The Impact of Globalization on Hr Practice - 6154 Words

Impact of Globalization on Human Resource Practice Nwadei Lucky, Department of Business Administration, University of Education, Winneba Ghana ABSTRACT Globalization is bridging barriers of communication, culture and commerce and one major area its impact is felt is how the world is becoming one marketplace. Multinational enterprises are the actors in this process and a major emphasis in many such organizations is the practice of Human resource which has been shaped tremendously by the impact of globalization. HR practice is changing and is been changed to reflect the changing face of people management. * Abstract * GLOBALISATION * Globalization defined * Globalization – A historical perspective * Drivers of†¦show more content†¦More generally, knowledge about production methods, management techniques, export markets and economic policies is available at very low cost, and it represents a highly valuable resource for the developing countries. GLOBALIZATION – A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Since the word has both technical and political meanings, different groups will have differing histories of globalization. In general use within the field of economics and political economy, however, it is a history of increasing trade between nations based on stable institutions that allow firms in different nations to exchange goods and services with minimal friction. The term liberalization came to mean the acceptance of the neoclassical economic model which is based on the unimpeded flow of goods and services between economic jurisdictions. This led to specialization of nations in exports, and the pressure to end protective tariffs and other barriers to trade. The period of the gold standard and liberalization of the 19th century is often called The First Era of Globalization6. The First Era of Globalization is said to have broken down in stages beginning with the first World War, and then collapsing with the crisis of the gold standard in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Countries that engaged in that eraShow MoreRelatedQuestions On Strategic Human Resource Problems1011 Words   |  5 Pagesmethods of dealing with the deficits recorded. Further, the human resource manager has several opportunities that allow them to increase the company’s profits by using methods such as strategic outsourcing. The knowledge out there is sufficient for any HR manager looking for ways of expanding the work force within the organization. As technology continues to shift, outsourcing parts of the company’s subsystems continues to expand on a daily basis as the unexploited potentials continue to present themselvesRead MoreBackground And Culture Of Mexico1209 Words   |  5 Pagesindustry for the country as well. In this case we will discuss globalization effects and how culture has affected some of the HR policies in Mexican society today. Globalization Studies have shown that people living in areas with the least exposure to globalization are lagging as compared to regions that have felt globalization’s impact full force. These ‘high exposure’ states, the Northern states, experience greater levels of globalization due to the fact that their export-oriented industriesRead MoreHow Globalization Effects Hrm Essay1733 Words   |  7 PagesHow Globalization effects HRM The term Globalization has invaded the mind of every successful businessman and the concept of Global Village is a common issue in the modern business world. What really the globalization is? The answer seems simple if a firm or an organization expands its sales or production beyond the national boundaries, then it is globalization, but it does not cover the real meaning of the term. Globalization actually means more, much more than that; it is realizing that thereRead MoreWhat Role Do Hrm Practices Play in a Business Decision to Expand Internationally?1327 Words   |  6 PagesWhat Role Do HRM Practices Play In A Business Decision To Expand Internationally? Ilein Arteaga 2608214 Florida International University HRM CONTRIBUTIONS TO INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION OF BUSINESS Human Resource practices play a great role in the international expansion of businesses. With globalization being the current trend in businesses all over the world, success of international business units depends heavily on the effective performance of the Human Resource departmentRead MoreThe Role Of Hr Manager Serving As A Strategic Business Partner1676 Words   |  7 Pagesthe company and also eliminate or lower the problems it is currently facing, an HR plan will be created. This plan will provide an explanation and the importance of the role of the HR manager serving as a strategic business partner. Next, an assessment of what HR policies, procedures and practices are and how they influence a business will be made. Afterwards a brief but detailed description of the major disciplines of HR managers will be conducted. To tackle the problems ABC Technology Company is experiencingRead MoreHr Healthcare Organization Module 1 Writing Assignment1452 Words   |  6 Pages HR IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION-MODULE 1 WRITING ASSIGNMENT Potla Siva Krishna Missouri State Universityâ€Æ' HR in Healthcare Organizations-Module 1 Writing Assignment 1. Which of the specific environmental and organizational HR challenges will be most important in healthcare in the next 20 years? You may use your own experience or information from other healthcare executives in your answer? The role of the Human Resource Manager is evolving with the change in competitive market environmentRead MoreThe Factors Influencing Mnc s Ability1692 Words   |  7 Pagesto transfer HR practices from one national context to another. †¢ globalization †¢ embeddedness of managerial models †¢ cultural convergence and divergence of HR practices †¢ institutions †¢ standardization of HR practices †¢ transfer is not a smooth sailing- why? identify reasons that influence MNC’s ability †¢ for examples: cultures differences (power distance, languages); social factors, political pressures; industrial characteristics Along with the trend of globalization, multinationalRead MoreCurrent Hr Trends805 Words   |  4 PagesCURRENT HR TRENDS August 1, 2011 HRM/552 Abstract The current HR trends will be analyzed to determine the impact on labor unions as a result of outsourcing. The trends in union membership, the growth in union membership, the process for organizing a labor union to enter a nonunion company, the impact the current legal environment has on labor unions and companies, the labor movement and the affect of