Topics

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BBA Discussion Forum / Education and employability in the digital age

« on: March 03, 2020, 08:55:54 AM »

Featured by Syed Saad Andaleeb

"Human resources—not capital, nor income, nor material resources—constitute the ultimate basis for wealth of nations. Capital and natural resources are passive factors of production; human beings are the active agents who accumulate capital, exploit natural resources, build social, economic and political organisations, and carry forward national development." (Harbison 1973)

https://www.thedailystar.net/supplements/29th-anniversary-supplements/digitisation-and-inclusivity-taking-everyone-along/news/education-and-employability-the-digital-age-1869625

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BBA Discussion Forum / Educated but unskilled: shortfalls of formal education in a narrowing job market

« on: March 03, 2020, 08:51:00 AM »

A feature by Rubab Nayeem Khan

"Lekha pora kore je, gari ghora chore shei!"— an idiom very familiar to Bengalis that promises "cars and horses", in other words, wealth, provided we studied sincerely.

https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/news/educated-unskilled-1874740

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BBA Discussion Forum / Full-time working mothers are 40% more stressed, study finds

« on: March 01, 2020, 09:13:58 AM »

I think female faculty can relate with this information

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/working-mother-stress-work-full-time-job-pressure-children-family-study-a8749191.html

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BBA Discussion Forum / Working Mom? Aim for Less Stress

« on: March 01, 2020, 08:48:36 AM »

When Marie gets home from her full-time job as a Seattle nurse administrator, her workday is only half over. Next up is driving her two boys to band practice, soccer, and art lessons, supervising homework, taking them to the mall for supplies—and sitting up with them all night when they're sick.
"I didn't want to miss out on any bonding time," she says, "so despite my husband's availability, I took on the heavy lifting of child care."
It's a choice that has a price, Marie admits. "I'm too wound up to sleep, and I've got a chronic red nose from catching one cold after another," she says.
Stressed out
Marie is among legions of stressed-out women. In the United States, 78 percent of all mothers with kids ages 6 to 17 work in paid jobs. Most—including married working moms—also are responsible for child care and housework, according to a 2005 University of Michigan study.
The double responsibilities of work and home can mean more stress, which can prompt everything from insomnia and lowered immunity to mood swings and weight gain. "Excess stress boosts the output of the cortisol hormone, which in turn can increase the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, depression, and anxiety," says Brent W. Bost, M.D., an OB/GYN in Beaumont, Texas.
Making the choice
Although many working moms have no choice about being the primary parent, others choose to take on more of the child care responsibilities than their spouse, the Michigan study found. The women do so even though they may work the same hours as their husbands.
Some women feel guilty about missing out on any part of childrearing. Others feel they're more skilled caregivers. In any case, working mothers should understand the importance of negotiating the workload to reduce their stress load, the Michigan researchers said.
Other experts agree. "The real key to a child's happiness is the emotional availability of the parent," says Deborah Belle, Ed.D., a Boston psychologist. "A mother's morale and her emotional and mental health are her child's strength. It's vital that working moms take measures to protect their well-being."
It's best to negotiate child care and housework at the family planning stage. But it's never too late to try these tips to reduce stress:
Adjust your standards and expectations
Dad may dress the kids in mismatched outfits or serve pizza more often than you'd like. But as long as they're nurtured and safe, let go and share the workload. Kids whose fathers are involved in routine activities tend to be better students with fewer behavior problems, studies show.
Scale back kids' commitments
"A hurried child creates a hurried mom," says Dr. Bost. Before signing Billy up for baseball, weigh the cost of chauffeuring, cutting into family meals, and interfering with vacations, he says. Try to set a "one activity per season" limit.
Don't be your kids' entertainment
You don't need to provide constant stimulation for kids with nightly videos, frequent outings, or even blowout vacations. "The best thing a mother can provide is a focused, calm environment," says Dr. Belle.
Spell out duties clearly
Don't expect your mate to read your mind. Instead of the vague suggestion, "help with dinner," state specific chores: Cook dinner three nights a week, clear and wash dishes, and so on. Posted lists can help.
Delegate creatively
Some ideas: Carpool with a classmate's parents; hire a cleaning service a half day a week to tackle harder tasks; foster the team approach for chores. Kids can open lettuce bags or run the vacuum.
Build "me time" into your schedule
"Me first" isn't selfish, it's preventive health, says Dr. Bost. Stick to a guilt-free, uninterrupted block of time for reading a book, gardening, doing yoga, walking, or just soaking in the tub.
Streamline routines
Serving a plate of fruit, a chunk of cheese, and some crusty bread can be more relaxing—and just as nutritious—as fixing a labor-intensive, made-from-scratch meal.
Aim for "good enough"
Trying to hold the best birthday party, bake the best cookies for the Scout sale, or have the best-looking house adds undue pressure. Modify your expectations and accept your limitations.
Set priorities
If reading a bedtime story and extra cuddling time is important, let the dishes sit in the sink and the machine answer calls.
Simplify
Buying more things means more maintenance, more clutter—and often more debt, a major stressor. Ask yourself: Does our family really need that latest gadget?

