Social Media in the Hiring Process

A current and somewhat controversial topic regarding the hiring process is employers’ use of social media screening. The most popular sites to be checked are Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter and now more than ever, companies are looking on the Internet to see if applicants are active on these social media websites (Swallow). Harris Interactive conducted a survey of 2,303 respondents from February 9, 2012 through March 2, 2012 to find out how many companies used social media sites to check on job applicants.The results showed that 37 percent of respondents indicated their companies used social media web sites to check on job candidates. Sixty-five percent indicated they were looking to see if a job candidate appeared professional and 51 percent indicated that they were checking to see if the candidate would be a good match in the company’s culture (â€Å"Social Media A Big Part of Hiring Process†). Another survey done by a social media monitoring service, Reppler, reveals even higher results.Their study found that over 90 percent of recruiters and hiring managers have visited a potential candidate’s profile on a social network as part of the screening process. The study also shows that 69 percent of recruiters have rejected a candidate based on content found on his or her social networking profiles although 68 percent say that they have actually hired a candidate based on his or her activity on those sites. The most common reasons for rejection include lies about qualifications, inappropriate photos (racy or indicative of drug or alcohol use), negative comments about a previous employer, and poor communication skills.The most common reasons that an employer has hired someone after viewing his or her social media profile include demonstration of a positive personality and good organizational fit, evident creativity, and good references posted by others (Swallow). Although screening social media profiles can provide employers with a weal th of useful information, it also comes with some potential pitfalls. Employers can get in trouble by obtaining information that is unlawful to consider in an employment decision such as an applicant’s race, religion, national origin, age, pregnancy status, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, and gender.In order to decrease the likelihood of a discrimination charge, employers sometimes have a person not involved with the hiring process review social media sites in order to filter out information about inclusion in a protected class (Michale). There are also social media screening services that claim to filter out any information pertaining to a protected class (Sterling Infosystems). As was mentioned earlier, one of the reasons for employers choosing not to hire someone based on their social media profile is inappropriate photos, including those in which alcohol use is shown.Using this as a reason to reject an applicant can put the employer in a sticky situation d epending on the particular state’s â€Å"off-duty† laws. In over half the states it is unlawful for an employer to take an adverse employment action based on an employee’s lawful conduct on their own time, even if the employee is only prospective. In â€Å"Using Facebook to Screen Potential Hires Can Get You Sued,† Robert Michale cites Minnesota as an example. In this state it is unlawful for an employer to prohibit a prospective employee from using lawful products such as alcohol and tobacco.So how can applicants protect themselves or best represent themselves within the social media domain? Renee Jackson, a Labor and Employment lawyer with Nixon Peabody LLP, has some advice to give. Jackson recommends that applicants assume that companies are looking for information about applicants online, whether or not it’s true. Another tip is to try displaying â€Å"the most professional online image possible. † In order to get a glimpse of oneâ€℠¢s image, Jackson encourages job seekers to Google themselves and some keywords from their resumes and see what results come up (Quast).Chirag Nangia, CEO of the social media screening service Reppify, offers advice similar to Renee Jackson’s. Nangia encourages job seekers to try to depict themselves in a manner that would be attractive to the company they want to be a part of. A ZDNet study indicated that British Facebook users are drunk in 76 percent of their photos. It doesn’t take a Human Resources guru to know that this is probably not the best representation of professional behavior (Quast). Finally, a prospective that hasn’t been touched on is that of the applicants.A study presented at the 27th Annual Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference in April 2012 shows that employers that use online screening practices may be â€Å"unattractive or reduce their attractiveness to job applicants and current employees alike. † The study involved 175 students who applied for a fictitious job they believed to be real and were later informed they were screened. Applicants were â€Å"less willing to take a job offer after being screened, perceiving the action to reflect on the organization’s fairness and treatment of employees based on a post-study questionnaire.They also felt their privacy was invaded. † Works Cited Ahearn, Tom. â€Å"Social Network Screening by Employers May Make Companies Unattractive to Job Applicants. † ESR News: Background Check News from Employment Screening Resources (ESR) A ». N. p. , 10 July 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. . Michale, Robert. â€Å"Using Facebook To Screen Potential Hires Can Get You Sued. † Fast Company. N. p. , 20 July 2012. Web. 8 Oct. 2012. . Quast, Lisa. â€Å"Recruiting, Reinvented: How Companies Are Using Social Media In The Hiring Process. † Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 21 May 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. . Quast, Lisa. â€Å"Social Media, Passw ords, and the Hiring Process: Privacy and Other Legal Rights. † Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 28 May 2012.Web. 18 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"Social Media a Big Part of Hiring Process. † UPI. N. p. , 18 Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"Sterling Infosystems – Why Screen? † Sterling Infosystems – Why Screen? N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. .

Case for Repositioning a Bank Essay

ANZ bank is over 170 years old providing a range of banking and financial products and services to more than 5.7 million retail customers on a global scale (case). . Offering 817 branches and 2600 automated teller machines (ATMs) all over Australia, ANZ is ranked in the top 4 banks in Australia along with Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank Ltd (NAB) and Westpac Banking Corporation. This report will identify the current position of ANZ, and how they are attempting to reposition themselves in the financial services industry. The case highlights the strengths and weaknesses of ANZ and how effective their current marketing strategy is. The strengths of ANZ which have been identified in the case are their highly customised bankcards, their trustworthy image and reputation, knowledgeable staff and the size of the firm. ANZ’s weaknesses are that their products are quite easy to imitate due to such intangibility, they are at the bottom compared to their competitors, the communication gap occurring through the reposition of their new brand and the inflexibility due to the large structure of the bank. This paper will explore two of ANZ’s main strategic issues which are the communication gap of through the repositioning and rebranding as well as ANZ’s competition in the financial industry. Key Strategic Marketing Issues The banking industry is very well established and has a limited selection of different products. Due to few substitute products, firms in the industry will find it hard to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Chenet, Dagger, & O’Sullivan (2010) state that, differentiation is important because firms uniqueness is linked to target market focus, client-perceived value and competitive advantage. In result of ANZ’s lack of communicating their service quality, limited product diversity and lack of unadaptable strategies they are ranked number four of the top four banks. ANZ needs to address the amount of ATMs it has throughout the country. Compared to its major competitors, ANZ is one of the banks with the least amount of ATMs available to its customers with almost half the amount of ATMs compared to NAB. Theory ANZ is rebranding and repositioning itself it the market to appear more appealing to customers. They are moving from an  outdated brand and position of ‘ANZ Now’ to a new brand identity and positioning strategy of ‘We live in your world’ implying a modern and fresh new feel to the company. Throughout the rebranding and repositioning process, ANZ is using a customer-led marketing approach by trying to find what customers want and giving it to them (Hooley, Piercy & Nicoulaud, 2012). However, ANZ is a very large firm which affects rebranding, creating a gap in the communication between the firm and their consumers. The slogan ‘We live in your world’ has been adapted to try and differentiate ANZ from its competitors in terms of customer satisfaction; however it has not been aimed consistently across all ANZ’s communication activities. This has resulted in confusion of the customers as well as a lack of awareness of ANZ’s message. Mayer (1975) found that larger firms can generally find it harder than a smaller firm to implement change across the whole organisation effectively and efficiently. Resources and Capabilities A resource is anything that is considered to be thought of as a strength or weakness of a firm and may be defined as those tangible and intangible assets that are tied to the firm (Wernerfelt, 1984). ANZ’s resources include the products they offer, size of the firm, the knowledgeable staff and the strong trust with their customers. ANZ seeks to â€Å"attract and develop the best connected and most respected people to be a part of the ANZ team† (ANZ, 2014). Having knowledgeable and highly skilled staff allows for a financial institution to create superior returns, thus a competitive advantage (lulow, V., Gerstman, J., & Barry, C. 2003). The size of ANZ allows ease of access to funds which will appeal to their customers through providing loans, insurance, small business and corporate. Having a strong brand image and a good reputation, ANZ have had the opportunity to build trust with their customers. The large size of a firm can be a strength; however in turn can be a weakness. Mayer, T. (1975) identified that large banks have the potential to fail if customer service is overlooked. Due to the large amount of customers ANZ has, there is the possibility that relationships with customers may diminish. Furthermore, due to the large size of the firm ANZ may appear as inflexible and changes within the organisation may take a long time, such as the current repositioning of the firm. Creating confusing amongst consumers as the message is not being communicated effectively  across all of ANZ. Competitive Advantage ANZs major competitive advantage over their main competitors is this highly customised bankcards they currently offer to their customers. ANZ have used a customer-led marketing approach with their bankcards, as this approach finds what customers want, and give it to them (Hooley, Piercy & Nicoulaud, 2012). This fits in well with their brand image they are trying to communicate; ‘We live in your world’. Rather than just providing bank cards to their customers as the other major banks do ANZ customises their cards allowing their customers to choose what colour card they want and further using their own pictures on their bank cards. This is giving the customers the chance to create their own products. These customised bank cards have given ANZ a first mover advantage allowing them to enjoy the protection of a resource position barrier (Wernerfelt, 1984). However, Barney (1991) states that to have a ‘sustained competitive advantage’ competitors are unable to duplicate the benefits of this strategy. The customised bank cards may not last that long as a major competitive advantage due to other firms being able to easily imitate what ANZ have done. Strategic Fit Skinner (1969) suggested that for a firm to strategically fit, they need to tailor their production systems to perform the tasks that are vital to success and consistent with the firm’s strategy. The current marketing strategy of ‘We live in your world’ is ANZs new an innovative fresh outlook on branding for the organisation. The strategic planning and strategic marketing of this strategy must penetrate the whole market orientation not just small sections (Hooley, Piercy & Nicoolaud, 2012). This current strategy although isn’t fitting with the needs and requirements of the market. The failure of communication between ANZs resources and capabilities is causing the new strategy to not be implemented properly to its audience (Narver & Slater, 1990). The strategy adapted isn’t connecting with their customers their desired outlook of what they wish to be perceived as. ANZ wants their consumers to focus on them being ‘trustworthy’ and ‘traditional’ but as of now they aren’t practicing what they preach. This is shown with customers feeling confused and unaware of the new adapted strategy. As  Hooley, Piercy & Nicoolaud (2012) have found the marketing strategy needs to be aligned with the overall the relevant resources, capabilities so direction can be achieved and then the overall context of corporate strategy will be accomplished. Recommendation To ensure the repositioning of ANZ is effective, they need to communicate to their consumers more effectively. Rust, Moorman, and Dickson, (2002) found that â€Å"customers differentiate between service firms on the basis of service quality†. Therefore, ANZ need to offer superior customer service through the use of their highly skilled and knowledgeable staff. The best way for ANZ to differentiate their selves is through superior quality. Farrell, Hitchens, & Moffat (1993) found that, superior quality is an effective management strategy as it helps separate firms from competitive rivalry by creating customer loyalty.