outsourcing, the services HR is outsourcing will be evaluated and the effect HR outsourcingRead MoreHuman Resource Practices And Job Satisfaction Essay1560 Words   |  7 Pagesfactors. All these stated factors have changed the HR practices with the channel of time and now HR practices have become more capable in conveying the value to business through changing the system of recruitment hiring, training development, and reimbursement and benefits (Stone, 2013). The objective of this study is to analyze perception regarding human resource practices and job satisfaction that is varies with demographic factors. HRM practices are tools in helping achieve departmental objectivesRead MoreHow Human Resource Planning Is Different From Manpower Planning? Essay1494 Words   |  6 PagesQ1.) What is the main purpose of human resource planning? As a part of your answer describe how Human Resource planning is different from manpower planning? EXPLANATION: - Human Resource planning Different techniques and practices used by an organization to forecasts its human resource needs and make sure, that it has adequate number of skilled and suitably trained employees at all times, to perform the tasks of the organization efficiently and help it to achieve its goals. This is a process,

Interning At Vcc The Gary Center Essay - 1951 Words

I am interning at VCC: The Gary Center in La Habra. I currently intern Wednesdays and Fridays for five hours each day. On Wednesdays, I am in the upstairs office all five hours working in the front office. Currently VCC: The Gary Center is going through the process of moving to another location. After merging with Vista Community Center in March 2016, our agency has expanded and moving our services to a bigger location. This whole process has brought disorder into the agency and high levels of stress. As an intern walking into a changing agency is was pretty easy to learn the new rules. My supervisor Ana Palafox, provides me with different tasks every Wednesday. I cover for the other receptionists Viri and Ailene, when they are on lunch or taking a break. One of the main tasks I was given was to help clients with their Medical applications. Many clients do not know how to apply, what they need, or where to go. Whenever an interested client calls in for information about Medical, I make an appointment for them to come in. I have had several interested clients, but in the end they change their mind or don’t come in. However, for the few clients I have helped it really has been a great experience. At first I was quite nervous and scared, because my parents take care of my medical papers and health insurance and I didn’t know anything about Medical. Yet, with the help of my supervisor I was able to ask her questions and express my hesitations. When I met with my first client I

Lesson on Word and Fluency free essay sample

Teacher tells the student the meaning of fluency. Teacher tells student that fluency is being able I Tit read the words in a text quicker, with ease and expression. I I Teacher then ask the student what is something you learned at school that helps n deciding how vowel letters to be pronounced so I lee use a our two pointer fingers and place them over the letters but not the vowel for example the word (cope) the letter we are I Looking at is the O. Ask the student does the word have an e and where is the e? Have the students repeat that if a word has Anne I lat the end then it makes the O say its own name. Teacher then nave the student sound out the first letter and adding it to thee I Lou get coco then add the p sound and the e never speaks. We will write a custom essay sample on Lesson on Word and Fluency or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I I Then have the student read some sentence that you put on a paper for her making sure to misspell some rods so they dont make I Sense and have her read the sentence aloud. Ask student does the sentence make sense, does the word sound right? Teacher then I I writes a few more sentences on the paper and have the student read the sentences and this time she does the questioning by herself I lowering down her answers and what stood out in the sentence that made her know that the word was wrong. After student is done I I teacher goes over sentences with her I I Homework: Teacher gives student a familiar paragraph from My Fathers Dragon tit some of the words that she worked on in the prior I Lesson spelled wrong to see if she recognizes them. Student is to underline all the words that are wrong and how she knows it was I lowering. I Day I Teacher then tells the student lets talk about how to read with ease and quickness. Teacher puts a sentence on the sheet of appear land says to student I am going to read the sentence aloud two times and you tell me which one was the best? Teacher reads the I Sentence she wrote: That tee cheer statehouses at the chi chi chi old. Teacher then read the sentence again the teacher I Shouted at the child. Teacher says to the student, which is the best. Teacher says right the second on is best this is how we are I Supposed to read so one can understand. I I Teacher then tell the student that we are going to practice by reading the poem Fire Flies First I will give you each sentence in I Lethe poem one by one so you can practice pausing, proper tones, and expressions. Day 3 Teacher goes over the homework from the night before to see if student recognized the words and her answers for why she recognized I Lethe words. Teacher then asses out the sentence strips again and they reread them several time I Day I Teacher now passes out the poem only this time it is the whole poem Teacher reads first modeling how the student is to read the I Poem. The student reads next. The teacher reads the poem a second time and then the student. I Assessment: I I Teacher informs student that she will be using a watch to take time on how many words she can read of the poem Fire Flies in one I Minute. Teacher tells student she will have to read three times and she will record her time each time and will take he best of I Lethe three as her grade I Reflection: I Did the students understand how to figure out how to pronounce word? Does student n Handouts turn near study? I Independent Reading List for 4th graders I FIREFLIES I I by Elizabeth Jenkins II like the warm dark summer night, I When fireflies burn their golden light, I And flit so softly through the air, I Now up, now down, now over there! I They sparkle in my apple tree, I And from the grass they wink at me, And turn their lights on one by one; II think it would be lots of fun I If I could shine at evening, too, Just as the little fireflies do.

