Promotion and advertising strategies Essay Example for Free

Promotion and advertising strategies Essay In 1966, while sitting in a small diner, Rollin King, a Texas businessman presented his attorney, Herb Kelleher with an idea. The idea entailed creating a new airline, one that would offer low fares to passengers and would fly quickly between three cities: Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Together, they formed Southwest Airlines. Initially, the airline battled a number of obstacles from various competitors of that time, as the other airlines did not want to see a new competitor in the market who offered low cost flights to local areas. Despite various attempts made to keep Southwest a mere vision, they legally won the right to fly through the Supreme Court and began offering air service in 1971. AirTran Airways, formerly known as ValuJet Airlines, first began operating October 26, 1993. The Airline was renamed after the 1996 crash of ValuJet into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 passengers and crew members on board. Since that time, AirTran has grown to be one of the most profitable airlines in the industry, offering service to more than 60 destinations across the United States, as well as to Mexico and the Caribbean. On September 27, 2010, AirTran Airways made a public announcement that they entered into agreement allowing Southwest Airlines to acquire them. Numerous entities report the reasons behind the acquisition are: to make Southwest a dominant competitor in the airline industry, â€Å"Southwest is following the trend in the industry: merge or acquire in order to stay alive and competitive† (Mouawad, 2010). In addition, the acquisition would allow Southwest to mark its presence in markets they were previously unable to penetrate, â€Å"The deal would expand Southwest’s network by 25 percent and give it its first international  destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico† (Mouawad, 2010). As relayed in a statement made by Bob Fornaro, AirTran Chairman, President and CEO on AirTran’s official website, â€Å"Joining Southwest Airlines will give us opportunities to grow, both professionally as individuals and as a group, in ways that simply would not be possible with out this agreement. Together with Southwest, the world’s largest passenger airline, their financial resources, tremendous brand, legendary customer service, corporate culture and decades-long record of success, we will have the opportunity to go places neither company could have gone alone.† As a result of the acquisition, which was completed on May 2, 2011, Southwest has experienced several unexpected glitches during the transitioning stages. One major issue has been with the ticketing and reservations systems, â€Å"Southwest Airlines agents struggle with AirTran Airways tickets and vice versa, sometimes leaving passengers who have been delayed and need rebooking in the lurch† (McCartney, 2013). It is reported that prices and seat availability are inconsistent on both websites when attempting to book a ticket online. Customers, who purchase early boarding passes for their itineraries, are limited to using them only for the Southwest leg of the trip, as it is not recognized by AirTr an. This has caused numerous complaints with customers who pay full price for early boarding, but are only able to use it for half of the itinerary. Southwest has been diligently working to combine both airline systems, but has not successfully completed the project to date. â€Å"Southwest, for now, have agents of both airlines trying to work two reservation systems on different windows of their computer screens so one airline can check in customers from the other. Southwest says it will have a unified system, new to both airlines, in place by the end of the year† (McCartney, 2013). A prominent issue that has resulted in the acquisition is that once AirTran has been fully integrated into the Southwest Brand, upgraded seating will no longer be available, as Southwest only offers coach class with unassigned seating. In addition, Southwest has been in the works to transition all aircraft from AirTran’s 717 aircraft, which it inherited, to its existing 737 model. â€Å"AirTran had first class, they had assigned seats, and Southwest has no first class, no assigned seats, doesn’t sell through global distribution systems-a very different product than what AirTran offered in the market. It is very distinguishable† (Boehmer, 2010). Delta Airlines and other major competitors feel they will be able to capture former AirTran customers, who find the elimination of upgraded seating unacceptable. Prior to the acquisition, Southwest Airlines had an organizational structure which was instrumental in the company becoming a leading competitor in the airline industry. Founder Herb Kelleher’s leadership style allowed for everyone, including front line employees to play a major role in business planning and operational budgeting. Herb believed that â€Å"management decisions are made by everyone in the organization, not just the head executives† (Advance Business Consulting Website, 2013). As a part of their organizational structure, Southwest maintained over 35,000 employees, had 568 Boeing 737 model aircraft, and operated in 67 domestic cities coast-to-coast. Whereas AirTran, who operated with a similar organizational model, listed assets of 8,500 employees, 86 Boeing 717’s and 52 Boeing 737’s, operating in approximately 37 markets. Southwest Airlines has not made major changes to their organizational structure as a result of the merger. The new Southwest airlines assets contain: â€Å"43,000 plus employees, over 700 aircraft, operating in over 100 markets, serving 100 million customers†, (Bomkamp, 2010). Southwest continues to function with three primary levels of management: Executive Vice Presidents, Senior Vice Presidents, and Vice Presidents, all positions subordinate to Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO, Gary Kelly. Since the acquisition, Southwest has taken a slow approach to integrating AirTran systems, procedures, and employees into the Southwest family. Southwest appears to believe they will be able to seamlessly integrate 8,500 AirTran employees into the body of Southwest’s existing 35,000 employees. However, industry analysts feel Southwest’s expectations are risky at best, â€Å"It will be tricky for Southwest. Southwest’s whole business model is built on a particular approach to managing employees. It’s a big bet they are making that they can swallow AirTran† (Cappelli, 2010). According to Southwest Airlines Announcements for Reporting Structure of AirTran and Leadership Changes, Human Resources Practices were modified in effort to embrace the leadership team coming from AirTran. Almost all AirTran leaders were placed in positions with Southwest that were commensurate to positions previously held. The other leaders who were not placed in commensurate positions were hired on as full time consultants to ensure the integration of the two  airlines went well. Southwest airlines have maintained a precedent that was established in 1971, when the company first began conducting business. Southwest Airlines began with four planes and less than 70 employees. During its first year of operation, the company experienced financial trouble, forcing the executives to make the decision to sell one of its planes or lay off employees. In effort to maintain the relationship with its employees, Southwest opted to sell the plane. In return, the employees were asked to cut gate turn-around from 55 minutes to 15 minutes. The employees obliged, helping to establish one of the friendliest management/labor relationships in the airline industry, as reported by PBS.org. According to Atlanta Business Chronicles, the following statement was issued to AirTran employees in the form of a Question and Answer sheet in effort to address their concerns regarding job security, â€Å"The combination of the two airlines will result in additional employment opportunities as the combined airline continues to grow and expand the Southwest network. In its nearly 40 year history, even during the most recent financial crisis, Southwest has remained profitable and has never had layoffs.† This statement was in attempt to calm fears that the acquisition would bring surrounding job stability. As in any industry, when employees are facing major changes in the workplace, especially as it relates to mergers and acquisitions, it is important to communicate plans for the direction of the company and the employees involved. This strategy allows time for the employees to process the information they have been given and adjust to the changes to come. It is imperative that companies model this practice as non-communication results in insecurity, chaos, and hostile work environments where uncertainty is present. References Advance Business Consulting Website (2013). Retrieved from http://www.advancebusinessconsulting.com/advance!/strategic-alignment/strategic-alignment-business-cases/the-rise-of-southwest-airlines.aspx AirTran Airways Official Website, (2014). Retrieved from http://www.airtranairways.com/about-us/history.aspx Atlanta Business Chronicle, (2010). QA on the Southwest-AirTran merger. Retrieved from http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2010/09/27/daily2.html Boehmer, Jay (2010, November 08). Delta Sees Opportunity In Southwest, AirTran Merger. Business Travel News, (15), 4. Retrieved from http://elibrary.bigchalk.com Bomkamp, S., (2010). Huff Post Travel: Southwest Airlines Buys AirTran for $1.4 Billion. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/27/southwest-airlines-airtran_n_739975.html?view=printcomm_ref=false Cappelli, P. (2010). Strategic Management North America: By Acquiring AirTran, Will Southwest Continue to Spread the LUV? Retrieved from http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/by-acquiring-airtran-will-southwest-continue-to-spread-the-luv/ McCartney, S., (2013). The Wall Street Journal: Southwest and AirTran Airlines: Mergers and Aggravations. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324448104578611980670019710 Mouawad, J., (2010). The New York Times: Southwest, Determined to Expand, Buys AirTran. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/business/28air.html?_r=0pagewanted=print PBS.Org (date not available). Chasing the Sun: The History of Commercial Aviation Seen Through the Eyes of Its Innovators. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/kcet/chasingthesun/innovators/hkelleher.html Southwest Airlines Official Website. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/index.html?int=GFOOTER-ABOUT-ABOUT

The Product In Service Marketing Mix

