated workforce. Underperformance in the workplace has recently been a major concern in Wal-Mart stores. According to a new research report by Wolfe research, an equities research firm, Wal-Mart has been underperforming over the past years. The firm lowered Wal-Mart from a â€Å"market perform† rating to an â€Å"underperform† rating (Covert, 20 14). Failure by Wal-Mart has been attributed to their poor employment practices especially low wages and lack of rewards. Whereas Wal-Mart may not be the only big store chain criticized for its poor employment practices and policies, it has come to the spotlight owing to its aggressive policies and low cost strategy which undermines the effort made by employees. Just last year, a lawsuit was filed against Wal-Mart by the international Labour Rights Fund for requiring overtime, denying minimum wage and punishing union activity (Covert 2012). This is clearly a violation of worker’s rights. Wal-Mart which was initially a corporate fortress seems to be headed to a downfall. Even its operations in the US indicate the possibility of a failure in the giant retailer. More recently, Wal-Mart warned its investors that its comparable store sales may be slightly negative after the third quarter. This is also evident in the huge layoff of 2300 workers at Sam’s club, one of its stores. The layoff was attributed to their poor performance. Whereas Wal-Mart still remains the corporate fortress in the retail sector due to its massive size, its underperformance in the US and emerging markets indicate the possibility of a failure in the near future. Walmart’s bad business practices Wal-Mart has on several accounts been criticized for poor wages. Why should employees suffer in one of the giant retail stores that make billions of profit annuallyWal-Mart is ranked among the best 100 corporations by Forbes magazine yet most of its employees take on average less than $250 a week. Full-time employees are paid between $6 and $7.50 an hour. A further a third of the employees who are part-time are limited to working up to 28 hours a week and are not eligible for benefits. Such pay scale places them and their families below the poverty line. The lack of rewards demotivates and discourages them from performing well. Perhaps Wal-Marts bad business practices are more evident with the Rana Plaza tragedy which led to the loss of over 1000 lives. The tragedy exposed some of the profound flaws in the industry. Rana Plaza produced private garments for some of the giant retailers including Wal-Mart. Evidence provided by the Bangladesh center for Worker Solidarity showed that Wal- Mart had been producing its garments in Ether Tex factory situated on the 5th floor of the building (Steven 2013). Some documents were found in the rubble detailing purchase orders for certain garments which were to be delivered to Wal-Mart. Further, at the time of the tragedy, Wal-Mart was already listed in Ether Tex’s website as one of the main customer. Although Wal-Mart denied knowledge of their operations at the factory building, it announced its plans to put in place new safety measures at some of their factories in Bangladesh. The corporate fortress, however, promised to stop production if urgent safety problems were uncovered at some of its factories. The company further assured the Bangladeshi government of their support and commitment towards improving workplace safety. But the company stopped short of committing to these improvements and distanced itself from the Rana Plaza tragedy. This is a clear example of bad business practice. Why these particular functions are considered to be underperforming Last year, Wal-Mart reported $11 billion in net income yet it has not been able to remedy some of its questionable workplace practices. Wal-Mart has been filed in over 5,000 lawsuits for poor employment practices such as inadequate health care, wage law violations, worker exploitation and their anti-union retailer stance. Wal-Mart anti-union stance can be seen in their recent threat to close one of its stores in Quebec after workers successfully unionized. Citing ‘economic reasons’; Wal-Mart announced their plans on shutting the store. However, this argument was rejected by Quebec’s labor relations and Wal-Mart’s firings found illegal. Further, the move to extend operations to overseas markets including setting up factories in emerging markets such as Bangladesh and China was driven by the desire to take advantage of cheap labour. For example, Wal-Mart pays much less its employees in China compared to those in the US and the UK. A further criticism has been the lack of employment benefits. Part-time employees are limited to working up to 28 hours a week and are not eligible for benefits. While, workers who are eligible for benefits pay way over the odds to get health insurance and other benefits. The company has often come under criticism for not providing employees with affordable access to health care and employees are overburdened. For example, in 1999, 36% of the total costs were paid by the employees. In 2001, there was a 42% rise in employee burden. The health of its employees has been deteriorating at a faster rate. According to the company’s internal memo discovered by New York Times, Wal-Mart workers were sicker compared to the national population. This begs the question: Why can’t such a giant corporation provide its workers medical retirement benefits given the huge profits that they makeThis question was once raised by one of Wal-Mart’s managers only to be fired by the CEO and reasons of disloyalty cit ed as the reason for being quitted. (Jordan 2008). As Michael Porter (1980) once pointed out that a company would rely on three basic competitive strategies to maintain their edge in the market: differentiation, cost leadership, and focus strategy. Wal-Mart has obviously taken the cost-leadership strategy by reducing the cost of recruitment, providing low pay, no rewards, requiring overtime, and cheap children labors. It currently faces a barrage of lawsuits for extensive violations of labour laws. Wal-Mart also faces law suits for extensive violations of state regulations that require time for breaks and meals. In some instances, minors are forced to work late for the performance appraising. Outcomes for business Wal-Mart may be headed for a downfall. Its customer service is already low and their low-cost strategy has led to many cut offs of employees. Since recession, Wal-Mart has been cutting down on their staff. Without enough manpower for their retail operations and with workers on site underpaid, its merchandize remains stacked on pallets in warehouses instead of the shelves where customers can reach them. What then is the value of offering lower prices if the products are not accessible to the customers? Further, the check-out lines are painfully long and there seems to be a decline in the overall customer shopping experience. Customer shopping experience has been deteriorating due to the longer checkout lines, disorganization and less staff help. Last year, the giant retailer was placed last among in the American Customer Satisfaction Index, a six year