ADMS 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Starbucks, Specialty Coffee, Signified And Signifier

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greyweasel133

4 Oct 2017

School

York University

Department

Administrative Studies

Course

ADMS 1000

Professor

Paulette Burgher

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ADMS 1000 Full Course Notes

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All organization are said to be social entities, and social entities are just how organizations deal with humans, so from employees to customers to suppliers and so on. They are also all goal oriented, so they want to make more profit, for example. Without that, it"s hard to sustain the organization because they need input. You ha(cid:448)e to ha(cid:448)e a stru(cid:272)ture, (cid:449)hether it"s formal or informal. We use metaphors to make connections and group things. For example, we say this is a class to group everyone in class. Organizational structure is a plan of network relationships that exists amongst jobs. They tend to group the jobs based on how they fit under each category. When you talk about organizational structure, there are 5 important elements. Divison of jobs into simple, repetitive tasks, with high degree of job specialization. (narrow) Social specialization: this is the specialization of individuals rather than the specialization of jobs so (lawyers, doctors, accountants). (wide)

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Topic:
How would you explain the finding that people in high-income economies seem happier than people in low-income economies, but, over time, people in high-income economies do not seem to be any happier even if their country grows richer? Briefly discuss.

Optional Reading:

Income and Happiness

The Declaration of Independence in 1776 identified âcertain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.â This did not guarantee happiness but did establish the pursuit of happiness as an âunalienableâ right, meaning that right cannot be taken away, given away, or sold. Eighteenth century philosopher and social reformer Jeremy Bentham argued that government policy should promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.

Many people today apparently agree. In recent polls, 77 percent of Australians and 81 percent of Brits believed that a government's prime objective should be promoting the greatest happiness rather than the greatest wealth. The United Nations in 2007 sponsored an international conference on âHappiness and Public Policy.â Thailand now compiles a monthly Gross Domestic Happiness Index. Even China has joined in the fun reporting a happiness index based on polling results about living conditions, income, the environment, social welfare, and employment. Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom are also developing happiness indexes.

Economists have long shied away from asking people how they feel, preferring instead to observe their behavior. But more now see some value in asking questions. In the most extensive of polls, the Gallup organization asked people in 130 countries: âHow satisfied are you with your life, on a scale of zero to ten?â The results, reported in 2007, are not surprising. Most people in the high income areas, such as the United States, Europe, and Japan, said they are happy. Most people in the poor areas, especially in Africa, said they are not. Also, within a given country, income and happiness are positively related. After evaluating all the results of the Gallup world poll, Angus Deaton of Princeton concluded: âThe very strong international relationship between per capita GDP and life satisfaction suggests that, on average, people have a good idea of how income, or the lack of it, affects their lives.â 8

So these results are no surprise. What does puzzle economists is that other surveys suggest that in affluent countries people do not seem any happier over time even though each generation became richer than the last. For example, in the United States, the proportion of people who say they are happy has stayed about the same despite 60 years of economic growth. In Japan, happiness responses actually declined despite a substantial increase in real income over the last 50 years.

Here are two possible explanations. First, people begin taking for granted those luxuries they most desired. For example, two generations ago color TVs, automobiles, and major appliances were luxuries, but now they are must-items for most households. Computers and flat screen HDTVs will soon move from luxuries to necessities. As each generation attains a higher standard of living, people become less sensitive to the benefits, they take them for granted, and thus they say they are no happier.

Second, research suggests that what matters is not just the absolute level of income but income relative other people in the reference group. Imagine you have a choice between (1) earning $50,000 a year while others in your reference group make $25,000 or (2) earning $100,000 a year while others make $250,000 (suppose, too, that prices remain the same, so $100,000 is double the real income of $50,000). Which would you prefer? Studies show that when people face this hypothetical choice, most pick the $50,000 option. That is, they prefer to make more than others even if that means a lower real income. Thus, if all incomes rise on average over time, this does not affect that aspect of happiness linked to oneâs relative standing. As the social critic H. L. Mencken long ago observed, "A wealthy man is one who earns $100 a year more than his wife's sister's husband."

SOURCES: Daniel Gilbert, Stumbling On Happiness, (New York: Knopf, 2006); Marina Kamenev, âRating Countries for the Happiness Factor,â Business Week, 11 October 2006; Angus Deaton, âIncome, Aging, Health, and Wellbeing Around the World: Evidence from the Gallup World Poll,â Princeton Working Paper, (August 2007); and âWhere Money Seems to Talk,â Economist, 12 July 200

Corporate Saint #1

AARON FUERSTEIN

For many years, Mr. Feuerststeinâs family has owned a clothing manufacturing business

in Methuen, Massachusetts. In 1995, the factory building burned down. He immediately

commenced to rebuild the factory and, in the interim, fully paid the workerâs salaries and

benefits, increasing the amount of his debt in order to do so.

