An Educated Society

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On Thanksgiving morning, I ran to Kroger to pick up some grocery items.  I went to the cashier and talked to him during my purchased.  I wished him a happy holiday season and stated at least he was making double overtime and leaving early.  The cashier pointed out that he was not making anything extra.  It was just a normal day for the store.  I thought this was sad for him. 

Many employees live paycheck to paycheck.  Some employees in low paying jobs like retail are college and high school students attempting to put some money into their pocket as they move on to something else.  However, there are many people for the next several years these jobs are their endpoint due to the lack of advanced education.    

The economic crisis has wreaked havoc on America’s prosperity and its future. According to a 2010 Pew Research survey, one in four adults between the ages of 18 and 24 moved back in with their parents during the recession.  Furthermore, the cost of a college degree keeps rising like gasoline for my car. 

From 1999-2000 academic year through 2009-2010, the price increase of a four year degree from a public institution was 42% with the average annual cost for four-year undergraduate tuition, room and board being $15,014 (private: $32,790).

For many students, an education is an investment. According to U.S. Census Bureau, there were over 19 million students enrolled in college in 2010 which represented an 11.5% increase from 2007.  In fact, graduate school enrollment jumped over 19% during this time.  Horace Mann, an American education reformer, noted “A human being is not attaining his full heights until he is educated.” Another education reformer John Dewey added, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”  

However, an education is not a silver bullet or the solution for an individual’s well-being.  In an economic crisis, even highly educated or seasoned professionals can be a casualty.  Yet, an education provides unique opportunities. 

Doors can open with the right preparation. With a bachelor’s degree, the median income for individuals in 2010 was $47,422 which was 80% higher than those individuals with only a high school diploma. 

For individuals with a graduate or professional degree, this figure jumped to a median income of $62,618.  Therefore, it becomes more important for students to be strategic in their education. 

There should be a component of selecting the appropriate college degree or technical training, obtaining  practical experience in the specific industry, and developing a robust professional network to seize on career opportunities.

Discuss your personal experiences on this topic.

 © 2011 by Daryl D. Green

Sustaining Gratitude in Society

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Sadly, many folks are too busy running the rat race to say, “Thank you.”  I remember sitting in a Sunday School class of young students during my college experience at Southern University.

I remember one student saying how ungrateful he had been toward his parents.  I also felt guilty.  My parents bought me my first car while I was in high school; most students did not have cars. 

I had envisioned receiving a brand new car.  Well, I didn’t. I got an old 1973 Dodge Charger.  I was disappointed.  But, I fell in love with that old car which I later called “The New Wave Cruise mobile.”  My car was far more dependable than most automobiles. 

I remember never having said “thank you” for my car – I had also taken my parents for granted.  Our society doesn’t teach us that being appreciative is a virtue.  This article examines the importance developing a spirit of gratitude as a competitive advantage toward employability.

Organizations should incorporate gratitude into their corporate culture.  Managers and workers would operate differently.  This attribute is all about character. Gratitude can be defined as the quality of being thankful; it is a readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.  In the fast pace of industrial living, people aren’t saying “thank you” to anyone. Most people feel they deserve any kind act done for them.  

In fact, a selfish society creates a generation of ungrateful children.  Consequently, our children grow up with this huge expectation of social pampering. 

Why else would a) waiters expect tips without good service, b) students expect good grades without the effort, and c) couples want great relationships without any communication.  All of these unrealistic expectations make “thank you” less important. 

As the economy continues to spiral downward, organizations attempt to differentiate themselves from the competition. It starts with the greatest asset…people! High performing organizations understand this critical point! Badly run organizations don’t!

When you show someone some gratitude after they assist you, that individual will likely continue to help or do more for you. However, if you are ungrateful, many times people will not do any more for you. Businesses are no exception.  Showcasing a spirit of gratitude can be very rewarding and can assist in transforming an organization’s competitive advantage.

Discuss your personal experiences on this topic.

© 2011 by Daryl D. Green                                    

 

Sustaining Employability

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When my job as human resource manager was eliminated in September of 2010, I felt a sense of gloom and doom for exactly two days. It happened on a Tuesday, one day after my six-year anniversary.

(At least they allowed me the mandatory six-year vesting period for my 401k.) By Thursday I was reminded of six years of morning prayers to be free of the job that caused me heart palpitations and migraines.

The entire management team was eliminated between July and the end of the year.  When I look back at what transpired, I realize the basic principles I was taught in business school were overlooked. Human capital was not an asset, thus, how could the business sustain?

