Tanglewood Case Two

Tanglewood Case 2 Strategic Staffing (HR 594) Summer Session B [email  protected] com TANGLEWOOD CASE TWO ATT: Daryl Perrone After analyzing the data and performing an environmental scan it is clear that the demographics of Spokane, Washington will present you will problems filling vacancies based on the Equal Employment Opportunity requirements. Spokane is the second largest city in Washington and according to my research 84% of these people are white. The next largest minority group, Hispanic, is only at 5% and the third largest group is mixed races which is just 3. 8%.As you can see Tacoma, Washington is not very diverse and finding the enough competent employees from minority groups may be difficult given the fact that there are not that many to begin with. According to the Census Bureau, Tacoma’s percentages of non-white employment in both the fields of retail salespersons and first line supervisors for retail are low in comparison with the available workforce. This tel ls me that it is not just Tanglewood that is failing to hire minorities; the whole city of Tacoma needs to do a better job of increasing their minority incumbency percentages.Incumbency is a term used to describe that a position is being held and is often used by the human resource department to determine where and how demographic shifts are needed. Although your minority incumbency percent is well above the required 80% for department managers finding more minorities for positions with higher volumes of vacancy is going to be a huge problem. Your store associate minority incumbency percent is only at 65. 8% and in order to meet the requirements you need to do a better job of recruiting minorities to fill these positions. The percent of minority incumbency for shift leaders is also too low.As far as female incumbency percentages are concerned, the department manager position needs to be improved more than anything. It is quite clear that Tanglewood needs to hire more females for man agerial positions and more minorities for entry level positions. According to my gap analysis, next year you are going to be extremely short of store associates and filling these positions according to the EEO will be a difficult task. Tell your managers that they need to get busy and prepare to hire 3,995 people for store associate level positions. You will also need to hire quite a few department managers; a total of 156.As far as shift leaders are concerned, only 90 people are needed for this position. There will be staff overloads for both assistant store managers and store managers. This means that perhaps some people will need to be let go and when doing so I recommend that you keep in mind the low incumbency percentage for females in the manager positions. Also remember that more minorities are needed for both store associates and shift leaders. In order to balance out your employment structure more, I have come up with a simple statement of action for hiring for Washington n ext year.The most important thing seems to be solving your problem of maintaining store associates. This year, 41% of your store associates left your company and in order to decrease this percentage you need to make sure that the employees are being taken care of properly. Some methods to retain more employees are by giving them more opportunities for advancement within the company, increasing their benefits package, proving higher wages, etc. Too many people at the entry level are giving up and this improving your ability to retain employees will prove to be beneficial to the company.Another major plan of action is to fill in more of the entry level positions with minorities. Your incumbency percentage for this category is really low and if you don’t fix this problem you are going to be facing a load of issues with the EEO. Unlike your problem with promoting women to management positions, your problem with providing low entry jobs for minorities is one that will require rest ructuring and time. Although there are not a lot of minorities in the area to fill these positions it is your company’s duty to do a better job of recruiting minorities.This means that you will need to change your recruitment practices and perhaps extend beyond Tacoma to find talent. Realistically I don’t see Tanglewood meeting the demands for minority incumbency for the store associate position in a single year. Hiring internally gives the current employees more hope and will improve the problem you are facing with keeping your employees loyal to the company. Although focusing primarily on internal promotions decreases the chance of finding a stellar employee, it will solve a lot of the current problems your company is facing. I recommend that you promote current females and minorities internally.This will keep more low entry level employees motivated to stay and also improve your problems with incumbency percentages as well. Wood himself mentioned in a recent intervi ew with Business Monthly that, â€Å"Tanglewood really needs to slow down and take a hard look at our corporate culture†. He goes on by saying, â€Å"Right now, we need to consolidate and make sure we’re as close to the company’s original mission as we can be†. Taking this quote into consideration it is clear that the recent expansion increases have destroyed the relationship between the low level employees and Tanglewood.This does not merely apply to the Washington stores, but to rather the entire store as a whole. People are running in and out of this company and the only way to stop the large percentage of people quitting is by doing a better job of taking care of their needs. On a personal and professional level employees, especially at the low entry level, need to be Tanglewood’s top priority. Table 1. 1 Markov Analysis Information Transition probability matrix| Current year| | (1)| (2)| (3)| (4)| (5)| Exit| Previous year| (1) Store associate| 0. 53| 0. 06| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 41| | (2) Shift leader| 0. 00| 0. 50| 0. 16| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 4| | (3) Department manager| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 58| 0. 12| 0. 00| 0. 30| | (4) Assistant store manager| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 06| 0. 46| 0. 08| 0. 40| | (5) Store manager| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 66| 0. 34| | | Forecast of availabilities| Next year (projected)| | (1)| (2)| (3)| (4)| (5)| Exit| | | Current Workforce| | | | | | | Previous year| (1) Store associate| 8,500| 4505| 510| 0| 0| 0| 3485| | (2) Shift leader| 1,200| 0| 600| 192| 0| 0| 408| | (3) Department manager| 850| 0| 0| 493| 102| 0| 255| | (4) Assistant store manager| 150| 0| 0| 9| 69| 12| 60| | (5) Store manager| 50| 0| 0| 0| 0| 33| 17| | | | | | | | |Gap analysis| Next year (projected)| | | | (1)| (2)| (3)| (4)| (5)| | Year end total(column sum)| 4505| 1110| 694| 171| 55| | External hires needed (current workforce-total)| 3995| 90| 156| 0| 0| WORKS CITED 1. Table 1. 1 , Markov Analysis Information by Tanglewood Casebook to Accompany Staffing Organizations, 7e 2. Table 1. 2 Determining Availability by Tanglewood Casebook to Accompany Staffing Organizations, 7e 3. Table 1. 3 Comparing Incumbency to Availability and Annual Placement Goals, by Tanglewood Casebook to Accompany Staffing Organizations, 7e 4. †Spokane Population and Demographics. † Area Connect. MDNH Inc.

