...Assignment #2 – Case: “Allstate Insurance Company” The goal setting seems in line for managers to create and foster a diverse employee arrangement to complete all the company missions. Allstate is a company with a diverse clientele and therefore requires a diverse workforce. One reason is to get a full understanding or appreciation for cultures and people they service and to be able to connect with them on a more personal level. This is the goal for management to achieve. It is the employee’s goal to penetrate their respected market segments. Allstate accomplishes their goals by understanding the strength and importance of a diverse work force. Allstate’s workforce is a multi cultural and multi lingual company which gives them the competitive advantage they need to remain successful. By applying the model for goal setting, we see the companies challenge is to be able to reach a wide and diverse market. The goal is clear for management; they are to assemble a diverse group, penetrate market areas, and complete company objectives. To reduce the difficulty of this, mangers will recruit and hire direct matches for the objectives at hand. The ability of the assembled group to penetrate the market segment solidifies the goal commitment and can reduce the task complexity. With the continued feedback from employees, mangers can assess how they are reaching these markets and how effective their groups are in reaching those goals. Managers can also use the feedback to update...
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...Assignment #2 Case: “Allstate Insurance Company” Krystal Goodin October 31, 2010 Leadership and Organizational Behavior Professor: Dr. LAURA POGUE Allstate has an effective goal-setting program because the company is the world's largest publicly held personal lines insurer. It has operations in 49 states and Canada. Allstate sells 13 lines of insurance with auto, property, life and commercial insurance as the major lines. Allstate offers retirement and investment products and banking services. With all these products and services this shows you that they are very effective. They keep growing. Challenging goals have been set. Allstate set goals for diversifying the company. The goal has two major points the internally focused goal which is “unlocking the potential for excellence in all workers by providing them the tools, resources, and opportunities to succeed.” (pg 215) The second goal Allstate insurance set out to achieve is external. Allstate insurance wants to create a more diverse workforce that matches the experiences, background, and sensitivities of the markets it serves. The ability of Allstate Insurance diverse employees can be found in step two. The employees have to master new skills and they are provided with a road map of the critical skills necessary for advancement. (pg 216). The Allstate Insurance diversity employees have to be motivated and exhibit goal commitment in order for achieve their career advance employees have to commit to attending career...
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...Allstate Case Study Ryan Fluharty Midway College Dr. Ashe Allstate has made the bold decision to focus its efforts on the United States and Canada. This move shocked many people and argued whether or not it was a good strategic decision. With all of the turmoil that Allstate has faced over the last decade, the leadership of the company had to make a strategic move that they believed would push the business forward, not create any more flak. Focusing efforts on two areas of the world, especially ones that the company already had a good market power over made sense. This was a perfect strategic move. Positioning the company in a place where they are comfortable without any unforeseen or uncomfortable external macro environmental challenges could only leave room for growth, or better yet, time to breath. Allstate went through phases the last decade where they couldn’t decide whether or not they were an insurance company, bank or retail store. This confusion slowly, and then quickly, put Allstate behind their competitors. If you glance at State Farm, they have always been an insurance company. So in order for Allstate to compete more effectively with their competitors, it is time they decide what they want to be. If they want to be an insurance company, they need to be all in and create strategic plans to be the best at that one thing. The fault doesn’t fall completely in Allstate’s hands for the turmoil that they have faced over the past decade. The internet boom has...
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...ALLSTATE INSURANCE (CASE STUDY) TABLE OF CONTENTS Question 1: Operational audit opportunities (areas) …………………………………..3 Question 2: The audit program for Allstate insurance ………………………………....3 Question 3: The assertions to be tested and whether they can be audited effectively and efficiently………………………………………………….........5 Question 4: The policies and procedures in Allstate insurance ……………………....7 Question 5: Controls and weaknesses in Allstate insurance ………………………….7 Reference …………………………………………………………………………….............8 QUESTION 1: OPERATIONAL AUDIT OPPORTUNITIES (AREAS) 1. Auditing the legal Expenses to attorneys representing policy holders. This should include the comparison between legal fees incurred by Allstate staff attorneys and outside attorneys representing clients and scrutiny of time cards and bills 2. Audit of Allstate policyholder contracts. To find out about the terms of reference between Allstate and policy holders, and address questions of whether the legal services offered by lawyers are in accordance with the terms specified in the contracts and To what extent do contract terms cover the policy holders 3. Audit of legal Services to Policy holders; to address the following questions: Is the office receiving appropriate value for the dollars spent?, are policy holders satisfied with the legal services offered by the company?, are the legal services offered in conformity with applicable laws and standards...
