An Overview Of Employee Suggestion Schemes Commerce Essay

An Overview Of Employee Suggestion Schemes Commerce Essay Innovations are becoming increasingly important for organizations to remain competitive in the dynamic business environment. Employee Suggestions Systems plays a key role for organizations wishing to become more innovative. It is a useful tool used in the organization to elicit employees creative ideas. Over the past decades, suggestion schemes have been studied from many perspectives. The objective of this paper is to present the history and evolution of suggestion schemes, from their early beginnings to sophisticated computer based systems that are widely popular in many countries. We start by discussing the origins of suggestion systems, followed by discussing how they have evolved over the years, and understand a typical process involved in suggestion system. We would like to discuss the future model of suggestion system that can sustain and contribute significantly towards the success of the organizations. Through a literature review, we describe the existing research on suggest ion schemes to understand the critical drivers and barriers for the success of the suggestion schemes. This paper also cites and illustrates the well-known suggestion systems used by UAE organizations and their benefits. The literature, while extolling the many virtues of suggestion programs makes it clear that achieving the expected results from the programs is quite challenging as it involves organizational as well individual level factors and needs to focus on creativity and as well transformation of the creativity into innovations. The paper provides the list of driver and barriers to suggestion schemes mainly stemming from creativity, innovation and suggestion system literatures. The suggestion making and suggestion implementation are two crucial stages and both are equally important for the success of the scheme and are influenced by a number of factors. Organizations must therefore identify these critical factors to nurture both these stages. The schemes can be applied in any sector to elicit employee creative ideas but must have a formal mechanism to action this. Managers need to be aware critical success factors that are essential for the success of the schemes. It is clear that suggestion schemes will not yield results without the active involvement of everyone in the organization, and the required resources and support from top management. The future of suggestion scheme is bright as a tool for fueling innovation. Organizations need to recognize and evaluate their schemes to yield its potential benefits. There need to be sustainability in suggestion schemes. Organizations need to assess their schemes to recognize if right conditions exist for their sche mes to flourish. This paper should be of value to practitioners of suggestion schemes and to academics who are interested in knowing how this program has evolved, and where it is today and what future it holds. Although much research has been conducted on identifying these critical success factors to the authors knowledge, little focus has been directed towards sustenance of the suggestion system. This paper makes the contribution for identifying the research gap in the suggestion schemes and has assimilated the existing knowledge on suggestion systems to provide a quick run through to the field and has extended the search for drivers and barriers to suggestion scheme from creativity and innovation literature. Key Words: Employee, Suggestion System, Creativity, Innovation, Employee Involvement, Ideas Management Introduction An Employee Suggestion Scheme (ESS) is described as a formalized mechanism that encourages employees to contribute constructive ideas for improving the organization in which they work (Milner et al., 1995). Another elaborate definition explains suggestion schemes elicit suggestions from employees, classify them, and dispatch them to experts for evaluation (Cooley et al., 2001). After this, the suggestion might be adopted, in which case the suggestion maker will be rewarded. But even if a suggestion is rejected, the suggestion maker may still be rewarded with a token gift. So the managers or dedicated committees evaluate the suggestions and implement the one that works (Chaneski, 2006). The reward may range from a certificate to a reward commensurate with the savings generated by the suggestion. Researchers in this area explain that the suggestion scheme is a mechanism or a tool that fosters creativity, elicits untapped reservoirs of ideas and fuels both product or process innovations , triggers a work place improvement, improves process effectiveness, saves money or helps generate new revenue and increases organizational commitment and accountability among employees (Carrier,1998; Buech et al., 2010; Fairbank and William,2001; 96. Townsend,2009;Islam, 2007;Arthur et al., 2010 Lloyd,1996). Thus they are structured to have many goals and purposes (Kanna et al., 2005). There are others who view suggestion systems as mechanism to improve quality as well (Islam, 2007; Kanna et al., 2005). It is a known fact that no one would know the job, its specific processes( Darragh -Jeromos, 2005) better than the employees themselves as they are on the shop floor and are experiencing the advantages of what they are doing(Du plessis et al., 2008). Therefore, the suggestion scheme can be an advantageous way to gather suggestions in the work place by fostering this concept and taping into all employee creativity (Darragh-Jeromo, 2005). Over the past decades, suggestion schemes have been studied from many perspectives. In this paper, our objective is to present the history and evolution of suggestion schemes, from their early beginnings to sophisticated computer based systems that are widely popular in many countries. We start by discussing the origins of the suggestion system, followed by how it has evolved over the years, and understand a typical process involved in the suggestion system. Through a literature review, we describe the existing research on suggestion schemes in order to understand the critical drivers and barriers for the success of suggestion schemes. This paper also identifies future research opportunities in this field. The History and Evolution of the Suggestion Schemes In 1721, Yoshimune Tokugawa, the 8th Shogun, placed a box called Meyasubako at the entrance of the Edo Castle for written suggestions from his subjects (Arif et al., 2010). Although this is the most basic system known, an industrialized suggestion systems origin traces back to the 19th century. In 1880, William Denny, a Scottish shipbuilder asked his employees to offer suggestions in order to build ships in better ways (Islam 2007). Following this, the Kodak company became pioneer in this endeavor with its program being introduced in 1896 (Carrier, 1998). Industry associations, such as the Employee Involvement Association (EIA), then came into existence and they have contributed greatly to the increased formalization, objectivity, and professionalism of suggestion programs (Townsend,2009). Formerly, the National Association of Suggestion Systems, the EIA has instituted educational, statistical, and professional development programs to raise the bar of best practices in the encouragem ent, evaluation, development, and