How Are Governments Responding to Unemployment around the World - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1780 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/05/31 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Unemployment Essay Did you like this example? Unemployment in June was as low as it was back in April of 2000, right at 3.8%. Because of the tallies made back in June, 15,000 new jobs have been added to the labor market in the United States (Soergel, 2018). In 1969, employment rates rose greatly, which would be hard to sustain for the rest of the year. This was because new employees would be hard to locate under the labor market conditions, which could easily be shifted. The government’s efforts to restrain the economy were predicted to have negative effects on labor demands (Flaim and Schwab, 1970). Theoretical/Conceptual Background: Classical Unemployment, Efficiency Wage, and Cyclical Unemployment are all examples of theories associated with unemployment. Classical Unemployment theory highlights the idea that real wages and market clearing wages all affect the total number of jobs available (â€Å"Classical Unemployment†, 2018). Efficiency Wage theory is the idea that a worker who gets more done, should get paid more than the person who is less efficient in the workplace (Pettinger, 2017). Cyclical Unemployment theory is when employees lose their jobs due to negative impacts in business. GDP is used as the marker for economy recession (Amadeo, 2018). Unemployment rate is a basis for almost everything unemployment. Unemployment rate is a percentage that demonstrates the amount of citizens who do not work in a specific country. The Current Population Survey is used every month in order to calculate the unemployment rate in the United States (â€Å"How the Government,†, 2015) Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "How Are Governments Responding to Unemployment around the World?" essay for you Create order Recent Developments: North Carolina cut its maximum duration for state benefits to 20 weeks and reduced the dollar amount of weekly benefits. This reduction has led to a less known crisis for the unemployed. In October 2015, not much more than a quarter of unemployed workers received jobless benefits (Eisenbrey, 2016). The White House made a proposal to modernize the unemployment insurance system. Since the economy has been nowhere near full employment, wages have stopped increasing (Eisenbrey, 2016). In Dublin, there is currently a housing crisis going on. There are 30,000 empty Airbnb properties, but still many people left unemployed and homeless. The Airbnb market in Dublin is growing, which also leaves people in the city in a weird situation of having to choose between living in a hotel, or living in their own property. This is due to the fact that hotels have become cheaper to reside in, thanks to the sudden rise in Airbnb demand (Harris, 2018). Thesis: This paper will investigate how governments are responding to unemployment around the world by examining cases in Yemen, The United States, Kenya, and Portugal. Government Responses to Unemployment in Yemen Background: In November of 2011, Yemen adopted an initiative called the Gulf Cooperation Council that was used as a solution for the year’s political disturbance. Yemen has lacked basic social services and is underdeveloped. These issues have caused problems for citizens’ health and wellbeing. These issues are traced back to a crisis in 2011 (â€Å"Facing the,†, 2012). The highest unemployment rate occurred in 2010 at 17.8% (â€Å"Yemen Unemployment,†, 2018). As unemployment is rising, Yemenis are protesting in order for President Saleh to step down and make room for a new leader (Finn, 2011). Government Responses/Actions: Following a demand from the unity government, the World Bank, along with the United Nations, the European Union, and the Islamic Development Bank carried through an assessment based off the social and economic impacts of the 2011 political crisis (â€Å"Facing the,†, 2012). The Joint Social and Economic Assessment (JSEA) is an important part of the transition process, while informing the economic recovery plan of the Government of National Reconciliation. This plan also serves as a reference point for planning efforts of the international donor community (â€Å"Facing the,†, 2012). Impacts: The actions taken by government officials in Yemen are impacting the country by informing people to be more inclusive with other types of people: whether that includes people in the workforce, or not (â€Å"Facing the,†, 2012). Youth economic empowerment is being used to help stagnation from still being a common occurrence, furthering what the government has attempted to do already (â€Å"In response,†, 2013). Government Responses to Unemployment in the United States Background: The US has been through eleven recessions since the end of the postwar period in 1948 (Sicilia, n.d.). In 1932, the Unemployment rate was 23.6%, the highest it has been from 1920 till now (â€Å"United States Unemployment Rate†, 2018). Government Responses/Actions: After World War II, President John F. Kennedy brought Social Security and unemployment benefits to a broader range of people, after a brief recession. Not long after Barack Obama took office, Congress decided to pass a close to 800 billion dollar boost in order to spur the economy and lower unemployment (Sicilia, n.d.). Measurable Outcomes: The Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) is known as the amount of people in the labor force (the employed and unemployed) divided by the civilian population (citizens 16 and up). This method has been used to show the falling ratio of 67.3% in 2000 to 62.5% in 2016 (â€Å"Civilian Labor,†, 2018). Discouraged workers are people not at the moment looking for work because they think that there is not a right job available for them (â€Å"The Employment Situation†, 2018). Government Responses to Unemployment in Kenya Background: 80% of unemployed Kenyan