The Product In Service Marketing Mix The service marketing mix is also known as an extended marketing mix and is an integral part of a service . The service marketing mix consists of 7 Ps as compared to the 4 Ps of a product marketing mix. Simply said, the service marketing mix assumes the service as a product itself. However it adds 3 more Ps which are required for optimum service delivery. servicemarketingmix Service Marketing Mix The product marketing mix consists of the 4 Ps which are Product, Pricing, Promotions and Placement. These are discussed in my article on product marketing mix the 4 Ps. Product The product in service marketing mix is intangible in nature. The product element of the marketing mix includes the tangible good and all of the services that accompany that good to produce the final product. A product is a package, or bundle, of goods and services that comprise the total offering. For example, the purchase of a hotel room includes the guest room, fitness center, pool, restaurants, valet service, concierge, housekeeping service, etc. A restaurant meal consists of the actual food, host/hostess, and waiters, etc. Finally, a travel experience consists of a chain of products and services starting atthe time of purchase and ending upon returning from the trip. Everything in between, such as hotel service, restaurants, and transportation (including taxis and buses), affect the overall experience. Some of the variables that are part of the product decision include variety, quality, design, features/amenities, brand name, packaging, supporting services, and warranties. As stated earlier, the decision regarding the proper mix of goods and services is based on the wants and needs of consumers (the concept of marketing. Place The place element of the marketing mix includes the distribution and logistics of producing a product or service and making it available to the final consumer. The location of a manufacturing or wholesaling facility is determined by considering the costs of resources such as labor, raw materials, and real estate. In addition, it is necessary to have access to the preferred mode(s) of transportation for delivering the products to wholesalers and retailers. The location of a retail establishment is based mainly on accessibility to the final consumers. Services have relatively short channels of distribution and focus most of their efforts on finding retail locations that are convenient for consumers. For example, restaurants tend to choose high traffic areas close to shopping and other attractions. Similarly, hotels locate their facilities in areas such as airports, urban centers, industrial centers, and tourist attractions that are accessible to their respective target markets. Some of the variables that are part of the place decision include the type of channel, location, assortments, coverage area, inventory, and transportation. Many service providers overlook the importance of this variable in the strategic planning process. The channel of distribution tends to be shorter for the marketing of services than that for goods, and most service providers act as manufacturer and retailer. Many managers in service firms assume that once the initial location is determined this variable diminishes in importance. However, hotels and restaurants do switch their operations to a more favorable location on occasion. This is a major decision involving company time and resources, but it can result in long-term growth and increased profit if handled properly. Another good example of a place decision for a hotel is the Harborside Hyatt in Boston, Massachusetts.. Promotion The promotion element of the marketing mix includes all of the communications associated with marketing a product or service. The promotion mix consists of four elements: advertising, personal selling, publicity, and sales promotion. Advertising and publicity are forms of mass communication using a variety of mediums such as television, radio, newspaper, magazines, direct mail, and the Internet. Advertising is a paid form of mass communication with an identified sponsor, while publicity is a non-paid form of mass communication without a sponsor (i.e., it is free and objective). Personal selling is a form of interpersonal communication sponsored by the firm. Sales promotion is a short-term inducement to purchase a product or service. Some examples of sales promotions are contests, sweepstakes, premiums, and product bundles. Pricing Pricing in case of services is rather more difficult than in case of products. Price. Price is the value placed on a product or service. Other terms that can be used to refer to the price component of the marketing mix are: fee, rate, tuition, premium, and toll. There are non-monetary elements to price as well as the more obvious monetary elements. Some examples of non-monetary price are the time it takes to search and evaluate alternative products or services and the convenience of location. If a consumer drives to several locations to shop for a product or service, then there are costs associated with time, gas, and depreciation on the car. Also, there could be tolls for highways, bridges, or subways. In the end, it is the perceived price or the perceived value the consumer associates with a product or service that influences the purchase and the level of customers satisfaction. Value is the trade off between price and quality the benefits the consumer receives for the pr ice paid. Here on we start towards the extended service marketing mix. People : The role of the service employee becomes much more critical since to a very real extent the employee is the service, given the absence of any tangible artifact. They carry the responsibility of projecting the image of the service firm. Because of the inseparability of production and consumption of services, service delivery is characterized by interactions between customers and service employees. Service employees who experience positive human resource practices can devote their energies and resources to effectively serving their customers. The service firms human resource management practices can create an environment that elicit more positive, courteous and helpful behavior from the employees toward customers. In turn, the behavior that employees display will positively impact on service quality. Physical Evidence : Physical evidence of service includes all the tangible representations of service such as clear signage, good ventilation, adequate space, internet presence, equipment and facility. As services are intangible, customers are searching for any tangible cues to help them understand the nature of the service experience. For example, in the hotel industry, the design, furnishing, lighting, layout and decoration of the hotel as well as the appearance of its employees will influence customer perceptions of the service quality and experiences. For theme parks, restaurants, health clubs, hospitals or schools, the physical facility is critical in communicating the service and making the entire customer experience positive. Ambient conditions include background characteristics of the environment such as temperature, air quality, lighting, noise, music, and scent affect the five senses. Spatial layout of the equipment, and furnishings arranged, the size and shape of these items, and the spatial relationships among them are also crucial to influence customers perception. Process : Process is referred to as the procedures, mechanisms and flow of activities by which the service is delivered i.e. the service delivery and operating systems. Delivering customer expectations depends on how well various steps function together. Highly bureaucratized services frequently follow complicated and extensive series of actions, and the logic of the steps involved often confuse the customer. Customers may complain that service firms are slow in response and bureaucratic with the many steps involved. They want easy access to the service process, and they want things to be handled quickly, preferably by the first service employee. Customers describe frustrating experiences when they have to run from pillar to post to complete a simple transaction, experience long waiting time, rules and regulations, and personnel who decline to serve them with the excuse Im not allowed to do this or this is against our policy. Service LIC An Ordinance was issued on 19th January, 1956 nationalizing the Life Insurance sector and Life Insurance Corporation came into existence in the same year. The LIC absorbed 154 Indian, 16 non-Indian insurers as also 75 provident societies-245 Indian and foreign insurers in all. The LIC had monopoly till the late 90s when the Insurance sector was reopened to the private sector. History Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) was formed in Sep 1956 after the Parliament of India passed the Life Insurance Corporation Act in Jun 1956. The company was created with the objective of spreading life insurance more widely, especially to reach all the insurable people in the rural areas and provide them with adequate financial cover at a reasonable cost. Apart from its corporate office, LIC had five zonal offices, 33 divisional offices and 212 branch offices in 1956. The nature of life insurance contracts being long-term coupled with the need to provide a variety of services during the term of the policy, LIC re-organised itself by opening a number of new branch offices. After its re-organisation, servicing functions were transferred to branches which were converted to accounting units. Operations As on Mar 2008, LIC had 2,048 fully computerised branch offices, 109 divisional offices, eight zonal offices apart from its corporate office. LICs network connects all the branches through wide area network. The company also has tie-ups with certain banks and service providers to offer on-line premium collection facility in select cities. Besides, ECS and ATM premium payment facility to its customers, the company has also commissioned IVRS and information centres at Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, New Delhi, Pune, amongst other cities. LIC has also launched Satellite Sampark offices in order to provide easy access to its policy holders. The company had 340 such offices as on Mar 2008. LIC also provides housing finance through LICHFL. It has also formed an asset management company known as LICMF AMC. The corporation has also extended its operations to the international arena; through various JVs and subsidiaries it operates in as many as nine countries. Products Services LIC offers a wide array of insurance products to its customers such as insurance plans, pension plans, unit-linked plans, special plans and group scheme. During FY08, the company introduced certain new products such as Profit Plus, Fortune Plus, Jeevan Akshay, Jeevan Amrit Amulya Jeevan. As of Mar 2007, total number of agents of the company stood at 1.1 mn while the total number of policies issued was 38.2 mn. The premium earned by the company reported a growth of 41% in FY07 when compared to the previous year. During the year, the company insured 34.28 mn individuals for the first time 7 P`s of Services Marketing in LIC The marketing mix is the combination of marketing activities that an organization engages in so as to best meet the needs of its targeted market. The Insurance business deals in selling services and therefore due weight-age in the formation of marketing mix for the Insurance business is needed. The marketing mix includes sub-mixes of the 7 Ps of marketing i.e. the product, its price, place, promotion, people, process