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BBA Discussion Forum / Are HCM, HRIS and HRMS Interchangeable Terms?

« on: February 27, 2020, 11:06:01 AM »

Are HCM, HRIS and HRMS Interchangeable Terms?

At a basic level HCM, HRMS and HRIS all describe the same thing. So, why are there separate terms? It’s most likely due to the rapid development of these technologies, which prompted the sudden creation of various terms all at once.
That said, there are sometimes subtle differences between the three types. Think of them like three different restaurants. Each one serves food, and while there’s overlap, their menus aren’t identical.
On top of that, vendors often use the terms interchangeably. That’s why it’s wise never to assume that a system that’s marketed using a particular term automatically includes certain features or offers specific capabilities.
In the past, the differences were more pronounced, so it was likelier that you could depend on the terms to mean what they said. Products were narrower in focus, and intended to serve only specific needs for companies. That naturally created a greater divide between the systems, since they focused on different areas.
As the industry has progressed, however, the gap has shrunk. Rather than opting for several solutions from different vendors to meet HR needs, companies have shifted toward the single solution model.
Today’s companies want an integrated suite of features from one provider. Why? It’s much easier to get unified, 360-degree visibility and streamline management. As companies become more complex and produce more data that requires tracking, it’s more of a hassle to deal with data silos and disparate systems.
Vendors have accommodated the market demands by extending the capabilities of their products to incorporate more functions. The downside is that you can never be quite sure what a term refers to anymore. And what something means today may not be the same a year from now.

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BBA Discussion Forum / 20 Human resources terms you need to know

« on: February 27, 2020, 11:01:39 AM »

