Recruitment & Selection

Recruitment and Selection Part 1 Produce a report, advising HiTech on how it should move forward as far as recruitment is concerned i. e. what advice would you give? Introduction HiTech International is one of the fastest –growing companies in the world. It currently employs over 30’000 people in 60 countries and has annual turnover in excess of $19billion. Located in West Dublin, HiTech European headquarters employs 2’500 people. 90% are employees of the company and remaining 10% are employed on a subcontracted basis.HiTech specialise in provision of computer hardware and bespoke software solutions for corporate clients to assist them in maximising the use of the internet. HiTech also provide a complete after-sales service which goes beyond regular software maintenance. The company is recognised as global market leaders in several of its principal line of business. Due to the competitive market that HiTech operates in innovation and continually evolving technolo gy developments through research and development department is central to the company’s future success.HiTech offers employees excellent terms and conditions of employment with top-salaries, generous bonus schemes, discounts, pensions, health and life insurance. The environment in which they work is very attractive with excellent facilities such as staff cafeterias, fitness facilities and valet services. Staff retention is very good; turnover levels are currently at 5% of which half are accounted for by dismissals and non-renewal of fixed-term contracts. HiTech are experiencing some difficultly with finding sufficient number of employees with the required skills to meet its expansion needs.Due to the fast-moving nature of the industry graduates are not utilised as by the time they are trained with a set of skills technology has moved on making their training redundant. Some graduates do succeed but most struggle, and are dependent on too much from the start. HiTech’s m ain source of new recruits is staff employed by competitors or working in closely related fields. They also have adopted a ‘no poaching’ policy with companies that HiTech has a customer relationship with or partner companies.Currently HiTech have two principle methods of recruitment in addition to a small- scale graduate training programme; advertising in national newspapers and head-hunters. HiTech are not satisfied with either method; adverts bring in too many applications that take up too much time to work through them. Head-hunters have found some suitable candidates but put at a great cost plus there is a risk that candidates would be lured away again by the same agent. And with the small pool of labour agencies are unable to identify the required individuals that are not already know to HiTech.Recommendations Improve on employer brand Although HiTech has global market leadership in several lines of its business and is recognised for its products as potential a bra nd leader but has it adopted an employer brand. Edward (2005) â€Å"employer branding is clearly aimed at attracting and retaining staff† (Edwards, 2005 Employer Branding) HiTech aim should be to develop and maintain a strong brand image as an employer that will reinforce their efforts to attract and subsequently retain the most effective performers.According to CIPD Survey â€Å"nearly three quarters of organisations have made efforts to improve their employee brand over the last year, most commonly through employee surveys and developing online career sites† (CIPD Annual Survey 2011/resourcing and talent planning). HiTech need to project a favourable impression of experience working there, similar to the reputation or brand that Google and Face book have. Evidence strongly suggested that employers can gain an edge in labour market through development of a good brand.Charles Schwab from US investment bank states â€Å"having a strong brand for an employee is a compet itive advantage and strategic advantage†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ it really does help to attract the best candidate†¦.. †(The Conference Board 2001, pg 5/people resourcing Chp 3 pg 68) Using different media to search for talent Website One of the most effective methods that attracts applicants to an organisation is the organisations own corporate website. Corporate websites is an excellent pool for attracting potential candidates. HiTech would have the skills in house to setup a corporate website at a minimum cost.The website should attract people to the careers section, convince them of the desirability of a career in HiTech and capture them as a candidate with an exceptional online response process. Furthermore to the website development HiTech should improve process of applying for a position within the organisation which would address the large quantity of applications received when they run a national newspaper advertisement. Adopting an online application will eliminate unquali fied candidates from first round and then suitable applicants can progress onto the second stage of competency test.This would highlight the qualified personnel with the required skills much more effectively. Trade Journals HiTech could sign up to the specific trade journals that are relevant to the specific industry, profession, trade or business that it in association with. Trade journal would effectively reach a number of the potential candidates that HiTech need to make their presence aware. LinkedIn It would be in HiTech best interest to get connected with social networking website LinkedIn that is geared towards companies and industry professional looking to make new business contacts, keep in touch with previous co –workers and clients.According to CIPD annual survey on resourcing and talent planning professional networking 16% of organisations find that it is an effective method of attracting applications to an their organisation (CIPD annual survey 2011 on resourcing and talent planning). HiTech can create profile that details the company profile and can link in with similar professional establishments and people. This can then form a platform for HiTech to search through profiles of people that they are interested in hiring new employees and also for candidates to search for potential job opportunities.Education Development Even though HiTech skills shortage is an immediate concern they also need to think long term especially when it comes to skills shortages as planning for the future will ensure the organisations continued success. Linking up educational establishments to ensure that the curriculum being taught is relevant to skills set required and preparing students for work and developing their internal talent pipelines around skills shortage areas.HiTech could also offer work experience placements with students to begin the internal training process of the organisation and therefore once qualified will be more up to date with the technol ogy and possible bring new ideas in order to remain innovate. Apple have developed an excellent link in with local colleges and students ; they approach colleagues in different fields and establish a campus rep that is trained in the apple technology and then the campus Rep hosts workshops , demonstrations and build up the Apple brand as a desirable employer.They also have an internship programmes to students through summer placements or co-op during academic year. Apple provides hands on experience by allowing interns to work on critical projects and also offer employment opportunities after they have graduated. Graduate Recruitment From the case study it is said that HiTech has a small scale graduate training programme and that they have difficultly employing graduates with limited experience and train them.HiTech need to further resource and enhance their graduate programme to ensure that candidates get the best possible opportunity during their studies and that they receive the relevant work experience so that once they graduate they can ‘hit the ground running’ . Sony has launched a European Graduate programme that is well structured and offers graduates the experience of all elements of the organisation. The structure is divided up into Business Experience – which is run over two years and graduates rotate on two assignments taking in all roles.They are then provided with training modules that are delivered by top management and highly skilled personnel giving them a unique networking opportunity. Each graduate receives a mentor from the middle management leadership development programme. And finally they are offered social entrepreneurship were they collaborate in groups and apply their business skills making a real contribution to a social project. â€Å"One in ten organisations is considering sponsoring students through university† and â€Å"over a quarter of organisations operate a structured graduate programme† (CIP D annual survey 2011/resourcing and talent planning).Talent Management Graduates struggle to succeed in developing their careers within the company and it doesn’t mention in the case study about any development programmes for employees. Talent management is â€Å" systematic attraction , identification, development , engagement , retention and deployment of individuals who are of particular value to an organisation, either in view of their ‘high potential’ for the future or because they are filling business/operation –critical roles†( CIPD Factsheet; Talent Management An Overview).HiTech need to develop this further for their graduates and employees, it would include a range of activities such as formal and informal leadership coaching, networking events and board-level and client exposure. This would assist HiTech to maintain competitive advantage and get the best from their people. This can be achieved by focusing on four areas of the talent manag ement loop; Attracting talent – as previously mentioned attracting external talent through corporate website to offer a recognised graduate programme enhance the employer brand which will attract new talent.Developing talent- learning and development initiatives should be in implemented to enhance employees and assist graduate to succeed in their career. Managing Talent – this could be linked to development aspect but focuses more on the retention. Succession planning can help HiTech to identify future and potential skilled personnel. Tracking and evaluating talent – continuous evaluation of talent will help improve the staff retention and give focus to areas that management need to work on. SecondmentSecondment refers to the temporary movement of an employee to another part of organisation. HiTech could find this very beneficial if they temporary moved the employees from other countries to Dublin based office. It would certainly assist with the immediate shorta ge of skills, they would not have to train the candidates as they would be familiar with the organisation and it would provide the time for the organisation to adopt the recommendations mentioned above to improve the employer brand and training and development programmes.Another option would be external secondment , HiTech have develop relationships with partnership companies and even with no poaching policy in place they could come to an agreement with another organisation to loan a required skill employee to them for short-term basis to relieve the immediate requirement . Conclusion HiTech International case study highlighted the fact that even been the fast growing company it the world and recognised as global market leaders without the requires skilled staff can cause significant effect on the companies continued success and to maintain competitive advantage.Without a defined, well recognised employer brand an organisation that depends on innovation and creativity attracting spe cialised skills in a relatively small pool of people can be difficult. Reviewing the organisations methods for recruiting talent and researching how successful they are and be willing to adapted and change to the diverse global market is important. Making connections with educational establishments and encouraging graduates to sign up with the programmes will help to prevent future shortages but all programmes and connections must be supported, managed and evaluated on a regular basis.Focusing on in house training and development of staff with career structures will further enhance the organisation and challenges employees to continue to be creative and motivated. Sourcing staff from other branches in other countries could relieve short-term shortage of staff while progress is being made on the employer brand to attract external candidates, training and development programmes are set up and implemented. Regardless of how successful an organisation is, skills shortages can cause sign ificant negative effects on the competitive advantage of an organisation.Continuous assessment of organisation recruitment strategy and ensuring that it is linked to the corporate strategy of the organisation should be re-evaluated on a regular basis to remain a successful organisation and a global market leader. Part 2 With reference to relevant academic literature; evaluate the effectiveness of the interview as a selection method. Introduction â€Å"There is a long tradition going back to the beginning of the twentieth century of academic research into the relative merits of different selection tools (People Resourcing Chp 11 Pg 254). Organisations worldwide must adapt selection method to recruit personnel in order to operate their businesses. The method that they select, be simple or sophisticated depends on a number of factors such as financial, cultural, resources that are available and if their requirements are immediate or for the future. â€Å"You are attempting to predict how a person will perform their work, interact with their future colleagues, treat your customers and respect your business†. (Recruitment and selection slide 8 Selection) All selection methods have positive and negative results and none are infallible.According to CIPD Annual report 2011, interview remains the most common selection method. (CIPD Annual report 2011 resourcing and talent planning). Main Body â€Å"Interviews of one kind or another are almost universally used â€Å"(IRS 2002c, CIPD 2007c). Interviews are popular as they provide the opportunity to meet face to face with the potential future employee, assess candidate’s ability to carry out the job. It also provides the opportunity for the employer to describe job specification, discuss the terms and conditions of employment and project a positive impression of the organisation and emphasise the organisations brand. A controlled conversation with a purpose â€Å"(Torrington, 1995). Despite their widespr ead use, interviews are often questioned as to how effective in selecting people for specific roles they really are. A number of draw backs that Anderson and Shackleton (Anderson and Shakleton, 1993) gather from a variety of studies show some of the reasons why interviews can been criticised. These include; Expectancy Effect – this is where the interviewer gains impression of the candidate before the interview Stereotyping – interviewers assume that particular characteristics are typical of a particular group of people.Personal Linking – interviewers may make decisions on whether they liked or disliked a candidate. Halo and Horns Effect – interviewers may rate candidates as simply ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Mirror Effect –interviewers may give preference to candidates that perceive to be similar to them. Contrast Effect – the interviewer may allow the experience of interviewing one candidate to affect the way they interview o thers. Primary Effect – interview puts too much emphasis on information gained in initial part of interview. Information overload Effect- interviewers may make decisions on only part of the data available to them.Temporal extension Effect – interviewers may assume that a candidate’s conduct at interview is their general personality. One thirds of employers make an initial hiring decision in the first ninety seconds of an interview, based entirely on interviewees appearance† (XpertHR 2011 selection interviews survey). It could be said that interview selection tool is prejudiced and biased but it is the responsibility of the organisation to ensure that interviewers are adequately trained to help eliminate these errors.It would appear that recruiters are positive, although not passionate about the effectiveness of the interviews as a selection tool (XpertHR 2011 selection interviews survey) Two thirds of employers rate interviews as â€Å"effective† bu t just 16. 