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...STRAYERUNIVERSITY CASE STUDY: ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY SUBMITTED TO DR. DEMETRIUS CAROLINA IN PARTIAL FULLFILLMENT OF THE COURSE-BUS 520 BY MORLU DUWOR STRAYERUNIVERSITY LOWER BUCKS CAMPUS, PHILADEPHIA SEPTEMBER2011 Table of Contents BACKGROUND /INTRODUCTION 1 USING THE MODEL OF GOAL SETTING 1-2 ALLSTATE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE FROM THE DIVERSITY INDEX 3 HIGH PERFROMANCE REWARD SYSTEM THAT MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES3 -4 MOTIVATION BY THE DIVERSITY INDEX AND QLMS4-5 CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATION5 REFERENCES CITED 6 Assignment #2 – Case Study: “Allstate Insurance Company” . Introduction/Background Allstate Insurance Company is America’s second largest personal insurance carrier, insuring one of every eight homes and automobiles in the country. Of its 50,000 employees, 52.2% are women and 24.7% are minorities--14.3% of whom are African American. Allstate boasts a minority representation among executives and managers of 21%, with 66% of that number being African American. In1993 when its president and CEO backed diversity as a "strategic imperative." Allstate officially launched effort. The effort of Allstate Insurance centers around two goals: 1) expanding career and advancement opportunities for women and minorities; and 2) fostering greater customer...
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...| A More Diverse Allstate | Lenora Gumbs | | Petrina ShatteenLeadership and Organizational Behavior | October 29, 2011 | This paper describes a successful goal setting model and how to effectively implement the model to increase productivity. It also describes Allstate insurance and their mission to have a diverse company and the measures they put in place in order to achieve that mission. | Introduction Goal setting is absolutely essential to having a successful business. In order for a company to have effective goals they have to make sure the goals are clearly understood by the managers and the employees. The company should also provide incentives for meeting and exceeding expectations. Allstate provides a model of how they are creating a more diverse company. Their ultimate goal is to have a company that is diverse internally and can reach the diverse culture that surrounds us. Goal Setting Model The goal setting process starts with the challenge phase. When a company decides to set goals for their organization, the goals need to be clear and concise and provide an opportunity for the employee to be challenged to achieve the goal and create a better company. Hellriegel and Slocum states that, “Employees with unclear goals or no goals are more prone to work slowly, perform poorly, exhibit lack of interest, and accomplish less than employees whose goals are clear and challenging” (2011). “The two key attributes of challenging goals are: Goal difficulty...
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...As an insurance frontrunner, Allstate prides itself on increasing stock value, servicing the growing desires of its patrons, encouraging company accountability, and supporting numerous benevolent establishments in areas they serve. Allstate Insurance is the country’s chief publicly held personal line underwriter. They are a Six Sigma modeled Fortune 100 company, with over $130 billion dollars in assets. They also offer economic amenities to over 15 million clients throughout the United States, employing a very diverse team of over 70,000 specialists. Allstate also has 13 key lines of coverage, including vehicle, property, life, and commercial. Allstate attributes their success to their unique take on the best way to run a business successfully. ( AllState insurance., 2009) Using the model for goal setting, evaluate Allstate’s goal setting process to determine whether or not Allstate has an effective goal-setting program. Allstate provides their employees with a clear path for success. They offer the means to grow into the best employee they could hope for. According to the goal setting model goal difficulty, goal clarity, and self-efficacy should be at the forefront of one’s business structure. (Hellrigel & Slocum, 2001) Implementing challenging yet clear and achievable goals, for employees who have faith in their personal ability to complete tasks, in most cases will lead to Allstate’s desired performance. When an individual has the ability, commitment, and feedback on...
