One company that appears to be getting it right on the diversity front is L’Oréal, a popular French cosmetics organization founded in 1909, with over 86,000 employees operating across 130 countries. In 2018, the Thomson Reuters Diversity and Inclusion Index, which measures how diverse companies are, ranked L’Oréal in eighth place with a score of 77.25 percent. In 2019, L’Oréal company statistics demonstrate that 69 percent of employees are female (31 percent being represented at executive level). The company’s approach to recruitingand sustaining a diverse workforce is highlighted through its workforce—over 1,100 employees with disabilities and an employee base representing more than 158 nationalities. So what is the key to its success? L’Oréal appears to embed its values in its commitment to diversity both externally, through the community work they are involved in, and internally, with their workforce across the globe. Its diversity statements suggest that the company is dedicated to promoting the recruitment of more women for top positions, it encourages people from different social and cultural backgrounds to join its workforce, and is committed to increasing the number of employees with disabilities. To achieve this, L’Oréal has introduced many initiatives across the globe, supported by the management, to help embed its commitment in driving the equality strategy. For example, L’Oréal has implemented employee resource groups in Mexico to represent and capture the best practices outlined by its LGBTI community, and, in 2018, its employees took part in the Pride March in Mexico City. Through its Free to Be project, L’Oréal Mexico is promoting the use of positive work spaces for sexual diversity. This encourages LGBTI employees to come together to feel supported, though the longer-term aim would be to move towards a whole organization approach where these safe spaces would no longer be needed. In Germany, L’Oréal’s INTERNgration project, a joint effort with the country’s government and other organizations, allowed it to integrate 10 young refugees to their local offices through a 6-month internship. In Pakistan, it provides skills training for beauty care to women with disabilities, which helps increase employment opportunities in the industry and build careers for women. At the forefront of its diversity strategy, L’Oréal is recognized for its work on gender equality, with some of its subsidiaries having been certified by the Gender Equality European and International Standard (GEEIS) and the Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE). Their work with GEEIS ensures that human resource policies pave the way for equal opportunities for both men and women in the workplace. Projects in France have also included the introduction of a mentoring program enabling employees to act as voluntary role models, giving advice on building a successful career as a female. In addition, L’Oréal has also developed 10 external partnerships with organizations to demonstrate their commitment to the equality and diversity agenda. These often include representation from L’Oréal on committees and networks to influence the conversation around significant issues that affect diversity at the workplace. Being one of the founding partners of Disability Hub Europe (DHub), it aims to influence policymakers to promote inclusive work culture in Europe. A number of its brands— Garnier, Urban Decay, and Maybelline—support organizations dedicated to developing a more just and sustainable world. L’Oréal understands that a focus on diversity is paramount to the changing consumer culture. Consumers are more aware of the products they buy—what the products represent and where they were sourced. Amin Rajan, a prominent researcher in the field of employment across Europe, suggests that the contributors to organizations sitting up and taking notice of diversity issues are down to increasing globalization of the market place, and the requirement to have that represented within the staff groups to achieve global dominance. Creating an all-encompassing workforce, supported through values that actively promote diversity, is something that L’Oréal has successfully achieved.105 Discussion Questions: 5-11. What diversity and inclusion initiatives has L’Oréal been involved in? How have these initiatives helped the company grow? 5-12. How can L’Oréal increase female representation at an executive level? 5-13. What benefits does participate in a mentoring program offer to employees at L’Oréal? What is needed to ensure the program is effective? 5-14. How can other organizations learn from what L’Oréal has achieved? What are the challenges faced by other organizations in integrating such initiatives into their work cultures? 5-15. What can L’Oréal do to ensure it continues to lead the way in diversity and inclusion?
> How do systems theory and the contingency approach make managers better at what they do?
> How has technology impacted how managers use the quantitative approach in today’s workplace?
> Describe total quality management.
> Explain what the quantitative approach has contributed to the field of management.
> Why were the Hawthorne Studies so critical to management history?
> Headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, the automotive manufacturer Renault was established 120 years ago in 1899, and Japanese automotive manufacturer, Nissan, was founded in 1933, headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. In 1999, these two automotive g
> What did the early advocates of OB contribute to our understanding of management?
> What is a bureaucracy? Do bureaucracies still exist today?
> What is the significance of the industrial revolution?
> How do societal trends influence the practice of management? What are the implications for someone studying management
> Explain why studying management history is important.
> Researchers at Harvard Business School found that the most important managerial behaviors involve two fundamental things: enabling people to move forward in their work and treating them decently as human beings. What do you think of these two managerial
> Is there one best “style” of management? Why or why not?
> Henri Fayol suggested that all managers perform the five functions of planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling. Was he correct?
> Discuss how managers define organizational purpose. How would the managerial functions help in achieving that purpose?
> Is the task of seeking innovative processes really a manager’s job?
> The 1,000-year-old Latin saying mens sana in corpore sano stands for a healthy mind in a healthy body in English language represents the core idea of The Wellness Foundation, launched by Nerio Alessandri, the founder of Italian wellness company Technogym
> How might operations management apply to other managerial functions besides control?
> Describe lean management and explain why it’s important
> What is ISO 9001 and Six Sigma?
> How does technology play a role in manufacturing?
> How could you use value chain management in your everyday life?
> What is required for successful value chain management? What obstacles exist to successful value chain management?
> What is a value chain, and what is value chain management? What is the goal of value chain management? What are the benefits of value chain management?
> Do you think that manufacturing or service organizations have the greater need for operations management? Explain.
> What is operations management?
> In what ways is managing a project different from managing a department or other structured work area? In what ways are they the same?
> A coworker takes credit for the excellent job you’ve performed. Frustrating! It’s probably happened to you or someone you know. How did it happen? Perhaps you shared an idea with a coworker and then hear her present it as her own in a meeting. Or perhaps
> The Wall Street Journal and other business periodicals often carry reports of companies that have not met their sales or profit forecasts. What are some reasons a company might not meet its forecast? What suggestions could you make for improving the effe
> Do intuition and creativity have any relevance in quantitative planning tools and techniques? Explain.
> It’s a waste of time and other resources to develop a set of sophisticated scenarios for situations that may never occur.” Do you agree or disagree? Support your position.
> What is project management, and what are the steps managers use in planning projects?
> Why is flexibility so important to today’s planning techniques?
> How does PERT network analysis work?
> Describe the four techniques for allocating resources.
> What might be some early warning signs of (a) a new competitor coming into your market, (b) an employee work stoppage, or (c) a new technology that could change demand for your product?
> Describe the different approaches to assessing the environment.
> Every individual employee in an organization plays a role in controlling work activities.” Do you agree with this statement, or do you think control is something that only managers are responsible for? Explain.
> The 2019 Women’s FIFA World Cup saw viewer ratings soar with over 750 million viewers across the world; a 20 percent increase on the men’s World Cup in 2018. The coverage of the games have inspired a new generation of girls to get involved in football, a
> In Chapter 7 we discussed the white-water rapids view of change, which refers to situations in which unpredictable change is normal and expected and managing it is a continual process. Do you think it’s possible to establish and maintain effective standa
> Why is control important to customer interactions?
> Explain the balanced scorecard approach to evaluating organizational performance.
> What do the two liquidity ratios, current and acid, measure and reveal?
> Discuss the four main workplace discipline problems related to controlling employee performance.
> State the information sources for measuring performance.
> Why is control an essential managerial function in all types of organizations?
> Do the followers make a difference in whether a leader is effective? Discuss.
> Do you think most managers in real life use a contingency approach to increase their leadership effectiveness? Explain.
> Discuss whether a leader can get power from multiple sources.
> You are a team leader. What are your daily priorities for your team?
> What is the purpose of a charismatic leader’s enthusiasm and self-confidence?
> Explain Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership styles and the two key behaviors associated with it.
> Briefly explain what a managerial grid is.