implementation of ideas that add value to their organizations. The IdeasUK, UKs foremost association for the promotion of employee involvement programmes was founded in 1987, its prime purpose being to assist organizations in both the public and private sector, an organization with more than 100 members worldwide. On the other hand in Japan the program was well known as the Kaizan Program. While Kaizen-oriented suggestion systems are primarily interested in generating many small improvements, western suggestion systems encourage the pursuit of innovation (Ohly et al., 2006). Simultaneously, suggestion schemes also became popular in many countries and they have a considerable history that includes USA, Europe, Asia and the Middle East (Cooley et al., 2001). The well-known suggestion schemes have been in existence for over 60 years and companies like Japans Toyotas and Indias Tata Steel Mill represent a usage of these historic systems. Around the 1990s suggestion schemes became increasingly popular. In 1994, one employee suggestion alone saved British Gas  £4.4 million. The research around 1996 reported that the world class suggestion systems are exceeding 40 ideas per person annually, with greater than 80 percent implementation rates and high levels of participation (Savageau, 1996). The ETA 2004 annual suggestion program provided statistics from 41 of its member organizations in the United States. From this limited sample, a total of more than $811 million in savings and other benefits were realized as a result of employee suggestion programs (Townsend,2009). The latest 2009 Annual Survey of IdeasUK highlighted the following benefits amongst their membership organizations such as Boots, HSBC, Ministry of Defence and Dubai Aluminum. Cost savings of over  £100m with the average implemented idea worth  £1,400.00. Return on Investment of at least 5:1. Employee involvement increased with average participation rates of 28% The trend of cost savings due to employee suggestions continues till today. The Existing Research on Suggestion Systems An illustration of a formal process involved in the suggestion schemes Suggestions systems have come a long way (Arif et al., 2010) transiting from anonymous postboxes (Crail, 2006) or suggestion box to a sophisticated computer based electronic suggestion system (Fairbank and William 2001; Ahmed, 2009). The suggestion system is a process of two or more stages comprising mainly the suggestion making, the evaluation and implementation of the idea (Van and Ende, 2002; Prathur and Turrel, 2002; Lipponen et al., 2008; Bakker et al., 2006; Marx, 1995;Griffiths et al., 2006). There has been a negligence of research on the initial ideas generation phase that precedes the innovation, mainly because one major group of researchers who consider organizational creativity is fostered through the personal characteristics and motivations of creative individuals turned its attention to context and organizational factors(Carrier,1998). However the common process involved in the suggestion management system is depicted in fig 1: Description: http://www.apo-tokyo.org/productivity/pmtt_004b.jpg In recent times the suggestion schemes have also been known as Idea Capture Systems or Idea Management Systems. Leach (2006) claims that the Idea capture system can fall into four categories: Centralized suggestion schemes, De-centralized suggestion schemes, Work based systems Informal systems. Literature shows that the subject of suggestion schemes is multidisciplinary. Broadly the theoretical base for suggestion schemes emerges from the literature on creativity and innovation. This is mainly because the researchers describe suggestion systems as tools that stimulate creativity or innovation (Carrier,1998). Innovation begins with creative ideas (Amabile et al., 1996) and thus creativity and innovation are interlinked and the process in the suggestion system is mainly focused on eliciting the employees creative ideas and implementing them to fuel innovations. The main focus of the research then goes to the factors that trigger creativity and innovation. Researchers have examined these factors from three points of views (Buech et al.,2010) The first considers work environment. A second stream of research, focusing on the features of suggestion systems, weighs the influence of feedback about suggestions, management support of the system and rewards for successful suggestions, the third deals with the characteristics of the individuals. The creativity and innovation literature also highlights these contextual, organizational and individual factors that foster creativity and innovation but it is also evident that the contextual factors that foster creativity and innovation would also foster the suggestion making as well (Ohly et al.,2006). The factors cited to be drivers to creativity, suggestion system and innovation are identified below. Factors fostering Suggestion Making, Creativity and Innovation A good suggestion scheme should play a vital role in improving communication and promoting and enhancing the sense of common purpose (McConville, 1990). People need social, informational, and economic support to be able to create something new (Majdar, 2005). The creativity in an organizational context emerges from a process of sharing information with other people within the organization (Bakker et al., 2006). Although the social networking alone cannot be considered as an important source of information for innovation(Bigliardi et al., 2009), the high quality social exchange relationships (Kudisch, 2006), social influences(Klijn et al., 2010),collaboration(Bjà ¶rklund,2010; Fairbank et al.,2001), and diverse group exchanges(Shalley et al.,2004) can stimulate employee creativity. Even in a field where innovation is essential, most of the acute challenges do not concern innovation skills, but rather the organizational context of innovation the work communities culture, habits, and practices (Bjà ¶rklund, 2010). Creativity and innovation will only be sporadic occurrences and will not thrive without a supportive environment and culture (Malaviya Wadhwa, 2005;Amabile et al.,1996). Every organization has its own culture and needs and its suggestion system should be molded around that (Marx, 1995). The organization structure often hinders tacit knowledge sharing by establishing wrong authorities (Alwis et al., 2008). Several studies have shown how certain organizational structures facilitate the creation of new products and processes, especially in relation to fast changing environments (Lam,2010). Organization structures have to be modified in different industries so that the organizational structure of a company or a department supports transfer and transmission of tacit knowledge in the best way (Alwis et al., 2008). Management practices of the organization play a role in the success of the suggestion programs (Carrier, 1998). Management has a responsibility to satisfy the need for employee participation and they are required to create a culture which is supportive of employee involvement in the decisions which affect their work (Reychav et al., 2010). Senior management ought to demonstrate their faith in the scheme, promote and support it and encourage all managers to view it as a positive force for continuous improvement (McConville, 1990). Management must get actively