Did women become too hard?

In this article from "Der Spiegel" it says that women became too hard in order to be competitive in a men dominated business. The article is already a little bit older. Do you think anything has changed? The author mentioned that companies want softer leader and spend 10k-20k on seminars for their female managers to become softer and nicer to their colleagues.

Do you think it is HRs responsibility to look out for things like that? To sponsor participation in so called "bully broad-camps"? Should a company try to change its employees in such a personal way? Also, why should women participate and men shouldn't?


Unfortunately this article is in German:
http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-21057482.html

Recruitment process - the effect of a positive or negative experience

http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2013/12/08/5-tips-for-a-winning-candidate-experience/#!

This is an interesting article about the importance of the effects of the recruitment process. Research shows that the negative experience of a job applicant may have severe consequences for the company. What are your experiences/thoughts on this topic? Have you always even received an answer when applying for a job? How did this make you feel and what were your reactions?

Gift or Bribe ???

Gift or Bribe??

Here is an interesting article about this topic http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/33308.html.
There is a thin line between gifts and bribery.
It can be difficult to determine this line in foreign countries.
Do you know countries with special regulations regarding gifts and bribery?
What for example if you work at the purchase department and you get invited to visit a potential supplier, who pays your flight and a room in a 5star hotel?
What if he also offers you to extend your trip and relax 3 more days.....

Where do you think bribery begins?

As we discussed the issue of performance appraisal in today's class, I wondered how you'd think about such assessments? Have you had any good/bad experiences in your past, or discovered differences among different countries?

Here's an article that emphasizes the need of changing traditional performance appraisals while suggesting new ways of managing and assessing an employee's performance.

What do you think about the new keys to success as outlined in the article?
How do you personally think changes could look like (in Europe, Austria)?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2013/05/06/time-to-scrap-performance-appraisals/