Marketing Plan analysis on Forever Living Products Essay

1.Summary This assignment will look at the existing marketing plan for the company Forever Living Products that focuses on the selling of aloe vera based products. The marketing plan will show how the company focuses on two areas – the consumer and the distributor. Both seem to be interlinked and both are important in the objective of the company. Furthermore, recommendations on shortfalls and lacking information will be made as to ensure that marketing is optimised and that this sales orientated company can improve on sales and profits. 2.Introduction and Background Founded in 1978 on little more than dreams and hard work, Forever Living is a multi-billion dollar company, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, that manufactures and sells dozens of wellness and beauty products. People from  all over the world, including South Africa, distribute these life-enhancing products, providing the opportunity to own an own business and secure a financial future with a proven plan. With over nine and a half million distributors in over 145 countries, Forever Living offers a once in a lifetime opportunity of living a healthier, wealthier life. The founder proposed a very simple business idea to his closest family and friends over thirty years ago. Offer consumable products to the public that are proven to promote lasting wellness and health—and do it in a personal way. Instead of dumping big bucks into traditional advertising, compensate anyone willing to share these products with their family and friends. In minimising traditional advertising, the company’s marketing plan was developed as seen in Addendum A . This marketing plan is very simple and focuses primarily on sales and promotion levels of sellers. Since 1978, very little changes were done to keep up with trends over the years. 3.Business Mission Forever Living believes their greatest legacy is what they do for others and how they do it. â€Å"We adhere to sustainable practices that let us work in harmony with the earth, leaving a more promising future to our children. We take great pride in our charity foundation, Forever Giving, because it allows us to help others around the world who has needs far greater than our own. We are taking ideas and turning them into reality. It is a part of our business that’s so deeply ingrained you could call it our culture. Working towards a brighter future is so much more than our duty—it’s truly our pleasure. Forever Living offers a unique opportunity where distributors are in business for themselves, but never by themselves.† 4.Objectives Seeing that the company primary focus is on sales, that is exactly what drives the objectives of the company. This is very clear in the current (unchanged) marketing plan still in use. The main objective is: Own your own business – You are in charge of your own destiny. Instead of making your boss rich, all the work you do actually benefits you. Thus, the company tries to empower ordinary people with the ability to own an income related to the amount of effort put into sales and marketing based on known and proven products and catering for people with the same values in life. A promotion scheme is followed where the distributor starts at entry level and then progress to higher levels determined by the amount of sales accomplished. It seems like primarily the focus is based on the total of sales obtained, but on the other hand a strong emphasis is placed on customer satisfaction. 5.SWOT Analysis Strengths – Being a company that has existed since 1978, it proves that this is no fly-by-night company. Sound records and proven results are in favour of establishing this company as a reputable business. Forever Living has a track record of more than 30 years of success. The company offer excellent training, seminars, incentives, and a support center. Forever Living is a company with an international presence that demonstrates stability, growth, and ample industry experience. Innovative, quality products speak of the credibility of the company. Weaknesses – Seeing that the Forever Living Company, on customer related issues, primarily makes use of word-of-mouth marketing, as well as drawing the majority of costumers from family and friends, it seems like this could lead to a potential gap in their marketing plan. On the side of distributors, it seems like there is limited protocols and measurements regarding the amount of sale being monitored and available for  scruitinising. Thus, it seems like whatever sales you submit per month is the only way of monitoring your own progress in the company. Opportunities – Although it could also be seen as a stumbling block, Forever Living Products utilise the opportunity to play the ecological card (which seems to be quite popular in recent trends) and puts a great deal of emphasis on being â€Å"green† and sustainable. As quoted they are: â€Å"- Accountable to the Environment Ever since Forever Living Products was founded in 1978, we’ve had the utmost respect for nature. – Not Just Greenwashing Our challenge to be more eco-friendly wasn’t based on following fads or silencing critics. In 2006 we launched a formal environmental sustainability program to challenge ourselves to do more. We designated two areas where we could improve: * Waste Generation * Waste Recovery Since we began monitoring our progress we have reduced our waste by 50% and increased our recycling from 26% to 61%. – Our Carbon Footprint When it comes to the efficiency of converting CO2 into oxygen, 20 aloe plants are equal to one tree. With over 40 million aloe vera plants in our plantations, our Aloe Vera of America plantations actually cleanse the earth of 2 million tons of CO2 every year!† https://www.foreverliving.com/marketing/Page.do?name=sustainability Threats – Looking at the global economy, this could be a factor in reduced sales as Forever Living Products might be costly for costumers in countries (third-world countries) that are struggling economically. Few competition threats in relation to the product itself are known of as aloe vera products  are limited by resources (aloe plants mostly grow in arid/ desert areas). Also, the amount of aloe vera in the base product makes this product range unrivaled by most other products. 6.Competitive Advantage For consumers, the Forever Living Company’s product range is solely based on Aloe Vera products, which are divided into health drinks, nutritional supplements, weight management products and cosmetic / personal care products. This alone already gives the company a unique foothold on the health and beauty market – a fresh approach with a definitive product focus. As for distributors, Forever Living also has the advantage of a multi-level â€Å"step-up† promotion scheme for distributors where you can reach a certain level and not â€Å"degrade† once you have reached that level. With this being said, other advantages are: Owning your own business – You are in charge of your own destiny. Instead of making your boss rich, all the work you do actually benefits you. Little risk and no overhead costs – Traditional brick-and-mortar businesses cost tens of thousands of dollars to establish, not to mention a bank loan that will take you decades to repay. Starting your home-based business with Forever Living only costs you a few hundred dollars. No salary cap – Corporate jobs limit your pay range based on a market standard. With Forever Living, there is no cap on how much you earn. The harder you work, the more money you make. Residual Income – Perhaps the greatest benefit is that the multi-level marketing strategy offers lasting income. You as a distributor will always earn commissions on distributors you introduce to Forever Living, continually reaping the benefits of your hard work. 7.Marketing Strategy 7a). Target Market As the company’s unique product – aloe vera – is linked to many health and cosmetic benefits, it is a product that is sellable to virtually anyone. The target market is generally based on friends and/ or family buying from the distributor. This is not limited though to the above mentioned, but also includes people that have the urge or need to better their lives by living more healthy and doing so in reaching out to products (like Forever Living Products) that could sustain and/or improve that kind of living. Because of the relative high pricing linked to these products, one would classify the core target market as middle to high income groups. Being a sales orientated business, distributors are however expected to contact as many as potential â€Å"consumers† to sell to and build up enough credit points (as part of the sales plan) to earn their compensation/rewards. Although a fair deal of business comprise of new business, a large part of sustaining and re-enforcing selling targets is based on repetitive sales from previous customers. 7b). Positioning The positioning basically rest on aforementioned health and cosmetic benefits – to improve your way of life. With few competitors supplying specifically (certified) aloe vera products (keeping in mind that at least 75% of the base product must comprise of aloe vera), Forever Living has created a niche market and a unique selling opportunity. 7c). Marketing Mix Marketing to potential customers basically comprises of launch events, word-of-mouth and sample tests conducted in various environments suitable to potential customers. In this instance distributors seem to gather a group of people and thus present the products to various potential customers. This type of approach seem to work well in that people in numbers agreeing on an issue would more likely be proned to buying and thus push up the sale quota. As for distributors, Forever Living Products provides them with a simple, proven cycle that guarantees your success. If the distributor and their team members follow the steps in this cycle, there is no limit to how large their business will become and how much money you will earn. 1. Purchase a Business Pak 2. Develop a personal selling/marketing plan 3. Set your foundation by retailing four case credits per month 4. Follow up with your clients and prospects 5. Present the business opportunity 6. Sponsor new team members and guide them through the cycle i)Product Since the foundation in 1978, Forever Living Products markets extensively aloe vera based products. They pride themselves in claiming at least 75% of the base product consists of this core ingredient. Thus all products marketed are said to contribute to the health and cosmetic (e.g. skin care) satisfaction of their customers. Over the years, with the trend of energy drinks that became popular in recent years, the company made sure that the products offered also includes these trends. Focusing on a better living, the name Forever Living Products leans quite suitably towards what the company tries to â€Å"sell† – a longer, better, healthier life. The company also offers a full refund and/ or replacement of products without any disputes. What has been noted in delivery service is that customer service in this regard is very sufficient and fast – 2 days delivery since placing an order to delivery on your doorstep. ii)Place Forever Living took a stance on the fact that they want to assist ordinary people to â€Å"own† their own businesses. As Forever Living Products markets primarily through the use of family and friends and word-of-mouth, it seems that there could be a gap in utilizing other means of distribution. However, it is also understandable that the company would like to empower distributors (without the necessity of holding a large stock reserve) and thus ensure that even the smallest distributor would be able to make a  living. This would furthermore project the products as being more exclusive – not being able to walk into your nearest shop and pick it off the shelf, and in this way â€Å"justify† the price of the product. The home company is situated in Arizona, United States. The South African setup with four distributor outlets services distributors all over South Africa. iii)Promotion As mentioned earlier, products are primarily marketed by means of word-of-mouth, friends and family. Other means of marketing and advertising includes internet advertisements and online testimonials. All of these are rather inexpensive marketing tools being utilised. Through these channels is seems that there is sufficient affirmation to uphold the reputation of the products offered. However, with these channels used it seems to be difficult to obtain a clear estimation of the effectiveness of these efforts. On actual selling by distributors there is no clear indication of time spend, the only indication that could be used as a measure is the sum of â€Å"case credits†. Case credits determine the effective selling of a distributor. The more case credits accumulated during a month, the higher the incentives and possibility to progress to another level (often with even better incentives). The company tries to keep their products â€Å"exclusive† and thus the use of database marketing seems ineffective, as this would make the products seem â€Å"common†. In general, promotion of products for this company is based on testimonials from â€Å"regular consumers† who can recommend the benefits to others. Through this line of advertising, it would seem that benefits of the products are more creditable, true and trustworthy – due to the fact that you â€Å"know† the person who introduced you to the line of products. iv)Price Pricing on international products are generally seen as being expensive, especially on â€Å"niche† products. Even with Forever Living Products, this phenomenon occurs. However, focusing on health and cosmetic enhancements, the company can still make a reasonable stance in the pricing arena. 8.Implementation, Evaluation and Control The marketing plan appears to be in line with the goals set out by the company to achieve the desired goals. Primarily the activities required are achieved through sales of the distributors, which is measured on a monthly basis. Most probably the company would need to attempt a fresh approach on current marketing strategies such as e-commerce, although this could affect the purpose of the current structure and â€Å"mission† of the company – to empower â€Å"normal people to own a business of their own†. Seeing that performance standards are basically measured in the amount of sales per month (to achieve the desired â€Å"case credits†, this is the only way to measure the above mentioned. 9. Conclusion / Recommendations The Forever Living Products Company has set remarkable sales initiatives in place, rarely found in this type of marketing. For one, when a distributor has reached a certain sales level, there is no reverting back to a lower sales level. In every sale that is made down your line as distributor (no matter what level), you benefit from the inputs of â€Å"your team. Although the company follows a very plain marketing plan, which seems to be quite effective, some improvements can be noted. Lack of information is found in the distributors’ channels. As the company’s main aim is based on sales, it could be recommended that an on-line â€Å"portal† be created as to inform distributors of a current sales analysis (as of the first of every month, and therefore should be accessible and reflect updates any time of the month). This would pose to be a great motivational tool in driving this  sales orientated business and ensuring that you as distributor acquire the necessary â€Å"case credits† required. It is also recommended that the use of social media such as e.g. television and radio, bill-boards and poster be used on a global and general scale to promote products. This would in turn mean that a central access point (like a website or telephone call centre be utilised to direct potential customers to their nearest distributor. References Forever Living Products South Africa (Pty) Ltd.(2014): https://www.foreverliving.com/marketing/Page.do?name=sustainability, [Accessed 29-04-2014] Forever Living Products South Africa (Pty) Ltd.(2014):.https://www.foreverliving.com/marketing/Page.do?name=our_culture, [Accessed 29-04-2014] http://aloe-business.yolasite.com/resources/Marketing_Plan_English%20Forever.pdf, [Accessed 28-04-2014]

