The Functions and Purpose of Art

Purposes and Functions of Art Art has many purposes and functions to some art’s purpose maybe to make a grand statement. And for other’s art is a part of history. For example, â€Å"Like foot prints left in the sand. † Each foot print has small details that decipher it from all the other foot prints that are left there. Faith Ringgold born October 8, 1930, is an African American artist. Best known for her painted story quilts an art form that combines story telling and quilt making with genre painting. Her art work is her voice, her opinion on racism and gender inequality. The piece of art work titled â€Å"TAR BEACH â€Å"which was created in 1988. That later became a world renowned children’s book. This book won the Caldecott Honor award and the Coretta Scott King award for illustration among numerous other honors. Tar Beach tells the story of Cassie and her little brother Bebe, and how they would go up to the asphalt roof of their apartment building with their family on hot nights. Because there was no air conditioning in their home, Cassie described Tar beach as a magical place with a view of all the buildings and the George Washington Bridge. The quilt depicts the two children on a roof top on a mattress, and their parent’s playing cards with the neighbor’s next to a table set with snacks and drinks. The combination of fantasy and hard reality in this work of art, with imagination as the key to overcoming obstacles. Tar beach is about attainment, love of family, art, helping others, courage, values, and dreams coming true. The purpose of this quilt story is to reveal the message embedded to show we as a people, Greeks, Jews, Whites, Asians, Blacks, we are all chosen if we chose.

Business Entity Case Study Essay

Lou, Jose and Miriam can go into business in the form of a corporation, or partnership, or LLC where Miriam provides monetary capital, while Lou and Jose provide manpower. An operating agreement or purchase-option agreement should be established under which Lou and Jose could each buy a predetermined portion of the business at a predetermined cost. If they choose to establish a corporation, they can elect to be taxed as an S corporation where they will not pay tax at the corporate level. The taxes will be paid at the personal level to avoid double taxation. One thing that should be guarded against is entering into a future agreement where manpower or future personal effort will be exchanged for shares or capital contributions. This is because capital contributions must have present value. Furthermore, Miriam must be aware that any present transfer of her capital contributions to either Lou or Jose capital account or shares, could be considered as a gift, and could subject Miriam to g ift taxation. Also, it could be viewed as taxable income to Lou and Jose, which would reduce their net investment value (Hartman, 2006). Extermination Business Based on the fact that Frank wants to establish the extermination business in many different places, the first thing he needs to think of is that his business should be a corporation. His plan will not qualify for a limited partnership. The only option available to Frank is the corporate option because Frank plans on establishing the business nationwide. Projecting the expected growth rate of the business, it may be best to file for a standard C corporation which will allow his business to take in more than 30 investors which will likely occur based on franchises or other opportunities by which he can acquire investor money for the business. One of the primary reasons is to remove his own personal liability by making the company a legal entity of its own. Frank must pay careful attention to the fact that he will be using chemicals in homes and they must be properly tested and  approved for public use. He must make sure that all the chemicals meet the requirements of necessary to be used in people’s home. Because of this, it is important for Frank to have someone who can take the time to verify the validity of each product that he uses to ensure its safety. Furthermore, he must ensure that he has adequate liability insurance to cover lawsuits should someone be injured by a chemical or by an employee in the home of a customer. The liability insurance would be necessary to cover the cost associated with medical bills or a lawsuit associated with an action taken on someone’s property. This insurance should be in place from day one and Frank must make sure that all employees are covered by such an insurance policy. Frank will have some time before he needs to focus on additional employment laws. The early stage of the business will not require a lot of paper works and legal actions. As the company grows to more than 50, it will require additional investments of time and money to ensure the company is operating within its legal boundaries. At that point the company will need to have some sort of legal representation to ensure the actions taken by the company are done in an appropriate and legal manner (Mallor, 2003). Construction Scenario Under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a person cannot be discriminated against in employment based upon race, color, nationality, religion, sex age or disability, except where an employer would suffer an undue hardship if it were required to employ under the discriminatory condition, and where no reasonable accommodation of the employee is possible. In the case of Michelle who is pregnant, it presents an identifiable undue hardship to the employer, because should she or her fetus be injured during the operation of the jackhammer, the employer would be subject to a workers’ compensation claim. In addition, because the job requires the operation of the jackhammer, there is no reasonable accommodation that the employer can possibly provide, which would not prevent the employee from working. Therefore, even though the employer would discriminate against Michelle, it is not liable under either the Americans with Disabilities Act or under the Civil Rights Act which will be discrimination based on disability and sex respectively. In the case of Eric, him not having a high school diploma  excludes him from consideration for employment. However, as a person 40 years or older is protected by the Age Discrimination, because it is difficult for older employees to obtain high school diploma if they do not possess it already. This implies that, Surebuild could be liable for age discrimination, if the company uses the lack of a diploma as the reason for denying Eric. In the case of Felipe who does not speak English, Surebuild could be held liable for discrimination if English is not a requirement for the performance of the position he is applying for. Surebuild could be charged with discrimination against race, and nationality. Considering Nick, he has a high school diploma, and is well qualified for the job based upon his education. The problem he has is that, he has no experience and he is also epileptic. However, the advertisement does not state experience with a jackhammer as a requirement. The only issue at hand is his epileptic condition. Surebuild can deny Nick for employment and will not be liable for discrimination against him for being disabled. This is because he can have a seizure in the middle of the operation of the jackhammer and that can cause injury not only to himself but to others as well. However, if Nick can show proof or medical records that suggest that his illness is controlled by a certain medication and that he will not have a seizure while operating the machinery, then he should be qualified for the position. If Surebuild refuses to employ him based on his illness, the company will be liable for discrimination against the disabled (Mallor, 2006). References: Hartman, L. P. (2005). Perspective in Business Ethics (3rd Ed.). Columbus, OH: The McGraw-Hills Companies. Mallor, J.P., Barnes, J.A., & Bowers, T.L. (2003). The Ethical, Global, and E-Commerce Environment (13th Ed.). Columbus, OH: The McGraw-Hills Companies. * * *

Week 3&5&7&8 discussions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Week 3 discussions - Coursework Example Just before the 16th century ended Islam had spread through conversion and had surpassed Buddhism and Hinduism as the most dominant religion of Sumatra and Java peoples. Initially the spread of Islam was driven mostly by increased trade links. The second factor that led to the dominance of Islam as a religion was the role played by missionaries (Sufis).Thus the Sufis played a major role by spreading the religion by syncretising of Islamic ideas with the existing local religious notions and beliefs. Eventually Islam was embraced by the ruling classes which greatly helped the permeation of the faith throughout the whole region. Islam is still dominant in Indonesia where it harbors 12.7% of all the world’s Muslims. 2. Muslims in Malaysia have rejected Islamic Fundamentalism because of its hard line policies and amid fears that the country could plunge into religious extremism, instability and terrorism. Some Malaysians therefore fear there could be rise in religious fundamentalism if Islamic Fundamentalism was accepted. Over the years Malaysia has detained several suspected terrorist, some of which are linked to al-Qaeda. 3. Ethic Chinese economic success dates back to several centuries ago. It is true that many Chinese people are good entrepreneurs and they are always willing to work hard and smart for money. This has led to their being discriminated against by the locals in several SE Asian countries such as Indonesia. Another economic success factor of the ethic Chinese is that they have a free market under a communist rule. The fact that ethic Chinese businessmen are dealing with America, means they are owed trillions of dollars by America. Dealing with America has made them very rich and successful. Several Chinese Company owners are super rich whereas low class is struggling since they are paid very little for their labor. China does not have tough employment laws and thus has very cheap available, which ensures very high profits. 4. Singapore

Leadership Portfolio Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leadership Portfolio - Assignment Example Thank God my prayers were heard and you gave me strength not to give up throughout my journey of having a full-time job and pursuing both my Undergraduate and Master’s degree. The purpose of this portfolio is to provide a comprehensive view of my leadership qualities which I have developed through my academic qualification. I believe that I am a good leader because not only am I a knowledgeable person but also I feel that I have the capability to reflect my knowledge by application of effective management skills. I have strong qualities of delegation, communication, confidence, and commitment. I have a creativity and ability to inspire my colleagues and subordinates whom I believe will make me a good leader in the future. I am a budding professional who has undergone multiple learning experiences over the past few years in my career. My expertise is in the field of HR recruitment and I have acquired a plethora of knowledge through recruitment, training, coordination, and evaluation of employees. My personal goal is to become extremely efficient and reliable in any job that I do. I want to become the most dependable person in any organization I work with in the future. Throughout my entire career, I have been fortunate enough to work with key personnel in this profession that has enhanced my skill set. My future goal is to create the high level of professionalism among employees that can solve organizational challenges in the future. The importance of human assets in improving organizational efficiency and productivity is well documented. My role is to select the best candidates for jobs that can create high levels of efficiency in the organization. Studying at Concordia College, Masters Business Leadership Program has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life. It has not only helped me to learn a variety of new courses that I was not aware of before joining this institution but also helped me to improve my existing skills and knowledge.  

A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE USE OF FACEBOOK AS A SOCIAL MEDIA TECHNIQUE Literature

A CRITICAL OF THE USE OF FACEBOOK AS A SOCIAL MEDIA TECHNIQUE TO PROMOTE SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE BUSINESS ONLINE - Literature review Example oviding online shopping experience to its customers and over the years this mode of shopping has been very well accepted by the customers (Internet World Stats, 2012a). However the industry had also witnessed a crash of some major companies and it was realised that competing in the age of internet has become more risky and this tool has to be used very wisely so as to gain the competitive edge (Internet World Stats, 2012b). Social media is still being deemed as a transforming power of the present world. It makes marketing more innovative and intellectual. Social media network allow its users to share ideas, events, activities and interests by providing a platform to share news and information, provides different alert services like CAS and SDI, facilitates enhanced consumer knowledge by allowing product reviews, provides information about new products and services and allows businesses to come up with innovative strategies that would help the owners expand the business opportunities among a wide range of customers (Kalmath, 2013; Humphrey and Schmitz, 2002). The activity of a group of people gathering together to share knowledge, views and information by making the use of conversational media is commonly known as Social media (Weinberg, 2009; Kaplan and Haenlein, 2009). There are different forms of social media that SMEs can take advantage of, for example, social book marking, blogs, social networking websites, content writing communities, virtual worlds, micro-blogging sites, online gaming websites, news sites, online forums and many more. Web 2.0 and social media are both, means of communication that share the same features implying both are user-friendly and user-empowering and enhance knowledge sharing (Erdogmus and Cicek, 2012). A company can overcome the problems associated with the conventional methods of marketing, by way of adopting social media marketing strategies. Thus the user will be able to efficiently allocate the available resources to improve