Under the Influence free essay sample

I never thought that being under the Influence and driving was such a big deal. Of course many people have gotten Into accidents because of It but I always thought that, that was because they werent careful enough. I thought that all you had to do was focus on what your doing and make sure that you dont drive all over the place. When I started going to parties in high school and older kids had their licenses I would Jump in their car and catch a ride home once the party was over. Not caring whether they were drinking or not as long as they werent trashed.I had a lot of older friends that drove and I would always get a ride home with them not thinking any thing of It. I didnt care that the kid who was driving me home was Just playing at a beer pong table for hours. We will write a custom essay sample on Under the Influence or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As I became older my friends and I started getting our permits and licenses and could eventually drive on our own to these parties. I never drove drunk but I knew many friends that did. It didnt affect me until this one night that I will never forget. One of my friends threw a party on a high school Saturday so everyone was there.It was a huge party because his parents left for the weekend and everyone was invited. We had the music blasting all night long and we had all the drinking games you could think of going on in different sections of the house. We had beer pong going on outside, flip cup in the living room, ring of fire downstairs. It was a huge house too so there were over one hundred people at this party which is a lot for a house party In my town. That night I caught a ride with a friend of mine, Scott. Everyone was having a fun time; drinking. Listening to music and chatting.Eventually, It was time for the party to end and at about two in the morning people started leaving. I found my friend that I had gone to the party with and he said to me we are all going to go to Montauk to see the sunrise, are you down? by all he meant him and four other kids; Just enough to pack into his Ionians truck. I said sure, Im down for that! We thought nothing of It and left the party to go to Montauk. Which was about an hour drive. We all packed Into the truck and thought of different ways we could get the time to go by faster. T of all the Ideas we thought about what worked best was to tell stupid stories of the past or stories about what happened at the party we were just at. On the way to Montauk, there was a kid in the truck that didnt drink that night so we had him driving the truck. The only problem with that was that he was underage and didnt have a license yet. About halfway through our Journey we had gotten pulled over for speeding. My friend, George, who was driving got a ticket for driving underage. We were all really nervous because we thought that everyone that was run in the car was going to get busted.When you do something that you know is wrong and you get really anxious and nervous when you think you about to get caught is what we were all thinking when the cop came to the drivers side window. Luckily the cop didnt realize that the rest of us in the truck werent sober enough to drive, so he Just left. The night was already off too bad start. So now my friend Scott who I was drinking with at the party decides to get behind the wheel since It Is his After what seemed to be an eternity, we finally made it to the beach and we got to e the sunrise.We sat shocked and awed on the life guard stand that we had actually made it all the way to Montauk and didnt turn around halfway through. It had to have been one of the stupidest things that we have ever done. Although it seemed so much fun at the time since we didnt want to end the night on a boring note. By now, its about six in the morning and the alcohol is starting to wear off. We are all getting pretty tired and decide that its time for us to head home. Scott was too tired to drive so Alex decides to drive home. We got onto the Long Island Expressway and started our trip back home.Everyone was tired from drinking and then staying up all night long. The kids who werent driving tried to stay up as long as possible to keep Alex company, but eventually we all Just passed out. We wake up to the truck smashing through a telephone pole and slamming into the side bank of train tracks. Alex fell asleep at the wheel driving about 70 miles and hour and swerved off the road. I saw my life flash before my eyes as we were going through that telephone pole. When the truck went into the side bank of the train racks I thought the car was going to starting flipping.Luckily no one was seriously hurt besides a couples bumps and bruises. Within minutes five cop cars and two ambulances showed up at the scene. The cops told us that if we didnt hit that pole first and went straight into the train tracks we would have all died that night. Thats when I knew that I would never, be drinking and driving again or let anyone else that I knew drink and drive. We almost made it out of the accident clean and clear with out getting in trouble until I hear the cop say l found marijuana in the back seat.Alex was never tested for being under the influence but he was charged with possession. Luckily for him he was only seventeen so he was charged as a minor and it wasnt as big as a punishment as it would have been for the other drivers in the truck. Although he did lose his license until he was twenty one. That wasnt as bad as what he had to go through with his parents. He was basically grounded until he went to college and not allowed to do anything. That was the scariest moment of my life. From this I learned that I would never rink and drive again or let any of my friends drink and drive.One night I went too party with a couple of friends and I almost got into a fist fight with my best friend because he tried to drive home while intoxicated. He insisted that he was k to drive and that he wasnt going to let anyone drive him home. Dave its alright Im able to drive home No, Bill Im not letting you get in this car and drive home. Dont be ridiculous Dave Im fine! Give me your keys and let me drive you home NOW! I started getting angry because he wouldnt give up. NO! I had to rip him out of his car and steal his keys; he wanted to fight to get them back since he was drunk and didnt know what he was doing. Eventually a group of friends and I got him to calm down and sit in the back seat while I drove his car home. I wasnt going to let another friend of mine go through what I did. Unlike me he may have killed him self and I would never forgive myself if I let him get into that Driving under the influence would have never been a problem with me until that night when I had to experience what could happen when someone gets behind the wheel drunk myself.