The general manager used to say if we didn’t have to work or deal with customers, our jobs would be easy. The same rings true with human capital.  Looking back, a common thread my company seemed to have was they disposed of their assets too quickly.

If an employee needed help in a certain area, the answer was to terminate their employee. I always challenged the managers to invest in the employees.

After all, the employees were to provide a service for the company, right? Likewise, the company should provide a service to the employee by investing time into making them a more valuable asset.

Sharing is essential in business—big business. It is hard to assume not sharing what’s going on with business will foster a sense of well-being among employees. It is true you can’t share everything, however, keeping employees involved and in the loop on things, aid in the overall pulse of the organization.

Employees who know what’s going on are empowered, tend to work smarter, more efficiently and want to do a good job over all. In my case, morale was always low, thus making my job difficult.

As a result, before us managers met our ultimate demise, sales were dropping due to the failing US economy. Customer satisfaction ratings continually dropped during the last three years due to inconsistencies in product quality which I know were in part due to the incredibly high turnover rates we had.

# # #

What’s an HR Manager to do when she’s the one laid off? Thankfully, my husband has a job, and unlike many Americans who find themselves in the same situation, we are able to make it on one income.

I reinvented myself. My first love is writing and that’s what I aspired to do while working. I moonlighted as a novelist—touring, speaking and writing inspirational novels while holding down my full time job. Once I cooled off after my position was “eliminated,” there’s a new HR Manager now, I dug deep and found some freelance writing gigs that helped to build my almost nonexistent writer’s resume.

I’m a novelist, not a journalist—although I have a college degree that would say otherwise. The last year has been interesting: I’m encouraged one day and discouraged the next.

How am I sustaining? I’m pushing through on the days when I’m discouraged. I search for writing jobs and have had a few that paid me a little. I reach back into my skill bag and offer resume writing services. I write articles on effective management policy, write company manuals, or whatever is trending.

During a time that seems tumultuous, the only thing to do is to stay encouraged. For me, it’s the right thing to do. If my position hadn’t been “eliminated,” I’d still be trying to help someone else achieve their dream—not my own.

Please share your comments with this blogger.

                                            About the Blogger                                               

Daphine Glenn Robinson

Daphine Glenn Robinson acquired a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications with a minor is Sociology from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. She worked in administrative positions at the Rock Hill Herald and the Charleston Post & Courier newspapers before going to graduate school to pursue a Master of Business Administration Degree.

Robinson worked as human resource manager for more than ten years where she was responsible for employee relations, safety, benefits, and worker’s compensation.

Whole Foods Market in 2008 – Group B

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During this week, Lincoln Memorial University’s MBA students in MBA 595 will analyze top corporate organizations.

In this blog topic, Group B consisting of Paul Holloway, Lindsey Howard, Champ Knight, Frank Metcalf will evaluate ‘Whole Foods.’

Executive Summary                     

Within two decades of the initial store opening, Whole Foods Market has evolved into the world’s largest retail chain of natural and organic foods supermarkets with over 299 stores in North America and the United Kingdom.

The success and rapid growth of Whole Foods Market is due to their core belief in differentiating their products from the competition by being highly selective about what they sell, a dedication to high quality standards, and a commitment to sustainability for people and our planet.

They have completed many acquisitions that have fueled this rapid growth, most notably Wild Oats Market, that somewhat reduced competition initially.  However, competition has increased significantly in recent years, and Whole Foods is now using their market dominance to attempt to maintain control.

Whole Foods Market has also weather controversy involving their aggressive monopolization of the organic foods niche, their anti-Union stance, and statements made by the CEO that have been regarded as unethical. 

Also, Whole Foods has continued to build and acquire stores, resulting in earnings slowing that has led to an accumulation of long-term and short-term debt.  It is presumed for this reason that Whole Foods placed a moratorium on new store openings.

 See: http://animoto.com/play/PFvVzrrDUQ58r6GkSgb07g?utm_content=main_link

 Please share your insight on this topic.

Netflix – Group C

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During this week, Lincoln Memorial University’s MBA students in MBA 595 will analyze top corporate organizations.

In this blog topic, Group C consisting of Willian Moura, Heidi O’Donnell, Nathan Mize, and Miguel Montoya will evaluate ‘Netflix.’

 Group Members: Executive Summary

 There certainly has been competition in the movie industry since the year 2000.  As a matter of fact, it is what the business world would call high stakes drama. 

As technology advanced and electronic devices were produced more economically and efficiently, they became available to mass consumers at a cost that most people could afford.  Families across the globe fully indulged in the pleasurable pastime of move watching. 