7% say they are â€Å"very effective† (App1). Studies have found that the predictive validity of the structured interview is quite high (Campione et al. 1988; Wiesner Cronshaw 1988). Structuring interviews can also help improve the ability to predict performance in the role as they provide interviewers with a framework to follow when interviewing each candidate, based on the criteria for the job.Adapting structure to the interview means that questions are planned carefully before the interview, all candidates are asked the same core questions, answers are scored using a rating system and all questions focus on the attributes and behaviours needed in the job. Evenden and Anderson ( 1992) suggest that the choice of questions and the appropriate use of them can ensure greater balance and flow in the interview itself (Gunnigle Human Resource Management in Ireland Chp 5 pg 128) The types of questions that can be used are ; * Direct or Closed – are useful to get f acts but too many lead to repetition. Leading – no real value in this type of question as most interviewee would follow it. * Topic Changing- help to create a flow through interview. * Probing and developing- help to test the interviewees specific knowledge or skills. * Open-ended- are useful to encourage interviewee to talk and get involved. * Reflecting back – are useful to ensuring information is understood. * Command – are useful retrieve additional information on specific area. Structured interviews can be behavioural, they focus on past performance or situational, they focus on future performance. A growing number of employers are now taking his approach, 60% carry out structured interviews as part of the selection process. (XpertHR2011 selection interview surveys). Interview format can also provide additional structure to the interview selection process, where her they are one to one, panel interview or sequence of interviews but whatever format is chosen the effectiveness of the interview should be the same. Newell (2000) warns that while efforts have been made to improve the selection process through a more systematic approach , currents trends in organisations make ‘best practises’ model somewhat problematic.Job specification and analysis can become difficult if job requires flexibility and also with a number of organisations looking for innovation and creativity the term ‘fit’ has less relevance. (Gunnigle, Human Resource Management in Ireland, Chp 5 pg 124). Other criticism of the structured approach is although highly effective method with the use of controlled questioning etc its doesn’t actually represent the more relaxed environment that a candidate can easily open up. â€Å"The main disadvantage of using a structured interview is that its rigidity can limit the information-gathering process.Instead of exploring an applicant’s responses by further questioning during the interview, th e process is often rushed in order to get through all the questions on the schedule, and the assessment of the individual can inaccurate as a result. Also, since the interviewer takes the lead, he or she may dominate the process, denying the applicant sufficient time to provide a considered and accurate response† (Du Plessis 2003 Pg 170). Approaching a system in reality there is always so sort of compromise as without flexibility systems wouldn’t be sustainable.The interview selection tool would need to adopt a degree of flexibility and would help to improve the problems that have been suggested above. Adopting a mixed approach of semi-structuring or mixed approaches into the process would create the more open relaxed situation that interviews are perceived as but also the structure process remains which overall would make the interview selection method more effective. Conclusion Through the research that has been carried out and reflecting back on some of the statistic s that have been reviewed , the interview process across a wide ange of organisations and even in different markets would be reasonable to say that it is and will continue to be an effective selection tool. Even more so structured interviews have a greater effectiveness, however rigid the process is interviewing remains essentially a selective process. Organisations must ensure that they provide adequate training to equip their interviewers with the essential knowledge and skills required to maximise the interview process and also that they offer the best opportunity with no bias or error for the candidate in question.Furthermore organisations need to be flexible in order to adapt to external and internal factors effecting their organisations environment for example economic, political cultural and technology. Thus the selection processes also needs to be adjusted; we can see this through compromising with the structure approach to interviewing with semi-structure or mixed approache s that slight modifications can improve the outcome. Organisations need to be flexible in order to maintain best practise for their organisation and jobs roles would need to be adjusted accordingly.The interview as a selection tool is still by far the most effective and widely used method across the globe. There are a number of draw backs and there are other selection tools that are more effective but a cost. The interview is the most cost effective, time effective method and with selecting the wrong candidate for the role costing an organisation approximately â‚ ¬15’000 you are not going to offer a position to someone that you haven’t meet face to face now are you ? Appendences 1Bibliography Anderson and Shackleton(1993) Successful selection interviewing. CIPD Fact Sheets Selection Methods. CIPD Fact Sheets Secondment. CIPD Fact Sheet Talent Managment. CIPD Annual Survey Report 2011 Resourcing and Talent Planning. Gunnigle Human Resource Management in Ireland. Tayl or People Resourcing. www. sony. com www. apple. com XpertHR 2011 Selection Interviews Survey; Effectiveness and Training Article. XpertHR 2011 Selection Interviews Survey; Interview tools and record-keeping. Recruitment & Selection Recruitment and Selection Part 1 Produce a report, advising HiTech on how it should move forward as far as recruitment is concerned i. e. what advice would you give? Introduction HiTech International is one of the fastest –growing companies in the world. It currently employs over 30’000 people in 60 countries and has annual turnover in excess of $19billion. Located in West Dublin, HiTech European headquarters employs 2’500 people. 90% are employees of the company and remaining 10% are employed on a subcontracted basis.HiTech specialise in provision of computer hardware and bespoke software solutions for corporate clients to assist them in maximising the use of the internet. HiTech also provide a complete after-sales service which goes beyond regular software maintenance. The company is recognised as global market leaders in several of its principal line of business. Due to the competitive market that HiTech operates in innovation and continually evolving technolo gy developments through research and development department is central to the company’s future success.HiTech offers employees excellent terms and conditions of employment with top-salaries, generous bonus schemes, discounts, pensions, health and life insurance. The environment in which they work is very attractive with excellent facilities such as staff cafeterias, fitness facilities and valet services. Staff retention is very good; turnover levels are currently at 5% of which half are accounted for by dismissals and non-renewal of fixed-term contracts. HiTech are experiencing some difficultly with finding sufficient number of employees with the required skills to meet its expansion needs.Due to the fast-moving nature of the industry graduates are not utilised as by the time they are trained with a set of skills technology has moved on making their training redundant. Some graduates do succeed but most struggle, and are dependent on too much from the start. HiTech’s m ain source of new recruits is staff employed by competitors or working in closely related fields. They also have adopted a ‘no poaching’ policy with companies that HiTech has a customer relationship with or partner companies.Currently HiTech have two principle methods of recruitment in addition to a small- scale graduate training programme; advertising in national newspapers and head-hunters. HiTech are not satisfied with either method; adverts bring in too many applications that take up too much time to work through them. Head-hunters have found some suitable candidates but put at a great cost plus there is a risk that candidates would be lured away again by the same agent. And with the small pool of labour agencies are unable to identify the required individuals that are not already know to HiTech.Recommendations Improve on employer brand Although HiTech has global market leadership in several lines of its business and is recognised for its products as potential a bra nd leader but has it adopted an employer brand. Edward (2005) â€Å"employer branding is clearly aimed at attracting and retaining staff† (Edwards, 2005 Employer Branding) HiTech aim should be to develop and maintain a strong brand image as an employer that will reinforce their efforts to attract and subsequently retain the most effective performers.According to CIPD Survey â€Å"nearly three quarters of organisations have made efforts to improve their employee brand over the last year, most commonly through employee surveys and developing online career sites† (CIPD Annual Survey 2011/resourcing and talent planning). HiTech need to project a favourable impression of experience working there, similar to the reputation or brand that Google and Face book have. Evidence strongly suggested that employers can gain an edge in labour market through development of a good brand.Charles Schwab from US investment bank states â€Å"having a strong brand for an employee is a compet itive advantage and strategic advantage†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ it really does help to attract the best candidate†¦.. †(The Conference Board 2001, pg 5/people resourcing Chp 3 pg 68) Using different media to search for talent Website One of the most effective methods that attracts applicants to an organisation is the organisations own corporate website. Corporate websites is an excellent pool for attracting potential candidates. HiTech would have the skills in house to setup a corporate website at a minimum cost.The website should attract people to the careers section, convince them of the desirability of a career in HiTech and capture them as a candidate with an exceptional online response process. Furthermore to the website development HiTech should improve process of applying for a position within the organisation which would address the large quantity of applications received when they run a national newspaper advertisement. Adopting an online application will eliminate unquali fied candidates from first round and then suitable applicants can progress onto the second stage of competency test.This would highlight the qualified personnel with the required skills much more effectively. Trade Journals HiTech could sign up to the specific trade journals that are relevant to the specific industry, profession, trade or business that it in association with. Trade journal would effectively reach a number of the potential candidates that HiTech need to make their presence aware. LinkedIn It would be in HiTech best interest to get connected with social networking website LinkedIn that is geared towards companies and industry professional looking to make new business contacts, keep in touch with previous co –workers and clients.According to CIPD annual survey on resourcing and talent planning professional networking 16% of organisations find that it is an effective method of attracting applications to an their organisation (CIPD annual survey 2011 on resourcing and talent planning). HiTech can create profile that details the company profile and can link in with similar professional establishments and people. This can then form a platform for HiTech to search through profiles of people that they are interested in hiring new employees and also for candidates to search for potential job opportunities.Education Development Even though HiTech skills shortage is an immediate concern they also need to think long term especially when it comes to skills shortages as planning for the future will ensure the organisations continued success. Linking up educational establishments to ensure that the curriculum being taught is relevant to skills set required and preparing students for work and developing their internal talent pipelines around skills shortage areas.HiTech could also offer work experience placements with students to begin the internal training process of the organisation and therefore once qualified will be more up to date with the technol ogy and possible bring new ideas in order to remain innovate. Apple have developed an excellent link in with local colleges and students ; they approach colleagues in different fields and establish a campus rep that is trained in the apple technology and then the campus Rep hosts workshops , demonstrations and build up the Apple brand as a desirable employer.They also have an internship programmes to students through summer placements or co-op during academic year. Apple provides hands on experience by allowing interns to work on critical projects and also offer employment opportunities after they have graduated. Graduate Recruitment From the