Diverse Management Strategies Research Articles

Effect of Diversity Management Strategies on Employee Retention among Staff of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation

Effect of Diversity Management Strategies on Employee Retention among Staff of Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation

Gender diversity, ethnic diversity and employee performance in a South African higher education institution

Orientation: Although there has been an improvement in workforce diversity in South Africa, gender and ethnicity issues such as discrimination, prejudice and sexual harassment prevail within organisations. This is because organisational leaders view diversity as a matter of legal compliance instead of as a value addition to organisational growth and profitability. Based on this, it is important for organisations to understand the economic side of diversity and not just be content with having such a workforce.Research purpose: This study investigated the effects of gender and ethnic diversity on the performance of employees in a selected higher education institution in South Africa.Motivation of the study: The study was conducted to determine whether gender and ethnic diversity influences the performance of employees in a higher education institution in South Africa. It is believed that by doing so, the study may assist organisational leaders to determine strategies and best practices that will create culture that is inclusive rather than exclusive.Research approach/design and method: A cross-sectional research design was used. A stratified random sample (n = 258) was chosen by dividing employees into homogeneous strata of academic and non-academic employees. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data. Pearson product moment correlation and multiple regression analysis were performed.Main findings: The results show that gender diversity and ethnic diversity are positively and significantly related to employee performance. The study recommends that higher education institutions implement effective diversity management policies and strategies to improve the effectiveness of gender and ethnic diversity towards the performance of employees.Practical/managerial implications: The study recommends organisations to embrace diversity and not just abide by the affirmative action policies and be satisfied with having such a workforce. To achieve this, effective diversity management programmes such as diversity training and mentoring programmes should be implemented to ensure that all employees are properly trained on diversity issues.Contribution/value add: First of all, the findings of this study will add to existing knowledge that will aid in the understanding of gender and ethnic diversity in general and its relevance to employee performance, which in turn leads to organisational performance. Furthermore, this study will be an eye opener to organisational leaders and employees as it will help them to begin to see that diversity is a blessing rather than a matter of legal compliance. It will help organisations to see the need for having diversity and confirm that employees can work together despite their differences.

Management of Symptom Flares and Patient-reported Flare Triggers in Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS)—Findings From One Site of the MAPP Research Network

ObjectiveTo document patient-reported interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) flare management strategies and triggers. Materials and MethodsTwenty-four male and 29 female participants enrolled at the Washington University site of the MAPP Research Network completed a questionnaire on strategies they utilized to manage flares and factors they believed triggered their flares (eg, specific food items, physical activities, sexual activities, infections, and stress). Participants were also asked about the diurnal timing of their flares. ResultsA total of 96.2% of participants reported having ever experienced a symptom flare. Participants treated or managed their flares using a wide variety of strategies, ranging from common strategies, such as drinking additional water or fluid (74.5%), to less common strategies, such as acupuncture/acupressure (5.9% of participants). Participants also reported a wide range of perceived flare triggers, including previously reported factors (citrus fruits, tomatoes, spicy food, alcoholic and caffeinated beverages, driving/sitting in forms of transportation, urinary tract infections, stress, and tight clothing), as well as some less common, previously undocumented factors (eg, certain foods, nongenitourinary infections, wearing high-heeled shoes/boots or perfume, hair dye, and toothpaste). In general, female participants and those with somatic sensory hypersensitivity reported greater numbers of therapies and triggers. Finally, flares were reported most commonly in the afternoon or evening. ConclusionIC/BPS participants reported diverse flare management strategies and numerous perceived triggers. These findings, together with those from the small body of literature to date, provide a wide array of candidates and hypotheses for future global and tailored flare management and prevention interventions.

