The topic of the thesis entitled "Age diversity - promoting equal opportunities in RWE" is an analysis of diversity management tools specific to the company from 2011 to 2012, defining age management and proposing an action plan of age diversity in the company for the years 2013 and 2014. The theoretical part of the thesis defines the basic concepts needed to deal with the issues such as equal opportunities, diversity, age management. The thesis includes a description of the historical development of diversity management, including the legislative framework in the EU and the Czech Republic. Age management is the management with regard to the age and abilities of employees and, as such, is clearly related to demographic changes of society. The thesis summarizes the forecasts of demographic development provided by ČSÚ, indicating that the demographic situation in the Czech Republic leads to the aging of population. In the practical part of the thesis is an analysis of the project "Diversity" of RWE Group on 31 December 2012, particularly with regard to the application of tools for age diversity, analysis of diversity of the labor force, and the definition of a job potential. Analysis results are compared with those of selected companies in age management. Based on the findings an action plan of age diversity of the RWE Group for next period is designed. The aim of the thesis is to verify the positive benefits of age diversity for the RWE Group in the Czech Republic.

Bakgrund:Dagens organisationer ser alla olika ut, stora som små företag med anställda i olika åldrar med olika bakgrund, värderingar och erfarenheter. Att arbeta med mångfald kan bidra till att utvecklingen går framåt på en samhällsnivå. Det finns kopplingar till mångfalden och det visar sig att organisationskulturen och socialiseringen inom organisationen påverkas av ett mångfaldsarbete. Det finns en koppling mellan ett mångfaldsarbete och de anställdas motivationsbehov, organisationens socialiseringsprocess samt organisatorisk kultur. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur en socialiseringsprocess mellan två generationer inom en viss organisation fungerar. Studien ämnar skapa förståelse, kunskap och förklaring av hur en socialiseringsprocess påverkas av ett aktivt åldersrelaterat mångfaldsarbete. Metod: Metoden som använts i studien är en kvalitativ metod i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Datainsamlingen gjordes på ett industriföretag på deras tjänstemansida. Med hjälp tidigare forskning tillsammans med den insamlade empirin och analysmodell kunde studien analysera på vilka sätt kan en socialiseringsprocess, mellan en yngre och äldre generation, bidra till en stark organisationskultur. Analys: I analysen har uppsattsförfattarna gjort en egen analysmodell för att kunna analysera och besvara frågeställningen med hjälp av teori om empiri. Där har de kommit fram till att denna studie bidrar med att skapa ny kunskap kring hur åldersrelaterad mångfald i organisationskulturen påverkar socialiseringsprocessen. Resultat och Slutsats: Studiens resultat belyser att socialiseringsprocessen fungerar som en brygga mellan äldre och yngre medarbetare och bidrar till att skapa behövliga interaktioner med varandra. Genom ett aktivt åldersrelaterat mångfaldsarbete kan socialiseringsprocessen stå som grund till hur organisationskulturen skapas istället för att en generation ska styra skapandet. Detta möjliggör att medarbetarna tillsammans skapar en kultur där alla inkluderas. För att detta ska vara möjligt krävs det ett aktivt åldersrelaterat mångfaldsarbete för att både de yngre och de äldres egenskaper ska forma organisationskulturen. / Background: Today's organizations all look different, large and small companies with employees of different ages with different backgrounds, values and experiences. Working with diversity can contribute to progress at the societal level. There are connections to diversity and it turns out that organizational culture and socialization within organizations are affected by diversity work. There is a connection between diversity work and the employees' motivational needs, the organization's socialization process and organizational culture. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how a socialization process between two generations within a certain organization works. The study aims to create understanding, knowledge and explanation of how a socialization process is affected by active age-related diversity work. Method: The method used in the study is a qualitative method in the form of semi-structured interviews. The data collection was done in an industrial company on their white-collar side. Using previous research together with the collected empirical evidence and analysis model, the study was able to analyze in which ways a socialization process, between a younger and older generation, can contribute to a strong organizational culture. Analysis: In the analysis, the essay authors have made their own analysis model in order to be able to analyze and answer the question using the theory of empiricism. There they have concluded that this study contributes to creating new knowledge about how age-related diversity in the organizational culture affects the socialization process. Result and Conclusion: The result of the study highlights that the socialization process acts as a bridge between older and younger employees and contributes to creating necessary interactions with each other. Through active age-related diversity work, the socialization process can form the basis of how the organizational culture is created instead of one generation directing the creation. This enables the employees to create a culture in which everyone is included. For this to be possible, active age-related diversity work is required so that the characteristics of both the younger and the older shape the organizational culture.