physical attraction. The above mentioned 7 Ps can be used for marketing of Insurance products, in the following manner: PRODUCT: A product means what we produce. If we produce goods, it means tangible product and when we produce or generate services, it means intangible service product. A product is both what a seller has to sell and a buyer has to buy. Thus, an Insurance company sells services and therefore services are their product. In India, the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is the leading companies offering insurance services to the users. Apart from offering life insurance policies, they also offer underwriting and consulting services. When a person or an organization buys an Insurance policy from the insurance company, he not only buys a policy, but along with it the assistance and advice of the agent, the prestige of the insurance company and the facilities of claims and compensation. . In short, the formulation of product-mix should be in the face of innovative product strategy. While initiating the innovative process it is necessary to take into consideration the strategies adopted by private and foreign insurance companies through various plans like Endowment plan, pension plan, ULIP. PRICING: In the insurance business the pricing decisions are concerned with: i) The premium charged against the policies, ii) Interest charged for defaulting the payment of premium and credit facility, and iii) Commission charged for underwriting and consultancy activities. . The pricing in insurance is in the form of premium rates. The premium rates are revised if there are any significant changes in any of the below factors. a) Mortality b) Expenses c) Interest PLACE: This component of the marketing mix is related to two important facets i) Managing the insurance personnel, and ii) Locating a branch. . While locating branches, the branch manager needs to consider a number of factors, such as smooth accessibility, availability of infrastructural facilities and the management of branch offices and premises. In addition it is also significant to provide safety measures and also factors like office furnishing, civic amenities and facilities, parking facilities and interior office decoration should be given proper attention. Thus the place management of insurance branch offices needs a new vision, distinct approach and an innovative style. This is essential to make the work place conducive, attractive and proactive for the generation of efficiency among employees. The branch managers need professional excellence to make place decisions productive. PROMOTION: Advertising and Publicity, organization of conferences and seminars, incentive to policyholders are impersonal communication. Arranging exhibitions, participation in fairs and festivals, rural wall paintings and publicity drive through the mobile publicity van units would be effective in creating the impulse buying and the rural prospects would be easily transformed into actual policyholders. PEOPLE: Understanding the customer better allows designing appropriate products. Being a service industry which involves a high level of people interaction, it is very important to use this resource efficiently in order to satisfy customers. Training, development and strong relationships with intermediaries are the key areas to be kept under consideration. Training the employees, use of IT for efficiency, both at the staff and agent level, is one of the important areas to look into. PROCESS: The process should be customer friendly in insurance industry. The speed and accuracy of payment is of great importance. IT Data Warehousing will smoothen the process flow. IT will help in servicing large no. of customers efficiently and bring down overheads. Technology can either complement or supplement the channels of distribution cost effectively. It can also help to improve customer service levels. The use of data warehousing management and mining will help to find out the profitability and potential of various customers product segments. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE: The physical evidence are includes such as policy document, statements, intimation letter, uniforms of personnel, vending machine of LIC enquiry option , LIC logo and their awards. AXIS BANK Axis Bank Limited was the first of the new private banks to have begun operations in 1994, after the Government of India allowed new private banks to be established. The Bank was promoted jointly by the Administrator of the specified undertaking of the Unit Trust of India (UTI I), Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC) and other four PSU insurance companies, i.e. National Insurance Company Ltd., The New India Assurance Company Ltd., The Oriental Insurance Company Ltd. and United India Insurance Company Ltd. The Bank today is capitalized to the extent of Rs. 358.56 crores with the public holding (other than promoters) at 57.60%. The Banks Registered Office is at Ahmedabad and its Central Office is located at Mumbai. Presently, the Bank has a very wide network of more than 701 Branch offices and Extension Counters. The Bank has a network of over 2854 ATMs providing 24 hrs a day banking convenience to its customers. This is one of the largest ATM networks in the country. The Bank has strengths in both retail and corporate banking and is committed to adopting the best industry practices internationally in order to achieve excellence. Axis Bank Limited has been promoted by the largest and the best Financial Institution of the country, UTI. The Bank was set up with a capital of Rs. 115 crore, with UTI contributing Rs. 100 crore, LIC Rs. 7.5 crore and GIC and its four subsidiaries contributing Rs. 1.5 crore each. THE SERVICE MARKETING MIX OF AXIS BANK PRODUCT The main products of AXIS Bank are Saving Account, Current Account and Demat Account. The other products are Home loan, personal loan, Insurance, Credit cards, etc. For better marketing of products, the products are categorized under Axis Bank and Axis Sales. Products under Axis Bank are Saving Account Current Account Forex Department Salary Accounts Products under Axis Sales are Home loan Personal loan, Demat Account PRICE The price of the product depends upon the services provided by the Bank on the respective product to the customers. Detailed pricing changes from time to time and the same can be found on the website of Axis bank. PLACE Place plays an important role in tangibilizing service offerings. Quality of service is perceived by many customers in the form of place of delivery- locational appeal, interiors, ambience, etc. If a bank is located in a crowded market the place or location will be a negative tangibilizes. Providing excellent tangibles in the form of place or location and interiors is particularly important for appealing to the customers segment. More recently, some of the private banks in India like AXIS Bank are providing very attractive tangibles in the form of their locations, exteriors and interiors. PROMOTION Promotion can tangibilize services in different forms: Visualization Association Physical representation Documentation. Visualization tangibilizes services through hoardings, TV and print campaigns or advertisements. Physical representation in services has a good promotional appeal to customers like use of colors to symbolize wealth and status. Service providers use documentation in their promotions in support of their claims for dependability, popularity and responsiveness PEOPLE People are a common factor in every service. And people tangibilize services. Good people (means good performance) make good or successful services. Bad performers deliver bad services. PROCESS Customer defined business process- Process innovations and continuous improve- ment through people involvement. Result oriented approach- Each process has been designed by first planning the desired results. Axis Bank is constantly taking initiatives to offer the best in class service that seek to enhance customer experience. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE Reduce paper usage- Due to technological innovations such as use of Finacle software for core banking solutions. It has positioned it self as a bank which gives higher standard of services through product innovation. Satisfies the diverse need of individual and corporate clients. It is customer centric, and service oriented . Now we will compare the strategies of both axis bank and adlabs, LIC provides life insurance policy, like Endowment plan, pension plan, ULIP. Axis bank also offers variety of products like Saving Account, Current Account and Demat Account. The other products are Home loan, personal loan, Insurance, Credit cards In LIC the pricing decisions are concerned with :i) The premium charged against the policies, ii) Interest charged for defaulting the payment of premium and credit facility, and iii) Commission charged for underwriting and consultancy activities. . The pricing in insurance is in the form of premium rates. The price of the product depends upon the services provided by the Bank on the respective product to the customers. LIC consider a number of factors, such as smooth accessibility, availability of infrastructural facilities and the management of branch offices and premises Quality of service is perceived by many customers in the form of place of delivery- locational appeal, interiors, ambience, etc. If a bank is located in a crowded market the place or location will be a negative tangibilizes. AXIS Bank are providing very attractive tangibles in the form of their locations, exteriors and interiors. Advertising and Publicity, organization of conferences and seminars, incentive to policyholders are impersonal communication. Arranging exhibitions, participation in fairs and festivals, rural wall paintings and publicity drive through the mobile publicity van. Visualization tangibilizes services through hoardings, TV and print campaigns or advertisements. Physical representation in services has a good promotional appeal to customers like use of colors to symbolize wealth and status. Service providers use documentation in their promotions in support of their claims for dependability, popularity and responsiveness .LIC being a service industry which involves a high level of people interaction, it is very important to use this resource efficiently in order to satisfy customers. Training, development and strong relationships with intermediaries are the key areas to be kept under consideration. In axis bank Good people (means good performance) make good or successful services. Bad performers deliver bad services. The process should be customer friendly in insurance industry. The speed and accuracy of payment is of great importance. IT Data Warehousing will smoothen the processflow. IT will help in servicing large no. of customers efficiently and bring down overheads Customer defined business process- Process innovations and continuous improve-ment through people involvement.Result oriented approach- Each process has been designed by first planning the desired results.Axis Bank is constantly taking initiatives to offer the best in class service that seek to enhance customer experienc The physical evidence are includes such as policy document, statements, intimation letter, uniforms of personnel, vending machine of LIC enquiry option , LIC logo and their awards In Axis bank physical evidenceReduce paper usage- Due to technological innovations such as use of Finacle software for core banking solutions.It has positioned it self as a bank which gives higher standard of services through product innovation. CONCLUSION There is littile bit similarity in the service marketing mix of LIC and axis bank but there is difference in the marketing strategy of the both companies

