Business Risk Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Risk Management - Assignment Example 132). The average of three hundred and fifty dollars they receive is as too low to cater for the needs and demand of their families. Working hours and salaries: Within the last ten months, all the three Apple factories operating in China exceeded both the Chinese legal limits on working hours and the fair labor association standards. The fair labor association allows a maximum of sixty working hours per week, including both standard shifts and paid overtime. According to its survey, the Apple branches in China broke this rule by subjecting its employees to more than maximum working time per week. Though the workers are forced to work over the limits allowed by both the government and the fair labor association, Apple own investigation has shown that most of its facilities located in foreign countries broke legal limits by failing to pay proper overtime wages as stipulated by the law(Sad grove, 2005, p. 338). The fair labor associations found that almost a quarter of Foxconn’s workers do not get the compensation they are owed for unscheduled overtime. Health and safety: Almost half of the employees surveyed, by the fair labor federation, said that they were either experiencing or witnessing some kind of work related accident. Before FLA investigations, Foxconn recorded only accidents that resulted to production stoppages (Pickett, 2006, p. 275). This has for a long time led to torture of many of its workers, who had no one to return to their rescue. Prevention of underage labor: In its 2006 audit, Apple Company placed some of its findings on its website. Its current reports, on breach of labor and human rights including the use of underage workers, indicated that in more than hundred of its facilities, excessive work hours were a common thing and that most of those facilities failed to pay proper overtime wages (Froeb & McCann, 2009, p. 204).

European Court on Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

European Court on Human Rights - Essay Example The Human Rights Watch (HRW), a global NGO, noted this weakness in implementation of human rights laws. "The development of norms has not been matched by effective means for their implementation." (Hicks, 2007) Implementation is further blocked by the current thinking that protection worldwide, and the threat to human rights continues to grow." (Hicks, 2007) Amnesty International also believes that today, "human rights are not only a promise unfulfilled, they are a promise betrayed." Amnesty International was referring specifically to attempts by various States to justify or conceal their violations of the absolute ban on torture, to the tragedy of Darfur, the failure to stop extreme and widespread violence against women, and the failure to pursue the people's economic, political and social rights (as embodied in the modest UN Millenium Development Goals). In the face of such serious challenges, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) called for UN Member States to rise and assume the role of human rights defenders. Not the US, since HRW believes that the US has compromised itself by human rights violations in its campaign against terrorism and in the war in Iraq (for instance, secret prison camps and ill-treatment and torture of prisoners). Also not Russia or China, since as HRW pointed out, the two countries are themselves major human rights violators, especially the rights of political dissenters. The Human Rights Watch urged the European Union to assume the role since it is "the world's leading collection of democracies, founded on a ECHR 4 commitment to human rights and the rule of law." At the same time HRW chided the EU, stating that "due in part to structural problems and in part to a lack of political will, the European Union's underperformance on human rights has left a gaping leadership hole." (Roth, 2007) EU: Waffling on Human Rights Issues The EU has made undeniable progress in setting up a European human rights system. Its Charter of Fundamental Rights, adopted in 2002, has defined the comprehensive civil, political, economic and social rights of all European citizens and residents, covering the following concerns: dignity, freedoms, equality, solidarity, citizens rights and justice. (Europa) "Human rights, democracy and the rule of law are core values of the European Union. Embedded in its founding treaty, they have been reinforced by the adoption of a Charter of Fundamental Rights. Respect for human rights is a prerequisite for countries seeking to join the Union and a precondition for countries who have concluded trade and other agreements with it." (European Parliament) The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is empowered to hear cases filed by individuals who believe that their rights were violated

Using Operant Conditioning to Increase Productivity Among Workers Essay Example for Free

Using Operant Conditioning to Increase Productivity Among Workers Essay If I would be a manager of a large automobile factory, I would be interested in increasing the productivity among all workers. A good tool for this is Operant Conditioning. I would have 3 types of workers: white collar office employees, factory line workers, and quality control employees. I would use different techniques for each type. For quality control workers I would use punishment. If they didn’t notice a defect in the product that they were supposed to check, they would get a fine taken off their paycheque. I would use fixed ration scheduling for punishment, so that every mistake is noticed and punished. This will make them extra careful, and will increase the quality of the product on the market. This form of treatment – punishment – might make them angry. But they can’t express their anger on me because I’m their manager and I might fire them. So they will be angry with workers and will be checking product for defects with special passion. For white-collar office employees and for factory line workers I would use Positive reinforcement. This technique will bring enthusiasm and optimism to workers, will create positive environment, and will increase their productivity. If I will reword workers for extra work done, or for being done the assignment before the due date, I will strengthen their motivation for work because it is followed by the presentation of reward (money added to the pay check). I would use variable ratio schedule for the rewords to be given out, meaning that on average I will reward every 5th outstanding achievement. I would not choose variable interval, because giving reward simply after a period of time wouldn’t bring the response as fast and efficient as I want.