20 Human resources terms you need to know
1. Attrition
This term refers to the voluntary and involuntary terminations, deaths and employee retirements that result in a reduction to the employer's physical workforce. If you work in a human resources department at a large organization, keeping track of attrition trends can be a job in and of itself.
2. Balanced scorecard
Developed in the early 1990s by Drs. Robert Kaplan and David Norton, the term “balanced scorecard” refers to a management and measurement system, which evaluates four areas of business: internal business processes, financial performance, customer knowledge and learning and growth.
3. Behavioral competency
Behavioral competency is essentially an evaluation of the behavior qualities and character traits of an employee. How these competencies are defined can vary by employer, but fundamentally they revolve around people skills, managerial skills and achievement skills. Certain positions work better for certain behavioral competencies, and these particular markers will help determine whether a candidate will be successful at the position he or she is applying for—as you might imagine, a candidate applying for a managerial position should have strong achievement and development-related competencies.
4. Benchmarking
Benchmarking is a process of measuring the performance of an organization or team through a variety of metrics—for example, customer satisfaction rate, sales and retention—for future comparison. Benchmarking can be used to compare internal performance and the external performance of competitors to measure if improvement has occurred.
5. Broadbanding
Broadbanding is a pay structure that places less emphasis on hierarchy than job duties, skills and performance. This type of pay structure encourages the development of a wide variety of employee skills and growth but comes with a significant decrease in promotion opportunities. For example, a company that subscribes to broadbanding may have a larger range of potential salaries for a marketing specialist, while a company that doesn’t is likely to have multiple titles with a smaller range of potential salaries for each (for example: junior marketing specialist, marketing specialist and sr. marketing specialist).
6. Bumping
Bumping is a practice that gives established senior employees whose positions are to be eliminated the option of taking other positions—often a step down, complete with less pay—within the company that they are qualified for and that are currently held by employees with less seniority. This is a way for an organization to retain institutional knowledge and experienced workers. 
7. Change management
This is a considered approach for transitioning individuals or organizations from one state to another in order to manage and monitor change. Companies can stay ahead of the game when they think ahead about how they can manage the introduction, implementation and consequences of major organizational changes.
8. Confidentiality agreement
This is an agreement between an employer and employee in which the employee may not disclose branded, patented or confidential information. Many companies have protected information that, if leaked, could be devastating for the brand or welfare of the organization—a confidentiality agreement serves as legal protection from this.
9. Distributive bargaining
Distributive bargaining is the negotiation between competing parties that involves the distribution of a finite resource. One party prevails, to the detriment of the other.
10. Due diligence
Generally speaking, due diligence refers to the steps taken to ensure compliance with laws and regulations. In mergers and acquisitions, due diligence is the process of thoroughly examining the details of an investment or purchase to ensure all paperwork and documentation is up to date and compliant.
11. Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, assess and manage one’s own emotions, as well as others’ emotions. High emotional intelligence is a must-have skill for those working in human resources.
12. Exit interview
An exit interview is the final meeting between management and an employee leaving the company. Information is gathered to gain insight into work conditions and possible changes or solutions, and the employee has a chance to explain why he or she is leaving.
13. Freedom of association
Freedom of association is a right for people to associate with (or leave) any group of their choosing. That group also has the right to take collective action in pursuit of its members’ interests. In an HR context, this generally refers to workers’ freedom to form labor unions.
14. Grievance
A grievance is a complaint brought forward by an employee about an alleged violation of law or dissatisfaction with work conditions.
15. Gross misconduct
Gross misconduct is an action so serious that it calls for the immediate dismissal of an employee. Physical violence and intoxication at work are two common examples of this.
16. Hawthorne effect
The Hawthorne effect is a phenomenon observed as a result of an experiment conducted by Elton Mayo. In an experiment intended to measure how a work environment impacts worker productivity, Mayo’s researchers noted that workers productivity increased not from changes in environment, but when being watched. Applied to HR, the concept is that employee motivation can be influenced by how aware they are of being observed and judged on their work—a basis for regular evaluation and metrics to meet.
17. Nepotism
Nepotism is preferential hiring of relatives and friends, even though others might be more qualified for those positions. The favoritism is generally showed by individuals in a position of authority such as CEOs, managers or supervisors.
18. Onboarding
Onboarding is the process of moving a new hire from applicant to employee status, ensuring that paperwork is done and orientation is completed.
19. Retention strategy
Retention strategy refers to the processes and policies used to ensure employees stay. In order to retain employees and reduce turnover, managers must help employees meet their goals without losing sight of the organization’s goals. This is always a balance that must be managed carefully.
20. Succession planning
This is the process of identifying long-range needs and cultivating a supply of internal talent to meet those future needs. It assists in finding, assessing and developing the individuals necessary to the strategy of the organization.

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BBA Discussion Forum / Importance of Green HRM

« on: February 27, 2020, 10:53:08 AM »

Why is Green Human Resources Management Important?
Sustainability strategies are growing fast within thousand of companies nowadays as an answer to the challenges and catastrophes that climate change has brought, and threatens to bring into our world. In a mainly capitalist world, there no way of denying the importance that companies have in the fight to prevent the temperature of the Earth increasing 1.5º Celcius until the end of this century.  Whilst the support of senior management is essential in a company’s execution of its sustainability management, so is the HR leaders’ strategic positioning of the HR function. But what is Green Human Resources Management really accountable for?
Benefits of Green Human Resources Management
Green HRM has its prime importance in the achievement of broader objectives such as cost saving, corporate social responsibility, talent acquisition and management and gaining an advantage over the competition. According to Parul Deshwal, it further has the following benefits:
•   It helps in employee retention and reduces labor turnover;
•   It improves the brand reputation of a company in the market and can possibly increase sales;
•   It improves the quality of the overall organization both internally and externally;
•   It improves stakeholder’s engagement;
•   It reduces the overall costs of a company as it gets more efficient regarding the use of energy, water, and raw materials;
•   It provides a competitive advantage to the companies in the industry as well as in the market;
•   It stimulates innovation because employees are committed to improving their companies’ ecological footprint and this further facilitates companies’ growth and the improvement in quality and enhancement of procedures and methods;
•   It helps to manage risks more effectively;
In the end, employing a green workforce that understands, practices and improves environment-friendly policies helps organizations being comfortable and proud of the impact that their offices and other facilities have. Furthermore, it helps companies innovate (in a way that allows them to be cost-efficient) and coming up with new procedures and products.