Human Resource Management Strategy Business Essay

Human Resource Management Strategy Business Essay Strategic Human resource management is a plan that facilitates the way an organization is being ran. The Human Resource Management strategy and the business strategy must be totally integrated. (Kearns, 2008). In today ¿Ã‚ ½s modern world, they are different ways in which HRM within an organization operates but then they focus their attention on three main areas of management which are; staffing, employee compensation and defining or designing work. The target of every HRM departments in any organization will be to optimize the effectiveness of its employee in order to maximize productivity and increase profit. According to Edward L. Gubman as observed in the journal of business strategy,  ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½The basic mission of human resources will always be to acquire, develop and retain talent; align the work force with the business; and be an excellent contributor to the business. Those three challenges will never change. ¿Ã‚ ½ The back bone of any successful company is the HR de partment. The HR department must provide executive management with fundamental ideas that will help to not only gain market share, but entice and retain talent. Once the HR strategy of an organization is in place then its management ¿Ã‚ ½s responsibility sees that company goals are embraced and there are several ways they can do this which includes; communication, input, feedback, positive reinforcement, values etc. In recent year, observers have cited a decided trend towards a fundamental reassessment of HR structures and positions.  ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½A cascade of changing business conditions, changing organizational structures, and changing leadership have been forcing human resource departments to alter their perspective on their role and functions almost-overnight, ¿Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ wrote John Johnston in Business Quarterly. Figure 1 Strategy Implementation in an HR Environment Emergent strategies The SHRM functions can be known of having six (6) menus of HRM practices, from which organizations can choose the ones that is most appropriate for implementing their strategy. The Strategies of organizations varies depending on the level and structure of that organization and there is no know strategy which is the best suitable. The company I will be looking at to see how its HRM operates in the Organization is Barclays Group PLC. 1.2. STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN BARCLAYS GROUP PLC Brief history of Barclays Barclays plc is a major global multinational financial services provider engaged in retail and commercial banking. Barclays has two geographical concentrations in the financial industry: global retail banking and corporate investment banking wealth management with operations in more than fifty countries with an extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. Barclays has got approximately fifteen thousand six hundreds colleagues internationally and it moves, lends, invests and protects money for over forty-eight million customers and clients. Barclays plc has a global network of more than one hundred and fifty-five thousand people working across a range of businesses thus makes the HR team of Barclays face a unique challenges. In such a diverse and internationally spread company, HR experts work with every business unit to help Barclays stay ahead of the competition by attracting and retaining the best people available and make sure that they are all in the right jobs and do the best work that will create sustainable benefits for the works, customers and shareholders, all over the world. But it ¿Ã‚ ½s not all about new recruit that the HR management team of Barclays focuses on. It is also committed to nurturing its established colleague and the HR team play a vital role in monitoring performances and monitoring a host of training programmes. The HRM of Barclays Group is divided into different professional Job titles that deal with the Human resource related issues and plays an important part in every business unit of co mpany. The purpose of SHRM in Barclays The purpose or importance of SHRM in Barclays cannot be over emphasized, the success and failure of any organization depends solely on its HR management. The Primary purpose associated with human resource management in Barclays includes Job analysis and staffing (recruitment), organization and utilization of workforce, measurement and appraisal of workforce performance, implementation of reward systems for employees, professional development of workers and maintenance of workforce. I. Job analysis and recruitment: The HRM in Barclays has the responsibility of recruiting people for various employment positions in the company; they determine the skills, and experience necessary to adequately perform in a position, identification of job and industry trends and anticipation of future employments. They provide valid information about jobs that is used to hire and promote people, determine wages, determine training needs, and manage the flow of personnel into and out of Barclays. II. Organization, maintenance and utilization: The HRM dept of Barclays maintains the workforce of the company. The duty here involves designing an organizational framework that makes maximum use of an enterprises human resources and establishing systems of communication that helps the organization to operate in a unified manner. Other responsibilities in this area include health and safety and worker management relations. Maintenance task related to worker-management relations primarily entails: working with labor union; handling grievances related to misconduct, such as theft or sexual harassment; and devising communication systems to foster cooperation and shared sense of mission among the employees. III. Performance appraisal: The HRM of Barclays assesses employees ¿Ã‚ ½ job performance and provides feedbacks to the employees on both their positive and negative performance. The performance appraisal is important because it is used to determine the salary increase and promotions and in the case of a negative performance, dismissal might follow. IV. Reward systems: This system is managed by the HRM in Barclays. This aspect of management is important because it provides the mechanism by which company provide their worker with a reward for past achievements and incentives for high performance in the future. They also use this system to address a problem within the work force through institution of disciplinary measures. V. Employee development and training: The HR is responsible for identifying the training needs of Barclay ¿Ã‚ ½s employee and initiates and evaluates developments programmes designed to address those needs. These training programs ranges from orientation programmes, which are designed to acclimate new hire of the company, to ambitious education programmes indented to familiarize workers with a new software systems. 1.3 Contributions of SHRM to achievements of Barclay ¿Ã‚ ½s objectives Meaningful contributions to the business processes of Barclays processes are increasingly recognized as within the purview of active human resource management practices. The HRM of Barclays disseminates guideline for and monitoring employee ¿Ã‚ ½s behaviors and ensuring that the company is obeying worker-related regulatory guidelines. The HRM professional are aware of the fundamentals of learning and motivations and carefully design and monitor training and development programmes that has helped in achieving the aim and objectives of the company by increasing the quality of products and services delivered and increased growth and profit that benefits the whole organization. The HRM of Barclays has been deeply involved in reshaping of the company ¿Ã‚ ½s structure under increased external and internal complexity and in managing other aspect of strategic change in Barclays Group. The role and importance of SHRM in Barclays cannot be over emphasized, the success and failure of the company depends solely on its HRM and they can only succeed when the right strategy is applied. Having the company ¿Ã‚ ½s mission in mind at all time has been a driving force to the achievements of HR team of Barclays Group and technological changes with the help of SAP (enterprise resource planning tool) helps Barclays to succeed in today ¿Ã‚ ½s tough business climate. Figure 1.2 This table below show how the SHRM add value to an Organization. Source: CIPD, The case for good people management, 2001. 2.1. The business factor that underpin the HR planning in Barclays Strength of the company Barclay ¿Ã‚ ½s group has a widespread of global presence allowing it to spread its risk and enjoy economic of scale. The Barclays brand is well-established historically and has become ingrained in the psyche of the consumers and continually promoted, for example, through sponsorship of Premier league football. Barclays is particularly associated with innovation, it brought out the first debit and credit card and most recently the one plus card combining Oyster, cashless and credit functions for London-based customers. The opening of new flagship branches along with a refurbishment programme can be seen as an attempt to refocus on customers demand for a strong presence on the high street. The opening of new flagship branches along with a refurbishment programme can be seen as an attempt to refocus on customers demand for a strong presence on the high street. There is an increased online growth and online security to combat fraud and they enjoy a robust financial performance. The business growth Barclay ¿Ã‚ ½s business strategy is to achieve good growth through time by diversifying its business base and increasing its presence in markets and segments that are growing rapidly. This is driven by the Group ¿Ã‚ ½s ambition to become one of a handful of universal banks leading the global financial services industry, helping customers and clients throughout the world achieve their goals. The strategy is based on the principles of earn, invest and grow. Supporting this are four strategic priorities; Build the best bank in the UK, Accelerate the growth of global businesses, Develop retail and commercial banking activities in selected countries outside the UK, Enhance operational excellence. Barclay ¿Ã‚ ½s five guiding principles are key to the way the business operates:  ¿Ã‚ ½ Winning together: Achieving collective and individual success  ¿Ã‚ ½ Best people: Developing talented colleagues to reach their full potential, to ensure Barclays retains a leading position in the global financial services industry  ¿Ã‚ ½ Customer and client focus: Understanding customers and serving them brilliantly.