Benthams Principle Of Utility And Moral Ethics Philosophy Essay

Benthams Principle Of Utility And Moral Ethics Philosophy Essay Can be defined as those principles on which our moral decisions are based. Ethics are the sense of right and wrong, good and evil, values and responsibility. Thus it is considered as a major branch of philosophy. It can be described as the science of human duty. These ethics are therefore the measurement by which a human being is graded as being good, bad and evil. In simple terms moral ethics are nothing but the code of conduct decided by each person for himself or herself for operating in this world and fellow beings.   Moral ethics are formed from the obligations and duties of a person in the society. Nobody can force a person to adhere to moral ethics. For e.g. if a person sees an accident victim lying on the road it is his moral ethic to help out the victim but if he chooses to not do so then no social institution can punish him for this unwillingness. Thus these ethics are relative and subjective Utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory that places the locus of right and wrong solely on the outcomes (consequences) of choosing one action/policy over other actions/policies. As such, it moves beyond the scope of ones own interests and takes into account the interests of others Benthams Principle of Utility Recognizes the fundamental role of pain and pleasure in human life, approves or disapproves of an action on the basis of the amount of pain or pleasure brought about i.e., consequences, equates good with pleasure and evil with pain, and asserts that pleasure and pain are capable of quantification Act and Rule Utilitarianism We can apply the principle of utility to either PARTICULAR ACTIONS or GENERAL RULES. The former is called act-utilitarianism and the latter is called rule-utilitarianism. Act-utilitarianism   The principle of utility is applied directly to each alternative act in a situation of choice. The right act is then defined as the one which brings about the best results (or the least amount of bad results). Rule-utilitarianism   The principle of utility is used to determine the validity of rules of conduct (moral principles). A rule like promise-keeping is established by looking at the consequences of a world in which people broke promises at will and a world in which promises were binding. Right and wrong are then defined as following or breaking those rules.   Deontological Theories Having briefly taken a look at deontologists foil, consequentiality theories of act evaluation, we turn now to examine deontological theories. In contrast to consequentiality theories, deontological theories judge the morality of choices by criteria different than the states of affairs those choices bring about. Roughly speaking, deontologists of all stripes hold that some choices cannot be justified by their effects that no matter how morally good their consequences, some choices are morally forbidden. On deontological accounts of morality, agents cannot make certain wrongful choices even if by doing so the number of wrongful choices will be minimized (because other agents will be prevented from engaging in similar wrongful choices). For deontologists, what makes a choice right is its conformity with a moral norm. Such norms are to be simply obeyed by each moral agent; such norm-keepings are not to be maximized by each agent. In this sense, for deontologists, the Right has priority over the Good. If an act is not in accord with the Right, it may not be undertaken, no matter the Good that it might produce.   Ethical egoism   Is the prescriptive doctrine that all persons ought to act from their own self-interest? Personal ethical egoism   Is the belief that only I should act from the motive of self-interest, nothing is stated about what motives others should act from. Individual ethical egoism   Is the prescriptive doctrine that all persons should serve my self-interest? Universal ethical egoism   Is the universal doctrine that all persons should pursue their own interests exclusively? Computer History The development of the modern day computer was the result of advances in technologies and mans need to quantify. Papyrus helped early man to record language and numbers. The abacus was one of the first counting machines. Some of the earlier mechanical counting machines lacked the technology to make the design work. For instance, some had parts made of wood prior to metal manipulation and manufacturing. Imagine the wear on wooden gears. This history of computers site includes the names of early pioneers of math and computing. What is a Computer? A computer is an electronic device, which executes software programs. It consists of 2 parts-hardware and software. The computer processes input through input devices like mouse and keyboard. The computer displays output through output devices like color monitor and printer. The size of a computer varies considerably from very small to very big. The speed of computers also has a very large range. Computers have become indispensable in todays world USES of COMPUTER Word Processing   Word Processing software automatically corrects spelling and grammar mistakes. If the content of a document repeats you dont have to type it each time. You can use the copy and paste features. You can printout documents and make several copies. It is easier to read a word-processed document than a handwritten one. You can add images to your document. Mathematical Calculations   Thanks to computers, which have computing speeds of over a million calculations per second we can perform the biggest of mathematical calculations. Planning and Scheduling   Software can be used to store contact information, generating plans, scheduling appointments and deadlines. DISADVANTAGE of USING COMPUTER Computer  addiction   Is a relatively new term used to describe a dependency on ones  computer.  