Mr Marcus McGowan MSc PgDip BA (Hons)

This Business Education Learning Blog is aimed primarily at Higher Business Management students/teachers and ICT students/teachers.

The aim of this blog is to provide you with interesting articles, news, trivia as well as resources or links to materials which will help in your course of study.

I am a Teacher of Business Education and I have written for Education Scotland and BBC Bitesize.

If you'd like to contact me please click on the link to: email me

Wednesday 26 January 2011

Fair and Unfair reasons for dismissal

With the topical disciplinary issues surrounding both Hugh Dallas and Andy Gray, it is perhaps a good time to look at fair dismissals, illness and unfair dismissals.

FAIR DISMISSALS

These issues relate to both your conduct in the workplace and your ability to do your job.

- continually missing work
- poor discipline
- drug or alcohol abuse
- theft or dishonesty
- you haven't been able to keep up with technological changes to your job (eg introduction of ICT systems)
- you can't get along with your colleagues
- long-term or persistent illness makes it impossible for you to do your job

ILLNESS

There are also some issues surrounding being ill or unwell. Employers have decisions to make when it comes to:

- how long it will take you to recover
- how certain it is that you will recover (with some illnesses, like broken bones, it is clear how - long it will take but with something like stress it can be uncertain)
- how easy it is to get cover for your job
- whether your job can be kept open

UNFAIR DISMISSAL

Here are grounds for unfair dismissal:

- your employer does not have a fair reason for dismissing you (eg if there was nothing wrong with your job performance)
- your employer did not follow the correct process when dismissing you (eg if the have not followed their company dismissal processes)
- you were dismissed for an automatically unfair reason (eg because you wanted to take maternity leave)

EMPLOYEE'S ENTITLEMENTS

- a written statement of employment particulars
- an itemised pay statement
- a minimum notice period
- maternity, paternity or adoption leave
- time off for antenatal care
- parental leave
- time off for dependants
- the right to request flexible working arrangements
- not to be discriminated against because of your gender, race, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age
- guaranteed pay when work is not available for you
- time off for public duties (eg jury service)
- protection against unlawful deductions from wages
- remuneration during suspension on medical grounds


Source: www.direct.gov.uk
- refusing to do shop or betting work on a Sunday
- making a public interest disclosure or ‘blowing the whistle’

Thursday 13 January 2011

In the News...

RETIREMENT AGE SCRAPPED

The Default Retirement Age (DRA) is to be phased out this year, the government has confirmed.
It means employers will no longer be allowed to dismiss staff just because they have reached the age of 65.

The Department for Business said that as well as benefiting individuals, "the freedom to work for longer will provide a boost to the UK economy".

Employers had called for the changes to be delayed for a year to allow greater legal clarity over the plans.

AMAZON CREATE NEW JOBS IN SCOTLAND

The online retail giant Amazon is to create 950 new jobs in Scotland.
The majority of the posts - 750 - will be created at a newly-built plant distribution centre in Dunfermline, Fife, off the M90 motorway.

That facility will replace a smaller plant at Glenrothes, also in Fife. Existing staff will transfer.
Another 200 jobs will be added at the firm's warehouse in Gourock, Inverclyde, with possibly up to a 1,500 temporary jobs at times of peak demand.

The new one million sq ft distribution centre in Dunfermline - about the size of 14 football pitches - will be Amazon's biggest in the UK.

FIRST BUS HIT BY WEATHER

Scottish-based transport firm has said the recent severe weather has cost it £7m.
However, First Group Plc said it remained on course to achieve its earnings targets for the year ending 31 March.

The Aberdeen-based company said its bus and rail operations had been hit hardest by the freezing weather.

The cost was revealed in the firm's trading update for the third quarter, from 1 October to 31 December 2010.

The company, which also owns Greyhound in North America, said that the trading environment had remained "challenging" since early November, but that its overall trading was in line with management expectations.

Source: BBC News

Wednesday 12 January 2011

GM New ENV



US car-manufacturing giant General Motors has just unveiled the Electric Networked Vehicle (EN-V) – a two-wheeled ride that's the manifestation of the famous marque's vision for the future of urban transport.




Measuring at less than half the length of a Smart Fortwo, GM's EN-V concept is so small that you can fit six units into a car parking space. Yet, somehow, there's still sufficient room to accommodate two passengers inside.


While those facts alone are very impressive, it's the GM EN-V's autonomous driving capability, including a feature that allows it to park itself and automatically return to the owner when summoned from a smartphone app, that clearly marks it out as a car of the future.

Tuesday 11 January 2011

Higher Business Management - Empowerment

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."

General George Smith Patton, Jr.


Empowerment is a term coined to mean giving more responsibility to employees. It is a form of delegation.

This has both advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages

  • decision making should be quicker as it is the employees at the centre of decision making
  • staff motivation is increased as they feel valued and important
  • staff are better suited for potential promotion
  • the workforce become more skilled
  • the workforce's problem solving skills increase


Disadvantages

  • Managers may not trust staff to make decisions
  • it can be expensive to train staff
  • not every employee wishes responsibility
  • there are financial implications as staff will have to be paid for some extra responsibilities
The harshest critics of Empowerment believe it is more work for less money!
For more reading or information on the theory and concept of Empowerment, look up the works of Management Guru Rosabeth Moss Kanter.

Higher Business Management - Staff Appraisal

An appraisal is an annual review between employee and employer. It is used to help identify strengths and weaknesses and allow for training.

Sometimes employee performance may not be up to standard. Therefore there are different measures a line manager may take. These include:

  • arrange appropriate training for the underperforming employee
  • setting targets for the employee
  • look to best use employee's skills
  • ensure they meet more often to see how things are going
  • positive feedback may be given to the employee

Monday 10 January 2011

In the News

CHINESE BOX OFFICE RISING
Chinese box office takings increased by 64% last year, helped by Hollywood blockbusters such as 3D movie Avatar.

Revenue surged to 10.2 billion Chinese yuan (£966m), though local officials said Chinese film-makers needed to up their game to compete with US movies.

Avatar was the biggest film in China in 2010, having taken $204m (£141.5m). In contrast the top-grossing Chinese film, Aftershock, made just $100m (£64.5m).

SAINSBURY'S CREATE JOBS
The UK's third-biggest supermarket group, Sainsbury's, says it is to create 20,000 in the next three years.

The firm, one of many UK companies meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron, had already said it would create 6,500 jobs in 2011.

Sainsbury chief executive Justin King said the new posts would be a mix of full and part time jobs. The company has close to 900 stores across the UK and currently employs 150,000 people.

Source BBC News

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