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Pioneering: Driving new ideas, adding diverse skills and improving operational excellence.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Trusted: Acting with the highest integrity to retain the trust of customers, external stakeholders and colleagues. To continually compete internationally, Barclays must strive to perform customer service at an utmost level of excellence which will promote the company worldwide as a organization that can be relied upon time after time for small individual accounts as well as huge corporate accounts. To accomplish this, Barclays must identify their customer groups and the needs associated with each particular group and develop products and services that will be of great value to their customers. The practices that have worked in the past must be reconfigured to work for years to come and keep Barclays updated with the high changing IT world. This will call for new investments into new levels of technology that can help offer higher levels of service to its customers. Along with the apparent increase in speed that IT will allow Barclays to accomplish routine tasks, technology will also reduce risk of errors and fraud. (www.thebanker.com). IT will allow up to date information to be at the fingertips of Barclays managers, giving managers a huge advantage when it comes to making decisions and in pin pointing groups of customers that can have a high added value to Barclays. The fine-tuning of IT will also eliminate weaknesses within Barclays practices, preventing failures that effect customers and thus reducing excessive and unnecessary costs. In recent years, Barclays has been very successful in carrying out its desired tactics. Huge investment strategies that have led to this increase in profits include the acquirements within its Barclaycard card business. With growth on its mind, Barclays has set out to create an international business that if forecasted correctly, the income generated in its Barclaycard division will be of equal value internationally as well as domestically by 2013. Barclays has also placed strategic action in growing throughout Europe up to sixty percent in the near feature. 2.2. Human resource requirement to open new technology center in Johannesburg, South Africa In order to successfully open a new technological center in South Africa, Barclays will require having a structure (accommodation), the need the right number of staff, at the right place and the right time and equipped with the right technical skills to design, implement, manage projects and be able to develop new technological innovation. To assess the capacity required to do this research has to be carried out to derive the quantitative and qualitative data about the human requirement in this sector. The operations and activities in this center will range from upgrading ATMs, hosts the applications for the regions markets, credit card transfer, looking after all the net work and infrastructure applications and re-plat forming a country ¿Ã‚ ½s banks. The HR also needs to put in place a career development programmes for the staffs that will be working in this center and rewards and benefit packages. 2.3. The human resource plan in Barclays Resourcing Manager: The resourcing managers partners with each of the business unit of Barclays in order to help them attract and retain the best people for every job. They produce a schedule that deals the recruitment programme for the various types and levels of services. HR Operations Advisor: The HR operation advisor of Barclays supports the internal and external clients to ensure that the logistic affecting new starters, movers within the business and people leaving the company are dealt with smoothly and efficiently. Benefits Administrator/ Pension Administrator: The duty of the people here is to assist a pension administration Team Leader, the Benefits Administrator reconcile pension calculations, answer members ¿Ã‚ ½ queries and help with correspondence. HR Business Partner: HR Business Partners work alongside business leaders in a specific area of the Group to improve performance, advertising on recruitment, retention and development issues for that sector. Compensation and Benefits Analyst: Compensation and Benefits Analyst will set salaries for job roles to ensure that proposed compensation and reward packages are benchmarked and competitive. 2.4. Contribution of human resources to Barclays objectives HR professional take a strategic approach to human resource management. Human resource management seeks to proactively provide a competitive advantage through the company ¿Ã‚ ½s most important asset: its human resources. Human resources has a great impact on the implementation of plan by developing and aligning HRM practices that ensure the company has a motivated employee with the necessary skills. Human resource management in Barclays interacts between people, technology and the task to be performed in context with the objectives, goals and strategic plan of the company. HR plays a central role in such key area activities like attracting, selection and recruitment, employee orientations, retaining talent, promotions and termination process, and performance management including individual assessments, measuring and improving work performances, all these have significant impact on the employee turnover. The HR in Barclays sees to employee and the organizational development programm e to maintain and improve skills as well as reward systems, benefits and compliance available for staffs also laws, policies, health and safety. The HR of Barclays gives a detailed job description and hires the right skills for a particular job and draws up programme for the professional development of the employee for e.g. learning to operate a new technology, this makes Barclays a leader in terms of new innovation thus providing a competitive advantage. They also plan effectively ahead with the number of staffs required to reduce cost to an optimum and ensure working processes are running smooth, this provides effective performance, thus increasing financial performance as indexed by productivity and market share value. The HR of Barclays also uses system such as incentives to achieve a specific goal. The reward system affects the company ¿Ã‚ ½s performance through increasing the quality of products and services. The company ¿Ã‚ ½s HR cares about the need and well being of the ir employees and provides a comfortable working environment; this increases the employee ¿Ã‚ ½s motivation and enhanced productivity performance. 3.1. The purpose of human resource policies in Barclays The Human Resource Policy is simply a set of documents that describes an organization ¿Ã‚ ½s policies for operation and the procedures necessary to fulfill the practices for its managerial, supervisory staff, and all employees. This documents sets out the policy for all the human resource related issues in the company including some policies from the government that relates to the company business activities. The purpose of this policy is to help the organization to maximize return on investment in the organization ¿Ã‚ ½s human capital and maximize financial risk. The policy sets the standards of operations compliance, effective internal management control systems compliant with regulation standards and processes of all the business unit of Barclays. The HR policy provides a clear guidance to the employees as to what their responsibilities and obligations are, and their behavior that last beyond the residency of a particular business unit or executive. An HR policy also helps Bar clays to avoid liability for their employees ¿Ã‚ ½ actions and helps protect against legal claims. HR policies promote consistency approach to meet their needs as they develop continuity with regards to flexible working and general understanding of the management strategy within the Barclays business environment. An HR policy also helps Barclays to keep up with competitors: e.g. policies are may be review in order to attract or retain employee. Policies are set in line with the company ¿Ã‚ ½s strategy and planned to suit the culture, circumstances and size of the company. HR policies need to be reviewed with changes to the environment and growth with the company. So without these policies there will be no sense of direction within the company and it will be difficult for such an organization to achieve it aims and objectives. 3.2 The impact of regulatory requirements on human resource policies in Barclays. The regulatory requirements are the licenses, restrictions and laws that are applicable to a business product or services, imposed by the government. The regulations go a long way from protecting the environment to ensuring work place safety. Such regulations includes; legal and regulatory requirement related to pay, equality, employment rights and responsibilities, data protection, discrimination, etc. The cumulative burden of the regulation requirements by the law can have a positive or a negative impact on a company ¿Ã‚ ½s aims and objectives and can easily overwhelm businesses. The Employment Act 2008 sets out the laws on employment rights and welfare of the employee. The HR managers must now plan the employment package under this employment Act which is very expensive to implement. For e.g. the law makes provision about the procedure for the resolution of employment disputes; to provide for compensation for financial loss on cases of unlawful underpayment or non-payment, to make provision about the enforcement of minimum wages legislation. Barclays manages health and safety at a local level under the requirement and any mistake done can cause the company thousands of pounds on compensation. There is continuing political and regulatory scrutiny of the operations of the retail banking and consumer credit industries in the UK, EU, US, South Africa and elsewhere. For example, in the United States, Barclays Bank PLC and certain US subsidiaries and branches of the bank are subjected to a comprehensive regulatory structure, involving numerous statutes, ruling and regulations, including the International Banking Act of 1978, the Banking Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, the foreign Bank Supervision Enhancement Act of 1991 and the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001. Such laws and regulations impose limitation on the type of businesses, and the ways in which they may be conducted, in the United States and on the location expansion of banking business there. Non compliance to these regulations could lead to fines, public reprimands, damage to reputations, enforced suspension of operations or, in extreme case, withdrawal of authorization to operate. The new government has taken up deci sions to step up regulatory pressures on banks; it introduced a bank tax and is appointing a commission on banking to decide whether or not the banks should be broken up. Barclays has hinted it may move its operations overseas if the commission decides to force it to separate its retail and investment banking sectors. 