Google Corporation Challenges in China

The case study of china involving a powerful Google corporation is an interesting social responsibility considering their business mission declaration â€Å"Don’t Be Evil†. The biggest challenge Google has to face is the fact that china offers an enormous profitable market considering its populace. There has to be a dilemma regarding marketing and the legal, cultural or ethical challenges that may be involved.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Google Corporation Challenges in China specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Culturally the case has set up a stepping-stone for the human rights activists who seem gagged by the government’s rules and regulations. The government reminds all the companies especially those involved with the transfer of information to the outside world to ensure strict abidance with its rules. The state’s control of the cyber space may have been involved with the threats placed by Google forcing them to consider pulling out of its services. According to Google, sophisticated and targeted cyber attacks seem to originate from the Chinese government in their aim to preview emails of human rights activists as a security measure. The aim of the Chinese government is to try to filter some internet contents to maintain a strong grip on power. The attack also hits other companies such as Yahoo and Adobe. The ethical challenge Google has to face entails its decisions during the 2006 search engine launch regarding business undertakings in china, where it agreed the government pronouncement to censor the search engine â€Å"Google.cn†. Arguably, Google played a role in enhancing conditions for the attack by giving in to the rule that encourage bullying of human rights by the government. According to the users in china, by leaving China, Google leaves its clients in a sober mood but equally, it is more painful to learn that it went against its principle of â€Å"Don’t Be Evil† when it agreed to venture into China on condition of accepting censorship in 2006. The Google top executives (co-founders) Larry Page and Sergey Bin face an uphill task over deciding the way forward. They have to analyse the possibility of bleaching their terms of trade with the Chinese government, which can as well result to legal charges. If their break on the contract concerning the agreement for the government to monitor content causes internal security risks, then legal settlement regarding the matter might be inevitable. The legal risk involves braking China’s sophisticated network used to monitor and limit information through the fight for human rights of expression. (U.S. Department of State, 2010)Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As the saying goes, one’s man meat is another’s poison†. The agony Google managers’ faces in today’s global market has triggered their rival’s â€Å"Baidu† speculation of the move as a hypocritical and financially driven. According to the market research companies, financially they dismiss the move claiming Google’s failure to capture the market with an estimate of 15-30 percent of the users compared to the rival’s 70 percent. Arguably, Google may be aiming at a long-term strategy, where their opportunity lost will be the short-term revenue loss in China and the opportunity cost would be better and higher market penetration than the current situation. They would not wish to lose client’s trust totally, because the future endeavours to dominate the search and mail services. Their move therefore entails gaining people’s trust regarding mails, calls, storage of documents, pictures and other files as well as the web search services. The financial disaster can only be catalysed by lose of trust and not th e short-term back off to strategize. A well-calculated move is the ultimate benefit. Considering the public snub of the Chinese authorities, Google risks other key U.S. companies and the government partnership in other business involvements in China. China is a potential exporter of a wide range of manufactured good for the U.S. consumers. References U.S. Department of State, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, â€Å"Background Note: China,† Retrieved from https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-china/ This essay on Google Corporation Challenges in China was written and submitted by user Nadia Lucas to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Modern marketing approach

Modern marketing approach Introduction This paper supports the statement â€Å"the product/service dichotomy in marketing theory is no longer sustainable.† The present day marketing approach is a result of the many revolutions and changes that come about in marketing as a result of increased competition.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Modern marketing approach specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Modern marketing approach emphasizes â€Å"cost leadership, differentiation and focus† (Baker and Saren, 2010) The cost leadership attribute entails the product cost advantage of the product in relation to existing products in the market. Differentiation emphasizes creation of products with unique qualities that gives it an edge over the other products in the market. Focus on the other hand implies targeting particular market niches either based on age demographics, lifestyle geographic locations or any other appropriate attributes. Produc t/Service Dichotomy Product manufacturers often endeavor to achieve customer fidelity by delivering to them goods that satisfy their needs. This has led to the development of the â€Å"product/service mix† as pointed out by Baker and Saren (2010) in this scenario, service as a facet of the mix has continually been growing its importance. Technology and globalization have played a pivotal role in enabling different service providers reach out to the dispersed customers. Web applications for example, powered by the internet enables service providers to serve customers at any point. The earlier marketing approaches placed emphasis on the value within the product, which were always produced and distributed to the wider market. Because the value of the product was seen to be within the product, producers did not have to convince the buyer or persuade them the buy the product. The marketing practice therefore comprised distribution of the products to the â€Å"waiting† consu mer. The services marketing is said to have come in lime light during the 70s (Schiffman and Kanuk, 2000). The services’ marketing was uniquely packaged to center on individual services and making it different from the traditional goods marketing. There was a visible difference between manufactured goods and services in the sense that goods are tangible and can be felt whereas services are not.