Organisational Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Organisational Culture - Essay Example During the last days of Enron and WorldCom, there was no trace of any organisational culture (Cameron & Quinn, pp. 36-37, 2011). People would go on to establish their own boundaries, rules and approaches and a former employee at Enron labels those days as a â€Å"roller coaster ride at the height of craziness†. On the other hand, employees of companies like Google, Nike, UniLever, Procter & Gamble, Pepsi, Coca Cola, Wal-Mart, Merck, Levis Strauss and others are more likely to know what their companies stand for and what is their way of doing things (Yanow, Ybema & Sabelis, pp. 13-14, 2011). This paper is an attempt to explore the concept of organisational culture, more importantly, with the practical example of Semco, a Brazilian success story. Most of the paper will focus on introducing the company and explaining in culture with different elements of its culture. Furthermore, the paper will also briefly attempt to apply a few models and theories of organisational culture on t he company allowing having a better understanding of Semco’s organisational culture. Discussion Company History and Profile Semco was a small bureaucratic company from Brazil, founded in the year 1953, started off with specializing in the business of manufacturing centrifuges for the vegetable oil industry. During the1960, the company jumped into the business of hydraulic pumps, load pumps, axles and other components for the naval industry, considering the growth of Brazilian naval industry. Antonio Kurt Semler, an Austrian engineer and the founder of the company always wanted his son Richardo Semler to take interest in the company’s operations and take over... This essay stresses that Semco is a fascinating company and what makes it so interesting and attractive is its organisational culture, which is almost one of its kinds. Even as of today, there are many American and European companies which are researching on Semco, trying to understand the real cause of its success and planning to apply its concepts, approaches, theories and models in their organisations as well. Over the past three decades, under the leadership of Semler, Semco has created such an organisational culture, which is exactly in line with the ideas and vision of its founder. This report makes a conclusion that Semco is about realizing the true potential of individuals, helping them in being as creative as possible and doing something different. Even, when the companies, which are highly centralized and extensively controlled by the senior management, want to generate new ideas, be creative, and create something new, they make autonomous teams and allow them to work freely. Semler has just expanded that idea from a few occasional work teams to the entire company. Semco has successfully created an organisational culture, which has the capacity to support the organisational goals of the company. Ironically, the most important goal of the company is not to bind their employees with goals, targets and other managerial â€Å"mumbo jumbo†. Therefore, the company does not need any radical changes in its culture in the near future; however, the company has to ensure that it is also ready for circumstances.

The topic is to respond to the question in the assignment Essay

The topic is to respond to the question in the assignment - Essay Example State can also be described as a political institution with a core government that maintains a command of the rightful use of coercion to achieve loyalty within a definite territory. States worldwide have increasingly misused (exaggerated) their power, and this sometimes led to violent protests or revolutions, as witnessed recently in the Arab countries. Dictatorial leadership styles where leaders want to stay in power more than they are required are to be blamed for this. The protests have resulted in countless deaths of innocent citizens and atrocities against humans committed by state machinery such as the army and police. States behave like this because there is no power that holds them accountable. This paper will illustrate how the state operates, the role of the state and its obligations to its citizens, the various instruments that the state uses to obtain allegiance, the role of the media in shaping the image of the state and its representation of situations such as war, and, lastly, the rise of resistance and rebellion against the state. Nation is a term used to refer to people who belong to a shared cultural community with a historical trajectory (Heywood, 2011). Every state, whether capitalist or democratic, uses various forms of coercion. Even under pluralism, where a lot of official democratic liberty exists, the state uses tyranny, sometimes in enormous quantities. A case in point is the penal structure in the United States of America. Approximately two million prisoners, or 60 percent, are black, and this shows that the legal system has been utilized as a tool of repression against the black community. In every society, there is likely to be a set of regulations which are largely acknowledged by the society. These forbid anti-social actions such as murder, rape, and theft. Through such laws and their enforcement, a country attains its class as an impartial watchdog of the society. Nevertheless, law has been used by the system to control its

Human Factors in Aviation Safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Human Factors in Aviation Safety - Essay Example At the time, it received high-profile attention from the media, which covered the incident on live television (JetBlue plane, 2005; JetBlue passengers, 2005; JetBlue Airways, 2006). The purpose of this paper is to explore the human factor as it relates to this mishap. The pilot and crew are the first to become the focus of any airline mishap. Other human factors involve maintenance, traffic control and aircraft design. As noted by Wikipedia, "the ability of the flight crew to maintain situational awareness is a critical human factor in air safety" (Air Safety, 2006). A broad definition of situational awareness in flight is observing everything that happens in the immediate area and determining its importance in a complex environment. Initiation of a pilot checklist in 1937 and the relatively new concept of situational awareness have contributed to aircraft safety. Even so, pilot error is considered the most common factor of aviation crashes. Although it is often a factor in midair collisions, additional causes might be due to adverse weather conditions. Crew resource management (CRM) training is another recent effort to reduce pilot error. Terrorism has been added to the human factor list following 9/11/1001, which involved four different commerc ial aircraft (Air Safety, 2006). In the case of the 2005 JetBlue mishap, ... In fact, Robert Boser, editor of Aviation Safety.com, commended the pilot, Captain Scott Burke, who managed to stop the plane in the middle of the 12,000-foot runway at LAX without having the nose break off. The only damage to the plane was in the front wheel area and no one was injured. Because of sparks and smoke, Burke asked if there was any fire visible, but did not receive an answer from the tower. He therefore used air stairs to disembark the passengers for safety reasons (Boser, 2005). This was his response to an emergency in progress, but was there some way he could have known the problem existed before takeoff What Were the Contributing Factors What were the human factors involved in this incident and how well was the emergency handled In addition, why did it happen at all In the case of pilot error, possible factors that could be involved are alcohol use, nicotine addiction withdrawal, error in copying air traffic control clearances, or mental illness. In the JetBlue incident, the pilot and crew were exonerated of any blame and in fact were lauded. Other factors include oversights in aircraft maintenance, mistakes in air traffic control, or weaknesses in aircraft or equipment design. One question in the relatively short history of JetBlue Airlines is whether such a problem has occurred before. And if it has, what was the cause and what human factors were involved JetBlue has only been in business for six years and offers low fares and extra incentives such as live television, leather seats and wireless Internet, which are not available on other popular low-cost airlines such as Southwest. Because of the passengers' ability to watch CNN on the airline's DirectTV hook up, however, with televisions at every seat, they were able to follow the

The novel Dracula by Bram Stoker Essay Example for Free

The novel Dracula by Bram Stoker Essay The novel Dracula by Bram Stoker was written in 1897 during the Victorian period in England. This novel expresses the attitudes of that time and also the changing dynamics between men and women. Stokers Dracula captured the imaginations of first the European countries, and then the worlds. This magnetic tale has remained popular for the last century for a myriad of reasons but mostly for its infamous implied sexuality. Although Dracula was not the first novel about vampires, it was the first widely read and mainstream book of the vampire gothic genre. The popularity of this book has been developing for over a century, and has spawned innumerable movies, television shows, books, magazines, music and with all those, a culture. One reason it was very popular when it was first published was because Stoker used a lot of real facts. The description of the eastern European countries excited his readers, because knowledge of other cultures was still very limited. Most countries were still well preserved and distinct and therefore the knowledge of other ways, was very captivating, and gave the British public a chance to look down their noses at the other, more primitive culture. In the first chapter of Dracula, Jonathan Harker writes derisively in his journal : It seems to me that the further East you go the more unpunctual are the trains. What ought they be in China? (p. 9) Next he describes scornfully the lowly peasant women: The women looked pretty, except when you go near them, but they were very clumsy about the waist. (p. 9) Known for their colonizing of other nations and their belief of self-superiority, I assume that the British would scoff at the superstitious customs of Transylvanian and eastern European societies, and would also enjoy reading about such ridiculous atrocities such as the un-dead. So, for the pure amusement of jeering at a foreign culture, the English must have taken immense pleasure in reading Dracula for that reason.

Survey - Payroll Essay Example for Free

Survey Payroll Essay A1. The most important I learned in this payroll accounting course is that there can be different methods of calculating income taxes and other taxes, but the underlying idea is to lawfully tax the earner, according to their wage-level and family structure. The different taxing figures for weekly, biweekly, monthly, semi-annually and annually salaries gives a clear picture of the differences that have been implemented by the federal board in taxing these different types of workers. Setting a standard across the board for taxing would have led to injustices to at least a group of workers. Instead, the federal board has carefully revised the different types of workers and set up taxing brackets and percentages according to their need and ability. Also, I learned the fact that the way in which taxes are calculated is very personalized (according to your earning, marital status, allowances). It is the employers’ duty to match the FICA taxes paid by the employee and contribute an equal amount to the state. There is another thing I would like to add. Payroll Accounting is a very delicate job and one has to be very clever to handle it. Although formulae and calculations are what have ton be just implemented, the person handling these figures and data should have avid knowledge and in-depth detail of their subject before attempting to do the calculations and manipulations. A2. The forms were very easy to use, given the fact that they addressed exactly what was required, nothing more or less. They were self-explanatory and there was no ambiguity at any column or cell. The website was very user-friendly. It had the clear explanation and information that enabled the user to navigate to exactly what they wanted. There were clear details on what was available and what it was used for so that the user did not have to waste time searching for what they wanted.