involved by creating the opportunities for employees to submit their ideas, get those ideas properly evaluated, give recognition when it is due and implement them as soon as possible (Du plessis, 2008). Converting managers, particularly those in the middle is crucial (McConville,1990). Undoubtly, people will produce creative work when they perceive for example that the management is required to encourage (Amabile et al., 1996). T herefore a visible commitment from top management can encourage employee active participation in the scheme. Studies have shown that a traditional, autocratic management style results in low levels of employee engagement and motivation (Hayward, 2010). Empowering leadership has the capacity to positively influence employee psychological empowerment -an element of importance in affecting creative outcome (Zhang, 2010). On the other hand leadership styles that include threats, intimidation, and coercive tactics appear to universally discourage creative behavior on the part of employees (Anderson et al., 2008). The coworker support (Madjar,2008;Majdar 2005;Shalley et al.,2004;Arif et al., 2010) is another important element that can trigger employees to make suggestions. Tatter (1975) notes, the best way to kill a system are to let an idea remain in limbo for four, five or six months. The goal should be to completely process a suggestion in about 30 days and in no more than 60 days. To handle employee creativity effectively, it is important to organize the process of idea extraction to idea fo llow-up properly, otherwise employees will not be motivated to put their ideas forward and many ideas will be lost (Van Ende, 2002). The knowledge possessed by individual employees can only lead to a firm competitive advantage if employees have the motivation and opportunity to share and utilize their individual knowledge in ways that benefit the organization (Arthur et al., 2005). Therefore the development of an infrastructure (Marx 1995) with simple methods (Hultgren, 2008) for submitting suggestions (McConville, 1990) is a key aspect of the suggestion scheme. The companies lack of action on suggestions provided by non-managerial employees can de-motivate employees from participating in employee relation programs (Cho and Erdum 2006). Fairbank (2003) argues the formal Employee suggestion Management systems(ESMS)s are superior to the stereotypical suggestion box because they make it easier for employees to submit ideas that will eventually be implemented, provide a transparent pro cess for evaluating the suggestions, and generate timely feedback regarding the fate of the suggestions and any rewards they earn. Such a system can help to monitor the progress of the scheme on a regular basis (Hultgren, 2008). The more comfortable employees are with the format, the more suggestions will be received, and the more money will be saved (Mishra, 1994). Good ideas can come from anyone, at any level, any place, anytime (McConville, 1990; Majdar ,2005). Therefore a suggestion scheme should make all its employees at all levels eligible to participate (McConville, 1990; Lloyd, 1996). The involvement can be increased if employees develop a sense of belonging to the organization (Cruz et al., 2009). Empowerment is necessary so that the workers evaluate their own ideas before making a suggestion, as suggesting many ideas do not necessarily mean greater cost reduction and at the same time, it would be an added cost to process and may cause delays (Wynder, 2008). The biggest obstacles in the suggestion cycle lie in the area of review, evaluation and guidance. Insensitive comments of proposal reviewers can sometime kill an employees improvement initiative (Neagoe et al., 2009). When the review, evaluation and guidance aspect of the system functions properly, it can be a great motivating force that will attract many excellent proposals (Neagoe et al., 2009). If ideas are made public, these ideas, good and bad, could have started other creative ideas elsewhere in the organization (Stenmark, 2000). A modern well-managed suggestion scheme lies not in the immediate financial returns, but in the contribution made to achieving greater involvement and team- work (McConville,1990). Creative ideas are more often the product of social interaction and influence than of periods of thinking in isolation (Majdar, 2005) The cash rewards and recognition alone will not make a suggestion system successful (Strane,2000). Employee morale should be boosted by creating success stories and measuring the success of the scheme through the implementation of ideas (Marx, 1995; Hultgren, 2008; Lloyd, 1996; Cho Erdem 2006). A suggestion system is clearly a money saver in an organization (Mishra, 1994). There needs to be various strategies in place to avoid employee boredom and to consider the life cycle of the system, employees must be rewarded not only with tangible but also intangible benefits (Ahmed 2009). Incentives are important for employees to feel that submission of their useable ideas will be rewarded (Du plessis et al., 2008). It was also found that the volume of employee suggestions over time will be positively related to the amount of payout (Arthur et al., 2010). Depending on the attention given to advertising the schemes and how participation is rewarded, organizations could improve the return on the idea capture system (Leach et al., 2006). Individuals have the greatest possible number of characteristics that positively influence their creative performance (Muà ±oz-Doyague, 2008). Keeping workers intrinsically motivated is the key part for improving creativity and performance. No doubt, intrinsic motivation is a universally important and substantial factor (Suh et al.,2008). Sending individuals to state-of- the-art seminars, training programs, and conferences as a reward for their creativity might increase the positive impact (Griffiths-hemans et al., 2006). This will be the energy of renewal and the drive to a successful future. The Barriers to suggestion systems Research also reports on barriers that could hinder the success of the suggestion scheme. They are mainly cited as work load pressure, task reutilization, task standardization, unsupportive climate, aversive leadership, co-worker mistrust, coworker incompetence, budget problems, impractical idea, technical issues, competition, delay in assessment, controlled supervision, lack of support, fear of evaluation, free riding, lack of self confidence, low commitment to organization and system, rigid rules,self-interest, challenge of the work and resistance from middle managers(Alwis Hartmann 2008;Amabile et al.,1996;Anderson Veillette 2008;Bakker et al., 2006;Carreir 1998; Oldham and Cummings 1996;Lyold 1999;Mclean 2005;McConville 1990;Toubia,2006;Sadi,2008;Wong Pang Finally, the existing research also evidences that although the interest and practice in Continuous Improvement (CI) are widespread in many organizations, many of them have major problems in sustaining success in their CI programs (Rapp and Eklund, 2007),). Many organizations are faced with problems associated with both the implementation and sustainability of their CI programs. There is no study which gives account of the design features for frequency of feedback or extent to publicity (Leach,2006).Despite the increasing popularity of the gain sharing plans, evidence