Computer  addiction  is not limited to  personal computers  (PCs). It covers video games and the Internet and has already been given a label by psychologists, namely Internet  addiction  disorder. Obsessive playing of off-line computer games, such as Solitaire or Minesweeper, or obsessive computer programming. Cybersex Addiction Compulsive use of Internet pornography, adult chat rooms, or adult fantasy role-play sites impacting negatively on real-life intimate relationships. Cyber-Relationship Addiction   Addiction to social networking, chat rooms, and messaging to the point where virtual, online friends become more important than real-life relationships with family and friends. Computer ethics Computer ethics is set of moral principles that regulate the use of computers. Some common issues of computer ethics include intellectual property rights (such as copyrighted electronic content), privacy concerns, and how computers affect society. For example, while it is easy to duplicate copyrighted electronic (or  digital) content, computer ethics would suggest that it is wrong to do so without the authors approval. And while it may be possible to access someones personal information on a computer system, computer ethics would advise that such an action is unethical. As technology advances, computers continue to have a greater impact on society. Therefore, computer ethics promotes the discussion of how much influence computers should have in areas such as artificial intelligence and human communication. As the world of computers evolves, computer ethics continues to create ethical standards that address new issues raised by new technologies. Is a new branch of ethics that is growing and changing rapidly as computer technology also grows and develop. Code of ethics in using computer Information stored on the computer should be treated as seriously as written or spoken word. Privacy should not be violated. In case of academic use, it is known plagiarism. Information from public viewing should not be modified or delete or inaccessible since there are consider as destructive act. Intrusive software such as worm and viruses which are destructive to the computer system is also illegal. Sending obscene and crude messages through mail or chat is also forbidden. Ethical rules for computer user Do not use computer to harm other users Do not use computer to steal other information Do not access a file without the permission of the owner Do not copy copyrighted software without the authors permission Always respect copyright law and policies Respect privacy of others, just as you expect the same from the others ADVANTAGES OF USING COMPUTER Total availability of any information you could want. Quotes, history, books from the library, news articles, different opinions and viewpoints, immediate news, encyclopedias, information available that may have taken you weeks or years to discover if you had to search through different sources and locations. You can find recipes online. You can chat with people, while doing other things. You can now watch videos, and listen to all sorts of music. You can visit information resources, groups, studies, etc. You can learn about medical issues, and legal issues. You can attend school online. You can write a poem, a story, a book, a script. You can create a full-feature movie. You can compose music. You can sort out your ideas. Manage your money. Do your banking. Organize your job. Buy concert tickets. Buy practically anything you can imagine online. Use computer to pay all utilities bills in 15 mins which would take more than an hour to go to the post office to make payment in queue. Kee p a personal diary. Play games. Invent and create new games and programs. Discover interesting things, or see other countries. Learn. Grow. Interact. MORAL Computers today are one of the important things we are using. They have helped a lot in compiling a lot data which used to be in hard records. One of the uses or benefits of computers is that they are able to provide and retrieve information so quickly so they have increased the pace of our work. The increase in the speed of work has helped us to do many things with less resources like in past a lot of manpower was used for record keeping and files and other things were made to keep the records saved.   This is one use of computers in our lives other than that computers has helped us to work with machines which have the ability to produce the best quality of products with maximum speed and efficiency. In todays world it is necessary that to cater for such a heavy population things are made at the higher pace with best quality, so it is possible with the help of  computer  that we are able to cater for the need of quantity and quality of products required in daily life.   Computer is also helping us in education of children; it has enabled us to get the information form one part of the world to the other at a very rapid pace. So in summary computer today is in every walk of life, and is helping us a lot in developing at a fast pace Also most of use our computers to look up past events, and then there the other reason on how computers help our lives, by using computers we can check up on the weather, before we go to work or school. So by checking the weather we already know if its going to Rain or Snow. Or its could be sunny. then there contracting other family members, where many of us use our computers to text our family to see how theyre going, when member of you family is so far away living in a difference state or country Last but not least by using our computers to shop on the internet we can find the product we are looking for. Without going inside the retail store to look for it, only to find out its sold out. So by shopping on the internet it saves some a lot of trouble. From looking for something that is not there.

