Explaining the importance of mentoring and counselling techniques in Essay

Explaining the importance of mentoring and counselling techniques in the appraisal process and their relevance in HR - Essay Example In this paper, the process of mentoring and counselling in relation to HRM (Human Resource Management) has been discussed. It seeks to explain about the differences and similarities linking the two factors and its significance in appraisal method. The mentor and counsellor apply certain techniques to conduct the appraisal of employees; these techniques have been included in this paper. The paper also covers the negative impact of implementing poor mentoring and counselling techniques towards appraisal method and its improvement methods have also been suggested. In this paper, an experience of a staff appraisal method is discussed. Mentoring and counselling has a significant role in human resource management of an organisation. The program of mentoring facilitates in ‘career development’, ‘personal support’, ‘career advancement’, ‘learning and development’, ‘increased confidence’ and ‘assistance and feedbackâ€℠¢. Career development of mentee is observed to achieve crucial advantage through mentoring related programs. The mentees attain new expertise and develop to be competent in their performance. Due to mentoring related program both mentee and mentor is benefitted. ... The organisational communication along with culture is also improved owing to mentoring program (Ehrich, 1999). The human resource manager or counsellor counsels the employees if he or she is stressed for certain reasons and their performance lowered as they are related to the productivity of organisation. In an organisation, counsellor may be either supervisor or manager. They can counsel human resource manager and training manager and in the meantime these office bearers can counsel staff member because of the position they hold. The different human resource roles that are related to counselling of employees involve career improvement, performance, redundancies, promotion, transfers, and retirement among others. The human resource of an organisation is extensively in connection with counselling activities because through this technique the employees can dispose of problems arising in their life. The counselling is organised for several issues that may have a negative impact on empl oyees’ growth (Mwosa, n.d.). Mentoring facilitates experienced employees to advance further in their area of knowledge by regular reassessing and enhancing the skill. In mentoring, two individuals are involved: mentor and mentee. Mentor meets the requirement of mentee and thus enhances the special skills of mentee (Triple Creek, n.d.). Mentoring is considered as an efficient way to transfer knowledge as well as skill rapidly among employees and to motivate them in order to cooperate in an organisation. This process is a long term procedure and possesses broad perspective. It also focuses on the entire career of employees in an organisation. Counselling is essentially related to the emotional state of employees and it treats the emotional problem associated with employees. This

