Volkswagen Of America s New Process For Managing Priorities

Volkswagen of America’s new process for managing priorities is much more methodical than how things were done previously. Companies can successfully manage priorities by adhering to the following guidelines: defining the company’s value, developing â€Å"logical, fact-based prioritization processes†, creating frameworks that â€Å"resolve resource allocation conflicts†¦ [and] encourage employee collaboration† (Townsend). The new process seemed to follow these guidelines very closely. VWoA identified and ranked business goals and designed a blueprint for the company. The new process called for business units to communicate their projects, which would be laid out against VWoA’s blueprint. At this stage, business units could not only see how their projects affected company goals but also how they related to other business unit projects. Business units drew up their own project proposals and ranked them in the order they desired. Projects were then placed in portfolios of enterprise goals and executed in order of portfolio rank. The new process resulted in some business units not seeing any of their projects funded. This resulted in disappointed and distressed unit leads. Complaints regarding the new process asserted that it was â€Å"too theoretical† and biased towards IT infrastructure projects. Although there are hypothetical elements in the new process, any process for managing priorities cannot be one hundred percent certain; the process serves only as a guide to reach desired outcomes.Show MoreRelatedVolkswagen Of Americ Managing It Priorities1200 Words   |  5 PagesVolkswagen of America: Managing IT priorities Introduction Volkswagen is known as people s car. Financial aspects and fuel amounts were kept in mind to transport a family of five. Volkswagen still remains the best seller due to its air cooled engine and rounded performance. The core competency was exhibited through these features. It organised itself around its core processes where brand repositioning was a good step. Volkswagen’s trying cycle Himalayas Chart reflects its life cycle of fallingRead MoreVolkswagen of America: Managing IT Priorities2036 Words   |  8 PagesVolkswagen of America: Managing IT Priorities 1) How should Matulovic respond to his fellow executives who are calling to ask him for special treatment outside the new priority management system? As the new CIO of Volkswagen of America (VWoA), Dr. Uwe Matulovic brings an impressive resume that includes ample experience in aligning business process management (BPM), business process re-engineering (BPR) and the insights necessary to create the Business Process Technology Organization (BPTO)Read MoreInternational Business: Volkswagen4702 Words   |  19 PagesThe foundation of Volkswagen dates back to the Third Reich. For the opening of the international automobile show in Berlin 1934, Adolf Hitler demanded the development of a car which should be priced at a maximum price of 1000 Reichsmark and thus remain affordable for the average citizen. This car should be named ‘Car of the people’ (Volkswagen) and offer space for a family of four members. The first model was designed by Ferdinand Porsche in 1934 and in May 1937, the â€Å"Gesellschaft zur VorbereitungRead MoreProcess For Managing Project Priorities2359 Words   |  10 Pages Managing IT Priorities VWOA Process for managing Project Priorities Company develops the process of priorities to stay gather the information of which project would impact the company and would achieve their goals in the future and maximize business. With that being said prioritizing projects is the key to be successful in the business, to develop that strategy a company should allocate it resources in various explicit projects and their implementation. The process of deciding and whichRead MoreVolkswagen Do Brasil - Driving Strategy with the Balanced Scorecard7296 Words   |  30 PagesrP os t 9-111-049 REV: DECEMBER 20, 2010 ROBERT S. KAPLAN RICARDO REISEN DE PINHO Volkswagen do Br rasil: Driving Strategy with the Balanced Scorecard d op yo kswagen do Brasil (VWB), studied the color-coded charts and d Thomas Schmall, CEO of Volk indicators on his wall. The data sh howed financial, customer, process, and employee p performance through end-of-year 2008. Schmall a his management team had introduced the Balance Scorecard and ed in 2007 as part of aRead MoreManaging the International Value Chain in the Automotive Industry60457 Words   |  242 PagesManaging the International Value Chain in the Automotive Industry Strategy, Structure, and Culture Stefan Schmid, Philipp Grosche Table of contents Foreword Authors Acknowledgments International value chains: Current trends and future needs, as exemplified by the automotive industry 1. Internationalizationofthevaluechainintheautomotiveindustry 2. Configurationandcoordinationascrucialdimensionsinshapinginternational  valuechains 3. BestpracticesandoptionsformanagingtheinternationalvaluechainRead MoreGlobal Business Topic : Workforce And Developing Workforce1981 Words   |  8 Pagesbarriers, economic policies, political systems, foreign exchange rates, climate, culture, etc. One element that sticks out more than others is workforce and its development. A company can begin a new business but in order for the day to day operation to be successful the company will need employees. While new technologies have changed globalization of businesses and provided greater opportunities it has also allowed the companies to grow and a fast pace. With this growth companies need employees locallyRead MoreEssay about Vw Do Brasil1760 Words   |  8 Pagesdoes Thomas Schmall face upon becoming CEO of Volkswagen do Brasil in 2007 (VWB)? Since 1999 till 1007, VWB faced market share decline and financial losses. Schmall and his management team started introducing balanced scorecard to monitor and analyzed the root cause of those problems: that was a big challenge as Schmall wanted the tool to be VWB primary management tool, and this needed to restructure part of the organization chart to accommodate new leads and task force for this project. The taskRead MoreIt Management Essay6676 Words   |  27 Pagesbusiness strategy is changed (i.e. such as becoming a bricks and clicks company) then the manager must also consider redesign of both the organization (i.e. do we have people that can be successful in this new strategy) and the information systems (i.e. do we have the capability to process inquires taken off of the web). Strategy is defined and the mission of the organization is covered (with several example mission statements (figure 1.2) and discussion of how Dell has creatively adjusted itsRead More Environmentally Friendly Cars Essay example3586 Words   |  15 Pagescertain extent. Often times, it is the smaller changes that have the longer lasting effects. In addition, people are more prone to dislike rapid change and therefore smaller changes easier to accept. As Senior executive F. John Ref, article writer of Managing People’s Fear, explains the controversy of change, â€Å"Change is natural and good, but peoples reaction to change is unpredictable and irrational. It can be managed if done right.† (Reh) John infers that too much change can have adverse effects. People