for their effectiveness has remained mixed(Arthur et al., 2010). Suggestion systems should not exist primarily as a means to recognize employees only (Darragh Jeromos 2005) but to utilize the scheme to its fullest extent. So a well designed system will accomplish both these goals resulting in tangible as well as intangible benefits (Ahmed, 2009). Overall suggestion system is a great mechanism that involves individual a nd teams in improving the organization performance (Crail, 2006) and they have a strong and significant effect on both process and product innovation (Townsend, 2009). It perfectly matches todays market need to deal with knowledge based workers who expect their involvement to be recognized and utilization of their skills to its fullest (Kesting et al., 2010). # Indicators Source 1 Supervisory encouragement Mclean 2005;Marx 1995;Shalley Gilson 2004;Tatter 1975;Frese et al 1999;Lloyd 1996;Ohly et al 2006;Arif et al 2010;Hardin 1964 2 Co worker support Madjar 2008;Majdar 2005;Shalley Gilson 2004;Arif et al 2010 3 Top Mgt Support Huang Farh 2009.;Amabile et al 2004;Carreir 1998;Egan 2005;Jong Hartog 2007;Marx 1995;McConville 1990;Du plessis 2008;Ahmed 2009;Mishara 1994;Powell 2008;Prather Turrell;Rice 2009;Zhang 2010;Khairuzzaman;Bell 1997 ;Unsworth 2005;Hayward 2010. 4 organizational Encouragement Fairbank and Williams 2001;Alves et al 2007;Ahmed 1998;Alwis Hartmann 2008 Amabile et al 1996;Arthur Kim 2005;Bjà ¶rklund 2010;Darragh-Jeromos 2005;Ellonen et al., 2008;Griffiths-hemans Grover 2006;Janssen, O., 2004;Klijn Tomic 2010;Kudisch 2006;Neagoe Klein 2009;Mclean 2005;Malaviya, P., 2005;McConville 1990;Powell 2008;Prather Turrell; Recht Wildero ,1998;Shalley Gilson 2004;Al-Alawi et al 2007;Rietzschel 2008;Zhou George(2001);Stranne 1964;Van Ende 2002;Bell 1997 ;Khairuzzaman;Bigliardi Dormio 2009 5 Communication Alves et al 2007;Aoki 2008;Arthur et al 2010.;Binnewies et al 2007;Bjà ¶rklund 2010.Klijn Tomic 2010;Kudisch 2006;Madjar 2008;Majdar 2005;Madjar 2008;Majdar 2005;McConville 1990;Ahmed 2009; Recht Wildero ,1998;Shalley Gilson 2004;Tatter 1975;Khairuzzaman;Monge ;Al-Alawi et al 2007;Clark 2009;Fairbank and Williams 2001;Stranne 1964 6 Evaluation Egan 2005; Rietzschel 2008;Neagoe Klein 2009;Marx 1995;McConville 1990;Ahmed 2009;Powell 2008;Tatter 1975;Van Ende 2002;Hultgren 2008;Lloyd 1996;Winter 2009;Sarri et al ,2010;Fairbank and Williams 2001. 7 Publicity Reuter 1976;Mishara 1994;Tatter 1975;Fairbank and Williams 2001. Kudisch 2006;Neagoe Klein 2009;Leach et al 2006;Marx 1995;McConville 1990;Prather Turrell;Lloyd 1996;Winter 2009;Crail 2007 8 Resources   Alves et al 2007;Amabile et al 1996;Griffiths-hemans Grover 2006;Klijn Tomic 2010;Mclean 2005;McConville 1990;Shalley Gilson 2004;Van Ende 2002;Lloyd 1996;Bigliardi Dormio 2009;Clark 2009 9 Rewards Lloyd 1996; Klijn Tomic 2010;Arthur Kim 2005;Arthur et al 2010. ;Bartol Srivastava 2002;Darragh-Jeromos 2005;Neagoe Klein 2009;Leach et al 2006;Lloyd.1999;Marx 1995;McConville 1990;Du plessis 2008;Ahmed 2009;Mishara 1994;Rapp and Eklund 2007;Rice 2009;Shalley Gilson 2004;Tatter 1975;Teglborg-Lefevre, a.C., 2010;Van Ende 2002;Arif et al 2010;Bell 1997 ;Frese et al 1999;Winter 2009;Al-Alawi et al 2007;Baird Wang 2010;Bartol Srivastava 2002;Clark 2009;Crail 2007;Rietzschel(2008);Suh Shin 2008. ;Lyold 1999 10 Training Paulus 2008;Tatter 1975;Baird Wang 2010;Stranne 1964;Birdi 2005 11 Effective simple System Reuter 1976;Lloyd 1996 Arthur Kim 2005;Lloyd 1999;Marx 1995;McConville 1990;Fairbank 2003;Mishara 1994;Prather Turrell;Rapp and Eklund 2007;Tatter1975;Van Ende 2002;Arif et al 2010;Frese et al 1999;Hultgren 2008; Winter 2009;Bigliardi Dormio 2009;Clark 2009;Fairbank and Williams 2001;Lyold 1999;Bassadur 1992;Hultgren 2008 12 feedback Cho Erdem 2006 ;Bakker et al 2006 ;Buech et al 2010;Leach et al 2006;Mishara 1994;Powell 2008;Rapp and Eklund 2007;Arif et al 2010;Hultgren 2008;Fairbank and Williams 2001. ;Stranne 1964;Bassadur 1992;Van Ende 2002;Du plessis 2008 13 Implementation of suggestion Marx 1995;McConville 1990;Hultgren 2008;Lloyd 1996;Cho Erdem 2006 14 Job factors Amabile et al 1996;Anderson Veillette 2008. ;Bjà ¶rklund 2010.;Buech et al 2010;Griffiths-hemans Grover 2006;Hirst 2009;Powell 2008;Rego et al 2009;Shalley Gilson 2004;Shalley Gilson 2004;Frese et al 1999;Axtell et al 2000;Muà ±oz-Doyague et al( 2008);Unsworth 2005;Cruz et al 2009;de Jong den Hartog 2010. 15 Empowerment Recht Wildero ,1998;Lipponen et al 2008;Mclean 2005;Powell 2008;Axtell et al 2000;de Jong den Hartog 2010; Unsworth 2005 16 Expertise Bantel Jackson 1989;Bjà ¶rklund 2010;Griffiths-hemans Grover 2006;Klijn Tomic 2010;Madjar 2008;Majdar 2005;Verworn 2009;Bigliardi Dormio 2009 17 Individual attributes and self efficacy Huang Farh 2009.;Egan 2005;Lipponen et al 2008;Verworn 2009;Frese et al 1999;Axtell et al 2000;Aoki 2008.; Lipponen et al 2008;Binnewies et al 2007;Bjà ¶rklund 2010. ;Griffiths-hemans Grover 2006 ;Klijn Tomic 2010 ;Lipponen et al 2008;Litchfield 2008;Malaviya, P., 2005;Powell 2008; Recht Wildero ,1998;Shalley Gilson 2004;Verworn 2009;Janssen 2004;Litchfield 2008;Cruz et al 2009;Huang Farh 2009.;Aoki 2008.;Arthur et al 2010. ;Bjà ¶rklund 2010.;Darragh-Jeromos 2005;Egan 2005;Muà ±oz-Doyague 2008 18 job control Anderson Veillette(2008);Mclean, L.D., 2005;Sadi (2008);Anderson Veillette(2008) Wong Pang (2003);Neagoe, L.N. Klein, V.M., 2009;McConville(1990) 19 Organizational impediments Stenmark(2000);Alwis Hartmann(2008). Anderson, T.a. Veillette, a., 2008;Wong Pang (2003);Toubia 2005;Bakker, H., Boersma, K. Oreel, S., 2006);Amabile et al (1996);Lyold (1999);Fairbank, J.F., Spangler, W.E. Williams, S.D., 2003.Du Plessis, AJ, Marx, AE Wilson, G 2008 Fairbank, J.F., Spangler, W.E. Williams, S.D., 2003. Carrier C., 1998;Fairbank, J.F., Spangler, W.E. Williams, S.D., 2003;Du Plessis, AJ, Marx, AE Wilson, G 2008;.BaMcConville(1990);Mostaf El-Masry( 2009) 20 Team work Rapp and Eklund 2007; Amabile et al 1996;Aoki 2008;Carreir 1998;Darragh-Jeromos 2005;Mclean 2005;McConville 1990;Shalley Gilson 2004;Baird Wang 2010;Egan 2005;Pissarra Jesuino 2005;Fairbank and Williams 2001. 21 Competition Bakker, H., Boersma, K. Oreel, S., 2006) 22 Support for innovation Lipponen et al 2008;Hultgren 2008 23 employee participation Alves et al 2007;McConville 1990;Lloyd 1996;Fairbank and Williams 2001. ;Cruz et al 2009; Neagoe, L.N. Klein, V.M., 2009 Discussion Suggestion systems have evolved from a traditional suggestion box to sophisticated electronic systems aiming to encourage all employees to take part in suggestion schemes and to rapidly process the ideas received from the employees and put to practical use. Large organizations are focusing on achieving bigger goals at company level as well as at employee level to accrue the tangible as well as intangible benefits. However companys need to carefully implement the program as every organization has its own culture, it needs to tailor the program to meet their organization needs and what they expect from this system must be clearly known. While suggestion schemes have evolved over the decades, the main underlying factor driving this engine is to pursue workplace improvements, process or product innovations. Research in this field has been mainly focused on features of suggestion schemes, guidelines for implementation and critical success factors and critical barriers encompassing