Business Plan To Achieve Funding And Growth Goals Marketing Essay

Business Plan To Achieve Funding And Growth Goals Marketing Essay Business plans can help perform a number of tasks for those who write and read them. Theyre used by investment-seeking entrepreneurs to convey their vision to potential investors. They may also be used by firms that are trying to attract key employees, prospect for new business, deal with suppliers or simply to understand how to manage their companies better. Putting you goals and ideas down on paper helps you organize your thinking. Your employees and other stakeholders understand what you plan for the business and it helps keep the organization focused on the big picture. Simply stated, a business plan conveys your business goals, the strategies youll use to meet them, potential problems that may confront your business and ways to solve them, the organizational structure of your business (including titles and responsibilities), and finally, the amount of capital required to finance your venture. Preparing a business plan can be a time-consuming and daunting task. However, the impor tance of a business plan to achieve funding and growth goals cannot be ignored. So one should get down to it and start composing a business plan. Planning is important to managers within an organization due to following reasons: 1) It will provide the future direction and path to the managers 2) It will help in optimal utilization of the resources 3) It will help in controlling the action  Ã‚  and thereby helps to take the corrective action. 4) It helps in coordination between different departments 5) It acts as a training to the managers 6) It compels managers to think ahead There can be some limitations of planning: 1)  Ã‚  It may lead to rigidity in the organization 2) It may be too costly and time consuming Hence planning provides a blueprint to the organization telling about the actions to be taken in future. Business Plan and strategy Strategy provides long term direction to the organization. It helps the organization in achieving the competitive advantage to the organization. It also tells about the organization about its market, values and the way to handle the resources in order to meet the objectives of the organization. As per tutor2u.net Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long-term: which achieves advantage for the organization through its configuration of resources within a challenging environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfill stakeholder expectations. In other words, strategy is about: * Where is the business trying to get to in the long-term (direction) * Which markets should a business compete in and what kind of activities are involved in such markets? (markets; scope) * How can the business perform better than the competition in those markets? (advantage)? * What resources (skills, assets, finance, relationships, technical competence, facilities) are required in order to be able to compete? (resources)? * What external, environmental factors affect the businesses ability to compete? (environment)? * What are the values and expectations of those who have power in and around the business? (stakeholders) Process of strategic management is as follows: 1) Screening of Ideas 2) Development of Mission and Setting of Objectives 3) SWOT analysis 4) Selection of Best alternative 5) Strategy Formulation 6) Implementation 7) Control Example of Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is one of the top most companies in this globe dealing in consumer electronics and computer software products. It has got popular products such as Macintosh computers, the iPod and the iPhone, Mac OS X operating system, the iTunes media browser, the iLife suite of multimedia and creativity software, the iWork suite of productivity software, and Final Cut Studio, a suite of professional audio and film-industry software products. Apple has about 35,000 employees worldwide and had worldwide annual sales of US$32.48 billion in its fiscal year ending September 29, 2008. Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company in the United States in 2008 and in the world in 2009. (Wikipedia, 2009) Successful Business strategy- Good Business model iTunes Music Store is a good source of revenue, especially with the iPod, iPhone and its availability on Windows platform. Apples success is built on its product offerings such as: iTunes Music Store, iTunes, I Phone and the iPod. (Sampublishing) Apples strategy has been two fold skimming and discriminatory with respect to Ipod and Itunes. The skimming pricing strategy is presented at two levels. First, the price of the same model is diminishing with time, especially when Apple is issuing the newest version of theiPod. Second, the price of every next generation model launched on the market is less expensive than its predecessor. (christophe.benavent) Apple seems to reduce its prices in order to make it affordable and popular among other competitive products.  Ã‚  Apples iPhone and iPod prices change according to its customers as well as geographical locations.  Ã‚  Also Apple has been reducing price of iTunes, As its  decision to offer a new pricing strategy is welcome news by the record labels, who are trying everything to boost revenues.  Ã‚  CD sales were down dramatically again in 2007, and the sale of online music was much slower in 2008 than in 2007.  Ã‚  Three new price levels were announced, ranging from .69 to .99 to $1.29 in 2009 . (GlgGroup) Moreover Apple has continuously launched superior products to remain ahead in the market. Recently it introduced Apple iPad and yesterday it has launched Apple iPhone 4. Response to i-Pad has been excellent and has led to increase its sales and profits.  Ã‚  Its Pricing has been reasonable as the entry-level 16GB Wi-Fi-only iPad costs $499. (Review,cnet.com) This is done to capture higher market share and to beat high priced competitors like Plastic Logic Que proReader, which starts at $649 and to take on the big competitors like Amazon and Sony. . Components of Planning Strategic plan is the blueprint for an organizations work: Mission: A mission statement answers the questions: Why does our organization exist? What business are we in? What values will guide us? A Mission statement tells you the fundamental purpose of the organization. It defines the customer and the critical processes. It informs you of the desired level of performance. (Answers Corporation, 2010).Hence Factors influencing Mission statement are: Stakeholders Internal resources and Power Values of top management Past development of firm Mission statement should clearly define the organizations products, markets and function (Technology and Processes. ) A Vision statement outlines what the organization wants to be, or how it wants the world in which it operates to be. It concentrates on the future. It is a source of inspiration. It provides clear decision-making criteria. (Answers Corporation, 2010). A vision is more encompassing. It answers the question, What will success look like? It is the pursuit of this image of success that really motivates people to work together. Values are hypothetical thought of what we think is good or important. They direct the way we feel and act about certain ideas, things, situations, and people. They are principles which lead us decisions and actions. Organizational values define the acceptable standards which govern the behavior of individuals within the organization. (Teal, 2010) Vision answers this question: What aspirations does the organization have for the world in which it operates and has some influence over. Mision answers this question What can (and /or does) the organization do or contribute to fulfill those aspirations?. Values help in aligning the behavior of individuals with organization. Without values, individuals will pursue behaviours that are in line with their own individual value systems, which may lead to behaviours that the organization doesnt wish to encourage. Example of Star Bucks: Starbucks Mission: To inspire and nurture the human spirit- one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time. Starbucks Values: Here are the principles of how we live that every day: Our Coffee It has always been, and will always be, about quality. Were passionate about ethically sourcing the finest coffee beans, roasting them with great care, and improving the lives of people who grow them. We care deeply about all of this; our work is never done. Our Partners Were called partners, because its not just a job, its our passion. Together, we embrace diversity to create a place where each of us can be ourselves. We always treat each other with respect and dignity. And we hold each other to that standard. Our Customers When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our customers- even if just for a few moments. Sure, it starts with the promise of a perfectly made beverage, but our work goes far beyond that. Its really about human connection. Our Stores When our customers feel this sense of belonging, our stores become a haven, a break from the worries outside, a place where you can meet with friends. Its about enjoyment at the speed of life-sometimes slow and savored, sometimes faster. Always full of humanity. Our Neighborhood Every store is part of a community, and we take our responsibility to be good neighbors seriously. We want to be invited in wherever we do business. We can be a force for positive action- bringing together our partners, customers, and the community to contribute every day. Now we see that our responsibility-and our potential for good-is even larger. The world is looking to Starbucks to set the new standard, yet again. We will lead. Starbucks Vision According to the companys profile, (2006) its vision is to make Starbucks coffee the most recognized and respected brand in the world by using high quality roast beans to make coffee beverages along with other products. The company wants to develop enthusiastically satisfied customers at all times. They want to make positive contributions to their communities and their environment. Vision, Mission and Values has helped the Starbucks to formulate its Strategy and also give it a clear road map. Objectives: These refine the mission and address key issues like market standing, innovation, productivity, physical and financial resources, profitability, management and work force performance and efficiency. Goals: are defined as statements that are formulated and lack of specificity while objectives are likely to appear in exact form (Strategic Planning). Goals statements compose of five elements: task, what, who, timeframe and deadline (Lukaszewski, 1990)These are rational estimates of anticipated results. The goals are usually Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Rewarding, and Timed (SMART). Planning as a Process As per tutor2u.net, Planning is the process of * Setting objectives * Determining what should be done to accomplish them * Implementing the plan * Evaluating A plan is a statement of intended means to accomplish a goal. Hence planning provides a blueprint to the organization telling about the actions to be taken in future. Organizing helps in allocating the resources, power and responsibilities in the organization. It creates organization structure, span of control and organization culture. Leading is about motivating the employees to work for the organizational objectives. Leadership is the process by which one person provides direction, implements the plans or strategies and motivates people. Strategic control is concerned with the monitoring progress in accomplishing the strategic goals of the organization. It is very critical to any organization, because without it the results could be chaotic. Organization have to improve their operational performance by proper evaluation and control mechanisms. http://www.2gc.co.uk/pdf/2GC-FAQP02.pdf Organizing Organizing focuses on division, coordination, and control of tasks and the flow of information within the organization Organizational structure is the formal decision-making framework by which job tasks are divided, grouped, and coordinated. Organizational structure determines the role and responsibilities within the organization. Organizational structure depends on the product to be developed. Wheelwright and Clark define a continuum of organizational structures between two extremes, functional organizations and project organizations. Functional organizations are organized according to technological disciplines. Directing Leadership is defined as the ability to lead and inspire people towards a common goal.  This quality is very important because it can determine the success or failure of an organization.  If the objectives and goals of the people are not aligned with the companys mission and vision, this will have detrimental impact on the financial bottom-line and eventual survivability of the company.  Ã‚   There are various leadership styles, each stemming out from the leaders personality and the culture of the organization.  It is also dependent on the circumstances relating to the people and the organizations goals.  Here is a description of each leadership style: Authoritarian (autocratic) here, the leader uses his authority and power position to direct people in doing the right things, regardless of their opinions.  This style is useful when there is urgency and the people are not really motivated to participate.   Participative (democratic) when the leader asks for input from his subordinates, he recognizes the fact that each one has something special to contribute for the task on hand.  The traditional view of a leader is someone who can think and do better than others.  However, the specialization of skills allow for the possibility that some people may actually be better than him.  Thus, its important to allow each staff to participate in the decision-making process. Delegative (free reign) when the leaders subordinates have very specialized skills, he may allow them to assume full control and responsibility of certain tasks.  This doesnt mean that the leader is shunning his own responsibilities, but rather delegating specialized tasks to experts within his group.  