Unfortunately not all fairy tales have a happy ending. Although the final script has

yet to be written on Mr. Feuersteinâs business, he did have to file bankruptcy. The

costs in rebuilding the factory and not being aggressive in marketing his products caused

him to get into financial trouble. He stated that he did not attribute his financial

problems to his employees. His company is now out of bankruptcy, but it is owned

by the creditors. Mr. Feuerstein is trying to raise capital in order to buy back the

company and he is optimistic about his chances of succeeding.

Compare Mr. Feuersteinâs attitude to the attitude of executives at Enron, Tyco,

Worldcom, Global Crossing and Adelphia Communications. While in real terms the

minimum wage has declined, the pay of corporate executives increased 571% between

1990 and 2000 (five times the rate at which corporate profits increasedâa fact that

should outrage shareholders). Had the minimum wage increased at a similar rate it would

now be over $25 per hour. Aaron Feuerstein is the antithesis of the CEOs who in the

name of the bottom line throw 40,000 workers out on the streetâand then take an

increase in their already obscene salaries. As of the mid 1990âs, American executives

were paid at a rate that is 140 times that of the average worker.

Corporate Saint #2

OJAI VALLEY INN & SPA

âFROM BELLHOPS TO BUILDERSâ

In May, 2003, a major 16-month renovation forced this luxury resort to shut-down two-

thirds of its rooms. This would have resulted in layoffs for half of its 600 employees.

Instead, the management decided to retrain willing workers as carpenters, painters,

electricians, tile setters and drywall installers, saving about 150 jobs. The training

program was performed mainly in-house, and all the trainees were state certified in safety

procedures. The hotel spent about $1-million in the retraining.

Some of the employees have been with the hotel 40 years; the average tenure is eight

years, which is unusually high for the hospitality industry. The resort felt that preserving

that experience and loyalty was important. They feel that there are lots of fine hotels

around, but guests come to them because of the employees. âEmployees are the most

important part of a hotel, because this really is a people businessâ.

Every employee was given a chance to take part. No one who wanted to learn the new

skills was turned away. âThis helps build on that mutual benefit contractâ¦ and

was a solution to keep their best workers on the payroll without being a total financial

drain on the hotelâ said Alec Levenson, labor economist and a professor at USCâs Center

for Effective Organizations. Ojai is a small community with a population of 8,000 and the

hotel is the biggest employer and it would be hard for them to find other employment

locally.

The retrained workers are being used only for renovation work, such as plastering,

painting and tearing out old sinks. A contractor with his own crew is handling the new

construction. However, that doesnât mean that the retrained workers feel like a lower

class of laborers. The esprit de corps is so high that they have designed T-shirts

proclaiming âBuilding a Better Shang-ri La.â

The Los Angeles Time, December 22, 2003

Corporate Saint #3

TIMBERLAND

Jonathan Swartz, C.E.O. of Timberland, believes that in order to equip people to make a

difference in the world, we must insist that doing well and doing good are one and the

same. He serves on President Bushâs taskforce on national service and has instituted a

program called the Path of Service at his company. Timberland employees are given 40

hours of paid leave each year to perform community serviceâpaint a house, tutor a

student, comfort the elderly. Since Mr. Swartzâs family controls the majority of his

companyâs stock (he represents its third generation to head the firm), it is easier for him

to be innovative than it may be for C.E.O.s that have to answer to boards of directors.

The Path of Service program came about because of Mr. Swartzâs personal experience.

In 1989 he provided 50 pairs of boots to a group called City Year, an urban Peace

Corps type of organization, located in Boston. The group invited him to a day of

community service and he was hooked. In addition, Mr. Swartz is also committed to the

concept of tithing and estimates that 10% of his income goes to charity.

Today, Timberland estimated that 5,200 employees have invested more than 170,000

hours in community service in 13 countries. In addition, the company works with

business partners and vendors to arrange regional service events.

Fortune Magazine consistently rates Timberland as one of the best companies in the

country to work for.

Corporate Saint #4

GREYSTON BAKERY

Greyston Bakery is a minority-owned bakery in Yonkers, New York, that has become a

leader in community development and a role model for other socially conscious

businesses.

The bakery actively recruits and hires employees who have had difficulties finding in the

employment in the past. Ex-convicts and drug addicts make up a substantial part of the

employee census.

The bakery is expanding but has committed to remain within southwest Yonkers, the

community where it was created and has grown, and where there is a high concentration

of hard-to-employ individuals.

The profits of the bakery support the Greyston Foundation which includes housing, child

care, health care, a computer learning center, and more.

The bakery empowers its employees by compensating them fairly for their efforts. While

for some employees this salary may not constitute the âliving wageâ, the bakery

encourages and supports employees who seek outside vocational training, academic

advancement, and professional non-bakery-related enrichment.

