Analysing the change in the role of the management accountant

Analysing the change in the role of the management accountant This work is focused on critically evaluating the tenacity of the change in the role of the management accountant from traditional accounting functions to that of a strategic planner and business partner. The work of Johnson and Kaplan (1987), titled Relevance lost has prompted a drill-down on this research area. Though most of the researchers agree to the changing role of the management accountant (Burns and Baldvinsdottir, 2005; Cooper and Dart 2009; Allot 2000; Chenhall and Langfield-Smith2007; Siegel1999; Kerby and Romine 2005; Vaivio1999; Ittner and Lacker2001; Ax and Bjornenak 2007;Bhimani 2006;Roslender and Hart 2002). The importance the traditional role still remains vital to others, and should serve to complement the new techniques or the change. (Bromwich and Bhimani 1998; Burns et al. 1999). Others are of the view that history is still a relevant part of the future or the changing trend. (Fleischman and Funnell 2006; Luft 1997;Beaman and Richardson2007).The type of organization as well as the management may also determine the nature of change. Yazdifar and Tsamenyi(2005). This change does not take the same form in organizations, but differs in pattern. Sulaiman and Mitchell (2005). With the present economic miasma, some researchers are even advocating a return to the old ways: the traditional role, (Baldvinsdottir et al (2009). The first section of this work will therefore review these views presented and try to draw a comparison between these views to see if the role of the management accountant has actually changed and to what extent. This will be done drawing support from literatures. It will immediately be followed with some of the new roles the management accountant is taking up in organizations. Thereafter the position of traditional accounting practice in this new trend of events will be discussed. This will enable us to know where to place the traditional accounting role, whether it has lost its usefulness and should be totally discarded or should serve to compliment the new roles. Next to that, some of the new techniques in management accounting that organizations are adopting, the factors that are driving the change in role as well as their significance to the new role will be discussed. Conclusions will then be drawn as to the management accountants roles change. The changing role of the management accountant. Johnson and Kaplan (1987) are deemed to have set the sail in this argument with their book titled Relevance lost: the rise and fall of management accounting. These strong terms used by them has prompted or necessitated a lot of research work in this direction. They argue that the existing form of management accounting lacked the know-how to meet up with the dynamic business environment. Their argument was supported by citing technological advancements, information technology, as well as global and domestic competition as reasons making the existing practices inadequate. According to an article published in the Journal of Accountancy (Most Companies Want Their CPAs to Be Business Strategists, Survey Says, 1996), much more is now being demanded of the management accountants within organizations. Their jobs are going beyond the preparation of financial statements as explanations and interpretation are now required of them of the information they provide. The management accountant is accordingly a high-level decision support specialist. Kerby and Romine (2005) argue that for management accountants to remain a relevant part of their organizations, there must be a change in emphasis from the traditional accounting practices which involves the counting, analysis, interpretation and presentation of financial information. They advocate that the management accountant should be versed with knowledge about changes affecting the business of his organization and imbibe qualities that would enable them function as full-fledged business partners. Smith (2007) opined that the focus of the management accountant within organizations is now shifting to the external environment. That the management accountant is no more uniformed of what happens externally to his organization, He now looks both inwards and outwards. Cooper and Dart (2009), give support to this view that, management accountants are moving from being information providers to supporting the decision making. Siegel (1999), noted that management accountants were before now not involved in the actual decision-making process, but acted in support of the decision makers and later got informed of facts. But the role of the management accountant had changed and greater part of their time was being spent as internal consultants or business analyst within their companies. Like most of the other writers he attributes this changing role to the advancement in technology which he states has freed the management accountant from what he describes as mechanical accounting. He stated that the new role of the management accountant now involves a lot of direct contacts with people throughout their organizations, and that they are more involved in decision making and cross-functional teams. This he termed evolution from serving internal customers to being business partners. The management accountant as strategic planner and business partner. The central message of this work has been on the management accountant assuming the role of strategic planner and business partner as opposed to the traditional role of corporate cop and bean counter. The management accountants role has evolved and is shaping up into a strategic financial planner and manager of information. The management accountant is said to be having less to do with the routine accounting practice. (Siegel 