This leadership style is used when the leader has a high level of trust of his staff, or if delegation is really needed in order for him to do other important things. This perhaps is the most important function of all management functions. It has been said that the nature of a man is to avoid work. A manager influences the behavior of an employee through motivation, communication, education, group dynamics, leadership and discipline. Thus we will have participative leadership and we will guide the employees accordingly. Good communication between leaders and workers to ensure that everyone interprets their intent the same and every one works together in harmony can be the basis for a very successful endeavor. The purpose of direction is to channel the behavior of all personnel to accomplish the mission while helping them accomplish personal goal as well prepare them to take your position. Controlling It is a process of comparing the standards with the actual results to find out variation and then to take corrective action. control programs are critical to any organization, because without it the results could be chaotic. It helps: In maximizing efficiency and minimize waste. To facilitate management and control. In Effectiveness and efficiency of operations include the use of the entitys resources. Help in strategy implementation Control activities occur at all levels and functions of the entity. We will include a wide range of diverse activities . Top level reviews of actual performance, Reviews by management at the functional or activity level, Management of human capital, Controls over information processing, Physical control over vulnerable assets, Establishment and review of performance measures and indicators, Segregation of duties, Proper execution of transactions and events, Accurate and timely recording of transactions and events, Access restrictions to and accountability for resources and records, and CONTENT OF BUSINESS PLAN 1. Executive summary 2. Business description 3. Environmental analysis 4. Marketing Plan 5. Design and Operational plan 6. Management plan 7. Financial factors Common Pitfalls of a Business Plan Only a summary of a project and its potential Wait for all analysis to be completed Become a prisoner of the plans and the contents therein Difficulty in deviating from the plan Push with the plan, hiding weaknesses under the carpet Make unrealistic assumptions Quality of a strategy is as good as its implementation Typical mental attitude of promoters I have a good product / service; others will buy Everybody is waiting to help me Their priorities are same as mine Others (all stakeholders) will stick to their promises Customer will pay and give me feedback for me to improve the product / service Environment / government policies will remain the same (blinkers of an entrepreneur) Lack of contingency plans for time and cost overrun Blind faith in consultants Not clearly understanding regulatory requirements Optimistic assessment of project cost and funding Lack of budgeting of trial production trial production expenses, incidental and invisible expenses Not taking fully into account the cost implications of the business activities and operating plans Not including cost implications of regulatory compliance Improper assessment of components of working capital The gap between sanction and disbursement Lack of efforts in confidence building with investors Lack of contingency plans for time and cost overruns Business Plan- Risk Evaluation Prepare best-case and worst-case scenarios with key parameters of the business to help assess Market risks Competition risks Technology risks Regulatory risks Financial risks Management risks What measures are proposed to counter these risks Sensitivity analysis of key factors to simulate the impact of changes Exercise 1 Business Planning Review the following business plan: Anywhere Remodeling Corporation http://www.bplans.com/residential_remodeling_business_plan/executive_s ummary_fc.cfm After carefully reviewing this business plan discuss following issues: 1. The industry that this venture is in 2. The riskiness of this venture 3. The potential for growths 4. Your long-term plan for this company Exercise 2 Shahnaz Husain Contributed by: Rajeev Roy, Professor of Entrepreneurship XIM B, India (Adapted from NEN) Shahnaz Husain is acknowledged as one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in India. Her company, Shahnaz Husain Herbals, is one of the leading manufacturers of herbal products in the world. The company sells over 350 herbal products and operates over 200 salons in more than 130 countries. The brand, Shahnaz Husain, was valued at over $100 million in 1996 and now it is likely to be worth much more. Shehnaz is from an aristocratic Muslim family and her father was a Chief Justice. Her upbringing was both traditional and modern. At the age of 15, she was married and she became a mother at the age of 16. When her husband was posted in Tehran, she became interested in beauty treatments and she decided to formally study cosmetology. After an introduction to the subject in Tehran, she wanted to know more and over the next ten years, she studied the subject extensively in London, Paris and other parts of Europe. On returning to India in 1977, she started her first salon in Delhi with a capital investment of Rs.35,000. She had also studied Ayurveda and her interest in that field has kept growing. She started formulating her own products and these were very successful. The company was able to grow systematically and currently operates three major complementary businesses Herbal products: Shehnaz Husain has an extensive range of over 350 herbal cosmetic products. These are divided into 15 distinct categories for skin, hair and body care. The distribution of these products is carried out in a fashion similar to that of other consumer goods. The products are available in all leading stores around the world like Harrods (London), Bloomingdale (New Yory) and Galleries Lafayette (Paris). Recently, the company has decided to launch four skin care products in partnership with Elder Pharma. Beauty Salons: Mostly operated on a franchise basis, there are over 200 Shehnaz Husain spas and salons worldwide. The company provides support in setting up and training and provides ongoing support too. The franchisee pays an initial fee but there are no ongoing royalty payments. The company is able to get a revenue stream from sale of their products through the salon. Training: Shahnaz Husain also operates training institutes where students can obtain professional qualifications in beauty therapy. The institutes also operate a number of short term vocational courses. The institutes provide a steady flow of people trained in the use of Shehnaz Husain products, in addition to contributing to profits of the group. Shehnaz Husain Herbals is still a privately held company even after 30 years of its formation but that has not hampered its growth. Shehnaz Husain continues to look ahead and her story is an inspiration for many others. For her contribution to business and in promoting Ayurveda, Shahnaz Husain was conferred the Padmashree. She has also won numerous other awards from all over the world. Q- What are the critical success factors of Shahnaz Husain. Give reasons. References: All year 2011 http://www.buzzle.com/articles/the-importance-of-strategic-planning-in-business.html. http://tutor2u.net/business/strategy/what_is_strategy.htm. http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/strategic-planning/ http://www.answers.com/topic/strategic-planning James E. Lukaszewski, APR. Focus on Success: Choosing Corporate Goals You Can Actually Achieve. http://www.e911.com/exacts/EA021.htmls http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc. http://www.glgroup.com/News/New-Pricing-Strategy-by-Apple-a-Hope-to-Boost-Sales-31248.html http://www.samspublishing.com/articles/article.asp?p=602978seqNum=1rl=1 christophe.benavent.free.fr//AINI_2008_Apple_s_Pricing_Strategy.pdf http://www.answers.com/topic/strategic-planning   http://www.teal.org.uk/mat/page6.htm. http://www.starbucks.com/mission/default.asp . Business Plan Template Important: Select file then Save As to first save this document to your desktop. If you make edits to this document without doing this you may not be able to save your changes. Business Plan Enter your business name Enter your name May 6, 2013 Section 1: The Business Profile Description of My Business (Session 1): Describe your product or service. Targeted Market and Customers (Session 1): Describe your customer profile and why customers want or need your product or service. Growth Trends In This Business (Session 1): Is the market for your product or service growing or shrinking? Pricing Power (Session 1): Explain the unique qualities or circumstances concerning your product or service that will enable you to maintain profitable pricing. Section 2: The Vision and the People (Session 2): Describe convincingly that you are passionately committed to your new business and have the realism to make inevitable hard choices. The People Work Experience Related to My Intended Business (Session 2): Describe your work experience in the business you plan to start including a list of your skills and knowledge, which will be required in your business. Personal Background and Education Credentials (Session 2): Describe yourself, including your education. Section 3: Communications Computer and Communications Tools (Session 3): Furnish a tabulation of each piece of equipment you intend to use including a description and the budget for each. You can use the following as a guide. Resource Requirements: Communications Enter a description and budget of all communications equipment. Telephones Enter a description and budget for all telephone equipment. Pagers Enter a description and budget for pagers. Facsimile Enter a description and budget for all fax equipment. Computers Enter a description and budget for all computer equipment. Internet Enter a description and budget for necessary Internet access and providers. Section 4: Organization Business Organization (Session 4): Explain the form of business organization you intend to use and why it is best for your business. Professional Consultants (Session 4): List the names of your lawyer, accountant, insurance agent and any other professionals. Licenses (Session 4): List what licenses you will require to go into business. Section 5: Licenses, Permits and Business Names Due Diligence Procedures for Licenses, Permits and Business Names (Session 14): List the following: DBA: List the name you intend to do business as. Zoning: Indicate if the zoning if appropriate for your intended office location. Licenses: List the appropriate licenses you will need at the local, state, and federal level. Local: State: Central: Trademark: Indicate your trademark intentions if any exist. Sellers Permit: List any sellers permits that you may need. EIN: Indicate if you will obtain an employers identification number. Section 6: Insurance Insurance (Session 6): List the forms of insurance coverage including costs are anticipated. Section 7: Premises Location Criteria (Session 7): Outline your location criteria. space requirements. future requirements. site analysis study if needed (attach). demographic study if needed (attach). lease check-off list (attach). estimated occupancy cost as a % of sales. zoning and use approvals. Section 8: Accounting and Cash Flow Accounting (Session 8): Furnish, as a separate exhibit of your starting balance sheet and projected income statements for the first six months to one year. Cash Flow Planning (Session 8): Provide a separate exhibit of your one year cash flow analysis including estimated sales, all costs and capital investments. Provide a checklist of all expense items for input into your cash flow projection. Analysis of Costs (Session 8): What are all of my costs: fixed, variable, product, delivery, etc. Internal Controls (Session 8): Explain your: Intended internal controls and cash controls, check signing policy, strategy for controlling shrinkage and dishonesty and control of incoming merchandise. Section 9: Financing Financing Strategy (Session 9): Provide a chart or spreadsheet showing all of the sources of your start-up capital. Explain any government assistance or loan guarantee programs you intend to apply for. If your business is for use with potential lenders, include a cash flow projection and projected income statements to show sources of repayment of loans. Be conservative in your forecasts. List your sources of referrals to lending institutions. (Your accountant, etc.) Section 10: E-Commerce E-Commerce Plans (Session 10): Describe in detail how you plan to use the Internet in marketing your product or service. E-Commerce Budgeting (Session 10): Provide a detailed breakdown of the costs involved in creating, operating and maintaining your e-commerce activities. E-Commerce Competition (Session 10): Describe how your best competitors utilize e-commerce and your strategy to improve on their practices. Section 11: Acquisitions Due Diligence Procedures for Acquisitions (Session 11): List the following: Your consulting team: Attorney, accountant, banker, broker, etc. Verification of sellers revenues: how you plan to authenticate. Sellers records to be inspected: Financial statements, income tax returns, sales backlog, cash deposit records, utility bills, accounts payable and receivable, backlog, financial comparisons of similar businesses, etc. Inspections and approval of leases and contracts. Appraisals, as appropriate. If a franchise, interview with randomly selected franchisees. Finance plan for acquisitions: include sources including seller financing. Market conditions. Value of goodwill. Method of purchase: stock, assets, etc. Section 12: Marketing Marketing Plan (Session 12): Describe your overall marketing and sales strategy including how you plan to get and retain customers. Advertising and Promotion Plans (Session 12): Describe your plans and budgets for advertising and promotions. Purchasing and Inventory Control (Session 12): See how to buy checklist. Training Policies (Session 12): Describe your plans for hiring and training your sales associates. The Competition (Session 12): Describe your strongest competitors and how you intend to compete. How I Plan to Take Advantage of Competitors Weak Points (Session 12): List your competitors shortcomings and how you can capitalize on them. Section 13: Growth Program Expansion (Session 13): Describe your growth: You might include