case study it is said that HiTech has a small scale graduate training programme and that they have difficultly employing graduates with limited experience and train them.HiTech need to further resource and enhance their graduate programme to ensure that candidates get the best possible opportunity during their studies and that they receive the relevant work experience so that once they graduate they can ‘hit the ground running’ . Sony has launched a European Graduate programme that is well structured and offers graduates the experience of all elements of the organisation. The structure is divided up into Business Experience – which is run over two years and graduates rotate on two assignments taking in all roles.They are then provided with training modules that are delivered by top management and highly skilled personnel giving them a unique networking opportunity. Each graduate receives a mentor from the middle management leadership development programme. And finally they are offered social entrepreneurship were they collaborate in groups and apply their business skills making a real contribution to a social project. â€Å"One in ten organisations is considering sponsoring students through university† and â€Å"over a quarter of organisations operate a structured graduate programme† (CIP D annual survey 2011/resourcing and talent planning).Talent Management Graduates struggle to succeed in developing their careers within the company and it doesn’t mention in the case study about any development programmes for employees. Talent management is â€Å" systematic attraction , identification, development , engagement , retention and deployment of individuals who are of particular value to an organisation, either in view of their ‘high potential’ for the future or because they are filling business/operation –critical roles†( CIPD Factsheet; Talent Management An Overview).HiTech need to develop this further for their graduates and employees, it would include a range of activities such as formal and informal leadership coaching, networking events and board-level and client exposure. This would assist HiTech to maintain competitive advantage and get the best from their people. This can be achieved by focusing on four areas of the talent manag ement loop; Attracting talent – as previously mentioned attracting external talent through corporate website to offer a recognised graduate programme enhance the employer brand which will attract new talent.Developing talent- learning and development initiatives should be in implemented to enhance employees and assist graduate to succeed in their career. Managing Talent – this could be linked to development aspect but focuses more on the retention. Succession planning can help HiTech to identify future and potential skilled personnel. Tracking and evaluating talent – continuous evaluation of talent will help improve the staff retention and give focus to areas that management need to work on. SecondmentSecondment refers to the temporary movement of an employee to another part of organisation. HiTech could find this very beneficial if they temporary moved the employees from other countries to Dublin based office. It would certainly assist with the immediate shorta ge of skills, they would not have to train the candidates as they would be familiar with the organisation and it would provide the time for the organisation to adopt the recommendations mentioned above to improve the employer brand and training and development programmes.Another option would be external secondment , HiTech have develop relationships with partnership companies and even with no poaching policy in place they could come to an agreement with another organisation to loan a required skill employee to them for short-term basis to relieve the immediate requirement . Conclusion HiTech International case study highlighted the fact that even been the fast growing company it the world and recognised as global market leaders without the requires skilled staff can cause significant effect on the companies continued success and to maintain competitive advantage.Without a defined, well recognised employer brand an organisation that depends on innovation and creativity attracting spe cialised skills in a relatively small pool of people can be difficult. Reviewing the organisations methods for recruiting talent and researching how successful they are and be willing to adapted and change to the diverse global market is important. Making connections with educational establishments and encouraging graduates to sign up with the programmes will help to prevent future shortages but all programmes and connections must be supported, managed and evaluated on a regular basis.Focusing on in house training and development of staff with career structures will further enhance the organisation and challenges employees to continue to be creative and motivated. Sourcing staff from other branches in other countries could relieve short-term shortage of staff while progress is being made on the employer brand to attract external candidates, training and development programmes are set up and implemented. Regardless of how successful an organisation is, skills shortages can cause sign ificant negative effects on the competitive advantage of an organisation.Continuous assessment of organisation recruitment strategy and ensuring that it is linked to the corporate strategy of the organisation should be re-evaluated on a regular basis to remain a successful organisation and a global market leader. Part 2 With reference to relevant academic literature; evaluate the effectiveness of the interview as a selection method. Introduction â€Å"There is a long tradition going back to the beginning of the twentieth century of academic research into the relative merits of different selection tools (People Resourcing Chp 11 Pg 254). Organisations worldwide must adapt selection method to recruit personnel in order to operate their businesses. The method that they select, be simple or sophisticated depends on a number of factors such as financial, cultural, resources that are available and if their requirements are immediate or for the future. â€Å"You are attempting to predict how a person will perform their work, interact with their future colleagues, treat your customers and respect your business†. (Recruitment and selection slide 8 Selection) All selection methods have positive and negative results and none are infallible.According to CIPD Annual report 2011, interview remains the most common selection method. (CIPD Annual report 2011 resourcing and talent planning). Main Body â€Å"Interviews of one kind or another are almost universally used â€Å"(IRS 2002c, CIPD 2007c). Interviews are popular as they provide the opportunity to meet face to face with the potential future employee, assess candidate’s ability to carry out the job. It also provides the opportunity for the employer to describe job specification, discuss the terms and conditions of employment and project a positive impression of the organisation and emphasise the organisations brand. A controlled conversation with a purpose â€Å"(Torrington, 1995). Despite their widespr ead use, interviews are often questioned as to how effective in selecting people for specific roles they really are. A number of draw backs that Anderson and Shackleton (Anderson and Shakleton, 1993) gather from a variety of studies show some of the reasons why interviews can been criticised. These include; Expectancy Effect – this is where the interviewer gains impression of the candidate before the interview Stereotyping – interviewers assume that particular characteristics are typical of a particular group of people.Personal Linking – interviewers may make decisions on whether they liked or disliked a candidate. Halo and Horns Effect – interviewers may rate candidates as simply ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Mirror Effect –interviewers may give preference to candidates that perceive to be similar to them. Contrast Effect – the interviewer may allow the experience of interviewing one candidate to affect the way they interview o thers. Primary Effect – interview puts too much emphasis on information gained in initial part of interview. Information overload Effect- interviewers may make decisions on only part of the data available to them.Temporal extension Effect – interviewers may assume that a candidate’s conduct at interview is their general personality. One thirds of employers make an initial hiring decision in the first ninety seconds of an interview, based entirely on interviewees appearance† (XpertHR 2011 selection interviews survey). It could be said that interview selection tool is prejudiced and biased but it is the responsibility of the organisation to ensure that interviewers are adequately trained to help eliminate these errors.It would appear that recruiters are positive, although not passionate about the effectiveness of the interviews as a selection tool (XpertHR 2011 selection interviews survey) Two thirds of employers rate interviews as â€Å"effective† bu t just 16. 7% say they are â€Å"very effective† (App1). Studies have found that the predictive validity of the structured interview is quite high (Campione et al. 1988; Wiesner Cronshaw 1988). Structuring interviews can also help improve the ability to predict performance in the role as they provide interviewers with a framework to follow when interviewing each candidate, based on the criteria for the job.Adapting structure to the interview means that questions are planned carefully before the interview, all candidates are asked the same core questions, answers are scored using a rating system and all questions focus on the attributes and behaviours needed in the job. Evenden and Anderson ( 1992) suggest that the choice of questions and the appropriate use of them can ensure greater balance and flow in the interview itself (Gunnigle Human Resource Management in Ireland Chp 5 pg 128) The types of questions that can be used are ; * Direct or Closed – are useful to get f acts but too many lead to repetition. Leading – no real value in this type of question as most interviewee would follow it. * Topic Changing- help to create a flow through interview. * Probing and developing- help to test the interviewees specific knowledge or skills. * Open-ended- are useful to encourage interviewee to talk and get involved. * Reflecting back – are useful to ensuring information is understood. * Command – are useful retrieve additional information on specific area. Structured interviews can be behavioural, they focus on past performance or situational, they focus on future performance. A growing number of employers are now taking his approach, 60% carry out structured interviews as part of the selection process. (XpertHR2011 selection interview surveys). Interview format can also provide additional structure to the interview selection process, where her they are one to one, panel interview or sequence of interviews but whatever format is chosen the effectiveness of the interview should be the same. Newell (2000) warns that while efforts have been made to improve the selection process through a more systematic approach , currents trends in organisations make ‘best practises’ model somewhat problematic.Job specification and analysis can become difficult if job requires flexibility and also with a number of organisations looking for innovation and creativity the term ‘fit’ has less relevance. (Gunnigle, Human Resource Management in Ireland, Chp 5 pg 124). Other criticism of the structured approach is although highly effective method with the use of controlled questioning etc its doesn’t actually represent the more relaxed environment that a candidate can easily open up. â€Å"The main disadvantage of using a structured interview is that its rigidity can limit the information-gathering process.Instead of exploring an applicant’s responses by further questioning during the interview, th e process is often rushed in order to get through all the questions on the schedule, and the assessment of the individual can inaccurate as a result. Also, since the interviewer takes the lead, he or she may dominate the process, denying the applicant sufficient time to provide a considered and accurate response† (Du Plessis 2003 Pg 170). Approaching a system in reality there is always so sort of compromise as without flexibility systems wouldn’t be sustainable.The interview selection tool would need to adopt a degree of flexibility and would help to improve the problems that have been suggested above. Adopting a mixed approach of semi-structuring or mixed approaches into the process would create the more open relaxed situation that interviews are perceived as but also the structure process remains which overall would make the interview selection method more effective. Conclusion Through the research that has been carried out and reflecting back on some of the statistic s that have been reviewed , the interview process across a wide ange of organisations and even in different markets would be reasonable to say that it is and will continue to be an effective selection tool. Even more so structured interviews have a greater effectiveness, however rigid the process is interviewing remains essentially a selective process. Organisations must ensure that they provide adequate training to equip their interviewers with the essential knowledge and skills required to maximise the interview process and also that they offer the best opportunity with no bias or error for the candidate in question.Furthermore organisations need to be flexible in order to adapt to external and internal factors effecting their organisations environment for example economic, political cultural and technology. Thus the selection processes also needs to be adjusted; we can see this through compromising with the structure approach to interviewing with semi-structure or mixed approache s that slight modifications can improve the outcome. Organisations need to be flexible in order to maintain best practise for their organisation and jobs roles would need to be adjusted accordingly.The interview as a selection tool is still by far the most effective and widely used method across the globe. There are a number of draw backs and there are other selection tools that are more effective but a cost. The interview is the most cost effective, time effective method and with selecting the wrong candidate for the role costing an organisation approximately â‚ ¬15’000 you are not going to offer a position to someone that you haven’t meet face to face now are you ? Appendences 1Bibliography Anderson and Shackleton(1993) Successful selection interviewing. CIPD Fact Sheets Selection Methods. CIPD Fact Sheets Secondment. CIPD Fact Sheet Talent Managment. CIPD Annual Survey Report 2011 Resourcing and Talent Planning. Gunnigle Human Resource Management in Ireland. Tayl or People Resourcing. www. sony. com www. apple. com XpertHR 2011 Selection Interviews Survey; Effectiveness and Training Article. XpertHR 2011 Selection Interviews Survey; Interview tools and record-keeping.