citizens are younger than 35. One of the reasons behind this fact is that 90% of younger citizens lack proper speech skills (â€Å"Tackling youth unemployment,†, 2016). Kenya has the highest unemployment rate in Eastern Africa. One of Kenya’s youth empowerment programs, the National Youth Service, is now a trademark standing for corruption, instead of its intended job creation goal (Asamba, 2017). Government Responses/Actions: Uhuru Kenyatta (President of Kenya) and Raila Odinga have pledged to create more jobs for the youth (Asamba, 2017). The Kenyan government has made efforts to build new infrastructure with the addition of new roads and a new railway system. They also spent money on energy generation in order to attract more manufacturers (Miriri, 2017). Measurable Outcomes: Kenya’s current 44 million population is increasing by 2.5% every year, and 9 million more jobseekers are projected to join the market, according to the World Bank. 111 firms in Kenya have grown fairly slowly, from 39,000 workers in 2012, to 53,000 in 2017. (Miriri, 2017) Government Responses to Unemployment in Portugal Background: Occupational choice theory suggests that the higher the unemployment, the more start-up activity, being that the cost of starting a firm has decreased (Hurst and Lusardi, 2004). In 2013, Portugal’s unemployment rate hit 18% (Tremlett, 2013). Government Responses/Actions: Pedro Passos Coelho’s government has been putting worse and worse severity on Portugal on the bidding of lenders who keep its economy afloat (Tremlett, 2013). You have access to unemployment benefits in Portugal if you have completed a consecutive 450 days’ worth of paid work in the 24 months before the unemployment date (â€Å"Unemployment benefit,†, n.d.). Measurable Outcomes: Portugal government made the decision to sack 1 in every 20 public employees. The budget deficit has grown from 4.4% GDP to 6.4% GDP. (Tremlett, 2013) Perspectives Local Perspectives: State governments do not have time set aside to be creative or flexible, which leaves the workplace in a stressful situation, where they feel rushed to show talent (Black, 2010). The law should be forced to protect the social aspects and basic human rights of all people struggling with a mental illness (Lamichhane, 2010). National Perspectives: Recently, unemployment has lied below the Federal Reserve’s â€Å"natural rate† prediction and inflation rates have not moved. Workers have not been paid equally to their marginal contribution to their firms. Most of the negotiating power seems to lie with the employers, not the employed. What the government needs to do is calculate a new benchmark unemployment rate that includes factors like discrimination and frictional unemployment (Spielberg, 2018). Economists have put in great amounts of time trying to find a reason why inflation and wages have remained neutral even as unemployment has fallen to record lows in countries like Germany. Rising tech companies, for example, Apple and Amazon have resulted in smaller companies becoming less powerful (Ewing, 2018). Global Perspectives: Unemployment is a reality that on all levels, affects the current economic standing on a global scale. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development stated in 1982, that there are 30 million people unemployed in the industrial work world alone. Community welfare is impacted by this, partly because of government regulations (Liem and Rayman, 1984). Nowadays, there are so many shifting factors that occur within the countries we live in, which then get developed in other countries as well. Because of this, it is getting harder and harder to predict what new kinds of jobs and occupations will be available among the horizon. Countries across the world are creating workforce development programs between countries of investment (Pack, 2015). Conclusions Takeaways Your Perspective: Youth empowerment is something that the government tries to enforce. They try to do this in order to keep unemployment rates from becoming stagnant and they may need to create new jobs for the youth. A strength I find with Spielberg’s perspective is that employees often do not get paid enough for the amount of work or contribution they put in for their company. A weakness is when he says to calculate a new benchmark for unemployment, including factors like discrimination and friction in the workplace. He needs to be more specific. It would help if he explained how he is going to calculate factors like discrimination, and how that calculation affects the new benchmark unemployment rate. Solution(s): Encourage students to stay in school and to receive a proper education, so that all the hard work they do while they are in school, will then be transferred to the real world where they can get a job. While you are in school (high school or college) try to choose a particular path that you are good at, or you are most interested in. If you follow that path, you will hopefully find a job that fits you, and that you enjoy doing every single day. Continue to support the youth in any way possible. Once they find that motivation, they will feel more productive and that they are providing meaning to the working world. Rather than unemployment being talked about negatively in the news and media, use high unemployment rates as an opportunity to reach out to people and help them find what they are passionate about. This will help unemployed people get back on track with finding a new job. Significance: Unemployment relates to Education for All because it is posing as a risk to upcoming graduates, because of uncertainty in the job market. Some citizens fail to replicate what they did in high school in the form of their work (Raphael, 2017). Unemployment relates to Poverty Inequality as wages have remained fairly low to people with jobs who did not receive a proper college education. Today’s poverty wage is $7.25, which is about what unemployed people are receiving with all external factors considered (Desmond, 2018).

