Challenges of Managing Diversity in the Workplace - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2744 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Review Did you like this example? Introduction This paper aims to critically explore the key benefits and challenges of managing diversity within the workplace. It begins by examining the concept of diversity and the drivers for it, and then, drawing on examples from the current literature, reviews the different benefits and challenges of managing diversity in the workplace. The paper also identifies some of the different approaches organisations can take to effectively implement the management of diversity at work, and concludes by summarising the key learning points. Understanding workplace diversity In essence, the concept of diversity incorporates values and behaviours associated with acceptance and respect. It requires the understanding that each individual is unique, a recognition of individual differences, and goes beyond a simple tolerance of each other to a more embracing approach to the valuable dimensions of diversity contained within every individual (Patrick and Kumar, 2012). The term managing diversity itself first originated in the United States in the late 1980s and emerged as a result of anti-discrimination law and social equality issues (McDougall, 1996). It has since become to be viewed as a contemporary alternative to the more traditional equal opportunity approaches (Noon, 2007), and asserted to be proactive and results-focussed (CIPD, 2005). The issue of workplace diversity has become increasingly debated in management circles due to expanding globalisation, changing demographics in the labour market and a greater awareness and acknowledgment more gene rally that there are differences between individuals (Hite and McDonald, 2010). This has meant that the issue of managing diversity has become one of importance and significance in both public and private sector organisations (Kirton and Greene, 2009; Farhad, 2007). According to Patrick and Kumar (2012), the biggest driver for high level management of diversity is the need to tap into the creative, cultural, and communicative skills of all employees and to use those skills to improve organisational policies, products, service, and customer experiences. Other drivers for diversity include changes in legislation and societal awareness of it as an issue and this has meant that organisations are being forced to give a greater focus to the issue of managing and promoting diversity (Holbeche, 2009). In the UK, the Equality Act came into force in 2010 and consolidated all grounds of discrimination, and previous legislation, into a single statute. This Act placed new duties on employers around the management of diversity within their workforces and employment practices and requires organisations to visibly demonstrate what action they are taking to address it (Kumra and Manfredi, 2012). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Challenges of Managing Diversity in the Workplace" essay for you Create order Benefits of workplace diversity There are numerous cited benefits for organisations that have a diverse workforce, such as it acting as a source of real competitive advantage (Herring, 2009) and being associated with increased profitability (Ng and Wyrick, 2011). It is claimed that diversity in the workforce can increase productivity and organisational effectiveness by harnessing the contribution of a wider range of perspectives (Choi and Rainey, 2010) and through the creation of stronger teams (Herring, 2009). In addition, it is argued that successfully managing diversity can result in more satisfied and committed employees delivering potentially enhanced financial performance for the organisation (Patrick and Kumar, 2012). It has been suggested that organisations which are considered to be inclusive have a wider talent pool from which to recruit the most qualified and effective candidates thereby giving them competitive advantage over rivals (Edwards, Watkins, and Stevens, 2007). Similarly, it has been propo sed that organisations that actively promote diversity in its workforce benefit from increased retention rates of existing employees (McKay et al., 2007). In relation to innovation and creativity, it has been argued in the literature that a diverse workforce can enhance this. In particular, it has been found that racial and gender heterogeneity can result in more diverse types of information and ideas being shared within an organisation leading superior problem solving and decision-making (Richard, Kirby and Chadwick, 2013). Furthermore, diversity in the workforce can deliver business advantage when dealing with diverse customer bases or international markets (Podsiadlowski et al, 2003), as organisations with diverse employees tend to have a better understanding of the requirements and obligations of the legal, political, social, economic, and cultural environments in which they operate (Patrick and Kumar, 2012). Diversity also helps in this respect by expanding an organisatio ns perspective and its strategic tactics, the design of new operations, and the assessment of emerging trends within its sphere of business (Martin, 2014). Challenges of workplace diversity A number of challenges associated with diverse workforces and their management have also been identified. According to Ewoh (2013: 109), one of the main barriers that exist to managing diversity in the workplace relates to the language and terminology that is used to discuss it. He claims that many commentators on diversity claim that the problem stems from its definition and how the concept of diversity can be distinguished from those relating to positive action and equal opportunities. Foster and Harris (2005) claim that this ambiguity can make the implementation of diversity management problematic, and it has been claimed that the conceptual relationship between diversity and equal opportunities is blurred making it a complex issue to address for managers (Maxwell, 2004). It has been argued that diversity has the potential to reduce group cohesiveness and increase conflict in teams and between employees and managers (Skerry, 2002). In particular, cultural diversity amongst em ployees has been found to be problematic. Culturally diverse employees have different opinions, beliefs, norms, customs, values and traditions and when such workers are placed in a group setting to achieve an organisational goal with mutual effort and collaboration, these differences of views and beliefs have the potential to hinder the development of unity (Martin, 2014). Some studies have