Over-crowded Classes

The background to the studyThere was a shocking difficult of overcrowded classes in public primary schools of Mangaung, due to an high residents as it is in central part of the province Free State. One class can be having over forty learners, and this makes the learning process to be ineffective and difficult. This difficult causes a major poor performance in the school academics as to one in such a huge number. In such large classes, the teacher cannot concentrate on all learners in class for attention The statement of the Research problem There was a shocking problem of over-crowded classes in public primary schools of Mangaung, due to an elevated population as it is in central part of the province Free State. One class can be having over forty learners, and this makes the learning process to be ineffective and difficult. A class can have about fifty learners and effective learning become hard. This devastating problem make the performance of learners to drop, the teacher cannot concentrate on all learners in class for attention. Research questions 1. Does overpopulation in school affect learner's academic performance? 2. What are the problems both teachers and learners face in overcrowded classroom in teaching and learning process in primary schools of Mangaung district? 3. Does overpopulation affect the efficiency of teachers in the process of teaching? 4. Howdoes the size of class influence in learners behavior? 5. What are the solutions to the problems both teachers and learners face in over-crowded classrooms in a primary? 6. Is classroom management possible in overcrowded classrooms?The purpose of the studyThe general purpose of this study is to inspect the effect of overcrowded classrooms on the academic performance of learners in public primary schools. The purpose of the study is also to disclose the impact of classroom overpopulation on performance of learner's academically To inspect factors affecting teachers to fail classroom managementThe significance of the studyThis study is very important to supply the school management with information to recognize the challenges faced by teachers and learners in overpopulated classes. This study will make known the extent to which overpopulated has affected learners academic performance. It also tells the other issues affecting learner's performance. In addition, this study will help the school leaders and teachers to propose procedures to reduce the effect of overcrowding in public primary schools. The result of the study will help teachers of primary schools to understand the product of over-crowding in classes, and to find out ways of how to teach the class of more number than the required. The study will provide support for additional research in education and it will be in the best sign of the learners, teachers, and government.Definition of key termsAcademicWord used to describe things that related to the work done in schools, colleges and universities.Over-crowdedFull accommodation or a space beyond what is usual or comfortableClassroomA building constructed for organizing students for learningClassroom managementThe essential part of the teaching and learning process, the methods, strategies and skills teachers use to maintain classroom environment.Delimitation of the studyThis study is performing in Mangaung district at Botshabelo where two primary schools will select a case study. The primary schools participating areNthabiseng Primary School and Pelong primary school who have more over-crowded classrooms.REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATUREIntroduction Most of South African school's leading difficult is overcrowded classrooms. This affects the learner's performance and teachers' motivation as well. There is a need to look onto how hard it is for both learners and teachers to cooperate and make it through in this tough situation.it is impossible to learn and teach when there are many learners and one teacher in class. The teachers experience every day (Davis, 2013).Teaching challenges in overcrowded classroomsOverpopulation in classrooms affect learners as much as it affects teachers, in long run this will affect the department of education as majority of learners' academic achievements will drop. Teaching in overcrowded classrooms face big challenges of having to create a productive learning environment for learners. De Corby, 2005 states that physical teaching teachers are challenged in engaging in important physical activities and because of overcrowded classrooms this is difficult for them. Most of the subject such as life orientation and sciences in terms of practical suffer a lot due to the class size, even the laboratory is not available. This is mostly experienced in South African schools. For example, the study of Guardian Africa Network found that some schools in the Eastern Cape have more than 120 packed in one classroom into one classroom and teachers are obliged to present lessons with their backs pressed up against the blackboard (Guardian Africa Network, 2013). During the practical experience I acquired from the Central University of Technology, I noticed that in Free State this problem is huge. Having to teach more than 50 learners for 30 minutes per period is not enough. Some of the problems are small space and no resources and equipment needed in some subjects. Teachers cannot practice a variety of methods, such as higher-order questioning methods and active learning methods due to lack of space. The science teachers cannot perform the practical, learners do not concentrate, and discipline is not there due to the number. In fact, teachers are effectively limited to the ‘chalk and talk' instructional method (Opoku-Asare et al., 2014:128). This also give teachers challenge in terms of how to finish the curriculum, resulting in teachers being guided by the books and work schedule or weekly plan but not teaching for the learners to understand. The teachers give over less time to instruction and give learners lot of notes on the board resulting in learners not even writing those notes because of their number the teacher cannot even tell who participate and who does not. Tasks such as checking presence of learners, and managing their performance take lot of time of content and lessons. Time teachers give to individual students is affected by class size as well as the social self-motivation among students. The teachers are challenged a lot because as much as they want to help all learners, it is impossible and very sad. Class sizes are a problem in the Free State and even present problems to student teachers in conducting learners centered lesson methods. Large class size gives practicing teachers only one option of teaching style that is convenient that requires learners to be passive recipients of knowledge during lessons. This does not allow for learner teachers to interaction (Mtika, 2010). The quality of learning and teaching for them is lost and this can emotionally drain them, leaving them with doubts of continuing the teaching career. There is a lot of noise in large classes this being an outcome of an increasing number of learners in the classroom. Noisy classrooms translate to the distraction, making it more difficult for learners to learn and for teachers to teach. No concentration in class and more time wasted trying to make learners keep quit instead of teaching. There is creation of stress for teachers making it difficult for them to handle the learning needs of learners (Oliver, 2006). This creates a hurt on the bond between the teacher and the learner. Most of the time spent is at school than at home, teachers supposed to know the learners and their ability more than their biological parents do and the lack of bond leads to problems and disruptions in the classroom. This can create a negative learning environment for the teacher and learner. Behavioral problems, absenteeism and high failure rates are experiences in overcrowded classrooms (Gibbs ; Jenkins, 1992). Gibbs and Jenkins (1992) indicate that dealing with overcrowded classrooms leads to high teacher absenteeism, teacher laziness and teacher stress. The research that is presenting an international perspective has shown that teachers internationally are finding difficulty in managing overcrowded classrooms.Disciplinary problems in large classesOvercrowding increases classroom issues of discipline. More learners provide more opportunities provided for personal conflicts, tension and general disruptive behavior. Even the best teacher or the principal cannot control the overcrowded classroom effectively , teachers find themselves spending more time to manage the class that they spend the time to teach. It is easy for learners to misbehave in large classes because teachers cannot keep their ey es on one person the whole time. Most of troublesome learners comes from overcrowded classerooms, troubles such as bullying, disrespecting and violence. Teachers are involved in failure to maintain classroom management by coming to class with no lesson plan. This learners most of them have problems from outside classroom that make them to misbehave. According to Mustafa (2014) more number of learners in classroom the more misbehavior increase and classroom management become difficult. Corporal punishment is not legal in South Africa. It is not easy for teachers and principals to discipline the learners and give the penalties. Every doing is according to the laws no matter how long it will take. The permissions available to the disciplining learners are very few. Beyond talking to learners as their teacher, and short of transferring or expelling them, disciplinarians hold students out of class, contact their parents, or enforce one to five day suspensions. Official responses to misbehavior are, thus, limited in training to either a simple reproof, holding the learner in the office until the next class period, or a suspension, this is still not enough for every minute a learner spend outside is loss of education. The most easily front runners' problems for suspension are class troubles, failure to attend classes, disrespect, leaving the school during school time. The other common types of disciplinary problems found mostly in schools as mentioned by Donnelly (2000) are fights, and disbelief of the organization. McManus (1995) lists several types of misbehaviorsthat make the work of educators difficult. These include; Repeatedly asking to go to the toilet; Missing lessons, absconding; Smoking in the toilets; Pushing past the educator; learners playing with matches in class and making rude remarks to the teacher when the teacher stops them. The noisewhen the learner is supposed to be writing; this happen a lot when learners are writing formal tasks and it distract other learners who are concentrating. Other misbehavior includes : talking while the teacher is talking, failing to raise hand before talking, Being abusive to the educator; fighting in class; Chasing one another around the classroom; Packing up early, as if to leave while the teacher is busy with the lesson. This thing of taking the educator's property without the permission is bad because it is associated with stealing. The mentality of wearing private clothes and not the school uniform especially during winter seasons is one of the misbehavior that teachers and principal deal with all the time. Leaving class early; and Commenting of wanting to go home while the teacher is busy is what most of the learners always do and it really irritate the teacher and make other learners to lose focus. The absence of parents on their children's school life play a huge part in the discipline of learners, this starts as early as in primary school level. Learners are coming to school with bad attitudes towards life and school. Lot parents are not involved in the education of their children, they do not even check the books, they do not attend parents' meetings, and these cause poor results, and learners dodging school. Louw and Barnes (2003) clarify that there is no problem child, there are only problem parents, those learners who behave badly at school are not taught respect at home. Rossouw (2003) regards the failure in discipline in most schools as originating from the communities rather than from schools. What causes the parents of learners to be absent in their school life is that, they are single parents at home and having lack of parental dominance over the house. Children who are walking and playing in croups influence each other in the discipline and misbehavior. These learners increase the problems of discipline negatively These groups effects on what are the child principles, what he or she knows, and learns. The amount of this influence depends on other situations such as, age and personality of children in the group and the nature of the group its self (Harris, 1998; Hartup, 1983). There are no doubts that the peer pressure and groups affect the aupport the growth problem of youth behavior. According to Seita, Mitchell and Tobin (1996) â€Å"When the family and loved ones of the children are absent in their lives, someone will play their part for them and advice the child†.MethodologyResearch methodology The study is descriptive in nature. It is an attempt to investigate the problems faced by the teachers in overcrowded classes and suggested some measures to settle these problems.Research designThe research captures the structure of case study. Case study is helping in making the results more vigorous, worth natural setting and context. Teachers are able to elaborate further in where the ‘how' and ‘why' questions are discovering. For this study, the case study is to search a specific group of teachers, in two public overcrowded schools in order to explore their experience in overcrowded classrooms.The research instrumentsThe study is developing appropriate tools for the collection and analysis of necessary data. Close ended questionnaires that are unstructured for teachers.The population and samplingPopulationThe population of the study included two government schools. Ten teachers of different gender and age are part of the research.The sampleThere are ten participants i n the study and two classrooms are going to be part of observation. Five teachers are from Nthabiseng Primary school and five teachers are from Pelong primary school. One classroom each school for observations. Both schools are public schools in Mangaung disctrict, Botshabelo, Free State province Sampling technique / procedurePurposive samplingOnly the teachers of two overcrowded schools are participating. Between those two schools, only teachers who have overcrowded classrooms participate so that the research can gain accurateinformation for the experiences in the overcrowded classrooms. Convenience sampling is used, the teachers who are readily available to contact will participate. The technique participants from Nthabiseng Primary are easily accessible to generate data from the schoolData collection proceduresThe research is using the unstructured questionnaire and observation as the methods of data procedure and data generation.Unstructured QuestionnaireIn this study, a questionnaire is a primary data tool for collecting data from the teachers. Open-ended questions for respondents because they impose no restriction and they allow foe any response to questions provided to the respondent. This type of questioner is preferred because the respondent will express themselves freely with no restrictions. The questioner generates personal opinions, beliefs, emotions and experiencesObservationsThe observation method helps in taking the live data from the natural occurring social location. The teachers' observation will take place while they teach one classroom it is impor tant to observe these classrooms so that they could be included in in sample so that the researcher could also have first-hand experience into what happens in overcrowded classrooms of different schools, observing learner-teacher interaction and the attitudes of both learners and teachers. This is a preferred method as it allows the researcher to gain insight information into teachers' experiences with overcrowded classrooms. The secondary data collections are from review of literature, a study of documents and books.Data Analysis TechniquesFor the purpose of this research, there is carefully and thoroughly reading, transcribing, and analysing of data. Thematic analysis will ensure the rich description of the data set.Ethical ConsiderationThe principal will receive the written letter asking the permission to use their school for the research. Explaining the purpose of the study and asking the permission to make class observations while teachers work Approval from the Department of B asic Education informing them of the plans to use Nthabiseng primary school and Pelong primary school in this research All the participants as well as the school involved in the study privacy and secrecy will be with respect.Limitations of the StudyMost of the sources are old therefore; the present study literature is limited. The sample size that is the number of teachers is also limited, reason being they must be in classes teaching not answering questioners. During data collections under observation method, the teachers do things different from when the researchers are not there.