The Effects of Quantitative Easing Example

Essays on The Effects of Quantitative Easing Annotated Bibliography ï » ¿Article evaluation Blinder, S. A. (2010) Quantitative Easing: Entrance and Exist Strategies. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review. 92 (6), pp. 465-79. This article is written to address the Quantitative Easing strategies for entry and exit. According to the article, during economic recession, central banks tend to initiate any strategy at their disposal in order to recuperate the situation. In efforts to fight the worst recession 2007-08, the Bank of England reduced funds rate up to nearly zero. In addition, with view of recovering the state of economy the Bank of Japan squarely created money that reduced the price of assets. Having these conventional ammunitions, the central banks changed the composition of their balance sheets through quantitative easing a monetary policy designed to ease liquidity and/or credit conditions. Upon reversing the monetary policy, they constituted to quantitative tightening. In other words, they practiced quantitative easing exit strategies indicating that it is a monetary policy, which is aberrant. Hudson, M. (2010) U.S. â€Å"quantitative easing† is fracturing the Global Economy. Real-world economies review. 55. pp. 1-12. This article is written to address the manner in which economic growth is being frustrated by quantitative easing. In the case of United States, the Federal Reserve Bank led by Ben Bernanke flooded the US banking system with liquidity. Consequently, treasury bills started yielding at less than 1% and banks could draw freely on Fed credit. By feeding the banks with liquidity, Fed ensured that banks took the opportunity to lend out credit at a markup. This meant that commercial banks would earn their way out of debt crisis. Yue, H. (2011). The Effects of Quantitative Easing on Inflation Rate: A possible Explanation on the Phenomenon. European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences. 41 pp. 1-7. In writing his article, Yue, Ho-Yin addresses the issues affecting inflation rate and brings forth quantitative easing as a main cause. He argues that economy has not grown despite the release of Quantitative Easing. This is evidenced by the collapse of the United States’ housing market in 2007. This was a notable lose to numerous financial institutions as a result of housing mortgage default. In his article, he examines through proper graphs and charts the effects quantitative easing has on inflation rate. In concludes by stating that credit crisis and quantitative easing has caused a decrease in the money private sectors get from banks. Therefore, Yue believe in the importance of considering how effective quantitative easing can be on real economy. Joyce, M.A.S. et. al. The Financial Market Impact of Quantitative Easing in the United Kingdom. Available from: http://www.ijcb.org/journal/ijcb11q3a5.pdf [Accessed 29 March 2012] This article has investigated the quantitative easing policy initiated by the Bank of England on all the assets in the United Kingdom. From the article, when central bank issues reserves, assets are purchased. This depresses government bonds either medium or long term. The main aim in this article is to investigate the impact large purchases has on the financial market. From the research, QE purchases has contributed to the effect. Douglas, J. (2011) Bank of England Quantitative Easing. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. [ONLINE] [Accessed 29 March 2012] Douglas article gives concern to the role the bank of England has in boosting the economy. According to the article, the Bank of England aims at purchasing government bonds worthy $75 billion in a new venture of quantitative easing to promote the stagnant economy. It is evident that bank-funding markets are straining as a result of euro-area and sovereigns. Due to the threatened worldwide economy, the UK’s economy stands threatened as well. Therefore, through the monetary policy Committee of the UK’s central bank, purchase of assets will be financed to control the rate of inflation which if not controlled might drop to 2.0%

The Importance of Having Dreams Free Essays

Dreams! Goals! Ideals! They all mean the same. These things are what fill every human alive. They are part of life and human nature. We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of Having Dreams or any similar topic only for you Order Now We all have the inbred desire for a good life. Dreams are vital to the life of every person. Without dreams, there is nothing to plan or look forward to; therefore, no reason to live. Dreams are what keep each and every one of us going. The definition of a dream is ‘hope’; an inspiration; an aim. Every human being dreams, the dreams differ greatly from person to person, some being small while others unrealistically large. But why is it important? Dreams keep us going – motivating us to never give up on life. You may say you don’t have a dream, however, that’s impossible – just by wanting to have something can also be considered as a chimera. Whenever you start to give up on