Maintaining Cultural Diversity - Assignment Example

Maintaining Cultural Diversity: Lambrokes plc [Insert [Insert May 2006 Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Executive Summary 3 Operational Assistance Training 4 Problem Identification 5 Problem Analysis 6 Problem Solutions 8 Further Recommendations 11 Conclusion 12 Bibliography 14 Appendices A 16 Executive Summary In the consultant domain, special consideration to the company's fast growth will be taken to provide operational assistance training. Problem identification aims to improve the viability of training resources while lowering costs of resources, with a particular focus on training within demographic diversification. The training and service recommendations will be conducted privately to Ladbrokes Board of Corporate Governance. Concern is to ensure that proper employee diversity is continuously managed to the best of the facilities ability, including appropriate training assistance as well as pronunciation of diversity qualities that enhance Recommendations will be made to ensure the continuation of Ladbrokes excellent record following the analysis of Ladbrokes current operational training conduct. Solutions and further recommendations strive to maintain responsibility to diversification training and core competencies of staff and management. Recommendations include training establishment, delivery and analysis with time specific goals to Landbroke plc Board with specific methods to overcome language barriers throughout the company. This implementation includes time sensitive deliverables and analysis regarding training with future ideas and implications inside the company's diverse workforce. Operational Assistance Training Ladbrokes plc was formerly Hilton Group until February 2006, when the company sold its European rights to the Hilton Group namesake to Hilton Hotels USA for 5.7 billion, and there launched into a full gambling experience. This facility manages exclusive online bets in the European sector by brokering gambling bets and making odds over the phone and through their two-thousand strong bookmaking shops in Europe. This includes traditional sports and casino gambling to online gambling, and will even make odds and accept bets on politics (Hoovers Inc 2006). Ladbrokes plc maintains that: As a standalone company Ladbrokes will expand its business by building on its brand leadership, its ability to innovate and the experience and expertise of its management team and 14,000 employees (Ladbrokes plc 2006). In the consultant domain, special consideration to the company's fast growth will be taken to provide operational assistance training. In accordance with consultation Penn Venture operational assistance service definition, this consultation will include "Distinct skills training for a concern's executives that is directly related to the management and operations of the concern and that provides skills in areas where the concern's management lacks background or experience" (Vovakes 2004). Problem Identification The objectives of this consultation are to provide distinguished services for the company's primary concerns within the operational assistance domain. This aims to improve the viability of training resources while lowering costs of resources, with a particular focus on training within demographic diversification. The training and service recommendations will be conducted privately to Ladbrokes Board of Corporate Governance. The scope of the commissioned work is to divulge information on demographic constructs, diversity and ethical training, this will extends to the overall business and not to specific shops unless requested by the Board. The information utilized is Ladbroke's Staff Council and their diversity data as well as national standards for diversity. Currently, Ladbroke's diversification is much higher than the UK average, as noted in Chart 1.0, Appendices A in accordance with the diversity of Ladbrokes, the company also boasts a 32 percentile of internal promotions (Ladbrokes plc 2006). With the sudden growth Ladbroke plc has experienced, as shown in Chart 2.0 Appendices A, which demonstrates the climb in stock prices for the company. The concern becomes to ensure that proper employee diversity is continuously managed to the best of the facilities ability, including appropriate training assistance as well as pronunciation of diversity qualities that enhance Ladbrokes plc as a renowned company within the European sector. The assurance of proper training enhancements within Ladbrokes is highly important to the company to ensure that their continued record of employee well-being and diversity is not marred by improper training as the company gains strength in capital and workforce. Recommendations will be made to ensure the continuation of Ladbrokes excellent record following the analysis of Ladbrokes current operational training conduct. Problem Analysis Europe is a diversified land, and Landbrokes plc can take pride in their current ability to maintain a strong ethical and gender diversification at the current time, but with a widening amount of diversity in Europe, where "Identifications that transcend class, for example, in emphasizing the commonality of ethnic identity, can serve not only to obscure intra-group class divisions under the veil of cultural closure, but also to foreclose the potential for inter-group class identification" (Rowely and Bhopal 2006). It becomes increasingly important for Landbrokes to ensure that their diversification is ethnical, cultural and gender based because of the transcending classifications throughout European businesses. Based on Charts 1.0 and 1.1, it is assumed that Ladbrokes is maintaining a high level of diversification competencies amongst their employees; however the continuation of this training level is the utmost concern. Diversity within