in a row in which Wal-Mart has taken the last spot (Ungar 2013). Lessons must be learnt from the experience of the other low end retail ers. McDonald’s earnings have fallen significantly due to their poor terms of employment. Similarly, Wal-Mart needs to consider the potential upside of their aggressive policies. Despite the poor employment practices, Wal-Mart still remains among the leading retail giants. Its remains ahead of its competitors such as Target and JC penny. However, Wal-Mart faces a threat from Costco, its primary competitor. Costco has been experiencing a fairly healthy 8% growth in annual sales (Ungar 2013). In fact, a significant number of customers are moving to this retailer for their shopping experience. Could this be attributed to the good employment practices at CostcoUnlike Wal-Mart, employees at Costco get a decent living and are paid in excess of the minimum wage. Given the aggressive HR policies employed by Wal-Mart, it begs the question: what then is the role of HR managers in this companySince, as HR professionals, they are required to put in place strategies oriented towards the e mployees. To some point, however, employees seem to be encouraged to think of themselves as ‘servant leaders’. For example, employees are called â€Å"associates† showing that the company values their contribution. Such kinds of HR policies are employed in most of the best performing companies. These policies and practices serve to motivate employees to increase their performance and can aid in developing good corporate culture. However, employees may not feel appreciated if they are paid less than minimum wages and denied rewards and opportunities for professional growth. There seem to be no opportunities for enhancement and professional growth. Wal-Mart does very little training and developments of its human resources and as such, opportunities for enhancement of professions especially for women are limited. In fact, several claims have been filed against Wal-Mart for discriminating against women in terms of employment positions and the lack of opportunities fo r advancement. Improving employee motivation and employment practices at Wal-Mart As HR professionals continue to seek bright, talented and highly engaged workforce, motivational theories can provide insights on how Wal-Mart can improve employee motivation and engagement. Several motivational theories have been suggested including the Expectancy Theory, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory, Herzberg’s motivator Hygiene Theory, Goal Setting Theory, and Equity theory (Lockwood et al. 2010) Herzberg’s motivator Hygiene Theory is perhaps more applicable to the case of Wal-Mart. The theory suggests that two main factors must be met for employees to become satisfied with work. These are: the hygiene factors and motivator factors. The hygiene factors include meeting the basic needs such as adequate pay, comfortable working environment, effective supervision and good relationships with the core workers. On the other hand, motivation factors include advancement and professional growth, and rewards or opportunities for recognition (lockwood et al. 2010) W al-Mart needs to consider applying the two-factor theory of motivation if they are to improve on the performance of their employees. They need to revamp their policies, increase the salary of their employees, and the safety and security of the employees. Further, they need to consider motivators that are intrinsic to the job which include providing rewards for achievement and increasing their growth opportunities. Pundits, policymakers and activists outraged by the company’s low wages have been calling for protests. According to Robert Reich, a professor at U.C. Berkeley, Walmart’s net income is estimated at $17 billion meaning that they can easily afford to give its workers a small pay-rise (Atner 2013). The Chancellor professor of public policy has in fact urged shoppers to boycott Wal-Mart since they do not want to share even a little bit of their income with their employees (Atner 2013). Conclusion In today’s highly competitive marketplace, motivation of employees and employing the best employment practices is key to success. Underperformance in the workplace has recently been a major concern in Wal-Mart stores. Several lawsuits have been filed against Wal-Mart for violation of worker’s rights including low wages, lack of employment benefits, being required to work overtime and denied to participate in union activity. Bad employment practices are clearly evident in Wal-Mart. This has affects employee productivity as it demoralizes and demotivates them. Wal-Mart needs to consider applying the two-factor theory of motivation if they are to improve on the performance of their employees. Incentives are key to maintaining a motivated workforce and ensuring business success. Appraising and offering hardworking employee with incentives will motivate them to go the extra mile of putting the company first. Employee valuations need to be implemented and growth opportunities made plenty. HR managers at walmart need to understand the benefits of employee motivation and engagement. By sharing their profit, employees will feel appreciated and more passionate about their work. Ultimately, this will result in improved performance and greater customer satisfaction Reference Ciura, B., 2014. Is Wal-Mart’s empire about to failViewed on 29th March 2014. Available from http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/02/01/is-wal-marts-empire-about-to-fall.aspx Covert, B., 2014. Walmart’s labor practices backfire. Viewed on 29th March 2014. Available from http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/02/10/3271221/walmart-downgraded-understaffing/ Gusdorf, M.L. and Reed, S.M., 2009. The role of mission and values in strategic human resource management. Society for Human Resource Management. Jordan, T., 2014. The good, the bad and Wal-Mart. Workplacefairness Lockwood, N., Anderson, C., Fiester, M. and Samers, K., 2010. ‘Motivation in today’s workplace: the link to performance’. Research Quarterly. The Society for Human Resource Management Rasouli, R., 2013. ‘Modelling the impact of HRM practices on knowledge workers’ job satisfaction and intention to stay: re-examining the Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivationâ₠¬â„¢. World of Sciences Journal Steven, G., 2013. As firms line up on factories, Wal-Mart plans solo effort. Viewed on 29th March 2013. available from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/business/six-retailers-join-bangladesh-factory-pact.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Thomasson, E., 2014. Bangladesh factory inspections highlight safety risks as anniversary of Rana Plaza tragedy looms. Retail & Marketing. Ungar, R., 2013. Wal-Mart pays workers poorly and sinks while Costco pays workers well and sails-proof that you get what you pay for. {Viewed on 30th March 2014} available fromhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2013/04/17/walmart-pays-workers-poorly-and-sinks-while-costco-pays-workers-well-and-sails-proof-that-you-get-what-you-pay-for/