 Through the years, as technology advanced, newer, bigger, better, products hit the market.  No sooner would one company bring a product to the shelves then another new product would come out, TV screens were made bigger, Blue Ray and HDTV technologies came out, and people the world over were building video libraries. 

Barriers to entry were low so new products and new companies were formed overnight, it seemed.  As we will see, not everyone would survive in this competitive arena except those few that had a long-range vision and solid strategy.

See:   http://animoto.com/play/1BpNGTREjLKgumF4LwdNdA

Please share your insight on this topic.

Mystic Monk Coffee – Group A

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During this week, Lincoln Memorial University’s MBA students in MBA 595 will analyze top corporate organizations.

In this blog topic, Group A consisting of Michael Berger, Chris Campbell, Zach Corder, and Paul Mundy will evaluate ‘Mystic Monk Coffee.’

 Executive Summary

Mystic Monk Coffee is an organization that is owned and operated by Carmelite monks in Clark, Wyoming. It is the vision of Father Prior Daniel Mary to use Mystic Monk Coffee to one day be able to purchase a 500 acre monastery that could accommodate 30 monks, a church, convent for nuns, and a retreat center for visitors. 20112nd newsletter has managed to find a ranch that is listed for $8.9 million, and he hopes this will be the place that the Carmelites can call the new Mount Carmel, which is where the Carmelites first hermitage was established.

The thirteen monks that currently reside in Wyoming each have a particular job, and they are restrained in the time that they can devote to that job, because they lead a life devoted to prayer.

The roaster that they currently have limits roasting coffee beans to about 540 pounds a day, but demand hasn’t exceeded that limit. They currently plan to purchase a new roaster that roast 130-pounds per hour and cost $35,000. The land that they found available to purchase is found on Lake Irma Ranch and has everything that Father Mary has envisioned for the future of the Carmelites.

They are continually working on raising the money they need for the purchase and are asking for donations from those belonging to the Catholic Church. With a little time and some generous donations they may be able to realize their dream in the future.

 

See: http://animoto.com/play/XQVwRKXSFVVnxX48NVsRyA

 Please share your insight on this topic.

 

Nintendo’s Strategy in 2009 – Group D

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During this week, Lincoln Memorial University’s MBA students in MBA 595 will analyze top corporate organizations.

In this blog topic, Group D consisting of Maria Paganelli, Angela Sebby, Phillip Singer, and Jessica Vick will evaluate ‘Nintendo.’

Executive Summary

Nintendo Company Ltd. was founded in 1889 in Kyoto, Japan, with playing cards and then expanded in 1969 as an electronic toys company. In 1981, Nintendo introduced the Donkey Kong and became well known in North America, Asia, and Europe.

After the launch of this game, the company became one of the top leaders of the video gaming industry by successfully launching different types of video game consoles and handheld game systems. Most of them were best-selling games which resulted in market success with sales surpassing millions units worldwide.

In 2006, Nintendo’s major introduction was the Wii, with its innovative wireless remote controllers; where players are able to hold the control and use his or her whole body as a controller. By being unique in its industry, it set out to market a game to a wide range of customers and demographics, which also resulted in additional impressive global top-selling sales (Gamble and Thomspon, 2011).

While a leader in gaming, Nintendo also has two strong competitors, Microsoft and Sony, which target a completely different set of demographics and concentrate on high technology graphics and skill levels. 

In order to remain a strong contender in the industry, Nintendo has set out to widen its target markets instead of competing on the same level as its competitors. 

See: http://animoto.com/play/o3r63ZNDzw9eayEP3Y3q2g

Please share your insight on this topic.

 

Guest Blogger: Implications of Business Practices in the Shipping Industry on Environmental Sustainability

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My brother-in-law, Dr. Giorgos Kokkoris, is a professor at the University of the Aegean, on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Since his specialty is Mathematical Biology and Effects of Invader Species on Ecosystems, we frequently discuss issues related to invader species.

An invader species is one that does not normally belong in a habitat, but has been introduced there, either intentionally or unintentionally. The invader may have beneficial or detrimental impacts to that ecological community and can be either plant or animal.

One such example is kudzu. Kudzu was a plant native to Japan that was brought to the United States to control erosion; it ended up becoming a nuisance plant because it grew too well in the South. Many introductions of invader species are not intentional but still can cause great harm to the environment.

The invader species usually do not have predators and will eventually crowd out the native species, creating a loss of biological diversity in the habitat.