Impacts of woody invasive alien plant species on rural livelihood: Generalized propensity score evidence from Prosopis spp. invasion in Afar Region in Ethiopia

This study applied a generalized propensity score method to evaluate the impact of Prosopis invasion on Afar pastoralist and agro-pastoralist households’ annual per capita consumption expenditure, as a proxy of rural livelihoods. The analysis was based on cross-sectional survey data collected in mid-2016 from 250 households in the Afar National Regional State in Ethiopia. The method was applied to match households with similar covariates with different Prosopis invasion levels. The method was effective in teasing out non-linear causal relationships between Prosopis invasion dose and household per capita consumption expenditure. Average dose-response or impact function was obtained by estimating average annual household per capita consumption expenditure at different levels of Prosopis invasion. Initially, the plants’ impact was positive, but turned negative after an optimum invasion dose. The optimal invasion dose of Prosopis was found to be 22.23%. The corresponding optimum level of annual household per capita consumption expenditure was found to be 4,500.50 Ethiopian Birr (USD 198). The results suggest that to maximize the benefits of Prosopis and minimize its adverse effects on the livelihoods of the pastoral and agro-pastoral communities, diverse management strategies that take into account not only the intensity of invasion, but also patterns of dryland economy should be implemented.

Pregnant and Postpartum Women With Bipolar Disorder: Taking the Care to Where They Are.

Up to 20% of women who screen positive for depression in the perinatal period in primary care and obstetric settings may have bipolar disorder, but little is known about best practices for this population. This column describes clinical programs that support identification and management of depression and bipolar disorder among women in non-mental health settings. The programs use diverse management strategies, including referral to specialty mental health, collaborative care, and consultation and care coordination. Most mental health programs based in primary care and obstetric settings are designed for depression treatment. Assessment and treatment strategies need to be refined to ensure that women with bipolar disorder receive appropriate care.

English

This paper reviews the concept of diversity across selected sub-Saharan Africa countries. It focuses on the impact of social relations that depict cultural and social identities of individuals within these African countries. This is with the aim to help corporations develop diversity management strategies for their workforce. Consequently, this narrative paper adopts a qualitative approach, a literature survey that assesses views on diversity in Africa by critically exploring discussions on the formation of social identities, dominant diversity dimensions and approaches to managing diversity in the region. The paper reveals challenges in managing the existing socio-cultural formations in African states and further reveals the role of state institutions in managing these diversity concerns from a national perspective which ultimately feeds into corporations. The paper highlights the impact of the lack of diversity management strategies on national development planning and how this results in limited access to social services and lack of opportunities in the workplace, especially in relations to gender equality; thereby, slowing the progress towards achieving equality and capacity development. This paper significantly contributes to understanding and developing diversity management approaches relevant to sub-Saharan African States and acts as a catalyst for more in-depth research in managing diversity within African States. Key words: Diversity management, Africa, development, management.

Towards well-being: role of diversity and nature of work

PurposeLiterature highlights diversity to facilitate cognitive outcomes; nevertheless, there is limited scholarly attention on affective diversity effects. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of perceived diversity on employee well-being (EWB) and contend different types of diversity to yield differential impact. Further, the authors explore how nature of employee work can moderate these relationships.Design/methodology/approachWith 311 full-time employees representing large manufacturing organizations in India, the authors test the hypothesized relationships using PROCESS macro.FindingsResults indicate perception of surface and knowledge diversity having a significant positive impact on EWB. Further, the authors found nature of employee work to moderate the link between knowledge diversity and well-being such that perception of knowledge diversity under complex tasks enhanced well-being; no impact of work complexity was observed on the link between surface diversity and well-being.Research limitations/implicationsPerceived diversity is malleable lending itself to longitudinal work in this field. Besides nature of work, future research may explore other key contextual factors in diversity dynamics.Practical implicationsContrary to the longstanding theories such as social categorization/similarity attraction, the authors found surface diversity to positively influence EWB. This indicates firms’ effective diversity management strategies in creating inclusive workplace. Further, the authors draw implications around team design and workforce composition.Originality/valueWhile the scholarly attention to perceived diversity is gradually growing, in a first, the authors empirically examine the impact of diversity perceptions on employee affect in the context of Indian manufacturing firms.