the organizational as well as the individual contexts. Research also evidences its contribution as to how organizations have utilized the tool to obtain small workplace improvements through to good sized innovation and if implemented they contribute in building organizations innovation capability. The suggestion making and suggestion implementation are two crucial stages and both are equally important for the success of the scheme and are influenced by a number of factors. Organizations must therefore identify these critical factors to nurture both these stages. The schemes can be applied in any sector to elicit employee creative ideas but must have a formal mechanism to action this. Managers need to be aware of critical success factors that are essential for the success of the schemes. It is clear that suggestion schemes will not yield results without the active involvement of everyone in the organization, and the required resources and support from top management. The suggestion schemes are here to stay mainly because they are the vehicle for innovations. Today we live in a knowledge economy where innovation is not only significant but a key corner stone for an organizations growth and sustainability. The future of the suggestion scheme is bright as a tool for fueling innova tion. Organizations need to recognize and evaluate their schemes to yield its potential benefits. There needs to be sustainabil

LGUs Warned For Late Class Suspension Announcement Essay

MANILA, Philippines — Malacaà ±ang told local government units (LGUs) that the late announcement of class suspension in some areas on Tuesday should be the last time it should happen, reminding LGUs of their responsibility to announce class suspension as early as possible. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte also asked the public to be more patient with LGUs because of the new system that transferred to the LGUs the responsibility of ordering the suspension of classes which was previously the function of the Department of Education (DepEd)â€Å"We are giving them a little more time to cope with the new system and we hope that this will be the last time,† Valte said. She said it would be up to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to impose sanctions on LGUs that failed to announce class suspension on time during inclement weather. According to Valte, local governments should make the announcement as early as 4:30 a.m. â€Å"We will be asking for a little bit of your patience because it is a new system and our LGUs would also need to get used to that system, but again we would like to remind them as well as a reminder from the DILG that the responsibility of suspending classes in your locality is now with your local chief executives,† she said. Valte said the responsibility of announcing class suspension was given to the local governments because the DepEd, which used to announce the suspension of classes, also gets information from LGUs whether or not to have class suspension in their respective areas. Valte said they had noticed the numerous complaints aired by the public in various media outfits on the late class suspension yesterday. She said DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo has vowed to remind LGUs of the new protocol.Valte said President Aquino is continuing to monitor the weather and flood situation, particularly in Metro Manila and nearby areas. Classes were suspended in most parts of the metropolis yesterday due to heavy rains which caused flooding in major thoroughfares. Valte, however, said there was no suspension of work in government offices. Based on the DepEd Order, Signal No. 1 will permit the suspension of classes in public and private pre-school and kindergarten classes in the affected areas while Signal No. 2 allows for the suspension of elementary and secondary classes. At Signal No. 3, classes in all levels are cancelled. LGU officials are supposed to announce cancellation of classes not later than 4:30 a.m. for whole-day cancellation and 11 a.m. for afternoon class suspension. Meanwhile, two dams in Luzon reached their critical water level due to continuous intense rains over the watershed areas yesterday, the state weather bureau said. Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) hydrologist Max Peralta said one spillway gate of Ipo Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan had been releasing excess water since yesterday morning. As of 11 a.m. yesterday, Ipo Dam’s level reached 100.75 meters, or 0.11 meters lower than its spilling level of 100.86 meters. â€Å"Before 10 a.m., two gates were opened. Only one gate remains opened due to less rains over the area,† Peralta said â€Å"Water released from the Ipo dam is at 48 cubic meters per second. This is quite minimal and may not flood the downstream communities near the Angat River,† he explained. Likewise, water level in La Mesa Dam in Quezon City remained critical at 79.52 meters, as of 11 a.m. yesterday. This was 0.63 meters short of the 80.15-meter spilling level Dam authorities have already issued a red alert for possible flash floods among communities near the Tullahan River. Communities that may likely be affected by flooding are Fairview, Forest Hills, Quirino Highway, Papri, Goodwill, Sta. Quiteria, and San Bartolome in Quezon City, Barangay Ligon along North Luzon Expressway in Valenzuela and Malabon.â€Å"We have recorded continuous rains over the watershed area until Tuesday noon. From 12 noon last Monday to 12 noon on Tuesday, 108 mm rains have been recorded, which is considered intense rains,† Peralta said. Meanwhile in Malolos, Bulacan, Liz Mungcal, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) chief, reported to Bulacan Governor Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado, that at around 7 a.m. yesterday, the Ipo dam began releasing water at 109 cms per second. Mungcal said as a result the Bustos Dam released 120 cms at around 9 am. Also yesterday, adding that this amount of water released was safe and tolerable and would not be felt by the community. PAGASA-Weather Branch assistant chief Rene Patient said light to moderate rains will continue to affect Western Luzon today, Wednesday. â€Å"Rains will be scattered and light to moderate as the low pressure area (LPA) continues to move away from the country. Improving weather condition can be expected this Wednesday but Bataan, Zambales, Cavite, Mindoro, Batangas, and Metro Manila will still experience scattered rains,† Paciente explained. â€Å"We have experienced moderate to heavy rains early morning on Tuesday until the afternoon, but we can expect that light to moderate rains will prevail on Tuesday evening. Rains will continue to subside until Wednesday,† he added. The LPA was estimated based on satellite and surface data at 60 km northwest of Ambulong, Batangas or 50 km west-southwest of Manila yesterday morning.Paciente pointed out that the heavy rains were caused by the LPA, â€Å"packing more rains than winds. â€Å"Because it does not have enough wind to enhance the southwest monsoon, it was just the LPA that brought rains over Luzon,† he pointed out. He cited that from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. yesterday, rain monitoring stations recorded the highest rainfall in Infanta, Quezon at 48 mm, followed by San Jose, Mindoro (42 mm), Casiguran, Aurora (39 