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...the terms or conditions of worker’s employment (elaws, 2014). In the case of the employee who filed a claim, the work hours were changed to 12-hour shifts, with four days on and then four days off. The four workdays can occur any of the days of the week. The former employee claimed that the workday could be on a religious holy day. In this case, there is cause to claim constructive discharge. The work hours changed significantly from when the employee was hired. To determine whether constructive discharge was used in this employee’s resignation, there are two tests. First, a reasonable person in the employee’s position would find the working conditions intolerable, and second, the employer created an offensive work environment with the intent to force the employee to quit (Constructive Discharge, 2014). B. Title VII: Section703 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that applies to employment decisions; mandates that employment decisions not be based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin (Gomez et al, p. 92). Protected class theory states that groups of people who have suffered discrimination in the past should be given special protection by the judicial system. Religious rights are one of these protected categories within Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Religious discrimination involves treating someone differently because of his or her religious beliefs. C1: Recommendation for company response: Maintain that there...
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...arose between a policy holder and Allstate insurance claims department about the claims process stated in the contact between the two. In addition, provide information on the court process of criminal and civil cases and the possibility of many different verdicts including one from a criminal court stand point. In July 1997, Geneva Hager, an Allstate policyholder was involved in a rear end auto accident resulting in neck and back injuries. The claimant’s auto insurance paid out to Allstate and Ms Hager, his policy limit of 25,000 for body injury. Therefore in December 1999, her claim was closed with Allstate and her injuries had been compensated as from Allstate’s point of view. However, Ms Hager disagreed, she retain an attorney and filed a lawsuit against Allstate stating that they did not handle her claim in bad faith per the insurance contract. She proclaimed the claim process was prolonged in order to make her accept a low settlement for her body injuries. Ms Hager and her attorney demanded 475 million dollars for mental anguish and 950 million in punitive damages to be paid out (Orbitz, 2007). Ms Hager’s attorney gathered information about Allstate policy contract also with some replicas of their claims handling manuals to build their case. Allstate did the same by reviewing Ms Hager‘s claim and several similar ones to ensure the claim handling process was followed, along with a copy of Ms Hager current policy with them. The case was taken to civil court based on...
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...Western Governors University MBA / Human Resources – JDT2 – Task 1 MEMO TO: Arnita Hudson, CEO FROM: Heather Barth, Elementary Division Manager DATE: March 6, 2014 RE: Title VII Claim A) After implementing the new 12-hour / 4-day production shift policy, an employee quit and filed a constructive discharge claim with the EEOC. Constructive discharge is an illegal discriminatory practice in which an employee is forced to resign because of an alleged unbearable work environment. Constructive discharge as a legal concept is relevant to our situation in that an employee has quit, alleging religious discrimination. There are legal arguments that must be proven by the accuser in order for a constructive discharge charge to be upheld. “To constitute a constructive discharge, the employer must deliberately create intolerable working conditions, as perceived by a reasonable person, with the intention of forcing the employee to quit and the employee must actually quit.“ (MOORE v. KUKA WELDING SYSTEMS, 1998) The burden lies on the employee, who must establish that working conditions were so difficult that they were obliged to resign because of a 1) discriminatory reason or 2) reason contrary to a well-defined civic policy such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits an employer from refusing to hire, from firing, or discriminating against a worker in any way based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. (National...
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...Assignment #2 – Case: “Allstate Insurance Company” Ashley Tevis April 28, 2011 Professor Lathan Using the model for goal setting, evaluate Allstate’s goal setting process to determine whether or not Allstate has an effective goal-setting program. From the case study, Allstate seems like a great company to work for. They have the goal setting and employees in mind at all times. Goal setting isn’t always easy, but it is very important for individuals and organizations to set goals. It is important for individuals to set many goals, career goals and personal goals. I know I have set many long and short term career and personal goals. If you work for an organization and you are on a team, the teams set long and short term goals as well. When you are in a team setting, everyone is there for each other; no one is set out on their own to reach that goal. You do it by working together and pushing for the best. By setting goals, it gives the team or individual something to strive for. I think Allstate’s goal setting program is very effective. They have specific steps, Succession programming, development, measurement, and accountability and reward. Each of these steps plays a role in their goal setting. Allstate takes the time to track career development and opportunities among all of their employees through their management information system. Then each employee receives an assessment of their current job skills. This is to determine in the employee needs any skills...