Percepciones sobre el concepto y la gestión de la diversidad en un centro en proceso de democratización escolar

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la concepción de la diversidad y los procesos de gestión de la misma en un centro inmerso en un proyecto de democratización escolar, desde las percepciones de los actores implicados. A través de un estudio de caso nos centramos en el análisis de las prácticas educativas desarrolladas un colegio rural agrupado de la provincia de Valencia. La recogida de la información se ha realizado mediante observaciones de aula, entrevistas y diarios de las sesiones. El análisis de la información se ha llevado a cabo mediante análisis de contenido temático. Los resultados ponen de manifiesto las diferentes representaciones de la diversidad de los miembros de la comunidad educativa. Entre las estrategias de gestión de la diversidad utilizadas en las aulas desde un enfoque inclusivo y democrático se destacan el apoyo directo, la graduación de la dificultad de las tareas, la coenseñanza y la ayuda entre iguales. De las prácticas de centro, como el consejo escolar ampliado, se da cuenta de los beneficios y dificultades encontrados y en las conclusiones se ponen en relación las premisas que facilitan los procesos de democratización que tienen en cuenta la diversidad y su manejo efectivo.

Are shrimp farmers actual gamblers? An analysis of risk perception and risk management behaviors among shrimp farmers in the Mekong Delta

Shrimp farming is considered a “risky business” and often compared to gambling for farmers. It is associated with a diverse range of risks and uncertainties, including volatile markets, climate variability, and production risks. In order to mitigate the effects of unpredictability farmers may decide on a particular stocking density and adopt different risk management strategies. Aquaculture research has paid little attention to the influence played by the evaluation and selection of different farming practices, risk perceptions associated with shrimp farming, and the farmers' confidence in their own ability to mitigate risk. The objective of this paper is to analyze the case of shrimp farming in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, where different types of shrimp farms (extensive, semi-intensive and intensive) co-exist within the same landscape, to identify the underlying factors driving stocking behavior and the adoption of different risk management strategies.A survey of 250 farms showed that perceptions toward different stocking behaviors (from extensive to intensive) varied according to the species raised (Penaeus monodon or P. vannamei) and the type of farm. At low density, farmers consider P. monodon as more productive and easier to adopt than P. vannamei. Adoption of intensive farming practices for both species is negatively associated with risk of disease emergence. However, expected productivity is not a predictor of adoption of intensive shrimp farming practices. Mediation analysis indicates that risk management strategies are significantly influenced by perceived market risk. The perception of this type of risk is a key predictor of risk management strategies. The farmers' lack of access to efficient market risk mitigation measures reflects inadequate or missing regulations or lack of specific value chain organization to mitigate this type of risk. Using a behavioral approach provides new insight on how farmers manage their farms, address risk and implement risk management strategies. It showed that farmers, unlike actual gamblers, adopt diverse management strategies after carefully evaluating species and stocking density as well as critically assessing different sources of risk.

Study on Improving the Quality of Work Life of Female Employees : With a focus on the Moderating Roles of Diversity Management Strategies

Study on Improving the Quality of Work Life of Female Employees : With a focus on the Moderating Roles of Diversity Management Strategies

Workforce Diversity Management Strategies and Organisational Performance in the Food and Beverage Industries in Lagos State, Nigeria

<p>Workforce Diversity Management is gradually being used and becoming acceptable as a significant organizational resource in esteems to whether the objective is to be an employer choice, to offer outstanding customer service, or to sustain a competitive advantage. It also has verified to have controlled to an opinion of being essential for organizational performance especially in the Food and Beverage Industry in Nigeria. This ultimate faith forces managers to hold and understand the theory of workforce Diversity, its benefits and challenges. As such, this study examined the effect impact of workforce diversity management towards organizational performance which focuses into the food and beverage industry within the larger manufacturing sector. The research also emphases on workforce diversity management which contains the employee communication(EC) as a mechanism in reducing conflicts and talent availability(TA) which are the utmost critical variables amongst the others. The study employed primary data mainly for revalidation of results and inferential information from secondary sources. Primary data was harnessed from the views of managers and employees of the foods and beverage industries through questionnaire. The study adopted cross sectional research design and considered 3 multinational corporations in the food and beverage sector in Nigeria based on random sampling technique. The sample size constituted the lower, middle and senior level staff of the multinational Corporations at their headquarters and plants to achieve the objectives of this study based on the two hypotheses that were formulated. Both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were employed. The statistical tools used included cross tabulations, Mean, Regression and Correlation analysis with the aid of SPSS computer packages. The results showed that employee communication (EC) have significant effect on organizational effectiveness (OE) (at P=0.000). It was discovered that talent availability (TA), has significant relationship on employee retention (ER)(at P= 0.002), the study reflected that Workforce diversity represents both a challenge and an opportunity for business and corporate entity. Hence, no organization in this dispensation of Globalization can survive without workforce Diversity. The study recommends that; organization ought to accord due priority for optimum utilization of strength of workforce diversity and institute measures to enhance commitment among the employees for improvement of organizational performance. Organizations should make workforce diversity management a core business value because diverse work teams bring high value to organizations and respecting individual differences will benefit the workforce by creating a competitive edge and increasing work productivity.</p>