Ethics and Morality Essay

Explain the difference between ethics and morality. Define two ethical theories introduces in this course along with their proponents and the major criticisms of the theory. Ethics are the principles of conduct governing an individual or group and morals are our personal character. John was 32 when he died from asbestos, he was working at a corporation when he was in college and at this corporation is when he came in contact with asbestos. He delivered sheets of asbestos to hardware store when he came in contact with the asbestos. The manufacturers of the asbestos where aware of the dangers of their product and advised the corporation of the dangers but they did not advise their employees of these dangers. The corporation should of cared more about ethics because those workers depended on them to help define the boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behavior. This costs the corporation because of ethical lapses also by fines and legal fees because of the issues and lives lost to their negligence. John Manville a manufacturer of specialty building products goes beyond all legal and ethical responsibilities by placing warning labels on all of his fiberglass products and the fiberglass products shipped overseas because of the 150,000 lawsuits filed because of the exposure of asbestos. These warnings are not required by law, but he cares about people and his employees. So he is ethical responsibility by doing so. Mary Mary is a student in your class. As you prepare for your final exam comprised of essay questions, you notice her copying and pasting her responses directly from the internet. The university has well known policies concerning academic dishonesty, and the consequences for violating them include expulsion. You know that Mary is the first in her family to attend college and that she’s on an academic scholarship. Her mother died the year before and she wants to finish school in time to take care of her eight younger siblings before social security benefits expire (5years). What would you do? What ethical theory influenced your decision? Describe the tenets of the ethical theory and why it influenced your decision. I would talk to Mary and explain again about the policies of the university of plagiarism and I saw her copy and paste from the internet and that is illegal to do so. I know that she is under due stress with her siblings but she needs to concentrate on her studies and do what is right and use the universities guidelines while she is in school. Her education is so important for her to accomplish her dreams and if she needs help go to the school counselor and explain what is going on in her life and seek guidance in helping her manage the time she needs for her studies I know it hard raising her siblings but there is help available. The ethical theory that influenced my decision was an article from Kantan Ethics which offers guidance on plagiarism and ethics he states â€Å" In his theory everyone should be treated equally under the moral law and your behavior determines the moral law you would desire for the word. † I think people have a tendency to rush through things and also lose track of time and try and take the fast way out of their studies and not think about the consequences that lie ahead of them. If I was a teacher I would approach the situation and let Mary know what she did and give her a chance to rewrite it and deduct points from her grade and advise her that if she did it again she would face the school and suffer the consequences. Globalization Describe how globalization has impacted the legal and ethical responsibilities of organizations. What are the long term consequences of this change? Globalization is the trend toward an integrated worldwide economy. Globalization is increasingly in marketing, finance, production and logistics. Politics has created global opportunities economics has provided the incentives and technology the means. Globalization is a process in which local lives are increasingly influenced by global forces leading to greater cultural interactions. Globalization increases our exposure to different ethical norms. We should be sensitive to other people ‘cultural perceptions of what is right and wrong and understand the systems that organizations deal with ethical issues. The long term consequences that we need to understand the culture. Globalization may also bring products that would otherwise not be available to countries. Globalization would also distribute income and jobs where everyone could benefit. References 1. UofP Boylan, M (2009) Basic Ethics (2nd ed) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. 2. www. ehow. com/about_6464829_ethical_issues_regarding plagiarism 3. www. ile. com/publications/papers/papers/papers. efm?

Marketing Audit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marketing Audit - Essay Example This report will look into the factors that make Best Western a success and those that limit its performance. The Best Western is a one of a kind place which offers an eclectic experience to all who stop by it. The property is spread out over 17 acres of lush gardens and knitted closely with the North Yorkshire Moors. Their food is their main attraction. There are three main Chapters in the essay. Chapter 1 - explores the background to the topic. This section looks into the market segments, the marketing mix and the trends that affect the productivity of the overall place. Changing needs, wants, attitudes and trends are mentioned as well as roots that cause of marketing problems. Chapter 2 - highlights the important points for the reader. This essay will make use of the PEST analysis to look into the political, economic, social and technological aspects that have an influence on Best Western. The SWOT analysis also was presented in the essay, that is an insight into the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that are faced by any businesses. Chapter 3 - provides both a summary of the research and conclusions made by the researcher. Some recommendations were mentioned, such as: Best Western needs to stop relying on its reputation and devise marketing strategies that actually go after the consumers and doesn’t wait for them to show up themselves. It also was suggested to increase productivity by adapting to the changes, that were brought in by the creative and technological industries.

Impact of Internal Factors on Strategic Planning Essay

Impact of Internal Factors on Strategic Planning - Essay Example rt Macauley decided to rescue victims who survived during the crash and he started dealing with the mission of helping the victim, but he had to deal with the financial issues. The mission of starting the organization of providing disaster and other emergency relief took the stage. Therefore, with the help of Pope John Paul and financial aid from other people; the organization started operating in 1982. The mission of the organization is to restore health, save lives and offer relief services through delivering effective medicines during disaster period or any other emergence cases within America and across the globe. One of the key aspects of the AmeriCares in the internal environment is leadership aspects. Leadership is one of the effective aspects that are taken into consideration in the AmeriCares organization. The organization has varied leaders who are assigned different roles in a hierarchy manner. Marquis and Huston (2009) argue that leadership styles employed in an organization can impact organizational performance in case leaders does not take it into consideration. Different leaders employ leadership styles depending on the environment or leadership behaviors; hence, this might impact strategic planning in the organization (Harrison and Association of University Programs in Health Administration, 2010). AmeriCares  association  is  an independent and fair organization; thus, it recruits leaders with effective skills for managing the company. Thus, leadership skills, behaviors and styles employed by each leader may hinder effective decision making process; thus impacting strategic planning process. Another aspect is the organizational structure within the internal environment. The company is structured in a manner that enables leaders to make an effective decision process when handling significant issues. The flow of information is from the top management leaders to the bottom; thus, poor management and effective communication in the hierarchy may

Discuss the implications for managers that work with different Essay

Discuss the implications for managers that work with different national cultures - Essay Example There are both negative and positive repercussions on the management and managers brought out in the course of interacting with different national cultures, which end up causing changes in the corporate management functions and control. Companies need to hire employees from the local regions; meaning management could find face several challenges in their managerial roles, due to barriers arising from differences in national cultures, which come with their distinguished values that the managers or the organization struggles to identify with. Development of Effectual Cross Cultural Communication Skills As businesses are set up across the globe, and the companies intend to capture the market attention, managers have to be equipped enough to overcome the communication barrier that exists when they are taken into different regions, the cultures and languages of which are different from their local settings or previous organization environment. It is definitely very difficult for manger to work with colleagues who speak a different language, since the communication is interfered with. Miscommunication happens to be a common problem that human resource managers deal with while working with teams from different national cultures. ... At times, managers may be in foreign nations or could be working with team members who have been allocated to the managers or organizations local settings. Some ways which managers can facilitate effective cross cultural communication entail practicing active listening, reading out the signs or symbols and watching out for cultural assumptions, accessing brief teachings or using language guides, understanding language of space, time and context (HCareers n. p.). Of late, dealing with such challenges has enabled management to use technology in order to facilitate standard communication; this could include groupware and websites for sharing of information and to improve communication (Jones and George n. p.). The implications for managers that work with different national cultures include: 1. Creativity and innovation Working in different national cultures provides opportunities for managers to think critically, first of all on how the organization’s operations and objectives co uld be accomplished, and how to motivate employees’ performance in the different cultures. The existing components and architecture of the organization may not always work best at all situations and cultures. Similarly, even the products produced by a company in a certain region may not perform well in different markets, due to different cultures the organization’s branches may be operating in. Sometimes managers prefer to have a specific brand for their products across the globe, but this only proves to be successful if the market perceives a good image of the brand and its quality of products. Therefore, managers need to assess the culture they operate in, study the consumption behavior, preference, and limitations to success of the existing products or

Social Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Social Psychology - Essay Example There are also distortions in the type of research that is conducted by students in psychology because they only cover one age group and occupation. There are four interrogative themes in the social psychological world which include: power relations; situated knowledges; individual-society dualism; and agency-structure dualism. There are also four very critical social psychological perspectives which are cognitive social, discursive psychological, phenomenological and psychoanalytic perspectives. I will analyze how two of these perspectives work with and against a social psychological system and also provide a bit of a background on some psychological terms to ensure a clear understanding of the topic. Background and Body To keep a good head on our shoulders and stand strong, it is important to use the identity development technique of Erik Erikson which is to symbolize items we have left behind, symbolize items that we look forward to, have symbols of what we look above or up to, an d have items below us; what we have to the left and right is also important. In social psychology, there tends to be a dualistic viewpoint of either seeing the individual's perspective or that of society. These items are referred to as dichotomies. Individual society dualism and agency structure dualism are very important dichotomies in social psychology. Dichotomous thinking is deemed unhelpful according to social psychologists. Emotion is looked at in social psychology and refinements to the epistemology and ontology aspects in this subject are constantly being reviewed and developed. Dualisms lead to distortions when handled improperly by individual or groups. Dualisms must be minimized as much as possible in order to create a free individual and society. Verbal and non-verbal emotion are constantly being analyzed in order to best meet the needs of the individuals or society in an environment. Embodiment is another social psychological topic that is important. There are critiques on mind-body, individual-society, and agency structure dualisms in order to capture this term's requirements. In order to be strong we must strive to balance all of the above dualisms. Social psychology has only existed for about 100 years. Social psychology had been defined and it was founded in North America. Social psychology is defined as the study of an individual, either male or female, and how they are involved in their surroundings and environments. The social scientists did not want to reduce psychology to an individual or social basis which is what the individual-social dualism is all about. There are two kinds of social psychologies in the field. They are named psychological social psychology and sociological social psychology. Psychological social psychology is about the individual while sociological social psychology is macro. Both of these types of psychology were developed in North America like most concepts and definitions of social psychology. Many forms of social psychology exist to be critiqued in order to analyze and develop new theories to its already extensive structural base. The first world war created a lack luster attitude toward social psychology and by the time the second world war came about, it was in demand to find new ways to treat people and remove the racism for lesser thans in society. The second world wa

