2025年5月20日火曜日

Writing for an Academic Discussion Employee education or investment in other resources? - revised -

Should companies prioritize developing their workforce above all else, or are there more effective says to spur growth? (business management)

 

 

 

Lets Think

1.        What is investment?

--- Investment is spending resources in something for future returns. The word investment usually means buying stocks, which will increase capitals of corporations. If the company does well, investors will gain returns (dividends). We also use the word figuratively as in You should invest your time and energy in many different things so that you can have wider choices when you try to find a job.

 

2.        What is the major goal of the corporation?

--- The major goal of the corporation is to make profits. They invest their money in various areas to make profits.

 

3.        Exactly what does a business invest its money in?

--- For example, if you start an ice cream shop, you need to pay for the building to make and sell ice cream, equipment, materials, workers, advertisements, research and development, and so on.

 

4.        How can the business benefit from educating and training its employees?

 

5.        Is educating employees more important than renting a good-looking building, buying efficient machines, buying better ingredients, using a famous advertising company, or upgrading or inventing a good product or service? Why/Why not?

 

 

Hints for Points

workers > other factors

a.        Productivity will increase because employees will work more efficiently. They will work more in less time with fewer mistakes.

b.        Turnover rates and hiring costs will be lower because the workers will be loyal to the company. Loyalty, morale, and passion are vital for a company to survive.

c.         Trained employees will contribute to evolving the company especially when it needs to change.

d.        Public relations (PR) will improve as good employees will improve the image of the company. Good workforce is a good advertisement.

e.        Training costs will decrease in the future because workers will educate themselves and each other.

f.          A machine will not fix itself or grow while a huma will.

g.        Resourceful people will apply for employment of the graining system for career upgrade.

 

workers  another factor/other factors

a.        Place: Customers may increase. People will try a new building or location at least once.

b.        Facilities and materials: You can make better products that sell well more efficiently and safely.

c.         Advertising: Advertisements can enhance profitability by brand recognition and loyalty; they make your company known to new consumers and get customers to have better image of the company and the products.

d.        Research and development (R&D): Better goods and services through product development will make the company competitive. It is innovation that will help the business survive in competition.

e.        Mechanization: Machines are more efficient than humans. AI learns much faster and makes better decisions than humans. In addition, they are often better than humans in business ethics. For example, embezzlement won’t occur.

f.          Marketing counts a lot. Going into the global market is more important than investing in workers for a company to survive in globalization.

 

 

Reply for Ideas and Expressions

Because of the contract stipulating that corporations work in order to increase the capital that their shareholders have invested in, most companies treat their workers as consumable supplies. However, they are actually assets of the company. Therefore, I believe that the most important thing business corporations should invest in is the education and training of their employees. Business owners must realize that it is not the bottom line but the workers that their business depends on.

 

Marginalizing workers is not wise. In general, companies give workers little education and easily make them redundant. Not only do they lay off workers for short-term profits but also they try to cut costs by outsourcing for cheap labor or by automation, or robotization. However, not to speak of being inhumane, these practices will not lead to development of the company. Uneducated workforce with low morale lead to low performance. High absenteeism and serious errors will cost the company money and time. Turning unskilled workers into skilled workers, will help avoid skilled-labor shortage, which increases long-term profits.

 

Most workers will not waste training resources as long as they are treated properly. If they learn how the business works, they will have more interest in it. If they learn how to work quickly and neatly, they will practice it. If they are shared ideas about a new product, they can come up with better ones. They may also provide valuable information, knowledge, and opinions from the people who actually do the job on the site. There is an idea that people work for money and educating them does little to improve their performance, but it is condescending to have such an idea about workers. Most people have desire for improvement and companies should invest in it. Possible adverse effects among workers who are unhappy about frequent sessions can be avoided by offering options between basic training only and courses with advanced levels.

 

In terms of other areas of investment, it should be remembered that the performance of the people who are in charge will determine the outcome. Product development needs the brain for innovation more than facilities. Marketing requires not only data but also insight and intuition. Sales relies mostly on relationship skills of sales staff because customers or clients need to trust the company before buying their products. Manufacturing is improved by attentiveness and ingenuity of the workers on the assembly line. People are the decisive factors in all the areas of investment of business.

 

Personnel are the most valuable asset of a company, which determines the total productivity of the company. Therefore, their training and education is the most important thing for business corporations to invest in. Besides, what is a company all about if its workers are not happy and active at work?

 

 

Point Structure Samples


Sample A

Point 1Merits of employee education

Point 2Merits of other types of investment

Point 3Your decision

 

 

Sample B

Point 1Benefit of employee education 1

Point 2Benefit of employee education 2

Point 3Reasons why employee education outweighs other types of investment




Write your response in 10 minutes. Show each other your responses. Write down questions or suggestions to each other’s response.