2000, Cooper and Dart, 2009, Latshaw, A. and Choi, Y., 2000). New areas of focus of the management accountant include the development of financial plans, information technology systems management, helping in the formation of business objectives as well as monitoring results and keeping up with marketing objectives. Others are management and organization of workforce, playing advisory role in operational decisions, programmes and projects. (Feeney and Pierce, 2007). For the management accountant to function effectively as business partner, certain skills must be acquired. This will include the quality of analyzing and processing oral and numeric data into meaningful information. This should be buttressed by the ability to work effectively in a team. (Curruth, 2004) As business partner, the management accountant combines both the traditional role of protecting the assets of the business with a new role of analysis and participation in decision making in the business administration.(Kennedy and Sorensen, 2006). Caron (2006), outlined steps that should be taken for the management accountant to assume the position of a business partner. They include: Acting as operation and knowledge expert. He/she should be able to provide best practice information and strategic skills. Should be able to put to practice the knowledge acquired in developing strategic management plans. He/she should be able to mobilize the human resources at his disposal. He/she should be able to disseminate accounting information effectively. Management accounting the position of the traditional role. Although Johnson and Kaplan(1987) opined that the traditional accounting role of the management accountant had lost its value and have argued that it is no more relevant to the dynamism of todays world, not everyone believe their opinion is best for management accounting, and have thus expressed their reservations. (Bromich and Bhimani 1989; Burns et al 1999; Yazdifar and Tsamenyi 2005). Baldvinsdottir et al. (2009) are of the opinion that a return to the traditional or mechanical accounting methods is of great importance especially at this period of economic down-turn. They argue that although the hype about the changing role of the management accountant, a lot of the traditional accounting role has relatively remained the same over several decades. Luft (1997) is of the view that history serves as a platform for understanding the present; that the lapses of the present could actually be alleviated by referring back to history. Fleischman and Funnell (2006), while agreeing with Johnson and Kaplan, that it is important that management accounting reports provide management with information that will aid them in minimizing cost and improved productivity, argue that although these activities are forward looking, they have to be based on what they described as intimate dependence between the past and future. They insist this is necessary because of the uncertainties and instabilities associated with commercial environments, coupled with the intricatsies of management. That, management accountants in the course of trying to make the information they provide more useful to their organizations should bear in mind that this should be done in observation of necessary ethical issues. Beaman and Richardson (2007) found out in their research that accounting practices within organizations are being confined to the traditional role, instead of the expected role of decision support and problem solving. There has been the acknowledgment of the wide use of traditional accounting techniques in most organizations as opposed to the supposed expectation of radically new innovative accounting techniques being adopted by these organizations. ( Burns and Scapens, 2000). Emerging techniques in management accounting. Some relatively new trends/techniques have emerged with the aim of tackling the inadequacies of the traditional accounting methods. Some of them have been lauded as the new champions of management accounting solution providers in organizations. (Cooper and Kaplan, 1991). Although these techniques are highly praised, their adoption and implementation may not have been as widely accepted as the hype associated with them. (Collier and Gregory, 1995; Roslender and Hart, 2003). These techniques include: Activity based costing (ABC); The advent of ABC has changed the practice of cost allocation requiring that management accountants develop more analytical skill to tackle the complexities of allocating overheads to different cost objects using cost drivers. (Burns and Yazdifar, 2001; Byrne and Pierce, 2007; Anderson, 1995). ABC made the management accountant an essential part of the decision making process by focusing on pertinent information needed to improve firm performance financially and market wise. (Kennedy and Affleck-Graves, 2001). Kaplan and Anderson (2004) however noted that organizations have abandoned ABC because of its failure to capture the complex nature of their operations, the delays of implementation and the cost effect which are usually too expensive. Balanced scorecard (BSC): The balanced scorecard enables the management accountant to strategically measure performance and develop a framework for the strategic measurement and management systems (Kaplan and Norton, 2007). It changes emphasis from financial aspect to embracing customer, internal and as well as learning and growth factors of organizations. (Kaplan and Norton, 1996). This has altered the role of the management accountant placing him strategically as a decision support specialist. (Latshaw and Choi, 2002). BSCs are adopted by firms for strategic performance measurement, but the outcome of these measures is usually developed to embrace operational strategy, however it was noted that organizations often fail in trying to put