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...| Toy Company | Memo To: CEO From: , Elementary Division Manager Date: [ 11/19/2012 ] Re: Employee Constructive Discharge A. As I am sure you are aware, production staff is now required to work four consecutive twelve hour days. Then they have four days off. These days can be any day Monday through Sunday. A former employee has quit due to these circumstances and is claiming constructive discharge. Constructive discharge is when an employer creates an environment so uncomfortable for the employee that he or she is compelled to resign (Underwood, 1998, p.343). Underwood states that an employee forced to resign under these conditions is said to have been constructively discharged (1998, p.343). Constructive discharge would apply here. The environment is not uncomfortable or unbearable every day. However, the way an employee of certain religious background would feel working on a Holy day would be of great discomfort. There is also a process that needs to be followed for constructive discharge to be considered. The employee needs to inform the employer about the working conditions that are making it uncomfortable or unbearable. The employee needs to give the employer fifteen days to respond about the conditions. B. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects individuals against employment discrimination on the bases of race and color, as well as national origin, sex, and religion. Title VII applies to...
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...Allstate Insurance Company Goal of Diversity This case focuses on Allstate Insurance Company and its goal of diversity. Allstate Corporation has found that its diversity strategy has become one of the company’s most competitive weapons. The company’s vision states: “Diversity is Allstate’s strategy for leveraging differences in order to create a competitive advantage.” Allstate has divided its strategy to reach diversity into two main points: one internally focused and the other externally focused. James DeVries, senior vice presidents of human resources, states that the internal diversity focus is “unlocking the potential resources, and opportunities to succeed.” The external focus of diversity is making certain that the workplace matches the experiences, backgrounds, and sensitivities of the market it serves. The managers at Allstate look at these views of diversity not as a goal but as a process that is integrated into the daily life of the company. In 1969, Allstate launched its first affirmative action program. At this time the company focused more on affirmative action and diversity awareness through education and training. Allstate has taken four specific steps to impact business results, with a workforce of differences so they can bring them together in a powerful way. The first step is succession programming. In this step, a diverse slate of candidates is identified and developed for each position. The second step is development. In this step each employee...
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...Allstate Insurance Company. Mohammed Baba Strayer University Dr. Yemer.H Bus 520: Leadership and Organizational Behavior 04/27/2011 Using the model for goal setting, evaluate Allstate’s goal setting process to determine whether or not Allstate has an effective goal setting program. Goals are future outcome or result that both the individual and organizations desire and strive to achieve. Goals setting is the process of specifying desired outcomes toward which individual or organization will strive and is intended to increase organizational effectiveness and efficiency.(Don Hellriegel and John W. Sloucum, Jr). Some key elements to consider in an effective organizational goal setting are; Goal direct attention. That is basically focusing on all attention on what is relevant and important. Goal regulate effort, this is putting motivational tools in place foe employees and management to work towards achieving the desire goal. Goal increase persistence, this is the effort extended on a task over an extended period of time, and last but not the least is fostering a goal strategy. Allstate define inclusive diversity as the collective mixture of all of their differences in the workforce, marketplace and community. It defines who they are and what they believe in, holding each other personally and professionally accountable to welcome all as they strive to win in a diverse, global marketplace. As a result of these efforts, Allstate...
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...Constructive Discharge under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Upon notification I did the following research into the position we as a company need to take. How is constructive discharge relevant as a legal concept to the current scenario? At the beginning of this year the company implemented a new work shift policy to keep up with the growth of the organization. The policy requires that employee’s in the production group work 12 hour shifts with 4 days on then 4 days off in a rotating manner. This means that at times some employee’s will be working on a religious holy day. The former employee is claiming constructive discharge as the reason for his leaving the company. Constructive discharge is a discriminatory practice where an employee is forced to resign because of a perceived intolerable work environment. The court system generally agree with the employee if it is determined that a reasonable person would feel the same way if in the same position (Dempsey & Petsche, 2006). The courts also will usually require that the employee show that the intolerable working condition with the intent of forcing the resignation was deliberate (Dempsey & Petsche, 2006). Also our former employee, the plaintiff, must show prima facie evidence that such discrimination has occurred (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin & Cardy, 2009). Such evidence in cases of religious discrimination includes that first the plaintiff had a genuine religious belief that conflicted with their duties, second...
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