also shown that this can also lead to reduced staff morale and productivity (Roberson and Kulik, 2007; Wrench, 2005). Furthermore, approaches to managing diversity have been criticised for failing to sufficiently take into consideration the structural disadvantage that exists for many minority groups within the workforce (Wrench, 2005) and for not being able to adequately confront the dominant ideologies and power relations that exist (Noon, 2007). Challenges also exist in relation to developing human resource policies and practices that meet the needs of a diverse workforce. According to T ung and Baumann (2009) people from different ethnic groups and cultural backgrounds hold different values when it comes to areas such as pay, reward and incentives and therefore organisations cannot assume that individuals from different ethnic groups will react in the same way to monetary based performance systems or financial schemes. Similarly, people from different cultural backgrounds may also hold different work ethics (Moran et al, 2014), and there may be variances in terms of acceptance of authority which has implications not only for policy development but also day to day management practice (YÄ ±ldÄ ±z, 2013). As well as considering diversity in terms of the protected characteristics, organisations also have the challenge of embracing diversity in a wider sense. For example, Hunter and Ogungbure (2013) explore diversity in the workplace in relation to contemporary appearance such as hairstyles, tattoos and body piercings, and argue that they may impact on co rporate culture and other organisational employment practices. In particular, they claim it can become particularly problematic for organisations when it is claimed that such outward body alterations are associated with religious beliefs. This is an area that is relatively unexplored but may also present practical challenges for organisations. Implementation approaches for managers and leaders of diversity According to Stevens, Plaut and Sanchez-Burks (2008), approaches to cultivating and managing diversity in organisations can be done in a number of ways. They claim that some organisations demonstrate their commitment to promoting diversity via a range of diversity initiatives that are implemented into daily practice, whereas others choose instead to adopt a colour blind approach to diversity. The colour blind approach focuses on realigning workforce group identities with an overarching identity (Hogg and Terry, 2000), with the aim of decreasing the emphasis on individual differences. It stems from the notion of treating everyone the same but has been criticised for being exclusionary and appealing only to nonminority groups (Markus et al, 2000). In contrast, the multi-cultural approach is based on the assumption that the differences between people are a source of strength for organisations and these differences need to be embraced and nurtured (Stevens, Plaut and Sanchez-Burks, 2008). With such an approach, a range of strategies are used to promote diversity including targeted networking and mentoring programmes aimed at specific minority groups, diversity days where the cultural background of different groups of staff is celebrated, and the provision of targeted and generic diversity training (Paluck, 2006). However, it has been claimed that with both of these approaches, organisations face real challenges in that neither approach will be welcomed by all staff. The multicultural approach can be seen by non-minority groups as posing a threat to their social identity (Verkuyten, 2005), and the colour blind approach is felt to take insufficient account of the structural disadvantages faced by minority groups (Noon, 2007). To overcome these limitations, Stevens, Plaut and Sanchez-Burks (2008) propose a new approach to managing diversity which they term all-inclusive multi-culturalism. They claim that this approach offers an alternative to the more traditio nal colour blind and multicultural ideologies by having a specific focus on employee inclusion, and the formation of high quality authentic relationships between employees that are resilient, transparent and which promote on-going learning. They claim that in order to implement such an approach, organisations need to create environments that are considered to be more inclusive by all members of the workforce with the implementation of policies and practices that are framed as benefiting everyone and the use of language and communication that does not label different groups or single them out. Similarly, Richard, Kirby and Chadwick (2013) argue that in order for diversity management to be effectively implemented, and to avoid the common pitfalls, organisations must develop mechanisms whereby cooperation and collaboration across all roles is supported and create an inclusive environment that promotes belongingness. According to Ewoh (2013: 114), in order to create such an enviro nment that enables diversity to be managed, diversity leaders across an organisation must be identified and supported. In addition, clear objectives relating to diversity must be communicated alongside the provision of appropriate training to help managers and leaders deliver these. He further claims that support and commitment from the top is essential along with recognition that bottom-up input and engagement from diverse workers is needed to enhance the quality of decision making and the development of more innovative and sustainable policies. In agreement with this, Guillaume et al (2014), argue that effective leadership is essential to making any strategy for managing diversity in an organisation work. They identify leadership at the middle management level as being particularly crucial given that it is most likely that it is individuals at this level who will be tasked with implementing in practice an organisations diversity management policies and procedures, and be responsib le for reinforcing the enactment of related diversity management practices in day to day work. Conclusion From the critical review presented above it is clear that there is increasing focus on the issue of diversity within the workplace as a result of increasing globalisation, changes in the labour market and external regulatory drivers. There are many benefits identified from effectively managing workplace diversity including increased productivity, innovation and creativity, improved employee relations, and more effective working with diverse customer bases and international markets. There are also, however, a number of challenges for organisations in implementing the management of diversity effectively