Corporate Saint #5

BEN & JERRYâS ICE CREAM

We all know about the fantastic ice cream products sold by Ben & Jerryâs. However,

there is another part of their success story. The two native New Yorkerâs, who moved up

to Vermont and started the company, had another mission besides the goals of making the

best ice cream and also creating a profitable company.

Their mission, which they continuously worked towards achieving, included operating

the company in a manner that actively recognizes the central role that business plays in

society by initiating innovative methods to improve the quality of life both nationally and

internationally. They realized that the gap between the rich and the poor is wider than at

anytime since the 1920âs. Another part of their mission was to provide economic

opportunities for those who have been denied them.

As the manufacturing of products creates waste, they worked towards minimizing their

negative effect on the environment. Since the growing of food is overly reliant on the use

of toxic chemicals and other methods that are unsustainable, they support sustainable and

safe methods of food production that reduce environmental degradation, maintain the

productivity of the land over time, and support the economic viability of farms and rural

communities.

Question:What do you think of the idea of Corporate Saints? Is being a Corporate Saint realistic? Is the organization that you are/were apart of operating like a Corporate Saint? Please mention any other organizations that you believe are Corporate Saints.

redgiraffe649

The primary costs of FDI to host countries are:

		Loss of sovereignty and patriotism
		Adverse effects on competition and exports
		Capital outflow
		Loss of sovereignty, adverse effects on competition, and capital outflow

____ suggests that FDI, unrestricted by government intervention, will enable countries to tap into their absolute or comparative advantage by specializing in the production of certain goods or services.

		The radical view
		The free market view
		Pragmatic nationalism
		Expropriation

What are the benefits of FDI to home countries?

		Repatriated earnings from profits from FDI.
		Increased exports of components and services to host countries.
		Learning via FDI from operations abroad.
		All of these answers

When one firm enters a foreign country through FDI, its rivals are likely to follow by undertaking additional FDI in a host country to:

		Create knowledge spillover
		Discover a new market for its goods
		Overcome and combat market failure through FDI
		Acquire location advantages or neutralize the first moverâs location advantages

Most countries practice:

		Pragmatic nationalism
		Free market based FDI
		Government embracing radical view
		French patriotism

FDI may be viewed as a reflection of firm motivation to extend firm-specific capabilities abroad and their responses to overcome imperfections and failures.

		True
		False

Most countries practice a totally "free market" view.

		True
		False

8. Outsourcing is the process of turning over an organizational activity to an outside supplier, located in a foreign country, which will perform it on behalf of the local firm.

		True
		False

Financial, physical, and technological resources and capabilities are all tangible assets.

		True
		False

A firm's resources and capabilities are tangible assets a firm uses to choose and implement its strategies.

		True
		False

An example of low power distance would be when subordinates address their bosses on a first-name basis.

		True
		False

Benchmarking is an assessment as to whether a firm has resources and capabilities to perform a particular activity in a manner superior to competitors.

		True
		False

A country with low-masculinity has a more subtle differentiation between the gender roles.

		True
		False

Setting up subsidiaries abroad so the work can be performed in-house but in the foreign location is also called captive sourcing.

		True
		False

Managers in low uncertainty avoidance countries rely more on experience and training than managers in high uncertainty avoidance countries who rely more on rules.

		True
		False

Informal institutions include laws, regulations, and rules.

		True
		False

The United States is often classified as a collective society.

		True
		False

A pure market economy characterized by the "invisible hand" of market forces is noted by

		John Stuart Mill
		Adam Smith
		Aristotle
		Amatya Zen

Culture is defined in the text as:

		The communication between members of similar location.
		The collective programming of the mind, which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another.
		The main component of formal institutions.
		The attitudes and behaviors characteristic of a particular social group or organization.

When an expat employee returns to her or his current employer but the employer does not provide attractive opportunities, she/he often may be hired by a competitor firm. Why?

		Competitor firms are also interested in globalizing their business.
		Former expats bring instant expertise and experience.
		Competing firms will pay a higher premium for expertise.
		All of these answers

The government taking a "hands-off approach" is known as:

		Laissez faire
		Command economy
		Mixed economy
		Liberal approach

Expatriate managers make ideal candidates for top management positions.

		True
		False

____ are defined as rights associated with the ownership of intellectual property.

		Patents
		Copyrights
		Trademarks
		Intellectual property rights

In a collective society:

		Family units are highly valued.
		Being an entrepreneur is a popular mindset
		Being different than your neighbor is important.
		Outsiders are easily trusted.

Which of the following definitions best defines an expatriate manager?

		A manager who works outside his or her native country
		A manager of great expertise
		An ex-manager rehired for advisory purposes
		None of these answers

ADMS 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Starbucks, Specialty Coffee, Signified And Signifier

ADMS 1000 Full Course Notes

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