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BBA Discussion Forum / Education 4.0

« on: February 26, 2020, 12:11:09 PM »

What is Education 4.0?
Education 4.0 is a desired approach to learning that aligns itself with the emerging fourth industrial revolution. 
This industrial revolution focuses on smart technology, artificial intelligence, and robotics; all of which now impact our everyday lives. 
For universities to continue to produce successful graduates, they must prepare their students for a world where these cyber-physical systems are prevalent across all industries.
This means teaching students about this technology as part of the curriculum, changing the approach to learning altogether, and utilizing this technology to better improve the university experience.
Preparing students for evolving industries 
Cyber-physical systems are steadily becoming more integrated into various industries, inevitably affecting the skills requirements for employees. 
Research by McKinsey Digital revealed that due to the fourth industrial revolution 60% of all occupations could potentially have at least a third of their activities automated.
The topic of how artificial intelligence might affect jobs in the future was explored in our previous blog: How will Artificial Intelligence Influence the Global Higher Education Sector?
However, there is much more to consider than the potential disruption to the hard skills required for various job roles. 
The fourth industrial revolution will also impact the soft skills that students will need in the future.
In 2016, the World Economic Forum produced a report exploring these changes. They predicted that by 2020, “more than a third of the desired core skill sets of most occupations will be comprised of skills that are not yet considered crucial to the job today.”

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BBA Discussion Forum / 7 Ways to Create a Friendly Environment at Work

« on: March 28, 2019, 12:44:54 PM »

7 Ways to Create a Friendly Environment at Work

1. Develop a positive attitude.
When you own your own company, your co-workers and employees look to you to set the tone for the business and the office environment. A positive attitude is key to an enjoyable, more comfortable workplace. A positive or negative attitude also spills over into how your customers perceive your business, which translates into their willingness to do business with you. They can tell when everything is clicking, and they can also tell when things are amiss.
2. Treat everyone with respect.
Everyone you work with deserves respect in the workplace, even when you differ on opinions. Look at each and every person as a vital member of the team. Respect that they have different opinions and ways of looking at the world. This respect will go a long way in developing the trust and teamwork that will take your business to the top.
3. Practice active listening.
Effective communication begins with active listening. Encourage your co-workers to share their thoughts and be open to hearing them all the way through without interrupting or interjecting your own opinions. To foster an environment where everyone feels they have a voice, make your approach “yes, that’s a possibility” rather than “no, that would never work.”
4. Connect on a personal level.
Develop meaningful bonds with your fellow workers. Exchange ideas and personal opinions. Show your empathy and concern for their well-being as people, as well as co-workers. Take time to learn about their families and their goals. When you show a genuine interest in others, you foster a happier workplace.
5. Develop relationships outside of work.
Go to lunch with your co-workers or plan an off-site event like a bowling night or a day at the ballpark. Get to know each other outside of the office. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn more about what makes them tick and you’ll develop even stronger bonds when you discover you have shared interests.
6. Work together for a larger good.
Most people feel good when they’re helping others. Take on a charity campaign and encourage your co-workers to participate in fundraising events, a charity race or a Habitat for Humanity project. You will build trust and form a bond when you share common goals and activities for the good of others. Post regular reports around the office or in your newsletter. Recognize everyone for their hard work and dedication.
7. Say thank you.
There are all sorts of ways to provide rewards, including praise, recognition, money, prizes, gift cards, celebratory meals, trophies and certificates of achievement. Be liberal with positive feedback and show gratitude when employees go above and beyond their normal duties and responsibilities.
Everyone likes to feel valued and appreciated for what they do every day. An attitude of gratitude goes a long way. Offer respect, kindness, openness, caring and trust and you will be sure to reap the returns many times over.