Economics Paper Essay

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total number of goods and services produced in an economy in a given year. Measured in monetary terms, it reflects the general output of an economy per given period of time. The so-called â€Å"price basket index† (the average price levels for all goods and services in an economy) is the standard maeasure of GDP (the base year is arbitrary). GDP, however, is a standard measure itself. It is used to measure business cycles. Business cycles are generally fluctuations of aggregate production schedules per given period of time (usually monthly). Several theorists attempted to formalize the theory behind business cycles to no avail. Explanatory variables offered by these theorists were either insignificant or in contradiction with accepted economic principles. In any case, the ratio of GDP to the potential GDP can serve as an indirect measurement of the level of production fluctuation in the economy. If the ratio is close to 1, then the level of business cycle in an economy is also minimal. If the variance is large, then the economy experiences high levels of production fluctuations. In order to remove these fluctuations, actual GDP must equal potential GDP. If an economy achieves potential GDP, then it is Pareto Efficient. Hence, the amount of fluctuations (which characterized inefficiency) is close to zero. The determination of fiscal policies is solely the function of the government. Fiscal policies refer to expenditures a government undertakes to provide goods and services and to the way in which the government finances these expenditures (like taxes and subsidies). In the United States, some of the agencies concerned with setting fiscal policies are as follows: agencies of the federal government like the Defense Department, Trade Department, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and agencies of state governments. Generally, fiscal policies can be undertaken by all levels of government. The general functions of these bodies are as follows: 1) Provide goods and services that the market will usually not provide; 2) Provide economic infrastracture that will facilitate the flow of goods and services in an economcy; 3) Increase government spending during times of uncertainty, economic crisis, and recessions; 4) Provide businesses and investors an elaborate system of information in order to reduce transaction costs; 5) And, create incentives schemes in order to encourage increased production (or create an optimal tax system where firms that produce negative externalities would be heavily taxed to reach the social optima). Fiscal policies encourage increased production in two ways. By providing incentive schemes or subsidies to particular industries, the government can expect a long-term increase in the economy’s output. Increasing government expenditure is seen by investors and firms as a sign of expected economic growth (psychological). By increasing government expenditure, the national income increases by a certain amount depending on the government multiplier (note that Y = C + I + G + NX). An increase in G reflects an increase in Y. This induces other participants in an economy to spend more (therefore save less). Increased government spending also has bearing on employment, inflation, and general wage levels. Sustained government spending results to sustained inflation. Employment is ambiguously affected (this depends on the capacity of the economy to create jobs). Wage levels decreases in the long-run because of lower aggregate demand for labor. In many cases, fiscal policies are matched with monetary policies in order to achieve a desirable economic state. However, the use of monetary policies is more complicated. Hence, a separate analysis must be reserved for this topic.

The Theme Of Fame In Ex-Basketball Player By John Updike Essay

The Theme Of Fame In Ex-Basketball Player By John Updike - Essay Example Pearl Avenue in the poem symbolically represents the road to success, which is, according to the author, a hard one to follow. It has many â€Å"bends† and it â€Å"stops† and â€Å"cuts off† in many places, thus making it a difficult path to traverse. Nature does endow human beings with many talents. However, all the people who are gifted with such talents do not become famous and it transpires that achieving fame is not an easy task. Thus, by using the symbol of Pearl Avenue, to represent the road to fame, the author contends that humans cannot attain fame easily. This is the reason why, despite being a gifted player, Flick is not able to attain real fame. This is one of the main ideas that Updike wants to convey the theme of fame in this poem.In an interview, the author admits that most of his stories derive from his â€Å"interest in the phenomenon of an athlete outliving his time†. In the instant case, Flick does not remain totally committed to his ca ll. Though he is shown as a highly gifted player, whose â€Å"hands were like wild birds† and whom â€Å"the ball loved,† he fails to maintain the cutting edge of performance, and, therefore, his fame vanishes. Thus, the author implies that simply by being talented, an athlete cannot sustain the fame. On the other hand, he or she needs to remain dedicated to the game and continuously improve his or her performance. This is the second idea about fame that the author wants to communicate to his audience through this poem.

SUMMARATIVE ESSAY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

SUMMARATIVE - Essay Example e of the countries in the world blessed by a variety of wildlife ranging from a variety of animals such as the big five; the elephant, the buffalo, the rhino, the lion and the hippopotamus. Although the wildlife serves as the main tourist attraction, the country has a lot more to offer. These include wildlife and other major attractions such as, the nice and serene Kenyan cost in the shores of the Indian Ocean, the great Mountain View of Mount Kenya, Kilimanjaro and Abadere ranges near mount Longonot (Baxter 2004, Pp.14-15). As a result of the tourism activities, tourist attractions in other countries such as Tanzania have kept the country with a continuous stream of both domestic and international tourists. Economically, there has been a continuous and steady growth. This is observed in the rate of growth of the revenue collected by the government (John 2003, Pp. 14-15). These are in terms of the taxes collected from various economic activities such as hotels and travel industries held by the private sector. The continuous stream of tourist attractions has brought both positive and negative side effects of the activity. The positive impacts are observed almost in all parts of the economy of the host country. Some of them include; economic growth, creation of jobs, creation of good currency circulation, inflow/creation of foreign exchange, growth in infrastructure, growth in social amenities, and creation of a good international relationship between the host country and the other countries (Elsevier 1987, Pp. 84). To begin with, we will look at the improvement and growth of economic development and growth in Canada (Chandana 2003, Pp. 408-412). As it has been observed through research, there is increased income in the economy. This is due to the increasing income from the tourism sector. It is evident that as more tourists visit the country more revenue will be realized and, as a result, improved economic development. Secondly, we will look at the creation

Science of Organic Food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Science of Organic Food - Essay Example Organic foods are meat, animal products, or crops, which their production does not include the use of pesticides and fertilizers. The idea of chemical pesticides and fertilizers negative effects pioneered the rise of the science of organic food. Organic farming has risen to a huge business because of its improved benefits of flavor and health. Organic farming has potential benefits for the environment of agricultural chemicals.  Organic foods are meat, animal products, or crops, which their production does not include the use of pesticides and fertilizers. In the 20th century, the idea of chemical pesticides and fertilizers negative effects pioneered the rise of the science of organic food. Organic farming has risen to a huge business because of its improved benefits of flavor and health. Organic farming has potential benefits for the environment of agricultural chemicals.  Nutritional quality and other factors are not the only reasons to buy organic foods. The rate of consumptio n of organic food has reduced the degree of exposure of antibiotic resistant and pesticide. Organic food is safe although it is hard estimating the cost of organic food. No level of pesticide is the best level in any human body in a family.   Organic foods are expensive than traditional foods. Organic products have different textures and flavors that are a little tasty. Organic products are expensive and only found in supermarkets and local markets. Another benefit for organic farming is because it slows environment and climate change.

North Movie Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

North Movie Review - Essay Example The researcher of this essay states that this movie is an ideal example of the failure of a marketing plan. The movie is â€Å"North†. Released in 1994, â€Å"North† is a movie based on a novel by Alan Zweibel. Though it was directed by famous Rob Reiner, who directed movies like â€Å"When Harry Met Sally†, â€Å"The Princess bride† and â€Å"the Sure thing†, that were well-known and greatly accepted by the critics, still the movie lacks a strong plot. The story revolves around a kid named North, is panic stricken about his parent’s arguments and wants to divorce them. The researcher also states that actors in the movie did well. However, some portion of the movie was just superfluous and can be trimmed. The audience feedbacks and the critic’s reviews disclose an important characteristic, â€Å"Audience too has brains and they are not fools.† Technology, special effects, lots of money, good actors etc. all will go in vain if th e storyline is not appealing. The researcher then concluds that not only a movie was badly written and had meaningless characters in it, such as a cowboy, a beach bum and the Easter bunny, but also the movie has a negative impact on the kids of the society because all the kids got influenced by the movie and kept on threatening to leave their parents like North did in the film. One more thing can be concluded from the review is that a plan should be tested on the maker himself before he decides to launch it in the market. Similarly the director would have analyzed the taste of his audience before making â€Å"North†.

Sociology summarizing paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sociology summarizing paper - Essay Example The socio-economic aspects of the family and the path of the eldest son are interesting because they directly reflect the traditional root causes of fascism in society. For example, the film compares the emasculating effects of the father figure defeated and fallen, as in the Kaiser’s Germany in post-World War One Germany or in Derek Vinyard’s father. The poverty and helplessness of the family is contrasted with a violent outburst Derek has when his mother dates a Jewish man and invites him home to dinner. The psychological aspects of humiliation are related to the familial issues as a symbolic way to discuss the socio-economic and psychological roots of fascism, racism, and anti-semitism through the characters, making it an excellent example for the deconstruction of the racist mentality. In â€Å"American History X,† a new brand of neo-Nazi culture is depicted to be thriving, accessing the tools and vehicles of modern culture such as information technology, pop culture, music, and fashion. The neo-Nazis are composed of skinhead, racist punks and led by an old KKK headmaster.