Christmas Carol Essay

A Christmas Carol’ focuses on a very mean character called Ebenezer Scrooge, who unnaturally receives a chance to make amends for his actions towards his clients. Life in Britain in the 1800’s was very dark and gloomy, also its population was increasing rapidly. At this time and age, Britain’s industrial revolution was in full flow, thus making Britain’s population explode. Charles dickens had uncountable financial problems and was in in huge dept. In addition to this, in the fall of 1843 dickens and his wife were expecting their fifth child. Supporting his large family was difficult for Dickens. Requests for money from his family and a large mortgage had left Dickens seriously short of cash. In a way Dickens most cherished and most read books was created as a result of his own desperate need of money. Charles Dickens routinely walked the city streets, 10 or 20 miles at a time, observing the life. The descriptions in his writing seem like an exact replica of what he observed and experienced during these times. Evidence of this shown in the text. Descriptions such as ‘a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching,’ may show how Charles Dickens might have behaved when he had his desperate money problems. In this essay, I will be discussing the development of Ebenezer Scrooge’s character in Christmas Carol whilst going through each stave. Stave 1 clearly introduces Scrooge’s character to the reader. At the beginning of the stave, the first description we see is where it says: ‘The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker and the mourner. Scrooge signed it. ‘ From this text the reader can already comprehend that scrooge is a man who only takes credit for himself and that he despises spending money on other people. Another description presented by the text tells the reader that there is something about Scrooge’s life style that makes him very unpopular with the locals. ‘Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks’ ‘My dear Scrooge how are you’ This makes it crystal clear that scrooge is obviously not a nice person, thus making the locals shun his presence. Scrooge’s cold and cruel actions to people result in Marley’s Ghost appearing in Scrooges home. The ghost warns Scrooge that if he does not change his way of life, he will end up loosing everything and becoming just like Marley, who is dead and bound up in chains. In the second section or stave 2 of the novel, even though Marley’s ghost had gone, its presence was having an effect on Scrooge. ‘Marley’s ghost bothered him extremely’ Since no one has ever been close to changing Scrooge’s personality, this text shows a slight alteration in Scrooge’s character. In this stave, Scrooge is visited by another ghost who says to represent Christmas past. This ghost shows Scrooge his early life and how much he has changed. After Scrooge has witnessed his passed life and actions, Scrooge is moved with regret. ‘I wish’ Just these two words are very significant as they show a huge positive development in Scrooge’s character, which suggests that Scrooge is willing and hoping to change his cruel ways, and diminish descriptions of himself such as: ‘To see a heightened and excited face would have been a surprise’ Scrooge’s life is full of negative descriptions like this and he wished to make amends for his past actions. Scrooge then says something to the ghost that is very, very unusual: ‘There was a boy singing a Christmas Carol at my door last night, I would like to give him something. ‘ This is probably the first time that Scrooge has ever shown any affection for anyone, which shows that the presence of the ghosts are developing Scrooge’s character in a divine way. In stave 3 of the novel Scrooge is visited by yet another ghost who says to represent Christmas present. This ghost shows Scrooge how other families, such as the clerk’s and the Cratchits. Scrooge sees that even though the Cratchits are very poor, they can have a high quality of life and be happy at Christmas. Earlier on in the novel Scrooge says a cold blooded thing concerning one of the Cratchits son called Tiny Tim who looks very frail and scrawny and much too vulnerable to the hands of death: ‘If he be like to die he had better do it and decrease the surplus population. ‘ Scrooge’s cold heart was so uncaring, that he thought that the death of a person was a benefit or an advantage to people. However, when the ghost showed Scrooge this family, his reminiscence of his past sayings had a different effect on him: ‘Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the spirit and was overcome with penitence and grief. ‘ Now that Scrooge has viewed that people can be happy without a lot of money, his former way of thinking has now disgusted him. Scrooge has now probably for the first time accepted that his way of life is detestable and needs to be changed: ‘All the things that ghost has shown him came upon his mind. He softened†¦ ‘ ‘If he would have listened he might have cultivated the kindness of life. ‘ This shows a further development of Scrooge’s character as his hard headedness had been softened and also, he now desires to have a personal quality of kindness. In stave 4 of the novel Scrooge is visited by the last of the three ghosts who represents Christmas future. In this stave scrooge is shown a group of people who are discussing a very unpopular mans death. Scrooge is puzzled by the conversation of the group until the ghost silently exposes the secret when he shows Scrooge a gravestone with his own name on it. The description of the ghost in the beginning of the stave definitely offers a hint that Scrooge’s future will be cold and dark just as his past life: ‘Shrouded in a deep black garment’ ‘It seemed to scatter gloom and mystery’ These phrases are fitting descriptions of a ghost that will bring news that is associated with death. The tone of this stave is also set with words such as; ‘Shadow’ and ‘dark room. ‘ These words give further evidence that a death orientated future awaits Scrooge. Scrooge is horrified when he sees his own gravestone, but to further upset him, he sees that his death is ‘un-watched, un-wept and un-cared for. ‘ the phrase ‘neglected grave’ shows that no one cared if Scrooge died because of the extent of the his cold-hearted actions towards people. This event made Scrooge release all of his emotions. ‘I hope to live to be another man’ His future death makes Scrooge resolve to change his way of cold way of life into a much more kind, new man. Stave 5 shows the finale of Ebenezer Scrooge’s development of character. In this stave Scrooge is shown to be a completely different man. For example, instead of sacking one of his employees for being late, he raises his salary another example is that the story says that Scrooge became like a second father to Tiny Tim. In this stave there is also evidence that points to the outcome of the story as the mood of the novel suddenly changes from a dark and gloomy mood to a more happy mood. Words such as ‘Bright’ and ‘Golden sunlight’ show that something marvellous and positive is going to happen to Scrooge and his character. These hints are fulfilled when the text says: ‘Glowing with good intentions’ Obviously from this, the reader can see that Scrooge is a changed man, and is exploding with good deeds and emotions, and instead of planning to do evil he is planning to do something obliging. Language devises such as similes are also used to show Scrooge’s development in character: ‘As happy as an angel’ This simile is used to further emphasize the alteration in Scrooge’s personality. Since Angels are portrayed to be perfect heavenly creatures it is obvious to the reader that Scrooge has made some miraculous changes from being a cold hearted, uncaring and evil man into a loving, kind and angelic new man. In my personal opinion, I believe that the presence of the ghosts were like stepping stones to the development of Scrooges character. It seemed to me that the lessons taught by the ghosts became more and more severe as Scrooge’s mind gradually softens.