BCS into a particular use (Wiersma, 2009). Atkinson (2006) noted that the BSC has been found deficient from empirical results of its benefits. Strategic management accounting: Strategic management accounting (SMA): SMA shifts the focus of management accountant to non-financial factors external to the organization. (Simmonds,1981). It demands that the management accountant be knowledgeable in topics like performance indicators development, value chain analysis as well as capacity cost management. It broadens the scope of the management accountant beyond the firm to strategizing for competitive market and opportunities. (Whiteley, 1995). SMA requires the management accountant as a member of the cross functional team which his role now embraces to bring to bear relevant information and expertise that will aid decision making. (Roslender and Hart, 2001). The management accountant now addresses the impact of other non-financial activities, the cost position of competitors, and evaluation of rival products and services. These activities have placed the management accountant in the significant role of strategic planner and business partner.(Whiteley, 1995; Langfi eld-Smith, 2008). However, Roslender and Hart (2003), noted that what constitutes strategic management accounting is still not clearly defined. Collier and Gregory, (1995) opined that the level of implementation of strategic management accounting may defer in different economies. That is, the economy determines the strategy and functionality of the management accountants. Enterprise resource planning (ERP): ERP requires the management accountant to have sound knowledge that will enable him to provide information that will technically meet the needs of the firm. It also demands that the MA be versed with knowledge of business functions related to production, marketing and information technology. For the management accountant to get going with all these functions, he needs to build a sound inter-personal and social skills. (Barton, 2009;Pierce and ODea, 2003). It may however reduce jobs, creating unemployment. Enterprise resource planning (ERP): enables the management accountant to track production by job, work center, and activity (Zimmerman, 2009:720). However, respondents to research carried out by Knnerley and Neely (2001) were not sure the introduction of ERP to their organizations had made any noticeable impact. Factors driving the change in the role of management accounting. The usefulness of management accounting has come under scrutiny following factors like: automation of factory processes and procedures, information technology, competition, and globalization, complexity of business among others. Some of these factors and their significance will be discussed briefly. Information Technology: (Carruth, 2004; Beaman and Richardson, 2007), noted that information technology has enabled management accountants to take more responsible roles in their organizations. The management accountant is now able to save time in his analysis and interpretation of information. The management accountant helps in presenting data in a form that makes them relevant and useful for managerial purpose. This involves strategizing and being involved in the decision making process. Granlund, M. and Malmi, T. (2002) It has changed the nature of information and placed decision making on information provided by the management accountant. (Atkinson et al. 1999). Automation; requires the management accountant to develop more analytical skills and to be able to provide such information that will enable firms take decisions and adopt such strategies that will help them stay in competition. (Kerremans et al., 1991). Automation is advantageous in lowering labour cost, but may create job losses. (Mantripragada and Sweeney, 1981). Other factors: Other notable factors driving the role change in management accounting include; the emphasis on quality, intellectual capital, more customer focused organizations, increase in overhead cost, less of direct labour cost, and priority on environmental and external issues. These factors have helped tailor the management accountants role to that of a strategic planner and a business partner. The management accountant now takes a more proactive role in knowing and providing solutions to strategic issues in his organization. The issue of competitive business environment which is closely related to globalization is another major factor affecting the way management accounting functions are handled in organizations. Conclusion Although there have been needs for the change in emphasis on the role of management accountant, this change has not been absolute. This is because the cost and complexity of applying these new techniques have made their adoption slow. The introduction of new techniques in management accounting and the impact of various factors have made the management accountant more focused on non-financial aspects of organizations and has widened the scope of activities external to the organization, making him a useful part of the decision making process. However recent issues following the economic downturn has suggested retention of part of the traditional role in combination with new techniques might be more useful. ( Balvinsdottir et al., July/Aug. 2009) Moreover, the importance of these new techniques and the benefit they provide to organizations cannot be overemphasized. These new innovations have made the management accountant more flexible, a solution provider and an important part of the organization as business partner and strategist, restoring relevance. (Johnson, 1992). It is noteworthy that though many are the advantages of implementing these new techniques, some organizations still stick to traditional accounting because it is less complex to implement, saving time.