4.1 The impact of organizational structure on the management of human resources in J Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s In an organization where different people works together, they need a defined system through which they relate to each other and through which there can be a coordination of their efforts. The defined relationships among the elements of an organization, namely people, tasks, structure, and information and control processes that characterize all organizations is referred to as organizational structure. Brief Business review of J Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s J. Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s plc is the parent company of Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s Supermarket Ltd, commonly known as Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s or Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s and JS, the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom with a share of the UK supermarket sector of 16.6%. The group head office is in the Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s Store Support Center in Holborn, city of London. J Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s plc was founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s and his wife Mary Ann, in London, and grew rapidly during the Victorian era and today operates a total of 872 stores comprising 537 supermarkets and 355 convenience stores. It jointly owns Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s bank with Lloyds Banking Group and has two property joint ventures with Land Securities Group and The British Land Company PLC. The Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s brand is built upon a heritage of providing customers with healthy, safe, fresh and tasty food. Quality and fair prices go hand-in-hand with a responsible approach to business. The store employs over 150,000 colleagues that serve over 19million customers a week and their largest store offers around 30,000 products. Read full story, available on jsainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s.co.uk/businessreview [assessed 27 Jan 2011]. 4.1.1 Organization structure of J. Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s 4.1.2 The operation mechanism 1. David Tyler (Chairman): He joined the Board on Oct 1 2009 and became the Chairman on Nov 1 2009. He is non executive chairman of Logica plc and a Non-Executive Director of Experian plc and Burberry Group plc, where he also chairs the Remuneration Committee. He was previously Group Finance Director of GUS plc (1997-2006) and has held senior ?nancial and general management roles with Christie ¿Ã‚ ½s International plc (1989-96), County NatWest Limited (1986-89) and Unilever PLC (1974-86). He was also Chairman of 3i Quoted Private Equity plc (2007-09) and a Non-Executive Director of Reckitt Benckiser Group plc over the same period. 2. Justin King (Chief Executive): Appointed Chief Executive Officer on 29 March 2004 and is also Chairman of the Operating Board. He has been a NonExecutive Director of Staples, Inc. since September 2007 and was appointed to the board of the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympics Games in January 2009. He was formerly Director of Food at Marks Spencer plc and from 1994 to 2001 he held a number of senior positions at ASDA/WalMart in Trading, HR and Retail. Justin was previously Managing Director of H ¿Ã‚ ½agen Dazs UK and spent much of his early career with Mars Confectionery and Pepsi International. 3. Darren Shapland (Chief Financial Officer): Appointed Chief Financial Officer on 1 August 2005 and is also Chairman of Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s Bank plc. Darren was appointed a Non-Executive Director of Ladbrokes plc in November 2009. He was formerly Group Finance Director of Carpet-right plc (2002-05) and Finance Director of Superdrug Stores plc (2000-02). Between 1988 and 2000, Darren held a number of financial and operational management roles at Arcadia plc including Joint Managing Director, Arcadia Home Shopping; Finance Director of Arcadia brands; Finance Director, Top Shop/Top Man (Burton Group); and Director of Supply Chain Programme (Burton Group). 4. Mike Coupe (Trading Director): Appointed an Executive Director on 1 August 2007 and has been a member of the Operating Board since October 2004. He joined Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s from Big Food Group where he was a Board Director of Big Food Group plc and Managing Director of Iceland Food Stores. Mike previously worked for both ASDA and Tesco, where he served in a variety of senior management roles. He is also a member of the supervisory board of GSI UK. 5. John McAdam (Senior Independent Director): Appointed a Non-Executive Director on 1 September 2005. He is Chairman of Rentokil Initial plc and United Utilities plc. He is also a Non-Executive Director of Rolls-Royce Group plc and Sara Lee Corporation. John joined Unilever PLC as a management trainee in 1974 and went on to hold a number of senior positions in Birds Eye Walls, Quest and Unichema, before the sale of the Specialty Chemical Businesses to ICI in 1997. He was Chief Executive of ICI plc, until its sale to Akzo Nobel, and was formerly a Non-Executive Director of Severn Trent plc (2000-2005). 6. Anna Ford (Non-Executive Director): Appointed a Non-Executive Director on 2 May 2006. She retired from the BBC in 2006, after 32 years in News and Current Affairs. Anna is a Non-Executive Director of N Brown Group plc and has been a Trustee of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, London; a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society; a Trustee of Forum for the Future; Chancellor of Manchester University; and an Honorary Bencher of Middle Temple. 7. Mary Harris (Non-Executive Director): Appointed a Non-Executive Director on 1 August 2007. She is a member of the supervisory boards of TNT NV and Unibail Rodamco S.E. Mary previously spent much of her career with McKinsey Company, most recently as a partner, and her previous work experience included working for PepsiCo in Greece and the UK as a sales and marketing executive. 8. Bob Stack (Non-Executive Director): Appointed a Non-Executive Director on 1 January 2005. He was a Director of Cadbury plc until December 2008. He joined Cadbury Beverages in the US in 1990 and was first appointed to the Board of Cadbury Schweppes plc in May 1996 as Group Human Resources Director. In March 2000 he was appointed Chief Human Resources Officer and took on responsibility for communication and an external affair in addition to HR. Bob is Trustee and Non-Executive Director of Earth watch International and also a Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee of IMI plc. 9. Gary Hughes (Non-Executive Director): -Appointed a Non-Executive Director on 1 January 2005. Gary is Chief Financial Officer of the Gala Coral Group and a Director of the Scottish Exhibition Centre Limited. Formerly he was Chief Executive of CMP Information Limited, a division of United Business Media plc (2006-08), Group Finance Director of Emap plc (2000-05), Group Finance Director of SMG plc (1996 ¿Ã‚ ½2000), and Deputy Finance Director of Forte plc (1994-96). Prior to this Gary held a number of senior management positions with Guinness plc in the UK and in North America. 10. Val Gooding (Non-Executive Director): -Appointed a Non-Executive Director on 11 January 2007. She was formerly Chief Executive of BUPA (1998-2008), which she joined from British Airways, and is a Non-Executive Director of Standard Chartered Bank plc. Val is a member of the BBC ¿Ã‚ ½s Executive Board and the Advisory Board of the Warwick Business School. She is a Trustee of the British Museum and a Non-Executive Director of the Lawn Tennis Association. She was formerly a Non-Executive Director of Compass Group plc and BAA plc. 11. Neil Sachdev (Commercial Director): Joined Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s in March 2007 as Commercial Director following 28 years at Tesco, where he worked in a range of different business areas including: Stores Board Director UK Property/Operations (2000-06); Supply Chain Director (1999 ¿Ã‚ ½2000); Director, Competition Commission (1998-99); Support Director (February 1998-September 1998); and Retail Director (1994-98). Neil is Non-Executive Director and a member of the Audit and Remuneration Committees of Capital Shopping Centers Group PLC. 12. Matt Brittin (Non-Executive Director): Appointed a Non-Executive Director on 27 January 2011. Matt is Managing Director of Google in the UK Ireland. Before joining Google at the start of 2007, Matt spent much of his career in media and marketing, with particular interests in strategy, commercial development and sales performance. This included Commercial and Digital leadership roles in UK media. Matt has an MBA from London Business School and an MA from Cambridge. In 2010 he was voted wired magazine ¿Ã‚ ½s  ¿Ã‚ ½Most Influential Person in the Digital World ¿Ã‚ ½. The organizational structure of Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s is fit with the imperatives defined by needs to keep costs down, provide operational excellence and help to develop the potential of the human capital inside the organization. The organizational structures of the company allows the human resource department to smooth co-operation among employees, create effective communication among the employees, provide a clear defined roles, responsibility and processes. Organization structure is used for choosing the plan that utilizes minimal resources and achieve maximum returns. From Human Resource perspectives, it is the organizational structure that drives the employees to their full capacities and capabilities. The organizational structure will enable the Human Resource department to classify all the employees of the organization into achievers and non-achievers. 4.2 The impact of organizational culture on the management of human resources The cultures of an organization are thought of as those that evolve in conversation and is influx, constantly changing. It is the culture of an organization that defines what things mean, whether they are valued as good or bad, right or wrong, and how things are to be done when answers can ¿Ã‚ ½t be fixed by formal structure, policy or procedures. There are two aspect of organizational culture: the culture within an organization and the culture outside and organization especially hen company operates its business globally, it has to adapt to local cultures. Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s have their strong organizational culture along with their corporate strategies. Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s introduced the self checkout system in 2002; this helped the organization to save cost on s

A Look at Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find Essay