What is the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators on the Dissertation

What is the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators on the motivational level of employees - Dissertation Example Intrinsic Factors 24 Table 3 Descriptive Statistics: Extrinsic Factors 26 Table 4 Model Summary 28 Table 5 ANOVA b 29 Table 6 Coefficients a 29 Table 1 Legend for Responses for Close-Ended Statements 18 Table 2 Descriptive Statistics: Intrinsic Factors 24 Table 3 Descriptive Statistics: Extrinsic Factors 27 Table 4 Model Summary 29 Table 5 ANOVA b 30 Table 6 Coefficients a 30 Figure 1 Regression Analysis 30 Figure 1 Regression Analysis 31 Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Background to the Context The transformed situation of business world where the competition driven industries requires organizations to perform at their best, it is becoming necessary for the organizations to keep their employees motivated (Reich, 2002). This is because employees or human resource of an organization are considered to be the core assets of the organization who are responsible of running the operational activities of the business. The human resource of an organization helps in successful achievement of organ izational goals and objectives by efficient use of its resources. Motivation, as defined by Robbins (1993) is the willingness of the human resource of an orgaznaition to put their best input in order to ensure that the output of their efforts achieves the organizational goals and objectives in an efficient manner. Over the time, organizations and their management has utilized motivation as a tool to bring improvement in the operational mechanisms and maintaining an environment which not only supplements the organizational goals and objectives, but also supports the goals and desires of an individual employee (Shanks, 2007). Considering the importance of motivation for better organizational performance, managers all around the world have identified different motivators to motivate their sub... The essay discusses that the transformed situation of business world where the competition driven industries requires organizations to perform at their best, it is becoming necessary for the organizations to keep their employees motivated. This is because employees or human resource of an organization are considered to be the core assets of the organization who are responsible of running the operational activities of the business. The human resource of an organization helps in successful achievement of organizational goals and objectives by efficient use of its resources. Motivation, as defined by Robbins is the willingness of the human resource of an orgaznaition to put their best input in order to ensure that the output of their efforts achieves the organizational goals and objectives in an efficient manner. Over the time, organizations and their management has utilized motivation as a tool to bring improvement in the operational mechanisms and maintaining an environment which not only supplements the organizational goals and objectives, but also supports the goals and desires of an individual employee. Considering the importance of motivation for better organizational performance, managers all around the world have identified different motivators to motivate their sub ordinates and colleagues. These methods are sub divided into two categories, i.e. the intrinsic motivators and extrinsic motivators, which will be discussed in the later chapter in detail.

Auditing and Accouning Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Auditing and Accouning Ethics - Essay Example The assertion of independence is at the core of the audit function. It is assumed by shareholders that auditor formulate their opinion on the financial information independently from the influences of the management of their client’s company. In case of Enron auditors are blamed for not giving regards to their professional obligations and maintaining independence. Prior to Enron case external auditors were observed to be highly dependent on their client’s business. They were providing not only audit services but also non-audit services that impaired the quality of audit and it was surely detrimental factor for the perception of auditors’ independence amongst shareholders. Independence that is seen as a form of mental state of auditors needs not only to be practiced but also displayed to shareholders in order to keep their trust and confidence in the opinions furnished by auditors (Lindberg and Beck). Reasonable assurance is related to the planning and performing audit for accumulation of audit evidence that is considered sufficient to suggest that the financial statements are free from material misstatements, errors or even frauds. The reasonable assurance does not imply that the elements of errors or frauds are completely covered but it is based on the understanding that the management provides full access to auditors who then implement different audit techniques to collect sufficient evidence to formulate their opinion. The perception and understanding of reasonable assurance varies significantly amongst different ranks of audit professionals (Law) and it is widely argued that audit cannot provide complete guarantees (Pickett). The audit function is split between internal and external audit. Internal audit is Both internal and external auditors are responsible for ensuring that the financial information prepared by companies’ accountant is in fact in compliance with the accounting standards set out by the regulatory bodies and accounting