The Marketing Strategies Implemented By The Airline Easyjet Marketing Essay

The Marketing Strategies Implemented By The Airline Easyjet Marketing Essay This report has been conducted in order to clarify the marketing strategies implemented by the airline easyJet in order to gain a competitive edge over its rivals in the market for low-cost aviation. We researched in depth the European budget airline industry and looked at the various strategies used by easyJet, along with its main rivals. The main findings from our study suggest that easyJet has been very successful in its approach to its marketing campaigns, as it has built and sustained a strong image over the course of its operations at the top of the airline industry. The company however, must continually seek out new strategies and ideas as the industry becomes increasingly more competitive. Introduction EasyJet was established in 1995 by Stelios Haji-loannou and operates as a no frills low-cost airline, aiming to under-cut its rivals, such as, BMI Baby, Ryanair, and FlyBe. They all operate on a similar business model to that of the highly successful USA southwest airlines. The competitive advantage of budget airlines is maintained by achieving low operating costs, increasing revenue and using new economy technologies such as the Internet to sell their product. The low-cost airline sector currently has an 8.65% share of the total airline market with easyJet attaining 3.76% (Belfast Telegraph, 2004). EasyJet achieved a profit of  £62.2m in 2004 and announced major expansions into Central/Eastern Europe in an effort to apply their winning formula to a wider proportion of the airline industry (EasyJet, Company Overview 2005). The project will consult easyJets marketing and competitive environment to ascertain the position they hold in the industry, thereby constructing an analysis of the various strategies easyJet implements to achieve a competitive edge over their rivals. EasyJets Marketing and Competitive Environment EasyJets marketing environment will involve a PEST analysis, highlighting major influences upon the low cost airline industry. The competitive environment analysis will signify as Sanderson and Luffman confirms, current strategies of competitors, the potential of new competition to enter the market, the behaviour of suppliers and buyers, and the availability of substitute products (2001, p.20). Introduced in the form of a SWOT analysis. Marketing Environment Political In 1990 the European deregulation of commercial aviation coincided with the expansion of the low cost airline industry. The low cost carriers in the industry were able to take advantage of the relaxed laws and expand their operations. Economic Mercer Management Consulting (2002) reported that the low cost airline market conforms to the criteria of three components (Figure 1). Firstly, it provides a simple product consisting of no seat reservation, free seating, and adequate in flight service. They are a genuine no frills airline with a simple product offered to the market. Webster (2004) noted easyJets ability to maintain a high degree of customer focus through a new, user friendly website with an improved booking process. Figure 1: Source Impact of Low Cost Airline Mercer Management Consultancy 2002 Secondly, it is apparent that the low cost airline market is characterised by: mergers and acquisitions; the expansion of existing low cost airlines and finally, market exits as a result of bankruptcy e.g. Debonair. Furthermore, the low cost carriers operate short haul, point to point traffic with short frequencies, pursue aggressive marketing campaigns and deal with secondary airports. EasyJet, however, has differentiated in this respect by dealing with major hub airports e.g. Gatwick. Finally, the industry operates a low cost ethos, which is maintained by lean sales, high productivity of resources, low maintenance costs and low wages. The price of oil which is currently 50% more expensive than a year ago is a cause of concern for the low cost airline industry. Chief Executive of easyJet Ray Webster said: The price of fuel remains high and volatile. In spite of this, operating margins for the period are expected to be broadly in line with last year. The problem of high oil prices may be a cause for concern for smaller carriers who are not able to maintain low cost bases. Social The low cost carriers position their product to leisure travellers and non business travellers (See Figure 2), however easyJet has differentiated by targeting the business and leisure segments. This behavioural segmentation creates a more dynamic edge in comparison to their competitors who solely focus on leisure travel. Thus, easyJet must ensure that its strategy is tailored to a wider market. Walton (2005) confirmed that easyJet was presented as a European low cost airline with a current reading of 26 million passengers in 14 key countries. It has 190 routes to 58 airports and 163 million people live within one hour of easyJets airports. Figure 2: Source Low Cost Airlines Gaining Momentum in Europe Schneiderbauer, D. Fainsilber, O. (2000) Technological Low cost carriers have the ability to maintain a high degree of customer focus through user-friendly websites with improved booking processes. These websites have the capability of charging bookings with greater ease and utilising an easy to use fare finder to obtain the cheapest fares. Selling tickets via the technological medium of websites and hence by having no travel agents, they avoid paying agency commissions. Competitive Environment Strengths EasyJets core strengths according to Morgan Stanley relate to their ability to provide a simple fare structure with good value for money and maintain low unit costs. Furthermore, they have developed a strong brand through serving the Swiss and UK market and through strong corporate culture, whilst developing a broad multi base network. Weaknesses EasyJets weaknesses have become apparent in the fiscal year of 2003, whereby crew costs rose by 68% to  £97 million which accounted for 13% of operating costs. Additionally, advertising costs also increased by 43% to  £28 million, accounting for 3.7% of total costs and crucially, easyJets airport charges had surged to 103% to a staggering  £149 million. Opportunities The BBC (2005) highlighted easyJets acknowledgement of the opportunities that can become apparent as a results of the fierce competition from Ryanair. The new demand from business customers has forced the need for the provision of certain facilities such as airport lounges for the frequent flyer; one way of looking at the practicalities of developing better services. Meeting the demands of lifestyle changes is crucial and with the ever growing new routes such as to Rome and Berlin, this will help retain some competitive edge. Threats Some of the main competitors are Ryanair, Bmibaby and FlyBe. Ryanair were initially founded in 1985 and then re-launched in 1990-91. Their aim was to offer fares 50% or lower than those offered by the big flag airlines, specifically as a low-fares, no-frills operation. Mintel (2003) reported that Ryanair generated  £190 million profit before tax. They had acquired other rivals such as KLM and Buzz, hence in the 2004 3rd quarter results they stood in first position for passenger growth, with the lowest fares and lowest costs in Europe. It was apparent that recently, they have continued to maintain their position at the top of the industry. Ryanair have responded aggressively to easyJets home markets. They have lowered their prices in the newest markets such as Knock, Cork and Shannon. They are building up pressure in Liverpool and Luton with further rises in operating flights and with the development of new competitors such as Jet2 and Monarch, easyJet are facing potentially turbulent times. EasyJets Marketing Strategies to Achieve Competitive Advantage An analysis of easyJets marketing strategies, namely; product differentiation, mergers and acquisitions, location, the website, advertising and marketing campaigns and the Airline TV documentary will now be performed to depict how easyJet gains a competitive advantage in the low cost airline industry. The consumer matrix (Bowman and Faulkner, 1997) details perceptions that customers have with regard to the product or service offered to them and the prices charged. Applying this to easyJet we can guestimate the general perception generated by the market. EasyJets flights offer the consumer value for money as the benefits gained from the transaction relative to price appear favourable in comparison to their competitors. Perceived price Hi Hi Perceived use value Lo Lo West Heterogeneous views, with regard to the demands for the service, indicate that, one service meets all demands may lead to mistakes in the competitive strategy. Within the airline segment there will be consumers who are price sensitive and thus demand the low-cost alternative. Hence, easyJet are following the customer matrix price strategy in order to attain sustainable competitive advantage (maintaining benefit whilst reducing price): Location One of easyJets successful marketing strategies implemented is the location element of the destinations to which it runs flights. In order to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors, easyJet flies to all the main business and leisure airports in Europe so that customers do not then have to then transfer a long distance to their final destination. Other firms in the industry such as Ryanair for example, although attempt to compete at a price level with easyJet, do not operate nearly as efficient a route map. Arguably such rivals can only offer the low-cost advantage through flying to more remote destinations. EasyJet operate to the highest level of efficiency at the airports themselves with rapid turnaround times and can thus fully utilise their fleet system, whilst running extra flights for passengers. EasyJet has greatly expanded its hub airports, to now having bases in all parts of the UK and more recently, integration into European airports. Advertising and Marketing Campaigns Through utilising to the full the marketing channels available, easyJet has been able to build and sustain a successful corporate image from the birth of the company 10 years ago. EasyJet advertisements can be seen everywhere, in cities all over Europe from giant billboards to public transport buses. The company has made sure that wherever there are potential customers for the airline, their presence is made known through advertising offers on flight costs, launch of new routes or merely to express why one should chose to fly with easyJet. In a highly competitive market, easyJets marketing team has had to sustain a strong advertising strategy and look to implement new marketing ideas so that they are not losing out to other airlines. In more recent years, they have taken much greater advantage of online advertising and with the increasing personal use of the Internet, this has considerably enhanced easyJets consumer reach. Although national media is an available marketing option, easyJet adopt a regionalised European approach to advertising (Dixon, 2005). Much of easyJets marketing campaigns have concentrated on making an impact at a local level and has proven to be a more personalised strategy, which has enabled them to adopt their methods of marketing to the regional customers they are addressing. Airline TV documentary series A marketing strategy implemented by easyJet which has contributed to their success, was the fly on the wall documentary series Airline broadcasted in January 1999. It was aired across the nation on prime time TV channels and was nominated for programme of the year in 2001 (BBC, 2005). Although the programme depicted easyJet in a bad light in certain instances, for example, refusal to allow passengers to board the planes, it acted as positive publicity for easyJet. EasyJet promoted themselves as a cheap and reliable airline, in a market where there were previously few competitors going for the low cost image. This clearly shows that according to Miles and Snows theory (1978), easyJet were acting as a prospector, as they were the first movers in the market place to try and unlock the low cost airline niche market. Website EasyJets website acts as a main distribution channel for e-ticketing with all flight information also accessible to customers online, thus reducing material costs. EasyJets website can be viewed in 15 languages in attempt to make their flights accessible to a wider audience. Sophisticated yield management systems have been implemented in order to maximise seat revenue which is seen as the largest area of competitive advantage (Jobber, 2004). The use of new economy technologies has improved flows of information, allowing easyJet to update prices immediately, thus maximising flight profitability. Porters theory in relation to easyJet clarifies that they are adopting a cost leadership strategy which is portrayed to customers via the cheap fares offered online. However, although technology provides advantages in terms of cost reductions for easyJet, its competitors have followed suit and have established websites of their own, offering consumers extremely competitive rates in comparison to easyJet. Consequently, easyJet needs to constantly adapt it strategies in order to retain a competitive advantage. Product Differentiation Porters theory details two basic types of competitive advantage: lower cost and differentiation (OShaughnessy, 1996). EasyJet achieves a competitive advantage by following the cost-leadership approach, transferring this low-cost advantage to the consumer in the form of low price. EasyJet have made notable attempts to make their product stand out from its low-cost airline competitors. McDaniel (2000) argues that a products differentiating feature acts as a competitive advantage and there will be no long-term survival unless it has one. Also, it is evident that easyJet is generally the trend setter for differentiation in its market. CNN reports that EasyJet has recently relaxed hand luggage restrictions which are 40% bigger than the current allowance (EasyJet, 2004). EasyJets no weight restriction for cabin baggage and flexible ticket scheme which can create earlier flight standbys highlights their ability to pursue consistent innovation for their customers. This may be an attractive prospect for business passengers and differs from other low-cost airlines, which maintain limits. Furthermore, they have implemented a 100% self check in with plans for self-handling to minimise disruption. EasyJet has also deviated from the typical pricing methods used by other airlines by implementing inclusive pricing instead of prices that exclude booking charges and taxes. This decision came after the Air Transport Users Council had highlighted consumers dislike of airlines trying to con them with low fares that do not exist, by offering a low fare up front, only to add a host of spurious taxes and charges later on in the booking process (Internet Travel News, 2005). On Thursday 1 August 2002, easyJet and Go completed a merger deal worth  £374 million. This represented a form of horizontal integration and indicated easyJets desire to increase its market share. By December 2002 easyJet had reached two further important milestones in its merger with Go by announcing a single Air Operator Certificate (AOC), and the launch of a unified sales channel. The integration costs incurred amounted to  £7.9 million, approximately  £3 million less than forecasted (EasyJet Financial report 2002/2003). According to Stelios, the deal contributed significantly to our objective to become Europes leading low-cost airline, by strengthening our position in important target markets(Financial Times, 2004). The Go acquisition was a major step away from easyJets own strategy of growing organically. By operating almost as a monopolist in the low fare airline market, the merger gave easyJet the option to raise prices and restrict supply in order to create supernormal profits. Additionally, the merging firms were able to exploit economies of scale to reduce cost. The purchase of Go has given easyJet a major presence at Stanstead, home of both Ryanair and KLMs buzz. Prior to the acquisition, their networks barely competed and they had rarely even flown out of the same airport. The following data was compiled a year after the deal completion which illustrates the success of the merger between EasyJet and Go: Airbuses willingness to support the costs of introducing the new aircraft type to the fleet far outweighed the costs of the complexity of running a dual fleet. The A319 provides a number of advantages for easyJet. It offers passengers more comfort, safety, travel quality, higher reliability and the opportunity for lower fares with its unbeatable operating economics. Additionally, the sizing of the A320 family allows easyJet to graduate up to the 180 seat A320 and even 220 seat A321, if they choose to do so in the future. Mathur and Kanyon (2001) proposed a matrix (see below) that identifies and classifies types of competitive positioning which creates differentiation. EasyJet, in terms of support differentiation, provide a differentiated service by offering many prime routes to major airports such as recent expansions at Gatwick airport (and other European airports) which shifts the focus to high yield traffic while abandoning economic and operative advantages of secondary aiports. In terms of merchandise differentiaton, easyJet provide variables such as self check in kiosks, ease of use for the websites and booking of tickets, unrestricted baggages restraints; such features of differentiation helps the consumers to make repeat purchasers with easyJet. Furthermore, easyJet use high quality Airbus A319s which provides customers with a range of benefits as listed above. The purpose of this report has been to assess how EasyJet has utilised successful marketing strategies through the various channels available, in order to establish and maintain a dominating position in the low-cost airline industry. One of the great business success stories of the past five years has been the launch of the easyJet airline company (Dixon, 2000). To facilitate our analysis of this objective, we not only researched EasyJet and its marketing campaigns adopted over the years, but also identified the main strategies used by the other leading competitors. EasyJet has constantly tried to identify itself to its consumer base as the best form of budget travel in Europe. The company recognised the demand for this form of travel and its marketing strategies have been primarily geared around providing more efficient, low-cost flights, whilst maintaining as a high a quality of service as possible. Through their clear, effective website, they have strived to make it increasingly easy for customers to deal with the company, whilst strategically positioning their advertising to be directed at the market served. Policies for expansion have been the driving force behind easyJets significant growth and have enabled them to eliminate key rivals from the industry. However, with the emergence of new, strong competitors in the industry and the increasing demand for low-cost travel, it is evident from the report that easyJet must remain innovative in its marketing and allocate sufficient resources to securing a long-term position as the market leader. Recommendations The low-cost airline industry is reaching maturity. Miles and Snows theory of the Four Business Strategies would suggest easyJet should move towards being an Analyzer from a Prospector. This therefore takes into account that easyJet needs to concentrate on maintaining its established market leadership. With regards to enhancing their market power both long and short-term, easyJet should look to move into newer mediums for advertising, primarily using television broadcasting. EasyJet need to further consider developing the levels of efficiency and motivation within their wide employee base and by fomenting such other dimensions of this business, will help maintain another key element which still, other rivals fail to recognise. Word Count: 3,195