A Look at Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find In the short story A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery O’Connor uses many different tactics to accurately portray the south in the 1950’s. O’Connor uses her style, themes, and point of view to tell a story of a family outing gone wrong. The story involves a grandmother, her only son and his wife, and their two bratty children, June Star and John Wesley. On their way to Florida, the grandmother convinces the family to detour to see an old house, and while heading towards their destination, the car overturns. The much-feared criminal, The Misfit, an escaped murderer, encounters the family, and offers to help them. The Grandmother immediately notices the man as The Misfit, and verbally acknowledges that fact. â€Å"‘You’re The Misfit!’ she said. â€Å"I recognized you at once!’† (p. 687) The Misfit has the husband and son killed relatively quickly, and even after much conversation and pleading, he kills the rest of the family. A Good Man is Hard to Find includes a lot of character development, a unique point of view, and the use of foreshadowing. O’Connor does this through her characters, setting, and details in the story. The grandmother is a classic old southern woman, who is eccentric and who may come off as a racist. However, the woman may not be racist, but rather just naive and too set in her ways to deal with the changes present at the time. As the grandmother said, â€Å"Oh look at that cute little pickaninny! †¦ Wouldn’t that make a picture now?† (p. 681) When O’Connor was writing she might not have meant to show that the grandmother was a racist, but rather just that she was out of tune with the rest of the world. The grandmother was also portrayed as Christian, one who was displeased with others who did not act in a Christian manner, and with the society as a whole. She discusses this with Red Sammy, a restaurant owner and war veteran. Red Sammy said â€Å"Eve rything is getting terrible. I remember the day you could go off and leave your screen door unlatched. Not no more.† (p.683) O’Connor often shows through the story the degeneration of the nuclear family. She does this not only through the incident at Red Sammys, but also through the child characters, John Wesley and June Star. The father, Bailey, tends to ignore the grandmother, and has failed to teach his children respect and manners. â€Å"T... ...hance of survival. Other mentions of death throughout the story include when the grandmother made sure to dress in her best clothing in case â€Å"anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.† (p. 680) This turns out to be just as the story goes, the grandmother being the only one who is actually left by the side of the road. An additional reference is the mention of â€Å"five or six graves† (p. 681) at the side of the road and the town name â€Å"Toombsboro† (p. 684) and the â€Å"hearse-like† (p. 686) automobile are use to remind everyone of the ultimate outcome in life. The gruesome and surprising ending not only shocks readers, but also it may cause them to think about their life more in-depth. The comment from The Misfit may allow people to connect themselves, and realize that they may not be as far away from the grandmother as they may think. â€Å"‘She would have been a good woman,’ The Misfit said, ‘if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.’† (p. 692) Many people might reflect on this statement, and realize that they, too, are guilty of being, as so called, a â€Å"good man† or â€Å"good woman,† only when they are required to do so.

How are the young David and Cassie presented as victims in the novels E

How are the young David and Cassie presented as victims in the novels 'David Copperfield' and 'Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry' 'Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry' is a story about an African American girl growing up in a racist community in Mississippi during the 1930's. It shows her family as they struggle to survive in the racist community, try to keep their land and survive on the little money they get because of the fall in cotton prices due to the economic depression. David Copperfield on the other hand is about a boy growing up in a mid-Victorian world. With his family dieing around him, nowhere to live and people constantly taking advantage of him, David also has a hard time growing up. In Roll of thunder we see the whole story through the eyes of Cassie and how life is for her. Whilst in David Copperfield the story is told by David so we only see how he thought it happened. In this essay I am going to compare the way in which these two young people are treated as victims and whether their characters influence people to treat them inadequately. At home David has memories of a happy childhood, until his mother Clara remarries to a man called Mr Murdstone who victimised him. In the early days of David's existence he describes his life as being picture perfect. 'my mother and I and Peggoty-for Peggoty is quite our companion my mother reads to Peggoty and me there is nothing half as green as that grass' David loved his childhood he remembers everything to be idealistic which reminds us that the story is from David's point of view and may not be exactly how it was really. We can tell that he cherishes the time when it was only he Clara and Peggoty because of the emotive language used by the author. When Mr Mu... ...d into her, tackling her with such force that we both fell over' 'and she apologised for herself and her father' Cassie devised a foul proof plan to 'stitch' Lillian Jean up. She then bribed her into not telling anyone. Although her family are constantly victimised she knows that they shouldn't be treated in that way and so won't put up with it. David and Cassie are both treated as victims throughout their childhoods. I think on one hand David is treated like a victim because he doesn't know how he should be treated and doesn't stick up for himself and on the other Cassie is treated like a victim because she knows how she should be treated and speaks out about it. While David apologises for what he has done -usually nothing- Cassie plots her revenge. I think both stories show realistic points of view of two people struggling to survive their childhoods.

College: Worth It or Not Essay

â€Å"College is a Waste of Time and Money† by Caroline Bird suggests that a college education is forced upon those who attend. As a student you shouldn’t lack the enthusiasm or motivation or it won’t be what you thought it would be. Bird states that those who think that going to college is a way to prepare for your future job are wrong, for there are students who are successful because of their family background. Bird makes valid points in her essay, but it isn’t all true to say that college wastes a student’s money and time and showing that going to college can benefit you in the end by giving you a well-paid job and having knowledge of new skills. Throughout high-school, students are taught that college is a great route to take. Bird states, â€Å"This is the way it used to be with women, and just as a society had systematically damaged women by insisting that their proper place was in the home, so we may be systematically damaging 18 yr-olds by insisting that their proper place is in college† (p.9). They even have classes now that prepare you for that next big step, like taking AVID classes. AVID is a college readiness system for elementary through high school. AP classes are also available to students in high school. AP stands for advanced placement classes, which have a curriculum that you get when in college. Many may say that it is not worth taking classes like that, but also some may say that it is beneficial even if you don’t go to college or not. It has become â€Å"The thing to do’ says Bird. Going to college has now become something like a popularity contest, where you attend because everyone else is and your parents think it is right. Parents go along with it, not â€Å"thinking of the â€Å"higher† good at all. They send their children to college because they are convinced young people benefit financially from those four years of higher education† (p. 24). Parents are only thinking of the money that will come from spending money on that education. My parents in are complete opposites of all that. They encouraged me to go college so I can better myself as a person. I will be the first, also, to go to college to get my degree in a profession. Students also feel like ‘they are not needed† so they attend college where they can feel like they may become something. Bird argues and tells us that we should force our students to go into college, and according to a study by Leon, 200 of 300 students felt that college education is a waste of money, so forcing them to go may not even work. (p. 18) Bird isn’t in an agreement that college education will help the students to make money in the future: â€Å"if making money is the only goal, college is the dumbest investment you can make† (p. 24). Bird furthers this testimonial by comparing the money that would be spent on education versus money that is put in a bank for interest. Even when the graduates do succeed in having good jobs, there is no evidence that money comes from the college education as college can attract students who have a wealthy family background (p. 31). There are those who just go college to go, but than can take over a family business or something. Then their wealth comes from that. College can open doors to jobs in the areas of teaching, medicine and research though such opportunities are scarce. Bird says that studies show that very often, the work attached to the jobs is totally unrelated to their college education and this is true for architects, nurses, teachers and other professionals (p. 48). So those who go into a profession that is meant to help others, you don’t take what you learned from college into that profession, you learn throughout your working years. This means that college education does not prepare the student for the job market. Bird is convinced that â€Å"college doesn’t make people intelligent, ambitious, happy or liberal. It’s the other way around. Intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal people are attracted to higher education in the first place† (p. 52). Bird concludes that college education is for students who can afford money and time to read and learn and there must be alternatives provided for youngsters to have a good future. â€Å"College is a Waste of Time and Money† does give valid points in what Bird was trying to argue. College has become more expensive for a few days of school work that may not even help you in the future and students do have the wrong perception on what college is. But a college education does have its upsides. A college education is a journey that everyone, who has the right attitude about education, should take. College prepares a student for being independent by teaching them learning skills that can be used lifelong. The values you learn, leadership and social skills that you can gain, and the character and attitude of a student is enhanced by going to college.