Analysis on the Organizational Structure of Oman Air Essay

Analysis on the Organizational Structure of Oman Air - Essay Example The Sultanate of Oman’s Civil Aviation founded the Oman Air, which began its operation in 1993. Prior to that event, in the year 1970, the Oman International Services was inaugurated. It was followed by the establishment of Oman Aviation services on 1981 with an aim to expand its services offered to other airlines such as in cargo handling and ground handling. With the operation of Oman Air, this company was responsible for creating a traffic hub in Muscat, which led to the growth of the tourism industry, commercial, and industrial. The company first offered direct flights in Colombo and Dubai, then succeeded by Trivandum, Kuwait, Karachi, and Sri Lanka from 1993-1994. In 1995, it started to open direct flights in India, Bangladesh, and Dhaka. The destination offered expanded, but it started to limit its operation since 2003. In 2005, it commenced to offer other destinations until it expanded internationally. Oman Air was introduced as the new identity of Oman Aviation Service s (SAOC) on April 21, 2008 (Oman Air, 2012e). The company commits itself in providing quality services to its target markets, which is construed by 28 awards they received from the independent sector. The company was recognized as the Best Airline Worldwide 2011 based on the survey conducted by the travel magazine (Oman Air, 2012f). SWOT Analysis Strength Oman Air has monopolized the airline industry since it is considered as the national carrier within the country. There is no competition involved because the government owns 99.825% while others have a percentage of 0.175 (Oman Air, 2012a). The government is primarily bounded in its marketing campaign, which will increase the tourist in Oman. Since it is the flag carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, it has been widely known in the country. The market presence of Oman Air is relatively high. Moreover, Oman is notable for its hospitality. The company desires to render comfort for customers while they travel across the countries. Furthermore, Oman Air leaves an impression of their services based on the international standards with emphasis on quality and safety. Oman Air was the first airline that offered satellite telephone and internet connection. The investment in green technology strengthened the brand name of Oman Air because modern facilities and aircraft reduced carbon emission. Weaknesses The internal structure of Oman Air reflects its weakness. Due to the poor performance of every department, the profitability of the company is affected. The large organizational structure of the company needs good leadership and management. The departmentalized structure divides the attention of the CEO, which weakens the interdepartmental communication. The poor management of HR resources in recruiting technical and administrative tasks leads to the poor performance of every department. It results to the staged strike by the Oman Air employees, which aim for higher wages (Pollack, et al., 2011, p.181). The conflict inside the Oman Air is influenced by politics regarding on poor management and corruption. The strike reminds the employers to provid e opportunities for employees. Lastly, the culture of Oman Air has not yet altered despite the deviation in the cultural background of its staff. Opportunities Monopolization in the airline industry provides opportunities for the business operation of Oman Air. This company is the only air carrier that offers services globally. When there is no competition, the company can be secured of its profitability and sales. Oman Air has no apprehension on the prices of air fare. Thus, Oman Air caters to the large market of travellers in its country. According to Rajasekar and Moideenkutty (2007, p.128), the population of travellers in Oman is about 800, 000. Furthermore, modern facilities such as â€Å"new passenger terminal, a brand new cargo terminal, new engineering facility, and in-flight catering facility† can elevate the profitability of Oman Air. The customers’

INTRODUCTION of FRIEDEL-CRAFTS ACYLATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

INTRODUCTION of FRIEDEL-CRAFTS ACYLATION - Essay Example e clemmensen reduction route normally hinders secondary alkyl substitution that results from corresponding carbocation on rearrangement (Klein, 195-269). Nevertheless, in direct alkylation, the underlying ratio of the primary to secondary alkyl substitution can differ depending on the existing aromatic substrate and reaction conditions. Acyl halide first reacts with the underlying Lewis acid resulting to formation of more electrophilic C, an acylium ion. The n-electrons of the underlying aromatic C=C which act as nucleophile then attack the electrophilic C+ thereby destroying aromaticity resulting to the cyclohexadienyl cation intermediate. Finally proton is removed from sp3 C bearing the acyl-group reforms the corresponding C=C and the required aromatic system resulting to the creation of HCl and regeneration of the active catalyst. The reaction commence with the generation of methyl carbonation from the corresponding methyl bromide. Carbonation then reacts with underlying n electron system of the benzene in order to form a nonaromatic carbocation that subsequently loses a proton to in order to regenerate aromaticity of the system (Klein, 53-134). The reaction takes place in steps with an electrophile formation via reaction of the methylchlorine and aluminium

Comparative politics and governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Comparative politics and governance - Essay Example While the United States considers itself the original and best democratic nation, the institutions and basic structure of the government inhibit some of the foundational ideals of democracy. Younger democracies, like Nigeria and Spain, actually come closer to realizing representation of the citizenry. The small-scale direct democracy of classical Athens is often held up as the purest form of democracy. Each citizen in Athenian democracy had a vote, the simplest formulation of â€Å"One man, one vote,† a right which did not extend to women and slaves, and voted directly on issues, policy, and representation (Blackwell 2003). This original democracy is only truly practicable on small scales. With larger populations, such as the 300 million population of the United States (United States Census Bureau 2010), direct democracy is highly impractical, requiring voters to vote on representatives to act in their interests. The way these representatives are elected and represent the will of their constituents is the primary difference between democratic governments. In the United States, power is shared by three separate branches of government, designed to share and check one another to avoid concentration of power in any single branch of the government. The elected representatives of the legislative body are tasked with the crafting of legislation, funding, approving presidential appointments, and declaring war. Representatives of the two houses in the legislature are elected by voters in their district, unlike the president who is elected by electors who are themselves elected in the Presidential race (Leip 2008). On the surface, this may appear to be direct representation, but the United States has a two-party system of democracy, meaning that voters are more often voting for a political party rather than a candidate and his policy platform. Power in a legislative body is shared and wielded by political parties who, more often than not, can act in the best inter est of their party rather than the interest of the voters, regardless of the reasons for which they were elected. This system presents problems for a claim of a true democracy in several ways, one of which being the means by which candidates are selected to run for office in the first place. The political party helps raise funds to run the campaign, a control on who can run in the race before it even starts. Independent or third-party candidates rarely win an election because of the lack of political party support. When they do win, it is almost always because they have name recognition as an established political figure, such as Joseph Lieberman, who won his seat in the Senate as an independent after losing the Democratic primary in 2008 (Joseph I. Lieberman 2011). The voter has, basically, a choice between two candidates, two parties, which does not represent a real choice and may not truly represent the views of the voters. Another problematic aspect of a limited-party system is the gerrymandering of political districts. Once in power, political powers redraw districts to consolidate blocks of voters they know will vote for their party. In a way, this is â€Å"rigging† the election system such that the incumbent, or at least his or her party, is reliably safe in an election, which explains the

The Four Prototypes of Community Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Four Prototypes of Community Justice - Essay Example The main goal of community justice is preventing community crime, community policing, defending the community, community prosecution and restorative court systems. The idea is formed around the notion that the community takes control of its policing activities in collaboration with the police system (Hayes & Bryant, 2002). This management of the community’s own public safety is essential because it gets everyone involved. This improves the flow of information to the authorities. The methodology that will be employed in this analysis will involve an in-depth analysis of books authored and online discussions on the prototypes. This analysis will look to summarize and evaluate the extent of these prototypes and their application in the practical community setting. The idea of community justice will also be evaluated in general, and its practicality analyzed. A study of books authored on this subject will provide an essential source of material in the analysis. The study is also mainly meant to analyze the four different prototypes of the community justice system and their overall effectiveness. Citizen involvement in activities of crime prevention has become a normal practice in many communities. This has led to collaboration with the police to achieve reduced criminal activity in the communities. Because the community structure has changed, the dynamics of the nature of crimes has also increased (Cadora et al., 2011). The community struggles to keep up with these changes. Mobilization is one of the ways of ensuring that the changes felt in the community are achieved. In the mobilization model, police look to act as leaders in the community and mobilize members of the community. This mobilization is done to individuals and also to business representatives, educational institutions, both local and state owned, social providers and the youth. These and other groups are mobilized