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Continuous market dynamics and technological advances have seen manufacturers shift from the old method of manufacturing for a speculated market to a situation where they accurately predict the customers needs and respond to them appropriately. By addressing the customers’ needs, manufacturers aim at creating customer dependency to their products and are assured of them buying. This process calls for the need to carry out a feasi bility study well in advance to establish what the customer needs and then customizing the products to feed the customers’ needs (Baker and Saren, 2010) Manufacturing companies have come with different ways of customizing products to fit individual needs; this can either be through use of colours that are synonymous to a certain group or tags that can be identified with a target market. The books sector is a good example where customers have widely applied the strategy of â€Å"product personalization† by providing them with unique names (Schiffman and Kanuk, 2000). High levels of competition and technological advancements have consistently pushed manufacturers and service providers into a need to pay more attention to the customer. They have been forced to categorize customers and strive to satisfy each customer’s unique need. There is a growing â€Å"perception that goods and service are similar,† this as pointed out by Lusch and Varg (2006) is as a â⠂¬Å"result of co-production.† The shift towards the notion that goods and services are similar has led to studies into the need for customer integration. Researchers on the subject-customer integration have often pointed out that the process allows customers to take part in adding value to the products. Through customer integration, Lusch, and Varg (2006) argues that three levels of serving the customer; â€Å"the facilities level, transformation and utilities.† The practice also enhances decision making, value addition and resource utilization. The support structure for the three levels of service provision is usually founded on the difference between â€Å"direct and indirect service provision.† In this framework, the resources service provision level brings integration when there is an exchange between a company and the customer (Lusch and Varg 2006). The structure also helps in identifying who between the customer and the service company is responsible for th e express and circuitous provision of services.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Modern marketing approach specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More At the decisions level, the support framework indicates that there is a relationship between the company and the customer at the point of making a decision. The value addition stage of value provision on the other hand indicates that customers and service companies collaborate in service provision. Niche Targeting Most recent marketing strategies target particular groups of people classified either according to age, gender, social status or job. Marketing attempts directing towards the youth for example are more frequent as a contemporary marketing approach. In this case, the marketing team studies the bahavor of its target market and develops a product that is customized to fit the needs of the chosen niche. This is common for example with the fashion companies, mobile phone man ufacturers and mobile service providers. Increase in the number of firms engaged in the production of similar goods or provision of similar services is responsible for the increased competition. Each organization strives to attain levels of competitive advantages over the others. Michael Porter formulated three important strategies which business organizations can use to gain competitive advantage; he points out â€Å"cost leadership, differentiation and focus† (Zeithaml, etal., 2005). As the main strategies for attaining competitive advantage. Current marketing strategies seem to have outgrown Porters’ strategies The modern marketing strategies emphasize the need for market segmentation as opposed to Porters’ three strategies alone. In the old days, price and product sophistication was used as a strategy to create market segments. Product pricing often meant that the product is affordable to a particular group of people by default and not some. Depending on the level of sophistication, a product would by default of preference to a particular social class. This type of strategy requires a substantial amount of promotional effort which results in a product that serves a narrow market segment rather than the mass market. The approach to niche marketing in the present day scenario requires inclusion to ensure sustainability. This means the modern approach to niche marketing is more focused to unique abilities and talents among people rather than in the different categories of people.