The purpose for this paper is to determine whether there is any direct connection between board composition and R&D investments of Swedish listed companies. A century ago, Sweden was among the poorest nations in Europe, yet today Sweden is 3rd among world leaders in innovation. Innovation is approximated as a good proxy measurement for R&D investments. R&D has been the primary source for innovation because of today’s nature of economies in which firms are challenged with competitive advantage. R&D investments have become very essential for every organization as well, yet there is no clear relationship between board composition and R&D investments. The researchers sought to confirm whether the effects of board composition are not only to monitor but also to provide resources since R&D spending requires appropriate forms of control systems and proper level of resources in the form of skill, experience and knowledge. The researchers obtained that the Swedish code of corporate governance is the main form of regulation and control mechanism that are mandatory for the boards of listed companies to adapt and comply with. In this study, the researchers integrated agency theory, resource dependence theory, and stakeholder theory and stewardship theory perspectives to explain the effects of board composition on R&D investments. The hypotheses were derived from these mentioned theories, tested from the sample data of 68 companies extracted from listed firms in Stockholm Stock Market. Board tenure, board interlock, independent directors, and ownership of shares, board size, age diversity and gender diversity were used as the influential factors for R&D investments. Additionally, firm size, ROA, firm age and leverage were adopted as moderating variables to test the effect of board membership composition against R&D spending. However, only board interlock came out to be negative and significantly correlated at 5% level with R&D investments and the remaining variables were detected to have negative low correlations with R&D investment, though no significant associations were found. Out of the control variables chosen only ROA obtained a significantly negative low correlation at 1% level. The epistemological and ontological choices for this study were positivism and objectivism with deductive approach. In order to examine if there is a relationship between board composition and R&D investment, the researchers employed multiple regression analysis. The researchers also identified a research gap since they did not find any evidence of a study that examines board composition in relation to R&D investments in Sweden. As indicated by the results of this study, only board interlock has effect on R&D spending. Therefore, there is need for further research on R&D investments by examining other forms of board composition characteristics such as education and professional experience. Both qualitative and quantitative studies are recommendable in this area. The authors concluded that the board characteristics do not directly matter for Swedish corporations to invest annually in R&D activities. This paper provides full support to stakeholders’ theory and stewardship theory while partially agrees with agency theory and resource dependence theory. Key words: Corporate governance, Research and Development (R&D), board tenure, board interlock, independent directors, ownership, board size, age diversity and gender diversity.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:26:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marie Francoise Marguerite Winandy Martins Pereira.pdf: 1065591 bytes, checksum: d9ac585181408d14e415505dbb5de4a4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-04-02 / The aging workforce is an inexorable social phenomenon that emerges in the organizational setting, suggesting expand opportunities for older professionals. International studies show that few organizations consider professionals over 45 years old as targets either for selection or career development purposes. In Brazil there are still few studies focused on age diversity. The objective of this study was to understand the phenomenon of ageism at work from the over 45 years old unemployed manager standpoint. A qualitative study was made having as sample eighteen professionals over 45 years old, who used to work at managerial level who were seeking placement in a timeframe from two months to one year. The semi-structured interviews were analyzed with a qualitative content analysis approach based on significant open issues categorization. Data analysis generated five categories that allowed us to understand how the ageism appeared for the respondents, in a professional context: (1) Career Path; (2) Facing the reality of the selection process; (3) Training and Development; (4) Is there an adequate age?; (5) Effects of ageism in personal life. The phenomenon of ageism, while providing profound consequences, is not always clear for the ones subjected to it. The results direct to the need for specific interventions because, contrary to what occurs with racial or gender diversity, initiatives to increase the age diversity in organizations are rarely undertaken. / O envelhecimento da força de trabalho é um fenômeno social inexorável que desponta no cenário organizacional, sugerindo a necessidade de ampliar as oportunidades para profissionais mais velhos . Estudos internacionais revelam que poucas organizações consideram como alvo de seleção e desenvolvimento de carreiras profissionais com idade acima de 45 anos. No Brasil ainda são escassos os estudos voltados à diversidade etária. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi compreender o fenômeno do etarismo no trabalho por meio do olhar de gerentes desempregados, com idade acima de 45 anos. Foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa, tendo como sujeitos de pesquisa dezoito profissionais com no mínimo 45 anos, que atuaram em nível gerencial em organizações empresariais e que se encontravam em busca de colocação há dois meses a até um ano. As entrevistas semiestruturadas, foram analisadas à luz de uma abordagem qualitativa de análise de conteúdo, baseada em categorização aberta de temas significativos. A análise dos dados gerou cinco categorias que permitiram compreender como o etarismo foi revelado pelos respondentes, no contexto profissional: (1) Trajetória Profissional; (2) Enfrentando a realidade do processo seletivo; (3) Treinamento e Desenvolvimento; (4) Há Idade Certa? e Marcas do Etarismo na Vida Pessoal. O fenômeno do etarismo, embora traga conseqüências profundas, nem sempre é nítido para quem é submetido a ele. Os resultados apontam para a necessidade de intervenções específicas, pois, ao contrário do que ocorre com a diversidade racial ou de gênero, raramente são empreendidas iniciativas para aumentar a diversidade etária nas organizações.

