Allstate Insurance Company38 In today’s competitive environment, companies continue to look for ways to improve their performance and achieve corporate goals. The task is not easy, but the team of human resource (HR) executives at Allstate Corporation has found that its diversity strategy has become one of the company’s most important competitive weapons. It has long been Allstate’s position that diversity is about neither politi- cal mandates nor legal obligation. Rather, the company’s vision is stated this way: “Diversity is Allstate’s strategy for leveraging differences in order to create a competitive advantage.” This strategy has two major points: one inter- nally focused and the other externally focused. According to James DeVries, senior vice president of human resources, the internal diversity focus is about “unlocking the potential for excellence in all workers by providing them the tools, resources, and opportunities to succeed.” The external focus of diversity is about making certain that the workforce matches the experiences, backgrounds, and sensitivities of the markets it serves. In this context, Allstate managers view diversity not as a goal but as a process that is integrated into the daily life of the company. Allstate launched its first affirmative action program back in 1969. In the early days, its commitment to diversity didn’t esty as opposed to cheating and dishonesty. _____ 30. If my manager makes a mistake that affects my ability to attain my goals, he or she admits it. Scoring and Interpretation Add the points shown for items 1 through 30. Scores of 120 to 150 may indicate a high-performing, highly satisfying work situation. Your goals are challenging and you are committed to reaching them. When you achieve your goals, you are rewarded for your accomplishments. Scores of 80 to 119 may suggest a highly varied work situation with some motivating and satisfying features and some frustrating and dissatisfying features. Scores of 30 to 79 may suggest a low-performing, dissatisfying work situation. Questions 1. Using the concepts found in the goal-setting model, how might you increase your performance? 2. Why don’t employees use goal-setting concepts in their everyday life to control their weight and personal habits? always link recruitment, development, and retention strate- gies to business performance. The company focused more on affirmative action and diversity awareness through education and training. Although these initiatives were considered inno- vative in their day, they were not linked to Allstate’s business strategy. The director of diversity management notes that the key question has become “How do you take this workforce of differences and bring them together in a more powerful way so that it can impact business results?” Allstate has taken four specific steps: Step One: Succession Programming. A diverse slate of candi- dates is identified and developed for each key position. Allstate’s management information system enables it to track and mea- sure key drivers of career development and career opportuni- ties for all of its more than 36,000 employees, ensuring that the company’s future workforce will be diverse at all levels. Allstate’s succession programming has made a difference that is easy to measure. Employment of women and minorities has grown at a rate far surpassing national averages. Today, 50 per- cent of Allstate’s more than 5,300 executives and managers are women, and of that percentage, 25 percent are Hispanics or people of color. Languages other than English, a total of 62, are spoken in more than 3,200 Allstate agencies. The company 216 Part 2 The Individual in Organizations has a minority recruitment program that focuses on colleges and universities with the most diverse enrollments. Step Two: Development. Through the company’s employee development process, all employees receive an assessment of their current job skills and a road map for developing the critical skills necessary for advancement. Options include education, coaching and mentoring, and classroom training. Leaders are provided employee feedback on which they can base future development programs. In addition, all of Allstate’s nonagent employees with service of more than one year have completed mandatory diversity training courses. Step Three: Measurement. Twice a year the company takes a snapshot of all 36,000 employees through a survey called the Diversity Index. As a part of a larger online employee survey and feedback process called the Quarterly Leadership Measurement System (QLMS), the Diversity Index asks the following questions: 1. To what extent does our company deliver quality ser- vice to customers regardless of their ethnic background, gender, age, and so on? 2. To what extent are you treated with respect and dignity at work? To what extent does your immediate manager/ team leader seek out and utilize the different backgrounds and perspectives of all employees in your work group? 3. How often do you observe insensitive behavior at work, for example, inappropriate comments or jokes about ethnic background, gender, age, and so on? 4. To what extent do you work in an environment of trust where employees/agents are free to offer different opinions? Management communicates the results of this survey via its intranet and actively solicits feedback from employees on creating action programs to solve problems and improve work processes. Step Four: Accountability and Reward. To link compensation to the company’s diversity goals, 25 percent of each manager’s merit pay is based on the Diversity Index and the QLMS. DeVries believes that this sharpens the focus on the initiative. “What you measure is what people focus on. This really sends a clear signal that management of people and doing that well are really important.” To help employees maintain a balance between work and personal life, Allstate has a number of programs in place. For example, it has an on-site child-care center at its headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois, and three near-site child-care centers, all of which offer parents discount programs. It also has on-site dry cleaning, oil change, and postal and catering services and allows for flexible work arrangements for its employees. The Allstate Center for Assistive Technology (ACAT) helps employ- ees with disabilities that include carpal tunnel syndrome, mobility impairments, and multiple sclerosis. For example, when one information technology employee began experienc- ing hearing problems, the ACAT team was deployed to fit him with a special home phone for use when he was on night call.

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Argumentative essay

1) three principles from the theory of Virtue Ethics; and 2) three approaches to governance. Your arguments should be supported with research and examples from Fiji, other Pacific Island countries and the world.

Is culture or lack of virtue the main factor behind the increasing number of NonCommunicable Disease (NCD) cases in the pacific?

1. INTRODUCTION: EMBARK, CLARIFY ? Have you selected one of the above topics? ? Have you defined/unpacked the keywords and theories? ? Have you stated the essay?s aims or purpose?

2. BODY: ANALYSE AND SYNTHESISE ? Have you addressed all the parts of the question? ? Have you presented original arguments using your own words? ? Is there evidence of analysis/synthesis using ethical theories? ? Is your personal stance clear in the essay? ? Do you cite examples from two Pacific Island countries?

3. CONCLUSION: CRITICALLY EVALUATE INFORMATION ? Have you summarised the main arguments in the conclusion? ? Have you restated and stressed your own view in the conclusion?

4. RESEARCH AND REFERENCES: FIND, GENERATE, ORGANISE AND MANAGE ? Have you conducted extensive research on the topic in the library? ? Have you conducted extensive research on the topic using online sources? ? Have you cited 10 credible in-text references within the essay? (Not Wikipedia) ? Have you listed 10 references in the bibliography (3 online, 7 book/journal)? ? Do the in-text citations and the bibliography match? ? Is the Harvard System used to prepare the bibliography and in-text references?

5. ACADEMIC STYLE: ORGANISE, MANAGE, COMMUNICATE AND APPLY ? Is your essay coherently structured? (Do the arguments flow well?) ? Have you used a formal/academic writing style? ? Is your essay free of spelling and grammatical errors? Have you proof-read it?