Direct sizing and characterization of Energy Storage Systems in the Energy-Power plane

This paper presents an original sizing method for Energy Storage Systems (ESS) based on directly matching their capabilities – as specified by their energy-power Safe Operation Area (SOA) in the Energy-Power (EP) plane – with the energy and power demand required to accomplish their missions. Starting from the system requirements and from an energy management strategy, the power demanded by a set of representative operating scenarios and its associated energy are calculated and represented as trajectories in the EP plane. The objective is to size the ESS such as its SOA contains these trajectories. Comparison between different technologies of Energy Storage Devices (ESDs) is possible using this SOA characterization. Special attention should be paid to compare specific SOAs across devices. Diverse energy management strategies can be synthesized in the EP plane where they can be compared and analyzed. The sizing method converges extremely fast and is suitable for its integration in an optimization loop. The method allows to determine directly and efficiently the technology and the size most appropriate (in terms of indicators such as mass or cost) to a given EP demand. In the paper, three different technologies (SuperCapacitor, Li-Ion and H2∕O2 batteries) are characterized and compared in terms of sizing synthesis.

Motivation and implementation of traffic management strategies to reduce motor vehicle emissions in Canadian cities

There is a pressing need to reduce pollution emissions from transportation and consequent negative effects on air quality, public health, and the global climate. Diverse traffic management strategies have been proposed and undertaken with primary or secondary goals of reducing motor vehicle emissions. The objective of this paper is to investigate the motivation and implementation of traffic management strategies to reduce motor vehicle emissions, with a focus on moderate-scale local and regional strategies that are broadly applicable. Public documents from 44 local, regional, and provincial government entities across Canada were reviewed for information regarding the implementation of 22 traffic management strategies. Results show that different levels of government are involved in the implementation of different types of strategies, and with a different mix of traffic, safety, and environmental motivations. Regional governments more frequently cite environmental motivations and appear to be most interested in the two strategies with the strongest empirical evidence of air quality benefits: area road pricing and low emission zones. Strengthening regional transportation planning and better integrating it with municipal and provincial planning could potentially increase the implementation of effective sustainable traffic management strategies in Canada. Additional opportunities exist through emphasizing the potential environmental co-benefits of strategies such as road pricing, speed management, and traffic signal and intersection control improvements.

Alternative management options for irrigation-induced salinization and waterlogging under different climatic conditions

Arid and semiarid regions cannot meet the demands for food and fiber, at an acceptable environmental cost, without irrigation. However, the escalation of irrigated agriculture could result in environmental problems of soil salinisation and waterlogging. This study attempts to analyse the long-term effect of different management strategies on the watertable depth and groundwater salinities. To evaluate diverse management strategies to solve the environmental problems, the current study used a salt and water balance model SaltMod in an irrigated command area of northwest India which faced with environmental problems of salinization and waterlogging. Following the successful calibration and validation, the model was used for studying various management alternatives for the study region under different climatic and agro-hydrological conditions. The alternative scenarios revealed that the study region would experience continuous rise in groundwater levels in the future under the business as usual scenario. Therefore, appropriate management strategies such as increased groundwater use, reduced rice cultivation, and reduced canal water use are suggested. The optimal scenario revealed that even a small change of two to five percent in various inputs could keep the region from further waterlogging and associated secondary salinisation.