Corporate Social Responsibility Successful Business Free Essay Example, 2000 words

Establishments all over Metro Manila solicited donations and relief goods for those affected by the storm, with some even contributing their facilities for use as shelters. Nor is this the first time this has happened there. Rebecca Tonn (2009) adds to this by citing the 2007 Grant Thornton survey of US Business Leaders, wherein 77% of business executives attested that corporate responsibility enhances their profitability. Exactly how corporate responsibility is demonstrated varies. Some corporations do not have programs dedicated to it, but they do engage in acts such as charity, recycling, reducing energy consumption, and even outreach programs. Others explicitly state what is and is not allowed with regard to working conditions and such Manpower Professional, for example, has a definite stance against child labor and unsafe working conditions. As a matter of fact, Toni Fleming, one of its business development managers, attributes a good part of their success to be exact, 62% of their business leads and 34% of their clients - to their sense of corporate social responsibility and volunteer work. Jim Burton of Grant Thornton s Denver branch further adds that companies need to understand their consumers and their needs, as these consumers judge companies based on their social responsibility. We will write a custom essay sample on Corporate Social Responsibility: Successful Business or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page And since we will naturally not want to deal with greedy, dishonest business tycoons, they then need to factor in ethics and morality in their daily business decisions. That same article goes on to quote Thomas Hobbes, who describes just how grim life in an amoral society would be.