European businesses is outlined by De Vries and Kets (2006) in their secondary research as having theses concerns: There is a gap between expectations of leadership in Europe and what European leadership training is able to deliver. Despite growing unification and standardization in Europe, vast cultural, political and educational differences still exist. It is impossible to apply a universal set of principles to European leadership. European leaders must break the status quo and experiment with new ideas. They have a responsibility to encourage diversity within their corporations. Europe should be regarded as a "learning ground" for senior executives wishing to take on a global role. Specifically to Landbrokes plc the above framework signifies the concerns with diversification on multi-national European scale. This outline significantly influences the building blocks of the problem analysis. Using De Vries and Kets ideology, the following inferences can be concluded as the problem analysis's primary research: Ensuring leadership training lessens gap between management and diversified employee's by delivering enthusiastic expectations. Establish the continuation of diversification with special consideration to the universal set noted above with specific time lines and goals. Maintain responsibility to diversification training and core competencies of staff and management. Perpetuate a diversified learning ground with special consideration to language barriers. Problem Solutions In recommending solutions to operational assistance, it is important to note that diversification is a global issue, and not specific to Europe or the countries that lie therein. The first step in the solution is to ensure that leadership training allows for communication of expectations to employees, as noted above, and that there is not a gap in articulation due to cultural and ethical differences. In managerial counseling, "It is critical for counselors to demonstrate cultural sensitivity during the ethical decision- making process throughout their counseling, supervision, teaching, and research practice" (Kocket 2006). For operational assistance solutions, cultural differences include any ethical, cultural, religious, and gender based dissimilarity. It is recommended that Landbrokes foster continuous training methods in: Cultural Sensitivity; Cultural Respect; Cultural Combination. In Cultural Sensitivity training, the hope is to focus on the understanding of differences associated with the amazing variance of cultures that make Landbrokes a distinctive and admirable workplace. Cultural Respect focuses on mannerisms to communicate non-offensively to various cultures, and Cultural Combination is used to develop architecture of communication between staff, management and human resources that allows for cultural differences to be resolved openly and without fear of retribution. Trainings should be updated every three months to ensure continuation of core cultural diversification competencies. Special consideration will be given to disabilities and language barriers on a case-by-case basis to ensure that no employee falls through the gap of cultural distinctiveness. Furthermore, because Landbrokes maintains a high amount of clients and customers with varying language backgrounds and competencies it is noted that "English may be impractical, and requiring new employees to learn English before they can begin working can make existing labor shortages worse. In addition, basic English fluency is not necessarily enough to enable employees to understand the specialized subject matter of health and safety training" (Busick 2005). This brings a special consideration towards open communication in operational training as Landbrokes progresses. It is recommended that web based and print forms of cultural training as outlined above be available in seven European languages to ensure that there is not a lack of competency due to language barriers. It is also recommended that Landbrokes provide instructional, health and safety manuals in various languages and as pictorial guides to overcome barriers in translation of discourse. Implementation phase of the above solutions can be surmised in an ongoing time table as further demonstrated in Graph 3.0 Appendices A, and outlined below: Step One: Design web based and printed training manuals in seven languages for Landbrokes storefronts and call centers with comments and suggestions from administration and human resource support staff. Estimated time to complete goal: 14 days. Step Two: Initiate training program to management, staff and related employees with grading criteria and employee completion timeline as approved by Landbrokes plc Board. Estimated completion: 7 days. Step Three: Distribute training program for employees as well as receive feedback from trainees. Estimated time of completion: 30 days. Step Four: Analyze evaluations of training and trainees for statistical release to Landbrokes plc Board. Estimated time of completion: 14 days Step Five: Ongoing training in cultural diversity as well as maintain lines of open communication. Develop further customized content for Board deliverables. Estimated time of completion: On-going. Landbrokes concerns with implementation include non-participation, delivery and cost. It is recommended that cultural training be a requirement with a time sensitive completion date of fourteen business days, and that Landbrokes deliver each employee who passes the training course with a score of 85% or better a certification document for the employee to place in their desk to promote a sense of accomplishment and worth. Delivery of operation assistance is a minor concern, however, this training can be completed by the employee either on the web based application or if necessary as a printed form, having two methods of deliverables lessens the strain for