Diversity Essay -- essays research papers

Diversity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  America’s workforce is continuously changing. Businesses today hire and retain culturally diverse employees to compete in the globalize market. Companies are developing ways to tap into and capitalize upon the talents of their workforces. They are discovering how to value the diversity of their workforces and the potential that diversity brings in flexibility, ingenuity and problem solving are helping them achieve their goals. Diversity can be differences in age, gender, ethnicity, and religion. Having such a diverse workforce can be very challenging. (1) Today’s workforce is very diverse in respect to age. Before, corporate America consisted of workers ranging from twenty one up to late thirties to early forties. Now, we see people in their mid to late fifties going back to work. This trend has both advantages and disadvantages. One advantage of an older employee over a younger employee is his ability to use his years of experience in situations where a younger employee lacks experience. Another advantage for an older employee is his built relationship with existing customers. The disadvantage of an older employee over a younger employee is his inability to quickly adapt to his changing environment. Younger employees are more â€Å"hungry† compared to their older counter parts. Their hunger is fired by their goal to quickly move up the corporate ladder. (2) Gender also poses a challenge in the work force. Today, more and more women are entering the workforce. As such, the working environment has greatly changed. Companies make sure that sexual harassment does not happen. Men are expected to carefully say things without offending the opposite sex. The same rule also applies to women. Sexual harassment includes requests for sexual favors, sexual advances or other sexual conduct when (a) submission is either explicitly or implicitly a condition affecting academic or employment decisions; or (b) the behavior is sufficiently severe or pervasive as to create an intimidating, hostile or repugnant environment; or (c) the behavior persists despite objection by the person to whom the conduct is directed. Companies considers such behavior, whether physical or verbal, to be a breach of its standards of conduct. It will seek to prevent such incidents and will investigate and take corrective actions for violations of this policy. There are two types of... ...Filipina, he had spent some time in the Philippines a few years back.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (4) Religion plays an important part on an individual’s behavior. Being part of the same religious group can mean belongingness. For example, in a work place environment, if the four out of the six team members were Jewish, they would be closer to each other since they were all of the same faith. This closeness will result in openness among the four members which would improve productivity. However, such action could also have a negative effect. The other two members would feel excluded. They would also not be likely included in the other four members’ decisions which would mean that communication would not flow across the whole group, but only with in sub-groups. It would also lead to misunderstanding and poor performance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In summary, most workplaces are becoming increasingly diverse as people from different genders, races, cultures, ethnic origins, and lifestyles find themselves working together. The key to making diversity work is management. Knowing what they are and understanding what effects (positive or negative) they have on the organization is very important to the success of the company.