life your dreams will become your energy drink that will keep you going. Living a life is like running a marathon. You run halfway and start to feel your muscles tensing then after a few runs you start to give up – exactly how life works. Life isn’t just filled with rainbows and gumdrops; it will never be filled with just happiness. Like in a marathon you will experience some bumpy rounds that will pulls you down, the bumpy roads that will cause you to think of giving up. However, in running a long distance race there will always be a place to get some refreshments, refreshments that will give you a boost [ think of Popeye when he eats spinach, he becomes macho and starts to save the damsel in distress ]. If you relate it with life, those refreshments are represented by your dreams – chimeras that power you up to never be trampled down by despair and urge to give up. Dreams give meaning to our lives and making us who we are. Have you ever felt so lifeless as if nothing around you ever mattered? Or the feeling of boredom and uselessness that questions you at the back of your mind about your existence? Well I did, and it wasn’t a pleasant feeling. I felt as if I was being sucked in a pit of emptiness. I felt so empty, alone and weak. I even questioned myself why I was alive and it even came to the point when it didn’t matter to me if I die. Fortunately, does days didn’t last long. When the thought of my dreams came to mind I realized what life actually means to me. It gave me a different view of life; telling me that I can’t die not until I achieve my dreams. Furthermore, our chimera makes us who we are. Everyone has a different dream and these dreams are what influence our whole lives. Without dreams a person has no motivation – there would be no point in going to school or getting a job, since no one would dream of having a career or family. Dreams are what motivates us and keeps us going through the hard times. We dream of something better than we presently have and it is a dream like having a successful job and a family; that motivate us to succeed in achieving our goals. â€Å"Men are born to succeed, not fail. â€Å", said by Henry David Thoreau. Our chimeras are there to make sure that we succeed in life. We created them to give us hope and to aim for a better life in the future. We strive harder each day for the sake of fulfilling our dreams so that one day we can proudly tell ourselves that we have no more regrets in life. You wouldn’t want to die with regrets right? Since you might not be happy in your next life filled with regrets in not being able to achieve any of your dreams. Did you know that dreams can turn a lifeless criminal into one of the most hardworking man that you’ve ever met? Dreams are powerful things, especially when you believe and put your heart in them. Dreams change as we get older and some are less important than others, but no matter how trivial or small the dreams are, they are still important since it brings some sense into our lives, giving it some sort of purpose. Without these dreams our lives would be empty and meaningless. How to cite The Importance of Having Dreams, Papers

An Evaluation Of The Leadership Style - Tim Cook

Question: Discuss about the Evaluating Leadership Style of Tim Cook. Answer: Introduction Tim Cook is the current CEO of Apple, a multinational company that manufactures and sells consumer electronics.He took on this role six months before the iconic founder; Steve Jobs passed on from pancreatic cancer. Before Steve Jobs' demise, there was a significant amount of uncertainty about the future of Apple. Jobs had grown to become one of the most prolific CEO's the world had seen. Being the crafty leader he was, Jobs poached Tim Cook from Compaq when he was just six months into his new job, where he was content (Shontell, 2014, para1). Tim Cook realized that he could make a difference at Apple and that he would enjoy the opportunity to work with Steve Jobs. Jobs survived a treatable form of pancreatic cancer in 2004 but later developed complications and had to take extended medical leaves. Tim Cook filled in for him as CEO each time and kept the company running. It was almost unimaginable to think of Apple without having Jobs heading it. Mr. Cook differentiated himself from Jo bs is many ways, the most observable being his willingness to address social issues (Lashinsky, 2015, para 8). The author compares Cooks leadership style to that of a coach who places immense trust on his players. In contrast, Jobs is seen as a manipulative mastermind. An evaluation of the leader Hughes, Ginnett, and Curphy (2015, p 117) note that although many people use power and control tactics synonymously, there is a difference. The authors define power as a change in attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs while influence tactics are a person's actions that are used to change another person's beliefs and values. Tim Cook has demonstrated both the use power and control since taking the helm at Apple. Power is a function of the leader, those being led and the situation (Hughes et al. 2015, p 116). Tim Cooks predecessor had