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The unique abilities and skills may lie in the type of technology used by the organization or the unique talents among the organization’s manpower. (Palmer, 1997) points out the strategy that Apple Company has been using to make its i-products stand out of the competition as a typical example of this. The Dynamics of the Niche Market Niche markets are often very vibrant and keep on evolving with time. An organization can capture a niche and own it for time and loose it to other competitors in the field with time. Schiffman and Kanuk (2000) points out that shopping malls were niche markets for quite some time, he observes the changes that have occurred since then exposed malls to stiff competition. The same scenario is said to have happened to watch brands such as; Dual time. Changes in lifestyle, technology taste and preference among consumers contribute to the frequent shifts in the niche market. One would observe that what is considered fashionable within a given niche may not last long as other products keep on being launched into the market. Goods meant for niche marketing are often tailored to some technology and marketing procedure that fits the desired niche. The market usually begins with a boom but is filled up with competitors with time. This means that if an organization is to focus on niche marketing, then it must develop the most innovative strategies and be ready to continuously evolve and seek new niches for its products. Focus to a particular niche requires robust support in terms of resource but it does not necessarily translate into large revenue output. It is therefore not advisable for a particular firm to target niche marketing as a sole strategy for its product line. There is need to diversify into other strategies to cushion the organization from diverse effects of niche marketing incase of poor performance (Zeithaml, etal., 2005). Such an organization must also invest in developing right talents that can formulate and put into op erations appropriate strategies to achieve success. A niche in this case can not be looked at as a marketing strategy, rather it is a process resulting from an organizations’ proficiency in producing products that appeal to a particular group of people (Gilmore, 2003). Attaining sustainability in this course requires continuous innovation both in marketing skills and product development. Inclusive networking and sourcing ideas globally stands out as one of the strategies to successfully run a niche market. Niche marketing must strive to uniquely package products and invest in efficient manufacturing processes, cost effective distribution channels and adopt different marketing strategies. Technology serves as a major pillar in attaining the mentioned attributes. Technologically supported manufacturing, distribution and marketing helps in cutting down on cost and achieving high profit margins. Computer aided manufacturing and computer aided design are the key technological tool s that have helped in increasing manufacturing precision, reducing wastage and developing goods that suit the customers taste and needs. In supply chain, technological tools such as; RFID and EDI play an important role in speeding up the process and eliminating errors in the supply chain (Pasuraman and Berry, 2004). Leadership and sustainability in niche market is squarely based on the profitability of the strategy used. In order to attain leadership, there is needs a sound strategy that serves the whole market. This requires that an organization can be able to serve the market with as many products as possible at a minimum cost Pasuraman and Berry (2004) indicates that there is need to pursue â€Å"scale, scope and niche in a single business model in order to attain leadership in niche marketing.† Product/service dichotomy hampers development of marketing strategies The idea of creating a division between the approaches to service and product marketing makes it hard to devel op successful marketing strategies. Marketing of consumer and industrial services ought to be treated as one to allow the use of similar strategies in either. Often those who support the division of the product and services stress on differences in terms of the structure, marketing approach, response to environmental pressure and their markets. On the other hand, those opposed to this argument feel the dichotomy approach falls short in reality in the sense that; products and service marketing are similar. The only difference as pointed out by Rathmall (1974) could be in terms of the sizes of the companies involved. Division of marketing for products and services is often used as the platform for developing marketing theory and their application. Here, the dichotomy serves as a guide for developing distinct marketing actions tailored to particular products, enterprises and market divisions. Service marketing tends to target the final consumer as opposed to industrial product marketin g that targets buyers within the supply chain. Probably according to Rathmall (1974) this is what describes the difference between the two as far as marketing entails. Environment and company size are the main distinctions in product and service dichotomy. Environmental influences which undermine marketing efforts such as infrastructure can be a basis for differences between product and service marketing. Company size dictates the amount of resources available for investing in the marketing. Amount of resources available for marketing puts different platforms as far as marketing of products and services concerns. The Size of the Firm vs. Marketing Activities Most small firms often use contemporary marketing approaches building it both on the relational and transactional marketing theories. This brings on the same platform the marketing practice adapted by both small enterprises and the big ones. Traditionally, only the big firms used the transactional and relational marketing theori es to develop marketing strategies for their products. The size of an enterprise plays an important role in the manner in which the enterprise plans its marketing. Often, small enterprises adopt informal type of marketing plans unlike large enterprises which formulate formal marketing plans. Generally, there are several similarities between the informal and formal marketing plans adopted by small and large enterprises. There are wide similarities between in how the marketing decisions are developed and implemented. The general decision making strategies are used by both the small and large enterprises to develop marketing decisions. Another similarity is exhibited in customer relations duration anticipated by both product and service providers. They all aim at developing a sustainable customer relation, to achieve this; a lot of emphasis is placed on effective customer relations. Another similarity