Enemy at the Gates :: essays research papers

Enemy at the Gates Cast: Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Bob Hoskins, Ed Harris, Ron Perlman, Gabriel Thomson Written by: Jean-Jacques Annaud and Alain Godard Directed by: Jean-Jacques Annaud Running Time: 131 minutes Synopsis: Enemy at the Gates was inspired by a true story and set against the siege of Stalingrad during World War II. This is the tale of a young Russian sharpshooter, Vassili, who becomes a legend by shooting numerous high-ranking German officials. When his friend, Danilov, a soviet political officer, realizes the propaganda value in Vassili's skill as a sniper and makes him the hero of his propaganda campaign and the hero of Russia with the help of Khrushchev, who was sent by Stalin to oversee the Russian effort. Stalin ordered that the city not fall†¦whatever the cost. It was a battle that the Russians had to win. To not overcome would have meant the complete collapse of Russia and its ultimate takeover by the German forces after Russia had already lost numerous battles to the Germans. So thousands of poorly trained and ill-equipped (many actually unarmed) Soviet troops were poured into battle, motivated by Russian security forces who followed with orders to kill anyone who might try to flee or retreat. Russia was in need for a hero. The Germans outnumbered in men and weapons compared to Russia. Everyday numerous Russians were being killed, either by Germans bullets or Russian. Vassili gave the Soviet troops the courage and bravery to fight despite the overwhelming odds. The friendship between Danilov and Vassili is threatened when Danilov become jealous of the man he created and he too falls in love with an attractive, and intelligent female soldier, Tania. As the battle for the city continues, Vassili faces his ultimate challenge when the Nazi command dispatches its the best marksman of the German army, Major Konig, to hunt down and kill the man who has become the hope of all Russia. Though out the movie they remain in a cat and mouse chase both showing extreme patience and skill and setting traps for each other. While Sasha, a young Russian boy, passes between the Russian and German camps passing information to Major Koenig by bribes and using Sasha as bait and then passes information to the Russians. From this Sasha gets hung by Major Koenig, upsetting Vassili and Tania because Sasha was so close to them. When Tania and Vassili go to tell his mother what has happened Tania is was hit with shrapnel.

Vietnam Economy

nom Economic Vietnam has during the last two decades developed into a dynamic and fast growing market – also in automobile industry. Economic reforms, membership of WTO since 2007 and an impressive number of foreign investments, the notable increase in GDP, in people’s demand for high quality product and the almost-zero of the domestic automobile industry have led Vietnam to become the potential market for Volkswagen. The global crisis led to a temporary slowdown of Vietnam’s fast economic growth, but growth is back on track with 6. % growth in 2010 and more than 7% per year expected in 2011-2015. Table 1: Vietnam’ GDP real growth rate (%) [pic] Source: Source: General Statistics Office of Vietnam The rate of economic growth has during the last decade amounted to 7-9% per year, amongst the highest recorded growth rates in the world. The GDP per capita is USD 1160 (2010), and an increasing number of Vietnam’s 87 million inhabitants demand consumer pr oducts of higher quality. Table 2: Vietnam’s GDP per capital (US$) [pic] Source: General Statistics Office of Vietnam However, the average income in Vietnam is still fairly low in comparison with the company price (about†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. cai nay lay so lieu ben product nhe, to k tim duoc). According to â€Å"Background note of Vietnam† recorded by U. S Department of State in http://www. state. gov, Vietnam’s per capita income in 2010 was just $1,168 one person per year. Whereas, imported cars in Vietnam have to suffer upto 3 kinds of duty, including: Import Duty, Extra Duty, and Value Added Tax. Regardless of how strict Vietnam taxation policy is, the accession agreement which was compulsory for Vietnam to become WTO’s member in 2007 obliged Vietnam to lower its import tariffs and to welcome foreign investments in most commercial sectors of the economy. Certain sectors are partly protected against foreign competition in an interim period, but from 2012 respectively 2014 all sectors of the economy must welcome foreign goods and services as well as investors on an equal footing with local companies and investors. Therefore, we totally hope that in the upcoming period, such a 200% tariff for exported cars will not exist. Vietnam automobile market is not that big but it sees a potential signal. According to General Statistics Office of Vietnam [ http://www. gso. gov. vn/default. aspx? tabid=393&idmid=3&ItemID=11605 to k biet trich nguon ntn cho dung voi Harvard form ca T_T], the demand for imported cars, especially types of fewer than 9 seats which makes of approximately 70% in total, keeps increasing remarkably, from 21279 units in 2005 to 51059 in 2008 and reach the number of about 80410 in the last year. Whereas the domestic automobile industry seems to not improve at all. Until now, the domestic company still can not produce even one car. Vietnam  now has 10 automobile JVs including one 100 % foreign-owned enterprise (GM Daewoo), one domestic manufacturer (Truong Hai). The manufacturers make vehicles of 17 world brands: Fiat, Sangyong, PMC, Mazda, Kia, Chevrolet, Daewoo, Mitsubishi, Mercedes Benz, Suzuki,  Toyota, Isuzu, Ford, Hino, Hyundai (trucks, bus), Chery and Honda. In this moment, Volkswagen is one of more then 10 brands having distribution channel in. These brands include BMW (Euro Auto), Audi, Porsche (PSC), Hyundai (Thanh Cong), Lifan (Bao Toan), Chrysler (IC Auto), Subaru (MIV), Dong Feng,  Ã‚  MAN (VMC) and Fiat – Alfa Romeo (Mekong Auto), who are all considerable competitors. It is a great opportunity for the company to dominate Vietnam market but also a challenge when our products are almost kind of high quality with high price.