Clerk & Squire Contrast The Canterbury Tales Essay Example for Free

Clerk Squire Contrast The Canterbury Tales Essay In Chaucers The Canterbury Tales, two young men of the Middle Ages, stand in sharp contrast to each other. The clerk and the squire are of similar ages but are very different. The clerk is a member of the middle class, has attended Oxford and studied Aristotle, while the squire, a member of the upper class, has been educated in the arts of chivalry. In appearance wise the clerk is a grave or somber individual. He is thin hollow-cheeked and dresses poorly (outer cloak threadbare). On the other hand the squire is a bright, cheerful person. He is lusty, strong and nimble and dresses extravagantly red and white embroidery; short coat with long wide sleeves. His facial appearance is similar to his dress habits, his hair is curled and he is very handsome. The two differ in personality as well. The clerk is formal and modest when he speaks and he only speaks (gives his input) if it is needed. He is also considerate of others, pray diligently for the souls of them that gave him wherewith to stay at the schools and his speech is of moral virtue. The royalty of the squire was apparent in his personality. He is courteous, modest and helpful to others. His royal roots show that he is a respectable man and in his youthful state, he is full of energy. Finally, we can see that the two have very different interests. The clerk is interested in lectures on logic, reading Aristotle and studying Philosophy. He also loves to learn and teach and convey his knowledge to others. The squire is engulfed with the many campaigns/battles of the country and loves jousting in his spare time. He also enjoys singing, playing the flute, riding horses, making songs, dancing drawing and writing. The squires royalty shows through his interests because the middle class would not have the time or resources to commit to these interests. The portrait of the clerk and the squire in The Canterbury Tales shows two men of similar age; in the same time frame, The Middle Ages. We learn that the two are very different in appearance, personality and interests. This can be attributed to the fact that they grew up in different classes. The clerk in the Middle Class and the squire in the High Class, in this time  frame classes molded how an individual grew and learned. Chaucer shows in his novel how two individuals can be the same in some ways but very different in others.