and in avoiding some of the identified disadvantages which can result in negative outcomes such as increased team conflict and reduced team cohesion. In addition, the ambiguity around the term managing diversity itself adds another level of complexity for organisations and individual managers in embracing this agenda effectively. A number of strategies and approaches have bee n identified for implementing the effective management of diversity and all focus on creating inclusive cultures within organisations which require strong leadership and reinforcement in practice. It is clear that with the ever increasing diversity in the labour market, this is an important issue that organisations need to continue to review and address both now and in the future. References Choi, S. and Rainey, H. G. (2010), Managing diversity in U.S Federal Agencies: effects of diversity and diversity management on employee perceptions of organizational performance, Public Administration Review, Vol. 70, No.1, pp. 109-121. CIPD (2005) Managing Diversity: Linking Theory and Practice to Business Performance, London: CIPD. Edwards, B. D., Watkins, M. B. and Stevens, F. G. (2007). Its not black and white: Differential applicant reactions to targeted recruitment efforts. Unpublished manuscript, Auburn University. Ewoh, A.I.E. (2013) Managing and Valuing Diversity: Challenges to Public Managers in the 21st Century, Public Personnel Management, Vol. 42(2), pp. 107à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"122. Farhad, A. (2007) Strategic human resource management, London, Thomson Learning. Foster, C. and Harris, L. (2005) Easy to say, difficult to do: diversity management in retail. Human Resources Management Journal, Vol. 15 (3), pp. 4-17. uillaume, Y.R.F.,. Dawson, J.F., Priola, V., Sacramento, C.A., Woods, S.A., Higson, H.E., Budhwar, P.S. and West, M.A. (2014) Managing diversity in organizations: An integrative model and agenda for future research, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 23(5), pp. 783-802. Herring, C. (2009), Does diversity pay?: race, gender, and the business case for diversity, American Sociological Review, Vol.74, pp. 208-224. Hite, L. M. and McDonald, K. S. (2010), Perspectives on HRD and diversity education, Advances in Developing Human Resources, Vol. 12, No.3, pp. 283 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 294. Hogg, M. A., Terry, D. J. (2000). Social identity and self-categorization processes in organizational contexts. Academy of Management Review, Vol. 25, pp. 121-140. Holbeche, L. (2009) Aligning human resources and business strategy, Oxford: Elsevier. Hunter, D and Ogungbure, A (2013) Impression Management and Diversity: Challenges of Diverse Employees and Contemporary Appearances in the Workplace, Journal o f Knowledge Human Resource Management, Vol. 5 (12) pp.40-46. Kirton, G. and Greene, A. (2009), The costs and opportunities of doing diversity work in mainstream organisations, Human Resource Management Journal, Vol. 19, No.2, pp.159- 175. Kumra, S. and Manfredi, S. (2012) Managing Equality and Diversity: Theory and Practice, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Markus, H. R., Steele, C. M. and Steele, D. M. (2000). Colorblindness as a barrier to inclusion: Assimilation and non-immigrant minorities. Daedalus, Vol. 129, pp. 233-259. Martin, G.C. (2014) The Effects Of Cultural Diversity In The Workplace, Journal of Diversity Management, Vol. 9 (2), pp. 89-92. Maxwell, G. (2004) Minority report: taking the initiative in managing diversity at BBC Scotland. Employee Relations, Vol. 26 (2), pp. 182-202. McDougall, M. (1996) Equal opportunities versus managing diversity Another challenge for public sector management?, International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 9 (5/6), pp. 62-72. McKay, P. F., Avery, D. R., Tonidandel, S., Morris, M. A., Hernandez, M. and Hebl, M. R. (2007). Racial differences in employee retention: Are diversity climate perceptions the key? Personnel Psychology, Vol. 60, pp. 35-62. Moran, R.T., Remington A. N. and Moran, S.V. (2014) Managing Cultural Differences, New York: Routledge. Ng, E. and Wyrick, C. (2011), Motivational bases for managing diversity: a model of leadership commitment, Human Resource Management Review, Vol. 21, pp. 368-376. Noon, M. (2007) The fatal flaws of diversity and the business case for ethnic minorities, Work, employment and society, Vol. 2 (4), pp.773-784. Paluck, E. L. (2006). Diversity training and intergroup contact: A call to action research. Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 62, pp. 577-595. Patrick, H, A. and Kumar, V.R. (2012) Managing Workplace Diversity: Issues and Challenges, SAGE Open, April-June 2012, pp. 1à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"15. Podsiadlowski, A., GrÃÆ' ¶schke, D ., Kogler, M., Springer, C. and van der Zeec, K. (2013) Managing a culturally diverse workforce: Diversity perspectives in organizations, International Journal of Intercultural Relations, Vol. 37, pp.159à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"175. Richard, O., Kirby, S,L. and Chadwick, K. (2013) The impact of racial and gender diversity in management on financial performance: how participative strategy making features can unleash a diversity advantage, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 24 (13), pp.2571à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"2582. Roberson, L. and Kulik, C. T. (2007). Stereotype threat at work. Academy of Management Perspectives, Vol. 21(2), pp. 24-40. Skerry, P. (2002), Beyond sushiology: does diversity work?, Brooking Review, Vol. 20, pp. 20-23. Stevens, F.G., Plaut, V.C. and Sanchez-Burks, J. (2008) Unlocking the Benefits of Diversity All-Inclusive Multiculturalism and Positive Organizational Change, The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Vol. 44 (1), pp. 116-133. Tung, R.L. and Baumann, C. (2009) Comparing the attitudes toward money, material possessions and savings of overseas Chinese vis-ÃÆ'  -vis Chinese in China: convergence, divergence or cross-vergence, vis-ÃÆ'  -vis one size fits all human resource management policies and practices, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 20 (11), pp. 2382-2401. Verkuyten, M. (2005) Ethnic group identification and group evaluation among minority and majority groups: Testing the multiculturalism hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 88, pp. 121-138 Wrench, J. (2005) Diversity management can be bad for you. Race and Class, Vol. 46(3), pp. 73-84. YÄ ±ldÄ ±z, A. (2013) The Effects of National Culture on Unionization, Sosyoloji KonferanslarÄ ±, No: 48, pp. 19-33.