Great Mosque of the Masjid-i-Jami Isfanhan, Iran 1088 Essay

Great Mosque of the Masjid-i-Jami Isfanhan, Iran 1088 - Essay Example The capital city was planned to be near the Friday mosque and due to Seljuks rich authoritative powers, they situated the city to the northern side of the mosque. Figure 1: The Masjid-i Jami, Isfahan According to Oleg (1990), the present mosque was rebuilt again after the destruction by earthquake and fire. It was begun by the Ghurid ruler between 1162 and1202. The mosque was constructed to bring forth the present appearance and design on how to construct mosques. This mosque has been of great concern since there has come times when the mosque was to be demolished by fire from the capture by the Tughril Beg. This capture was accompanied by riot and religious conflicts which led to the destruction of the building before it reconstruction. There were two sects in the riots which included the Hanafite and the Shafi'ite. These riots were the cause of fire which destroyed the ornamental look of the great building. During its construction the mosque was planned and the structure was to be rectangular, inner diameter of a length of 65 meters and a width of 55 meters. There are walls which are used for prayers and cover a large area with several bays. To the west are 7 bays. 4 bays are in the southern side of the mosque and 3 bays to the North West (Oleg, 1990). There are also additional four chambers to the existing bays. The mosque fits the city settings with variety of gates and entrances which allows mass entrance within a short time. The mosque covers a speculated area distinct from the city square. It fits the requirements in construction of a mosque which ensures that it should cover its special area distinct from the main city. The mosque has been the visual landmark to the city of Isfahan with large domes to the northern and the southern side of it. The other neighboring buildings are situated in a manner to show that they give space to the holy mosque. Recently, they have situated a gate to the south eastern side of the mosque. There is an inscription to the space between the building and the gate which mentions Muzaffarid sultan Mahmud who used to rule isfanhan during the year of 1358 to1374.There is another gate to the south which mentions abbas rule and this was designed in the year 1590.A northern gate which is no longer in use describes the eternal rest from Quranic Surah 76 which was constructed in 1366 (Oleg, 1990). A unique forth gate is designed which is no longer in use. It is decorated using bricks unlike the other gates which are colored and has attractive tiles. This gate explains how the mosque was reconstructed after its destruction with fire in the year 1121. The mosque court is well decorated with colored tiles of variety of colors which are; blue, yellow, white and other dark colors. This shows how the residents are united and the degree of harmonious relationships within that area. Bunce (2008) asserts that there are screens installed in the four courts on the passage way of the mosque leading to the sacred places of worship. The doomed chamber has also been constructed with an area of 15 side meters and a height of 30 meters. It was the work of architect Abul fath who did this after the fire tragedy. The southern dome carries inscription of the famous Abu Malik Shah and Nizam al-Mulk.

The Neolithic and Industrial Revolutions Essay Example for Free

The Neolithic and Industrial Revolutions Essay The two changes in the use of the earths resources that had the greatest effect on the world population were the Neolithic and the industrial revolutions. The Neolithic revolution (a.k.a. agricultural revolution) was a change in the way of life of our ancestors. It took place about 8000 years ago among various tribes in Asia and the Middle East. It included a transition from foraging and hunting to the domestication of animals (most probably starting with the dog) and to farming. Tribes settled in fertile areas and formed agricultural communities many of which grew into villages and cities. This relatively stable way of life and the more reliable food supply (and surplus) led to the development of new professions, to labor specialization and ultimately to the stratification of these societies. Improved conditions of life led to somewhat longer life spans. Nevertheless population growth remained low due to high infant mortality rates. The impact of the Neolithic revolution was not as much on immediate population growth (even though it did have a long term impact on population growth) as on the material and spiritual development of the human race. It is widely regarded as the beginning of civilization. Industrial revolution was another process of change. It was the process of substituting muscle power with machine power. It took place in the 18th century in Europe and is still happening in many parts of the world. In many characteristics it has been similar to the Neolithic revolution: it increased production, it led to the use of resources that had been mostly unused until then and it improved the overall quality of life. It also led to changes in the structure of society. What was different was its impact on population growth. It was quick and easily noticeable. Advanced sanitation, hygiene and medicine led to longer life spans and declining death rates, with the birth rates remaining high. This resulted in a high rate of population growth that still continues in many countries. The information revolution is the process of change that began in the second half of the 20th century in the developed countries of the world. It is the process of substituting brain power with machine power. It leads to increased production and has the potential to create a more even distribution of the worlds population on the surface of the earth. It also has the potential to decrease the differences between the less developed and the highly developed nations of the world. Then again it also has the potential to increase those differences. It causes changes in the structure of society. Many of its impacts are still to be experienced. Environmental Revolution means In view of some, a coming change in the adaptation of human to the rising deterioration of the environment. The Environmental Revolution will purportedly bring about sustainable interactions with the environment. Revolutions suggest overthrowing something, and indeed, what is involved is an overthrow of prevalent attitudes toward over economy and the environment. This does not have to be a violent revolution; it could take place so peacefully that it would take a future generation to look back and realize that a major revolution had occurred. We can choose to undergo the changes necessary to achieve sustainability by planning properly and learning as we go, or we can ignore the signs of unsustainability and increase our impact on the environment by driving bigger cars ( and more of them), living in bigger houses, flying off to more vacations, and, in general, expecting to enjoy more of everything. And the developing world, as it tries desperately to catch up to our living standards, could make the same mistakes we are making, with devastating consequences because there so many more people there than in the developed world. If we choose to ignore the signs that our current practices are unsustainable, a different kind of environmental revolution will be thrust upon us by the inability of the environment to support an irresponsible human population. Biogeochemical cycles In the carbon cycle, the key events are the complementary reactions of  respiration and photosynthesis. Respiration takes carbohydrates and oxygen and combines them to produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy. Photosynthesis (6CO + 12H O + Light Energy C H O + 6O +6H O) takes carbon dioxide and water and produces carbohydrates and oxygen. The outputs of respiration are the inputs of photosynthesis, and the outputs of photosynthesis are the inputs of respiration. The reactions are also complementary in the way they deal with energy. Photosynthesis takes energy from the sun and stores it in the carbon-carbon bonds of carbohydrates; respiration releases that energy. Both plants and animals carry on respiration, but only plants and other producers can carry on photosynthesis. The chief reservoirs for carbon dioxide are in the oceans and in rock. Carbon dioxide dissolves readily in water. Once there, it may precipitate as a solid rock known as calcium carbonate. Corals and algae encourage this reaction and build up limestone reefs in the process. On land and in the water, plants take up carbon dioxide and convert it into carbohydrates through photosynthesis. This carbon in the plants now has 3 possible endings. It can be returned to the atmosphere by the plant through respiration; it can be eaten by an animal, or it can be present in the plant when the plant dies. Animals obtain all their carbon in their food, and, thus, all carbon in biological systems ultimately comes from plants. In the animal, the carbon also has the same 3 possible endings. Carbon from plants or animals that is released to the atmosphere through respiration will either be taken up by a plant in photosynthesis or dissolved in the oceans. When an animal or a plant dies, two things can happen to the carbon in it. It can either be respired by decomposers or released to the atmosphere, or it can be buried intact and ultimately form coal, oil, or natural gas (fossil fuels). The fossil fuels can be mined and burned in the future; releasing carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Otherwise, the carbon in limestone or other sediments can only be released to the atmosphere when they are sub ducted and brought to volcanoes, or when they are pushed to the surface and slowly weathered away. Humans have a great impact on the carbon cycle because when we burn fossil fuels we release excess carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This means that more carbon dioxide goes into the oceans, and more is present in the atmosphere. This causes global warming, because the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere allows more energy to reach the  Earth from the sun than it allows escaping from the Earth into space. Phosphorus has only one form, phosphate. This molecule never makes its way into the atmosphere; it is always part of an organism, dissolved in water, or in the form of rock. When rock with phosphate is exposed to water, the rock is weathered out and goes into solution. Plants get phosphorus from the soil, after the water washes it into the ground. Animals obtain their phosphorous from the plants they eat. Animals may also use phosphorous as a component of bones, teeth and shells. When animals or plants die, the phosphate may be returned to the soil or water by the decomposers. There, it can be taken up by another plant and used again. This cycle will occur over and over until at last the phosphorous is lost at the bottom of the deepest parts of the ocean, where it becomes part of the sedimentary rocks forming there. Ultimately, this phosphorous will be released if the rock is brought to the surface and weathered. Two types of animals play a unique role in the phosphorous cycle. Humans often mine rock rich in phosphorous. For instance, in Florida, which was once sea floor, there are extensive phosphate mines. The phosphate is then used as fertilizer. This mining of phosphate and use of the phosphate as fertilizer greatly accelerates the phosphorous cycle and may cause local overabundance of phosphorous, particularly in coastal regions, at the mouths of rivers, and anyplace where there is a lot of sewage released into the water. Local abundance of phosphate can cause overgrowth of algae in the water; the algae can use up all the oxygen in the water and kill other aquatic life. This is called eutrophication. The other animals that play a unique role in the phosphorous cycle are marine birds. These birds take phosphorous containing fish out of the ocean and return to land, where they defecate. Their guano contains high levels of phosphorous and in this way marine birds return phosphorous from the ocean to the land. The guano is often mined and may form the basis of the economy in some areas. Nitrogen gas in the atmosphere is composed of two nitrogen atoms bound to each other. It is a pretty non-reactive gas; it takes a lot of energy to get nitrogen gas to break up and combine with other things, such as carbon or oxygen. Nitrogen gas can be taken from the atmosphere in two ways. First,  lightning provides enough energy to burn the nitrogen and fix it in the form of nitrate. This process is duplicated in fertilizer factories to produce nitrogen fertilizers. The other form of nitrogen fixation is by nitrogen fixing bacteria, which use special enzymes instead of the extreme amount of energy found in lightning to fix nitrogen. These nitrogen-fixing bacteria come in three forms: some are free-living in the soil; some form symbiotic, mutualistic associations with the roots of bean plants and other legumes; and the third form of nitrogen-fixing bacteria are the photosynthetic cyanobacteria which are found most commonly in water. All of these fix nitrogen, either in the form of nitrate or in the form of ammonia. Most plants can take up nitrate and convert it to amino acids. Animals acquire all of their amino acids when they eat plants or other animals. When plants or animals die or release waste, the nitrogen is returned to the soil. The usual form of nitrogen returned to the soil in animal wastes or in the output of the decomposers, is ammonia. Ammonia is rather toxic, but, fortunately there are nitrite bacteria in the soil and in the water which take up ammonia and convert it to nitrite. Nitrite is also somewhat toxic, but another type of bacteria, nitrate bacteria, takes nitrite and converts it to nitrate, which can be taken up by plants to continue the cycle. Then, to return the nitrogen back to the air, there is denitrifying bacteria in the soil which takes the nitrate and combines the nitrogen back into nitrogen gas. Natural ecosystems The good and services provided by natural ecosystems are not easily seen in the market (meaning the market economy that normally allows us to place value on things) or may not be in the market at all. Thus, things such as clean air to breathe, the formation of soil, the breakdown of pollutants, and the like never pass through the market economy. People are often not even aware of their importance. Because of this, these things undervalued or not valued at all. The functioning of natural ecosystems provides services essential to human survival. Collectively, these services maintain the Earth in a state that can support life. Ecosystem services maintain the atmosphere, provide clean water, control soil erosion, pollution and pests,  pollinate plants, and much more. Consider the atmosphere. Terrestrial animals need air with the correct balance of gases, which includes at least 20% oxygen. Oxygen is provided by plants and algae through photosynthesis. So clearing vegetation and polluting the ocean may threaten the very air we breathe. Water is also essential for survival. The water cycle of rain and evaporation is partly controlled by vegetation. For example, forests can affect entire regional climates because they pump enough water from the soil to the air, causing more rainfall. Large-scale deforestation could cause serious drying of regional climates. Reference: Richard T. Wright (2005) Environmental Science toward a Sustainable Future. Upper Saddle River, N.J. Pearson Prentice Hall 9th edition https://www.eps.com

