Questions-Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Questions-Communication - Essay Example Diversity within an organization can take a number of different forms such as diverse cultures, religions, nationalities and job groupings (Shockley-Zalabak, 2002; Mor-Barak, 2011). In my organization, the implementation and maintenance of programs that value diversity is generally undertaken using a number of approaches, key among them is review and re-writing of policies so as to create a division within the organization tasked with prompting inclusion and workforce development (Mor-Barak, 2011). This division is mandated to undertake a special recruitment policy that is designed to seek to promote diversity within the organization. To this end, training programs are conducted to promote the adoption of diversity among the employees. The division also implements a variety of internal mentorship and internship programs that are designed to prepare some of the internal candidates both for competition with outside job applicants and upward mobility to prevent their being marginalized by the special recruitment program (Mor-Barak, 2011). The diversity valuing programs practiced by my organization are seen to be quite effective at increasing both the awareness and valuing of diversity in the workplace. They are designed to increase the organization’s diversity via the special recruitment policy while simultaneously promoting the competitiveness of the existing employees through the internal mentorship and internship programs (Mor-Barak, 2011). However, there are a number of changes that can be made to increase the overall effectiveness of these programs. While increasing the awareness and integration of diversity within the organization is seen to be primarily dependent on employees at every level of the organization working at fulfilling their roles, it is also critically important for the organization’s leadership to increase both the amount of resources and the level of guidance and support it lends to these programs (Mor-Barak, 2011). Reference: Mor-Barak, E. M. (2011). Managing diversity: toward a globally inclusive workplace. Los Angeles: SAGE. M4A1: The communication style used by a past leader in my organization, its relation to his leadership style and its suitability to our workplace and culture When I joined my organization, my direct supervisor primarily used to employ the use of an assertive communication style. His role of directing the new recruits on how to perform their duties necessitated that he used the style to ensure that he was able to portray himself to be in authority when working with the recruits (Shockley-Zalabak, 2002). The assertive communication style is seen to have been quite appropriate to the supervisor a suitable to our workplace as it perfectly complemented his transactional leadership style. In line with his leadership style, the manager used to provide us with a number of pre-agreed tasks to perform and would then punish or reward us depending on how these tasks were performed (Shockley-Za labak, 2002). In the event that one of us would continually fail to adequately perform the assigned task, the supervisor would then undertake to provide more intensive and closely supervised training to the employee and would then encourage the employee by providing the employee with bonuses if they managed to register performance improvements. However, the communication style used by the supervisor could have been drastically improved if the supervisor undertook to try and listen more to the input provided

Ethics in the Enron Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethics in the Enron Company - Essay Example More reprehensible is the attempt of the top corporate hierarchy to feign total innocence throughout the investigation and blame everything on their subordinates. In the light of the Enron scandal, the US Congress immediately passed a law that would reform and revamp corporate practices in the country. Background: The History of Enron Enron began as a small energy company in Houston in 1985 founded by Kenneth Lay. The subsequent deregulation of the energy market gave the company an opportunity to expand into energy related ventures and pretty soon Enron catapulted itself into the world’s largest financial and energy trading company. Its $10 million electricity sales in 1994 ballooned to $4 billion just 3 years later and in 1998, the company’s asset was reported to reach $23 billion (Solomon 34). It did businesses in various markets and industries and provided and traded internationally in the following: energy resources and commodities; financial and risk management ser vices, and; electronic commerce (Joint Committee on Taxation 2003:55-56). In a move that shocked the business world, which by then was one of America’s ten largest companies, filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy on December 2, 2001. A few months earlier, Enron had been the subject of an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after it had publicly reported a $618 million third-quarter loss as well as a $1.2 billion decrease in shareholder equity. Enron’s seemingly sudden financial debacle took the world by surprise because accounting records released quarterly by the company did not in any way reflect its ailing financial condition (Joint Committee on Taxation 2003:55-56). Discussion: Ethics and Enron Subsequent investigation into the Enron case by the Justice Department revealed a pattern of fraudulent practices employed by Enron to show off a facade of financial wealth and stability. These fraudulent practices included exaggeration of earnings in its r eports, concealment of debts and losses through the use various subsidiary partnerships. In the wake of the Enron scandal its top officers were charged and convicted with various offences including fraud, conspiracy, insider trading, and money laundering. Lay, who was convicted of a total of various corporate offences died before his sentence could be served while Skilling, the company’s COO, was punished with imprisonment for a good number of years. In addition, various offices who rendered services for Enron were also not spared such as: Vinson & Elkins, Enron’s Houston law firm, which was made to pay $30 million to Enron for providing erroneous advice to the company; Merrill Lynch, a brokerage and investment firm, which was ordered to pay $80 million to SEC, and; Arthur Andersen, Enron’s editor, who was barred from further practicing in auditing and charged with obstruction of justice for the destruction of Enron auditing documents during the investigation (F errel et al 2010: 420-425). Lay and company’s primary defense strategy was to deny that Enron committed any wrongdoing and instead blame everybody, such as an adverse media, market panic and short-selling, but themselves. Moreover, the top corporate hierarchy often claimed innocence of what was going on and blamed their