Introduction
According to Hofstede’s five dimensional model regarding national or organizational culture namely “Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism, Masculinity and Long Term Orientation” (2005), the emphasis indicates that performances and dimensional adversity of a company depends on its level of aggression. There is urgent need for any company to ensure it avoids blending differentiated values especially at the individual levels.
What is an organization culture? It is a programming done through thoughts as a combination of executable set of instructions and rules, which distinguishes member groups or one company from others. It is attributable to a collective phenomenon connected to different aspects and departments in the organization or firm for the purpose of guidance through its undertakings. One acquires organization cultures from the social setting of a firm or organization.
When a person changes the job, the organization culture also changes but only to certain levels because the concept following many structure rally behind the business standards, regulations or policies. The organization culture is not like the other cultures because it allows employees to practice their business undertakings through implementation of the set regulations.
Methodology
The report of IBM company setting adopt a methodology of critically analysis of the available or already existing literature based on performance and business transactions. Secondly is the re-examinations and study of the literature from experts observations regarding the topics especially those who are directly involved with the implementation into the business world. Good analysis involves companies that face high affects by the circumstances and are still in the market segments.
E-commerce and its issues
Today the designers of products, manufactures and, marketers are in different locations and often need to complete transactions through the net. Their information requires proper security for an effective collaboration.
Many large companies such today have various engagements through the internet for the daily routines. Substantial investment on the security of information is therefore crucial as part of extending enterprises. The big companies invest heavily on the security compared to the smaller companies but the threats befall all the companies, arguably more sophisticated and disproportionate on smaller firms.
The security risks entails, disruptions or delays especially on companies with extended enterprises. Other risks may include stolen patent laws, compromise of data integrity and others that are worse such as total loss and manipulation of information to gain profits.
Most executives do not understand the viability of the information security and therefore the factors that drive the firms into the investment include; customer requests, government regulations and business policies or requirements. In the marketplace, some companies quantify the investment in information security as a competitive advantage because customers feel comfortable transacting in such firms.
Information security/threats
What are the benefits of investing in Information Security? Does the investment decrease the cost and risks? “The insurance companies, arbitrageurs and, financial trading firms manage risks by understanding the methodologies behind the risks experienced by the client firms….” (Schneier, 2009).
A firm is able to quantify its value through evaluation of performance or in the course of comparison between the prospective projects and the pending work. The quantitative risk analysis shows how the control adds value in a reputable and comparable manner.
There are quite number of benefits for a firm that invests in information security. The ability to cope effectively with today’s computer threats such as computer viruses/worms, computer threats such as web hacking/breakings/defacement, internet disruptions and other cyber events is at the verge.
Insecurity has caused the delivery of products in the virtual market complex and progressively slow since people want to countercheck the viability of a transaction before engaging in it. Threats or risks are all over the virtual transactions.
By investing in security control measures, a company is able to safeguard its productivity. For instance, what amount of time employees spent surfing the net while they are supposed to be working on viable projects? How much productivity is lost due to downtime? The ability to monitor such events enables the business to prosper. Secondly, the company is able to control the data losses through investment on high backup solutions on the server.
It is easy to get the better of cost of reworking through these backup solutions. It is very difficulty to quantify the amount of damages linked to data through malicious code. As a defence and counter measure process, it is important to note that having a good back up system enhances recovery (Easttom, 2006). It is equally very important for outsourced company to ensure proper backup less they suffer from cost related losses (Kerber, 2007).
Today, system security saves the business proceedings from various performance hitches such as bleach of data or impacts on reputation. Although it is difficult to predict the value of Information Security, it is helpful and important for determine the business value especially when considering a new project. One would compare the amount of useful information available from an existing information security system.
New technology
Today it is eminent that the role of computers has a huge impact on every person. Computerisation has taken over majority of the societal or business roles and has greatly improved lives. The most advanced machines include the intelligent systems that have the ability to control other manual machines. According to Mathias et al (2007), today the manufacture industries such as IBM use computer procedures and information fed to the processing systems to give out the desired outputs.
The computer systems are all designed differently and yet the experts are not in a position to be acquainted with all the involved details. The battle with technology is dynamic and a continuous process expected to bring about new challenges every day. This mainly influences on the marketing and advertising department in a very vibrant manner due to the stable anticipated creativity.
The society is dependent of technology today and having the computers in the workplace, homes and mobility enable effectiveness, and efficiency required for better and all round businesses. The computers cuts down on the production costs and time since there is elimination on majority of the manual tasks involvement.
The technology has advanced to a point where the graphical user and three dimension interfaces are on use. Unlike the earlier days when people had to produce everything practically, the computation skills have amazingly incorporated the touch, voice or click commands. The main aim of most companies is to embrace technological skills since they make human tasks easier to undertake without taking over their lives.
Arguably, it is very hard for the intelligent systems to take over the society since the human beings makes and controls them with the aim of improving on the quality of life. It is difficult to over-throw the human intelligence and creativity. Today, inventiveness and resourcefulness especially in the business sectors such as use of internet enables resourceful communication and sharing of information.
Although the tasks involving computation are expensive, especially the initial start up cost, the advancement engagements, the output as well as the input requirements makes the whole system cheaper and much easier or appreciative due to the quality and quantity of output.
Business ethics and social issues
Avoiding Uncertainties
This aspect relates to the amount or level of stress or strain one maybe undergoing especially in a social setting where the future exhibits unknown possibilities. For instance, the technological changes of the company may pose a lot of strain and stress to the employees whose new requirements may entail retraining to keep to the standards. The employees therefore face competitive disadvantages from the well-trained and up-to-date prospective employees seeking considerations at similar positions.