Consumer Buying Behaviour: The Cosmetics Industry

Consumer Buying Behaviour: The Cosmetics Industry Abstract Women have an inherent love of beauty. The rapid economic growth, coupled with the huge development of cosmetics industry in China, contributes to the significant changes of cosmetics consumer behavior. Cosmetics have become a routine tool to make women more presentable. Understanding behaviour of consumers is a key to the success of business. As a huge potential consumer group, understanding of their attitudes and buying behavior towards cosmetics seems to be necessary. This study focused on investigating and analysing the purchasing patterns for female college students. Via the systemic study, companies will be beneficial to have a better understanding of college females in terms of cosmetics purchasing. The survey was conducted with focus group and questionnaires. The results of questionnaires will be analyzed by using SPSS and data were analysed by frequency analysis, cross-tab analysis and multi-respond analysis. Introduction 1.1 Research background With the expansion of social group and rising incomes, beauty consciousness among women has changed. Cosmetics entered into womens lives on a daily basis. The act of beautifying physical appearance not only becomes a distinct way to express ones image but also a pattern to show respect to other people (Choi, Kim, Kim, 2007). Following decade of years tremendous economic development, the Chinese cosmetics industry is undergoing fast changes and advancement. It further enhances the consumption level of urban and rural residents, improve the consumption environment, optimize consumption structures, and contribute to expansion of the fields of consumption (Tao, 2005). Consumer categories such as cosmetics benefited from the rapid growth in consumer spending, and have become a huge money maker. Meanwhile, the increasing fashion and beauty consciousness, as a natural outgrowth of rising incomes, diversify consumers demands. Obviously, this potential has not only attracted international cosmetics companies, but also led to more domestic cosmetics producers trying to enter the market. As a consequence, competition will be further intensified among foreign and domestic companies. Previous research indicated that females spending on cosmetics still making up of the main income for the entire cosmetics market. An increasing number of female college students starting to show strong interest in enhancing their appearance through make-up (Huang, 2003). With a high level of interests in appearance, they have revealed a great potential. College students represent not only the remarkable consumption potential but also the future mainstream. Thus, the female college students patterns of consumption gradually become a major concern (Choi, Kim, Kim, 2007). Studying consumer behavior enables companies to understand why consumers make the purchase decision and predict how they will react to promotional messages. On the purpose of maintaining and expanding market share, understanding of consumer behavior will be required to suit their changing needs. Therefore, research need to be conducted to provide cosmetic companies with basic data required in establishing marketing s trategies for advancement into Chinese market to tailor consumption patterns of female college students. 1.2 Scope and objectives of study When reviewing the literatures on the cosmetic and toiletry industry, the existing research related to Chinese cosmetic consumer is typically concerned with the entire market. Not many studies are available specifically focus on college students buying behavior. In the regard, considering the massive size of China, the present study limits itself to the female college students. By and large, this dissertation makes an attempt to investigate and analyse purchasing pattern of female college cosmetic consumers. In particular, this study aims to achieve the following objectives: To pinpoint and obtain a general picture of the cosmetics industry in China. On completion of this objective, the intention would be to get an insight into the cosmetics environment and the rapid growth trend of the industry so as to have a good knowledge base that can support the study throughout the dissertation. To investigate and analyse cosmetics buying behavior of female college students in China. The intention of this objective would be to a) understand how college student perceive cosmetics, b) identify their characteristics in terms of cosmetics purchase, and c) develop a greater understanding of motivation for purchasing, different factors involved in purchase decision of cosmetics and how product attribute, such as price, quality etc, effects buying patterns, thereby mapping out a model for female college students purchasing behavior. Based on the analysis of the research carried out, briefly propose a number of key recommendations enable companies in the industry to target their marketing strategies at college cosmetics consumers. The data that plan to be gathered for this research will be obtained from both primary and secondary resources. The secondary sources of data will be derived from published articles from internet database, journals and magazines, theses, and related studies on cosmetics. On the other hand, the primary source of information regarding the study will be gathered from focus groups and questionnaires, prepared by the researcher, which will be delivered to the respondents of the research. 1.3 Significance of study The boom of cosmetics industry in China has brought about changes in consumer behavior. The importance of the study cannot be understated. It is anticipated that the outcome of this study will certainly contribute towards a better understanding of the changing perception and behaviour of cosmetics buyers. Furthermore, there are a number of literatures that have discussed the female consumer behavior with regards to the purchase of cosmetics. This study will combine the relevant literature with own findings from primary research to provide an in-depth discussion. Therefore, the study will be significant in terms of better positioning of products and more effective marketing communication to tailor the demand of college females. This means that the findings will not only be able to benefit both foreign and domestic companies who have the willingness to enter the market but also various retailers who want to expand sales. Literature review Many theories have been proposed to explain consumer behaviors within certain industry area. Understanding todays consumer is the key to realising the future needs and expectations of beauty consumers, and is potentially relevant to improving marketing effectiveness (Tang, 2008). Previous studies hold that knowing the psychological process by which consumers make purchasing decisions enables marketers to grasp opportunities and even predict the shifts and future development trend of the consumer markets. Additionally, it exerts positive impact on improving cosmetics sales (Yau, 1994). Previous studies regarding the patterns of purchasing cosmetics à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ ©Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ °Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ °Ã¢â‚¬  displayà §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¹ à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ®Ã‚ µÃƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ Ã‚ ¼Ã‚  2.1 Relationships between cosmetics and females à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã…’-à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å" Ãƒ ¨Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤-à ¨Ã‚ ²Ã…’ à ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã‹Å"à ¦Ã‹Å" ¯Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ²Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ´Ãƒ ¦Ã… ½Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â€ž ¢ à ¦Ã…“†°Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ³consumer behaviorà §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ §Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¼Ã… ¸Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¥Ã†â€™Ã‚ keralaà ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã…’à ©Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ £Ãƒ ¦Ã‚  Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ª300à ¥Ã‚ ­-à §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ °Ã‚ Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬Å" ºÃƒ ¥Ã… ¾Ã‚ « Few systematic studies have examined that à ¦Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã‹â€  à ¥Ã…’-à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å" Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ©Ã‹Å" ¿ à ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ §Ã‚ ±Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ §Ã‚ ±Ã‚ »Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â€š ¬ à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ºÃƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ °Ãƒ ¥Ã…’-à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å" Ãƒ ©Ã‹Å" ¿ In this generation, cosmetics are used by women of practically all walks of life High-end cosmetics The desire to be beautiful could be considered a human tendency, as it is exhibited by almost every culture all around the world. KIRARA(PDF) Research suggests that beauty consciousness among people in general is changing. Vigneron and Johnson (1999) reported that peoples needs for appearances and materialism were increasing. That is human beings wanted to satisfy the need to look and feel good. This created a boom in the cosmetic and toiletries sector across the world. Chambers Encyclopedia defines cosmetics as (a) articles intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled or sprayed on, introduced into or otherwise applied to the human body or any part thereof for cleaning, beautifying, promoting attractiveness or altering the appearance and (b) articles intended for use as a component of such articles. Now a variety of cosmetic and toiletries ranging from natural to sophisticated items are available in the market. The pattern and preference of use of these items vary according to different segments of gender, age and socio-economic class. When we review the literature on the cosmetic and toiletry industry, not many studies are available especially about Indian scenario. 2.2 Patterns of women purchasing cosmetics Most early theories of consumer behavior were concerned with the purchasing characteristics and influential factors. Schutte and Ciarlante (Schutte Ciarlante, 1998)argued that in China the purchase decision is typically based on the usefulness of the product such as its physical characteristics and price value. However, recent studies outlined by Liang (Liang, 2008) suggested that womens purchasing pattern differs with men. Their buying decision tend to influenced easily by the purchasing environment, and have more impulse purchase. Besides, generally speaking, females have strong self-awareness when purchasing, which means majority of the decisions were made on the basis of personal preference or subjective impression, sensation. 