New Migrants in Residential Aged Care: Managing Diversity in Not-for-Profit Organisations

This paper draws on qualitative interviews with migrant Indo-Asian and African personal care workers and registered and enrolled nurses employed by two not-for-profit residential aged care organisations in Australia: AnglicareSA and Resthaven Inc. The paper examines the way these culturally and linguistically diverse staff talk about the safe organisational environment provided by their employers, while in the wider Australian environment, low levels of hostility towards migrants and refugees are a constant cultural force. We demonstrate the impact of these organisations’ foundational ethics and values that influence how human resource diversity management strategies impact on the quality care provided to residents. We argue that this ethic and these human resource strategies act as conduits for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) staff to integrate into the workforce and as a mechanism in assisting new migrants to transition into the wider Australian society, while at the same time enriching the care of the older persons.

<b>Rhododendron diversity along the Kusong-Panch Pokhari transect in Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve, the eastern Himalaya: a conservation perspective</b>

Sikkim Himalaya, India is part of one of the richest global biodiversity hotspots, exhibiting a significant amount of native flora including Rhododendron (Ericaceae) species, which are particularly well represented with 37 species, 11 subspecies, seven varieties and two natural hybrids occurring along the rolling mountains between 1,500m to 6,000m. Most of the habitats of rhododendrons in Sikkim Himalaya have not only been threatened by climate change but also by emerging eco-tourism and economic activities vis-à-vis trekking corridors. In recent decades, it has been observed that the climate-governed phenology of rhododendrons of eastern Himalaya is shifting; further the urbanization, tourism influx, and clearances for the footpaths have adversely impacted the diversity of many forest areas. To better understand the effects of trekking corridors on Rhododendron species for the tourist destinations, we performed a pilot survey along the Kusong-Panch Pokhari transect in relatively virgin forest of the northern part of Sikkim to assess the status of both Rhododendron diversity and potential environmental management strategies that can be employed within the transect as a new tourist destination in the Sikkim Himalaya. Along with this transect, we recorded 23 Rhododendron species, with five eastern Himalayan endemics. Our results indicate that the diversity of rhododendrons seem good along the Kusong-Panch Pokhari transect and we further recommend it could be a new potential eco-tourism destination as an alternative income generating source for the local people, provided that appropriate conservation management strategies are in place.

Cultural Differentiation and Social Integration in Complex Modern Societies Reflections on Cultural Diversity Management Strategies from a Sociological Point of View

This paper reflects on foundations of integration in our differentiated and globalized society from a sociological point of view, and links this reflection to most recent scientific acquisitions of the New Systems Theory or Complexity Science about how all systems, natural as well as social systems, work and evolve. Incorporating the sociological tradition on differentiation processes as rule of social functioning, the contemporary sociology accepted emergent, far from equilibrium (entropy), self-organization, unpredictable and surprising organizational change processes, operative closure and autopoiesis concepts, as particularly adapting concepts to represent social systems and, above all, our contemporary society characterized by an increase of complexity due to differentiation, individualization and globalization processes. In this regard, strong and permanent migratory waves, due to economic and digital globalization processes, and increasing cultural differentiation processes, have led contemporary western societies to face a serious social organizational problem: how the recognition of cultural difference and the instance of social integration can be reconciled? In this regard, the characterization of all systems as able to adapt to environmental perturbations and survive by self-organizing, balancing organization integrative constraints and emergencies, that is, far from complete differentiation, without being even minimal connection (far from equilibrium or in the edge of the chaos), can constitute a valid point of reference for sociologically reflecting, starting from here, on current integration policies of cultural differences in our complex society (pluralism, multiculturalism, interculturalism) and their implications for social integration. About it, the paper accepts the perspective of those sociological and political theories according to which, from a theoretical and empirical point of view, the sufficiency of procedural foundations seems to show serious limits as integrative constraint. Therefore, the Complexity language can justify the caution with which the normative multiculturalism—which implies it—is believed that should be considered, by anchoring it to the vision of a society conceived so as to dangerously visit that range of maximum differentiation which should be avoided, being identified as the range of ungovernability. Islamic radicalism and nationalistic rejection signs in the West show that this is no a mere theoretical possibility. How to bridge this relationality deficit that normative multiculturalism seems to institute and avoid the risk of a society unable to regain order with coherence? The Complexity framework is where the entire debate must be kept. Here, the integration proposal of interculturalism can gain greater meaning, avoiding the risks of mono-culturalism, on the one hand, and social balkanization, on the other hand.