Constructive Discharge Free Essays

Toy Company Memo To:CEO From:Ken Dilger CC: Date:1/22/2012 Re:Employee Lawsuit In 1964 Congress passed a Civil Rights law that outlawed major forms for discrimination against African Americans and women. One of the major features of this law was Title VII which prohibits discrimination by employers on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of l964 prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals because of their religion in hiring, firing, and other terms and conditions of employment. We will write a custom essay sample on Constructive Discharge or any similar topic only for you Order Now The basics of Title VII are that employers may not treat employees more or less favorably because of their religion and employees cannot be required to participate or refrain from participating in a religious activity as a condition of employment. In Title VII, employers must reasonably accommodate its employee’s religious beliefs and practices unless doing so would create an undue hardship on the employer. A reasonable accommodation is one that eliminates the employee’s conflict between his religious practices and work requirements and that does not cause an undue hardship for the employer (Rel, 2011). These accommodations range from the employee needing a day for their Holy Sabbath day, wanting to wear religious garb to work or having flexible work schedules to accommodate religious Holidays. When an employee asks for an accommodation the employer may not simply refuse to do so. If the request is not in best interest of the company because it would result in an undue hardship, the employer must prove the undue hardship that the company would incur. An undue hardship to the company would include anything other than minimal cost to accommodate the religious practice by the employee. Company Response My recommendation on how to respond is that it was never our intent to create a workplace environment so intolerable that our employees would quit. If the employee thought that the change in schedule was so intolerable why didn’t they file a complaint with their manager? Our records show that there was never a verbal or a written complaint with anyone in management. We can also state the fact that no reasonable person would quit their job over a work schedule that allows them to pick which 4 days of the work week can work. This schedule should actually help them avoid a conflict with working on a religious holiday throughout the year. If the employee does not to drop the lawsuit, there are past precedents showing that their lawsuit, based on constructive discharge, will be very hard for them to win. An employee must prove, prima facia, that they have had their rights violated under the religious accommodation rules of Title VII. They must show that they had a bona fide religious belief that conflicts with an employment requirement, that their employer was made aware of the conflict and that they were subjected to an adverse action not complying with the employment requirement. In this lawsuit the employee did none of the three things mentioned above. Proving a constructive discharge claim will be very hard for the employee to do. There are legal precedents showing that like court case Tepper vs Potter (2007) who have failed to show prima facie in their lawsuits when they claim constructive discharge over their religious holiday suits. C 1 LEGAL REFERENCE #1: In Cosme v Henderson, the employee asked for a Monday thru Friday work schedule for his mail route and it was granted by his boss. When the schedule changed to add Saturdays to his mail route, his boss told him not to change his schedule due to his religious beliefs. The employee did change his schedule to work on Saturday and then filed a constructive discharge claim against the company. The courts ruled in favor of the employer due to their reasonable efforts to accommodate the employee. This supports my recommendation that since the employee never filed a complaint then there was no way for us to accommodate a religious belief conflict. 2: In Brenner v Diagnostic Center Hospital, Mr. Brenner, an Orthodox Jew, was allowed to switch his work shifts with other employees to accommodate his Jewish Holiday schedule. Later that year Brener failed to exchange work shifts and did not appear for work when he was required to. He later resigned sighting constructive discharge due to the affect the company would not accommodate his Jewish Holiday schedule. The courts ruled in favor of the Defendant based on their effort t o accommodate his schedule. The case supports my statement that the company’s new work schedule is flexible enough to allow all employees to meet their religious holiday schedule. #3: In Goldmeier v AllState INS, the Goldmeier’s who are Orthodox Jews could not work on Saturdays during the winter months when AllState changed their corporate policy on their work schedule. AllState did not allow an exception when the Goldmeiers asked for one due to the new work schedule. When the Goldmeiers informed AllState about the constructive discharge lawsuit, AllState then allowed them to work on Sunday to make up for their religious conflict on Saturday. The court ruled in favor of AllState on the facts that the employee did not prove prima facia in their lawsuit and that AllState did not intend to create a hostile work environment when changing the work schedule. This supports my recommendation that since the employee did not file a complaint with upper management that they have no claim of constructive discharge. The case also supports my statement that we did not intend to create a hostile environment to make employees quit but rather to accommodate production. C2 LEGAL RECOMMENDATION My first recommendation to avoid lawsuits in the future is to implement a formal complaint system for the employees to use to communicate to management about workplace conditions that they think are unfair. This will help the company correct any problems before they turn into lawsuits. Another recommendation that I would make is not to use a change in workplace environment or schedule to get employees to resign rather than having to fire them. Doing this can lead to a bad workplace environment for management employees who are in place to enforce this rule. My last recommendation is to have an exit interview with anyone leaving the company. This will allow the employee to give insight on why they are leaving and to make sure there are no ill will towards the company. . References Brener v Diagnostic Center Hospital, 671 F. 2d 141, (5th Cir, 1982) Cosme v Henderson, 287, F. 3d 152, 158 (2d Cir, 2002) Goldmeier v AllState Insurance Company, 337, F. 3d 629 (6th Cir, 2003) Religious Accommodation in the Workplace: Your Rights and Obligations, Anti-Defamation League, New York, New York, (2011). How to cite Constructive Discharge, Papers