Another Accolade for Charter Arms Corp by Mike Royko

Laurence Bourgeois A00161609 March 12th, 2013 Analysis Essay In his essay â€Å"Another Accolade for Charter Arms Corp. â€Å", Mike Royko focuses not on John Lennon’s death, but on the type of gun that was used to kill him. He argues that the model of a gun makes a great deal of difference when killing someone. By ignoring the shooting of the celebrity, Royko uses irony to show how idiotic the debate on the gun is. He commences his essay by asking the readers â€Å"what difference does it make what kind of gun was used  ? and answers by saying that it indeed makes a great deal of difference. At this point, we know the author’s rhetorical strategy will consist on focusing on anything but the death of the famous musician. As mentionned before, Royko uses a lot of irony in his essay as a way of showing the readers how ludicrous the gun debate really is. Per example, in the beginning of his essay, Royko says  : â€Å"And when people become emotional about guns, as many do when somebody famous is killed, they tend to lump all guns together.They don’t show proper respect for an excellent gun, such as the Charter . 38. † By saying that this type of gun deserves respect, despite what it did to the famous superstar, the author is clearly trying to show no empathy for Lennon as a form of rhetorical strategy. Later on, he proceeds by saying  : â€Å"Now the Charter Arms Corp. has the unique distinction of having two famous people shot by one of their products, I wonder if they have considered using it in their advertising. Here, he takes his irony to another level by assuming the death of a celebrity should be something the company should be proud of and that advertising it would lead the customers to purchase the weapon. Using irony for this type of subject was a brilliant idea, but in this essay, Royko uses too much of it. Secondly, Mike Royko uses the model of the gun as an argument of his irony. He also constantly talks about the importance of the quality of the weapon.Per example, he mentions the incident that happened on network TV, where a reporter from CBS says that the gun used to shoot George C. Wallace was a â€Å"cheap handgun† and goes on by explaining how this was quite an insult for Charter Arms Corp. The author also talks about the fact that both shooters, Bremer and Wallace used the same gun to wound their victim and that the weapon did a good job. In another sample of his irony, Royko adresses Charter Arms Corp by saying  : â€Å"Once again, your product really did the job, gents. â€Å"To conclude, Mike Royko’s essay is initially an ironic piece of work written to make the readers realize that the main focus of a tragedy should be the victim, not minor details such as the weapon used to harm the person. In my opinion, this essay is a fine piece of work, but the author emphasizes too much on irony in a way that it shadows what the essay is actually about. Work Cited Royko, Mi ke. â€Å"Another Accolade for Charter Arms Corp. † The Broadview Anthology. 2nd ed. Ed. Laura Buzzard, Peterborough  : Broadview, 2011. 221-4.

Steps taken by the Chinese Communist Party since 1949 to Improve Agriculture essays

Steps taken by the Chinese Communist Party since 1949 to Improve Agriculture essays China's population is about 20% of the world population while it possesses just 7% of the world's arable land. Feeding its people has, therefore, been the country's major concern through much of its history. When the Communist party of China (CPP) came to power in 1949 as a result of the Communist Revolution, the country had been devastated due to years of civil war, foreign interference, social unrest and fragmentation. Its economy was in ruins and the communist party set out to revolutionize all aspects of the Chinese society including the economy. Since Mao-Zedong's brand of Communism was peasant-based rather than urban-based, the Communist Party of China was particularly focused on agricultural reforms and took several measures to improve the agricultural production and the living standards of the peasants. Although these policies have produced mixed results, China is now by and large self-sufficient in food production. In this paper I shall discuss the various policies implemented by the CCP since 1949 in the areas of agriculture and the peasantry and describe the The Peasant Base of CCP Mao Zedong was the undisputed leader of the CPP when it came to power in China in 1949. His version of Communism (Maoism) was somewhat different from the Communism envisaged by Karl Marx in which the urban workers were to be at the vanguard of Communist revolution. China had no industrial base of note and hence no significant urban working-class population. Most of the vast Chinese population were poor, ill-fed peasants who lived in the countryside. It was these peasants who were organized as the Communist power base by Mao Zedong during his long and hard struggle against the military forces of KMT, the Japanese and the "Long March." Mao was himself the son of a peasant farmer and could relate to their deprivations. It was the Chinese peasants that Mao repea...

The Airline Industry essay

The Airline Industry essay The Airline Industry essay The Airline Industry essayMarketing focuses on matching customers with the products or services that satisfy some of their needs. Essential elements of marketing include analysis of the target market, market segmentation, targeting the chosen customer segments, positioning of products and services, etc. The purpose of this paper is to consider marketing in the context of airline industry: to discuss key external factors influencing airline industry, to identify market segments in airline industry and explain these segments using the marketing concepts of segmentation, targeting and positioning, and comparing the positioning and target markets of two airline companies: JetBlue and Southwest Airlines.Key external factors affecting airline industryAirline industry consists of several segments: passenger airline industry, military, cargo carriers, etc (Structure of the airline industry, n.d.). In the context of this paper passenger airline industry will be considered. The groups of exter nal factors affecting airline industry can be classified according to PEST framework: economic factors, political factors, social and technological factors (Doole Lowe, 2005).The key economic factors influencing airline industry are changing fuel prices and stage of economic development (recession or revival) which affects the purchasing ability of customers. Political factors include international airline fees and regulations, airline alliances, the regulations for security measures. Key social factors include the growth of demand for business class trips and the increase in leisure travel (Cento, 2008). Greater requirements towards passenger comfort can also be viewed as an external factor influencing airline development. Technological factors include the development of telecommunications, new construction materials and advanced airline designs (Rothman Jasper, 2011).Major airline market segments SegmentationAccording to Doole and Lowe (2005), segmentation is defined as the anal ysis of target customers and identification of customer groups which have similar needs. There exist various segmentation bases in marketing. In the context of airline industry, market segmentation is commonly performed according to the schedule (regular flights, charter flights), geography and purpose of flights (international, federal/national and local flights) and the combination of service and price (economy class, business class, first class). Customer segmentation is performed according to demographic characteristics (age, family status, gender), occupation, purpose of flight. TargetingIn the context of marketing, targeting is defined as developing the criteria for assessing the attractiveness of market segments and focusing on particular market segments. There exist different approaches to targeting: companies can focus on specific market segments or offer products for all segments; furthermore, companies can deliver segment-specific products/services or offer the same produ cts/services to different market segments. In airline industry, the most frequently used approach is to target different market segments by offering differentiated services (Cento, 2008). PositioningPositioning denotes the choice of marketing mix for every market segment selected during the targeting stage. The choice of positioning depends on customer preferences. In airline industry the preferences of customers depend on various factors such as pricing, schedules, flight frequency, destinations, procedure of reservation, ticketing, staff attitude and quality of service, safety measures, various options offered on board, check-in process, brand image, etc. Wen and Yet (2010) classify these factors into such categories as brand image, safety, on-board amenities, price and flights, and ground services. These categories are used for market positioning in airline industry and are matched with customer preferences. For example, for young customers airline companies offer economic flight s with transfers, and for business travelers maximum speed and comfort of flight is offered at a premium price.Comparison of JetBlue and Southwest Airlines Target marketThe focus of Southwest Airlines is on domestic market of the United States, while JetBlue targets international market. At the same time, Southwest Airlines covers the majority of states and offers a convenient flight schedule of local flights. JetBlue focuses both on local flights (covering about half of all states) and international flights (more than 10 international destinations) (Cento, 2008). Southwest Airlines tends to expand its local network by acquisitions, while JetBlue actively participates in international flight alliances.In terms of financial position, Southwest Airlines is stronger compared to JetBlue as its liquidity is higher, and its turnover ratios are superior as well. JetBlue has higher debts while Southwest Airlines has larger revenues. At the same time, profit margins of JetBlue are higher.In terms of pricing, JetBlue on average charges higher prices, but this difference is explained by the differences in target geographic locations of these companies. Therefore, target customers of JetBlue are primarily entertainment-loving young and middle-age people willing to travel locally and abroad at a reasonable cost. JetBlue also specifically targets families: the company offers various family-friendly services.Southwest Airlines targets the customers willing to travel across the United States at the lowest cost. The strategy of Southwest Airlines is centered around on eliminating all extra services and options in order to reduce costs. At the same time, Southwest Airlines pays a lot of attention to cabin staff and to the quality of customer service. Brand image of Southwest Airlines is not so vibrant as that of JetBlue, yet it is frequently chosen by middle-aged customers and older who want to save money; young people who tend to choose economic flights are also target custome rs of Southwest Airlines. PositioningBoth JetBlue and Southwest Airlines position themselves as lowcosters. JetBlue company offers high-quality service combined with low fares. The company has new aircraft and offers various entertainment services on board such as Live TV (Cento, 2008). The company has a corporate culture focused around customer interests and safety. JetBlue emphasizes the importance of flight experiences and offers personalized entertainment services. Furthermore, JetBlue offers a variety of extra services such as food, diapers and strollers, and allows to check-in various special items.Southwest Airlines exists for almost 30 years longer than JetBlue as it was founded in 1971. This company also pays a lot of attention to delivering superior customer service and customer experience. Core advantages of Southwest Airlines are local flights available at low prices and convenient schedules. Southwest Airlines is known as the cheapest provider of local flights, and such cost leadership is the key competitive advantage of the company.ConclusionThe analysis of airline industry shows that key external factors influencing it are fuel costs, international regulations, safety concerns, technological changes and customer preferences. There are different approaches to market segmentation in airline industry; the most frequently used segmentations are demographic, geography-related, purpose-related and price/quality-related. Airline companies tend to offer differentiated services customized for different market segments.JetBlue and Southwest Airlines both belong to the category of low-costers, but these companies are quite different from the marketing perspective. JetBlue targets both international and local customer segment, while Southwest Airlines focuses on local flights. Southwest Airlines offers services for price-sensitive customers and positions itself as a convenient provider of local flights at the cheapest cost. JetBlue targets families and youn g people and positions itself as the provider of modern flight services with many entertainment features and superior customer experience at a reasonable cost.