Sony :: essays research papers

Competitive Analysis Sony Financial Status and History Revenue growth same as industry average Likelihood of Entry or Retaliation The first digital cameras for consumer use were the Apple QuickTake 100 (February 17th, 1994) and the Kodak DC40 (March 28th, 1995). Sony entered the imaging market with their first digital camera, the CyberShot Digital Still Camera in 1996. In April of 2001, Kodak announced its first digital photo printer. In August of 2001, Sony announced its first digital photo printer (was smaller and more lightweight than Kodak’s). Sony is in a different industry than Kodak. Sony belongs to the Audio/Video Equipment Industry where Eastman Kodak is in the Photography Industry. Sony, however does manufacture photographical tools. Based on the two companies’ history, Kodak will likely continue to have a larger selection of electronic photography products, but Sony will continue to develop similar products, often â€Å"improved† versions of Kodak’s original products. http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bldigitalcamera.htm by Mary Bellis http://www.dpreview.com/news/0108/01082107sonydppmp1.asp http://www.dpreview.com/news/0104/01042301kodakcamerasys.asp Management Profile Nobuyuki Idei - Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Strong background in international marketing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Degree in Politics and Economics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Leading Sony into the digital age and developing Sony’s brand image Kunitake Ando – Presient   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Engineered Sony’s re-entry into the personal computer market (VAIO)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  University of Tokyo School of Economics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Worked for Sony’s A/V Products and Established Sony Prudential Live Insurance Howard Stringer – Chariman and CEO of Sony Corporation of America Oversees Sony Pictures Entertainment (parent of Columbia Picutres), Sony Pictures TV, Sony Pictures Digital and Sony Electronics, Inc.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Worked for 30 years as a journalist, producer and executive at CBS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  President of CBS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Works in entertainment http://www.sony.com/SCA/senior_mgmnt.shtml Strategic Capabilities Assesment Scenario Analysis Components of Competitive Intelligence Future Objectives and Current Strategy â€Å"Transformation 60 Program†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Undergoing Structural Reform   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cutting fixed costs by reducing 9000 jobs   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reducing production/distribution/service points by 10%   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reducing the number of suppliers and building strategic partnerships   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reducing the number of parts   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rationalizing non-production costs   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Continue to strengthen Electronics Convergence Strategy Converge technology and resources in home and mobile electronics---customers can use them interchangeably Invest in semiconductors and key devices to differentiation and added value CMOS Image Sensor and CCDs to achieve higher resolution/image quality **really focus on converging technology and resources and focus on adding value and differentiation Strengthen Demand and Supply Chain management http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/info/presen/mr_keiho/20040519/qfhh7c000000c5t2-att/sony2004strategy.pdf Sony is investing $60B in 2005 and 2006 to build new production wings that will focus on semiconductors that enhance imaging. Sony and Samsung have entered a cross-licensing agreement that will allow mutual usage of the companies’ patent portfolios. http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/200412/04-1214E/ Sony plans to consolidate various business segments to accelerate and market the development of next generation devices and entertainment. Assumptions Based on Sony’s current and future strategies, Sony assumes customers will perceive added value when A.

The Rash Romeo in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay -- William Shake

The Rash Romeo in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet In the play Romeo and Juliet, Romeo’s actions are rash throughout the play. For example, Romeo does not consider the consequences of his actions when he insists on marrying Juliet. Also, Romeo shows rashness when he kills Tybalt. Finally, Romeo is rash when he kills himself. Rashness is a quality that haunts Romeo throughout the play. One of Romeo’s acts that shows his rashness is his marrying Juliet. After Juliet says that she does not want to marry Romeo, he persists and says that he wants â€Å"Th’ exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine† (2.2.134). Romeo does not consider the consequences of their marriage. He simply wants his wish fulfilled. He is rash because he wants to rush into a marriage for which he is not ready. Romeo’s rashness persists throughout the play and leads to his downfall. Another example of Romeo’s rash personality is when he kills Tybalt. Romeo’s family is told that if they fight with the Capulet family, they will be killed. Tybalt of the Capulet family fights with Mercut...

Pan’s Labyrinth Setting

Setting is one of the vital elements of fiction. A work can only be fully approached if it is first based on its setting, which guides the development of the work. For â€Å"Pan’s labyrinth†, an outstanding cinema work rich in symbols, details and meaning, it is even more essential for us to take the underlying context into serious consideration The external setting of this work consisted of 3 element: time, place and social environment. In 2006, the movie was filmed in a Scots Pine forest situated in the Guadarrama mountain range, Central Spain by the talented Mexican director Guillermo del Toro.The idea for Pan's Labyrinth came from Guillermo del Toro's notebooks, which he says are filled with â€Å"doodles, ideas, drawings and plot bits† which had been kept for twenty years. There are a lot of social factors affecting Del Toro. Firstly, his mind and work are characterised by a strong connection to fairy tales and horror, also he described his political positio n as â€Å"a little too liberal†. Del Toro got the idea of the mythological faun (Pan) from childhood experiences with â€Å"lucid dreaming†: after he waked up, a faun would gradually step out from behind the grandfather's clock.The faun became a mysterious, semi-suspicious relic who gave both the impression of trustworthiness and many signs that warn someone to never confide in him at all. Moreover, by exploring the figure of the god Pan and the symbol of the labyrinth, he tried to â€Å"mix those compelling factors and play with them†. Secondly, â€Å"Pan's Labyrinth† continues a tide of fine movies of Del Toro, illustrating a period after Francisco Franco has come into power. He pointed out that the villains in most of his films are united by the common attribute of authoritarianism.Most people make the villains ugly and nasty but Del Toro realizes that one of the dangers of fascism is that it's very attractive. To him, perfection actually lies in full y loving the defect. Killing somebody can be because of he broke a law, or broke an idea: patriotism, liberty, democracy†¦ In short, the idea behind the act is valued more than the act itself. The Internal Setting of â€Å"Pan’s labyrinth† is related to the 2 parallel storylines: Ofelia's fantasy world against the colorless right angles of the fascist world. For the reality – the facist world, it takes place aroundMay–June 1944, five years after the Spanish Civil War, when Spain was under the authoritarian dictatorship of Francisco Franco. The world war II is about to end. The story happens in a mill on the border of Spain. When the war is raging across the world, women are subordinate to men. The Falangists is winning over the rebels and the rebels have to hide in the forest. It is really a time of suspicion and paranoia: rebel supporters are brutally killed. For the fantasy world, it is seen that the story is closely connected to an old and abandon ed labyrinth and the Underworld Kingdom existing a long time ago.Ofelia, the main character, is a young girl who loves fairy tales. She travels with her pregnant mother Carmen to meet Captain Vidal, her new brutal, facism and cold-blood stepfather and father of Carmen's unborn child. The story is then gradually revealed within the (internal) setting, making viewers immersing completely in appalling scenes with its deep meaning implied. ? A work’s setting has important role as it is the world in which the characters appear, act and expose their emotions. It can be used to evoke a mood or atmosphere that will prepare the reader for what is to come in.In many cases, setting contributes to the overall meaning of a story or affects the characters. It would be a shortcoming if we analyzed a literature work without interpreting its setting and meaning behind, especially for â€Å"Pan’s labyrinth†. In the realistic story, the decisive colors drawing the view of story is old-newspaper yellow and dark grey, which implies the atmosphere of sadness and lurking danger. Not much of Spain outside the mill is referred in the story but the war between political groups here can represent the overall country’s condition.The influence of military is strong and almost encroaching on the natural order of Spain. However, the fascist seem not to belong to this place. They wear steely blue gray uniform, which is unnatural in the forest, while the rebels wear earthy browns connecting to soul of mountain. The fascists' headquarters is lying in a small mill, and surrounded by trees and forest, the rebels' habitat. It states the implication: despite the power of military, the fascists are still the small pocket of dry land in the midst of rising communism, one day they will face to the failure.To further the point on the mill's lack of femininity, it is an indication to us audience that this is not right place for Ofelia. The box shape of it exists only for fun ction, efficiency and work and there is no room to growth and discovery. That this place is not for a child reflects the fact fascism does not fit in Spain. In the parallel story, the fantasy world appears in front of audiences with devastated views. It loses the princess Moanna like Spain is seeking freedom. The Labyrinth is the only place that Ofelia can fully realize her imagination. Moreover, it also reflects reality out there.The structure of Labyrinth is the same as the circulation of destiny. Ofelia comes to the dream world, reunites with the parents, while the rebel defeats the fascist after so much sacrifice, blood and tears. â€Å"Pan’s labyrinth† (internal) setting partly reveals a sorrowful and tragic fairytale. As previously mentioned, the story happened when Spain was under the authoritarian dictatorship of Francisco Franco, in a mill surrounded by mountain and forest and rainy frequently. The film’s darkness overshadows the light, therefore most v iewers can imagine the sorrow from that dreary framework without seeing any minutes of the film.Unlike in other fairy tales where the writers omit events or elements that are deemed too harsh, in Pan’s labyrinth they do not overestimate the violent conflict between the rebel and German army which is leaded by a brutal person Capital Vidal; or the loneliness of the girl between two world, reality and fantasy. To some extent, both of them can reveal a tragic ending. Besides the internal setting, the external setting also discloses some values of the film but in artistic aspect. The author, Guillermo del Toro, has strong obsession of fairy tale and horror.That why he can create details, characters especially fairy ones which contain many symbolic values and compel the audiences to thinking a lot. As a consequence, each time we watch the film, we can always find something new. If we ask why a writer chooses to include certain details in a work, then we are likely to make connecti ons that relate the details to some larger purpose, such as the story's meaning. By analyzing clearly the setting of †Pan's Labyrinth†, viewers, as well as critics, can draw lessons from what Del Toro conveyed