2.2.1 Characteristics of purchasing cosmetics In general, female invest more money on various cosmetic products and even spared no expense because they pay more attention to appearance than men (Huang, 2003). The characteristics of modern Chinese females regarding cosmetics purchase can be summed up in three points: Easily affected by market atmosphere Normally, products promotion, advertising and other factors can easily tempt young females to make irrational purchases. In a research by Cong (Cong, 2008), results showed that 56% of females bought unneeded or unexpected cosmetics products as a result of discount, followed by the purchase due to interests aroused by shop environment and sales exhibition (40.8%). Accounts for 22.8% of females who bought useless products or had irrational consumption were affected by advertisement. Thus, compare with men, female is prone to be encouraged over-consumption by commercial appeals. Mood consumption Female tend to have more generous sentiments in the process of purchase. Their certain desires are prone to be roused and affected by mental activities. Oliver Yau (Yau, 1994) contended that mood consumption normally occurs in two situations. One of which might be triggered by delusion under particular circumstance. For example, lots of females had encountered situation that unexpected spending happens after being paid out the salary. Another circumstance that contributes to mood consumption is likely to happen in the case of that female with unusual mood. Such as, a considerable number of female go shopping when they feel frustrated and happy. Relatively low loyalty to brands Chinese cosmetics consumers show less passion on being loyal to brands. They would like to try several brands to compare them rather than be from the same brand (Labbrand, 2009). Besides, another reason that contributes to low brand loyalty is seasonal consumption of Chinese consumers due to the significant difference in climate between summer and winter (Mo, 2008). Customers have to change their purchase habit to suit the season. For instance, customer tends to use more sunscreen to protect their skin and less oily cream in summer than they do in winter. 2.2.2 Purchasing influences As established by Access Asia Limited (Access Asia Limited, 2008), Chinese consumers heavily rely on products, stores and services they know and trust. The same philosophy is applicable equally to product brands, with word-of-mouth communication proving to be a pervasive reason for consumers to change brands and most potent marketing tools in China. This is supported by Xuecai Liang (Liang, 2008) who claimed that among the females, friends group plays a very important role on information communicating about different brands of cosmetics. Some people will only buy products that they have been recommended by friends. However, the increasing effects of advertising on the urban and younger Chinese buyer cannot be neglected as their media exposure increases (Yang, 2004). In addition, the physical characteristics like reliability, innovative technology and high brand profile are the important factors when make a cosmetic purchase, a study by Yuyuan Huang suggested that (Huang, 2003). Taking different attitudes towards local and foreign brands as example, Huang explained that foreign brand represent high quality and status at the Chinese consumers view, while local brand are perceived as shortage of these selling advantages, even both product sold at the same price. Besides, it worth to notice that local cosmetics consumers now are prepared to pay more for better quality, service, and convenience. The variety of choice is seen as another factor. According to Shen, Liu and Huang (Shen, Liu, Huang, 2005), majority of the consumers will prefer to shop in large stores when they can easily reach such places, whereas finding the lack of product choice in smaller stores (especially in terms of range of price) to be embarrassed. It can be argued that larger stores will provide more bargains, which means the products tend to have higher price value. Such stores are also considered as being more convenient to shop in, contributing to the flourishing development of the discount retailing sector over recent years (Access Asia Limited, 2008). Moreover, in the eyes of Chinese consumer, the depth of communication brands had with their customers is vital. According to survey conducted by Labbrand (Labbrand, 2009), Chinese consumers have a strong demand to communicate with brands. For instance, they would like to receive inquiry from brand concerning their feeling about the products they use, or to be informed in time when brand have special events. Besides, consumers considered that from communicating with brand they can better compare and finally find the most suitable cosmetics for their specific needs and desires. Thus, it can be argued that companies who kept contact with consumers tend to have higher sales and brand loyalty. Industry review The huge advances witnessed over the past two decades have improved the living standards of millions of Chinese citizens. With the upgrade of living standards, private consumption among expenses has reached a higher level. The rise in private consumption translated into greater spending on personal care products in the booming cosmetics industry (Tao, 2005). In China, the development of the cosmetic industry has been to a new stage and it shows a sound momentum of growth. Market potential: Chinese cosmetic market continues to surge In recent year, the continuous rapid economic growth generates good environment and favorable development space for cosmetics industry maintaining a rapid rate of growth. In 2003, china had become the second-largest cosmetics market in Asia after Japan, and was the eighth largest in the world (Li, 2005). According to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of China, the Chinese cosmetics market generated total revenues of RMB ¿Ã‚ ¥488.3 billion in 2007, representing annual sales grew by 26.3 percent over the same period last year. In 2008 and 2009, the sales grew by 22.2% and 17.2%, respectively, over the same period, to reach respective values of RMB ¿Ã‚ ¥596.5 and RMB ¿Ã‚ ¥348.2 billion in 2008 (HKTDC, 2009). At the same time, it has also been taken note that the performance of the market is forecast to decelerate, but still increase by approximately 13% annually (Datamonitor, 2009). Overall, the cosmetics industry is surely faster than the economic growth which means the long te rm potential of the Chinese cosmetic market is fairly vast. Additionally, given its population of approximately 1.3 billion, China has the largest market potential. Chinas share of the global cosmetic market may seem small compared to huge markets like the US and Japan, but with a population of over a billion people, the growth potential there is staggering, said Lenka Contreras, vice president and head of the Consumer Products practice for Klines research division (Pitman, 2005). Chinas cosmetics market is still far from saturation.à ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¾Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¡Ã‚ ¨Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ HKTDCà ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã…’à ©Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¾Ãƒ ¦Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¦- ¥Ã‚ ¼Ã…’xx ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °!!!!à ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã‹Å"à ¦Ã‹Å" ¯Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ¨datamonitorà §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸!!!!!!! Characteristics of chinas cosmetics market The consumer market development is vigorous With economy expanding and mass livelihood improving, awareness of personal well-being prompts strong and continuous growth in the consumer market. It not only reforms the consumption pattern but also drive the sales (Asia consulting, 2008). In that sense, it is predicted that the Chinese cosmetic consumer market is dynamic. Women stimulating the market growth Female is still an essential part of Chinese cosmetics market, especially those office ladies. As Chinese women are now increasingly beauty consciousness and awareness, the use of cosmetics has become a part of their daily routine (Fung, 2005). Accordingly, the rising proportion of young females in white-collar jobs has formed the loyal customer basis for this market, and the cosmetics sales have been driven. Their spending on cosmetic is outgrowing over other areas. National Bureau of Statistics has come up with data that shows women ages from 20-54 account for 27.21% of the total population. Being more economically independent, the enormous number of consumers in the group will generate huge demands than ever (HKTDC, 2009). The famous-brand effect appears day by day on the market The rising sales of famous-brand products reflected that customers attitudes concerning cosmetics have changed (Chen Xue, 2005). As the improving residents consumption level, people are willing to pay more attentions to those well-know cosmetic products which were considered with high grade, quality assurance and harmlessness. For example, customers will be highly delighted with brand-name products that can prevent wrinkles or keep moisture balance in the skin. Due to the impression lifted in mind, its sales increased dramatically and gradually become the main growth point of the entire market. Instead, few shows interest in low-end cosmetic products (China Consulting, 2008). Consumer In Chinese cosmetics market, consumers ways of spending are undergoing a significant change. Dianyi Zhang, president of China Cosmetics Association, claimed that modern customers behave more independently on consumption. Consumers tend to utilize different channels and rely on various measuring standard to get a pleasing cosmetics, rather than dependent on advertising. In addition, changes also occur on consumer group. Depending on the difference in requests on brand, quality, price and personal affordability, consumers were divided into low, middle and high classes. And, every class has a great number of loyal customers (HKTDC, 2009). Women of all ages were concerned with their lifestyle. The rising purchasing ability of women helped them to spend more on personal grooming. This grooming consciousness was encouraged by womens active participation in advertisement or fashion shows, such as the popular Fashion TV program (Pitman Simon, 2009). In china, consumption pattern of consumers is changing. The consumers have become globalized in their thinking and are ready to enjoy with some impulsive shopping. Access to various brands and products give them better knowledge towards cosmetics, due to fast-flowing information (Tang, 2008). Therefore, as a cosmetics producer, motivations and type of products purchased should be different depending upon the segment of consumer targeted. Competitive situation The business environment in China has been improving, especially since 2001, when the country joined the World Trade Organization. The commitment to opening its market in compliance with the WTO rules has further stimulated the market, with greater participation from international and domestic player. Consequently, competition between multinationals and local players is heating up across the country (Utsunomiya, 2003). 