between small and large enterprises lies in the manner in which they develop and keep their customer contacts. Right from the first transaction with the customer, both large and small enterprises seek to keep the contacts of the customer for purposes of future communication and interaction. Enterprises often have a database of customers to act as a reference to track the customers buying behavior. Marketing as a process requires an investment to enable logistical procedures and planning. The only difference regarding investment in marketing is reflected in the budget but both the product enterprises and service enterprises must invest in marketing. It has also been noted that both small and large enterprises practice some aspects of traditional marketing. The problem of using traditional marketing approaches often has been lack of compatibility with the modern environment and customer behavior. Generally, by small enterprises adopting broad marketing strategies, they reduce the marketing distinctions between them and large enterprises. Small enterprises are continuo usly emphasizing investment of financial resources, time and effort in the development of personal relationships with the customers and raising their competitive levels in the market. Relational marketing provides an effective strategy for small firms to be as competitive as large firms. By enhancing the use of traditional marketing strategies, small firms can create a stable base from which they can strengthen their customer relations and be in a better position to compete the large firms. Planning and performance evaluation is another area that brings out more similarities between large and small enterprises’ marketing strategies. As pointed out earlier, small enterprises adopt a rather informal marketing plan, modern small business managers are increasingly coming to the realization of the need to adopt formal marketing plans to compete effectively with large firms. Another implication from marketing planning is that there is no empirical support of planning to performance in marketing. Palmer (1997) argues that whether a firm large or small adopts a formal plan, the difference might only be in the structure of the marketing approach but not necessarily in performance. Since evaluation of a marketing plan rates performance, planning may not be a strong factor as such. Firms should rate their marketing performance majorly from the customers’ response as well as their feedback. Marketing in the Service Industry Service industries, like industrial companies must constantly revolutionize their marketing strategies to put themselves in strategic positions in relation to the customers. There is in fact a higher need of growth and development in the service industry than in industrial markets. The major challenge in the service industry as pointed out by Palmer (1997) is the continuous fluctuation of overheads. The service sector became a prominent part of the economy towards the end of the twentieth century and has continued to play an important rol e in supporting economies. The sector continues to be a major source of employment, and therefore an excellent need for the services to be looked as importantly as the goods industry. Taking the service industry with the same weight as the goods industry should then be translated to the marketing approaches and strategies applied in both industries. Distinction of marketing strategies between goods and service industries would mean lead to making ineffective the traditional marketing strategies that have been existence for long. This is because the service industry as indicated earlier is a new venture in the world. Compared to goods industry which has been in existence for several years, with already established marketing strategies, it is important that the service marketing industry. Service purchase involves dealings which unlike the goods industry do not lead to material ownership. Since the emergence of the services industry, marketing of its products has been continually chan ging to take the same line as the products industry. The 4ps model of marketing has often been cited as inadequate in selling services Gronroos (1990) proposes an enrichment factor to this model in order to suit the service industry; â€Å"process and the participants should also be added to the list to make it effective as a services marketing tool. Time and speed are two other important elements of service marketing as pointed out by Palmer (1997) customers always make a repeat order for services from a provider that guarantees maximum effectiveness, efficiency and also delivers to the promise. The marketing speed is however an element that is controlled solely by the marketers. Services in which speed is important include; the food industry due to its perishable nature, transport service is another sector where speed of service delivery matters a lot. Integration of Product and Service Marketing Services do not have tangibility as opposed to goods, goods have evidence. Gronroos (1990) points out that â€Å"some pieces of evidence bundled with services can not be categorized as a true element.† However, service evidence as pointed with plays an important role in the fulfillment of the service. Customers use service evidence to appraise the performance of the service provider. Evidence in the service provision process helps minimize risks and gives the customer more confidence to purchase the service. Besides, evidence also helps to distinguish one service from another. Providing Evidence in Service Marketing Dichotomy is often used as evidence by service providers, â€Å"the quality of the product that accompanies the service they receive† (Bell, 1973) this includes the cost of equipment used to provide the service. Taking an example of a lodging or restaurant, cheap lodging or restaurant equipment implies poor service and expensive equipments on the other hand translates to classy services. This fact is used to differentiate service providers in terms of quality. Branding is also used as evidence in service provision. Borden (1965) points out that â€Å"service branding makes the product acceptable.