Diversity and Inclusion an Organization Emperical Study of Hul

ABSTRACT In the last few years, the focus of efforts in companies across the land has shifted from diversity to a focus on inclusion. This sea change has happened without fanfare and almost without notice. In most organizations, the word inclusion has been added to all the company's diversity materials with no explanation. This article is a short account of why this shift has happened and what it means. Probably the most widely-read article on diversity in organizations was Roosevelt Thomas's â€Å"From Affirmative Action to Affirming Diversity,† which appeared in the Harvard Business Review in 1990.Diversity, said Thomas, was no longer about complying with a legal mandate but about seeking to create a diverse workforce because it would be beneficial to the organization. Before 1990, most large companies had an Employment Equity and Affirmative Action Officer, usually a lower-level employee who worked in the bowels of the organization compiling statistics about how many employ ees were in targeted groups, eg, people of color and women. This project covers all the aspects of cross culture to the managing diversity by HUL. This project includes primary data analysis and the end of project recommendation also to be provided.Content Abstractii Signatory pageiii Topic approval letteriv Acknowledgmentv Approved thesis synopsisvii 1. Introduction 2. company profile 3. literature review 4. research methodology 5. finding and analysis 6. recommendation 7. CONCLUSION 8. Bibliography 9. annexure – questionnaire INTRODUCTION [pic] Today, at the beginning of the 21st century, the world is submerged in a wide range of demographic trends which have the potential to radically change the demographic, cultural and ethical mixture of the population in many countries within just a few decades.Top managers often say that their company's people are its most important asset. In a tight job market and a global economy a company that puts people first – regardless o f their race, religion, gender, age, sexual preference, or physical disability – wins. Companies, especially big multinational players which have to deal with these changes, are growingly forced to react. Employees, once a homogenous group in many countries, are increasingly diverse and need to be integrated within and into working environments.Diversity can present an immense source of opportunities but it can also mean the opposite, a big threat. Diversity management is a managerial approach in response to these trends and can help companies to effectively and efficiently manage their personnel diversity, i. e. personnel made up of diverse and multifaceted people. The text argues that a diverse workforce can be regarded as an instrument of sales promotion, a marketing tool to induce customers to buy certain products or services.To be successful at creating workforce diversity program involves attracting and retaining the highest quality individuals in the talent pool. For t he HR professional it means looking beyond obvious recruitment methods and venues for good people, then learning how to manage human potential sensitively. It requires an ever-increasing awareness of how people from different backgrounds deal with authority, communication, overall business etiquette, and relate to their communities of affiliation. Promoting workforce diversity is a process that takes place in many stages and on many levels.It requires HR professionals first to recruit a competent and qualified staff, then to accommodate individual needs within the context of the work team and the organization. In today's world of cultural diversity, our business can't thrive unless we implement a workforce diversity initiative. Besides tapping into the unique abilities and talents of people from different backgrounds, we can improve our image in the community by opening up a place of business to anyone regardless of race, color, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and disability. What is diversity? Diversity to us means all aspects in which people differ from one another.This includes both the visible and relatively easily demonstrable personal characteristics such as gender, age and ethnicity, as well as the less visible personal characteristics, such as competencies, needs and wants, work styles and character traits. Each employee has his or her own, unique combination of such characteristics. Another definition describes diversity as creating high performing organizations through valuing and using all the talents of employees of different groups. Regardless of how diversity is defined, it is an issue that is sweeping the nation.If the corporate society does not address the issue by learning how to manage diversity, they will fail. â€Å"It is very helpful to suggest that diversity is not so much an end in itself as it is a condition of our society and the condition of the World in which we live. † Frank Wong Vice President for Academic Affairs Univ ersity of Redlan Diversity Management Managing diversity is one of the most important challenges faced by managers and their organizations. In today’s work environment, co-workers are likely to be of different gender, age, religion, cultural background, race and ethnicity.They also differ in terms of lifestyle, choices available, perspectives, attitudes, value system, beliefs, behaviors, expectations, skills and experiences. These issues are not just about discriminatory practices but they modify the nature and demands placed on leadership and management and bring into prominence the concept of diversity. How well or how prepared managers are able to invest in the concept of diversity will impact not just on work issues but also on sensitivity to customer’s needs, legal compliance, business’ ethical issues, profitability and even social cohesion.Diversity management is a strategic process to manage a diverse workforce-including the fight against stereotypes, pre judice and all kind of discrimination due to the individual perceptions and assumptions- in the manner to maximize the benefit and minimize barriers of different opinions, behavior and attitudes of human beings within a company. PRINCIPLES OF DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT [pic] Categorization of Diversity Management Diversity management can be divided into two categories- 1. The internal effect has an influence on organizational structural changes within the company. 2.The external effect concerns the environment of the company e. g. customers, stakeholders, suppliers etc. The concept of diversity management is extensive; there are various components of diversity as follows: Diversity of ethnicity, nationality and cultures Diversity of demography (gender, age and experience) Diversity of competencies (educational and professional backgrounds) Diversity of organizational functions and processes Diversity of networks (i. e. relationships and communications channels and/or patterns etc. ) Misce llaneous diversity (sexual preferences, occupational disabilities, i. . handicap or physical mobility, etc. ) Work Force as a challenge First, there is an increase in the cost of training. This increase comes from costs associated with seminars, programs and lectures given to promote diversity in the corporation. These types of training are given to all levels of staff within the organization. They teach employees others. These programs also teach one how to deal with conflicts and prejudice in a professional and civil manner. A disadvantage of diversity in the workplace is an increase in conflicts.Conflicts arise when two or more individuals or groups do not see eye to eye on a particular situation. In regard to diversity, conflicts arise largely due to ignorance. Prejudice feelings or derogatory comments cause a lack of acceptance. â€Å"This can produce negative dynamics such as ethnocentrism, stereotyping and culture clashes†. The most common conflict comes from one feeli ng superior. If management ignores such conflicts, the company's performance may suffer. If conflicts can be managed and controlled creativity and performance can be increased.Employers will work harder to gain acceptance by creating a solution or invention first. Increases in labor turnover and absenteeism are another disadvantage in having a diverse workplace. Research has shown that the turnover rate for African Ameri-Ongori and Agolla 075cans in the US workforce is 40 percent greater than whites. Another study by Corning Glass stated that between the years 1980 – 1987, the turnover rate for women in a professional job was two times higher than males. Women also have a 58 percent higher absentee rate than men.Yet, another study shows that a person, who is not a member of the â€Å"inner group†, will be one of the first to leave a company (White, 1999). Some research contradicts the idea that flextime reduces these rates; however absenteeism and turnover can cost a c ompany up to and over $3 million annually. Workforce diversity increases labor turnover and absenteeism in organizations on employee satisfaction and productivity. Employees who perceive themselves as valued members of their organization are harder working, involved, and innovative.Unfortunately, minority-group members often feel less valued than do majority-group members due to stereotyping, ethnocentrism, and prejudice. Mismanagement of diversity in the form of denied access or unfavorable treatment can have negative consequences, such as inhibiting workers' abilities and motivation. Work Force as an Opportunity Managing diversity can create a competitive advantage. Potential benefits of this diversity include better decision making, higher creativity and innovation, greater success in marketing to foreign and domestic ethnic minority communities, and a better distribution of economic opportunity.Organizations with a diverse workforce can provide superior services because they can better understand customers’ needs. Diversity enhances creativity and innovation (Adler, 1997; Jackson et al. , 1992), and produces competitive advantages. Why should we strive for diversity in personnel? An often heard argument to avoid having to put energy into diversity is that it only leads to misunderstanding, undesired formation of groups, communication problems and conflicts in the work force. When put like this, paying attention to diversity seems a useless investment.But demographic developments cannot be ignored. In situations like labor shortage, organizations cannot permit themselves to exclude a substantial part of the labor force. Diversity in personnel has different advantages pertaining to business economics: Attraction for a wider group of customers: more people can identify with the organization. This could increase your turnover; More creativity within the organization: diversity leads to innovative products and services, which is necessary to compete with other businesses; An improved business image: more people see you as an ’employer of choice’.Diversity covers a wide variety of issues, including communicating with employees, whose first language is not English, helping a diverse team cope with conflict, learning which rewards are valued by different groups, and dealing with discrimination. Managers can improve handling of diversity issues by following these eight behaviors. Embrace diversity: Successfully valuing diversity starts with accepting the principle of multiculturalism. Accept the value of diversity for its own sake — not simply because you have to. You need to reflect your acceptance in all you say and do.Recruit broadly: When you have job openings, work to get a diverse applicant pool. Avoid relying on referrals from current employees, since this tends to produce candidates similar to your present workforce. Select fairly: Make sure your selection process doesn’t discriminate. Particularly, ensure that selection tests are job-related. Provide orientation and training for minorities: Making the transition from outsider to insider can be particularly difficult for nontraditional employees. Sensitize all employees: Encourage all employees to embrace diversity.Provide diversity training to help all employees see the value in diversity. Strive to be flexible: Part of valuing diversity is recognizing that different groups have different needs and values. Be flexible in accommodating employee requests Seek to motivate individually: You need to be aware of the background, cultures, and values of employees. What motivates a si0ngle mother with two young children and who is working full time to support her family is likely to be different from the needs of a young, single, part-time employee or an older employee who is working to supplement his or her retirement income.Encourage employees to embrace and value diverse views: Create traditions and ceremonies that promote diversity . Celebrate diversity by accentuating its positive aspects. But also be prepared to deal with the challenges of diversity such as mistrust, miscommunication, and lack of cohesiveness, attitudinal differences, and stress. IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSE WORKFORCE Our Nation is made up of people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, customs and beliefs. It is those differences that contribute to the richness and strength of our society. Like our Nation, the workforce Is also becoming more and more diverse.As a result, in order to recruit, hire and retain the best people from every background and community, we must foster diversity in our workforce, manage it effectively, and value what it has to offer. A diverse workforce is critical for any organization that seeks to improve and maintain a competitive advantage. Focusing on diversity and looking for ways to achieve an inclusive environment is not just a â€Å"nice to have objective,† it makes a good business sense. A diverse workforce off ers greater productivity and a competitive edge.Diversity improves the quality of our workforce and offers a higher return on our investment in human capital. Our agency’s future depends on the quality of employees we recruit today. New employees often consider an organization’s diversity efforts when deciding whether to accept or reject an employment offer. Potential candidates are usually more attracted to employers that are committed to sustaining a diverse workforce. Moreover, diverse perspectives increase creativity as they offer different perspectives, ideas and solutions. BENFITSPeople have a lot of viewpoints and having people from many backgrounds and places in life brings a lot of those viewpoints into the mix. In some situations, a lot of viewpoints give us a lot of options. Plus, since there are many different viewpoints and environments in the workers, there are many opportunities for these different viewpoints to come into the planning of strategic initia tives, allowing the firm to serve a wider group of consumers and interests. The Various . advantages of having a diverse workforce are the following; 1.It helps motivating employees. 2. It enhances the innovation and creativity of employees. 3. It helps in reducing cost. 4. It creates flexibility in the organization. 5. Immediate access to problem solving. 6. Easy transfer of knowledge. 7. Better marketing structure. 8. Innovative work environment. 9. Immediate outcomes. 10. Fulfillment of social responsibility. 