Examine critically the GLA proposal to introduce congestion charging

Traffic congestion has been a major problem for many of the cities in the UK and nowhere more than in the central of the largest UK city and capital London. It is known that 50% of drivers' time going though central London is spent in queues and at peak times and that times of high amounts of traffic average speeds of vehicles are under 10 miles per hour (Transport for London, 2001, Congestion Charging: Introduction). It has been a key issue for the transport authorities for some time and many efforts have been aimed at levelling this problem. The GLA (Greater London Authority), and in particular the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, has now decided to confront this problem head on and has issued a congestion charging scheme for central London. The charge is set to come into place on the 17th February 2003. The congestion charging scheme is intended to reduce the amount of motorists taking unnecessary trips through the centre if London, and to make them think of using public transport where possible. There will be a charge of i5 for drivers who still wish to go through central London. The charge will occur on weekdays between the hours of 7am and 6. 30pm, there will be no charge on weekends and public holidays, the fee of i5 will be at a flat daily rate with no limit on the number of times motorists go through the charging zone. The fee can either be paid on the day or in advance, with passes to the zone available on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis (TfL, 2001, Congestion Charging: How the scheme will work? ) Not everyone has to pay the charge; there are a number of discounts and exemptions as part of the scheme. Residents who live within the charging zone will receive a 90% discount; providing they can give appropriate verification that they do in fact own the vehicle, they will then be subject to a i10 administration charge to register with the TfL. Disabled badge holder will receive a 100% discount but they will have to register and pay the i10 fee. Others receiving a 100% discount are certain NHS vehicles and firefighters' operational vehicles. There are also a number of exemptions from the charge, which do not have to register with TfL either. These are motorbikes, Black cabs and mini-cabs. Also exempt from the charge are Emergency Service vehicles, NHS vehicles exempt from vehicle excise duties, buses and coaches. There are a number of other types of vehicles that are exempt or receive a 100% discount for the charge (TfL, 2001, Congestion Charging: Who will pay? ). They're will be a fine for the registered keeper of any vehicle which has been caught in the charging zone without having paid the charge will be penalised by the amount of i80, this will go down to i40 for payment within the week, or it will rise to i120 if the fine is not paid on time. However, motorists will be able to pay the charge at the normal rate of i5 before 10pm on the day and at a rate of i10 from 10pm till midnight (TfL, 2001, Congestion Charging: Penalties). The scheme will be enforced by a number of powerful and highly technological camera's which will be situated a in and around the congestion charging zone. There is an initial set up budget of i200 million, and i100 million worth of traffic management measures. The scheme is set to raise around i130 million a year, which is by law, should all be spent on transport improvements within Greater London. After rounds of public consultation over a ten-week period starting in July 2001, the London Mayor has decided to go ahead with the proposed scheme, and without any glitches should go ahead on the 17th February 2003 (TfL, 2001,Congestion Charging: Fact Sheets: Basic proposals of the central London scheme). The scheme itself has many benefits along with drawbacks to road users, residents, businesses motorists and the environment. All of these will be affected and care and consideration should be taken when considering the significance of the charge on the various groups. The largest and foremost benefit of the scheme would be the reduced amounts of congestion in the key zone, i. e. Central London. Even though there are many motorists who consider their trips through central London vital, there will be a number of motorists who will avoid the zone during the charging hours, because they do not need to make that trip. The estimated level of reduction in vehicles passing inside the zone would be 10-15%, with a 20-30% reduction in the in the levels of congestion. This would then aid in the speeding up of traffic, which is estimated to increase by 10-15% (TfL, 2001, congestion charging- benefits). The levels of traffic now cause negative externalities, where Marginal Social Costs (MSC), public costs, is greater than Marginal Private Costs (MPC), costs to the individual. The motorists only take into account the cost of petrol and time taken for the trip, MPC. This does not take in to account the levels of pollution, noise and other people's time that their vehicle is effecting, MSC. With the charge leading to the above levels of reduced traffic