 

 

                                                   DRAFT

 

 

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

2025年5月16日金曜日

Writing for an Academic Discussion Employee education or investment in other resources? - revised -

Should companies prioritize developing their workforce above all else, or are there more effective says to spur growth? (business management)

 

 

 

Lets Think

1.        What is investment?

--- Investment is spending resources in something for future returns. The word investment usually means buying stocks, which will increase capitals of corporations. If the company does well, investors will gain returns (dividends). We also use the word figuratively as in You should invest your time and energy in many different things so that you can have wider choices when you try to find a job.

 

2.        What is the major goal of the corporation?

--- The major goal of the corporation is to make profits. They invest their money in various areas to make profits.

 

3.        Exactly what does a business invest its money in?

--- For example, if you start an ice cream shop, you need to pay for the building to make and sell ice cream, equipment, materials, workers, advertisements, research and development, and so on.

 

4.        How can the business benefit from educating and training its employees?

 

5.        Is educating employees more important than renting a good-looking building, buying efficient machines, buying better ingredients, using a famous advertising company, or upgrading or inventing a good product or service? Why/Why not?

 

 

Hints for Points

workers > other factors

a.        Productivity will increase because employees will work more efficiently. They will work more in less time with fewer mistakes.

b.        Turnover rates and hiring costs will be lower because the workers will be loyal to the company. Loyalty, morale, and passion are vital for a company to survive.

c.         Trained employees will contribute to evolving the company especially when it needs to change.

d.        Public relations (PR) will improve as good employees will improve the image of the company.

e.        Training costs will decrease in the future because workers will educate themselves and each other.

f.          A machine will not fix itself or grow while a huma will.

 

workers  another factor/other factors

a.        Place: Customers may increase. People will try a new building or location at least once.

b.        Facilities and materials: You can make better products that sell well more efficiently and safely.

c.         Advertising: Advertisements can enhance profitability by brand recognition and loyalty; they make your company known to new consumers and get customers to have better image of the company and the products.

d.        Research and development (R&D): Better goods and services through product development will make the company competitive. It is innovation that will help the business survive in competition.

e.        Mechanization: Machines are more efficient than humans. AI learns much faster and makes better decisions than humans. In addition, they are often better than humans in business ethics. For example, embezzlement won’t occur.

f.          Marketing counts a lot. Going into the global market is more important than investing in workers for a company to survive in globalization.

 

 

Reply for Ideas and Expressions

Because of the contract stipulating that corporations work in order to increase the capital that their shareholders have invested in, most companies treat their workers as consumable supplies. However, they are actually assets of the company. Therefore, I believe that the most important thing business corporations should invest in is the education and training of their employees. Business owners must realize that it is not the bottom line but the workers that their business depends on.

 

Marginalizing workers is not wise. In general, companies give workers little education and easily make them redundant. Not only do they lay off workers for short-term profits but also they try to cut costs by outsourcing for cheap labor or by automation, or robotization. However, not to speak of being inhumane, these practices will not lead to development of the company. Uneducated workforce with low morale lead to low performance. High absenteeism and serious errors will cost the company money and time. Turning unskilled workers into skilled workers, will help avoid skilled-labor shortage, which increases long-term profits.

 

Most workers will not waste training resources as long as they are treated properly. If they learn how the business works, they will have more interest in it. If they learn how to work quickly and neatly, they will practice it. If they are shared ideas about a new product, they can come up with better ones. They may also provide valuable information, knowledge, and opinions from the people who actually do the job on the site. There is an idea that people work for money and educating them does little to improve their performance, but it is condescending to have such an idea about workers. Most people have desire for improvement and companies should invest in it. Possible adverse effects among workers who are unhappy about frequent sessions can be avoided by offering options between basic training only and courses with advanced levels.

 

In terms of other areas of investment, it should be remembered that the performance of the people who are in charge will determine the outcome. Product development needs the brain for innovation more than facilities. Marketing requires not only data but also insight and intuition. Sales relies mostly on relationship skills of sales staff because customers or clients need to trust the company before buying their products. Manufacturing is improved by attentiveness and ingenuity of the workers on the assembly line. People are the decisive factors in all the areas of investment of business.

 

Personnel are the most valuable asset of a company, which determines the total productivity of the company. Therefore, their training and education is the most important thing for business corporations to invest in. Besides, what is a company all about if its workers are not happy and active at work?

 

 

Point Structure Samples


Sample A

Point 1Merits of employee education

Point 2Merits of other types of investment

Point 3Your decision

 

 

Sample B

Point 1Benefit of employee education 1

Point 2Benefit of employee education 2

Point 3Reasons why employee education outweighs other types of investment




Write your response in 10 minutes. Show each other your responses. Write down questions or suggestions to each other’s response.

 

 

                                                   DRAFT