11. It helps attract and retain employees. Management of Diversity in leading INC’s A manager or the superior must be aware of the background, cultures, and values of employees.The motivation factors for a full time working mother to support her two young children are different from the needs of a young, single, part-time employee or an older employee who is working to supplement his or her retirement. COMPANY PROFILE Introduction Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), a 5 1%-owned subsidiary of Anglo-Dutch giant Unilever, has been prying its way into India since 1888. India's largest consumer goods company, HHL markets products such as beverages, food, and home and personal care goods. Its brands include Kwality Wall's ice cream, Lifebuoy soap, Lipton tea, Pepsodent toothpaste, and Surf laundry detergent.HUL markets atta (a type of meal), maize, rice, salt, and specialty chemicals, and its export division ships castor oil and fish. The company also sells bottled water and over-the-counter healthcare products. Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is India's largest fast moving consumer goods company, with leadership in Home & Personal Care Products and Foods & Beverages. HUL's brands, spread across 20 distinct consumer categories, touch the lives of two out of three Indians. They endow the company with a scale of combined volumes of about 4 million tonnes and sales of Rs. 10,000 crores.The vision that inspires HUL's 32,400 employees (40,000 including Grou p Companies), including about 1,425 managers, is to â€Å"meet everyday needs of people everywhere – to anticipate the aspirations of our consumers and customers and to respond creatively and competitively with branded products and services which raise the quality of life. † This objective is achieved through the brands that the company markets. Business nature HUL is India's largest marketer of Soaps, Detergents and Home Care products. It has the country’s largest Personal Products business, leading in Shampoos, Skin Care Products, Colour Cosmetics, and Deodorants.HUL is also the market leader in Tea, Processed Coffee, branded Wheat Flour, Tomato Products, Ice cream, Soups, Jams and Squashes. HUL is also one of the country's biggest exporters and has been recognized as a Golden Super Star Trading House by the Government of India; it is a net foreign exchange earner. HUL is India's largest exporter of branded fast moving consumer goods. The company's Exports por tfolio includes HUL's brands of Soaps and Detergents, Personal Products, Home Care Products, Tea and Coffe Market leading brands HUL’s brands have become household names. The company’s strategy is to oncentrate its resources on 30 national power brands, and 10 other brands which are strong in certain regions. The top five brands together account for sales of over Rs. 3000 crores. Some of the big brands in Soaps and Detergents are Lifebuoy, Lux, Liril, Hamam, Breeze, Dove, (all soaps), Surf Excel, Surf, Rin, Wheel (the number one detergent brand in India, and HUL's largest), 501, Sunlight (all detergents). HUL also markets the Vim and Domex range of Home Care Products. In the Personal Products business, HUL's Hair Care franchises are Clinic, Sunsilk and Lux shampoos; the company markets Nihar oil.In Oral Care, the portfolio comprises Close-up and Pepsodent toothpastes and toothbrushes. In Skin Care, HUL markets Fair & Lovely Skin Cream and Lotion, the largest selling Sk in Care Product in India; a brand developed in India, it is now exported to over 30 countries. It has been extended as an Ayurvedic cream, an under-eye cream, a soap and a talc, in line with the strategy to take brands across relevant categories. The other major Skin Care franchises are Pond’s, Vaseline, Lakme and Pears. In Colour Cosmetics, HUL markets the Lakme and Elle-18 ranges.In Deodorants, the key brands are Rexona, Axe, Denim and Pond's, while the Talc brands are Pond's, Liril, Fair & Lovely, Vaseline and Lifebuoy. Axe and Denim are HUL’s franchises for Men’s toiletries. SWOT ANALYSIS OF HUL STRENGTHS: ? strong brand portfolio ? consumer understanding ? R ability ? distribution reach ? high quality manpower WEAKNESSES: ? Increased consumer spends on education, consumer durable, entertainment, travel, etc resulting in lower share of wallet for FMCG ? limited success in changing the eating habits of people complex supply chain configuration and unwieldy nu mber of stock keeping units (SKUs) with dispersed manufacturing locations ? price positioning in some categories that allows for low price competition and high social costs in the plantation business. OPPORTUNITIES: ? market and brand growth through increased penetration especially in rural areas ? brand growth through increased consumption depth and frequency of usage across all categories. ? upgrading consumers through innovation to new levels of quality and performance. ? emerging modern trade to be effectively used for introduction of more upscale personal care products. growing consumption in out of home categories. ? Positioning HUL as a sourcing hub for Unilever companies elsewhere and leveraging the latest IT technologies. THREATS: ? low-priced competition now being present in all categories ? grey imports ? spurious/counterfeit products in rural areas and small towns ? Changes in fiscal benefits and unfavorable prices in oils, tea commodity, etc. DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AT HUL Diversity and inclusion is about creating a work force that represents the global communities in which we live and work and ensuring an environment in which every individual’s contributions are valued.A diverse and inclusive environment challenges our way of thinking by bringing together a variety of talents, backgrounds and experiences, and serves as a catalyst for new ideas and innovation. Discovering and developing the best ways to make our differences work – for the good of our enterprise, our employees, our vendors and our communities – is an ongoing process. We believe that these contributions and differences drive our competitive business advantage, stimulate personal growth and ultimately create success for the company.In our most recent employee opinion survey, ConocoPhillips maintained a high level of satisfaction for creating an environment where people with diverse backgrounds can succeed. [pic] |2009 Global Diversity Metrics – HINDUSTAN U NILEVER | |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Leadership  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All Employees | |Women  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  12. 4%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   23. % | |Non-U. S. Employees   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   12. 9%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   33. 2% | |2 009 U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Statistics   | |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Officials and Managers  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Professionals | |Women  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15. 1%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   28. %  Ã‚  Ã‚   | |Minorities  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   11. 9%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã ‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   17. 7% | Our diversity and inclusion statement captures our commitment to creating an inclusive work environment. Managers and supervisors are instrumental in developing and progressing global diversity and inclusion initiatives. In 2008, this was reinforced and renewed by communication from our CEO to employees about the importance of enhancing our focus on people through four key areas: Development – Providing career-long learning and development opportunities that maximize every employee’s potential and performance. †¢ Retention – Valuing all employees’ contributions; and providing challenging and rewarding jobs, as well as competitive compensation that is linked to performance. †¢ Recruiting – Hiring the best talent from around the world to support our global operations. †¢ Global Outreach – Partnering with professional organiza tions that can both help us in how we approach diversity and provide us greater access to diverse talent in our recruiting efforts.Our businesses and corporate staffs incorporate People Plans into their five-year operating plans. These plans include the strategies and tactics that are needed to ensure the optimum workforce size and capability over time. We monitor the progress on our People Plans twice a year to help drive accountability. We review demographic information on nationalization, recruiting, attrition, promotion, and the identification and development of future leaders. These metrics plus the efforts taken are used to assess progress and ensure that operating plans are successfully executed.The results of these metrics and efforts are assessed and tied to the performance-based incentives for managers and supervisors. Employee network groups exist globally and play an important role toward achieving the company’s long-term diversity and inclusion objectives. Each g roup is sponsored by a senior executive and is empowered to determine their key activities, while also providing input for the company's diversity and inclusion programs. For example, in our Houston headquarters, networks are established to support women, people of African descent, Asian-Americans and Hispanics.These groups meet regularly to network, develop professional skills and support community activities. Beginning in 2009, employee network groups will be integrally involved in the company's recruiting activities. To provide further access to best practices, innovative thinking and talent, in 2009, the company has formed strategic partnerships with five diverse professional organizations representing the African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic, and female professional communities. Arrangements also have been established with six new diversity job boards.We anticipate that these partnerships and arrangements will increase our access to a more diverse talent pool, and will su pplement existing external relationships already maintained by our businesses around the world. Ethnic background of the workforce in the companies [pic] Additionally, employees have participated in external diversity programs in order to enhance their professional development, and cultivate new ideas and share them with their colleagues. In July 2008, interested employees ttended the Black Woman’s Leadership Summit, which offered a unique networking opportunity with global decision-makers, challenged attendees to further develop critical skills, and defined specific tools to use to assure their career success. The 2008 Asian Leadership Summit was attended by employees who gained insight into how global companies are leveraging and growing their Asian leadership talent. The Summit also highlighted Asia’s expanding markets and work force, and several speakers addressed how cultural traditions impact their professional and personal life.To help employees achieve balance between work and their personal health and well-being, ConocoPhillips offers a number of programs in different parts of the world, including: flexible work schedules, corporate wellness, educational assistance, local volunteer programs, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and family-friendly corporate events. Individual locations also provide other programs based on local employee needs and cultural expectations. As an example, to promote greater diversity, inclusion and work/life balance, the Australian business unit created a work environment that provides increased employment flexibility.The program includes flexible work schedules and paid maternity and paternity leave provisions, and has been successful in encouraging more women to consider engineering, geoscience and geodata roles. In late 2008, HUL was recognized by the HUL Government with the Business Achievement Award for Outstanding Workplace Flexibility and internally with a SPIRIT Award for their efforts to promote a m ore inclusive workplace. Hindustan Lever created Shakti, a direct-to-consumer sales distribution network to reach millions of consumers in remote villages in India.Shakti taps into women's self-help groups and has been successful for both the company and women entrepreneurs. Started in 2003, the Shakti network has grown to over 45,000 micro-entrepreneurs selling products in 100,000 villages in India. The model creates profitable micro-enterprise opportunities. Armed with micro-credit, women from self-help groups become Shakti Entrepreneurs: direct-to-home distributors in rural markets. This micro-enterprise offers low risks and steady returns. The products distributed are some of the country's most trusted brands of consumer goods, nd include a range of mass-market products especially relevant to rural consumers. The company invests resources in training the entrepreneurs, helping them become confident, independent businesswomen. A typical entrepreneur earns a sustained monthly inco me of US$60 on average. As most of these women live below the poverty line in extremely small villages, this earning is very significant, often doubling household income. Further, this income is totally incremental as a woman entrepreneur spends about five hours a week on this initiative without compromising other economic activities.The company provides regular support to the entrepreneurs by providing on-the job and classroom training. Various social activities like medical camps and education programs are run with the intention of increasing the credentials of Shakti Entrepreneurs in the village and enhancing the standard of life of the rural community. After its success in India, the model was replicated in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka as Joyeeta and Saubhagya respectively, followed by a similar initiative in Vietnam, as strategic and long term cooperation between Unilever Vietnam Foundation and the Viet Nam Women Union.Hindustan Unilever also started in 2003 the Fair & Lovely Found ation, which aims at economic empowerment of women across India by providing information, resources and support in the areas of education, career and enterprise. It specifically targets women from low-income groups. The Foundation awards scholarships to women with aptitude, drive and the ambition to carve a place of pride for themselves in society who do not have the financial strength to realize their dreams. Since 2003, over 500 scholarships have been awarded to women from across India LITRATURE REVIEWThroughout the 1990's, diversity continued to be about the numbers of different kinds of people in the workforce as a whole and at each level. Diversity staffs tried to increase the number of people of color and women in their organizations. They saw this primarily as a hiring task. During that decade, the definition of diversity expanded. Diversity came to include many dimensions beyond gender and race: age, class, disability, ethnicity, family situation, religion, and sexual orient ation. Companies started to pay attention to their representation of all these groups.It became clear over the years that it was not enough to focus on hiring alone. It became