Author Archives: Gal kedem

The hidden cost of leaving

1) What do you think is the most demotivating part of Harper’s job?

First of all, as we can learn from Harper’s situation and as learned and discussed in this chapter, the common demotivating reasons do not necessarily arise from salaries or compensation conflicts, as might be thought. In Harper’s situation, what causes her demotivating and psychological withdrawal is the fact that she feels overwhelmed with the new situation in her company. She feels that the workload has become too heavy and that she is not recognized and appreciated for the effort and investment she puts into the work. Moreover, her communication with the new manager is not as good as it used to be with the previous one, and she feels that The job and job definitions are not clear and defined.

2) If you were an HR manager meeting with Harper’s supervisor, David, what advice would you give to help David re-engage Harper?

If I were the company’s HR, I would start by trying to show David the situation and open his eyes. He might not be aware of the problem as he is still adapting to the new place and job. I would tell David about Harper, For her abilities, extensive experience she gained in the company, and tremendous value to the business.

Then I would suggest to David a few practical solutions:

  • Recognize and reward Harper for her hard work and performance. Maintain constant open communication and feedback.
  • Provide Harper with precise job descriptions, and align his expectations of her. Try reorganizing the division of labor so that Harper isn’t required to do everything.
  • Provide Harper with career advancement opportunities and career paths, so she feels like she is progressing and realizes her potential. As she is still young and has many more years to contribute to the company.
  • Approach Harper and value her work by offering rewards like more comfortable working hours, vacation days, and enrichment.

3) What would be the downside of losing Harper as an employee?

As we learned in the chapter, the downside of losing Harper will have both direct and indirect costs. The direct cost of losing Harper will be the costs that lie within the recruitment process of a new employee, such as advertising, testing, time of interviewing, and training. The indirect costs of losing Harper will mainly be the psychological effect on her coworkers, loss of knowledge and productivity until the new employer fits in, and the loss of customer satisfaction.

To sum up, I have to admit that in this chapter, I have learned that HR has a vital role in a business’s success. And that there are much more consequences and factors to think about when terminating staff than what is immediately apparent. The hassle of hiring a new employee pales compared to the costs and harm done to the business.

“The Founder” Assignment

  1. What makes Ray Kroc and the brothers different from each other?

What makes the difference between Ray Kroc and the brother is their business vision. As the brother’s vision is more narrow and they look at optimizing their one restaurant and ensuring the quality of their products and service does not fall, Kroc’s vision is much broader. Kroc looks at the business as an entrepreneur and imagines how he can spread the concept of one restaurant to be a nationwide empire.

2. Do you think the McDonald’s brothers did the right thing by selling out to Ray Kroc? Did Ray Kroc give the brothers a good deal?

Well, the answer is unambiguous. On one side, I don’t think the brothers would have had the skills and abilities to spread the business worldwide as Ray Kroc did. On the other hand, they could have gotten a much better deal that would serve them for the rest of their lives.

So, I would say that the brothers did the right thing by selling out to Ray Kroc, but Kroc didn’t give the brothers a good deal. As I see it, they had to insist on a percentage of future profits in a signed contract.

3. How did the local store franchisees make money?

The local store franchisees made money by running a fast-food restaurant under a firm (Mcdonald’s) name and paying a commission.

They leased the name of the brand and, through it, attracted people as the brand gained momentum.

4. How did Kroc make money? How was that different than the franchisees, running the local stores?

In the beginning, Kroc made money from the percentage of profits from every restaurant he initiated opening (1.4%). Later, he changed his business model and started purchasing the lands on which the restaurants were built on. Then, he made money from profits and monthly rent.

5. Does this film change your view of McDonald’s?

My opinion of McDonald’s has changed as a result of the movie, and I felt bad for the brothers who started it all but ultimately did not receive the rewards they deserved. Even if Crook’s breach of the contract simply involved a handshake, I believe it to be unjust and unethical. Despite all of this, the movie really opened my eyes, and I took a lot away from Kroc’s determination, resilience, and broad business perspective.

Straus – Ethics, Social Responsibility, and Employee Relations.

I have decided to do my research on the Israeli company “Straus.” Strauss is regarded as Israel’s most extensive food and beverage firm and is a global organization. Straus family founded it in the northern part of Israel in the 1930s. Strauss Israel produces a wide range of products such as dairy products, sediments, coffee, salty snacks, and, most importantly, nostalgic chocolate snacks.

As philanthropy has been an excluded value in Straus’s DNA since it was founded, one of the founder’s daughters is continuing in this line. She founded the “Spirit of the Galilee,” an initiative to enhance the quality of life in Western Galilee in fields like health, employment, and culture. She supports and donates to many other associations, including associations for youth at risk and special needs. The principles are also permeated and are entrenched in the family business, and they are expressed in various monetary and food donations for disabled people worldwide.

The community involvement at Straus does not stop with philanthropy actions. Community involvement programs are standard as Straus workers volunteer in different associations supporting special-needs, elderly population, at-risk youth, and victims of women violence.

Healthy wise, Straus has worked to improve its products’ nutritional composition by reducing sugar, sodium, fat, and preservatives. In addition, they have expanded the range of products for target audiences with different dietary preferences – such as gluten-free, lactose-free, protein-enriched products, vitamins, vegan products, and more.

As ethics is an excluded value at the company, Strauss emphasizes its employment policy and employee conditions. All of these are backed up by the company’s contracts and principles of conduct. Strauss places emphasis on stable employment, employee well-being, and a healthy work environment, and Strauss also enables the provision of equal opportunities to the entire population regardless of religion, race, and ethnicity.

Combining ethics and sustainability, as the Strauss Group strives to reduce the pollution process in its work permanently, it records the registration of the carbon footprint and even discloses it. However, the marking of the carbon footprint is not enshrined in Israeli law and is primarily a matter of choice for the businesses that choose to report it to their customers. Strauss’ partners worldwide place a high value on environmental consciousness. For instance, Danone includes a carbon footprint label on all its products. At the company’s four locations in Brazil, all of the company’s vehicles are fueled with natural gas and sugar cane fuel, which both lessen pollution and the carbon footprint.

The Strauss Group also aims to reduce the consumption of natural resources and greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, one of its main goals is to reduce energy consumption. Specific energy consumption reduction targets have been set in the group’s various divisions. Some of these actions include: 

  • Restoring condensation water from the steam system and utilizing residual water heat for heating purposes.
  • Optimization of the factories’ boilers to improve the combustion system and save on fuel consumption.
  • Implementation of many projects to save electricity consumption in lighting in the group’s factories.

In the area of sustainable supply chain, Straus is involved in numerous of processes as part of the company’s policy. From reuse and recycle of excess packaging materials, through reducing the waste of food and waste in its factories, and in the controlled purchase of the raw materials from suppliers who adhere to sustainability.

As a leading company in the Israeli market, which produces and sells food products that are loved and known in every home throughout the country, the company’s ability to influence and contribute is exceptionally high. In light of this, I would suggest that the company become more involved in projects and social initiatives on the issue of coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. I am sure that the company’s unique products are a tool that can be used to connect the two parties. I would suggest the company invest and be involved in education and programs that combine Israeli and Palestinian youth. Education from a young age and assimilation of values are the basis for improving the relationship in the near and long term.

Work Cited

Straus Group

https://www.strauss-group.co.il

“yeholim notnim” enterprise

https://ctg.org.il/people/רעיה-שטראוס-בן-דרור/

Gal Kedem

A second-year student at BMCC, majoring in computer science.
I like to play basketball, travel, read books and spend time with my friends. Here’s my BMCC email: GAL.KEDEM001@stu.bmcc.cuny.edu