3.4.1 Foreign Brands Continue to Dominate in the Chinese Market International brands play a dominant role in the upper-end cosmetics market, such as PG (Olay), Unilever (Ponds), Shiseido, LOreal and Estee Lauder etc (See Table 1) , due to young womens pursuit of well-known brands in literary. These large multinational cosmetic players have entered the mainland market one after another to build their own manufacturing basis and sales network (Sunfaith China Ltd, 2005) and many of those players have been operating successfully in the China market, making their brands well-known and occupy about 80% of the total market share. According to certain statistics, the world top 15 brand of cosmetics had set up own specialty stores (HKTDC, 2002). Even so, those cosmetics magnates have accelerated expansion into low-end products. For example, Avon and LOreal launched low-end cosmetics one after another to suit the changing customers needs and purchasing behavior, and expand the market share (HKTDC, 2009). Table 1 Top Ten Preferred Colour Cosmetics Products, 2006 (Access Asia Limited, 2008) Brand % Share Maybelline 10.3 LOreal 9.9 Shisiedo 8.0 Lancà ´me 7.3 Avon 6.6 Està ©e Lauder 5.5 Yue Sai 5.1 Revlon 4.7 Amway 3.8 H2O 3.2 Others 35.6 TOTAL 100.0 3.4.2 Transformation of local Chinese companies is under way Compared with foreign companies domestic players have smaller market share due to several weaknesses. For instance, weak financial ability, lack of research and development capability, and lack of experience in brand management and marketing. Therefore, most of those players produce low-end product with only a small number making high-end product that can compete with foreign players (Li, 2005). Nonetheless, as the economic growth domestic companies has undertaken a transformation, gradually changed the impression with low quality and price, and entered into high-end market so as to become more competitive (Ocn, 2008). Facing with the open markets and trade liberalization in China, the previous mentioned increasingly fierce competition is inevitable. On the purpose of responding to the changing customer demands, market players have devised a variety of marketing strategies so as to create impressive product image in customers mind and drive them to spend more money on their own products. Distribution channel SWOT analysis of the female market Future develop trend http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/Products-Markets/Asian-cosmetics-players-opt-for-natural-and-organic-standards Cosmetics players opt for natural and organic standards In karara (PDF) the main reasons for boom in cosmetic industry as increasing fashion and beauty consciousness coupled with rising incomes and focus on health and fitness. A natural and holistic approach attracts these women, especially where there is an interest in complementary health and in overall well being. Key issues à ¦Ã‹Å" ¯Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã‹Å" ¯Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¦Ã…  Ã…   SWOT analysis à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ ¥Ã…“ ¨Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã…’à ©Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸ Summary of key issues related to your literature and industry review The key issues section is where you, having completed the situation analysis consider what are the key issues facing the company and the market. So in a sense it is a summary chapter at the end of the first section of your report. In this chapter you should give an indication of what you think are the most important issues facing the company and the market. à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ½Ãƒ ¥Ã…’-à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å" Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¶Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ ¥Ã…“ ºÃƒ §Ã… ½Ã‚ °Ãƒ ¥Ã…“ ¨Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ­Ã‹Å"à ¥Ã…“ ¨Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ©- ®Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¢Ã‹Å" ¼Ã…’à ©Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ £ à ¦Ã‚ ¶Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¡Ã…’à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ºÃƒ ¥Ã… ½Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ £Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬  Ã‚ ³ Consumer à §Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ²Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ®Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ±Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ à ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã…’à ¥Ã…’-à ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å" Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸ Company à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ½Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ ¥Ã…“ ºÃƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚  Ãƒ ¦Ã…“†°Ãƒ §Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ½Ã… ½Ã‚ ¼Ã…’ à ©Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ´Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ £Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¶Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ £Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬  Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ªÃƒ ©- ®Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¢Ã‹Å" ¼Ã… ¸Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸ Research methods 5.1 Approach 5.2 Data gathering method 5.3 Data Processing http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/sample_dissertation_research_problem_and_objectives/ In this study, the self-administered semi-structured questionnaires will be used to collect quantitative data and the interviews will be used to provide qualitative insights into the data collected. The data will then be presented by means of graphical representations and illustration and the difference would be highlighted. à §Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¦- ¹Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ³Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ 38 à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬ à §Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¦Ã… ¾Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¹ à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ…’à §Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬ à §Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ °Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ¡ à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬ à §Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ · à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ §Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬ à §Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ µÃ‚ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¹ à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬ à ¨Ã‚ ³Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¦-â„ ¢Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ãƒ §Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¨Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¦Ã… ¾Ã‚  Research question Secondary research: The following information could be considered using desk research to give a general review and help to assist analysis of primary researches: Cosmetics industry review The purpose of this part is to find out important information concerning the entire cosmetics markets in china. Main issues that need to investigate include: Main characteristics of Cosmetics Industry in china What current market development trend is What Competitive situation is within cosmetics market Development opportunities of the cosmetics market within china This information will be helpful to better understand and form general perceptions of industry situation in china. There are several ways to obtain required information above. Data sources: Internet Databases Go to college library website and use its databases, such as: Marketline Academic Search Premier Business Insights Access Asia Series Business Source Premier To look for industry reports and e-journals those contain information regarding the Chinese cosmetic market. Find out information about the current cosmetics market and even see what demographics suit Shiseido to introduce the product to. Applying databases is a good way to get information due to its huge information storage volume and reliability. Most of them are academic-based, and have a comprehensive understanding on specific field. Websites: Look up necessary websites such as www.shiseidochina.com where might be possible to get some internal data sources. The use of this data is to define the competitive position of the firm, an evaluation of a marketing strategy the firm has used in the past, or gaining a better understanding of the company. Even, their past researches on consumer behaviors. The internal data sources might be sales marketing reports and accounting financial reports of the company. Magazines Newspapers It is also possible to look at some Chinese cosmetics industry magazines so that to acquire valuable industry information and some current cosmetic issues happened in china. Quantitative Qualitative methods In order to ascertain consumers cosmetics buying patterns and product satisfactions, quantitative and qualitative researches are both required to be implemented. It should be noticed that the understandings of consumers would exert significant impacts on companys marketing strategies. Besides, it is valuable for coming up with comments and suggestions to Client Company after analyzing Chinese customer. The main objectives of quantitative and qualitative research falls into several parts as followed: Motive of Purchasing Cosmetic Product Motives are defined as general drives that direct a consumers behavior toward attaining his or her need and the motivational drive directly affects the specific benefit criteria consumers use to evaluate products. Thus, understand buying motivations will provide evidences to Client Company to better position its products. Information Sources There are differences in using information sources among various age groups. Knowing customers through what kinds of channels to get products information could help Shiseido sell products more effectively to target audiences. Evaluative Criteria for Purchasing Cosmetics As for criteria for purchasing cosmetics, the responses will be in order of quality, price and volume of content. It is crucial to see what element is more important to customers when buying cosmetics. This will do company a favor to develop products or marketing strategies. Place of Purchasing Cosmetics In terms of the place of purchase, primary research should focus on finding out the reasons for selecting these places of purchase. Then, company can identify the perfect place to sell its products on the basis of information provided by survey. Satisfactions and dissatisfactions It is well known that satisfactions with a product will perform huge influences on its sales volume. This primary research should identify the level of satisfactions towards Shiseido and try to find out any aspects that consumers wish to see changes. Quantitative research Questionnaires As the measuring tools of this study, questionnaire based on previous studies and results of preliminary research were used. In this case, this study was carried out in the country of China. Therefore, questionnaire in English should be translated into Chinese. To reach a variety of different customers, questionnaires are supposed to carry out at different city within china so that to get as many points of views as possible. Questionnaire is consisted of 3 main sections: Section 1 is simply some questions on demographical characteristics of respondents like gender, age and occupation etc. to profile consumers. Section 2 emphasizes on customers buying behavior on cosmetics. As objectives mentioned above. For instance, purchase motivation information sources, evaluative criteria for purchasing basic skin care items and color make-up products, store type of purchasing cosmetic product and reasons for store selection persons to exert influence upon purchasing and satisfaction/dissatisfaction on cosmetics purchased. Section 3 focuses more on investigating customers perceptions concerning Shiseido products. Such as, customers brand awareness of Shiseido, brand image and brand position in customers mind. Additionally, the results of questionnaires will be analyzed by using SPSS. The analysis conducted in the study with SPSS statistics package includes frequency analysis, cross-tab analysis, analysis of variance and Multiple Range test. Survey In order to keep questionnaire short enough to maintain respondents interests, there must be some questions cannot be asked. Thus in this project, I will also consider conductin