important to retain â€Å"diverse† workers, as well. Some organizations were astonished to learn that after years of effort, they had fewer African Americans than they had earlier. Companies became aware that for the most part the upper ranks of their organizations remained heavily white and predominately male. These were the years when companies offered diversity awareness training and diversity skills training to help their newly diverse employees work well together.It's the culture Today, in the 2000's, as organizations try to retain diverse employees in their workforce, companies have started looking at the quality of these employees' experience in the organization. Do employees in all groups and categories feel comfortable and welcomed in the organization? Do they feel included and do they experien ce the environment as inclusive? To answer these questions, diversity staffs need to assess their environment and identify the barriers to inclusion, whether they are practices, policies, or the informal culture of the organization.Having identified barriers, the job of the diversity staff is to change the company culture and to create an inclusive workplace environment. Systems and policies As inclusion becomes the focus of diversity work, the attention switches to the systems, policies and practices of the company. Several systems influence the degree to which the climate is inclusive: †¢ Communications †¢ Work assignment †¢ Training and education †¢ Performance management †¢ Mentoring †¢ Coaching †¢ Hiring †¢ Career development †¢ Flexible work arrangements; and †¢ Managers' accountability.Companies that are known for their inclusive climate do not rely on the goodwill of their managers but work hard so that each organizational sy stem is equitable. Once barriers are identified, they take action to address them. Each system is analyzed to determine the degree to which it provides equitable access and benefits to all employees. Creating an inclusive environment: a case study Here is an example of how one company addressed inclusion issues. A division of an institute in the defense industry had the reputation of not being welcoming to women.For years, they had experienced difficulty in both hiring and retaining female employees at all levels but particularly in the highest ranks of management. For years they clung to the idea that what they needed to do was to hire two or three high-level women. But to their chagrin, as soon as they would hire a new high-level female executive, it seemed one of the other high-level women would resign. At first they explained these recurrent departures in terms of the personalities of the women – â€Å"She has family problems,† â€Å"She is too aggressive,† or â€Å"She is too timid. Gradually it dawned on them that these resignations were not about the women, they were about the culture and the organizational climate. This led to a whole new strategy. The director of the division created a Diversity Task Force to suggest and implement changes that would create a more inclusive workplace in order to support the efforts to recruit and retain women. The Task Force was supported with resources and time for its work. Guided by an organizational consultant and working in small action teams, they first conducted a series of focus groups to identify the issues and concerns of women in the division.Then they moved into action, devising a number of changes and short-term projects to address the important issues. As soon as a team implemented a change or completed a project, they took on another. Here are some of their accomplishments over the first two years: †¢ They created a buddy system for all new employees †¢ Senior Managers hos ted a series of lunches to meet lower-level women engineers and learn about their projects †¢ All brochures about the division were revised to include pictures of women †¢ They created a ebsite where articles about women in the workplace were posted †¢ They developed a special relationship with a women's engineering college, inviting students from that college to come on-site for field trips and setting up summer internships for women undergraduate engineers †¢ They instituted networking and professional development events for women †¢ Senior managers attended two training programs, â€Å"Men and Women Working Together† and â€Å"Flexibility. Two of their learnings about creating an inclusive climate were: 1) It doesn't take huge amounts of money to make significant progress; and 2) Changing an organizational culture is about doing many small things, not one or two big things. In reality, as this story attests, creating an inclusive environment is ab out a hundred small changes. As you look at your own organization, ask yourself: What are we doing, in ways large or small, to move from yesterday's diversity to today's need for inclusion?In a knowledge economy, it is people—not capital or market—who make all the difference. As talent occupies centre stage in the Indian workplace, managing and retaining manpower is becoming crucial to an organization's success. To achieve this, companies across sectors are focusing on some of the more critical HR practices. We identify 10 such trends: Leadership Development Creating a pipeline of leadership talent is key to a business' future growth.Peter Cappelli, the George W Taylor professor of management and director of the Center for Human Resources, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, says it is imperative for the top level of an organization to make leadership talent management a priority, and put its money into long-term plans, as opposed to short-term ones. If com panies are worried about their talent pipeline, they have to develop their people, says Cappelli.Also, good bench strength helps companies deal with volatility in labour supply. â€Å"Companies including Hindustan Unilever, Procter and Gamble and GlaxoSmithKline have been able to withstand attrition in key executives because they have always invested in developing leaders,† says P. Dwarakanath, president, National Human Resource Development Network. Experts say succession planning should not be seen in isolation, but as part of overall organizational development. Work-life BalanceNo company or employee has found the Holy Grail of balancing work and life, but that is a work in progress. However, multinationals, information technology (IT) and IT enabled services (ITeS) companies have been able to promote the balance between career, family and leisure-time better. Other sectors have also been increasingly promoting a work-life balance. Interestingly, most companies in India use benefits such as flexible timings, telecommuting, creche facilities and concierge services as an attraction and retention strategy. We are yet to fully buy into the fact that employees become more productive and remain motivated when companies allow them to have a life beyond work,† says Prabir Jha, global head, human resources, Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. Experts say companies should see the work-life balance as a business proposition since progressive companies carry business forward with employees and families. Inclusion and Diversity With higher numbers of Gen Yers joining the workforce in India at a time when companies across the world have an ageing workforce on their rolls, conflicts are to be expected. One of the challenges companies face today is resolving conflicts among different generations,† says Pavan Bhatia, executive director, human resources, PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt. Ltd. â€Å"An inclusive and diverse workforce is the future of the workplace,† he adds. Therefore, companies are investing both time and resources in ensuring that all age groups are comfortable working together. Organizations in India have also been focusing on making workplaces more representative.For companies such as ICICI Bank Ltd, Hindustan Unilever Ltd, Vedanta Resources, PepsiCo India, Shell Companies in India and Bharti Airtel Ltd, gender diversity has become a critical area of focus. â€Å"Diversity is a business imperative since it brings diverse skills, ideas and approach to an organization,† says Pallavi Tyagi, general manager, human resources, EI DuPont India Pvt. Ltd. Health and wellness The work culture at globalized workplaces involves long working hours, frequent travel, multitasking and tight deadlines—and all this often leaves employees mentally and physically stressed. Employees are increasingly grappling with lifestyle-related diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and cholesterol, which can be checked by regular monitor ing and a healthy lifestyle,† says A. Sudhakar, executive vice-president, human resources, Dabur India. Companies have begun to realize that healthy employees contribute to higher efficiency and productivity. Apart from medical benefits, companies are also offering yoga classes and health camps and have doctors on campus. HCL Technologies Ltd, for instance, like many other IT companies, has 24/7 medical facilities in all its centres.DuPont has an Intranet-based tool, which assesses an employee's health through a questionnaire and makes recommendations based on the scores. Right Skilling Right skilling, or matching jobs with a particular level of training rather than hiring overskilled workers, is gaining currency. Companies use this strategy to tide over a manpower supply crunch and to broaden their talent base. â€Å"You don't need an IITian to supervise a car maker's shop floor or a management graduate from a premier business school to sell soaps, which largely has been the case,† says T.V. Mohandas Pai, head, human resources, Infosys Technologies Ltd. Apart from IT and ITeS firms, organizations in the banking and financial services sector, too, have been increasingly hiring graduates and training them. The upside? Lower attrition rates and wage costs. Pai explains that when you have an over-qualified employee, it is very difficult to meet her aspiration levels and, therefore, the chances of the employee moving on to something more challenging are higher. Managing Solid Citizens Solid citizens† are the second-rung performers who make up 50-60% of employees in any organization. They are the backbone of any company. Although they contribute significantly to the company's overall performance, they don't have the potential to become leaders. â€Å"Unfortunately, most organizations focus on the 15-20% key talent at the expense of solid citizens,† says Dwarakanath. Organizations which neglect their solid citizens are doing this at their o wn peril, say experts.Unlike star performers who are potential leaders, and therefore more likely to move out of an organization faster, this group provides stability and bench strength to an organization. Experts say companies need to take a fresh look at solid citizens and invest time and resources in managing and developing this group Instant Rewards Recognizing and rewarding performers is one of the most effective tools to attract and retain the right talent. Companies in India are looking at rewards systems more seriously, and are adopting total rewards practices that include compensation in both cash and kind.Apart from lifestyle perquisites such as a house, a car or a club membership, profit-linked incentives, deferred gratuity, and wealth-building programmes in the form of stock options and soft loans, companies are also including work-life balance programmes; competency pay packages where niche skills are compensated; and career opportunities, such as overseas assignments, new projects, etc. , to reward staff. These rewards can be tailored to suit the top performers' aspirations to achieve maximum effect. Measuring human capitalEvaluation of performance plays a key role, not just in rewarding an individual employee, but also in setting performance benchmarks. And hence, the need for a fair and transparent performance management system. A strong performance analysis helps make human resources both efficient and effective. â€Å"In today's business environment, where the focus is on increasing performance, companies must have robust systems to identify performers so that the best performers get identified, recognized and duly rewarded,† says Ganesh Shermon, partner and head, human capital advisory service, KPMG India.Shermon cites the example of oil and gas company Bharat Petroleum Ltd, which has instituted a balanced scorecard based on key result areas to measure performance. Managing Aspirations As aspirations of organizations grow, so do those of employees. And, with the changing lifestyles and profiles of the workforce, personal and professional aspirations of employees are not just varied, but are increasingly on the rise. â€Å"Since competitive advantage depends on competent people, knowing what employees aspire for could just be the way to have an edge over competitors,† says Kishore Poduri, head, human resources, eClerxServices Ltd. Experts say people as well as organizations have aspirations, and when the two get aligned, achieving business goals becomes easier. Dwarakanath suggests companies should be clear about goals of individuals as well as of the organization, and the role each needs to play. The firm should also communicate the goals, and have robust and reliable processes to execute them, he adds. 360 degrees feedback Finally, recognizing the need to make performance appraisal systems more effective, an increasing number of companies are using the 360 degrees or multi-rater feedback process.Unlike t he traditional appraisal system, which gives unidimensional feedback, this one allows an employee to give feedback to her reporting manager, peers, direct reports and others. â€Å"Multi-rater feedback not only reduces the risk of biased perceptions, but also gives you a holistic view from all the stakeholders within the company,† says Sanjay Bali, vice-president, HR, Samsung India Electronics Pvt. Ltd. While most companies started using this system as a means for performance appraisal, most of them now use the 360 degrees feedback system to identify the learning and development needs of employees.This section of the review of literature focuses on the concept of Social Style as developed by Merrill and Reid (1981). The section begins with the history of the development of Social Style through Merrill and Reid. The next section focuses on the progression of Social Style since its conception. The origins of Social Style theories are found among the American Behaviorists of the 1950s and 1960s. During this time the field of psychology underwent a shift towards behaviorism and away from psychoanalysis. This shift on the part of psychologists was an attempt to demonstrate that their research was grounded in rigorous cientific principles and worthy of serious consideration within the broader scientific community (Merrill & Reid, 1981). Behavior and interaction were easily observed, manipulated and, most importantly, quantified. The concept of Social Style developed from theories that were evolving during this time period (Merrill & Reid, 1981). In the 1950s the United States Office of Naval Research, working in conjunction with researchers from Ohio State University, articulated a theory of style as a result of their attempts to discover the components of effective leadership (Merrill & Reid, 1981).Researchers developed a list of descriptive