CEOs, however, would most likely argue that they are invaluable to their companies, and are adequately compensated for the work they do. While the authors of this article conclude that they are not attempting to persuade readers to one position or the other, they do suggest that they are attempting to allow readers to understand the double-sided argument of CEO pay. In accomplishing this goal, they have done well. Both employees who are frustrated at the lifestyle that their CEOs are able to live while they struggle to get by and CEOs who are making hundreds of dollars an hour would be able to understand the rational for each side in this argument. By presenting the argument in this non-biased formula, the authors invite discussion on the topic, a discussion that most likely would not have happened if this type of presentation has been achieved. In allowing for an open discussion on this topic, the authors have encouraged both CEOs and employees, both those in favor of large CEO payments and those against them to pioneer a new type of business discussion and relationship, which is open and desires to meet the needs of officers, employees, and customers.
Article Five
Introduction
Human Resources is a field drastically concerned with the development of a diverse workplace, a company with the benefit of employees and officers from a variety of backgrounds. It is only in this situation -- one of diverse business members -- can a business manage to meet the needs of its customers, which are similarly diverse. The world of business, however, is not necessarily as diverse as many would like, especially in terms of the number of women represented. A summary of the Harvard Business Review article on this topic will allow readers to see some of reasons why women are underrepresented in the workplace and how to correct those problems.
Summary
In their article, Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership, Alice H. Eagly and Linda L. Carli attempt to answer the question of why women do not have as many positions as CEOs as men do. In their answer, the authors suggest that the metaphor for achieving the top executive position in a company are all wrong for women, and that "if one has misdiagnosed a problem, then one is unlikely to prescribe an effective cure" (2008). The problem lies in the glass ceiling metaphor, according to Eagly and Carli, which suggests that the way to attaining a CEO position is relatively straightforward, though a barrier, the glass ceiling, exists to prevent accomplishments above a certain height. For omen, Eagly and Carli explain, the path is much less straightforward. Instead of shooting for the ceiling as traditionally described, women must wander through a labyrinth like system of paths and dead ends before making their way to the CEO position. Essential, therefore, Eagly and...
Women's entrance into the world of business is a major feat, as Eagly and Carli suggest, and suggesting that their method towards CEOship is any different than a man's is appalling. In fact, the number of women CEOs grew dramatically at the beginning of 2008 and end of 2007 (Jones 2008). While some women and some men may find surprising twists and turns along the way to the top of the company, this does not suggest that all do. Making this generalization suggests that women are chronically unable to treat themselves and be treated by others as equals with men in the workplace. Thus, the authors article suggests and important problem, but by claiming that special solution exists for women that does not exist for men, the authors are ignoring years of achievement for women in the professional world.
Works Cited
Athiyaman, Adee, and Parkan, Celik. (June 2008). A Functionalist Framework for Identifying Business Clusters: Applications in Far North Queensland. Australian Journal of Management, 201-218.
Brookfield, Jonathan. (2008). Firm Clustering and Specialization. Small Business Economics. 30(4), p. 405-422.
Edmans, Alex and Gabaix, Xavier, Is CEO Pay Really Inefficient? A Survey of New Optimal Contracting Theories (September 8, 2008). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1280390Jones,Del. (2008).
Female CEOs make more gains in 2007. Retrieved October 11, 2008, from USA Today. Web Site: http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2008-01-02-women-ceos_N.htm
Kmart Seeks Court's OK on CEO Pament. (2002). Retrieved October 11, 2008, from Web Site: http://articles.latimes.com/2002/apr/05/business/fi-rup5.4
Meyer, Christopher. (2008). The Year of Marketing Dangerously. Retrieved October 10, 2008, from Harvard Business Review.
Web Site. http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/hbsp/hbr/articles/article.jsp?OPERATION_TYPE=CHECK_COOKIE&referer=/hbsp/hbr/articles/article.jsp&productId=F0810A&TRUE=TRUE&reason=freeContent&FALSE=FALSE&ml_subscriber=true&ml_action=get-article&ml_issueid=BR0810&articleID=F0810A&PageNumber=1
Eagley, Alice B. And Linda L. Carli. (2008). Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership. Retrieved October 11, 2008, from Harvard Business Review. Web Site: http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/hbsp/hbr/articles/article.jsp?pageNumber=1&referral=2466&ml_subscriber=true&articleID=R0709C&ml_action=get-article