immense influence at Apple and was feared by all employees. The organizational culture at the company placed an immense amount of power in top managerial positions. By ascending to the position of CEO in August 2011 (The Biography.com), Tim Cook became even more fearsome. Karp and Yoel's study (1979) (as cited in Hughes et al., 2015, p119) provides an example of how high ranks and positions are a source of power. They refer to the animal kingdom where one member of a species shows submissiveness to the other (p 119). Lower- ranking baboons give way to let a higher status baboon pass. Furthermore, these low-ranking baboons get nervous and uncomfortable when they notice the leader staring at them. Values ethics and character Hughes et al. (2015, p 152) observe that values have an immense influence on the behavior of a person. Tim Cook comes from a small town in the South and has been known to advocate for racial equality and privacy rights. Recently, Apple refused to help the FBI crack a suspect in the San Bernardino terrorist attack stating that it would form a precedent that would eventually compromise other user's privacy (Frankel 2015 para4). Critics argued that by Apple refusing to help the FBI crack the passcode to the terrorists' iPhone; the company was protecting criminals. Apple, led by Tim Cook was adamant that it had guaranteed privacy to its customers and it was not willing to make any exceptions. In Christensen's work (as cited in Hughes et al. 2015, p153), one may be tempted to make an exception "just once." It is however very important for individuals to define for themselves what they stand for and draw the line. Leadership attributes It is vital to evaluate the psychology of leaders to better understand their behavior. Social scientists have come up with various models to explain behavior; of concern is the Five Factor Model or OCEAN model of personality. Hughes et al. (2015, p 195) note that the OCEAN model is a useful tool for profiling leaders. McCrae and Allik (2002, p 7) write that OCEAN model has heavily influenced the psychology of personality. The acronym stands for Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion and Neuroticism (Hughes et al. 2015, p190-193). Of the five traits, the one most exhibited by Tim Cook is Conscientiousness. When explaining his strategy to streamline inventory and the costs associated with it, he is known to remark that inventory should be managed like dairy milk famously. He likened inventory to milk and insisted that it should get to the consumer as quickly as possible. Also, he is also known to hold meetings for long hours and ask numerous questions until an answer w as arrived at (Weinberger, 2016 para 21) Leadership theories and attributes This theory evaluates the relationship between the leader and subordinates. Leaders have a special relationship with subordinates who work harder than the rest. Consequently, in many cases, these subordinates appear to earn more (Northhouse, 2013, p169). Hughes et al. (2015, p 525) concur that leaders do not treat all subordinates equally. At Apple, Tim Cook implemented a new program whereby long serving employees are allowed to take sabbaticals (Spiegelman 2012, para 9). The leader makes a positive discrimination by only availing this option to employees who have worked longer for the company. In essence, these sabbaticals are extended periods where employees can take time off from their work and still get paid by the company. Employees who have not worked for as long would be motivated to stay longer with the company in order to become eligible for this perk. Normative decision model Hughes et al. (2015 p 527) note that leaders often delegate tasks to employees. In some cases such as during emergencies, leaders need to make a decision without consulting anyone. Vroom and Yetton (as cited in Hughes et al. 2015 p527) point out that the normative decision model aims to find out just how much contribution subordinates can have in the decision-making process. The normative decision model projects four primary outcomes which are that; decisions made by the leader are of quality, acceptable and will enhance the development of subordinates. Unlike his predecessor, Tim Cook is said to delegate many tasks Goopta and Henderson (2013 para 14). Delegation is an important function of management and helps to build subordinates skills and competencies. Cook makes important decisions, such as the apology he issued to the public regarding the failure of Apple iMaps. This was a high-level quality decision that can be seen in the normative decision model. Situational leadership This is a style of leadership in which the leader changes his style to conform to the level of followers that he is trying to impact. Northhouse (2013, p105) praises this leadership model as being very practical and "intuitively sensible." At Apple, Steve Jobs would usually sit with Jonathan Ive, the head of design to have lunch. When he became CEO, Cook went out of his private nature to employees at the cafeteria and asked he could sit with them (Kane 2014, para 34). Cook changed his style from one who was very