Partial/Parallel Disassembly Sequence Planning for Complex Products

Disassembly is a very important step in recycling and maintenance, particularly for energy saving. However, disassembly sequence planning (DSP) is a challenging combinatorial optimization problem due to complex constraints of many products. This paper considers partial and parallel disassembly sequence planning for solving the degrees-of-freedom in modular product design, considering disassembly time, cost, and energy consumption. An automatic self-decomposed disassembly precedence matrix (DPM) is designed to generate partial/parallel disassembly sequence for reducing complexity and improving efficiency. A Tabu search-based hyper heuristic algorithm with exponentially decreasing diversity management strategy is proposed. Compared with the low-level heuristics, the proposed algorithm is more efficient in terms of exploration ability and improving energy benefits (EBs). The comparison results of three different disassembly strategies prove that the partial/parallel disassembly has a great advantage in reducing disassembly time, and improving EBs and disassembly profit (DP).

Diverse Management Strategies Produce Similar Ecological Outcomes on Ranches in Western Great Plains: Social-Ecological Assessment

Experiments investigating grazing systems have often excluded ranch-scale decision making, which has limited our understanding of the processes and consequences of adaptive management. We conducted interviews and vegetation monitoring on 17 ranches in eastern Colorado and eastern Wyoming to investigate rancher decision-making processes and the associated ecological consequences. Management variables investigated were grazing strategy, grazing intensity, planning style, and operation type. Ecological attributes included the relative abundance of plant functional groups and categories of ground cover. We examined the environmental and management correlates of plant species and functional group composition using nonmetric multidimensional scaling and linear mixed models. After accounting for environmental variation across the study region, species composition did not differ between grazing management strategy and planning style. Operation type was significantly correlated with plant community composition. Integrated cow-calf plus yearling operations had greater annual and less key perennial cool-season grass species cover relative to cow-calf−only operations. Integrated cow-calf plus yearling ranches were able to more rapidly restock following drought compared with cow-calf operations. Differences in types of livestock operations contributed to variability in plant species composition across the landscape that may support diverse native faunal species in these rangeland ecosystems. Three broad themes emerged from the interviews: 1) long-term goals, 2) flexibility, and 3) adaptive learning. Stocking-rate decisions appear to be slow, path-dependent choices that are shaped by broader social, economic, and political dynamics. Ranchers described having greater flexibility in altering grazing strategies than ranch-level, long-term, annual stocking rates. These results reflect the complexity of the social-ecological systems ranchers navigate in their adaptive decision-making processes. Ranch decision-making process diversity within these environments precludes development of a single “best” strategy to manage livestock grazing.

Workplace diversity in South Africa: Its qualities and management

This qualitative study explored diversity management strategies used by South African financial institutions. The sample included 72 employees (33.33% females; 39.08% Indigenous African language speakers). Of the participants, 44.45% were white, 28.57% were black, 22.22% were Indian, and 4.78% were from the Coloured population group. The participants completed focus-group interviews or individual interviews on their workplace diversity experiences and its management. Themes emerging from Atlas.ti and Tesch’s data analyses included the consensus view that effective diversity management proactively addressed cultural differences, stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, misunderstandings, communication gaps, and conflict due to organisational hierarchical levels. Organisational competitiveness is enhanced through client focused services and an employee valuing work environment. However, some of the employees also viewed diversity initiatives as costly, time-consuming, and forced on employees.