The Frankenstein Phenomena in Life and Education :: Mary Shelley Frankenstein Essays

The Frankenstein Phenomena in Life and Education When we consider most traditional Hollywood Frankenstein films, the 'monster' is depicted as evil because he is 'malformed' but this is not always the case. The simple one-to-one relationship of ugly equals evil was not prominent in the Mary Shelley's original book or in more true-to-text films such as The Bride or more recently Kenneth Brannagh's attempt to make the authoritative film interpretation, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In these versions, the monster was portrayed as more human in his endeavors to question his origins, find a father and be happy. However, his physical characteristics have become the most salient feature in popular culture, so much so, that he is generally viewed as unquestionably evil bec ause his appearance offends the eye. The signs in this case are the monster's scars, his stitches, the bolts that hold his head on, the hands of a murderer sewn on, his club feet, his staggering jerky walk, his strange and retarded speech. We often take t hese signs as bei ng indexes and symbols of evil and malevolence that signify insidiousness and threat, even though these are characteristics of so many real conditions in our fellow humans. When we consider such people, we call these signs symptoms, infir mities, disabilities and medical problems. Are we so sure that we can separate how we view these signs depending on whether we are watching movies, such potent sources of how we regard our world, or when we deal with patients or students in the 'real' wor ld? Looking at how people that are considered aberrant either physically or mentally are portrayed in movies gives a good view on how society as a whole may see them, in my opinion. In the film The Bride, the monster's only companion after his escap e is a dwarf who was a circus performer. Although, this movie is definitely a more positive and sympathetic portrayal of the monster's condition, it also highlights the assumption that anybody with a physical makeup that is unusual, is considered just as much a 'monster' by society. In this discussion, I will initially take the representation of dwarves in movies and myth, and how they are perceived by society as being prototypical for a range of other physical differences that are considered negatively i n this culture. I choose dwarves because I believe they have been one of the most pervasively stereotyped groups in movies and myth and whose negative depiction continues to persist even in the politically correct era because now they can be labeled as "w eird but cool.

Human Resources – Knowledge Workers

Human Resources Management Coursework – Manjeet Singh – 7637434 The Question: â€Å"Examine the claim that the management of knowledge workers requires the development of human resource practises that are more suited to the particular characteristics of these workers and their jobs† Introduction The term â€Å"knowledge worker† was first used by Peter Drucker in â€Å"Landmarks of Tomorrow† in 1959.A knowledge worker is someone who specialises in a specific field as they possess certain knowledge which has been accrued through specific courses or experience in relevant activities, they usually have some sort of accreditation or documentation to certify that they have accrued this knowledge. They are typically well educated, and with the application of their knowledge it aids them to solve problems for an organisation and it is through problem solving that value is added for the organisation.As well as problem solving, knowledge workers are also invo lved in innovation, re-engineering, training etc. although there are certain tasks which would require knowledge workers with specific specialities. Knowledge workers are seen as a crucial asset as with application of their knowledge it can determine the success and reputation of the organisation. â€Å"The most valuable assets of a 20th-century company were its production equipment. The most valuable asset of a 21st-century institution, whether business or non-business, will be its knowledge workers and their productivity. (Drucker, 1999, P135) This quote highlights the fact that we are moving away from the traditional mentality that wealth was based on the amount of resources an organisation held in its possession, and more towards how we handle knowledge workers and attain this knowledge. Knowledge workers attract higher banded salaries, with enhanced levels of autonomy in comparison to the normal employee. As a result the turnover of Knowledge workers is typically high, because they are aware of the fact that the knowledge that they possess is of great need and importance to the organisation.In many cases the knowledge that these workers have allows the organisation to establish a competitive advantage over their rivals, which is why they are willing to pay the generous salary of these workers. If the workers are not kept happy, then it is easy for them to just move to a different organisation or hold back on the knowledge that they provide for the company. In addition, as the levels of autonomy are high this means that here is an element of self-government, and they have a high amount of freedom, for example they can work from home, this then decreases the amount of control that a firm has over a knowledge worker. Within this report I wish to discuss the different factors that would result in the need for different HR practices for knowledge workers. I will then also highlight which characteristics these workers possess that sets them apart from