Marketing plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marketing plan - Assignment Example Personal contact with the client should be coupled with the use of the ever growing and beneficial social media platforms (Benett, 2009). Moreover, the business will incorporate client promotion as a key component of its marketing channels and tactics. The span and salon sector has experienced exponential growth over the last couple of years. The services are sought after majorly for relaxation. Most of the users of the services choose the salon or spa to visit on the basis of the range of services that are offered and the proximity to their places of work and residential homes (McDonald & Keegan, 2002). The quality of the service and the prices also influence consumer decision. A lot of service providers operating in Houston have targeted the high end market. These are individuals in stable employment and are on a stable income. Most of them charge an average of $ 250 for their services. From the price analysis, it is clear that a lot of people are locked out from this vital amenity. The need for affordable quality services in a convenient location is quite evident in the Houston market, based on the available data and it is such vital market needs that Divine Divas Salon seeks to satisfy. Divine Divas Salon targets people from all social classes living in Houston. The reason why the enterprise has decided to target the entire market is to avoid locking out those who had been previously denied access to the services due to the exorbitant charges. This market is made up of several groups that have different needs and characteristics. The first group consists of customers recovering from injuries. These clients need massage therapies and in most cases the charges are paid by the insurer (McDonald, 2011). The second group consists of clients who are out to pamper themselves. Majority of the members of the second cluster are

Gap between Management Theory and Practice Essay

Gap between Management Theory and Practice - Essay Example The evolution of the concept of management dates back to the early civilization. It is due to the art of effective management that those early civilizations produced marvelous wonders that are admired to date. There are many management theories that explain the different styles of management and their impact on the organization. Mason (2010) supported the argument and stated that there has always been a clash of opinions between the academicians, who develop theories of management, with actual professionals in the organizations. The basic difference has been described by Grayson. Management Scientists or researchers: develop management theories which guide the managers to become more organized and structured in their policies and procedures. They are expected to utilize scientific methodology, sociology for organizational decisions as well as people management.Managers: manage the operations and employees by their rule of thumb and need of the hour. They feel that standard theories of management cannot be applied to all instances and issues in a professional life. At times, the fast paced nature of modern business does not give leverage for standard policies and procedures to be developed and thus followed in a strict manner.