Helen Keller Quotes That Inspire

Helen Keller Quotes That Inspire Although Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing at an early age, she lived a long and productive life as an author and activist. She was a pacifist during World War I and a socialist, an advocate for womens rights and a member of the fledgling American Civil Liberties Union. Helen Keller traveled to 35 countries during her lifetime to support the rights of the blind. Her indomitable spirit saw her through her handicap. Her words speak of the wisdom and strength that was the essence of her life. Helen Kellers Thoughts on Optimism Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. Believe. No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit. What I am looking for is not out there; it is in me. When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. Be of good cheer. Do not think of todays failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourself a difficult task, but you will succeed if you  persevere, and  you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles. Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world right in the eye. The Importance of Faith Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light. I believe in the immortality of the soul because I have within me immortal longings. It gives me a deep, comforting sense that things seen are temporal and things unseen are eternal. About Ambition It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks, to go forward with a great desire forever beating at the door of our hearts as we travel toward our distant goal. One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. The Joy of Companionship Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light. Relationships are like Rome- difficult to start out, incredible during the prosperity of the golden age, and unbearable during the fall. Then, a new kingdom will come along and the whole process will repeat itself until you come across a kingdom like Egypt ... that  thrives  and continues to flourish. This kingdom will become your best friend, your soul mate and your love. Our Ability We can do anything we want if we stick to it long enough. I am only  one; but  still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but  still, I can do something. I will not refuse to do something I can do. I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble. When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life or in the life of another. Thoughts on Life The best and most beautiful things in life cannot be seen, not touched, but are felt in the heart. We would never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world. What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us. Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood. Life is an exciting business, and most exciting when it is lived for others. Believe, when you are most unhappy, that there is something for you to do in the world. So long as you can sweeten anothers pain, life is not in vain. True happiness ... is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose. The Beauty of Hope Once I knew only darkness and stillness. My life was without past or future. But a little word from the fingers of another fell into my hand that clutched at emptiness and my heart leaped to the rapture of living. Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it. Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. To keep our faces toward change, and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate, is strength undefeatable. The Challenges We Face The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse. Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved. I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me sad. Perhaps there is just a touch of yearning at times; but it is vague, like a breeze among flowers. Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in the world. The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but has no vision. Random Musings Our democracy is but a name. We vote. What does that mean? It means that we choose between two bodies of real- though not avowed- autocrats. We choose between Tweedledum and Tweedledee. People do not like to think. If one thinks, one must reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always pleasant. Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all- the apathy of human beings. It is wonderful how much time good people spend fighting the devil. If they would only expend the same amount of energy loving their fellow men, the devil would die in his own tracks of ennui. Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring  adventure  or nothing. Knowledge is love and light and vision. Toleration is the greatest gift of mind; it requires the same effort of the brain that it takes to balance oneself on a bicycle.

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 32

History - Essay Example n the blacks started to unite themselves in order to fight their freedom from the claws of slavery and also the Indians did not welcome the white in their land. â€Å"Violence had escalated on the frontier before the rebellion. Some Doeg Indians took a few hogs to redress a debt, and whites, retrieving the hogs, murdered two Indians. The Doegs then sent out a war party to kill a white herdsman, after which a white militia company killed twenty-four Indians. This led to a series of Indian raids, with the Indians, outnumbered, turning to guerrilla warfare.† â€Å"The resistance included stealing property, sabotage and slowness, killing overseers and masters, burning down plantation buildings, running away. Even the accommodation "breathed a critical spirit and disguised subversive actions." Most of this resistance, Genovese stresses, fell short of organized insurrection, but its significance for masters and slaves was enormous.† (Roll, Jordan 158) â€Å"Several witnesses said thousands of blacks were implicated in one way or another. Blacks had made about 250 pike heads and bayonets and over three hundred daggers, But the plan was betrayed, and thirty-five blacks, including Vesey, were hanged. The trial record itself, published in Charleston, was ordered destroyed soon after publication, as too dangerous for slaves to see.† â€Å"The Spaniards "thought nothing of knifing Indians by tens and twenties and of cutting slices off them to test the sharpness of their blades." Las Casas tells how "two of these so-called Christians met two Indian boys one day, each carrying a parrot; they took the parrots and for fun beheaded the boys." The Indians attempts to defend themselves failed.† â€Å"The white invaders seized land and stock, forced Indians to sign leases, heat up Indians who protested, sold alcohol to weaken resistance, killed frame which Indians needed for food. But to put all the blame on white mobs, Rogin says, would be to ignore "the essential roles played by

Impact of Brand Personality on Consumer Decision Making Essay

Impact of Brand Personality on Consumer Decision Making - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that in equating the impact of a brand’s personality on the consumer decision-making process, Hofmeyr and Rice in a book titled â€Å"Commitment-Led Marketing: The Key to Brand Profits Is in the Customer's Mind† aptly sums up the purpose of this study. They advise us that commitment is what brands seek to establish with consumers as it represents what they feel about a company, as opposed to loyalty, which they describe as what consumers do. In order to gain a level of commitment from consumers, a brand must establish some sort of relationship as well as an image that transmits and provides them with a reason or reasons to act upon that foundation. In delving into this study, certain keywords as represented by its purpose, are integral to understanding the foregoing. A brand, according to the Concise Dictionary of Business Management is â€Å"A mark, name, logo or trademark that identifies a product or services or organizatio n and distinguishes it from its competitors. It is studied, brand personality encompasses branding, which the Concise Dictionary of Business Management defines as â€Å"The use of a brand to describe a product service or organization†. In considering the term brand personality one needs to understand that it meansâ€Å". the quality or condition of being a person †¦ the totality of qualities and traits †¦ that are peculiar to a specific person †¦ the pattern of collective character, behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental traits †¦Ã¢â‚¬  In equating the preceding application to brand personality, substituting brand for the person provides the context. Aaker tells us that â€Å"The brand personality provides depth, feelings and liking to the relationship†. He adds that â€Å"Of course, a brand-customer relationship can also be based on a functional benefit, just as two people can have a strictly business relationship†. The preceding brief exploration has sought to acquaint you with the foundational precepts in this exploration that includes the third facet, consumer decision making. This last area represents the core question and focus of marketing professionals for over 70 years, with its roots tracing back approximately 300 years as led by economist Nicholas Bernoulli. Bernoulli’s groundbreaking work paved the way for von Neumann and Morgenstern who extended his work into what is called the Utility Theory. Their hypothesis, von Neumann, and Morgenstern are based upon the theory â€Å"†¦that individuals evaluate uncertain prospects according to their expected level of satisfaction or utility. The preceding represents one of a number of consumer decision making theories and or models, which for the purposes of time, only a few shall be covered in this examination. The highly competitive world of business, where most products and or services share common and or similar characteristics, brand distinc tions represent an important advantage that companies seek to establish. This study will seek to explain and examine the relationships between these areas and explain the nuances as well as linkages that make brand personality an important part of the consumer decision-making process.