the size of the externality is reduced as the individual driver is bearing more of the cost. The charge that the Tfl have brought in is in relation to the size of the externality caused by the driver therefore getting closer to the social optimum in road use and traffic congestion. Traffic congestion in London being at its worst ever is also costing industry in and around greater London millions of pounds every year. In a study Alan Griffiths & Stuart Wall (2001), estimate that if traffic were reduced then London's economy would be better off by i1m a day. This would be a major boost for a city that at the moment looks unattractive and is sometimes over looked in favour of other cities because of the traffic congestion and the additional costs to business because of it. The scheme would also improve business efficiency and reduce the time employees and deliverers spend on the roads, and would spend less on fuel consumption (Greens on the GLA, 2001). The TfL expect the scheme to raise around i130 million a year, with a ten year investment plan to plough it all in to transport improvements. This would no doubt improve public transport, namely buses and the underground, in many areas with improved and new routes planned and an increase in the number of buses and trains. There are investments planned in all areas in public transport, including implementing more safety regulations (TfL, 2001, Congestion Charging: Public Transport Improvements). This all has to occur fairly swiftly as the demand for the use of public transport will be stretched. The congestion charging scheme also has many consequences to it. With the reduction in congestion in the charging zone, there will be an obvious increase in traffic around the surrounding areas of the zone. The TfL are expecting there to be a 5% increase in traffic levels on orbital routes. This would raise the externalities, and the difference between MPC and MPC will increase. There is also an issue of this being like just another tax and being regressive in its cause, therefore benefiting the rich and adversely affecting the poor. The rich will be able to pay the tax with no qualms, and will actually benefit from paying it as the people less able to pay the tax will be forced, not to drive in the zone.

Role Of Regulation On The Free Market Essay - 1530 Words

Option 1 – The Role of Regulation in the Free Market Done By: Kamal Adiab I agree that the free market would run into serious problems undercutting its sustainability without regulation; however, the free market is as much a creation of the state that is highly influenced by interest groups. Interest groups play an important role in the formation of a regulation. Interest groups help candidates get elected into government. In return, interest groups can lobby for leniencies in policies that serve their interests. For example, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers has lobbied the government of pipeline regulation, streaming of Fisheries Act, tax credits, and greenhouse gas regulations (as per Macleans.ca, The 10 lobby groups with most contact). If these private interests didn’t exist, would the general public lobby to increase tax credits to corporations? I don’t believe this is the case. Another key question is why do we have regulation? Regulation is meant to serve the best interest of the public. Regulation can serve the private interest, public interest or both. Almost every aspect of our daily life is regulated (as per Regulation: A Primer, page 1). Regulation is very comprehensive to the point that it extends to the moment we wake up to the moment we go back to bed at night. In the morning, there are regulations that dictate which airwaves are used by your radio station; in addition, food and drug agencies regulate the content of your toothpaste, soap,Show MoreRelatedThe Role Of The International Trade Environment On A Free Market Type Environment Versus One With Heavy Government Regulations Essay1137 Words   |  5 PagesGovernment plays and integral role in ensuring that developing countries have a fair and sustainable share of the benefits of the international trade environment. 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Virgini The Comparison Of Virginia - 725 Words

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Why Should Shop Online Essay - 2117 Words

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Intro to Accounting Notes Free Essays