Who is the Hero of The Crucible free essay sample

In The Crucible, there are many opposing points of view make the reader speculate about who, the book’s true hero is. In my opinion, I think John Proctor is the true hero of this epic story. John Proctor fought valiantly for his wife’s freedom, his own freedom, as well as for the freedom of many others of the condemned. In the end, however, Proctor let the want of what was left of his good name to be kept clean to be his downfall. Even in the face of death though, John Proctor showed courage and confessed to witchcraft, which was the rational thing to do. John Proctor is one of the story’s most dynamic characters, and this is the reason that I think he is the true hero. In the very beginning of the play, we are led to believe that John Proctor is a sinner and a feared man among the townspeople of Salem. We will write a custom essay sample on Who is the Hero of The Crucible? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page John Proctor was having some sort of affair with Abigail, which we find out is called lechery, and we find this out while the two of them are talking in Betty’s room. John Proctor denies any involvement with Abigail, but Abigail then says â€Å"I saw your face when she put me out, and you loved me then and you do now!† This makes us believe that John Proctor is cheating on his wife, Elizabeth, and that he is an evil man. On the contrary, John Proctor does many positive things, which outweigh the sins he has committed. Will Abigail use this information to try to blackmail John or his testimonies in the court later in the play? In Act II of The Crucible, we find out that Abigail Williams has charged Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft. Is Abigail finally getting her revenge for John denying that he does not love her? Proctor is outraged when he hears this, and Elizabeth thinks that Abigail wishes to take her place once she is hanged, and John knows this to be true. Abigail Williams said that Elizabeth had sent out her spirit and made it stab a needle into her stomach. John Proctor believes that Abigail is trying to get revenge on his wife for throwing her out, and John Proctor swears that he will do whatever he can to prove her innocence. John Proctor says â€Å"I will fall like an ocean on that court! Fear nothing, Elizabeth.† From this we can infer that Proctor would do whatever possible to save his wife, even if it means he must confess about his crime of lechery. John wants to make sure that the court knows this, and to use it to say that Abigail is doing this for her own purposes. We can infer that John Proctor will do anything to make the outcome in favor of him. In Act III of The Crucible, Proctor successfully gets Mary Warren, their housemaid, to testify in front of the court to prove that his wife is innocent. Mary has signed a deposition and tells the court that â€Å"It were pretense, sir.† Shortly afterwards in the court, we find out that Elizabeth had sent a claim to the court saying that she was pregnant. John Proctor is told that if his wife begins to show signs in a month, Elizabeth will be permitted to live for another year, but John Proctor wants to make sure that Elizabeth will be acquitted of all charges of witchcraft, and prove that the girls are lying. Proctor goes through all of the trouble of getting 91 other respectable landholding farmers to vouch that Elizabeth had no dealings with the Devil. Surely if someone tried as hard as John Proctor to prove that they or someone else were innocent and that so many people believe it, it must be true. John Proctor goes even further by getting Giles Corey to testify that Mr. P utnam prompted his daughter to cry witchery so he can buy their and when they are dead. From all of this we can infer that John Proctor is extremely perseverant and once he has his mind set on a task, he will follow through with it. Near the end of Act III of The Crucible, Elizabeth still continues to try to defend John, even though he has already confessed to his crime of lechery. Soon after, Abigail claims that she is being â€Å"attacked† by Mary’s spirit, which assumed the guise of a bird. Mary becomes so confused and flustered, but she goes to Abigail’s side and said that she will no longer listen to the Devil’s man, referring to John Proctor. When Proctor is questioned about this, he says â€Å"I say-I say-God is dead!† Surely he has just condemned himself to hang now? He starts to act crazy, saying things that would probably make anyone believe that he was a witch. If Elizabeth Proctor confessed to him being a lecher, the outcome would have been very decidedly different. All Elizabeth wanted to do was to try to keep what was left of John’s good name pure, and it was too late for her to confess after he told her that he did so. Proctor has tried so hard to prove h is wife’s innocence, as long as many others, but the sides had turned on him. He became a victim of the witchcraft hysteria, doomed to hang on the gallows. We all know that Proctor only meant well, but he had no clue that everything would turn out like it did. From this act we can infer that John Proctor can also be stubborn at times, but still continuing on the idea that he is extremely perseverant. It’s a shame that a man who tried so hard for the others to be condemned to hang because he wanted to keep his good name. In Act IV of The Crucible, we learn of Giles Corey’s death by being pressed and of John Proctor’s hint that he should confess to witchcraft. This shows that John Proctor was capable of reasoning, so that he would have been able to live with his wife and their new baby after it was born. He understands that he should not die for something he didn’t do, which shows that he is a logical, albeit somewhat rash. When he is questioned, he still defends all of the others that were condemned, showing that he would try to make it seem that they were innocent, even if it made him appear guilty. John Proctor does not want to sell out his friends, for if he does, he knows that they will surely be condemned to hang. When Proctor is given the document to sign his name saying that he confesses, he refuses to do so because he doesn’t want to be used to prove the church’s point. He let his pride get the better of him, and he didn’t want to have his name tarni shed any further. He tears the paper, and at this moment he realizes that there is still a shred of goodness left in him. He lets himself to be taken away to be hanged, and Elizabeth does not want to try and stop them, because she didn’t want to take away the good in him that he just found. In conclusion, we can infer that John Proctor was the true hero of The Crucible. Throughout the whole play we learned that he was capable of doing anything he set his mind to, and putting others before himself. John Proctor was a man capable of doing many things, including his pride and arrogance which have gotten the better of him in the end. He was an extremely perseverant man, and no matter what anyone else said, they could not stop him. He stood bravely in the face of death, knowing that he would go peacefully since he was finally able to forgive himself and found the good within him. This is the reason why John Proctor is the legitimate true hero of The Crucible.