Motivational Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Motivational Strategies - Essay Example Microsoft tries to remove any barriers that create obstacles to learning, therefore it provides quick access to training resources and has designed programs that improve performance and provide guide and support to employees. Concerning engineers, Microsoft provides to them formal and informal classroom sessions, lab workshops with mentors, brief expert-and leader-driven talks, online community discussion, think-tank session, networking evens and online knowledge-management databases made available on the company’s intranet. (T+D,2007). In its Tuition Assistance Program, Microsoft covers all tuition fees and textbooks for courses related to work. Its in-house training programs are quite extensive offering technical and nontechnical skills knowledge. Microsoft’s employees have traditionally low morale. Microsoft in order to overcome this issue has launched the program MyMicrosoft. The goals of this program are: improve work atmosphere, train management, increase investment in the staff share plan, a career plan framework for all employees and some other benefits like grocery delivery, on-site access to laundry, dry cleaning services and the return of a towel service at the company’s gym. Typically, Microsoft’s basic incentive tool were stock options. Nowadays, the stock prices are very low so the stock options are not as an effective incentive tool as it used to be. Microsoft tried to satisfy unhappy employees by offering them the opportunity to sell their worthless options, though they did not get what they hoped to get. Microsoft chose a plan of direct grants of restricted stock to replace options. In this plan.Unlike options, actual shares are guaranteed to provide some value to employees, as long as the company doesnt go under. And at mature companies that pay dividends, employees can make money off their equity without having to sell off shares. That makes it

Bessie Smith Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Bessie Smith - Essay Example Bessie Smith’s inherent passion for music was discovered fortunately at a very young age as she and her brother took to the streets of their local neighbourhoods in Chattanoonga, as they sang and danced in order to earn money for their meals. However, her brother soon left her to join a professional troupe and she was left behind due to being very young. Soon enough, her brother arranged for a meeting and interview for Bessie for the Stokes Troupe and she was hired as a dancer but not as a singer, thus her true potential had yet not been realised. In 1915, the singer left and became a part of the Theater Owners Bookers Association, an African American performance group and this became the milestone in her career. The group helped her to gain popularity all over and become a recognised singer. Following this, offers began coming in for Bessie to be part of musicals and one of her firsts, titled ‘How Come?’ made its way to Broadway as well. Here, Bessie co starred w ith Sidney Bechet. Looking at her success and getting motivated by the same, Smith moved on to working in theatre, mostly Black theatres as they accepted her better, and in 1923 she landed with her first recording contract. Soon enough, Bessie became one of the highest paid black women in her field however, the money did not make much difference to her life then and she realised she wanted to sing all her life. Smith’s voice, mellifluous and harmonious, was something she was able to practice and develop on her own. She did not receive any formal training from anywhere, and with the practice she had had since her early years, she dedicated and devoted more time to get even better than what she was and all that she had achieved. Bessie’s mentor, during her years with the Stokes Troupe was Ma Rainey, and she learned a lot during her time there even though it was not a platform for her to better her vocal power and skills. Nonetheless, under Ma Rainey, she was able to lear n and understand what stage presence meant and how she could make herself better in front of the general public. During the time that Bessie was trying to establish herself, the environment for black people was not very conducive. Apartheid reigned badly all around and the opportunities for blacks were very limited, especially in off the hook fields like music. She first got a chance to sing with Okeh Records as they signed her alongside Mamie Smith. Being a woman, Bessie knew she had to really give in her best and fight for her rights in order to get her music heard across to people and have them accept her first as a musician and then as an identity and part of her race. Columbia Records thus, was impressed by her because of her work with Okeh Records, and soon signed her as a part of ‘race records’ series with her record named ‘Cemetery Blues’ which was the first to be released in 1923. Paramount Label had helped Bessie’s first hit titled ‘G ulf Coast Blues’ coupled with ‘Downhearted Blues’ to become an even bigger hit than what it was at the time of release. Bessie began to tour following this success as well as prepared and trained for theatre productions and musicals. She was given titles such as ‘