The thesis deals with the issue of Age Management and the application forms of organizations in the Czech working environment. This thesis was initially dedicated to defining the concept of Age Management and also to present its historical development. It also includes its consistency with the demographic situation. Wider attention is paid to the application of Age Management in practice and the use of specific tools and measures that are used by organizations. This paper also highlights the main benefits and importance of Age Management. There are few selected researches concerning this subject, carried out in various organizations in the European Union and in the Czech Republic. The important part of the thesis is the empirical survey, whose main target is to determine whether the selected organizations, based in Prague and operating in the private sector, have some awareness about Age Management, as well as comparing its application into practice and corporate strategy. Key words: Age Management, Age Diversity, Population Ageing, Intergenerational Cooperation, Age Discrimination.

Age management is closely related to professional abilities and their maintaining trough advanced age. Thesis examines topic from point of view of corporations and its goal is to analyze and amend existing recommendations for implementation of the concept in Czech Republic. In order to achieve this goal, companies that engage in Age management implementation were addressed. Interviews were conducted in HR departments of three major corporations. This revealed that the concept is not widely used in Czech Republic at this time. There are no complex strategies and age management is being applied sporadically. There is a great effort to maintain good health of employees but it was also found out that awareness rising is insufficient. Testing using a method of Work Ability Index is being implemented and strategic application of the concept is being prepared.

Four generations of workers share the workforce for the first time in history. Business leaders' failure to address generational conflict may lead to low productivity, high turnover rates, employee frustration, and reduced profits. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of business leaders, managers, and supervisors in leading a multigenerational workforce within their companies. The conceptual framework was based on McClelland's theory, identifying key motivators that drive characteristics of people, including affiliation. A purposive sample of 20 local employees, spanning 4 generations from the retail grocery industry in Hampton Roads, Virginia, were interviewed to explore general characteristics, attitudes, values, and behaviors at work. Transcribed interview data were divided into categories to find shared phenomenon and identify themes based on the participants' perceptions. The findings were categorized and coded, patterns were established, and themes were generated to answer the central research question. Trustworthiness of the interpretations was achieved through member checking. The findings from this study revealed that the employees perceived that business leaders, managers, and supervisors lacked sufficient knowledge to successfully communicate with their employees or peers from different generations in the workplace. The employees perceived that those communication failures and lack of interaction between the different generations generated conflict. The implications for positive social change include the potential to bridge the gap between younger and older workers and minimize conflict resulting from miscommunication among the different age groups.

Some business leaders find it challenging to manage individuals from different age groups; this is an issue, as organizations in many developed countries become more age-diverse. The purpose of this single case study was to provide business leaders with information about strategies top-level business executives and team leaders at a large company in Curaçao (a developed island nation in the Caribbean) use for enhancing productivity of an age-diverse workforce. The conceptual framework of this study consisted of generational theory of Mannheim. A key tenet of the generational theory includes that belonging to the same generational unit, generational location, and generational actuality shapes the beliefs, values, and attitudes of members of a generational cohort collectively. Data from interviews and company documentation that included an annual report, business guide, and performance management documentation were coded and analyzed using NVivo software, and member checking was used to enhance the trustworthiness of interpretations. Key themes that emerged from data analysis include the need to use communication strategies, foster equal treatment of employees, implement employee development plans, and adopt a structured approach for addressing issues related to age-diversity. Implementation of the different strategies and recommendations identified in this study might aid business leaders in their effort to manage an age-diverse workforce and increase workplace productivity. Implications for social change include the potential to improve empathy and relations between individuals from different generations and the cultivation of a more cohesive society.

No description available.

MCom / Department of Human Resource Management and Labour Relations / The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of workforce diversity on employee performance in a selected Higher Educational Institution in South Africa. Various legislative measures were introduced by the government in order to shape the workforce in organisations. However, these legislative measures expressly focus on compelling organisations to embrace diversity and thus not considering the business need of it and how it influences employee behavioral outcomes such as employee performance. It is upon this backdrop that this study investigated the effects of workforce diversity on employee performance in an HEI in South Africa. A cross-sectional research design was used. A random sample (n = 267) was chosen by dividing employees into homogeneous strata of academic and non-academic employees. A Workforce Diversity Questionnaire and Employee Work Performance Questionnaire were administered. The results showed a positive and significant relationship between independent variables (gender diversity, ethnic diversity and educational diversity) and the dependent variable (employee performance). The relationship between age diversity and employee performance was not significant. HEIs should introduce diversity management programs to improve the effectiveness of workforce diversity towards employee performance. Because a cross-sectional research design was employed, conclusions about causality could not be made