their co lleagues at the organisation where they work and how the characteristics affect the HR practices.As these workers are of such importance to the organisation, they try their best to keep these workers at the organisation and as their job description differs vastly in comparison to the typical employees, this highlights the need for adaptation in the HR practices that are implemented by the firm as typical employees can be replaced rather easily, through the normal recruitment procedures, however, with knowledge workers, they add value for the organisation, thus, changes would have to be made to keep them happy at the organisation, whilst performing at an acceptable level.What are the benefits a Knowledge Worker receives? The main technique where we can identify a knowledge worker is by highlighting the benefits that they receive in comparison to normal workers. According to Lowendahl (1997), these workers are offered high remuneration and substantial autonomy, this simply means that there is no one overlooking them constantly and they are highly paid in comparison to others. Knell (2000) & Pink (2002), also describe these workers as â€Å"free workers†, this would mean that for them there is a lot more choice as to what they can do.As they hold all the knowledge which is valuable, it usually means that these workers are a lot less reliant on the organisation that employs him. In addition to this, it is because these workers have access to knowledge and it is them that control it, this then enables them to control the flow of the knowledge, this would mean that they need to be kept happy in order to make sure that the flow of information is suffice and of value to the company. As a result of this, knowledge workers are also offered a lot more freedom in comparison to other workers. As described above, Knowledge workers are offered many benefits due to how aluable they are to the organisation, however, there are challenges that are then forced on HR with t he benefits that they offer to these workers. I will now describe these below and show examples of changes and alterations that have been made either for the attracting, motivating or retention of knowledge workers. HRM challenges as an effect of these Knowledge Workers As Knowledge workers are offered such attractive advantages due to the nature of their work, this impacts the normal practices that are in place by HRM. Therefore, managing these Knowledge workers can be challenging for HRM.These include: Firstly, we can look at the work organisation; this has a major impact on the motivation and productivity of the knowledge worker. If the environment and the organisation is structured in a way that the knowledge worker doesn’t like then this could have a high negative effect on the company, as they need environments where they are comfortable and more importantly a place that offers them new challenges. Another challenge is the constantly changing psychological contract, thi s is where there are unwritten obligations and expectations that are out of the written contract of the knowledge worker.The firm should not expect too much of the worker and likewise the worker should not expect too much from the firm, hence the need for contracts to get an understanding of the needs. Thirdly, if the knowledge workers have more than one employer, it is difficult to ensure that these knowledge workers stay loyal. The factor of opportunism can arise here as the knowledge worker would not take into consideration how them leaving or not being productive, can affect the company, instead they will just focus on the benefits that they can take advantage of.Due to the autonomy that is offered to these workers, monitoring the productivity and motivating the workers is difficult for the organisation. These workers also have varied desires as some of them go for the more short-term incentives, like money and freedom of work, or some tend to focus on building their career, and it is a must for them to work with well recognised clients. One of the biggest challenges that they face is the challenge of retaining these workers as turnover of these workers is significantly high in comparison to other workers.So it is critical that the HR department devise correct and well suited practices to make sure that these workers are content. The management of the knowledge is important because the knowledge is held by the workers and it is important to make sure that the flow of this knowledge is not restricted by any other factors that can be controlled or altered by the firm. The knowledge that they have also needs to be up to date as out-dated knowledge would not add maximum value for the organisation.Defining who owns the knowledge at question is also a challenge for the organisation as there are always boundaries which are often unclear and vague, they would need to know this so that they can clearly see how much knowledge the worker can dedicate to the firm. Als o as a result of the worker having the knowledge with them, there is also always the threat of them going away and setting up their own firms and as they typically work with clients directly, they could take the clients with them to their own firm.As all these challenges to HRM have been described and highlighted I believe it also reveals the need for the differentiated HR practices for these workers as they vary massively to normal workers. Different contexts and organisations The dependency between the knowledge workers and the organisation also varies largely to normal workers as the firm itself is a lot more dependent on the knowledge workers. (Swart and Kinnie, 2003) suggest