1 What can companies do to protect themselves from legal action with regard to ageism?

On one hand, company can draw up workplace policies to avoid any inference of age discrimination in organizations management by legal adviser. When some policies are ruled by law in organizations, those who are 50 years of age or older have the job chances as same as young people. So that facing ageism problem, it can guarantee that the internal organizations have a completed rules with legal action and manage system to solve and treat fairly.

On the other hand, companies can make employment decisions based on job performance and economic considerations. Except age, they are also legitimate factor to consider. Sometimes a decision in organizations related to which is highly correlated with age, not age itself. So with this regard, companies can terminating higher- salaried employees when the higher salaries relates to the years of service or age), the burden of proof may be on the employer defending the claim to set up the reasonable factor, which the decision was not age

2 What ramifications could this relationship have for other organizational members and for organizational effectiveness in general if people no longer have to retire?

If people no longer have to retire, for other organizational members, they will have more competition pressure with old people (more experiences and skilles than young people). Also because of unfair treatment, like salaries, discipline and other benefits will have conflicts between them. Because of internal conflicts have a negative effect on team work.

For organizational effectiveness, organizations will have more employees for working. It increases the economic cost and organization pressure on human resources. It needs to have a very completed system to monitor all levels of employees, it will take more time and increase the expense on salaries and relevant benefits ( bonus). However, if people don’t have retire, much experienced people stay in the organizations and give some practical advice for promoting internal integration and whole development steps.

3. Should the government legislate or should companies be left to decide their own workplace policies?

The government should legislate against age discrimination instead of leaving the companies to decide their own workplace policies, since government policy has the same standard functions to all the companies and it forces the firms to comply with it. Giving the power to the companies and leaving companies set up their own policies will lead to different standards, which is difficult for government to monitor and administrate the incurred issues. Furthermore, government should legislate against age discrimination to provide for the economic security of an ageing population since the issues are rising quickly.

4. How can older people build political power in organizations to ensure that their views are represented?

Older people can build political power by three means. First is by using organizational position. Older people can build their political power by reaching to a higher organizational position which can provide the rights such as legitimate authority, the ability to reward or the capacity to punish.

Second is by using personal behavior. He or she could become an expertise in some specific area in order to build the power by the respect of others. Or he can build alliances or networks with other colleagues in mutual beneficial exchanges to increase his power over time.

Third is by using situational forces. Information becomes power when others need and do not have. He or she may have important information in their expertise field and can develop their power through selective distribution of information and guarded communication.[1]

5.Diversity can become threatened by power relationships. How can organizations ensure that power is dispersed throughout the workplace and that everyone has an equal value?

According to Bacharach and Lawler (1980), sociologists refer to social exchange theory as the expectation that each individual caught in the dependency web of power relationships aims for positive outcomes. But exchanges are not equal, and for some not even positive. Social exchanges (the interplay of requests, ideas and commands) are always asymmetrical, meaning that there is an uneven distribution of power and unequal valuation of outcomes or benefits. Because of this, some players experience negative outcomes.

Avoiding diversity becomes threatened by power relationships, Bosses need to take care of their off-hand remark. The abuses suffered range from sexual harassment to personal humiliation through choice of language. For example, the dominant male might refer to a woman as ‘girl’ or ‘sweet young thing’. Or the boss might say, ‘I want you boys to…’ It may be taken as a racial put-down by the African Caribbean in the group, who associates the term ‘boy’ with the historical oppression of his race. In doing business with Japanese men, western women are at a disadvantage unless they deliberately use power-equalising tactics.

6. Use the fishbone diagram in order to map out the (critical) issues at hand within the context of the case.

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7. Map out the stakeholders and elaborate on their individual roles. In additional describe how they impact their operating context.

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8. Apply the ‘sources of power approach’ to the case. In addition, to what extent can different forms of political manipulation be applied?

Power often comes with organizational position, although many sources of position power exist. Base on French and Raven's Five Bases of Power theory. There are several different powers can be applied in this case.

Although, age discrimination is commonly phenomenon in current society. However government should legislates law to against age discrimination in order to meet basic human rights and urge organizations to set up polices or rules to protect older employees who has over 50 years old in the company. Government can give legitimate power to workers aged over 65 the right to claim for unfair dismissal and redundancy payment. Government also need to change inland revenue rules to make it much simpler for employer to retain older workers. Let employees will be able to stay on at work after retirement age while drawing their company pension.

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[1] Management & organizational behavior second European edition, Wendy Bloisi, Curtis W.cook P603 Alternative sources of power