Annotated Bibliography On The Master System - 896 Words

Welcome to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit. 5,003,630 articles in English Arts Biography Geography History Mathematics Science Society Technology All portals From today s featured article Sega Master System The Master System is a third-generation home video game console from Sega, released in the late 1980s. The original models took game cartridges as well as credit-card-sized Sega Cards; accessories included a light gun and 3D glasses. The system s hardware was superior to that of the competing Nintendo Entertainment System, and it boasted several well-received game titles, but Nintendo s licensing practices prevented Sega from acquiring many of the more popular titles. Sega failed to gain a significant market†¦show more content†¦... that Edwin McMillan and Glenn T. Seaborg were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1951 for their discovery of the transuranium elements? ... that the Walker Art Gallery changed the name of Giovanni Segantini s painting The Punishment of Lust to avoid offending the Victorian public? ... that Osaka TÃ… in High School s baseball team became national champions in just their fourth year of existence? ... that scholars have uncovered the record books of the Tripoli Jewish community and 18th-century manuscripts in the study hall of Hakham Saul Adadi? ... that although Wolf Run is only 0.9 miles (1.4 km) long, it was historically used as a water supply for the Lehigh Valley Railroad? ... that a Ni no Kuni collectible card game was developed for mobile devices? ... that the title of Mariah Carey s song H.A.T.E.U. is an acronym for Having A Typical Emotional Upset? Recently improved articles Start a new article Nominate an article In the news Victor Ponta Victor Ponta At least 41 people are killed when an Antonov An-12 cargo plane crashes near Juba, South Sudan. Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta (pictured) resigns over the fatal Colectiv nightclub fire. Cyclone Chapala becomes the first hurricane-force storm on record to strike mainland Yemen. In horse racing, Michelle Payne becomes the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup, riding Prince of Penzance. In baseball, the Kansas City Royals defeat the New York Mets to

Cutting Weight in Combat Sports Free Essays

string(146) " Although cutting weight will never be considered something extremely healthy, there are methods of cutting weight that do less harm to the body\." Cutting Weight in Combat Sports Indira Moores Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School Contents Cutting Weight in Combat Sports3 Cutting Weight in General3 Effects of Extreme Weight Cuts4 Effects on Growth and Development5 Proper Techniques5 Effects on Performance6 Average Cuts7 Prevention of Weight Cutting8 Conclusion8 Works Cited10 Cutting Weight in Combat Sports It is a known fact that to be a competitor at an elite level, one must work hard and make sacrifices. There are many examples of hard working athletes shown through the media. Most of these examples, however, tend to focus on a select few professional sports like hockey, football, basketball and amateur sports like figure skating and track and field. We will write a custom essay sample on Cutting Weight in Combat Sports or any similar topic only for you Order Now Many other sports, are sometimes recognized as being an elite level, but are not nearly as understood because they do not get the exposure from the media, that more ‘popular’ sports do. A lot of combat sports, including wrestling, fall in to this category. Wrestling gets a limited media exposure compared to more popular sports, and as a result, is not well understood. For example, at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, Canada earned its first gold medal by wrestler Carol Hyun at weight 49 kg. Yet wrestling was generally not covered extensively over most television networks, (Yardly, 2008). Because combat sports aren’t generally media-popular sports, they are often not understood, which leads to some misconceptions. For instance, they are viewed as more violent compared to other contact sports such as hockey or football, or that it requires less training, (Bina, 2011). However, one of the biggest misconceptions, and the one I am choosing to focus on is that cutting weight, in a sport such as wrestling, is an unhealthy component of the sport with detrimental consequences. That’s not to say that there aren’t extreme examples of dangerous and reckless weight cutting with dire consequences. However weight cutting, when monitored and executed properly, is just another example of hard work and sacrifices that must be made within the sport. Cutting Weight in General Most combat sports are divided into weight classes. This gives athletes the advantage of competing against someone who is relatively their own size. Rather than having a 190 pound athlete compete against a 130 pound athlete. The competitors attend a weigh- in session in which the athletes are weighed and are grouped in to the listed weight class. This is where the concept of cutting weight comes in. Instead of wrestling someone your own size, why not lose weight and wrestle somebody who is smaller? This thought process has become very popular in recent years with wrestlers, especially in North America. Cutting weight is known as the process of losing a lot of weight in a short amount of time. If it is only a few pounds, losing the weight is fairly easy, but if the athlete is trying to drop multiple weight classes in a few days that is when issues arise. Unfortunately, the small amount of attention from the media that wrestling receives is mainly focused on the most extreme cases and negative cases, where athletes refuse liquids for hours, food for days and wear multiple layers of clothing to sweat out the weight. In some cases athletes are dressed in sweat suits and sit in steam rooms at ridiculously high temperatures in attempts to lose the weight. The media has brought the attention to the deaths and the injuries instead of focusing more on the good of the sport. When the process of cutting weight is only viewed in such a negative way, it’s easy to assume that it can be very detrimental