Business Environment Accounting: The information system that measures business activities, processes the information Into reports, and communicates the results to decision makers. Two Major Fields of Accounting: 1 ) Financial Accounting: The field of accounting that focuses on providing information for external decision makers. 2) Managerial Accounting: The field of accounting that focuses on providing information for internal decision makers. We will write a custom essay sample on Intro to Accounting Notes or any similar topic only for you Order Now Certified Public Accountants (Spas): Licensed professional accountants who serve the mineral public. Certified Management Accountants (Camas): Certified professionals who specialize in accounting and financial management knowledge that typically work for a single company. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FAST): private organization that oversees the creation and governance of accounting standards. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): the US government agency that oversees the US financial markets. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAP): the main US accounting rule book, created and governed by the FAST. Cost Principle: states that acquired assets and services should be recorded at their actual cost. Going Concern Assumption: assumes that the entity will remain in operation for the foreseeable future. Accounting Equation: Assets-Liableness + Equity Assets: an economic resource that is expected to benefit the business in the future. Liabilities: debts that are owed to creditors. Retained Earnings: capital earned by profitable operations off corporation that is not distributed to stockholders. Net Income: the result of operations that occurs when total revenues are greater Han total expenses. Revenues: amounts earned from delivering goods or services to customers. Expenses: the cost of selling goods or services. Steps to Analyze a Transaction Assets Liabilities + Equity (Contributed Capital Retained Earnings) Cash + Acts Race + Supplies+Land = Acts Payable + Common Stock – Dividends + Revenue – Expenses 1) Identify the accounts account type -Cash (Asset) Common Stock (Equity) 2) Decide if each account increases or decreases 3) Determine if the accounting equation is in balance Accounts Payable: a short term liability that will be paid in the future Accounts Receivable: business expects to receive cash in the future from customers for goods sold or services performed. 4 Types of Financial Statements 1) Income Statement: Reports net income/net loss of business for specific period 2) Statement of Retained Earnings: Reports how the company’s retained earnings balance changed from the beginning to the end of the period. 3) Balance Sheet: Reports on the assets, liabilities, and stockholders’ equity of the business as of a pacific date. ) Statement of Cash Flows: Reports on the business’s cash receipts and cash payments for a specific period. Return on Assets (ROAR): measures how profitably a company uses its assets. Return on Assets = Net income/Average total assets Average Total Assets = Beginning total assets + ending total assets 12 4 Reasons Stockholders Equity Can Change: Stockholders equity is broken out into two components, contribute d capital and retained earnings, as shown in the accounting equation. The basic component of contributed stock capital is stock. How to cite Intro to Accounting Notes, Papers

Work Environment Where There Are a Lot of Differences in Religion

Question: What Key Barriers to Effective Team Work by Diversity Are As Follows? Answer: Introduction In work places the formation of teams is aimed at reducing the pressure of work on people and also achieves the set targets within the needed time frame. When working in teams people are able to share responsibilities amongst them, assist one another in the completion of a hard task and also reach goals faster. For team work to be effective the members of the team have to be comfortable with each other and also embrace flexibility and adjustment. To have individuals come together is an easy task but how to make them perform is a bit difficult. Assigning them tasks is also easy but the expectation of best results from them is quite tough. Diversity is highly advised in any work place however it could be a barrier in some ways to effective team performance. Arguments to be used in the discussion (body) Diversity as a barrier to effective team work Positive effects of diversity at work place Diversity as a barrier to effective team work In work environments where there are a lot of differences in religion, race, gender and some more individual traits there is some expected negative impacts of diversity and this is in particular with poor management (Kearney and Gebert, p 81). However the negative effects are quite understandable if the culture of work is one that does not support acceptance of differences and tolerance. Key barriers to effective team work by diversity are as follows Communication barriers When dealing with employees that are from different countries and cultures one increases the communication filters numbers as well as barriers to language which may greatly impact both internal and external processes of communication (Avery et al., p 2). The more heterogeneous working cultures do not have difficulties with communication since their employees need not to work hard in overcoming culture and language issues. Some of the developed organizations often hire diversity trainers and language interpreters who assist employees in dealing with communication challenges associated with diversity. Working with different people from different cultures therefore comes with communication barrier issues. The organization has to undergo extra costs of hiring language interpreters. Its thus necessary for the companies to