personal avoiding small talk to one who was more approachable, a stark contrast from his predecessor. By approaching these lower level employees, Cook would get to know them on a personal level and understand them better. Through these small exchanges, he will be able to make decisions that are not only right but also considerate of employees at Apple. Contingency theory There are enduring behavioral characteristics in leaders that will always come to the fore no matter how many times they try to adapt their style to different groups (Hughes et al. 2015, p539). Some leaders are more social; others are more focused on the task at hand. Tim Cook represents the latter, as he knew every detail of the operations process (Kane 2014, para 18). To better understand this theory, Hughes et al. (2015, p 539) observe that a leaders effectiveness depends on the leaders style and the favorableness of the leadership situation. In Fiedler's work, the psychologist came up with the least preferred co-worker scale LPC (as cited in Hughes et al. 2015, p 539). The scale requires leaders to use adjectives to describe workers with whom they have difficulty working with, and a score is assigned. There are two outcomes; High LPC and Low LPC leaders. Regarding motivation, Low LPC leaders are motivated by tasks and High LPC leaders are driven by relationships. Cook can be said to be a Low LPC leader given his great attention to detail regarding tasks and quiet social life. Leadership behavior In their attempt to identify what makes leaders effective, Hughes et al (2015 p241) suggest that it would be important to study their behavior and what they do on a daily basis. A leaders behavior is easier to measure and observe compared to personality traits. With regard to effectiveness, Cook is described as an experienced businessman, a better manager than Jobs (Kane 2014 para 8). He is also organized and has a more realistic approach in the manner required to deal with the difficulties of running a large company such as Apple. Studying leadership behavior can help in designing talent management systems that would help in promoting skills for success (Hughes et al 2015, p 241) Motivation, Satisfaction and Performance Hughes et al (2015, p 331) identify the ability to motivate others as being an important skill that any leader should have. They proceed to note that being able to motivate followers helps the achievement of results through others. Tim Cook is described by Kane (2014, para 15) as a fearsome leader who could also motivate his staff to work harder just for a word of praise. Job satisfaction is about how one likes a job or work activity (Hughes et al 2015, p 335). According to Kane (2014 para 25) Cook would fly back from Asia and be at the office on the same day questioning someone about some numbers. This shows a clear liking for not just the company he works for but also his job. The authors define performance as the behavior directed toward the organization mission and goals. With regard to performance, Cook contributed immensely in reducing Apples inventory costs. He streamlined the process by ensuring that Apple made binding agreements that tied suppliers and implemented a system that saw lower lead time and delivery of Apple products to customers faster than before. Through his efforts at revolutionizing the companys inventory system, Apple saved a fortune in terms of costs and eventually became more effective. Leadership skills Hughes et al (2015, p 277) identified the following skills which every leader should possess: assertiveness, listening, communication, conducting meetings, building credibility, managing stress effectively and problem solving. Tim Cook has excelled in a number of these skills, particularly in conducting meetings. His meetings with senior managers are productive, even though he comes across as over bearing when he requires answers. Kane (2014 para18) points out that Cooks meetings could last for hours as he examines every detail. Cook is known to be a fitness enthusiast as he loves to exercise in the gym. He also loves energy bars and eats them during his tense meetings, an act that could be interpreted as management of stress. Tim Cook is also very assertive and this is demonstrated in his love for orderliness and discipline, an attribute that demonstrates his credibility. How I would lead differently as the head at Apple Tim Cook is a remarkable leader who has been able to fill in the big shoes of his predecessor, something critics found hard to imagine. He however has flaws, as is evident in Apples voice recognition software Siri and Apple maps. Since the Apple maps saga, Apple has lost $30 billion in the value of its shares (Cohan 2012, para 1). The failure of Apple maps is a reflection of poor management on Cooks part and warrants an explanation. If I were in Cooks position, I would ensure that Apple Maps was thoroughly tested until I was sure that there was little or no room for flaws when launched. Tim Cook appears as a leader who lacks control over the functions of his office and motivated by quantity over quality. I would also give the technical team