to anyone’s body. Effects of Extreme Weight Cuts These extreme cases that the media has focused on are, of course, very unfortunate. These cuts have very harmful effects on the body. First of all, there is the obvious fact that the body is being dehydrated. Dehydration alone, causes the body to be tired and sleepy, causes the body to have a ard time concentrating and can be easily stressed, (Matheney, 2010). An athlete is also more prone to being injured when they are dehydrated, (Matheney, 2010). Dehydration causes the organs in the body to work harder to continue their bodily functions. Examples of this are the heart and the kidneys. The heart pumps blood all over the body after it has been oxygenized. Without the necessary amou nt of water in the body, the heart has to pump stronger and more often, causing it to be over worked. The kidneys filter waste products from the blood stream and without water it cannot filter properly. As a result, dehydration can cause kidney and heart failure. There are also reports of harming the liver during the process of cutting weight, (McAllister,2011). Aside from the physical effects, there are some mental effects on the body as well. Refusing foods and liquids days before a weigh in can increase an athlete’s risk of an eating disorder. Although, it is not necessarily because of the media and pressures to look a certain way, it is caused by the pressures of the team, coaches and themselves to weigh a certain weight. There is also the possibility of hormone imbalances which cause mood swings and depression in athletes, (Matheny, 2010). Effects on Growth and Development Younger, maturing athletes who cut large amounts of weight are more likely to experience hormone imbalances, which is caused by under nutrition. As a result the body’s growth hormone gets altered, which may cause permanent growth impairment if it is repeated over many seasons of wrestling, (Cochan, 2011. ) Any dietary restrictions in children who compete can also be harmful. Children, especially those who compete in intense levels of physical activity need a variety of nutrients. Since they are still growing and developing, many fats and carbohydrates are needed to keep the body fueled. If not, dietary restrictions may also reduce protein nutrition and muscular performance, (Health Canada, 2011). Proper Techniques Although cutting weight will never be considered something extremely healthy, there are methods of cutting weight that do less harm to the body. You read "Cutting Weight in Combat Sports" in category "Essay examples" People can cut weight properly over a long period of time through dieting and water manipulation. A simple low carb diet can help anybody two to three pounds per week. As long as the diet is still feeding the body the necessary nutrients, like water, only a small and necessary amount carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals, it will still have enough energy to exercise intensely and slowly lose weight, (Landry, 2009). For example, after an intense workout or practice, eating a fruit would benefit the body. The simple sugars are carbohydrates that help replenish muscles after being worked very hard. This can be consumed instead of a calorie-high and carb-loaded protein drink. Another way losing weight that is less harmful to the body is known as water manipulation. Athletes are able to â€Å"trick† their body into thinking that it is consuming more water, then it actually is. For example, in the week leading up to the weigh in, for two days an athlete will drink eight litres of water. He or she will let the body adjust to this enormous amount of water being consumed. Naturally, the body will rid the excess water. After the two days, he or she will cut down to four litres, which is still a large amount. The body is still taking in more water than necessary, and is still ridding a large amount. This can help an athlete lose from 5-7 pounds in the days leading up to a weigh in. Effects on Performance After being dehydrated for an extended period of time, the body takes a prolonged time to rehydrate. According to The Wrestler Diet, by Roger Landry and others, the body intakes â€Å"only about two pints [of water] per hour, and takes up to 48 hours for the water balance tissue in your muscles to be restored,†. Different bodies, however, react differently. Athletes who have been dieting responsibly and are used to competing may be more familiar with restoring their bodies before a tournament. Ioannis Barbas did a study on twelve Greco – Roman wrestlers and how they recovered from the average weight cutting process during the tournament. Through his study he discovered a number of things like which matches in the day were the hardest for most athletes – that being the fourth match- , when the athletes found themselves most tired and so on. He did this by recording performance measurements, muscle damage assessments, and blood sampling before and after every match. He also found that these wrestlers were able to overcome weight loss routines before tournaments and preform very well and up to their usual abilities. Another factor that may affect the performances of combat sport competitors may be improper diets. Other professional and amateur sports that do not focus on weight have the advantage of consuming many high calorie and high carb foods that would fuel the body with necessary nutrients during their competition. Meanwhile, athlete who are concerned about their weight are restricting these types of foods so he or she can make the desired weight class. In other words, these athletes are not getting proper nutrients, which may affect the athlete’s performance, (Smith). However, if the athlete loses the weight responsibly and avoids dehydration as much as possible, the recovery should be maximal. If an athlete has been dehydrated for a short period of time, and rehydrates with water and electrolytes after the weigh in the negative effects should be minimal, (Barbas, 2010). Average Cuts The average amount of weight that is cut by athletes strongly depends on the sport, and the level of competition. For example, professional UFC fighters are going to cut more than a rookie high school wrestler. Professional UFC fighters are known