Bicycle Manufacture General Manager

As the General Manager of a new Bicycle manufacturing business, the first area of my plan I would develop would be to honor diversity in my employment practices. Minorities are the fastest-growing segment currently in the United States and based on the past growth rates; they will be growing at a faster rate than white males based on projections from 2004 through 2014. In regards to the age ranges of different groups, the 16-24 year old group is currently growing more rapidly than the overall population between 2000 and 2010. Similar statistics are also being noticed globally as other countries around the world continue to increase diversity in the workplace. From a business perspective, valuing diversity is an important strategy that I would consider, as maintaining a diverse workforce can improve performance in the organization based on the diverse skillset that makes up the different teams as well as generate flexible and creative thinking. New ideas and different perspectives on business issues are some of the primary benefits that come from workplace diversity and these could lead to the development of new products, opening of new markets, or improving service to existing customers. In order to ensure that diversity is valued in my new business, one thing I would do is ensure that there are diverse teams working together in all business meetings to reach a common goal. Every few months, I would have a company lunch where employees are encouraged to bring a dish from their native background where they can mingle with coworkers and upper management outside of a business environment. The last thing I would put in place is a diverse leadership team who are able to handle the challenges and sensitive issues that may arise when trying to maintain a supportive and understanding atmosphere at work. Part of management compensation would be based off the number of diversity training courses they attend throughout the year and any instance of complaints about discrimination that occurs. These practices should ensure that our business will honor workplace diversity and continue to support those values in the future.

The next area in my plan that I would develop are the need-based theories by Maslow and Herzberg. Maslow developed the hierarchy of needs theory which states that human beings are "wanting" animals. He believed that the human needs are arranged in a hierarchy of importance with the most basic needs at the bottom of the hierarchy. Those three basic sets of needs are called deficiency needs because they must be satisfied first for the person to be comfortable before moving up the hierarchy. The top two sets are called the growth needs because they emphasize on personal growth and development of the individual. The bottom level is the physiological needs which require sustenance and a base salary for the person to feel comfortable before moving onto the next level. The next step up is the security needs which could be a pension

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