See below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

See below - Essay Example Jurisdiction over the subject. For the ECJ to have jurisdiction over a case, such a case must be concerned with a subject over whom the ECJ has jurisdiction. There are only three subjects over which ECJ has jurisdiction namely: the interpretation of any of the provisions of the European Union Treaty; when the question calls for the interpretation or validity of the acts of any of the EU commissions or the European Union Bank (EUB), and lastly; the interpretation of statutes or laws passed by a body which has been established by the Council, but only if the statute or law so provides that it shall be subject to ECJ’s interpretation (Lazowski 2007). Fulfillment of jurisdictional requirements by the referring body. There are three things which the referring body must meet or possess before the ECJ accepts any referral from it under Art. 234 and these are the following: the body referring the question to the ECJ must necessarily be a â€Å"court or tribunal of a member state†; the question being referred to is concerned with the validity and interpretation of the Community law, and; the resolution of the question being referred to the ECJ is necessary so the court of origin can render its decision (Lazowski 2007). The determination of whether a body is a court or tribunal is a very important factor because it is one of the basic qualifications and requirement in reference under Art 234. The terms â€Å"court or tribunal’ has no fixed definition under any statutory law but only in case laws where the ECJ itself has defined it through a number of cases. In the case of Abrahamsson C-407/98, the ECJ held: â€Å" In order to determine whether a body making a reference is a court or tribunal for the purposes of Article 1777 (now Art 234) of the Treaty, which is a question governed by the Community law alone, the Court takes account of a number of factors, such as whether the body is established by law, whether it is

Management Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Management Journal - Essay Example Kelvin said that he was not aware because he was a new employee at the company. I told him to always ensure that he plan his time effectively to ensure that he perform significant tasks before others. I advised the employee because I knew that effective management of time leads to the success of the business (Koontz and Weihrich 67). I also talked to the employee because I knew that it was my role as the manager of the company. September 3 2013 Management is a challenging task because it involves balancing work and family functions and time. I thought about this statement when I discovered that today was the twentieth anniversary of the company, and at the same time, it was my first born’s birthday. I was stressed while thinking of how I would ensure that I attend the two functions and satisfy the company and my family. I had to think of an effective plan that would help me manage the day’s time efficiently, although it was a bit challenging. I thought of a plan where I would attend the company’s function in the day as my family prepares for an evening party for my son. The plan was successful, and both teams were satisfied with my attendance. I played the role of a father and manager at the same time. Before I was promoted to be a manager, I had heard supervisors talking about how they had difficulties balancing time and work. Today I followed their advice, and I found out that balancing work and family increases satisfaction, and it reduces stress (Koontz and Weihrich 195). September 4 2013 Today, I had a conference with all employees, and the aim of the meeting was to remind them the goals of the company. I have always known that communication is vital in the management because it informs workers about the goals to pursue, the tasks to undertake, and the techniques to utilize (Koontz and Weihrich 199). I have also read numerous books that argue that managers must possess effective communication skills so that they can lead others in the right direction. This was my first day to talk to the employees as a manager, and I had to ensure that I pass the company’s message clearly. Before attending the meeting, I read a book that pointed out various forms of communication. The book argued that communications between managers and employees takes place through bottom-up or top-down approaches. Top-down involves supervisors passing information to employees at lower levels; company objectives may be communicated using this approach. Bottom-up technique is one where employees speak to managers often when giving feedback (Koontz and Weihrich 100). The readings gave me confidence, and I attended the conference and passed the information to workers clearly. The day was successful, and my confidence increased when other managers said that I had excellent communication skills. September 5 2013 Today, one of my employees approached me and said that she had a problem coping with her workmate who was uncooperative. The two perf orm their tasks in one office where they file company documents. Mary, the employee who approached me said that Annette spent most of her time on the phone instead of working. This increases Mary’s workload, and she leaves the office late every day. I confirmed this from other workers, and I also checked the register and found out that Mary leaves the office three hours after the closing time. I knew this was a problem, and I had to solve it intelligently to ensure that the two get satisfied with the solution (Koontz and Weihr

Companys Distribution System Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Companys Distribution System - Math Problem Example Total Forth Worth 22,05025,86413,4199,196-----70,529 Santa Fe ----29,988----29,988 Las Vegas -----21,7359,90028,31416,50276,451 Total 22,05025,86413,4199,19629,98821,7359,90028,31416,502176,968 3. If the company can directly deliver from the plants to the customer zones, thereby by passing distribution centers, the estimated savings will be $47,904. 4. Given the existing forecasted demand in the near future, there is an excess capacity of 8,740 meters, and the anticipated moderate growth of the North and West customer zones of 5,000 meters over the next five years; I don't recommend an immediate expansion of the plants. What I recommend is expansion after three years, just about the time the excess capacity will be overtaken by the growth in demand. Given the above, I recommend the following actions which will significantly improve distribution efficiency and decrease distribution costs: Assign distribution centers to customer zones according to which center can deliver with the least cost. For example, Santa Fe is currently serving Denver, Salt Lake City and Phoenix zones wherein the Las Vegas center can serve both Salt Lake City and Phoenix zones at a...The details of this cost are presented in the tables below and on the next page. 4. Given the existing forecasted demand in the near future, there is an excess capacity of 8,740 meters, and the anticipated moderate growth of the North and West customer zones of 5,000 meters over the next five years; I don't recommend an immediate expansion of the plants. What I recommend is expansion after three years, just about the time the excess capacity will be overtaken by the growth in demand. Assign distribution centers to customer zones according to which center can deliver with the least cost. For example, Santa Fe is currently serving Denver, Salt Lake City and Phoenix zones wherein the Las Vegas center can serve both Salt Lake City and Phoenix zones at a much cheaper distribution cost. Allow direct distribution to customer zones from plants whenever costs savings justify such. The simulated distribution from San Bernardino to Los Angeles and San Diego, and El Paso to San Antonio projected a savings of almost $50,000. In conclusion, cost savings are very short term oriented. The company must also think about the impact of its distribution strategy decisions on its customer relationship.

The Human Resources Department of NL&C Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Human Resources Department of NL&C - Essay Example Given the recent issues of NL&C's human resource management, all effort must be made to comply with federal and state law while clearly defining the company's expectations for each position. Clearly, "the law allows the employer to establish the basic job requirements and work standards-as long as those criteria do not discriminate based on the protected classifications found in federal and state employment discrimination laws." (Fick 19) The job descriptions and employee manual will protect NL&C from any litigious misunderstandings with future employees. Second, the company needs to quantify its diversity goals. Given the need for bi-lingual employees in the call center, clear diversity recruitment goals will assist the department in maintaining a workforce representative of the varied cultures we serve. Further, articulated diversity objectives will be evidence that management is aware of the need to reflect community populations, include represented minorities in its labor force, and is proactively addressing any deficiencies. We know from research that our website will be a good source for recruitment because when "...diverse candidates hear about a position, the first thing they do, says Susan Oxford, AIRS senior director of training, research and development, is check out the company's Web site to see if it's diversity friendly" (Bennett 2). Therefore, we will instruct our web designer to immediately place a "Job Openings" section on the site and include text regarding our diversity policy. Online Job Posting One of our most effective approaches to obtaining the best candidates for the 50 positions we are filling will be online sources. In addition to our corporate website, we can make the "online world [our] recruiting partner" by using college student career centers, state workforce development programs, non-cost online job banks, and other sources (Heathfield). Once our recruitment ad is approved, we will disseminate this information to as many online sources as possible. Local media advertising The most obvious primary source for recruitment will be a classified ad in the regional and local newspapers. This will provide NL&C with a locally-based response so that potential employees may be interviewed and trained as quickly as possible. In addition to these primary sources, we will be focusing on two additional and specialized recruitment tools. Specialized Sources (Bi-lingual) In-house referrals We will immediately poll our current roster of Hispanic and minority employees to solicit applications from their associates. We know that: Employee referrals top every recruiter's list as the best way to get good new employees, but referrals are underutilized in diversity recruiting, says John Sullivan, head of the human-resource program at San Francisco State University. "Seek out your diverse employees," he says, "and encourage them to recruit from their relatives, diverse colleagues at other firms, professional associations, religious groups and social

Companys Distribution System Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Companys Distribution System - Math Problem Example Total Forth Worth 22,05025,86413,4199,196-----70,529 Santa Fe ----29,988----29,988 Las Vegas -----21,7359,90028,31416,50276,451 Total 22,05025,86413,4199,19629,98821,7359,90028,31416,502176,968 3. If the company can directly deliver from the plants to the customer zones, thereby by passing distribution centers, the estimated savings will be $47,904. 4. Given the existing forecasted demand in the near future, there is an excess capacity of 8,740 meters, and the anticipated moderate growth of the North and West customer zones of 5,000 meters over the next five years; I don't recommend an immediate expansion of the plants. What I recommend is expansion after three years, just about the time the excess capacity will be overtaken by the growth in demand. Given the above, I recommend the following actions which will significantly improve distribution efficiency and decrease distribution costs: Assign distribution centers to customer zones according to which center can deliver with the least cost. For example, Santa Fe is currently serving Denver, Salt Lake City and Phoenix zones wherein the Las Vegas center can serve both Salt Lake City and Phoenix zones at a...The details of this cost are presented in the tables below and on the next page. 4. Given the existing forecasted demand in the near future, there is an excess capacity of 8,740 meters, and the anticipated moderate growth of the North and West customer zones of 5,000 meters over the next five years; I don't recommend an immediate expansion of the plants. What I recommend is expansion after three years, just about the time the excess capacity will be overtaken by the growth in demand. Assign distribution centers to customer zones according to which center can deliver with the least cost. For example, Santa Fe is currently serving Denver, Salt Lake City and Phoenix zones wherein the Las Vegas center can serve both Salt Lake City and Phoenix zones at a much cheaper distribution cost. Allow direct distribution to customer zones from plants whenever costs savings justify such. The simulated distribution from San Bernardino to Los Angeles and San Diego, and El Paso to San Antonio projected a savings of almost $50,000. In conclusion, cost savings are very short term oriented. The company must also think about the impact of its distribution strategy decisions on its customer relationship.

