Family Business

1. Have you ever worked for a family-run business? What was your experience? If you haven't, what do you think working for a family-run business is like? What are the pros and cons?

2. Are there any famous family-owned businesses in your town/city? What relationship do they have with their employees, do you think?

3. Has anyone in your workplace ever said 'We are just one big family here'? How did you react?

Read article here: Family Business Reading

4. Do you recognise any of the the three downsides given to trying to create a family atmosphere at work (blurred work-life boundaries, exploitation of committed employees, departing employees treated as traitors)? Give an example from a time when you have seen these things.

5. Does your current company provide free breakfasts, meditation classes, happy hours, or other benefits in order to keep employees satisfied? If not, should it?

6. Do you keep in touch with former colleagues? Is this encouraged/discouraged/not addressed by your current company? 

7. How aware are you of your company's purpose? Does your company have a mission statement? Do you know what it is? 

8. Would an out-of-hours email ban, a four-day week, or taking all of your holiday allowance make you a more efficient employee? If not, what would?

9. What other ways are there to creating loyal employees? In times of economic hardship, do employers need to worry about this?

10. What typically happens when a colleague leaves a company in your country? Would you ever consider returning to a former company? Do people from your country, in general, ever do this?

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Situation

You are an employee at Andrew Corporation. You work long hours for little reward and are thinking of leaving the company. In an effort to reduce staff turnover, the CEO (your teacher) has introduced free meditation classes, free dry-cleaning, and happy hours - but this has had little effect. As the employee representative, approach the CEO with some of your ideas on how to improve staff/company relationships.

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Discuss quotes

"People who build family businesses are not classically trained. They have to deal with an enormous amount of politics. You think corporate politics are tough? Go work for your dad or mom."

 – Gary Vaynerchuk

"Starting a business with your brother either ends business or ends brotherhood."

 – Amit Kalantri

"You have family-owned businesses that have been around for over 500 years. You cannot name a corporation that survives in fact for even a few decades."

 – Nassim Nicholas Taleb

“Most people will choose unhappiness over uncertainty.”

--- Tim Ferriss

"Maybe it was because my resignation letter was well written, and this attracted the attention of the factory supervisor. They kept me on and gave me a promotion to head up my own newly created department."

--- Zhou Qunfei

Student Handout PDF: Family Business

Photo: Tatutati

Paris Mayor

 

1. What does feminism mean to you?

2. Which country has  greater equality between the sexes, your country or France?

3. Was there ever a time when it was better to be female than male in your country?

Read article here: Paris Mayor Reading

4. Is it possible to have too many of one gender in the workplace? Is it possible that having one gender only in the workplace is beneficial?

5. Are we where we are because meritocracy at work has failed? Can meritocracy be rehabilitated?

6. Do you think that positive discrimination is a solution? Should the limits of positive/no discrimination be numerical i.e. 50/50 men and women? If so, is the public service ministry right to fine Anne Hidalgo's administration? Is "too feminist" just as bad as "too much masculinity"?  Do you know of any top managers in your country that are female? What percentage of the total do you think they are?

7. Deputy Paris Mayor, Audrey Pulvar (video), said that it "will be an honour to pay the fine".  How is this any different from "huge companies preferring to pay huge fines instead of giving opportunities to women"?

8. Are there any rules regarding parity in your workplace/in your country in general? Are they enforced? Is legislation the only way to address the lack of female representation in positions of authority? France is famously bureaucratic and having such legislation is totally normal. Is your country as bureaucratic as France? Does your country regulate public life to the same degree? Should it?

9. Are job adverts allowed to specify which gender they prefer? Are there differences between the public and private sectors in how they recruit?

10. Anne Hidalgo has been very vocal in promoting equality at work. Should all female bosses do likewise? Are there any downsides to doing this?

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Situation

You represent the Public Service Ministry in Paris. Telephone Anne Hidalgo to announce the ministry's decision to fine her administration €90,000. Give your reasons why. Your teacher will play the role of Anne Hidalgo.

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Discuss quotes

“A feminist is anyone who recognises the equality and full humanity of women and men.”

― Gloria Steinem

“Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.”

– Charlotte Whitton

“Change Feminism to Gender Equality. Change the label, not the idea.”

― Darice Carins

“Laws are spider webs through which the big flies pass and the little ones get caught.”

― Honore de Balzac

“If you are going to sin, sin against God, not against bureaucracy. God will forgive you but bureaucracy won't.”

― Hyman G. Rickover

Student Handout PDF: Paris Mayor

Photo: Cristian Muduc