train their staff on the awareness of cultural differences and make then adopt the culture of tolerating differences. This encourages open discussion of their varied viewpoints (Avery et al., p 901). This leads to the avoidance of interaction or getting involved in conflicts. Cultural resistance There is too much resistance to adapt to changes in work places. When companies choose to become more diverse it means they are embracing flexibility. This means the relationship and nature of the workplace also changes. Some of the changes come with stress among employees and thus contribute to the negative relationships of working and poor morale at work places and this may be as a result of poor planning and management (Brewer, p 730). Its therefore important to train the employees on diversity and its importance in case it comes with effects on their processes and roles. Discrimination For any company that intentionally hires workforce that is diverse then it must have good human resources structures in place so as to be able to deal with diversity issues. For companies that slowly diversify with no strategic plan in place they could be met with issues of discrimination among employees, managers and subordinate staffs. Discrimination could be the unfair treatment of people due to some distinguishing traits (Jackson and Joshi, p 681). Its natural that if a workforce is more diverse then opportunities for discrimination could be high because diversity is mainly based on some unique traits of workers. Increased costs With diversity come a lot of costs related to development, diversity assessment and the implementation of plans that are related to workplace diversity as well as different approaches to trainings on diversity. The use of outside experts, consultants, supplies and other materials are either directly or indirectly costly. Some of the indirect costs include the time used by the staff in receiving training as well as providing training to their colleagues (McKay, Avery and Morris, p 780). Time costs could also be in the participation in some aspects of analysis and implementation of diversity management. Therefore the benefits of diversity are expected to outweigh the expenses of managing it. Provision of trainings in diversity and the creation of a culture of cooperation involve ongoing efforts for the management of time. Some companies go as far as hiring trainers who come in to enlighten staff members on the relevance of accepting other people and listening to their opinion. All these resources invested could not have any value if the said company gets limited benefits of embracing a workplace that is diverse (Davidson and Proudford, p 268). Diversity comes with an extensive structure that is accompanied with too many costs. Turn over Embracing diversity is good but if mismanaged then employee turnover tends to be high and this sends bad image of the company out there to the world. When employees feel like the environment they are working in is unsafe as a result of too much diversity they simply leave. The replacement of such employees who have been lost as a result of discontent is quite costly. This is because payments for hiring and training new employees are costly. The company may also risk the loss of some of their top talents to their main competitors if the culture provided at the work place is not safe and motivating. This unfairness could be as a result of too much diversity at work places (DeWall, Maner and Rouby, p 736). This issue of high turnovers can be dealt with if diversity is managed to low margins so as to be able to understand the needs of each employee at work places. With too much diversity the process of conflict resolution becomes extensive and may not be satisfactory to all the staff thu s causing the high turnover. Unresolved conflict There are greater potentials for conflicts among employees of a company that embraces diversity because of the many cultural, social and religion differences that come with diversity. People come in with different perspectives when it comes to handling concerns or issues raised. This is as a result of failing to see or understand where the other person comes from. This in result prohibits the effective conflict resolution process (Blackhart et al., p 270). Once an employee realizes that they are not able to find a common agreement in conflict resolution they tend to give up. This then gives room for ill motives and feelings to prosper and thus create a negative tone in the company. With little diversity conflicts can easily be resolved unlike when one is working with a huge number of staff from different cultures. Integration issues The integration of people at work socially is only influenced to a small degree. At times its difficult to control the formation of exclusive and clique social groups (Bilimoria, Joy and Liang, p 431). Due to this there are a lot of informal divisions among staffs and creation of situations where the employees that are culturally diverse seem to avoid exposure to other members of staff during breaks and even after work. This scenario is not fundamentally wrong but it can greatly hinder