Theory Application Paper Essay Example for Free

Theory Application Paper Essay I. INTRODUCTION Advertising is mass communication an advertiser pays for in order to convince a certain segment of the public to adopt ideas or take actions of benefit to the advertiser (The History of Advertising). In other words, advertising is a form of communication as well as a marketing function where the advertiser pays for the use of the communications media. It is non-personal (compared to personal selling) and has to be persuasive and convincing in order to sell or secure favorable consideration. The advertiser has to communicate facts and ideas to the public in such a way that the information fits the needs, wants, and interests of the public (Crisostomo 4). Although the goals of advertisements may differ from ad to ad, there are generalizations that can be made. The first would be that ads are made to sell products, ideas, or services. The actual sale may be immediate or eventual and it is accomplished through the mass media rather than the salesperson. The second generalization is that ads are there to develop goodwill and build prestige. This is accomplished through institutional or public-interest advertising. Ads are also there to pre-sell products. With brand advertising, corporations are able to condition the minds of consumers to be loyal to their brand and purchase their products in the future. Ads are also used to widen the demand for a product. This demand can be increased if the advertisement can demonstrate alternative ways of using the particular product. This requires an investigation of the primary, secondary, and potential uses of the product. Ads are also aimed to establish brand superiority. Although by itself, advertising does not create an industrial monopoly, it can lead to the  establishment of brand superiority and dominance. Another goal of advertising is to maintain patronage. Retail establishments, particularly, depend on advertising largely in order to maintain customer patronage. The last objective of advertising is to speed up the movement of merchandise. This is accomplished through the stimulation and expansion of demand (Crisostomo 14). To achieve these goals, an advertisement must appeal to human desires. There are two types of human desires: the primary wants and secondary wants (Gomez and Arante 52). In order for an ad to be effective, it must be continuous and long-term. It is said to consist of a cycle of three stages: introductory advertising, competitive advertising, and retentive advertising (Crisostomo 12). Advertising is a means of mass communication where words and symbols are required to convey the basic theme to the audience. Choosing the wrong word or symbol may give or arouse images that are contrary to the advertisers purpose. These words and symbols make up the elements of an advertisement. These elements, specifically, are: the copy, the headline, the images, and the logo (Crisostomo 184-195). For different mediums, different ways of writing advertising copies are done but must always be written from the consumers point of view. Many advertising copiers commit the error of writing television commercials in the same way they do radio copy. This must be avoided because television appeals to two senses (visual and aural) unlike the radio. Contrasting radio, crowding the commercial time with words will make it difficult for the viewer to retain the message (Crisostomo 185). The importance of headlines cannot be overemphasized. Some say that it represents 50-80% of the value of an advertisement (Crisostomo 141). Let us face it, the entire body of the commercial may be excellent and the visuals superb, but if the commercial does not grab the attention of the viewers right from the start, it may have just lost its audience. The headline, much like the copy, must stress the readers, not the advertisers interest (Crisostomo 145). People are more interested in images combined with words than with words alone. These images serve as symbols, which are more easily decoded by the viewer than word or verbal symbols. Ideas are conveyed more quickly and clearly through images. Images can associate the product with a person or a specific class (Crisostomo 194-195). The last element of an advertisement is the company logo or slogan. Placing this in an advertisement immediately separates the advertised product or service from the competitors product. A logo could attract buyers to a specific store or lend prestige to the products with consumer preference influenced by the association of the firms name with the advertised merchandise (Crisostomo 195). Each advertisement has to reach the maximum number of prospects per advertising peso. In the procedure of media selection, the researcher defines the market to be reached by studying the results of consumer surveys and market analysis. After doing so, can the advertiser decide which medium or medias to select wherein they can exhibit their advertisement. There is an overabundance of media for advertisers (Miranda 157). For this study, I will concentrate on the television medium. Although the costs of advertising on TV are quite expensive, television can sell by appealing to two senses sight and sound rather that to only one as most media do. Demonstration of product performance and exhibition of styles, color, designs, and other product features can be achieved. The sponsor also enjoys great flexibility in the presentation of this commercial (Miranda 197). The background given provides us with an idea of the definition of advertising, its purpose and goals, its different cycles and elements, and the importance of the television medium for advertisements. We know that  these advertisements are made in order to sway the public to buy the specific product but in todays world, we are constantly bombarded with advertisement messages left and right. With so many stimuli, is it still possible for an advertisement to motivate us to buy a certain product? Why did or why didnt that advertisement send us to the nearest store? What elements of a commercial will stimulate its viewers to buy, buy, and buy? Does the public still watch advertisements on TV and are affected by it or is the audience so flooded with so many advertisements that they turn cynical and it just turns into a game of Russian roulette for the advertisers? II. STUDY FRAMEWORK Theoretical Framework The Shannon-Weaver Model (McQuail 12) Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver produced a general model of communication a year after Laswells Communication Model (which might explain the similarities). Although they were principally concerned with communication technology, their model has become one representation of the system of human communication. The emphasis of this model is on the transmission and reception of the information. The Shannon-Weaver Model proposes that all communication must include six elements: the source, the encoder, the message, the channel, the decoder, and the receiver but this model also includes noise. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs (Maslows Hierarchy of Needs) One aspect of communication is persuasion. Peoples needs motivate them to act and if those needs are identified, the source can motivate the receiver to do what he or she wants them to do. Abraham Maslow developed the table of the hierarchy of needs. He emphasizes  the need for self-actualization. According to Maslow, before a person achieves self-actualization, he or she must attain the four lower-level needs of the hierarchy (physical, safety, social, and esteem). His table attempts to have a holistic description of human motivation, considering a range of influences on human behavior. Two-Step Flow of Communication (Littlejohn 313) In 1940, Karl Lazarsfeld and his fellow researchers conducted a study on the effects of political mass communication. Their findings were published in The Peoples Choice in 1944. Their research was based on the hypodermic needle model of media influence. Based on their findings, they established that the media effects were minimal, the concept of the mass audience was misguided, and that social influences had a major effect on the process of opinion formation and greatly limited the medias effect. This model, later developed by Katz and Lazarsfeld, consists of a process where opinion leaders play a vital role. They concluded that our responses to media messages are mediated through our social relationships. It is false to think that the receivers are the mass audience because this implies that everyone is equal in their reception of media messages when the fact is there are some who play a more active role than others do. It debunks the hypodermic needle model because the model implies that receiving a message does not necessarily mean the receiver will respond to it. Rosengrens Uses and Gratifications (McQuail 76-77) The uses and gratification approaches to media, by Elihu Katz, asserts the active use of the media by the audience to seek the gratification of a variety of needs. This research on the media-audience relationship suggests that the audience is much less passive than once thought and that people actively and purposefully use the media according to their own circumstances. The medias effects can then be thought of as being dependent  on the functions that they perform for each member of the audience. According to the limited effects paradigm, the media will not influence a member of the audience if it does not fulfill or gratify a need. Audience members are held to be active and involved in their understanding and interpretation of the media and are not completely passive. Rosengrens version constitutes of eleven elements that relate to each other. The needs of the individual is the starting point and interacts with combinations of intra- and extra-individual characteristics and the surrounding societal structure. These in turn create problems and the perceived solutions. The combination of these two give birth to patterns of media consumption and patterns of behavior giving patterns of gratifications or non-gratifications which possible affect the individuals combination of intra- and extra-individual characteristics and the surrounding social structures. III. INTEGRATION OF THEORIES The source, as mentioned before, is a person or group of persons that have a reason or a purpose for engaging in communication. The source expresses this purpose in the form of a message. This message is formulated into some kind of code, which requires an encoder. The encoder is responsible for taking the ideas of the message and purpose of the source and transforming it into a code. The message is what the communication is all about. This is whatever is communicated in the message. Choosing the channel of communication is an important aspect in the communication process. The message is sent through the channel chosen. Noise is always present in communication. The noise may disrupt or distort the message that is being sent across. There are times when the message is not distorted by the noise, but when it does, the receiver may not get the  complete message or ideas that is being conveyed. Just as the source needs an encoder to translate his or her message, the receiver needs a decoder to translate the message. For communication to occur, there must be someone at the other end of the network. The information transmitter and the receiver must be similar systems in order for the communication to be successful. The receiver of the message has (because of his or her needs added with the knowledge he or she has gained from opinion leaders as well as his or her own characteristics) combinations of problems as well as perceived solutions to these problems. Once the receiver gets the message, he or she internalizes the message and decides whether or not the message falls into any of the categories of his needs putting importance on those that he has not achieved (according to the hierarchy). This gives him or her motives for attempts at gratification-seeking behavior that leads to his or her patterns of media consumption and other patterns of behavior. These are followed by patterns of gratification and non-gratification that could possibly affect the individuals combination of intra- and extra-individual characteristics and ultimately the media structure. The patterns of gratification and non-gratification also serve as the feedback to the source of the message and the cycle continues. IV. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Corporations exist to make money. In the cutthroat world of business, many say it pays to advertise. It seems like everyone has jumped on the bandwagon. Some advertisements may provide a few laughs, send a public service message, or seem like it has not point at all, but the bottom line is it serves to sell the companys products or services. The corporation hires an advertising agency to create a commercial that depicts the message or image the corporation wants. The advertising agency  chooses which medium is best suited for the ad. The commercial is aired. This commercial competes with many stimuli that are around. These distractions could be in the form of other commercials, other programs, or any events that are occurring when this commercial is aired. Because of the individuals needs, knowledge obtained from opinion leaders, and his or her own personal characteristics, the viewer has problems as well as perceived ways in which to solve them. These in turn make the individual seek out the solutions. When the viewer sees the commercial, he or she decides whether this would solve his or her problems. This will reveal how the individual will keep using the medium (i.e. if the viewer has just had a full meal, he or she will turn the channel when a commercial about food is on) as well as other behaviors (i.e. if the viewer sees a commercial about dishwashing liquid, it might motivate him or her to wash the dishes). The way in which the viewer uses the medium and his other behaviors will be precedents of how the individual fulfills his or her wants in the future which eventually will affect his or her personal characteristics as well as the structure of the media and attitudes of the opinion leaders. How the individual fulfills his or her wants in the future will also serve as the feedback to the corporations of how successful they were in getting their message across and the cycle continues. V. OPERATIONAL FRAMEWORK There are many different types of corporations offering all kinds of products and services. These companies do not only exist to provide these goods and services but also, as mentioned before, to make a profit. Much like the corporations, there are numerous advertising agencies in the Philippines today. They are the ones who conceptualize advertisements that catch the eye of the viewers and entice them to spend their hard-earned cash  on products that they may or may not need. There are about as many advertisements as there are products, if not more. For this study, I wish to focus on the advertisements of a product that everyone buys and is relatively cheap. I also wish to focus on television, a medium that most people can access and appeals to both the visual and auditory senses. The distractions could be anything from the sound of a car passing by to other things that the individual is doing while watching TV. The viewer is considered as one who watches television. This viewer is exposed to many different TV programs as well as commercials. The viewer is motivated by certain desires such as material things, hunger, love and affection, acceptance, sex, etc. This viewer also has personal characteristics such as his or her likes and dislikes, attitudes toward certain issues or events, and the values he or she deems important. The viewer is exposed to many different opinions and it is due to his or her characteristics that he or she listens and accepts certain things opinion leaders (could be friends, celebrities, or someone he or she admires) say as true or as false. This could range from the political stand to what is considered cool or socially acceptable today. With all these in mind, the viewer then realizes that there are certain things he or she is lacking and considers these as problems. Examples of this could be hunger, boredom, or lack of a social life. However, with these problems come the viewers perceived solutions. Lets take the example of boredom. If the individual (viewer) is bored he or she might think of watching TV or going to the movies. Watching TV and going to the movies are things the individual thinks would get rid of his feeling of boredom. When the viewer comes up with his or her perceived solutions, he or she will seek out these solutions. Lets pick up from the boredom example again. Once the individual figures that going to a movie will solve his or her boredom dilemma, he or she will look through the newspapers for the movie times and listings, call a friend to ask what good movies are playing, or just drive to the movie theater and see whats playing. Now lets get back to the advertisement. Once the viewer is exposed to the advertisement, the factors mentioned earlier will determine other behaviors as well as how he or she will use the medium. For example, a teenage viewer (lets call him Andy) is exposed to a commercial about cigarettes. Andy feels like he is a nerd and does not have that many friends. From Andys personal characteristics, he finds cigarettes disgusting but he has the need to feel socially accepted and all the cool kids smoke so he decides to start smoking. He starts feeling cool and in with the crowd and starts gaining a few acquaintances. He wants to be popular so he copies what he sees on TV, fulfilling his desire to be accepted. Once Andy becomes socially accepted and is part of the cool crowd, his personality changes and the societal structure changes because now, Andy is one of the opinion leaders. This example is just one incident, one possibility, but if several of these incidents occur, these could serve as feedback to the corporation that their advertisement is effective. VI. DEFINITION OF TERMS Advertising Copy: This is the text of the advertisement that presents the advertisers message in a persuasive and convincing manner. Advertising Headline: This serves primarily to secure attention in an advertisement. Advertising Images: These also serves to secure attention in an advertisement as well as help the viewer understand the message the advertiser is trying to get across better. Advertising Logo: This is also known as the slogan, tag line, or the signature of the advertiser. Advertising Media: This includes newspaper, magazines, other literature (circulars, blotters, leaflets, booklets, shopping bags, wrappers, tags, labels), outdoor media (outdoor advertising signs, posters, poster panels, poster showings, painted signs, electric spectaculars, skywriting), internet, transportation advertising, point-of-sale advertising (window displays, counter cards and displays, clocks, floor stands and cutouts, etc), broadcast advertising (radio and TV), motion picture advertising, programs, directories, and matchbooks. Channel: This is the medium used. Competitive Advertising: This seeks to urge the consumers to choose their product or service over the competitors products and services. Decoder: This retranslates the message. Encoder: This is responsible for taking the ideas of the source and putting them in code, expressing the sources purpose in the form of a message. Esteem Needs: This refers to the feeling of value we feel when we achieve our goals. Feedback: This is the receivers response to the message. Hypodermic Needle Model: This assumed that the media transmits a message that would be automatically be absorbed by the viewer. Introductory Advertising: This is when the product, product features, service, idea, or cause is new to the public. Its main objective is to develop consumer awareness. Marketing: This is the performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from the producer to the consumer. Advertising is one of its tools. Message: This is whatever is communicated. Noise: This could be known as the physical noise (the unexplained variation in a communication channel) or semantic noise (this may be related to peoples knowledge level, their communication skills, their experience, their prejudices and so on). Opinion Leaders: These are people considered to be experts, have prominence, or have influence over others. Personal Selling: This is also known as salesmanship. It is the oldest known form of selling goods that comprises of direct, personal contact between the seller and the buyer wherein the buyer is orally persuaded by the seller to purchase the product. Physical Needs: These refer to the basic biological needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. Primary Wants: These are desires that are universal, more quickly aroused, and probably the strongest movers to action. They are those that are innate, biological, or unlearned. Receiver: This is the recipient (intended or unintended) of the message. Retentive Advertising: This is the stage where the advertiser attempts to develop or establish consumer loyalty by repeatedly keeping the public reminded of the name or brand of the product. Generally, the advertising message is brief and concise. Safety Needs: These refer to the need to feel secure. Secondary Wants: They are the desires that are acquired, sociogenic, or learned. Self-actualization: This is the realization of ones full potential as a human being. Social Needs: These refer to the needs to feel a sense of belongingness. Maslow claims that we have an innate need to affiliate with others in search for affection and love. Source: This refers to a person or group of persons with a given purpose, a reason for engaging in communication. VII. WORKS CITED Crisostomo, Isabelo T. Modern Advertising for Filipinos. Quezon City, Philippines: J. Kris Publishing Enterprises, 1967. Gomez, Julita R. and Lilia B. Arante. Advertising. Mandaluyong, Philippines: National Book Store, 1986. The History of Advertising. http://www.wissen-erleben.de/advertising/index.htm. Littlejohn, Stephen. Theories of Mass Communication 7th Ed. Albuquerque, New Mexico: Wadsworth Group, 2002. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/index.html. McQuail, Dennis. Communication Models for the Study of Mass Communications. New York: Longman Inc., 1981. Miranda, Gregorio S. Advertising 3rd Ed. Mandaluyong, Philippines: National Book Store, 2000.