mm), Tanay, Rizal (25 mm), Science Garden in Quezon City (21 mm), and Baler, Aurora (20 mm).He said rains measuring 7.5 mm or above is considered heavy rains. A yellow warning signal was issued in Metro Manila on Tuesday that alerts authorities and residents of continuous light rains. The Quezon City government also suspended classes in the afternoon in the grade school and high school levels of both private and public schools. Greg Banacia, chief of the city’s Public Affairs and Information Service Office (Paiso), said that the city government has coordinated closely with the Division of City Schools and the 142 barangay disaster risk reduction coordination committee in recommending the suspension of classes throughout the city. However, some parents raised howls of protest, complaining that the city government and the barangay officials should have made the announcement much earlier. With the announcement being issued in the afternoon, the parents said their children would now have to wade on flooded streets and faced the risk of being afflicted with flu and similar diseases. â€Å"The rains were strong from 12 a.m. to 8 a.m. Classes should have been suspended the whole day. Now our children are soaking wet and may get sick,’’ one of the parents complained. Another parent who was passing by Quirino Elementary School in the city’s third district said she decided to let her four schoolchildren go home because of the strong rains and flooded streets. â€Å"I do not want to take the risk what with all the news of live electric wires falling onto innocent passers-by and having them electrocuted. I do not want that to happen to my children,’’ the parent said. Yesterday’s heavy rains also forced the cancellation of six domestic’s flight. The Media Affairs Division (MAD) of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport recorded three turn-around flight services out of Manila because of the weather disturbance, as of 12 noon yesterday; the MAD had recorded flight cancellations between Manila and Naga City as well as Mani la and Busuanga in Palawan. The management of Cebu Pacific cancelled a turn-around flight between Manila and Naga and a flight between Manila and Busuanga. At the same time, Air Philippines also cancelled a turn-around flight between Manila and Naga, with both airline companies citing bad weather as the cause of the cancellations. Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DoH) warned against the possible upsurge of leptospirosis as floods inundated parts of Metro Manila yesterday. Leptospirosis is an illness brought about by animal urine that enters the body through the eyes, nose, mouth and open wounds. Leptospirosis is characterized by flu, headache, red eyes, jaundice, and difficulty in urinating that may lead to acute kidney failure. Dialysis is usually given to those who are suffering from acute kidney failure. â€Å"Those who were exposed to contaminated flood waters get sick of leptospirosis one to two weeks later,† DoH Assistant Secretary Dr. Eric Tayag said. â€Å"Leptospirosis outbreaks after floods occur within a month and may continue for several months,† he added. According to the Disease Surveillance Report of the DoH, leptospirosis cases from January 1 to May 26 reached 1,728 which are 211.35 percent higher than cases recorded in the same period last year, 555. Cases were highest in Northern Mindanao and Western Visayas. There were 75deaths reported within the said period. â€Å"Ages of cases ranged from less than two months to 93 years old. Majority of the cases reported were males. Most of the cases belonged to the 21 to 30 years age group,† The surveillance said. â€Å"Leptospirosis has low case fatality rate. However, it changes with advancing age and may reach 20 percent more in patients with jaundice (yellowing of the skin) and kidney damage who have not been treated with renal dialysis,† the report added. Leptospirosis without complications can be treated with antibiotics for a week. Afternoon classes yesterday in Marikina City, Pasig City, Pateros and Taguig City, in both public and private elementary and high schools, have been suspended by local officials due to the continuous rains. In Marikina City, Paul Sison, chief of the city’s Public Information Office (PIO), said Mayor Del De Guzman ordered the suspension of afternoon classes in both public and private schools in pre-school, elementary and high schools in Marikina City, due to the prevailing bad weather. However, the suspension of classes in the college level was left by the local city government to the discretion of school officials. According to the PIO, there are a total of 17 public elementary schools 14 public high schools in the city. Private elementary schools numbered 50 while there are 29 private high schools in the city. The local city government added that despite the continuous rains, the water level at the Marikina River as of 9:15 a.m. Tuesday remained normal. According to the PIO, the water level at the river was 13.9 meters above sea level based on the data gathered from the alarm gauge located at Barangay Sto. Nià ±o. Meanwhile in Pasig City, classes in both elementary and high school levels were also suspended by the local city government due to rains. In Pateros and Taguig City, the schools division superintendent of public schools in both areas also declared the suspension of classes in both public elementary and high schools for the afternoon shift. Acting Malabon Mayor Antolin Oreta declared the suspension of afternoon classes in most areas brought by flooding that submerged all low-lying areas of the city yesterday. Oreta announced the suspension of classes in 16 elementary schools and two high schools in at least 14 barangays at 10 a.m. He likewise directed the local Disaster Risk and Reduction Unit to prepare for possible evacuation of families living along danger zones such as in West Riverside, Tullahan River, and Dona Juana Riverside all in Barangay Potrero.In Rizal province, the rains prompted local officials to suspend classes in schools in their respective localities yesterday. In Cainta, Mayor Ramon Ilagan ordered the suspension of afternoon classes from preparatory to high school levels for both public and private schools yesterday. The ACEM Montessori School located at Karangalan Village in Cainta suspended classes ahead of the local government’s announcement since the streets outside the school are flood-prone during heavy downpour. In Antipolo City, Mayor Danilo Leyble ordered the suspension of classes from preparatory up to high school, both private and public before noon yesterday due to heavy rains.Reli Bernardo, information officer of the Rizal provincial government, said flood-prone localities have been monitored for possible evacuation or assistance by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council upon the directive of Rizal Governor Casimiro â€Å"Jun† Ynares, III. The local disaster management teams of the respective localities have yet to receive reports of untoward incidents as a result of the heavy rains. Meanwhile, heavy rains that spawned floods in Metro Manila forced the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday to suspend work in all trial courts, the Court of Appeals, the Sandiganbayan and the Court of Tax Appeals starting at 1 p.mCourt Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez said the suspension of work was based on a directive issued by Acting Chief Justice Antonio T. Carpio. The SC suspended its work starting at 3 p.m. According to Marquez, a 2010 administrative order issued by the SC â€Å"grants executive judges of trial courts outside Metro Manila to suspend work for their employees in the absence of an announcement from the national or local government and under certain circumstances so long as it is in line with existing rules and procedure. â€Å"He said judges have been instructed to report to the SC immediately any damage that may be wrought by the bad weather on court offices, equipment and records, and injuries that may be incurred by court officials and employees. The Senate was also forced to suspend work due to the heavy rains yesterday. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile issued the order allowing employees of the upper chamber to go home early so as to avoid being trapped by floods that inundated most parts of the metropolis. Though there were no scheduled public committee hearings, Enrile advised those with transactions at the Senate to postpone their plans. The Senate also closed public assistance center yesterday. Last year, the Senate was also forced to temporarily stop work due to typhoon Pedring. —with reports from Ellalyn B. De Vera, Freddie C. Velez, Chito A. Chavez, Jenny F. Manongdo, Francis T. Wakefield, Ed Mahilum, Anjo Perez, Rey G. Panaligan, Hannah L. Torregoza, and Nel B. Andrade URL: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/364509/lgus-warned-for-late-class-suspension-announcement#.URubrWphJpx

Childhood Obesity An Epidemic That Is Sweeping Through...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION Childhood obesity is an epidemic that is sweeping through America. The key to understanding the threshold for the term obesity is to know the clinical definition. Obesity and overweight are two terms that are intermittently misused. Overweight is clinically defined as the excess body fat one has in terms to their height, muscle, bone, or in a combination of all factors (Childhood Obesity Facts). Obesity is simply the concept of having excess body fat (Childhood Obesity Facts). Adult obesity is the cause of multiple disease that are difficult to treat and most are fatal. Childhood obesity should be seen just as fatal, if not more, than adult obesity due to the higher risk children have to contracting†¦show more content†¦The following is the BMI percentiles for young children: †¢ underweight: BMI below the 5th percentile †¢ normal weight: BMI at the 5th and less than the 85th percentile †¢ overweight: BMI at the 85th and below 95th percentiles †¢ obese: BMI at or above 95th percentile (http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body/overweight_obesity.html) †¢ Under this criteria,33% of children account for the 85th percentile and above. 1 out of every 3 children is considered overweight. Figure 1: Obesity rankings in adolescents aged 2-19 in the 95th percentile of BMI. The figure featured above demonstrates the rapid incline in obesity in our youth over the past 40 years. This graph features the 95th percentile of obesity in adolescents 2 to 19 years old (Rajalakshmi Lakshman-american red cross article) Risk Factors for Obesity The causation of obesity is multifactorial. Genetic and environment factors play a crucial role in the involvement of childhood obesity and a superior role when combined. Genetic Factors After years of examination, medical researchers have found a positive correlation between genetics and obesity. According to an article by Cara Ebbeling, Dorota Pawlak, and Dr. David Ludwig, the following are genetic factors and syndromes that contribute to obesity: †¢ genetic factors that effect the leptin signaling pathway †¢ Prader-willis syndrome associated with hyperghrelinaemia †¢ Bardet-Biedi †¢ Cohen †¢ Alstrom syndormes These genetic factors and syndromes are

The Effects of Family Dynamics on Morality Embedded in Society - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1625 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2019/02/15 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Family Essay Did you like this example? In the development of morals in adolescents, no external influence is greater than that of their household environment. Through repremansion, reinforcement and both direct and indirect teaching, families instill morals in children, and help them to develop beliefs that reflect the values of their culture (education.gov). In todays culture, racism is such a common encounter, preparing ones child on how to react in these situations seems as just another average conversation. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Effects of Family Dynamics on Morality Embedded in Society" essay for you Create order Through parental tactics both politically and ethically of inclusivity, education and awareness while being executed by the parent themselves would help marshall a favorable and more positive American society. One example is demonstrated in â€Å"Notes of a Native Son† in which a youthful nine year old boy named James Baldwin had a young caucasian teacher who â€Å"took an interest† in him and proposed a trip to the local theater to watch plays. Baldwin’s father was greatly apprehensive and only agreed with great reluctance of the arrangement. Although the teacher maintained a supportive manner toward Baldwin and the family, Baldwin’s father found her distrustful, and later advised his son to stay away from white people as much as possible. This passage contains a perfect example of the way in which racism can cause people to develop a self-destructive relationship to the world. The specialized interest of the white teacher is a beneficial opportunity for the young Baldwin to advance yet his father is so distrustful of white people that he cannot conceptualize the situation as anything other than a threat. This situation is very common; kids inheriting their own parents biases in an act of respecting them and not rebelling against their parents word. However, as a society as a whole, this causes unnecessary racial tension made up through the minds of previous generations. In order to marshall a good society, we must evolve our own morals and teachings through generations ahead to enact universal acceptance. As parents, this topic may be taboo but not talking about race with your kids can result in surprisingly problematic views about race. While there are an abundance of reasons, one of the most compelling has been rec ent work showing that children often construct their own (sometimes worrying) conclusions about race and if they assume discussing this topic is too susceptible to disapproval, then these theories do not get checked. Another wide barring issue is represented in Brent Staples’ Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space, Staples depicts the stereotypes, controversies, and judgments he faces being a black man in public vaccinities. Staples introduces his perspective by revealing how the behaviors observed around him are because of the fear linked to his labelled stereotypes of being criminals, gangsters and assaulters. Staples effectively begins by not only confessing the probable flaws in his practiced race but also by considering the opposing side, those who fear them. Black