to cut anywhere from 20 to 45 pounds, (Wong, 2010). This is an extremely large amount, but most of it is done over a long period of time and carefully, considering this is what they do as a profession. High school and university level wrestlers could drop a simple five pounds to 15 pounds over time, (McAllister, 2011). Prevention of Weight Cutting With the number of deaths and injuries that have occurred from athletes cutting weight, there had to be changes made. The consequences of cutting weight are very extreme, yet many athletes continue to do so in a very reckless way. In the United States, collegiate wrestling competitions have changed the weigh in date from the evening before the competition, to the day of the competition. This helps reduce the chance of athletes cutting weight by giving them less time to recover after dehydration and starvation. The less time to recover, the less likely the athlete will perform well, and therefore an athlete is less likely to cut. The NCAA has also recently taken many steps to reduce the chances of athletes cutting weight. They have banned competitors of practicing in a room that is hotter than 80 degrees Fahrenheit, self – induced vomiting, and extensive fluid and/or food restrictions, (Loma, 2010). Another common restriction that has been made is the banning of sauna suits. This is a decent compromise to athletes because the act of weight cutting can still be done, but in a much less dangerous way. Sauna suits are very dangerous and can easily overheat an athlete. Conclusion Cutting weight is an unhealthy part of combat sports. Nonetheless, it is a part of the sport. Unfortunately, the small amount of attention the media gives to these combat sports, such as wrestling, tend to be more negative and focused on extreme cases of athletes cutting large amounts of weight. As a result of the lack of attention, the sports are not thoroughly understood, particularly the concept of cutting weight. Cutting weight does have detrimental effects on the body, especially young, growing children. But if it is executed properly, then the negative effects are negligible. If athletes do monitor their weight cutting process over time and very carefully, they will be able to compete near their fullest potential. If cutting weight, and other misconceptions about combat sports had more exposure, it would be understood that cutting weight is just another part of the sport that demonstrates hard work and extreme sacrifices. Works Cited Barbas, I. , (Nov 27th, 2010). , Physiological and performance adaptations of elite Greco-Roman wrestlers during a one-day tournament. , Retrieved from http://www. fila-official. com/images/FILA/documents/stages/2010/Barbas_physiological_performance_adaptations_gr. pdf on Feb 20th, 2012. Bina, A. , (Feb 2011). , Why is College Wrestling Unpopular? Retrieve from How to cite Cutting Weight in Combat Sports, Essay examples

Business Models and Things Environment

Question: Discuss about the Business Models and Things Environment. Answer: Introduction For any organization to prosper in the fast racing world requires effective technology sources and smart way to deliver. The firm requires efficient, smart and feasible technologies and architectures. In addition it will also need real time decision making and analytical approach. Today it is very crucial for every company to adopt with growing technologies or it may face a failure or shortage in a long run (Amadeo, Marica, et al). For a critical survival a company needs to adapt every now then developing in accordance with the competitors. Internet of things (IOT) plays a great role in todays business. It is simply a network of products which has to be connected to internet (Al-Fuqaha, Ala, et. al.). This provides the product to connect to the other through their own IP addresses for implicating the tasks automatically. The present report addresses the critical challenges faced by a home appliance manufacturing company. The company deals in making mobile phones and other home appliances like blenders, washing machines and others. The company does not run a large scale business but is into developing it into a big giant like Samsung or L.G. It works for various application services, legacy system maintenance, new application development, offshore programming and staff augmentation. In order to take the company to new heights its essential to place the company the way other giants work with the Internet of Things. Statement of the problem Every growing organization faces certain issues in the way of development of the organization. The present company too faces several challenges and is lying back from the market advancements. The organization faces a strong competition in this market. With development in information system and the way business is marketed, this area has some tough competitors. With Internet of Things proliferating in the market at an implausible pace, soon it may become the dominant force in the technology-related market (Atzori). The company does not have proper predefined methodologies or IOT driven networks to make place for more efficient work methods. The organization provides integrated digital technology and mobile phone services for both the virtual and real world. The organization highlighted above is not being able to deliver much with efficiency. It does not have efficient set of networks. The company will surely require advanced integration and streaming analytics (Barrett and John). Neither the devices nor other things are attached to the network. The people connected to the company want to avoid the need for moving from one app to the other and want their work to progress with much fluidity. Analysis of the cause of the problem The organization requires analyzing the problem widely so that an efficient solution can be devised for better functioning of the company. For an in-depth analysis of the root cause of the problems, Porters five competitive forces can be used. Porters five forces is a framework which makes an analysis of the competition in the present market and the development of the business strategy (Da Xu et. al.). It helps in drawing out all the possible economics which can drive the company with intensified working and