> What are the ten traits of effective leaders?
> Can an individual be too motivated? Discuss.
> Identify examples of pay-for-performance programs used by some organizations.
> What do you understand by the term open-book management? Is it effective?
> Briefly explain equity theory and what happens if there are iniquities at work.
> What are the different job design approaches to motivation?
> An unexpected ethical issue arose when Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria joined the European Union (EU). The start of the free movement of workers across the EU meant that workers from these countries could effectively undercut the domestic workforce. Wages
> How do goal-setting, reinforcement, and equity theories explain employee motivation?
> Describe each of the four early theories of motivation.
> What is motivation? Explain the three key elements of motivation.
> Explain the relevance of managers using shaping behavior
> On what basis does the attribution theory attempt to explain how we judge people differently?
> Discuss the impact of self-esteem on employee performance and job satisfaction.
> How does the cognitive dissonance theory seek to explain the relationships between attitudes and behavior?
> Satisfied and happy employees make for better productivity, lower absenteeism and turnover rate. Discuss.
> What are the goals of organizational behavior?
> Which employee behaviors are more critical to organizational success?
> How do you successfully manage a growing international company? Co-founder and chairperson of the Singaporean BreadTalk group, George Quek believes in a hands-on approach and believes that being physically present is key in navigating the often-complex p
> Everyone has a different personality. How would an organization make a diverse group of individuals work together harmoniously and effectively?
> Ethical communication includes all information, is true in every sense, and is not deceptive in any way.” Discuss
> Discuss the role of communication in customer service.
> How can changes in the physical work environment have a direct impact on communication systems?
> Define active listening.
> What are barriers to communication? What can managers do to reduce the chances of barriers to communication from occurring?
> Thanks a lot.” Can this phrase mean more than one thing? Explain why.
> Discuss whether men and women communicate differently.
> What is communication and how can a manager ensure proper communication exists in the organization?
> Describe the key benefits of teams.
> Although 44 countries have signed up for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Anti-Bribery Convention to outlaw bribery and corruption, the problem is still present. Let us consider Greece, which the OECD censored for failing
> Discuss how having clear goals can make a team more effective.
> Why are virtual teams not suitable for all situations?
> What are group norms?
> Discuss how group structure, group processes, and group tasks influence group performance and satisfaction.
> What is an informal group and can informal groups form within an organization?
> How does knowing the five stages of group development help you as the manager?
> What do you understand by the term family-friendly benefits? Give some examples of such benefits in action.
> List the factors that influence employee compensation and benefits.
> Distinguish between MBO and BARS as appraisal strategies.
> Describe the different types of training. How do organizations provide each type of training?
> In 2013, a clothing factory in Bangladesh collapsed, killing 1,138 people.25 Some 27 global brands, including Walmart and Benetton, were using the factory. One year on, these two corporations were amongst 22 of the 27 yet to contribute toward a compensat
> Mintzberg suggests that managerial roles should encompass interpersonal, decisional, and informational roles. Clearly, this is an idealized vision of the manager. They are encouraged to encompass all of these characteristics but this is an unattainable g
> What were some of the more obvious reasons for the SI crisis?
> The next expected dividend for Sun, Inc., will be $1.20 per share and analysts expect the dividend to grow at a rate of 7 percent indefinitely. If Sun stock currently sells for $22 per share, what is the required rate of return?
> Describe the main source of funds for credit unions. Why might the average cost of funds to credit unions be relatively stable even when market interest rates are volatile?
> Explain (using intuition instead of math) why stock prices may decrease in response to a higher risk-free rate according to the CAPM. In some periods, the risk-free rate rises in response to higher economic growth. Explain (using intuition instead of mat
> At the time that a management group of RJR Nabisco initially considered engaging in a leveraged buyout, RJR’s stock price was less than $70 per share. Ultimately, RJR was acquired by the firm Kohlberg, Kravis, and Roberts (KKR) for about $108 per share.
> Explain the meaning and use of implied volatility.