that this is because of knowledge workers changing the typical trend of the firm owning all the knowledge.In addition, the work process also differs making the firm more dependent on the workers. An example of this is where the knowledge is at the core of the company so that would mean the knowledge worker would usually be the main source of this knowledge. The knowledge worker is at the centre of the business but this is collaborated with the reputation of the firm and working closely with the worker to main a strong relationship which is strategically vital in that particular type of industry.As a result of this type of relationship and strategic collaboration, this would mean that both parties involved would be highly dependent on each other as the firm would not have the knowledge they require to do business as the knowledge is with the workers but the worker would need the resources, brand reputation and the clients that the firm has. Pink (2002) describes this as â€Å"substantial interdependency† as they are both reliant on each other. The only way this dependency can be reduced is by using knowledge management and outlining boundaries and expectations from both parties.It is important to look after these workers, as if the workers leave then the value created will also leave with them. It is also difficult within this type of industry to determine how much the knowledge worker did or is needed to add value as it is tacit knowledge, which is hard to measure. Knowledge work also influences the network of the organisation as in traditional employment, there is usually a hierarchy which is implemented and all who are involved in this will adhere and follow this hierarchy (Williamson, 1975).However, with knowledge work hierarchies won’t work due to the power differences that will be incurred as a result of the hierarchy. With knowledge work it is all about being in the correct networks and building a portfolio of careers (Castells, 2000). This gives them the freedom to go out and expand their knowledge base and they can progress within their career at their own will. It is the responsibility of the organisation to provide the workers with clients that are well recognised to keep them happy and motivated, as it would challenge them more and allow them to utilise their knowledge to their maximum potential.This is very good for the knowledge worker, however it poses a threat to the firm as they can potentially, take the clients with them if they were to leave because they could have formed a strong bond due to the high level of autonomy that they are granted, thus meaning that the organisation won’t know how close they are. For this reason it is important to evaluate the level of autonomy that is offered to these workers, they would need enough to keep the workers motivated but not too much where the workers can get too close with clients and cause problems for the organisation.Another factor which highlighted by Horwitz (2003), was how the ownership of the firm (foreign or local) affects the practices and the attraction of these knowledge workers, this shows that the culture of the firm has a major impact on the motivation and attraction of these workers. â€Å"Foreign versus local ownership appears, therefore, to re flect differences in certain types of HR practices such as using headhunters and advertising media to recruit and select knowledge workers† (Horwitz, 2003).This shows us that the differing organisations from different cultures use approaches to which they think is best, and there is not a universal, â€Å"one fits all† approach which can be used globally. In addition to this they also found that â€Å"both wholly owned foreign and local firms found a fun and informal work environment more highly or fairly effective† (Horwitz, 2003), this shows us that the workers take a preference to an environment which is more informal and again changing from the conventional hierarchical approach.An example is when Horwitz (2003), describes how there are certain cultural requirements or standards within Singapore (where they did their study), for example they have large respect for the hierarchy and everybody seems to know their positions. This would affect the knowledge worke rs in the sense that if there is a major emphasis on hierarchies within the organisation, it may push them towards multi-national companies with different cultures.Also, if a firm is international, this attracts knowledge workers as it allows them to travel and experiment different cultures, whilst working for the same firm, this also builds on their experience and makes them a more valuable worker. Figure 1: Proposed schema for attracting, motivating and retaining knowledge workers Source: Frank M. Horwitz. (2003). Finders, Keepers? Attracting, motivating and retaining knowledge workers. Human Resource Management Journal. 