attractiveness. This tool is small but way too powerful. The analysis provides a clear idea of where the strength of the business situation lies. Porters tool can analyze the future scope of the business too. Once an organization can identify the strengths it can take clear and positive advantage in a way improving the weak situation. Earlier with advances in the IT technology the business operations saw automation of several but restricted processes. Porters model witnesses upsurge of internet of things in every aspect of the business operation seems to get connected with internet and getting automated (Drucker, Peter). Such automation will not only leverage the previous production, product design, sales or marketing rather it will offer more like product security and data analysis. Porters believe is that this may result in improvement of value-chain based productivity. The adoption of IOT in the organization will surely reshape its future productivity and will provide potential competitive landscape. Suppliers bargaining power The first force of Porters model is suppliers bargaining power. The IOT might smartly connect and revolutionize the present supplier system. The vendors often play important role and become immensely important for any organization (Fleisch). Nevertheless, with the IOT in the business operation the supplier may lose their demand as the connected and smart technology can provide more in comparison. Sooner or later the Conventional suppliers may even be commoditized and substituted by the software. The traditional suppliers may find it difficult while it forms the base of the emergence of the new and powerful suppliers who may bring to the market the commodities of the IOT like sensors, operating system, and data storage and software connectivity (Gao, Lingling, and Xuesong Bai). The organization here deals with the traditional suppliers and requires automation of its processes from the new market suppliers Amazon, Google just like other brands Samsung, LG or Panasonic. The suppliers wh o provide smart services can be connected to the end-users taking their responses and will be able to deliver new products. Porters model mentions in the second point the Buyers bargaining power. It is considered to change the future shape of the manufacturing industry. The products developed with the Internet of things would be smarter and connected (Meyer et. al.). The means that the market will have product differentiation and the measure for it will not be price only. The organization right now does not focus on the Internet of things for their product manufacturing and their infrastructure. This might degrade their buyer bargaining power. Understanding the need of the consumers and improving their product range in accordance to that and setting other factors like tailoring of product in such fashion, fixing the price and providing value added services may increase their bargaining power in the market (Gubbi, et al.). Engaging IOT reduces the need for relying on the distribution or certain associated services. The Buyer power includes various components like number of customers, competition in the mar ket, ability to substitute and size of the orders. Porters model here proves that the buyers force does not support the organization and might face issue in future. Rivalry or tough competition Rivalry or tough competition is the third force in the porters model. It plays an important role in any business rising and its downfall too (Mineraud, Julien, et al.). The product differentiation separates a business provider from the other which creates a shift in demand of that particular product. If a business enhances its services and provides other value added services then the consumers starts to engage more with them considering it more appealing than the other similar business provider (Glova). The products developed with IOT and implemented with help of software may add an extra advantage making the product different from the other manufacturers product luring more number of customers (Ng, Irene, and Susan). The organization presently has tough competition in the market and has the possibility to gain over them with the IOT incorporated in the product. The switching cost can be a glitch for the organization for changing the infrastructure and the product design. Nevertheles s the customer loyalty towards the organization may pack back as a competitive advantage to the company. The other companies like Samsung and Panasonic have adopted IOT in their system as well as their products which take them ahead of the company under consideration. Porter defines it essential for any organization to offer more and more competitive advantage for the business health and enhanced productivity and profit (Perera et. al.). The analysis conducted shows a drawback for the organization or it can be said that the porters third force does not favors the organization. Porters fourth model advocates threats of new entrants into the market. The new entrants may face the issues of high fixed costs, embedded technology, complex product design and well developed IT infrastructure (Porter, Michael and James). Here the present organization faces an advantage as the company is already an established one. This provides it with the opportunity of being the first-mover capturing the market at early instances. The companies entering with a new product or are new to the market faces lots of barrier which results in decreasing the product profit line or results in loss of product sale. The new entrants in the market require taking extra care about the product that they are designing or about to launch along with the pricing. The entrants designing a similar product which already exists in the market or marking a product with some skyrocketing costs may make the product suffer along with the productivity and profitability important for the company (Riggins, Fred erick and Samuel). The company has already established a secure position in the market and does not faces any challenge under such circumstances. Nevertheless the pressure from the other advanced company who has already affectively applied the IOT in their infrastructure and the product may become a possible threat which is further discussed