males being susceptible to more violence due to the environment of their upbringing are assumed to be more likely to commit crime and cause harm towards women but Staples questions why that issue alters the outlook of everyday face to face contact. Staples admits, women are particularly vulnerable to street violence, and young black males are drastically overrepresented among the perpetrators of that violence, (Staples 384). In this instance, it highlights the blurred lines between racial awareness and racial judgment. In it is preamble to distinguish the two. Having racial awareness entails being aware of ones own race/ethnicity, as well as others identities and some of the intricate psychological, economic, and cultural issues, differences and similarities among the races. Racial judgment on the other hand would entail holding onto one incident and holding it over a whole racial groups head. To combat this, distinguishing the two at a young age could be significant in growing into a more socially acceptable adult. It is shown that during elementary school, African Americans experience institutional and individual racism. In one periodic study ninety-two percent of black children aged ten or younger, experienced racial discrimination (The Defining Moment). These encounters induced mental and physical damage and increase aggression and delinquency. Now its not always sufficient that we teach children respect for people of other races and abilities. We simply need to also preserve their trust in themselves and others, and their congenital sense of justice. If a child senses security and safety, he will react with exasperation toward racism, whether it’s aimed at him or at someone else. He will know that the racist attitude he has witnessed is wrong, and won’t adopt it as his own. For parents, this starts by word influence. As suggested by Hand in Hand, not having the child compare others, and judgments like â€Å"bad,† â€Å"good,† â€Å"better,† and â€Å"best† to classify him or other people. This suggests, for instance, â€Å"that when asked why some people are sent to jail, a parent would explain that those people have done something seriously hurtful to someone else, not that those are bad people† (Wipfler 1). What causes children vulnerable to racism is to treat children like we are superior, have more knowledge, significance, and our opinions have more validity than their feelings. Instead, we need to guide them with respect for their intelligence, whether they are acting intelligently at the moment or not. In contrast, some might claim that as we grow older and form our own opinions, our formed judgments may not go hand in hand without our parents or how we were raised. Racism appears to be a little more common among older generations. This by no means, excuses racist behavior. However, most children who are born into racial biases stick with them because thats all they know. Most particularly, the Ku Klux Klan. The first generation of klansman flourished in 1865 with acts of physical assault and murder against groups or individuals whom they opposed. Now in present day, the third generation holds power (Wikipedia). With shows featured on AE such as â€Å"Generation KKK†, it exhibits the discrimination implemented in their childrens heads by ostracizing them from the outside world, having them live in their own community holding onto their own prejudices. This can be connected to a common family as well; parents refusing to let their children hangout with others for their own d iscriminatory reasons causes the child to lack diverse interactions. Thus, when adulthood arises they will avoid these foreign interactions at any cost, representing an unconscious underlying racist act. Furthermore, a study done in the Journal of Politics incorporated three generations of Americans in order to reevaluate the political socialization within the family and its results on their character. â€Å"Youth coming of age in the 1990s strongly parallel those based on youth socialized in the 1960s† (Jennings 1). This signified the impact of parental influence. Children are more likely to adopt their parents’ political standings if the family is highly politicized and if the parents present consistent acts over time. Teenagers are notorious for rebellion, but in the topic of politics, their standpoints are strongly affected by what their parents opinions are. Even prior to reaching the legal voting age, adolescents stemming from a democratic household tend to stay to the left, likewise in Republican households they tend to grow up and stay further right. With that, asserting the freedom of forming their own opinions but keeping awareness of the world around them would significantly benefit the push for social changes when their generations become the primary voters. These benefits can be seen today; in the 2018 midterm elections. My generation of millennials proved as a new enthusiastic subgroup representing forty percent of the votings casted (Fortune). I believe this drive and interest from young voters arose from being exposed to newly accepted ideas such as gender fluidity and wanting to overpower the ignorance of the closed minded older generations. As the â€Å"baby-boomer† generation of voters declines, experts predict millennials to evolve into the largest and most powerful group athouritating future elections in the U.S. Keeping in mind that all have the right to vote, not all will. Meaning that if young people are not educated on the significance of getting to directly influence issues that might affect their lives for years to come, including college tuition reform and federal job programs, it will more likely not fall in their favor. Thus, as a parents, reminding your child that their diversity is their strongest tool is essential so that when it is their time to call for change, they value their one vote for it can be the difference between a more welcoming or continuously oppressed society. Millennials primary goal of representing a diverse population through a more inclusive agenda, and pushing those advocacies through the federal government with the help of future voters would essentially marshall a more positive and inclusive American society. In conclusion, although families contributions to childrens moral development is broad, there are particular ways in which morals are most effectively conveyed and learned. Moral education is vital to help raise a virtuous, responsible, and compassionate member of society; as well as becoming informed and reflective about important and controversial moral issues. In accordance, families should be encouraged to live in ways that are consistent with their beliefs because the act of telling is ineffective if its not being played out. All purpose as tools to enable one to become a component of marshalled good in society. Works Cited â€Å"Are Kids Racist?† Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/developing-minds/201304/are-kids-racist. Cohen, Samuel S. 50 Essays: a Portable Anthology. Bedford/St. Martins, 2017 Dulin-Keita, Akilah et al. â€Å"The Defining Moment: Childrens Conceptualization of Race and Experiences with Racial Discrimination† Ethnic and racial studies vol. 34,4 (2011): 662-682. â€Å"The Journal of Politics.† American Journal of Education, www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1017/S0022381609090719.