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BBA Discussion Forum / Why Higher Education Institutions should worry about Quality

« on: May 17, 2018, 05:38:57 PM »

As teachers, principals, heads of the department and policy makers in education we should worry about quality of teaching, programmes, and institution because of the reasons
(1)   Competition:
We are entering a new regime, where competition among educational institutions for students and funds will be highly significant. With globalization and
GATS (Global Agreement on Trade in Services), the educational environment will be seized by increased competition. In order to survive in such situation, educational institutions need to worry about their quality
(2) Customer satisfaction: Students, parents or sponsoring agencies as customers of the educational institutions are now highly conscious of their rights or getting value for their money and time spent. They are now demanding good quality teaching and receiving employable skill set and thus we should constantly worry about the relevance of our courses and programmes to the needs of the market.
(3)Maintaining standards: As educational institutions, we should always concern about setting our own standard and maintaining it continuously year after year. In order to maintain the standard, we should continuously make efforts to improve quality of educational facilities
(4) Accountability: Every institution is accountable to its own stake holder in terms of the funds (public or private) used on it. Concern for quality will ensure accountability of funds utilized and inform the stake holders about taking appropriate decisions. Thus quality can be considered as a monitoring mechanism.
(5)Improve employee morale and motivation: Concern for quality as an institution will improve the morale and motivation of the staff in performing their duties and responsibilities. If quality system is in place, the internal process would be systematic making every department complementing each other’s service domain and helping in developing internal customer satisfaction leading to high morale and motivation.

Credibility, prestige and status: If institutions are concerned about quality, continuously and not once in a while. It will bring credibility to institutions and individuals because of consistency leading to practice, status and brand value.
(7)Image and visibility: Quality institutions have the capacity to attract better stake holder support, like getting merit students from far and near, increased donation / grants from funding agencies and higher employer interest for easy placement of graduations.

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BBA Discussion Forum / Four key conflict resolution skills

« on: May 13, 2018, 10:03:24 AM »

Now a days conflict becomes the most common phenomena in our personal and professional life. here discuss 4 conflict resolution skills:

Four key conflict resolution skills

The ability to successfully manage and resolve conflict depends on four key skills. Together, these four skills form a fifth skill that is greater than the sum of its parts: the ability to take conflict in stride and resolve differences in ways that build trust and confidence.
Conflict resolution skill 1: Quickly relieve stress
The capacity to remain relaxed and focused in tense situations is a vital aspect of conflict resolution. If you don’t know how to stay centered and in control of yourself, you may become emotionally overwhelmed in challenging situations. The best way to rapidly and reliably relieve stress is through the senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. But each person responds differently to sensory input, so you need to find things that are soothing to you.
Conflict resolution skill 2: Recognize and manage your emotions. Emotional awareness is the key to understanding yourself and others. If you don’t know how you feel or why you feel that way, you won’t be able to communicate effectively or smooth over disagreements. Although knowing your own feelings may seem simple, many people ignore or try to sedate strong emotions like anger, sadness, and fear. But your ability to handle conflict depends on being connected to these feelings. If you’re afraid of strong emotions or if you insist on finding solutions that are strictly rational, your ability to face and resolve differences will be impaired.
Conflict resolution skill 3: Improve your nonverbal communication skills
The most important information exchanged during conflicts and arguments is often communicated nonverbally. Nonverbal communication includes eye contact, facial expression, and tone of voice, posture, touch, and gestures. When you’re in the middle of a conflict, paying close attention to the other person’s nonverbal signals may help you figure out what the other person is really saying, respond in a way that builds trust, and get to the root of the problem.
Simply nonverbal signals such as a calm tone of voice, a reassuring touch, or a concerned facial expression can go a long way toward defusing a heated exchange.
Conflict resolution skill 4: Use humor and play to deal with challenges
You can avoid many confrontations and resolve arguments and disagreements by communicating in a playful or humorous way. Humor can help you say things that might
Otherwise be difficult to express without creating a flap. However, it’s important that you laugh with the other person, not At them. When humor and play are used to reduce tension and anger, reframe problems, and put the situation into perspective, the conflict can actually become an opportunity for greater connection and intimacy.