Strategic Human Resource Problems in Texas Instruments Malaysia

Strategic Human Resource Problems in Texas Instruments Malaysia Introduction Objective The objective of doing this task is to understand and analyze the strategic human resource problems in Texas Instruments Malaysia and to provide suggestions based on literature review and best practices. Company Introduction TIs innovation strategy let it leapfrog to the forefront of the chip business, where it has remained ever since Malcom Penn, CEO Electronic Engineering Times (June 2003). These are just a few words describing Texas Instruments. Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP and analog technologies to meet our customers real world signal processing requirements. In addition to Semiconductor, the company includes the Educational Productivity Solutions business. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than 25 countries. Texas Instruments Incorporated is a company in the semiconductor industry that provides innovative semiconductor technologies to help their customers create the worlds most advanced electronics. Their analog, embedded processing and wireless technologies that is used in daily lives in many different ways, ranging from digital communications and entertainment to medical services, automotive systems and wide- ranging applications in between. TI Corporate Overview Texas Instruments in US, the headquaters (NYSE:  TXN), better known in the electronics industry (and popularly) as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, USA, renowned for developing and commercializing semiconductor and computer technology. TI is the No. 3 manufacturer of semiconductors worldwide after Intel and Samsung, and is the top supplier of chips for cellular handsets, as well as the No. 1 producer of digital signal processors (DSPs) and analog semiconductors. Other focus areas include chips for broadband modems, PC peripherals, digital consumer devices, telecommunication infrastructure, and radio frequency identification (RFID). Based on 2009 revenue for 2010 ranking, the company was listed at number 223 on the Fortune 500. Texas Instruments is also known for its values that include high ethical behavior as well as diversity. One of the programs done is called inclusiveness ensures that diversity is valued and it is the core of the TI values across all the plan ts worldwide. Company History Texas Instruments was founded by Cecil H. Green, J. Erik Jonsson, Eugene McDermott, and Patrick E. Haggerty in 1951. McDermott was one of the original founders of Geophysical Service in 1930. McDermott, Green, and Jonsson were GSI employees who purchased the company in 1941 on the day before Pearl Harbor was attacked. In November, 1945 Patrick Haggerty was hired as general manager of the Laboratory and Manufacturing (LM) division. By 1951, the LM division, with its defense contracts, was growing faster than GSIs Geophysical division. The company was reorganized and initially renamed General Instruments Inc. Because there already existed a firm named General Instrument, the company was renamed as Texas Instruments that same year. Geophysical Service Inc. became a subsidiary of Texas Instruments which it remained until early 1988, when most of GSI was sold to the Halliburton Company. Today semiconductor is the biggest business for Texas Instruments Malaysia. Vision: To be the Assembly/ Test of choice Mission: To focus on the priorities which is our customer, our business partners and our people. Market Shares Looking at the chip vendors above in 2009, Texas Instruments is one of the market dominator in the business. The others represent small companies put together. The main competitors for Texas Instruments are Freescale and ST Microelectronics. Worldwide Location of TI TI has a long-standing presence in many of the worlds major markets and has the best geographic coverage in the semiconductor industry. With manufacturing sites, sales and support offices located in Europe, Asia, Japan, and the Americas, TI can provide products and services to customers wherever they do business Global Presence: Manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than 25 countries Employment Employee Population: Approximately 27,700 worldwide Regional Employee Population: Approximately : 12,900 in US America (Texas, North Texas and Dallas area) 10,000 in Asia 2,200 in Japan 2,600 in Europe With the big number of employees in TI Malaysia, many HRM issue will become more rampant especially during policy deployment as well as during communication. TI Malaysia currently has a very good system to counter that but what is actually required to tale them to the next level? TI Product Line Semiconductors: Amplifiers Linear Clocks Timers DSP Digital Signal Processing Data Converters Interface Logic Microcontrollers (MCU) Power Management RFID Systems RF/IF ZigBee ® Solutions Switches Multiplexers Temperature Sensors Control ICs DLP ® TV, Projectors Cinema Calculators Education Technology TI Financial Performance TI has a very strong financial history and performance as per the above. With the credit crunch currently being see, there has still not been any information or new on layoffs as well as retention. TI is prepared for the rainy days as they have encountered it more than once in 1997, 2001 as well as 2009. Awards Nobel Prize Winner Jack Kilby, the father of semiconductor discovered the worlds first silicon integrated circuit (IC) while working with TI. TI was the first semiconductor company to go global. 75% of all notebook PCs in the world use TI for power management and data storage. More than half the cell phones sold worldwide use TI technology. TI invented the worlds first handheld calculator in 1967 TI has won two Emmy Awards for DLP ® technology. Business Analysis Looking at the Porters Generic strategy above, TIs strategy on going for low cost position in the market was one of the reasons why TI got such a huge market share. In this highly competitive industry, cost and the differentiation of the product will become the pillars of the industry. Todays customers are very demanding and only wants the best and the best cost. With the high quality output of TI, the brand image speaks for itself. TI Malaysia is the largest factory site in TI worldwide. TI Malaysia produces about 10 million chips per day. Methodology In doing this task, we took some different approach in understanding the issues seen in TI Malaysia. Literature review: Through general sources, we identified some Info about TI through reading as well as through the Internet. We watched a video on Youtube on the Manager of World Exploration in Search of Great Talent, a unique function of the HR in TI US to understand the corporate thought process with regards to HR since this is a multinational company. Interview session: We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to have an interview and a discussion session with former TIM HR director, Reha Abd. Razak. On what was thought to be a question and answer session turned out to be a critical discussion session about the HR policies in TI Malaysia. HR Basics Human resource management is the function performed in an organization that facilitates the most effective use of employees to achieve organizational and individual goal Performing all the functions above, HR plays a very important role in getting the right people to do the right job. Looking through the theories we learned in class, HR should not just be about data processing of the employees records. The concept today talks about SHRM rather than just HRM for the extra competitive advantage that a company needs to stay competitive. TIM HR TODAY Looking at the basic structure of the Human Resource Department in TI, we can look at 2 areas, which is the human resource planning and the talent management. Below are the processes of both the areas. Looking into the function groups in TI Malaysia under HR, we can see 4 main groups: Staffing Training Compensation and benefit Employee relation Communication Though the sections are separated in such a manner, the HR departments operative functions are realized though the following. ER and communication was one of the aspects that we looked at during this task as the section was rather new and many works were required to ensure a proper communication flow in the company. The chart below explains. TIs Employee Development Strategy Employee training and development is one of the aspects that TI looks at. When an employee comes into TI there is a perception that TI will have to change and mold to ensure that they are aligned with the company. TI believes that on job training is very important in bringing the employee to the next level as a training plan. TI uses the 70%, 20% , 10% criteria in the development of the employee in the journey in TIM. The 10% seen will be the additional development program like Masters Degree or any external technical and professional course that can help the employee to improve on based on their DPM that will be discussed under job analysis. Job Analysis Job analysis can be seen in two aspects: Job Description Is a written statement that defines the duties, relationships and results expected of anyone in the job. Job Specification Is an analysis of the kind of person it takes to do the job such as lists of qualifications and specific skills TI has a detailed database and eDPM that spells out the Job description and Job Specification of every position to be hired. This can really help in the development of an employee and will enhance the SAKA of an employee. Looking at the Individual Development Plan (IDP) illustrated, we can see that TI has developed a proper way in managing the responsibility of an employee and in making sure that the objectives is set with the function group manager in relation to the vision and mission of the company. Hiring in TI TIs hiring process relied on Interviews, Reference checks and Physical ability test and is focused on SAKA. It is always recommended to consider using Cognitive abilities test as well which includes Verbal comprehension, Quantitative ability and Reasoning ability to hire the right person. Below is the hiring process flow in TI: The hiring process is standard across the HR in the industry, but for several key positions, there might be additional steps of interview with the department head as well as the operations manager. The utilization of the headhunters is one the method in ensuring a brain gain for the company. Some very technical positions will require skill expertise and the ability of the candidate to be innovative. The hiring process will be based on SAKA approach depending on the nature of the job. A good blend of in house breed and external technical skill will be the right direction for the company to take the next step. Training in TI TI has a very well balance training and development program for its employees. The above model will show the types that are available today in TI. TI has a booklet for new hire that clearly defined the Orientation, OJT (On Job Training), General training and job specific training that they have to complete between 1 month and 2 years time frame. Thus, all employees will undergo standardize training The development will be based on the individual performance and potential. Taking an example, some Engineers are sent for Masters course than can shape them both technically as well as generic skills. Performance Management in TI TI uses the 9 cell matrix in the individual performance rating. This will help to analyze and distinguish between the potentials and the top performers in the company. This can help in ensuring the proper development program is in place for the succession planning. Focus and Recommendations Mainly through the discussion and looking at the HR systems Today, we have identified 2 areas to focus on in the current human resource system. These areas are: Necessary steps are already taken by the HR department to address the issues above but a strategic approach is required to ensure that the company will have the competitive advantage to take the next step in Strategic Human Resource Management by having the HR be approached as an integrative linkage through corporate planning. The next set of discussions will concentrate on the problem that are currently observed, some analysis and the recommended action based on the literature review. Focus #1: Communications Organizations in general are fully aware on the importance of communications. Organizations put a lot of focus and allocation to ensure that their customers, stakeholders and the public, view them positively in general. Where there are sufficient financial allocations, organizations in the public sector of the private sector would set up communications units to serve the purposes indicated. Not enough with the internal staff, organizations may engage with specialists from communications companies, known as Public Relations (PR) agency in an effort to ensure that only good and timely news about them reach the intended parties. These are carried out in support of the organizations projected sales figures and in some others, their brand recognition. Despite the well-known and highly regarded values of communication, organizations or companies in general fail to recognize and address the position of internal communications in equivalence to communications with external parties. Strategies on the best approach, time and methodology to communicate with the staff or workers are often neglected and left to be attended only on ad-hoc basis or in other words, communicate with the staff only when there is something to be announced or if there is a crisis of significant magnitude that warrants the attention of a large portion of the workforce. In a nut shell, such attention to communicating with the employees is reactive in nature, which usually is haphazard, internalized with the least interest if at all, does not invite responses from the receivers and as good as mere lip service. Any company that is able to communicate clearly with their employees is more likely to reach their objectives of existence. Communications, between employers and employees ensure that the aspiration, directions, targets and challenges the company is conveyed clearly down the hierarchy. In return, feedback or recommendations bottoms up upon reaching the management timely and concisely are more often than not valuable inputs into the companys ability to move forward. In Texas Instrument (TI) Malaysia likewise, the focus on internal communications has long been a feature in its Human Resource Department. Adjusted for the local climate but in adherence to its global standards of practice, TI continues to ensure that the employees receive clear and undistorted news and information that the leadership wishes to convey. Internal communications are often viewed as a vital avenue to firstly create a sense of belonging amongst the group of employees. Imagine the set up like TI where there are more that 4,000 workers of various ranks and job scopes from a stretched list of business units, and share the site (plant) as their second home. These workers hardly have enough chance to mingle around at the workplace to get to know each other. Well, perhaps they know they work at the same place by the site uniform that they wear. As we move further, we try to understand the communications gap between