Hominoids Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hominoids - Essay Example Another classification involves two tribes, Panini and Homini. Both Pan and Gorilla genera are divisions in the Panini tribe, while Homini tribe includes Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens, better known as human beings belong to the Hominidae family and the Homo genus. Hylobates, Pongo pygmaecus, Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla and Homo sapiens are the six different species of Homonoids. Chimpanzees belong to the Pan genus. They spend a considerable amount of time on the ground and inhabit in large complex social groupings. They are specially adapted for knuckle walking. They also indulge in hunting as a group, sharing of food and tool making. They resemble our ancestors in anatomy as well as social behavior and are considered to be our closest living cousins. Orangutans belong to the Pongo genus. They are generalized climbers and are most isolated among the primates. Gorillas are the largest among primates. The male gorilla is larger and stronger than its female counterpart. The male gorilla has exclusive relationships with a group of females and keeps away male rivals from this group. The Old World species exhibit sexual dimorphism as a result of polygynous mating system. Hence, the males are bigger and stronger than the females to attract and sustain the pressure of defending multiple mates.

Exploration of methods and problems

Exploration of methods and problems Introduction Increased competitive advantage and the rapidly changing global environment (Bach, 2005) are the two most important reasons for putting pressure on firms for their survival. It is these measures which make the organisation realise the need for strategic human resource planning. Strategic human resource planning links human resource planning towards the strategic direction of the company (De Cenzo Robbins, 1996) ensuring that the organisations continued growth is maintained by attracting and retaining people with high-calibre (Cooper, Robertson, Tinline, 2003). This brings into the need for the right recruitment and selection policy and procedures to be in place. But, ironically, it is still seen that many organisations still adopt wasteful approaches towards selections and most of the time vacancies get filled in an unplanned manner without a systematic job analysis keeping in mind whether specific jobs would be needed or not (Marchington Wilkinson, 2008). As poor selection decisions can have ruinous effects for the organisation ranging from cost factors to productivity, it is essential to recruit and select the right people. These facts form the basis of my dissertation study exploring the recruitment and selection methods and problems within an organisation. This proposal provides a brief outline about my intended research process. I begin by highlighting the significance of my research along with the objectives I tend to achieve. Secondly, I explain briefly about the literature review available on the recruitment and selection process. The methodology section will tell about the techniques I will adopt for the data collection and analysis. And the limitations that may be encountered during my study are covered in the final section. Rationale behind my study and its Significance This research is informative and significant from the viewpoint that behavioural traits should be checked during the recruitment and selection process for the effectiveness of quality management making sure that both the technical and social systems so as to become difficult to imitate by competitors due to casual ambiguity and path dependency leading to sustaining organisational performance for a long time (Ahmad Schroeder, 2002). Also, an effective recruitment and selection strategy not only makes sure that the company achieves competitive advantage and success but it is also important because new recruits are a medium for amending organisational cultures as well as considered an opportunity for acquiring new skills by managers (Marchington Wilkinson, 2008). In addition, a wrong selection can be expensive in relation to retrain poor performers and to recruit new employees in replacement of ones who quit and the ones who were wrongly selected. Also, this can lead to loss of potential clients along with redundancy packages. Therefore, lastly through this study the negative effects that wrong selection decisions can have will be brought into notice. Research Objectives The research will be conducted in a multinational organisation whose â€Å"strategic goals are motivated by the desire to develop an efficient and integrated business on an international scale along and the groups philosophy being to build well-defined, value-added businesses focusing on serving the needs of select market niches where it can compete effectively (About Us: Investec)†. All these point towards having a workforce which can effectively contribute in helping the company achieve its targets. Therefore, the purpose of study is to explore the recruitment and selections methods adopted by the organisation to see the nature and the quality of people working in it and the efficiency of the current methods. The research basically addresses the following questions: Are the various recruitment and selection methods practiced by the organisations today as suggested by the literature really apt? Do the recruitment policies and procedures actually help in achieving the outcomes which are expected by the organisation? What are the factors (job and role specifications, recruitment media, selection techniques etc.) that affect the designing and implementation of the staffing process? Does cost, organisational resistance to change and national culture have an impact on the recruiting efforts? Can recommendations be suggested to improve the recruitment and selection process within an organisation? Literature Review 1. Introduction Thought it may seem that recruitment and selection are similar terms due to their functions being complementary, this review discusses them separately along with the function of job analysis in the overall recruitment and selection process. Firstly, an overview of the process will be given considering its various stages, and discussing each stage separately with the pros and cons. In the end specific issues related to national culture and costs affecting recruiting efforts will be discussed. 2. Overview of the Recruitment and Selection Process A recruitment and selection process is a method by which a company aims to satisfy its manpower needs at the minimum cost possible to ensure the effective continuing of the organisations operation. The main purpose of a recruitment and selection process is to study personality differences between individuals and the way it affects their ability to performance the subsequent job (Searle, 2003). Defining requirements, attraction and recruitment, shortlisting and assessment or selection are the four stages of a recruitment and selection process (Armstrong, 2006). Requirements mean preparation involving analysis of job to identify the needs along with what is involved already which results in job summary and person specifications as the outputs. Attraction is a medium to identify and evaluate sources of applicants keeping in mind that it is a two -way relationship with the firm deciding who to attract as well as the applicants decision making power whether to join the organisation (Taylor, 2005). Finally, the selection stage involves selecting the most suitable person(s) to fill the job from a pool of recruited good applicants (Cook, 2004). 2.1 Job Analysis Job Analysis or Role analysis is the most important stage in recruitment and selection as it provides the information related to the job (work-oriented) along with the skills and traits a person (worker-oriented) should have to perform the job (Searle, 2003). According to Pearn and Kandola (1993), Job analysis is simply defined as â€Å"a systematic procedure for obtaining detailed and objective information about a job, task or role.† to provide job descriptions and data for recruitment, training needs, performance evaluation and management. Job analysis can be done using a number of techniques ranging from focusing on the elements of work to being sensitive towards workers and their attributes. However, the main methods that are used are observation methods, interviews, and questionnaires and checklists. Because of drawbacks associated with each method, it is argued that techniques be combined for a clear and proper person specification description (Cooper, Robertson, Tinline, 2003). Also, there are issues of stability and accuracy concerned with job analysis, as a result of which there must be updating at all times. Also, job analysis is based on the assumption of one right way to perform the job instead of others, raising questions in regard of interrelationship between the worker and the organisation (Searle, 2003). Job Descriptions Job descriptions are the output of the job analysis concerned with a brief description about the job(s) to be taken up. Though they vary between organisations, generally the same categories are included: job title, location, responsible to whom and for what, main purpose of the job, principal job duties and any other duties. A point worth noting is that, despite, these used widely, they are criticised for being irrelevant to modern times as they are lack flexibility and are just based on rules. The criticism being that workers see their task as being defined making them abide by the rules instead of encouraging them to perform and add value beyond those. As a result, job descriptions are seen to be replaced by accountability profiles which focus on outputs rather than the components of the process. Also, another strategy involves the use of role definitions and key result area statements (KRAs) that refer to the measures for performance for the job (Armstrong and Marchington). Selection Criteria/Person Specifications This is the second documentation derived from job analysis. Person specifications are basically the human attributes required for filling up the role. Basically these specifications are based on certain heading following traditional seven point and five-point plans of Rodger (1952) and Fraser (1996) respectively. This forms the basis of selection criteria so as to reduce the number of applicants and in the end only have well-qualified candidates with the right requirements. However, in todays world competency frameworks relying on behaviour of applicants have replaced the earlier frameworks relying on personal judgement. This is because of the fact of reducing subjectivity in the recruitment and selection process and the tendency to judge personal qualities (Suff and Newell, 2006). Also, they can be related to performance outcome and stay clear of criteria that though may be easy to measure but may not relate to job effectiveness. 2.2 Recruitment The next stage after job analysis is the recruitment stage. Recruitment refers to tapping potential candidates from a pool of candidates based on the right skills and qualifications after filtering through the job analysis technique. It is important because it determines quality and quality of the applicants which in turn is necessary for the organisations overall financial performance and eventually its growth and success (Carlson, Connerley, Mecham, 2002). However, despite recruitment being the pre-requisite for selection to take place, it is still noteworthy that very little attention has been given to recruitment in theoretical underpinnings (Breaugh Starke, 2000). Also, recruiting efforts might be faced with some constraints ranging from issues relating to whether to recruit or not, sources from where to recruit and at what cost to organisations image, attractiveness of the job, internal policies and legal influence. Nevertheless, the different recruitment methods that can be adopted are advertising, use of employment agencies, internal recruitment, e-recruiting, on-campus recruiting and employee recommendations/referrals. The effectiveness of each of these methods can be tested in terms of quantitative and qualitative analysis. The former takes into account various costs in relation to the number of applicants generated, neglecting the newcomers ability to perform. Whereas the latter is concerned with judging the best candidate testing the absenteeism, turnover, retention and attitude at work. However, research has shown that informal methods (employee recommendations, internal search) are better and more effective that the formal methods of advertising and college placement. 2.3 Pre-selection/Shortlisting It is seen that not all the persons have the necessary skills, qualifications and experience to perform a job. Hence, based on the criteria of Curriculum Vitae and Application forms applicants are reduced. This process of choosing candidates on the basis of their curriculum vitas (CVs)/application forms after the recruitment stage is known as Shortlisting. The applicants fill up questionnaires about their personal details, education background, work experience, strengths and leisure activities. Judging upon these the HR specialists generate two categories of applicants: possible and rejected on the basis of having the required skills or not respectively, thereby, shortlisting the possible ones for the further stages of selection process serving as a path to the interview stage (Lewis, 1985). However, this criteria of shortlisting suffers from drawbacks as poor application forms with limit space under headings can put off potential candidates due to they not being able to provide adequate information (Marchington Wilkinson, 2008) ultimately leading to artificial responses. Also, often applicants provide false information as seen by Poole and Warner (1998), â€Å"It was reported that 30 percent of applications contained false information.† 2.4 Selection The final stage in the recruitment and selection process is that of selection. Selection is defined as a negative activity because of it choosing the best candidates and turning down others from a bunch to decide who is best-suited and fits the job most effectively. The classic trio comprising of application form, letter of reference and interview is the most prevalent selecting technique employed. This is due to it being straightforward and the least expensive of all the other methods. Also, other methods like assessment centres are not used due to them being the one with the highest validity which can deter the candidates from applying further. The range of selection methods that can be used for filling the job position are interviews, references, assessment centres, psychometric tests, work samples and biodata. However, no single selection method can predict with certainty that only a single individual will perform better in all situations. Hence, it is important to select the most appropriate technique. The Also, it is evident that most of the selection techniques have very low accuracy when it comes to effective selection decisions. Moreover, in order to know which tool to use, we need to know what is being measured and how well. The above factors, therefore, bring into account the need for assessing the value of each method in terms of practicability, sensitivity, reliability and validity (Marchington Wilkinson, 2008). 2.5 Specific issues: Costs and National Culture There are certain specific issues (costs and national culture) which play an important role in determining which selection methods to be employed by an organisation for selection of the new personnel. The focus is on selection due to the lack of literature on these issues concerning recruitment techniques. Costs The choice of a selection method to be used depends a lot on its cost. An organisations HR managers aim to use selection methods scoring high on validity along with being cost-effective. However, a selection method generating employees of utmost importance can be still be practised even if it is costly owing to the fact that successful employee selection leading to better productivity and performance is the overall goal of the organisation which in turn can outweigh the cost effects. National Culture National culture is basically defined as the values, customs, behaviour and attitudes a particular community, society or group tends to follow distinguishing them from other groups of different ethnicity. Each organisation has a corporate culture which arises on the basis of values and rituals of the country in which it is operating. The employees working in the company are also influenced by society and hence it can be seen that the elements of national culture are to an extent embedded in the organisation culture (Sparrow Hiltrop, 1994). The selection method a company uses to select new candidates also depends a lot on the social environment as some methods may be acceptable in one country and not in the other due to cultural differences. An outcome of a survey conducted by Ryan et al (1999) showed that uncertainty decision is the prime factor in influencing an organisations decisions in deciding which selection method to use. Therefore, it is seen that tests and interviews are the selecting methods used by countries which want less uncertainty, as these processes decrease uncertainty owing to the fixed questionnaire due to which the predictability of selecting the right person increases. 2.6 Conclusion This review showed a brief overview about the recruitment and selection process. However, the literature review on recruitment and selection methods were not discussed as they will be compared in my research with the methods being used in the organisation currently weighing each ones pros and cons along with the problems faced by the organisation and recommendations will be given. Methodology Designing the research I will rely on the phenomenological qualitative methods for the collection and analysis of data taking into account the inductive approach, for my study (Saunders, Thornhill, Lewis, 2006). This inductive approach will let me come out with the best possible answers for my research objectives due to it being able to explore better the behaviours and perceptions of people helping me get an overall insight into the research context in relation to an everyday life. Furthermore, as I am concerned only with a single organisation, I will be following the case-study approach. The reason behind my choosing a single firm is the fact that this will help me focus on my research leading to getting a deep understanding of the policy and procedures related to recruitment and selection with the firm. Data collection method Gathering of data will take place using semi-structured interviews along with open-ended questionnaires. The interviews would be held within the workplace with about 15 employees with most of them being the senior HR mangers as they are the ones responsible for the recruitment process taking the view concerned with the organisational decision-making in selection procedures. In contrast to this, if possible, I will also try and gain an insight into the candidates reactions to selection methods in order to take the applicants perspectives in the decision making process. This will be done through the use of questionnaires if not interviews with the applicants applying to the company. The reason behind using semi-structured interviews is that they have a personal contact and will help the interviewees to express their feelings, concerns and opinions with ease of freedom without the fear of being cut in between letting them further frame their responses. This will ensure a collection of detailed and ampler data set. Data Analysis All the interviews will be tape recorded so as to fill in any gaps which might have been left during the interview and transcribed for analysis. However to protect confidentiality, these will be recorded only after a written signatory permission from the respondents. I plan to adopt the template analysis approach for my analysis in which a â€Å"researcher generates a list of codes or templates in order to represent themes identified in the textual data (King, 2004)†. This will basically provide a key summary of my findings along with a flexibility level to change themes with the course of analysis. Also, this approach will be very useful in comparing differences in the perspectives of different groups of staff. Depending on the research objectives, an initial template will be created with the gathered data being coded into broad themes which will further be broken down into specific patterns as the analysis progresses. In the end, the final template will seek to explain all the research questions in addition to any new findings emerging out of the research. LIMITATIONS There are a number of limitations the research might be subjected to. Firstly, since the research will take place in a single organisation, issues regarding reliability and validity of the data for suitability within other firms may arise. This raises the question about the generalisation of the research findings beyond the parent organisation. However, this should make the research less sound owing to evolving businesses and to the nature of all human beings to perceive things differently. Secondly, time constraints might be another issue. The time available to do a thorough research isnt enough as it requires a lot of travel too. Moreover, since I can just conduct my research in the organisation for a maximum of a month, this may result in collection of irrelevant or inadequate data at times due to a hurried collection process. In addition to all these limitations other problems may arise as well. The employees of the organisation might be hesitant in giving interviews at workplace because of the fear of job-cuts due to recession. Hence, in this scenario I will try my best to conduct interviews be it in the form of telephonic interviews. Moreover, it might be possible not to carry out face to face interviews at times as some of the managers might not be available. Also, there is no guarantee to finish all the interviews within the specified time period. Another possibility might be that due to sensitivity issues regarding me being an outsider, the company may be reluctant in providing all the required information for my research. A final limitation might be about the arrangement for access into the organisation falling short. Though, I do not think that the multinational organisation would deny me access but, if such a thing happens, I have a back-up plan with an access to another organisation which will surely give me an access. This firm is an IT firm in India and has guaranteed to give me an access. Despite these problems likely to arise during my course of research, I am sure I will be able to handle and tackle them effectively. I am also confident to be able to achieve answers to my research objectives completing my research successfully. Bibliography About Us: Investec. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2010, from Investec: http://www.investec.com/en_gb/#home.html Ahmad, S., Schroeder, R. G. (2002). ‘The importance of recruitment and selection process in the sustainablity of total quality management. International Journal of Quality and Reliabilty Management, 19 (5), pp 540-550. Armstrong, M. (2006). A Handbook of Human Resource Management (10th ed.). London; Philadelphia: Kogan Page. Bach, S. (2005). Managing human resources: personnel management in transition (4th ed.). Oxford: Blackwell. Breaugh, J., Starke, M. (2000). ‘Research on employee recruitment: so many studies, so many remaining questions. Journal of Management, 26 (3), pp 405-434. Carlson, K. D., Connerley, M. L., Mecham, R. L. (2002). ‘Recruitment Evaluation: The case for assessing the quality of applicants attracted. Personnel Psychology, 55 (2), pp 461-490. Cook, M. (2004). Personnel Selection: Adding Value Through People (4th Edition ed.). Chicester: John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Cooper, D., Robertson, I. T., Tinline, G. (2003). Recruitment and Selection: A Framework for Success. London: Thomson. De Cenzo, D. A., Robbins, S. P. (1996). Human Resource Management (5th ed.). Chicester: Wiley. King, N. (2004). Using Templates in Thematic Analysis of Text. In C. M. Cassell, G. Symon, Essential guide to qualitative methods in organizational research. London: Sage Publications. Lewis, C. (1985). Employee Selection. London: Hutchinson. Marchington, M., Wilkinson, A. (2008). Human Resource Management at work: People Management and Development (4th ed.). London: CIPD. Pearn, M., Kandola, R. S. (1993). Job Analysis: A managers guide (2nd ed.). London: Institute of Personnel Management. Poole, M., Warner, M. (1998). The IEBM handbook of Human Resource Management. London: International Thomson Business. Ryan, A. M., McFarland, L., Baron, H., Page, R. (1999). ‘An international look at selection practices: Nation and Culture as explanations for variability in Practices. Personnel Pscychology, 52 (2), pp 359-391. Saunders, M., Thornhill, A., Lewis, P. (2006). Research Methods for Business Students (4th ed.). Harlow: Pearson. Searle, R. H. (2003). Selection and Recruitment: a Critical Text. UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Smith, M., Robertson, I. T. (1993). The Theory and Practice of Systematic Personnel Selection (2nd ed.). Basingstoke: Macmillan. Sparrow, P., Hiltrop, M. J. (1994). European Human Resource Management in Transition. New York: Prentice Hall. Taylor, S. (2005). People Resourcing. London: CIPD.