the employee. Cost of implementation will remain within the budget set by Landbrokes plc Board, and the consultant assumes responsibility for creation, delivery and analysis of the operational assistance cultural training programs, however, the consultants do not accept responsibility for information that is lost, misplaced or used with malicious intent while in the care of Landbrokes plc Board, management, staff and human resourced department or any combination of. Further Recommendations Further recommendations may include implementing a language assistance program to compliment the internal promotion and educational assistance programs already in place. Previous research indicates that " Language diversity and the necessity of communicating across language boundaries have almost naturally fostered a desire to learn the languages of one's neighbors, the languages of the playground and/or the languages of the market place" (Djite 2006). The consultants would also recommend specialized religious competency training because Europe fosters a multi-faceted network of various religious sects, this would further diversification and promote a comforting sense of belonging for the differing religions. Secondly, it can be further recommended that Lambrokes initiate a continuous training certification program in building relationships, open communication and performance identification with specific time goals and valued competencies for employees to ensure the continuous retention of employees and conduct further surveys to gain the employees view of the facility and trainings as it relates to diversification. Surveys can be an excellent tool as noted by The Institute for Educational Advancement: Surveys can be utilized in a number of ways. For example, they can measure change-over-time when used to monitor pre-program conditions against post-program conditions; they can be used to gather extensive data regarding perceptions of participants when it is important to judge a participant's motivation during a program; and they can ensure the consistent collection of data because all respondents receive exactly the same questions in exactly the same way (2006). For the purpose of this consultation, future surveys regarding diversity training will be utilized to gain an in depth understanding of the employees' considerations and compulsions. Conclusion The online and storefront gambling stand alone facility has expanded its business with dramatic increases in stocks value (See Chart 2.0) to become a solid European force in the gambling business sector, with future eyes on opening casinos in various hotels (Hoover 2006). There is a concern of continuation of operational services as it relates to cultural and diversity training for management and staff members, consultants aim to relieve the concerns and deliver on going support to alleviate the executive concerns regarding the direction of Landbrokes diversity management backgrounds. The objectives are to develop and implement a distinguished service that furthers Landbrokes exceptional diversity record within the scope of information gathering, analyzing, and future recommendations in an on-going project. Specific concerns regarding diversification were outlined with a strong emphasis on culture and language barriers to effective employees. Recommendations include training establishment, delivery and analysis to Landbroke plc Board with specific methods to overcome language barriers throughout the company. Implementation is an on-going process with the acceptance of a one year contract from the Board. This implementation includes time sensitive deliverables and analysis regarding training and implications inside the company's diverse workforce. Landbrokes concerns of non-participation, distribution and cost have been documented and examined with solutions geared toward remedy of these specific apprehensions. In conclusion, the consultants look forward to a continuously beneficial relationship with Landbrokes within their operational assistance needs. Bibliography Busick, Jennifer (2005) Enhancing Safety at Multilingual Worksites. Safety Compliance Letter; 8/1/2005 Issue 2456, p7-10, 2p Retrieved May 1, 2006 from Proquest Database Bloomberg (2006) Price for LAD:LN Retrieved May 1, 2006 from World Wide Web: www.bloomberg.com De Vries, and Kets, M (2006) The Future of European Business Leadership European Business Forum Spring2006 Issue 24, p36-42, 7p Retrieved May 1, 2006 from Proquest Database Djite, Pauline G. (2006) Language and Development in Africa :International Journal of the Sociology of Language; 1993, Vol. 100/101, p149-166, 18p Retrieved May 1, 2006 from Proquest Database Hoovers Inc (2006) Ladbrokes plc Fact Sheet Retrieved May 1, 2006 from the World Wide Web: www.hoovers.com Kocket, Michael (2006) Ethical Challenges in a Complex World: Highlights of the 2005 ACA Code of Ethics. Journal of Counseling & Development, Spring2006, Vol. 84 Issue 2, p228-234, 7p Retrieved May 1, 2006 from Proquest Database Ladbrokes plc (2006) About Us Social Responsibility Retrieved May 1, 2006 Available from the World Wide Web at www.ladbrokesplc.com The Institute for Educational Advancement (2006) Evaluations Through Surveys Retrieved May 1, 2006 from the World Wide Web: www.i-d-e-a.org Rowely, Chris and Bhopal Mhinder (2006) The Ethnic Factor in State-Labour Relations: The Case of Malaysia. Capital & Class; Mar2006 Issue 88, p87-115, 29p Retrieved May 1, 2006 Proquest Database Vovakes, K (2004) Overview Grants and Funds Retreived May 1, 2006 from the World Wide Web: www.pennventures.com Appendices A Chart 1.0 Reference of ethnic diversity within Ladbrokes plc (Landbrokes plc 2006) Chart 2.0 Reference of growth spurt related to high yield of stocks (Bloomberg 2006) Chart 3.0: Step 1-5 Deliverables Reference of operational assistance training implementation. Read More