the management and the rest of the workforce. In normal daily interaction, workers spend their time communicating only with their immediate peers and bosses. Should there be lack of communications channel with the higher ups, workers often end up conveying their views only to immediate supervisors. Similarly, they solely depend on the immediate supervisors to relay any message from the higher ups downwards. In creating the sense of belonging, workers need to recognize and accept that they are a smaller part of a bigger whole. They need to function, move and strive to reach the overall objective of the company. They need to know that there is a common goal and the goal is shared across the board. They need to know that they exist in synergy and without synergy with others or if there should there be misalignments of focus, the company will not be able to meet its intended objectives and if that so happens, the entire establishment will be affected. The end result could be monetary or anything that is detrimental to the well being of the company as a whole. Thereby, companies make use of its internal communications channels as a means to ensure that the workers continue to be well informed, motivated and share the big picture. Companies understand that workers who are in positive mindsets largely contribute to sales increase, reduction in wastage, able to accept the changes the company wi shes to deploy and carry the company reputation well wherever they go. Internal communication also functions as a generator of the companies work culture. Through the various programs developed and deployed under its purview, the company is then able to eliminate any form of ambiguity amongst the workforce. This also helps to germinate and make the employees understand basic values that are accepted, functioning within a framework where they operate in. Similarly, reports have also shown that by successfully creating the values of the company, positive effects would follow suit including: Employees making correct and acceptable decisions Increase in effort and efficiency due to clear and accepted mission Reduction in operational conflicts that could affect productivity TI, as an organization that upholds the importance of internal communications has put in place several programs or initiatives with the intention to create motivated workforce and, conducive and transparent work place. Periodically, TI publishes an internal newsletter called Gema TIM where news and events revolving around the operation of TI in Malaysia are put together and disseminated to all. Staff will make use of Gema TIM to follow the activities and be inspired about the achievement of fellow workers. The newsletter could also function as a conduit for workers to excel as those who achieve certain level of expectation are normally featured in the publication. TI also established an online channel and a physical equivalent post box for its staff to share their views, recommend or even complaint about any aspect of the company. Called Hati ke HaTI or Heart to Heart, the channel allows the workers to express themselves freely without fear. It is noted that most submissions are for general development of the company as personal issues are usually discussed in person with the Human Resources officer. Possibly every quarter-year, the Senior Management of TI would host a site-meeting or open dialogue, where a huge portion of the staff strength is able to verbally converse with the bosses amicably. The Senior Management of TI make use of such platform to personally convey success, challenges and direction of the company downward. They also take the opportunity to personally give motivation to the staff should there be any need of rectification of issues or need for assurances. Overall, the Senior Management is in view that the communications channels made available, be they Gema TIM, Hati ke Hati or the site meeting are the best conduits to ensure continuous and positive staff engagement. Despite the positive effort, TI has long saddled the responsibility of ensuring optimal internal communications to be assumed only as a supplementary deliverable of its Human Resources department. Only recently that the officer made responsible for the deliverable was upgraded to a Managers position where her focus on internal communications is now made a priority, enlarged and raised in strategic importance. The group did not manage to identify the real reasons for TIs long under-priority on communications. And we are not going to debate and guess over the reasons. Perhaps what is more important is to discuss the better ways to come up with a good internal communications strategy and maybe even recommend the approach to the Senior Management at TI. We would firstly confirm that TI acknowledges the importance of internal communications in an effort to continuously create a preferred working environment that would certainly contribute to high level of motivations amongst workers, which would later translate into better efficiency resulting in higher yields and returns to the company. Similarly we would also assume that the role of internal communication in generating a positive common culture is recognized. TI thereafter would need to consider the listed steps, as recommended by Robert Bacal in his report entitled Internal Communication Strategies: The Neglected Element: 1. Identification of intended culture There is a need to clearly distinct between which culture is needed and which culture is desired. What is most important is that the culture to be created must be able to support the companys goals especially financially. TI must therefore at this stage identify a set of suitable principles, values and behaviors for its workers to embrace as the principles, values and behaviors are the colors to what will later be accepted as TIs culture. 2. Identify and utilize available Communications tools Here, TI has already established a few tools including the newsletter, online commentary channel and an open forum. In fact, we should exhaustively look at what are the available and potential tools and study the effectiveness of those tools in a high-technology dependent factory set-up like TI: Printed medium The tools included under this category are not limited to a newsletter or in-house magazines alone. Companies should understand that memos and performance appraisal documents are also effective tools in communicating its stand to the workers. Companies like TI should therefore identify any potential printed medium tool that can be used to convey its aspiration, and if the tools identified can also be used as a feedback mechanism for the employees to submit their views. b) Verbal channel Sometimes meetings and team address go a longer way that orchestrated forums or dialogue sessions. Sometimes meetings are more acceptable to those who are uneasy with large crowds. Here, TI should be able to vary the verbal channels, not necessarily to attempt to cater for all kinds of preferences but rather to consider the platforms that are most effective according to several types of behavior extrovert, introvert etc. c) Electronic channel Companies who have sufficient IT budget would usually prefer to utilize the electronic channel as one of the key mediums of communications company-wide. The cost for developing a web platform for information dissemination, for example, is almost zero as the initial investment for the channel is preliminarily for generic communications purposes, as in the case of having a telephone for all deserving staff members. Similarly, the cost to develop an online newsletter is almost negligible. As the availability of server space and internet access are considered given factors in running a technology-dependent factory, TI in this case would only need to tap into basic web development skills set amongst its workers. The online newsletter could also be positioned as a collaborative effort between the communications / human resource department with the Information Technology (IT) department. Needless to say, most young individual college-educated workers are somewhat exposed to web development as it has since become commonplace. The IT department could then assume the roles as access provider and server manager. d) Management Behavior Surprisingly the behaviors of especially the senior management members are often construed as messages from the top level for the consumption of the workforce. For example, their hesitation to allow certain programs to be deployed could then in this case be an indication of non-preference for certain operational or deployment strategies. e) Staff and Management Forums This particular tool can also be extended to include non-verbal tools like company-wide surveys. It can an effective mechanism to be used to extract certain undercurrent feelings amongst staff members i.e. on recently launched programs or new initiatives that may invite mixed reactions from various affected working groups. 3. Identify tools are most suitable for specific goals Some tools are only suitable for some selected goals and not for the others. Some tools, on the other hand, may cause backfire to the management if not properly utilized. As in the case of giving a warning or reminder to the workers on the potential of lay-offs in view of the current economic condition, TI should consider the medium where the management will be able to lay out at length the processes that are going to take place and the potential workforce that would be affected. TI would then need to also provide lengthy information on possible measures the workers could take to prepare for such event. Announcements as important as this should not be disseminated utilizing channels that will only invite anxiety amongst staffs, which would lead to immediate de-motivation and reduction in yield. 4. Develop a description of how each tool is to be used Although there are available internal communications tools, those who have been made in-charge of the tools must understand and only make use of the tool in question in-synch with the bigger goals the company wishes to pursue. For example, if the corporate level of the company wishes to invoke the inclination of its workers towards integrity at the workplace, all other messages broadcasted should be moulded with the essence on integrity. The newsletter and internal online editors in this instance must contribute more messages on integrity and not on other secondary values. Similarly, the editor of in internal newsletter for example, must be skilful enough to carve out easy to understand and non-confrontational messages to invite the fellow workers to focus on elevating integrity at the workplace instead of forcing the new focus value down their throats. 5. Plan for remediation TI should take note that whilst the company may wish to develop certain values in its staff, there are expected training, coaching and mentoring programs that need to take place so as to ensure that the intended development is met with the least number of challenges and according to the measurements i.e. time, quantity expected. Training and coaching are also very important processes to take place in instances where there are certain new skill sets (technical/non-technical) that need to be acquired by the staff for the values to be realized. 6. Plan for implementation Developing an implementation plan for effective internal communications is similar to developing other types of communication plans. In this case, TI would need to observe a few important steps and at each step, a number of pivotal questions need to be answered so that the plan developed is within the intended frame of expectation: What to communicate? The message must be very clear and is in support of the higher level goal / aspiration of the company How to communicate? Choose the most suitable tool and identify if a single or double-prong or a multiple platform approach is the most suitable judging from the value of the message. Who will do it? The officer in-charge must firstly carry a high level of trust amongst workers and can continue to follow-up on it should that be required. When will it be done? The timing must be correct in consideration of i.e. landmark events, celebrative moments, economic situation etc. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.and last but not the least, TI or any other companies deploying an internal communications agenda must remember that the initiative is continuous in nature and not a mere one-off or ad-hoc program. 7. Implement 8. Continuous Monitoring and Revise/Realign the Strategy or Approach if necessary The plan would require continuous monitoring in ensuring its success. And TI would need to realign the plan according to any changes in its corporate values, mission or in view of the changes in the industry. Remember, any strategy is dynamic and will require revision to cater for changes that take place. Focus#2: Talent retention Speaking about talent retention and people cannot help to wonder if the talent retention would become a major task for HR especially in an fluctuation of economic situation like this. The semiconductor industry will normally face a cycle of recession every 10 years once and given the reckless spending habits of the people is US, the economic situation has become worse. TI can be facing a brain drain problem if they did not take measures in ensuring the right talent remains in TI Malaysia. The article above speaks about truth on why an employee would leave a company. During the interview session, the HR director categorized it into two parts which is the push and pull factor. Some of the push factors seen in are frustration, not recognized, boring and lack of succession planning. Frustration: Happens when an employee feels that he is not getting what he needs and what he deserves. This ties back directly to the motivation concept. Motivation is defined as the account for an individual intensity, direction, and persistence of effort towards attaining a goal. Not recognized: Not recognized talks about the backroom boys or the busy bees who does everything but just do not get the deserved attention nor recognition. Looking at the Maslows hierarchy of Needs, the high order needs talks about esteem and self-actualization. In attaining a corporate goal set by the company, it is very important for an employee to feel needed and part of the company rather than just another employee. As mentioned earlier, the communication done by the site meetings with the whole factory helps translate the business goals into everyday work for the staff. There will however still be some that suffers from the middle child syndrome and decide to leave. Lack of succession planning: As we have seen in the case of Mohapatra, succession plans really helps to ensure that the candidate is really ready to take on such a challenge. Taking some departments in TI, which are support groups, the possibility of expansion is low and ladder is harder to climb, as they are already only a support function to the company. In these cases, if the employee is already working 7 years on the same position and the manager has another 10 years to go, the lack of succession planning can be the push factor that the employee starts updating their resume and looking for another job. The ability for the company to se their talent is very crucial to ensure that these candidates can be groome