Importance of Communication in Daily Life

Importance of Communication in Daily Life To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others. Anthony Robbins Communication Is Integral To Human Life Communication is deeply intertwined with the human existence. It is an integral part of it. One cannot think of human life without communication. Can you imagine what would happen if you are not allowed to talk for a long time? You would feel suffocated. In personal life, we need to communicate to deal with various concerns and problems of daily life. In professional life also, it is communication that helps us to build healthy relations and credibility with co-workers. Only speaking/talking is not communication. Communication can take place in many forms. Sometimes, we communicate by talking about our ideas, thoughts or emotions; at other times, we may wish to communicate through the written word or even non-verbally. Whatever form we choose, getting the message across is what communication is all about. Communication is a process that is dynamic, continuous, and irreversible but at the same time, it is reciprocal in nature. It is an ongoing process. Roughly, we can define communication as a shared meaning between two or more individuals. The shared meaning arises out of the individuals experiences, background, education and training. Similarity in experiences, background, training, etc. makes communication successful between individuals. Communication helps us to understand others. The inability to communicate can lead to a lot of problems both personally and professionally. Imagine a day without communicating! We can instantly feel the void it would create. Can we ever forget that it is our ability to communicate verbally that distinguishes us from animals? Communication helps form a powerful bond among people and makes us social beings. Besides, knowledge is not the sole requirement for the achievement of success. A person may possess good knowledge, but his/her performance will be evaluated largely on the basis of his/her ability to communicate. Therefore, if you are a good communicator, you have better chances of success in life and in business. 1.2 COMMUNICATION FOR BUSINESS Communication has become indispensable today. Human activity will come to a standstill if there is no communication. All human transactions become possible only through communication. It is the life-blood of every business organization. Especially in todays globalized market economy, effective communication is vital to the success and survival of any organization. Businesses need people with good communication skills because communication is an essential part of the kind of work that is done in business organizations. It extends across all areas of business, including managerial, technical, clerical and social positions. In present times, several factors have contributed to the significance of communication. They are- faster means of communication because of scientific and technological advancements shrinking geographical boundaries because of the availability of faster means of transport growth of the multinational companies that has resulted in the creation of a globalized market economy generation of highly advanced management techniques as a result of the growing importance of professionalism in the management of business the information revolution that has brought with it highly sophisticated networking technologies multiplication of systems of communication at all levels of organization because of specialized knowledge that has lead to departmentalization advancements in the field of social sciences such as in psychology and in sociology that have created an awareness about the human mind and behaviour and how they influence communication Communication undertaken by a business organization with the purpose of achieving certain specific goals is known as business communication. In fact, business communication is a special type of communication undertaken to meet the needs of the organization. Powerful concepts in modern management like participation, motivation, involvement revolve around communication. According to R. Ludlow, Business communication is a process of transfer of information and understanding between different parts and people of a business organization. It consists of various modes and media involved in communication interchanges. Effective communication is needed for growth and development of any organization. H.G. Hicks has rightly pointed out- Communication is basic to an organizations existence from birth of the organization; when communication stops, organized activity ceases to exist. Improving communication skills improves the chances for success of a business. Effective communication brings progress and prosperity to it. Moreover, in this age of specialization, planning, production, sales, advertising, finance, welfare, etc. are handled by different departments. In absence of effective communication, there would be a serious problem of co-ordination among these departments and there would only be chaos and confusion in the organization. Communication is also quite significant keeping in mind the growing importance of human relations and human resource management in todays world. Communication helps a manager in developing meaningful relationships with the subordinates, changing their attitudes, boosting their morale and soliciting their cooperation. Communication links people together to achieve common goals. It is also required to maintain good public relations. Thus, executives are often expected to give speeches and interviews to the media in order to project a favourable image of the organization. Effective communication is required to handle various crises and conflicts of interests in an organization. It is also needed in order to impart adequate training to the employees in handling latest technology. Subordinates often resent the introduction of changes in the methods of working. This poses a challenge to the management to educate the employees so that they can smoothly adapt to the dynamic character of the organization. They also have to work at alleviating the fear that these changes are likely to generate unemployment. Thus, effective communication can help in changing the negative attitude of the employees towards technological advancement. It facilitates meetings which play an important role in the functioning of an organization. Effective business communication depends not only on the skills of the sender of the message but also on the skills of the one who receives that message. Thus, one may say that communication is not an end in itself; rather, it is a means to achieve an end. 1.3 PRE-REQUISITES OF COMMUNICATION Now the question is- What is communication and how it can be accomplished? What do we require to carry out communication? Hence, prior to looking at the meaning of communication, it would be helpful to know how we prepare for it. For instance, you want to write a letter. What all do you need for it? A piece of paper. A pen. A desk for support. Is there anything else that you require besides these things? Certainly you do. You need to dwell on three important things- 1. Purpose 2. Content 3. Skills These three precede all speaking or writing. WHAT TO COMMUNICATE- CONTENT Information Observation/ Receive by Select/Reject Think and Understanding Attention listening or as per your evaluate results into by reading interest, need the information knowledge or expectation This is how information is processed in to being knowledge. Knowledge generates in you the confidence to communicate. If you are well prepared with the content, then half the work is done. It is the urge to express something that begins communication. It can be an idea, an emotion, an opinion or some information. Without this basic idea/need, there can be no communication. However, we do not communicate whatever comes to our mind immediately. There is a need to plan- what to communicate, how to communicate and whom to communicate it to. We do not communicate without a purpose; therefore, it is essential to answer these questions before actually communicating. This helps us to communicate effectively and to get a desirable response from the person with whom we are exchanging our ideas. WHY TO COMMUNICATE- PURPOSE Speakers/ will hear/see Purpose of Writers Listener/ Communication Expectation Reader will listen/read will understand will act/respond THE PURPOSE IS FULFILLED Purpose is the primary pre-requisite of all meaningful communication. The sender initiates communication with some purpose i.e. expectation. S/he expects the receiver to hear/see his message, to listen/read it attentively, to understand it and to act/respond to it. When the receiver gives feedback or performs the expected action, then communication is said to be successful. However, the response would depend on various factors like concentration, physical surroundings and psychological makeup of the receiver. The next question is- how do we communicate? Communication does not just mean speaking or writing. We are communicating even when we smile or shrug our shoulders. However, when we decide to communicate, we need some medium through which to transfer that idea to the other person. HOW TO COMMUNICATE- SKILLS You may possess good knowledge and may be ready to convey it but if you do not know how to do it, it would not be effective. Poor speaking or writing skills is a real hurdle in communication. Speaking Skills Read aloud: Take a small piece of writing from a newspaper, magazine or a book and read it out loud. This will help you to know how you speak- your voice tone, pitch, etc. Observe: Observe how people speak- their pronunciation, accent, intonation, stress, style, rhythm, etc. Try to emulate the speaking style of good speakers. This will help you to improve your own style of speaking. (For a detailed note on speaking skills, writing skills and non-verbal communication, refer Chapter 2 Types of Communication.) Just the idea/information that the communicator has, the media of transmission available and the presence of the receiver are not enough for communication to take place. We need a proper context and an atmosphere where there are no hindrances in the communication process. Does communication end after the idea is communicated? As stated earlier, we communicate with a purpose. Expression of the idea/information is half the work done. But communication is considered complete only when there is some response from the receiver. Only then we can say that the purpose of communication is fulfilled. Communication involves three basic activities on the part of both the participants i.e. the sender and the receiver. On the senders part, they are- Thinking to develop the content to form a message Speaking/Writing to convey the message to the other person Feeling to make the message persuasive On the receivers part, the activities include- Listening/Reading to absorb the idea/information contained in the message Interpreting to understand the meaning of the message Responding to convey the acceptance or the disagreement with the message Communication has always been an important part of human life. Language and the ability to express ourselves using that language come to us spontaneously. And the need to communicate is so inherent in human nature that we hardly realize that effective communication skills can be acquired and honed. There are four basic communication skills- speaking, writing, listening and reading. They always work in the following adjacency pairs- Speaking/writing is handled by the sender of the message and listening/reading by the receiver of the message. Mastering these four skills is very essential if one wants to become an effective communicator. As children, we learn to speak by listening first. Thus, listening is the first skill that we acquire as we develop the language instinct. Then follows the reading skills once we start schooling and lastly we learn the writing skills as a part of our formal education. Thus, learning language/s and the related communication skills follow a systematic process. It does not happen accidentally and instantaneously. Despite of this, people often turn out to be poor communicators as most of us tend to take its importance for granted. Most of the time, we fail to achieve our objective while we communicate. This happens because of our failure to convey our ideas in a precise and clearly understandable manner. There may be a lack either in the content of the message or in the way in which it is conveyed to the intended audience, or both. The point is we do not normally focus much on what to communicate, when to communicate and how to communicate. Also, we need to consider another equally important aspect why to communicate i.e. the purpose. Thus, it is very important for us to recognize and study the essential elements involved in the process of communication in order to become effective communicators. Every aspect of life, whether personal, social or professional, involves communication. The basic meaning of the word communication is- an exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or behaviour. The meaning of the word has not undergone much change. However, the ways and means of communication have changed greatly as a result of technological and other socio-cultural developments in recent times. Thus, these advancements have added numerous new dimensions to the communication process, which has become more complex over a period of time. It, thus, calls for a detailed study of the various components that are involved in it in order to be able to communicate effectively. 