Globalization and Youth Essay

Globalization and Culture mean different things to different people and the emerging generation will shape the future of both. There has been cultural implications are central to understanding human side of globalization in youth culture as a whole. Youth are important but the society does not realize this because they are paying attention to more the cultural side of the problem. No longer is it a question of whether globalization is having an impact on all aspects of human life; the more pressing question being asked today is what that impact entails. The core goal is to explore the situated effects of the era in which we are living now on the global and local cultures of young people† according to Jacqueline Kennelly. The youth have come to represent both the moral decline of eroding social fabric and the hope for a new and creative response to challenging times in which global youth cultures have responded to that incorporates the limits and possibilities of the contemporary era. There have been many laws that have made children and the youth enter into the market in ways they should not. The implications of this situation is that young people are now required to turn inward- to themselves and in some cases their families in order to respond to enormous uncertainties and risk associated with modern life. Youth studies appear to have increased on how we need to represent local youth identities and social practices within international, transnational or global contexts. This challenge is repeated across many different types of study and worked through in a variety ways. There is a common thread that will help young people’s identities and lives today must or should be understood with reference to global phenomena and frameworks and in terms of how they can negotiate and are formed in the intersection of local and global contexts. People are beginning to question about youth identities today, one of the key problems is that young people do not realize the gains and losses these youth are facing in the local and global comparison. Many of these studies have realized that youth research examines the impact of globalization on the youth experience and identity and in various ways engages with the local and global dualism as conceptual frameworks that have been studied throughout the years. These studies show more of strengths than weaknesses due to the global levels in focus with the local, national and global levels. The youth have been studied for many years which mean there is a lot to more research about how globalization will affect the many concerns today. Contemporary youth research is conducted in the era of cultural globalization and this means that it can cause more trouble to what is being studied. Globalization in youth is something hard to explain but it is easy to explain when talking about the world as a whole. It shows that youth do have a big impact on the world because they are learning to set an example for when they grow up to show that they can make changes as their role models have. Academic youth and culture have been long understood as inseparable and closely related to one another since education is important if they want to have good paying careers. Most of this information is based on the ethnic culture since we have different types it is hard to know which ones will be successful and who will be the troublemakers. The context of globalization processes understanding and the preservation of ethnic self-identity has become important value for that reason our youth needs to understand that the lifestyle is different from what it was a few years ago because youth are using more technology and seem to know more about situations before the adults tend to know. As Sam George states â€Å" Young people have a symbiotic relationship with globalization that accelerates its influence in their lives†, and studies have shown that people have been denied the existence of globalization of culture. As explained it is widely agreed that there is no such thing as global culture, but it has not been figured out and it hard to explain since youth and globalization have different aspects. It is difficult to discern between global and local influences between the spatial effects of globalization in our everyday lives. This is a special issue that needs to be addressed to the point that the youth cultural spaces that have been immune to social inequalities. As explained in many of these articles we see that youth have created new social and cultural spaces in the global and local communities that experience problems with race, class and gender all over the world. I think youth need to have more focus because everyday in the news something is going on with children getting into trouble or dying for unknown reasons. Such as getting shot for wearing a hoodie or taking unknown drugs that affect them by hanging around bad influences this is an example of how youth culture By mapping and troubling how these frameworks operate in recent research about youth and globalization, Kennelly â€Å"asks how researchers interpret that represent apparent transformations in their lives. † Education also plays an important role in the youth culture because the education systems are organized nationally and there has been suspicion that globalization has been on the rise in these communities according to Julie McLeod. Global or transnational changes do not simply happen in global either and can manifest in particular places and times. As Kenneth Hultqvist (2003) argues while there â€Å" is nothing global or general per se,† globalizing trends and ideas are made â€Å"global by being inserted and translated and put to work on various local (national) contexts†. There have been many studies that can be used and be understood about many ideas and truths about young people in today’s society. It also involves looking at local translations and not only of global discourses in the economic processed and how it impacts the experience of young people. The word â€Å"Globalization† has been widely used in the last ten years of the last century especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Globalization appeared clearly in a period a little more than ten years and was based in the USA after the collapse of the socialist bloc . Thus globalization moved in rapid leaps skipping time phases especially after the Information and communication revolution, the arm race, the unipolar hegemony over third-world countries and countries of the previous socialist bloc . Globalization was introduced at the beginning as a modernizing aspect that brings about changes in the scientific block. Globalization was introduced at the beginning as a modernizing aspect that brings about changes in the scientific, just like cultural and political fields that aims at linking economic and technological advancement associating things to establish a new global civilization that is in the interests of the global centre that produces technology and leads the phenomena of the flow of commodities, services, construction and other things prevailing in western countries, especially America , to other countries and third world countries in particular. And we believe that globalization especially cultural globalization has different impacts because at first glance, the concept of globalization calls for the unification of ideas, values and ways of thinking among different peoples of the world as a means providing a broad area of mutual understanding and bringing people closer and securing world peace and these are all goals worth respect and appreciation . This triggered more inquiries about globalization; its nature, facts, illusions, advantages, disadvantages and how to deal with it. According to Nadine Dolby and Fazal Rizvi (2008), â€Å"consider the different forms and intensification of youth mobility- physical, imagined,virtual,desired,enforced- across both local and global spaces. † People in different regions are caught up in the continual circulation of global culture, through all types of media, movies and the internet; this is has recently changed since the circumstances that young people inhabit are different from the past. Young people are affected by the local and global dynamic is represented as a part of how they become modern and it not really understood in social or political shapes the young peoples daily lives. There is a fact that globalization represents the local as acted upon, as powerless in the face of global forces and it is argued that power is not confined to the global. As explained by Jacqueline Kennelly not resolving potential debates and argues that an important and fruitful direction for youth studies can be found in more historically enriched approaches to researching â€Å"young people today†. As discussed in many of these articles about youth culture has given me a better perspective of how that are existent throughout the world. The notion is that the late modern condition of globalization is influenced by such forces that are being met by powerfully globalizing forces. Multiple research has been done throughout the world with economic, academic and other resources has been essential because there has been global, political and social forces causing all the young people from being privileged like other countries. Young people are at the very heart of this unfolding global economic and cultural order. Also to acknowledge the effects of national location with all the local and global relations with the contemporary youth has caused many problems and needs to be changed right away without it becoming a major problem. Many discussions have been done about youth culture in different countries because some people may want to know what is going on with youth especially in global communities since we cannot be close to them.