behaviors, then asked various people to identify those behaviors they felt demonstrated good leadership. In the end, 1 50 behaviors were identified as characteristic behaviors of good leadership. Factor analysis was done to organize the terms into categories. â€Å"Next, several questionnaires were developed to determine which factor characterized the best leader, but no reliable results were obtained† (Merrill & Reid, 1981, p. 41). Fred Fiedler determined that the research was flawed because it examined eadership in a vacuum. He decided to take context into consideration. His research concluded that effective styles of leadership vary depending upon different situations (Merrill & Reid, 1981). From this background research Merrill and Reid began to study the concept of style in the 1960s. They borrowed a questionnaire that was developed in the early 1960s by James Taylor, a staff psychologist at a large corporation. Taylor developed his questionnaire by asking corporate employees to mark the adjectives that they felt described their own behavior.Through testing he narrowed his original list from 2331 adjectives to 150 adjectives. Through factor analysis of the responses to the narrowed adjective checklist, Taylor found a tendency for clustering of adjectives. He then developed five scales that took into account this clustering effect. The original five scales of human behavior were â€Å"1) self-confident; 2) considerate; 3) conforming; 4) thoughtful; and 5) rigid†. With Taylor’s permission, Merrill and Reid adapted his research and worked towards creating what is now known as Social Style.Conforming to the behaviorist thought of the day, Merrill and Reid altered the way that respondents answered the questionnaire. Instead of marking adjectives describing one’s own behavior, others were asked to report on the subject. This method would be more like clinical research in that it would provide only observable patterns of behavior. Another change Merrill and Reid made was to do a second factor analysis, where they found significant clustering around on ly three scales rather than five. The scales that would from then on determine Social Style were 1) assertiveness, 2) responsiveness, and 3) versatility.As defined by Merrill and Reid (1981) assertiveness is the tendency one has to â€Å"ask† or â€Å"tell† in an effort to influence the decisions of others; responsiveness is a dimension that indicates whether a person â€Å"emotes† or â€Å"controls† feelings. Assertiveness and responsiveness were then put together to become the two scales that form the Social Style Profile, a questionnaire designed to determine Social Style. It is important to note the third scale, versatility. This third dimension of human behavior is not affected by the other two. It often is tested separately.Merrill and Reid even provide a separate questionnaire for determining an individual’s versatility. Versatility is determined by the amount of endorsement, approval of behavior, that we receive from others with whom we int eract. Since it is a separate dimension that does not effect how an individual is plotted within the orthogonal Social Style matrix, this study will not look at the effects of an individual’s level of versatility. Further research may want to investigate the sex-role effects on an individual’s level of versatility.Psychometric properties: As discussed earlier, psychometric properties include an instrument’s reliability and validity. Because Social Style questionnaires have been used primarily in a corporate environment rather than an academic one, information regarding the psychometric properties of Social Style measures is limited and contradictory. Most corporations that sell these instruments make claims about the reliability and validity of the instruments that often are not confirmed by independent research.Although there has been little research regarding the psychometric properties of these scales, they continue to be used widely by corporations. With thi s deficit in mind I suggest that data gathered during the present study should be used to conduct tests for reliability and validity on the Social Style instrument. Only continued testing of these instruments will allow for certainty of their ability to do what they are designed to do. The next section will look at the applications of Social Style.With hot topics like globalization and cross-cultural opportunities in the Asia Pacific rim, one might think it would be easy to research the implications of cross cultural issues. Rather, what the writer found was a significant discussion all around the periphery but little in-depth analysis. Discussion prevailed on the socio-economic and technological ramifications. Others resources focused on the language issues but little work was intuitively available on the subtleties of cross cultural issues one may encounter.Based on experience working in the Asia Pacific rim for two years as a PMO Manager, and training PM’s in many European countries, I decided that understanding international socio-cultural issues encountered in business is essentially at the heart of the issues companies will encounter in globalizing operations. Therefore, the writer will approach the crosscultural issues from a personalized understanding based on his many months of first hand mistakes in understanding cultural issues encountered in Asia Pacific.I will base my observations of cross-cultural issues on my experiences in working most closely with individuals from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and India. Naturally there are more countries in the Pacific Rim but these mentioned provided the most opportunity for interaction. I want to also acknowledge the contributions of my wife, Helena Shiu Leung Chow Ballow, whom I initially met in Asia. Her wisdom, coaching, and meaningful insights on the many differences between Western and Eastern business and cultural practices were, and remain till this day, illuminating, h elpful and daunting.Clearly we all understand to some degree the impact of cultural issues in communications. If nothing else, we have encountered situations where language was the barrier. But language may be the smallest of the issues when dealing with other cultures. Even when we pull out our Translation Guides or employ translators we may get pass some of the language difficulties. But from the writer’s experience, language is the least of the issues. Ingrained and systemic patterns of cultural behaviours can be so subtle as to completely deny meaningful communications.I found a really good example of just how easily cultural variances can cause communications problems. In this case the issues was â€Å"psychological filtering† of appearance or gesture. I would think is would also be easy for the reader to extrapolate this example into some experiences that may have encountered even in the West. Timofeev (2002), in an article in National Concepts and Globalization, provided the following example: â€Å"The idea or rather the hypothesis that underlies this paper was stimulated by a trivial chat with a friend of mine.Being a linguist by trade, Russian by origin and living in Finland, she is well aware of cross-cultural discrepancies and provided me with a curious example. It was a TV commercial of an international brand of Persil washing powder. Two young ladies were shown sitting in a crowded place, some restaurant or a cafe. One of the ladies notices quite a peculiar manner her friend has chosen to wear her wristwatch. It was placed above the cuff of her blouse. It turned out in a second that the only reason for placing her watch there was to cover some stain that regular detergents failed to deal with. Oh dear, you should use Persil instead! † When multinationals develop into or with other countries there may be an assumption that because everyone within the company is working for the same goals and to the same values, they will autom atically communicate, think and view the world in the same way. When multiple cultures begin working together, problems or difficulties arise that many people within these companies are not skilled or adept enough to deal with effectively. This can simply be because they've never had to deal with the issue before. Language is often the least difficult barrier to breach.When we know there may be language differences, we have a greater awareness of the potential for problems. However, much more often it's a completely different way of seeing things and an inability, or unwillingness, to see what the other person is seeing that causes the difficulties. Misunderstanding is the norm At Impact Factory we say that ‘misunderstanding is the norm'. We assume that because the other person knows our language (or we know theirs) that we speak the same language. Often we don't. Even when our ‘Mother' tongue is the same, we don't speak it the same way.When we work with other cultures, it's easy to be influenced by common stereotypes, misconceptions and prejudices about our new colleagues. Without realising it, we carry those misconceptions and stereotypes into meetings, conferences, trainings or even social gatherings that can make communication difficult and hard work. In our own culture (where we feel at ‘home'), we are all individuals with a host of differences; yet there are so many similarities that the differences can seem negligible. There appears to be more in common than may actually be so, but somehow we absorb and adjust to the differences.When we are abroad, or even in our own home territory working with others from abroad, the differences are far more apparent and it becomes much harder to see the similarities. ‘Home' is that place where we feel most comfortable. The landscape looks familiar and we know the signposts that tell us where we are. When we are away from ‘home' we may try to recreate that landscape: we surround ourselves with people who are like us; we join clubs where we're all similar; we may even try to get the ‘aliens' to be more like us so that we feel more comfortable.Not only that, if we start having difficulties with someone, it seems easier to focus on the differences and to start gathering ‘evidence' to support our case about how difficult they are, than to look for the common ground which might lead to a resolution. We might even create a hurdle out of a hillock! Changing you to change others Life would certainly be a lot simpler if other people would just shape up and see things our way! As ridiculous as that statement looks when written out, that is often what we think when things aren't going well, particularly when communication starts breaking down.We wait for the other person to change so we’ll be all right (‘If only he'd listen to me I'd be fine. ‘ ‘If only she'd be clearer I could get my work done more efficiently. ‘). All of us at some t ime or another have thought something similar. The reality is: the only person you can change is you. When you are the ‘interloper' you can't afford to wait for the other person to change and see things your way. If you are in trouble and it feels as though people won't meet you halfway, unless you change and do something different, communication will continue to disintegrate.Even if you aren't the interloper but are working at ‘home' with someone from another culture, waiting for the other person to change could mean a long wait. The really good news The really good news is that something can be done about these difficulties that doesn't require you to change everything about you. It is far easier to make small adjustments, tweaks and fine-tunings in order to become a more effective and aware communicator when working cross-culturally. On an Impact Factory Cross-Cultural programme delegates:Examine how to look after themselves whilst changing the outcome of difficult or complex communications. Practise how to be in charge of the way communication happens. Look at some of the things that separate cultures and create unnecessary misunderstanding. Discover how they can adapt their behaviour without being in conflict with who they are. A Cross-Cultural Programme looks at: †¢ Diversity of Difference Terms of Reference and Language Assumptions Projection and Perception Images (media, historical) Beliefs and Traditions Avoiding Avoidance Finding Common Ground Spheres of Influence Blame vs.What CAN I do Conflict Resolution and Negotiation (Creating Win/Win solutions) Dealing with Misunderstandings Getting what you want Delegate's specific situations and difficulties Companies that have asked us to include material on cross-cultural issues have been concerned that the vital work of their companies can get compromised (or at least, slowed down) if problems (or potential problems) are not brought into the open and addressed. For instance, Nokia Communic ations knows that there are communication issues between Finland and Britain, because in general Finns and Brits communicate differently sometimes very differently). People from each culture think they are making adjustments and accommodations to suit the other, but those changes are not necessarily the ones that are needed: they are often the ones that people assume are needed! Impact Factory would be pleased to provide a complete proposal with a more detailed outline of the course content. Naturally, a full day's training will provide a comprehensive look at the issues involved. However, Impact Factory is able to offer a Cross-Cultural Programme in a four-hour module to individuals who already communicate at a relatively high level.I will present the materials in a table format such that it may be easier to digest. A simple summary provided by Bhagat et al (2002 provides a good stepping-stone for analysis of the cross-cultural issues: Cross-border transfer of organizational knowle dge is most effective in terms of both velocity and viscosity when the type of knowledge (i. e. , human, social, or structured) being transferred is simple, explicit, and independent and when such transfers involve similar cultural contexts.In contrast, transfer is least effective when the type of knowledge being transferred is complex, tacit, and systemic and involves dissimilar cultural contexts. (p. 204) Table 1: Cross-cultural Implications – Asian (China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan) and the West [pic] †¢ [pic] [pic] Because most of the areas discussed in Table 1 also apply to Indian culture, we will only look at a few areas that are subtle variances in implications. This time I will ask the reader to think about the implications based on a review of Table 1. Let’s see if you have started to figure it out. [pic] [pic] Applications of Social StyleAt the time that Merrill and Reid developed Social Style they primarily focused on insurance sales agents as participants when developing their Social Style questionnaires. Since the development of the concept of Social Style, researchers have focused on determining other areas to which the concept of Social Style also would apply. This section will look at the applications for Social Style. Most research has looked at how Social Style can aid in organizational communication through training, consulting, and staff development. Other social science research has taken a more academic look at Social Style.This section will be divided into the areas of corporate application and social science research. Corporate application: The