the ability of information sharing and exchange of skills and experience. In this way it curbs growth in productivity and the effectiveness of teams. Its therefore advised that embracing diversity should be done moderately putting in mind all the positive and negative impacts. However these negative effects on diversity should not discourage companies from embracing diversity. Following good strategic planning the management at the top can work on enhancing positive effects of diversity and reduce on the negative ones Positive effects of diversity at work place Despite the barriers that come with diversity at work places its one of the things that has some positive impact on any organization if well utilized by both managers and team members. For example there is increased adaptability because employing of a diverse group of people comes with great number of solutions to any problems arising and different talents are also brought on board (Acquavita et al., p 158). People are also able to make various suggestions which could be flexible and easily adopted into the fluctuations in the market and client demands. There is also broader service range that comes with diversity due to the presence of several collections of skills and experiences thus provision of services becomes global. The viewpoints are also diverse when it comes to adopting diversity at work places this is achieved if the diverse group of people is free and comfortable to share their views on the running of the said company. There is also some more effective execution that comes with diversity at work place (Jackson, p 99). This is because workers are inspired to work to the best of their ability and thus execution of company wise strategies becomes easier. Diversity is one good thing to be embraced in any work place. This is because it provides an environment that is comfortable to the staff and it also brings many ideas on board. This in return ensures the company grows to bigger territories. However with diversity come some negative effects. The embracing of diversity should be done moderately putting in mind all the impacts. For instance diversity in races comes with language barriers which prove to be costly when it comes to hiring interpreters. Despite all these diversity in general is termed to be a barrier to effective team work and should therefore be adopted with caution. References Blackhart, G. C., Nelson, B. C., Knowles, M. L., Baumeister, R. F. 2009. Rejection elicits emotional reactions but neither causes immediate distress nor lowers self-esteem: A meta-analytic review of 192 studies on social exclusion. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 13: 269-309. Jackson, Susan E. (Ed); Ruderman, Marian N. (Ed). Diversity in work teams: Research paradigms for a changing workplace. Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association Diversity in work teams: Research paradigms for a changing workplace.(1995) p. 99 Acquavita, S. P., Pittman, J., Gibbons, M., Castellanos-Brown, K. 2009. Personal and organizational diversity factors impact on social workers job satisfaction: Results from a national Internet-based survey. Administration in Social Work, 33: 151-166. Avery, D. R., McKay, P. F., Wilson, D. C., Volpone, S. 2008. Attenuating the effect of seniority on intent to remain: The role of perceived inclusiveness. Paper presented at the meeting of the Academy of Management, Anaheim, CA. p 2 Bell, M. P. 2007. Diversity in organizations. Mason, OH: South-Western.p 5 Avery, D. R., McKay, P. F., Wilson, D. C., Tonidandel, S. 2007. Unequal attendance: The relationships between race, organizational diversity cues, and absenteeism. Personnel Psychology, 60: 875-902. Bilimoria, D., Joy, S., Liang, X. 2008. Breaking barriers and creating inclusiveness: Lessons of organizational transformation to advance women faculty in academic science and engineering. Human Resource Management, 47: 423-441. Brewer, M. B. 2007. The importance of being we: Human nature and intergroup relations. American Psychologist, 62: 728-738. Davidson, M. N., Proudford, K. L. 2008. Cycles of resistance: How dominants and subordinates collude to undermine diversity efforts in organizations. In K. M. Thomas (Ed.), Diversity resistance in organizations: 249-272. New York: Taylor Francis Group/Lawrence Erlbaum. DeWall, C. N., Maner, J. K., Rouby, D. A. 2009. Social exclusion and early-stage interpersonal perception: Selective attention to signs of acceptance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96: 729-741. Jackson, S. E., Joshi, A. 2011. Work team diversity. In S. Zedeck (Ed.), APA handbook of industrial and organizational psychology: Vol. 1. Building the orgnization: 651-686. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Kearney, E., Gebert, D. 2009. Managing diversity and enhancing team outcomes: The promise of transformational leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94: 77-89. McKay, P. F., Avery, D. R., Morris, M. A. 2009. A tale of two climates: Diversity climate from subordinates and managers perspectives and their role in store unit sales performance. Personnel Psychology, 62: 767-791.