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BBA Discussion Forum / Best Practices for HR in 2018

« on: May 09, 2018, 02:13:22 PM »

Best Practices for HR in 2018
Best practices in HR today is not merely about achieving growth and productivity at the workplace but transforming the entire HR processes from start to finish to meet the needs of changing dynamics in workplace management. HR today is facing a new set of challenges as well as opportunities and needs infusion of fresh set of ideas to resolve issues they are encountering.
   Promote Inclusion at the workplace
In today’s times where politics, faith and even Hollywood are used as instruments to divide than unite, it is very critical from the organization’s point of view that they get their act together to promote harmony and stop discrimination. Organization should ensure fair treatment for all and that no employee is discriminated against because of their religion, race or background.
   Automate HR Processes
HR automation is the process to improve the efficiency of human resources departments by automating the manual human resource processes and eliminating data centered risks. Manual HR processes with paper and spreadsheets can be a real drag. HR managers waste lot of time and energy in redundant activities, filing and collecting paper documents.
   Loosen up the workplace
Gone are the days when the HR manager constantly nags the employees and assume his primary responsibility is to make life hard for the employees. Organization’s should take a step back and stop micro management and encourage employees to be more responsible and take complete charge of the situation, putting the onus on them to achieve the desired work output in a manner that suits them as long as it meets expected standards of performance and timelines.
Use of data analytics
As we enter a new economic reality and, in turn, a new reality in the labor market, the ways in which people-related data are utilized will be critical to mitigating risk, creating business capability and driving outcomes such as customer satisfaction and sales. Today’s HR analytics tools not only enable managers to gain insights on current workforce performance, costs and services, but to also model “what if” scenarios to anticipate changes in business.
                        Mentoring Programs for talent development
Organizations should invest in mentoring programs internally to bridge the gap between expected levels of performance and current skill sets. This can be done by employing mentors who specialize in training current resources and helping them scale up to meet desired levels of output.

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BBA Discussion Forum / 7 Global Issues in 2018

« on: May 09, 2018, 02:05:47 PM »

1.   Reforming the UN
2.   Delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals
3.   Accelerating Climate Action
4.   Growing Private Sector Engagement
5.   The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Turns 70
6.   A Focus on Migration and Refugees
7.   Gender Equality and Women’s Rights Progress

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BBA Discussion Forum / Employability skills: 6 ways to get a job and keep it

« on: April 02, 2017, 05:47:19 PM »

Employability skills: 6 ways to get a job and keep it

The rankings surveyed 37,000 employers and mapped the careers of 21,000 individuals to give an in-depth indication of how universities are perceived in the global graduate jobs market.

1.   Attitude and passion are key employability skills
2.   Get involved in extracurricular activities at University
3.   And outside of university
4.   Be adaptable and broaden your skill base
5.   Make the most of your University networks
6.   Turn your job into a career

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BBA Discussion Forum / "Jose Mujica" A Inspiring Leader..

« on: March 16, 2015, 03:45:49 PM »

Jose Mujica: The world's 'poorest' president

By Vladimir Hernandez
 BBC Mundo, Montevide

 
It's a common grumble that politicians' lifestyles are far removed from those of their electorate. Not so in Uruguay. Meet the president - who lives on a ramshackle farm and gives away most of his pay.

Laundry is strung outside the house. The water comes from a well in a yard, overgrown with weeds. Only two police officers and Manuela, a three-legged dog, keep watch outside.

This is the residence of the president of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, whose lifestyle clearly differs sharply from that of most other world leaders.

President Mujica has shunned the luxurious house that the Uruguayan state provides for its leaders and opted to stay at his wife's farmhouse, off a dirt road outside the capital, Montevideo.

The president and his wife work the land themselves, growing flowers.

This austere lifestyle - and the fact that Mujica donates about 90% of his monthly salary, equivalent to $12,000 (£7,500), to charity - has led him to be labelled the poorest president in the world.