in the next force of the Porter model. A threat for a substitute in the market is described by porter as the fifth force in his model. He defines it as an important threat because it may damage the popularity of a present product. The two of the essential point which are substitutes performance and the cost of change need to look after. The organization presently can think of substituting their product in the market which may incur high cost to the company (Wortmann, Felix, and Kristina). The company can only be successful in substituting its product when it incorporates the IOT in their products. This way if the company gives an unmatched performance to the other product present in the market it may secure a strong position in the market (Gerpott, Torsten and Sebastian). They can present their smart connected product with great customer values and enhanced customization. On the other hand if the products of other company like Samsung are already ruling the market for being a smart connected product then it may get diffic ult for the company to capture the market like the other organization has done. The broader range of capabilities that the IOT products have makes it easier to replace the traditional products to take its place (Westerlund et.al.). The company has to look into making their products more smartly connected so that they can replace the existing product in the market. Samsung IOT solutions If an analysis is made in reference to a big organization like Samsung then it would be seen that the organization under evaluation is facing several challenges. Samsungs one of the efficient product IOT Gateway is being implanted very soon. It is an IOT based products which will prove efficient for communication in short range. Not only this, the product is being said to provide WiFi, Bluetooth Low energy and Zigbee all in a single product (www.samsung.com). Such kind of products leverages the companys image and productivity. The product is being stated to be used in school or offices for automatic light management depending upon the number of occupants present in the room so that an efficient management can be done and more energy can be saved. It can even track the occupants presence and thus can acts as an attendance tracker. The present company does not serve with any such devices and lags in the market thus. The company like Panasonic, Samsung and others are moving into the mar ket with such IOT making the smart and tough competitors to deal with. To give a competition or even enter the market it needs to renovate their whole manufacturing and product production methodologies. Recommendations The organization right now is facing severe or critical challenges which have to be addressed soon for developing the organization and reform it into the internet of things. The IT systems need to be prepared for dealing with the changes that shall be brought. Some of the prime changes recommended are: Retooling the organization for IOT: Retooling the technology facet may be a complex process and tedious too. Yet, the organization being consumer electronic has to withstand such change being in the market in the long run. Technology Standards: It should participate in the ongoing technological trends. Some examples like intelligent lightning system, safety management system and automatic attendance tracker system should be followed and matched. Strong connectivity: Every Internet of Things requires connecting to a strong network so that it can work faster and much efficiently. The organization should focus into manufacturing products implying the usage of good connection. Best and continuous- model for services and software: The organization should focus into upgrading their product so as to deliver software updates in continuous fashion. Conclusion The organization seems to be backed out specifically in innovation and implementation of IOT in their products. The important reason for it staying behind is the lack of sense of implementing new opportunities. This has made the organization suffer and might be a big reason for its failure in the long term. The organization is having a fair productivity but it may lower down somewhere in the near future. The organization should now focus on entering the market with some great substitutes so that it can re-establish itself in the market. The top priorities of the company should be to innovate and grow their productivity. Improving quality can be done by developing and providing the customers a reliable infrastructure which could ease their work more than just simply working. Intel helps in moving forward with IOT and building blocks towards success with related software and hardware. Such devices makes connectivity available all the time everywhere, it provides security management fea tures along with Wi-Fi making it more compelling for any other organization or consumers to opt. Creating flexible solution and deploying IOT solution will drive the adoption in market. Conclusively, it can be said that the organization is not innovating up to the mark and requires developing their course of work and manufacturing smart products based on Internet of Things. It is true that the Information and technology is in to transforming products for public benefit and enhanced efficiency. Execution of such technology is said to make the mechanical and electrical structure far more complex consisting of hardware, software, data storage, microcontrollers and sensors. Like the establishment of smart cities and grids the organization in the context also requires connecting its devices and all things to internet for better market advantage. These suppliers are becoming powerful as the business operations are being automated and this may lead to increase in their demand in the market. This would provide them a position in the competitive market. The products at organization in comparison to other competitors like LG, Samsung or Panasonic have made the consumers drive down the price as they prefer those brands over it. Along with all these development it is a companys responsibility to make sure that all its data are secure in the ecosystem of Internet of Things. References Al-Fuqaha, Ala, et al. 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