This is a global problem and can happen to any habitat in the world. Frequently when large ocean-going vessels leave a port with their bilge tank full of water from their port,  and travel to an area of warmer water and dump their bilge tank water, they introduce invader species that can wreak havoc on the new ecosystem.

The Mediterranean is already having problems from overfishing. Dr. Kokkoris has proposed that certain areas near the coastlines be protected from commercial fishing so the fish population can recover. While this plan will help the fish population recover in a few years, what can we do about the invader species carried in ship bilge water?

Like kudzu, the fish that live in colder areas will thrive in the warmer Mediterranean waters and will either eat or displace the natural fish in the area. The situation presents a double whammy to the fisherman. He will not be able to catch any fish due to overfishing, and also will not have native fish due to invader species taking over their habitat. This is a significant impact on their livelihood.

So what can be done? Some countries are looking at regulations on bilge water, like sterilization of the bilge water before discharge, and other requirements. Sterilization by chlorine could also kill the local biota as it is discharged from the ship. Alternatives to chemical sterilization should be considered and become standard in the shipping industry.

How do such regulations get enforced? In Greece there are also regulations that the small sailboats not dump their wastewater into the sea near swimming areas, but some boaters do it anyway. People report it to the Port Police but there is not much they can do.

They say they have to rely on the boat operators to do the right thing. Many a time on my vacation I had to get out of the water until the waste dissipated. Who is going to police these large ships to see if they are doing the right thing?

Meanwhile, the standard practices of the shipping industry are creating a global issue and damaging the long-term environmental sustainability of the ocean ecosystem. This is not a short-term issue, like wastewater dumping, but can have long-term damage to the ecosystems. Don’t forget to factor in the other manmade pollution that is entering the ports from the land,  and its additive detrimental effects to the ecosystem.

The U.S. and Canadian governments are trying to take action by requiring open ocean ballast water exchange (emptying the bilge tanks at sea), around 200 nautical miles off the coast, but what will this exchange do to the ecosystems in small areas of the open ocean? An inspection program and enforcement are also necessary to assure compliance with the requirements. Such measures have to be rigorous to maintain compliance.

As students, what can you do? You can be familiar with the global environmental issues and factor environmental sustainability into all your business decisions.

Please share your comments on this topic.

Elizabeth Phillips has over 30 years of Environmental Management experience. She has worked in private industry as a consultant and government contractor, Tennessee State Government as a regulator and the Department of Energy as a program and project manager. She has a B.S. in Geology from Vanderbilt University and she completed her M.S. in Environmental Engineering. She has participated in the Project Management Certification program and her current responsibilities include management of remediation projects at the Y-12 National Security Complex, and Program Manager for the Environmental Technology Development Program.

Elizabeth’s hobbies include volunteer work in science education, youth soccer, and community service programs. She has received the President’s Volunteer Service Award and the Secretary of Energy Community Service Award. She is the past President of the Oak Ridge Chapter of Women in Nuclear, Vice President for Programs of Federally Employed Women, Federal Women’s Program Manager, Science Club Coordinator for Bearden Elementary School, YWCA Board, AYSO Board, and currently serves as Secretary of the FBI Knoxville Citizen’s Academy Alumni Association. She is married and is a soccer mom to two children.

 

 

Sustaining Creativity and Innovation

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 When I arrived at Southern University A&M, I looked forward to my new engineering journey. I had envisioned myself being like Scotty on Star Trek, providing Captain Kirk with life-saving innovative solutions for any galactic jam.  However, I was quickly awakened to the systematic and predictable sides of engineering. 

In fact, faculty advisors would frown upon us deviating from the engineering catalog to take business or non-traditional courses.  Sadly, it wasn’t until my senior year that I was allowed to use creativity. Yet, this reality was not out of the norm for most engineering schools. 

Today, U.S. engineers are fighting to maintain dominance as engineering tasks are now being outsourced to countries all over the world.  In fact, America is increasingly losing its pioneering edge because it lacks the human capital resources necessary for success.

Several key factors illuminate the downturn of America’s competitiveness across the globe: (1) several key agencies for U.S. scientific research and development will face a retirement crisis in the near future; (2) less than 6% of high school seniors are pursuing engineering degrees, down 36% from a decade ago; (3) the number of China’s undergraduate degrees in the hard sciences were 56% compared to 17% for the United States in 2000; and (4) in the next several years, China will likely produce six times the number of engineers as the United States. 

Currently, there is a national loss of between 40% and 60% of undergraduates from science, mathematics, and engineering majors into non-science disciplines. Traditionally, engineering schools have taught engineers to build their skills in a linear fashion over time. Sometimes organizations can be too rigid in their organizational design; they lose their mission.