enough time to work around the flaws identified during the tests. Apple is a multinational company whose diversity should also be reflected in its employees. Sadly, eventhough Apple is now hiring more females for executive positons, it is simply not doing enough. According to Chowdhry (2014, para 15), men still occupy the vast majority of top management positions-72% to be exact. In addition, staff at the company are predominantly white, an issue that casts doubts over the leadership of the company in regard to diversity. If I were the CEO at Apple, I would institute measures to have more Black and Hispanic employees in the company by holding meetings with the human resources executives. Barak (2013, p59) cites the origin of affirmative action policies to be from the notion that discrimination has been persistent. In order to speed up the inclusion of minority groups, I would strongly advocate for adoption of affirmative action to allow for employment of persons from marginalized groups. During his tenure as senior vice president for worldwide operations, Cooks meetings were known to be very tough as he would go over every detail. Kane (2015, para 22) observes that his meetings were harsh as he reportedly bashed a subordinate over wrong figures. This bashing has an adverse effect on employees especially when it is done in public. As Ashkanasy, Hartel and Zerbe (2000, p261) note, shame episodes especially those that occur frequently can lead to among other factors, a drop in productivity and employee turnover as employees deal with the negative impact of shame- inducing experiences. I would deal differently with the employee by showing him that he was not the problem. The problem was his numbers; I would then continue to inform him of how the impact of the wrong figures would hurt the company. To make a stronger impact on Apple, I would formulate and implement a tougher policy on inhuman labor practices. Apple has manufacturing plants stationed in China and has recently come under scrutiny for its relaxed stance over cases of unfair labor practices. Some of these practices include forcing workers to work long grueling workers (Oster, 2016 para3). Although the company has adopted measures to prevent workers from accumulating excessive overtime, this is not enough. I would commission independent investigations to on all Apple factories in China. To show seriousness in dealing with these inhumane practices, I would work toward non-renewing contracts with affiliate companies that have been found to engage in these practices. Bibliography Ashkanasy, N. M., Hartel, E. J. Charmine and Zerbe, J., Wilfred. 2000. Emotions in the Workplace: Research, Theory and Practice. 1st ed. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. Barak, M. E. M., 2013. Managing Diversity: Toward a Globally Inclusive Workplace. 1st ed. Los Angeles: Sage. Chowdhry, A., 2014. Apple CEO Tim Cook Is 'Not Satisfied' With Employee Diversity. Forbes, 13 August. Christensen, C. M., 2010. Don't Reserve Your Best Business Thinking For Your Career. In: How Will You Measure Your Life?. New York: Harvard Business Publishing, pp. 46-51. Cohan, P., 2012. After $30 Billion Mistake, Can Tim Cook Manage Apple?. Forbes, 1 October. Chowdhry, A., 2014. Apple CEO Tim Cook Is 'Not Satisfied' With Employee Diversity. Forbes, 13 August. Editors, B., 2015. Tim Cook Biography. [Online] Avail able at: https://www.biography.com/people/tim-cook-20967297#world-impact-and-salary[Accessed 21 October 2016]. Fiedler, F. E., 1978. The Contingency Model and the Dynamics of the Leadership in Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. 1st ed. New York: Academic Press. Frankel, T. C., 2015. The privacy debate is personal to Tim Cook. The Washington Post, 15 August . Goopta, P and Henderson, P, 2013. Insight: At Apple, Tim Cook leads a quiet cultural revolution. Reuters, 22 August. Hughes, L., R., Ginnet, C., R., Curphy, J., G., 2015. Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience. 8th ed. New York: McGraw Hill Education. Kane, Y. I., 2014. The Wall Street Journal. The Job After Steve Jobs: Tim Cook and Apple, 28 February. Karp, D., A., and Yoels, C., W., 1979. Symbols, Selves and Society. 1st ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education Ltd. Lashinsky, A., 2015. Apples Tim Cook leads different. Fortune, 27 March, p. 1. McCrae R. Robert and Allik J., 2002. The Five Factor Model of Personality Across Cultures. 1st ed. New York: Plenum Publishers. Northouse, P. G., 2003. Leadership: Theory and Practice. 6th ed. Los Angeles: Sage Publishers. Oster, S., 2016. Inside One of the World's Most Secretive iPhone Factories. Bloomberg, 25 April. Shontell, A., 2014. How Steve Jobs Convinced Tim Cook To Work For Apple. Business Insider, 12 September, p. 1. Spiegelman, P., 2012. Tim Cook's Attention to Culture Will Grow Apple Even More. Inc.com, 13 December. Weinberger, M., 2016. The rise of Apple CEO Tim Cook, the most powerful business leader in the world. Business Insider, 29 January. Vroom, V., and Yetton, P., 1973. Leadership and Decision making. 6th ed. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.