13 (4), 23-44. HR practicesFigure 1 shows a schema which proposed for attracting, motivating and retaining knowledge workers, I believe that the elements that have been taken into consideration within the schema are critical and the schema is accurate, however, Horwitz (2003), says himself that it needs further hypotheses testing to make sure its accurate. In addi tion to this, it does not take into account anything about differing industries as for each industry, they found that different things motivated or attracted the knowledge workers, this is crucial as it again highlights that there cannot just simply be one standard approach or practice across all industries.According to Kinnear and Sutherland (2000), some researchers have found HR practices which they believe are vital for retention of knowledge workers and decrease the turnover of these workers. However, how could this be possible when there are so many factors that affect the different requirements of these workers and the HR practices required to accommodate these workers? The nature of work is exceedingly different, although there may be tensions between the two types of worker simply because, the knowledge workers are granted such high benefits and salaries.Again as per Figure 1, we can see that there is no consideration of normal workers, this implies further that these practi ces should be altered and suited for the knowledge workers. With altered practices it also shows that there is a possibility that it could affect the current employees’ chances of progression to get to the level of knowledge workers as the firm would invest so much into the recruitment of these knowledge workers, they would expect to find people that already have the knowledge and don’t require the training to work, simply just to settle in to the culture of the organisation.On the other hand, Frost (2002), goes on to also talk about how employers can distinguish between the two types of workers and thus, supports the claim that HR practices need to be different for the types of workers and this will allow them to both be happy and progress accordingly.In addition to this, Despres and Hiltrop (1995), state â€Å"traditional approaches to work remuneration and reward are no longer appropriate in a post-industrial knowledge economy† (Horwitz, 2003) this further re inforces the idea that new and fresh approaches are needed for knowledge workers and the industries need to move away from this old fashioned mentality as the industries are evolving more and more towards knowledge based organisations.A key thing that Horwitz (2003) found was that the most popular HR practices implemented by the organisations were not always the most effective, this can be questioned as the study was in Singapore, but I believe that it just simply reinforces that the culture of each country and organisation varies and thus would affect the wants and needs in HR practices from the knowledge workers. In addition to this, they say â€Å"There is increasing evidence that particular organisations are beginning to acknowledge that distinctive HR practices lead to better knowledge worker performance. (Horwitz, 2003) this again shows the link between altered practices for these workers has a positive impact on the work and the morale of the workers. The design of the job w as stated as being high important as part of the satisfaction of the knowledge workers, as if it designed correctly, then this can have a positive impact on the morale, productivity and behaviour of the knowledge worker (Thompson and Heron, 2002). This again shows the importance of different practices for these types of jobs and not to just let them have a monotonous job style like the normal employees. ConclusionIn conclusion, I agree with the initial claim that HR practices should be altered for knowledge workers. I have discovered the real sheer importance of these workers to organisations and how they add value to organisations, for this reason I believe the benefits that are afforded for them are fair and deserved and although they do require some changes which organisations are not accustomed to, for example, losing hierarchies, partnership style working, allowing them to work from home and other challenges the pose to HR, there are certain ways to attract, retain and motivate them.They also can be risky for a firm, with the ambiguity of their tasks and lack of control from the organisation, but if the firm can keep them happy and monitor in a suitable way, then the worker would be kept happy. Knowledge based companies especially should recognise the importance of tailoring HR practices for these workers, as they are what would give them the competitive advantage, they are also characterised as being innovative and this is key to any firm.Finally, I believe that these workers will shape the industry in the coming years, so firms should invest into finding the best HR practices which suit their own culture and organisations based also on their industry. References Castells, M. (2000). The rise of the network society: rise of the network society. Oxford, Blackwell. Despres, C. and Hiltrop, J. M. (1995), â€Å"Human resource management in the knowledge age: current practice and perspectives on the future†, Employee Relations, Vol. 17 No 1, pp. 9-23. Drucker (1999). Managing Oneself,† Management Challenges for the 21st Century. Frost, M (2002) `Managing knowledge workers’. HR Magazine, May, 47: 5, 124-126 Horwitz, F, 2003. Finders, Keepers? Attracting, Motivating and Retaining knowledge workers. Human Resource Management Journal, 13/4, 23-44. Knell, J (2000) Most Wanted: The quiet birth of the free worker. Futures reports Kinnear and Sutherland (2000) `Determinants of organisational commitment amongst knowledge workers. ’ South African Journal of Business Management, 32: 2, 106-111.Lowendahl (1997) Strategic Management of Professional Service Firms Pink, D. H. (2002). Free agent nation: the future of working for yourself. New York, Warner Books. Swart, J. & Kinnie, N. (2003) knowledge-intensive firms: the influence of the client on HR systems. HRMJ, 13 (3) 37-55 Thompson, M. and Heron, P. (2002). `The employment relationship and knowledge creation: evidence from R&D based high technology firms. ’ EURAM Conference, Stockholm (May), 1-10. Williamson, Oliver (1975), Markets and hierarchies, analysis and antitrust implications Word Count : 3,242 including references