Therefore, the consequences of overly emphasizing structure can be dangerous. Universities cannot afford the same old strategies. An environment needs to be created where these working parts can co-exist in an information era.

Today’s engineering organizations, including academic institutions, must instill students and employees with innovation and creativity for a competitive advantage.  Twenty-first century engineering and science departments must address the needs of students as they relate to globalization and future opportunities in an international market. In 2004, the United States graduated roughly 70,000 undergraduate engineers while other countries such as China (600,000) and India (350,000) are graduating far more engineers. 

Creativity can provide this economic weapon. Creativity is defined as the “generation of novel ideas that may be converted into opportunities.” Gareth Morgan, author of Imagination, argues that empowering people in organizations stimulates imagination and innovation.  James Gibson, John Ivancevich, James Donnelly, and Robert Konopaske,  authors of Organizations: Behavior, Structure, and Processes, suggest that organizations can foster creativity in the following ways: (a) managers can look for ways to absorb the risks of creative decisions made by their employees; (b) organizations can give people time off to work on a problem and allow them to think through them; (c) managers can give half-baked or unsophisticated ideas a chance; (d) organizations can encourage everyone to think of ways to solve problems; and (e) organizations can let employees see and interact with many managers and mentors. New strategies like these need to be utilized to turn today’s engineering organizations into global innovators.

Describe how traditional organizations such as engineering organizations can infuse creativity into their organization and how to sustain these activities.

 © 2011 by Daryl D. Green

Sustainable Nonprofit Organizations

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Any student can tell you I set high expectations for them, regardless of their backgrounds and college classifications.  Yet, any time you ask some people to go beyond their comfort zone and stretch themselves a bit mentally, a professor is going to get some backlash. 

Nevertheless, I designed a new final project called Real World Application based on one of the top tiered business schools.  The objective was to provide students in my Operations Management course some practical applications from the course and assist  local organizations with their problems.   This is when I fully understood the challenges that many nonprofit organizations faced in this economic climate.

Most students selected private businesses while a few opted for nonprofit organizations.  Noriko Chapman, the past guest blogger, got me involved more with her project since she complained she needed to do well in my course.  Her project entailed assisting the Tennessee Vocational Rehabilitation Center (TRC’s), located in Maryville, to be more efficient and effective. TRC’s mission is to provide services that help lead individuals who have a physical and/or mental disability to employment and are designed to meet individual needs.  

Her employer, DENSO, had been working to assist this nonprofit organization with a contract that allowed disabled workers to earn income.  Her research helped TRC become more efficient.  Noriko’s final project was the main inspiration for her new book, Second Chance: An In-depth Case Study on Nonprofit Organization’s Resource Allocation and Operational Maximization.

During the economic crisis this year, the organization nearly lost $72K from government funding.  It was clear to me that nonprofits needed to get their act together and create more value to the sponsors and customers or face extinction.

With shrinking funds for programs and a more competitive environment, nonprofit organizations will need to rethink their corporate strategies for future success. In 2005, there will be approximately 1.4 million nonprofit organizations registered to the IRS.

The majority of nonprofits depend on volunteers at various levels.  In fact, 74% of all public charities and 83% of all foundations are small; they have less than $500,000 in expenses and limited staff. 

Nonprofit organizations are different from traditional organizations and require special considerations in their operations. Operations management (OM) has been a vital instrument in the pursuit of greater productivity in the business sector.

OM includes planning, coordinating, and executing all activities that create goods and services. Robert Jacobs, Richard Chase, and Nicholas Aquilano, authors of Operations & Supply Management, suggest that implementing OM assists organizations to be more competitive: “Compared with most of the other ways managers try to stimulate growth – technology investments, acquisitions, and major market campaigns, for example – innovations in operations are relatively reliable and low cost.” Today’s businesses have built elaborate systems for better efficiency and effectiveness. Yet, most nonprofits are forced to rely upon low-end technologies and outdated practices.

Demanding contributors and the public in general are demanding more accountable and efficiency after several high profile scandals.  Nonprofit organizations are often influenced by their stakeholders that include clients, board of directors, committees, government officials, community leaders, staff, and volunteers.  

However, most nonprofit organizations haven’t completely embraced this rigor due to various reasons (i.e. limited resources and the lack of knowledge).  Yet, nonprofit organizations have a greater need for increased effectiveness in their processes during this economic crisis.   

Describe your professional experiences with nonprofit sustainability issues.

© 2011 by Daryl D. Green