The uncertainty avoidance cannot be a close link to the business risk avoidance. It indicates the social tolerance over ambiguity. It is the determinant factor over the extent to which an employee can persevere comfortable or the uncomfortable job related or social situations in the employment setting. Some people will avoid organizational rules to minimize the unstructured circumstances such as unanticipated or unknown situations that are different from the norm.
Research indicates that people in the uncertainty defiance conditions are usually emotional and their motivations emerge from personal inner nervousness. (Hofstede and Hofstede, 2005) Other people accept the uncertainty and end up being more tolerant over opinions that are different of their expectations. These people are torrent to any organizational change and are willing to go by the organizational change regardless of their difference of opinion, thought or contempt.
Individualism
Employees working in a large company such as the IBM are bond by the collectivism or “group work”. At an individual level, employees have certain cultural regulations that loosen the ties between the groups. The dimensional difference in a company addresses the bond issue. Some social group may have strong integration probably due to their social bonds, generation links or loyalty.
Masculinity vs. Feminism
These are issues relating to the division between the gender related emotions. The subject takes rationality over individual attribute whereby the distribution of values ought to ensure parity as a fundamental and societal issue. The study of the IBM indicates that the feminine aspects have lower differences among various societies compared to the male values.
Among the different countries where the IBM Company has branches, the male values are dominant in the line of assertiveness and competitiveness. On the other hand, women have almost similar values focusing on modesty and care.
According to Hofstede and Hofstede (2005), the reference of assertiveness in the model is ‘Masculine’ while the modesty among females is ‘Femininity’. Although the issue may have, the social influences such that the competitive situations that changes the feminine perspective to narrow the gap. Sometimes the differences in the social cultures have deep-rooted values such as taboos that may also influence adversity especially among women.
Business Strategy/initiative
Today most companies such as the IBM have realized the key role of the HR departments. To increase profitability, the HR department should be the key business strategic planner through deployment of the technology such as the web-based analysis of economic factors influencing the business.
Discovery of knowledge as the key resource for the department is the basis for the future predictions that HR management will necessitate for new and radical management strategies and practices. The field of information technology should replace firms’ important administrative tasks entitled to HR department today.
The managers in the HR department should be the strategic business associates who ought to ensure the business gains from its planning strategies. According to Mathias et al, (2007) the HR management system should have the sole role of ensuring maximization of profit margins through enhanced quality and technology based on human management as a way of creating value to the organization
The aspects of internetworking required for the HR management include intranet technology, electronic education for the clients as well as the employees, self-service for the client, gathering of the client’s response, reactions or comments virtually through surveys and electronic comments.
Future Human Resources plans
Inline with Daft and Marcic, (2008) the future implication and planning for technological advancement as a business strategy means advancement in employees’ productivity in the aim of general performance.
During the integration of the information technology into business, the aim is to eventually manage and improve the customer’s relationship, manage the intelligence in the business setting, plan for the resources, manage people especially in terms of the knowledge, supply chain management, enhancement of electronic trade as well as and supporting decision making procedures (Daft and Marcic, 2008).
Most businesses have attained majority of these aspects but the future expectations for IBM are that the system to be in a position of promoting all the requirements. Any future endeavours of IT related departments are to generate improved performance/effectiveness through reduction on cost but maximization of profit margins. (Mathias et al, 57)
Today utilizing the available technology is inevitable, the question remain whether the companies are utilizing the technology in the right manner especially for the human resource departments.
According to Daft and Marcic (2007), what lies ahead is a human resource department focused on a knowledge based economy, where the race remain between the rivalry companies over fast learning and flexible organization with the aim of taking the advantage over the already technologically acquainted markets. The technological advancement allows the companies to be in a position of collaborating and exchanging information over contraction or stockholding.
Major future understanding of the IT integrated in the HR management entails definition of the intended and anticipated outcomes. The current increased usage of technology in the workplace shows that it is inevitable for the HR departments to adopt the web-based systems as a business initiative.
Conclusion
Today, recovering a business from a disaster is a common phenomenon in systems management. For many years, it has been a long and risky procedure for the overall business practice unless one used the business continuity arrangements to get extra information for carrying on the disaster recovery process. Management of information system can benefit IBM because of exposure to economical capabilities and availability of resources.
The new management system entails outsourcing a disaster recovery team. This optimal procedure is mainly economical and outstanding. The IBM enjoys the advantages of availability of some standard backup procedures of storing information and other important assets. Incorporation of continuity or disaster recovery plans as necessary tools for backing-up management procedures allows IBM business policies to authorize compliance.
Effective business continuity plan entails management sponsorship and, compliance with polices and procedures. The process is mainly dependent of corporate senior management in the firm. The complexity of businesses as highlighted by the human errors involves compliance measures to determine the critical need for the firm to overcome vulnerability to malfunctions.
A good management system focuses on impact and risk analysis of the business. It is a direct contribution to business’s disaster recovery plan. The plan for business management system therefore gives support from all the firm’s departments through incorporation of policies as part of standard operating procedures, to measure the competencies of these functional areas.
References
Daft, R .L, & Marcic, D., 2008. Understanding Management. Kentucky: KY. Cengage Learning Publishers
Easttom, C., 2006. Network Defense and counter measures principles and practices: Security Series. Pearson Prentice Hall
Hofstede, G., and Hofstede, G.J., 2005. Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. (Second Edition). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Kerber, R., 2007. Cost of Data Breach at TJX sours to $256m. [online]. Available at from https://www.boston.com/
Mathis, R, L., Jackson, J. H., and Elliott, T. L., 2007. Human Resource Management. Thomson Southwestern Publishers
Schneier, B., 2009. Security ROI Fact and Fiction. [online]. Available at
https://www.schneier.com/