1.4 DEFINING COMMUNICATION In order to understand the term communication, it would be useful to have a look at some definitions given by the experts. The word communication is derived from the Latin word communis which means to transmit, to impart, to exchange, to share, or to convey. Communication means the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium. (Oxford English Dictionary) Communication is a two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which participants not only exchange (encode-decode) information but also create and share meaning. (Business Dictionary) According to Newman and Summer, Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or more persons. Keith Davis states Communication is a process of passing information and understanding from one person to another. F.G. Meyer defines communication as the intercourse by words, letters or messages, the intercourse of thoughts or opinions. It is the act of making ones ideas and opinions known to others. In the words of Theo Haimann, Communication is the process of passing information and understanding from one person to anotherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ it is the process of imparting ideas and making oneself understood by others. According to C.G. Brown, Communication has been defined as the transfer of information from one person to another, whether or not it elicits confidence or becomes an exchange or interchange. But the information transferred must be understandable to the receiver. William Scott defines communication as a process which involves the transmission and accurate replication of ideas ensured by feedback for the purpose of eliciting actions which will accomplish organizational goals. Louis A. Allen says, Communication is the sum of all the things which a person does when he wants to create understanding in the mind of another. It involves a systematic and continuous process of telling, listening, and understanding. According to McFarland, Communication may be broadly defined as the process of meaningful interaction among human beings. More specifically, it is a process by which meanings are perceived and understanding is reached among human beings. These definitions explain communication as a process of passing information and understanding (Keith Davis) a two-way process of reaching mutual understanding (Business Dictionary) the act of making ones ideas and opinions known to others (F.G. Meyer) the process of imparting ideas and making oneself understood by others (Theo Haimann) the transmission and accurate replication of ideas ensured by feedback for the purpose of eliciting actions (William Scott) a systematic and continuous process of telling, listening, and understanding (Louis A. Allen) a process by which meanings are perceived and understanding is reached among human beings (McFarland) Thus, these definitions adequately highlight and express in concise form the important features of the process of communication. In short, we can define communication as a process in which two or more elements of a system interact in order to achieve a desired outcome or goal. (Larry L. Barker and Deborah A. Gaut, Communication; 2001) 1.5 FEATURES OF COMMUNICATION On the basis of the above discussion, let us now discuss certain important features of the process of communication. 1. It is an exchange of ideas. Communication is the process through which an exchange of information takes place. It is the sharing of information, ideas, concepts and messages. 2. Two parties are involved in it. In communication, the exchange of information takes place between two or more persons. This implies that there are minimum two people involved in the communication process at any given time. The one who initiates the exchange is the sender of the message (speaker/writer) and the one who receives and interprets it is the receiver of the message (listener/reader). 3. It is a two-way process. Communication is a two-way process of exchanging ideas or information. One person alone cannot carry out communication. When you communicate, there has to be a receiver or an audience that would reciprocate. Then only your communication can be complete. Thus, communication is a process of transmitting and receiving verbal and non-verbal messages. It is considered effective only when it achieves the desired reaction or response from the receiver. The response may be positive or negative. In case of absence of any response, communication is incomplete. Thus, communication is effective only when a concise and clear message is delivered well, received successfully, understood fully, and responded to promptly. 1.6 OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION There is no human action that is done without any purpose. Even the simplest and most natural action like breathing has a purpose- to stay alive. Communication is also always carried out with some purpose. (Refer 1.3 Pre-requisites of Communication) Communication begins with two-fold objectives or purposes that occupy the senders mind: Immediate or Primary to convey or to share Objectives information of Communication Ultimate or Secondary to convince or to persuade people To inform and to persuade are the two basic purposes (goals) that are ever present in the mind of a communicator. Sometimes, he seeks only to inform, as in scientific writings; sometimes, his goal is to persuade the reader, as in journalistic writings; and oftentimes, he wants both to inform and to persuade the reader, as in sales letters, advertisements, etc. Communication is vital to business. The communication activities of an organization fall into three broad categories: 1. Intra-organisational Communication FORMAL Business 2. Inter-organisational Communication Communication 3. Personal INFORMAL Communication 1. Intra-Organisational Communication It is communication within an organization. It is done to implement business plans. It takes many forms like orders, instructions, reports, emails, etc. 2. Inter-Organisational Communication It is communication that a business organization does with people outside the organization i.e. with other companies, customers, clients, general public, etc. It takes the form of planned publicity to improve its image and public relations with the help of business messages, advertising, displays, etc. The success of a business depends on its ability to fulfill the customers needs. Besides providing services, it must communicate effectively with outside people and groups for its success. 3. Personal Communication It is communication without a specific business objective i.e. without an ulterior motive or purpose. Man is a social animal, therefore we have a compulsive need to communicate even when we have nothing substantial to convey. Such communication also occurs in the workplace. For example, personal conversations, gossip, Grapevine phenomenon, etc. If one is not allowed to engage in such casual communication, it may lead to frustration and other such psychological problems. (For a more detailed discussion on corporate communication, refer Chapter 7 Formal and Informal Networks of Communication.) The primary objective of communication is to convey or share information. Business organizations have to deal with a large and varied amount of information on a daily basis in order to conduct various business activities. Thus, proper flow of information helps them to make right decisions. Another equally important objective of communication is to persuade people to accept a point of view or to change their attitude and accept a new or modified attitude. Persuasion is achieved through logical arguments or an emotional appeal to accept the change. Advertisements are an apt example of the persuasive nature of communication. Essentially, all communication is a deliberate and intentional act of persuasion. A communicator wants the reader not only to understand the message but also to be influenced as intended by him. (For a detailed discussion, refer 10.6 Persuasive Communication, Chapter 10 Nature of Attitude and its Influence on Communication) Communication helps to convey information from experts to trainees in an organization for the purpose of educating or training them to handle new technology or to adapt to the changes in the work environment. Communication is an effective tool in the hands of the managers to motivate and to boost the morale of the employees. This enables the organization to achieve higher productivity. Through advice and counseling, the management can help the employees in dealing with their emotional problems as well as problems pertaining to maladjustment and also to give career guidance. By means of letters of appreciation, special mention in reports, minutes of meetings, etc., the management can appreciate the work of the employees. In case of strikes, lockouts, and dismissal of individual employees or disciplinary action against them, the management uses communication channels to issue warnings. Communication also helps in co-ordination of intra-organisational activities, inter-organisational transactions, business transactions, and commercial transactions by means of conferences, meetings, advertisements, requests, suggestions, reviews, and discussions. Without communication, coordinating the activities of different persons engaged in running a business is a remote possibility. The management and the subordinates come closer through communication. Communication promotes cooperation and good industrial relations as it conveys feelings, ideas, opinions, and viewpoints of one party to the other party. The policies and programs formulated by the organization to guide the workforce have to be conveyed to those who are responsible for the execution of work to achieve the organizational objectives. Only effective communication can translate the plans into actions. It aids teamwork by enabling people to work together. It helps perform basic management functions like instructing, coordinating, staffing, planning, etc. Thus, these are the few important objectives of communication in the context of business organizations. So far, we have discussed what comprises communication and the significance of communication in our personal, social as well professional life. We have also highlighted some of the fundamentals of communication. Let us now analyse the process of communication and see how it is accomplished. 1.7 PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION Process is a series of things done to achieve something. Communication also follows a process. Communication begins when the sender/encoder identifies the need to communicate some idea/concept/information. He then encodes/formulates it into a message using a medium which can be understood by the receiver/decoder of the message who in turn processes it in his mind and responds to it. When the decoder understands the message completely, fidelity of communication is said to be 100% and the communication process is said to be complete. (Refer David Berlos Model of Communication) Thus, communication is a two-way process. Fidelity of Communication Idea Idea Concept Encoder Medium Decoder Concept Message Message Information Information Fidelity of Communication David Berlos Model of Communication If necessary, the receiver may send a reply or may respond or react to the message. This response or reaction is also known as feedback. But sometimes, there may be no response at all from the receiver even if it is required. Absence of feedback can be attributed to either of the following reasons- a) the message does not reach the receiver or b) the receiver fails to understand the message. Such situations may arise due to the presence of some factor/s that can- a) obstruct the message from being transmitted or b) distort the meaning of the message. The factors that hamper the flow of communication are known as barriers to communication. (Refer Chapter 4 Resolving Barriers to Communication) Communication occurs in five phases and it consists of the following eight components which are inter-related: Idea Sender/Encoder (Speaker/Writer) Encoding Message Channel and Medium Receiver/Decoder (Reader/Listener) Decoding Feedback Let us now discuss in detail the various stages and elements involved in the communication process. PHASE I- IDEATING: 1) Idea Every message whether oral or written has its origin in an idea that germinates in the mind of the sender of the message. Every idea refers to some context. Context is a common frame of reference within which the sender and the receiver communicate with each other. Thus, the idea or information that the sender wants to convey to the receiver is the source of the message in the communication process. 2) Sender/Encoder The person who initiates the communication process is referred to as the encoder. The process of communication begins with the sender who identifies the need to communicate. He may want to inform or to persuade or to influence or to make the receiver take a particular course of action. The sender must have a clear picture in his mind about what he wants to communicate and should accordingly select symbols, words, images, etc. that would best convey his ideas to the receiver. He must identify his audience and formulate the message in such a way that the receiver understands fully what he intends to convey and interprets it within the same context. PHASE II- ENCODING: 3) Encoding Encoding takes place when the sender formulates his idea into a message to be transmitted to the receiver, using a series of symbols- verbal and/or non-verbal, written or oral. The sender should encode his message keeping in mind the purpose of communication and he should select words or symbols so as to make the receiver understand the communication correctly and to achieve the expected feedback. The sender as well as the receiver should attach the same meaning to the symbols or words, otherwise communication would fail. Thus, proper encoding is essential for successful communication. 4) Message That which is encoded, i.e. the idea/concept/information, is the message. Message is an idea transformed into words. It can be expressed in different ways depending on the subject-matter, purpose, audience, personal style and cultural background of the sender. It can be transmitted effectively only when it is well-formulated, clear, and complete in itself. PHASE III- TRANSMITTING: 5) Channel and Medium An appropriate medium chosen to send the message is known as channel. It is the vehicle which facilitates the sender to convey the message to the receiver. Channel is the system used to transmit a message, whereas medium is one of the forms or types used under that system. For example, oral communication is a channel and telephone conversation (a form of oral communication) is a medium. There are three broad channels of communication and there are several media under each- Channel Medium 1. Oral face-to-face conversation, telephone conversation, audio-tapes, voice mail, etc. 2. Written letters, memos, reports, manuals, notices, circulars, questionnaires, minutes, email, fax, etc. 3. Audio-visual cinema, television, video-tapes, video conferences, video chat, etc. Thus, there is a difference between medium and channel. The sender should decide the best possible channel and medium to transmit the message. The selection of an appropriate channel/medium would be influenced by the following factors- a) the nature of the message, b) the urgency of the message, c) the number of receivers, d) the cost factor, and e) the relationship between the sender and the receiver. PHASE IV- RECEIVING: 6) Receiver/Decoder The person who receives the encoded message is referred to as the decoder. He is the intended audience of the message. The receiver may be an individual or a group of individuals. As communication is a two-way process, the receiver is as important as the sender of the message. Communication will not be complete in the following situations- a) in the absence of the receiver, b) if the message does not reach the right/intended receiver, and c) if the receiver does not understand the message. A receiver may be a listener or a reader or a viewer of the message. He not only receives the message but also tries to understand, interpret, and perceive the total meaning of the message, as was intended by the sender, and gives necessary feedback. 7) Decoding It is a process by which the receiver interprets the message and translates it into meaningful information. The meaning of the message is the sum total of the meanings of the words (symbols) together with the tone and the attitude of the sender as reflected by his choice of w