† Once a service provider brands a service and runs a campaign to make it popular, customers develop more confidence in the service. A popular brand develops the customers’ confidence and reduces their perception of underlying financial risks in buying the service. The brand acts as evidence to what the customer can not feel or touch. Customers develop strong confidence in popular brands and buy them with same ease as a visible product. Branding consists of two stages; primary and secondary. The primary state consists of tangible evidence about the product which as earlier mentions lacks in services. Bell (1973) suggests that â€Å"the name of the service provider can be used as a primary brand.† The secondary brand then follows on the description given to the service. Companies distributing strong brands in the markets stand out of the rest because of the brand name. The environment in which the service is used can also serve as evidence for the service. Marketers can rely on this factor, to market the service as easily as they can to a product. The environment in which a product is used gives an opportunity for a marketer to create a mental picture of the service to the potential buyer. Borden (1965) indicates that a marketer out to create awareness of services provided by an amusement park can use words like â€Å"fun filled or enjoyment place† to create a mental picture about the park to the customer. The marketing message is another sort of evidence marketers in the contemporary world use to convince consumers about the service. Besides the message, customers are also given some incentives to lure them to the service. Mobile phone service providers for example promise free call time or launch a competition in which users of the service stand a chance to win some gifts. T his strategy is one of the best that marketers have focused on to convince consumers to use their services. This is described by Assael (1987) as the â€Å"power of communication† in which a market tends to glorify the service to the consumer. Along the same vein, the media has become a prominent tool with which marketers use to spread their service messages to the consumer. Service structure is another important tool for marketers, service marketers need to create structures which they can use to appeal and convince the customer why he or she should use the service. These structures could be in form of the tools that the service provider uses to deliver the service. Assael (1987) suggests that an air transport service provider can flaunt to the customer about the best airplanes in the company possession. With this structure, a marketer can make the customer imagine how good it is to use the service. By seeing the best rated airplane for example, a customer can be convinced t hat the service provided will be classy. Conclusion This paper has demonstrated that the product service dichotomy is increasingly loosing popularity in the modern business world. Although seen as a step towards the creation of market segments for products and service. Creating a distinction between products and services for the purposes of marketing is increasingly becoming a thing of the past as market researches continue pouring new approaches to integrate service and product marketing. References Assael, H., 1987. Consumer Behavior and Marketing Action. Boston: Kent Publishing Company. Baker, M. and Saren, M. 2010. Marketing Theory: a Student Text. London: Sage Publications. Bell, D., 1973. The Coming of the Post-Industrial Society. New York: Basic Books. Borden, N. H., 1965. The Concept of the Marketing mix. New York: John Wiley Sons. Gilmore, A., 2003.Services marketing and management. London: Sage Publications Gronroos, C., 1990.Services Management and Marketing. New York: L exington Lusch, R. F. and Varg, S. L., 2006. Theservice-dominant logic of marketing: dialog, debate, and directions. New York: M. E. Sharpe, Inc., Palmer, A., 1997. Principles of Service Marketing.London: McGraw Hill. Pasuraman, A. and Berry, L. 2004. Marketing Services: Competing Through Quality.New York: Simon Schuster Rathmall, J. M., 1974. Marketing in the Service Sector. Massachusetts: Winthrop Publishers, Inc Schiffman, L. and Kanuk. L. L., 2000. Consumer Behavior. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Zeithaml, V. A. etal., 2005. Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus across the Firm. London: McGraw-Hill.

Human Resource Management Study Report on Grimshaw's Quality Textiles Essay

Human Resource Management Study Report on Grimshaw's Quality Textiles - Essay Example Despite problems in the industry QualTex is surviving. It makes clothes for well-known supermarket chains, and given the explosion of this part of the market, is managing to turn a respectable profit 2. The company has a reasonable reputation as a local employer, the rates of pay are good for the area, and it has an unproblematic industrial relations record (at least there haven't been any strikes in the last ten years). However, it does have a high labour turnover, there have been some worrying health and safety issues and a couple of serious accidents at the factory in recent months. It also has a reputation as an 'old-fashioned' place to work. All issues to do with personnel and industrial relations have been managed by the Managing Director and his PA. The PA keeps the personal records of all employees and the MD has published a number of Personnel Policies to cover 'Absence', 'Discipline' and 'Regulations on wearing Personal Protective Clothing at work'. The MD expects the section managers to 'manage' the people issues in the factory 3. What are completely missing are any training, learning and development activity other than the minimum of health and safety training, and some cursory induction training on appointment. Focused Point # II: The workforce of the factory has recently been stunned by the news, which was announced by the Managing Director on 1 December last year. The announcement was as follows: 'In order to ensure the survival of QualTex in these difficult times for the textile industry, the company will merge with Grimshaw 's Fabric Company with effect from 1 January 2007. This is not a take over, but must be seen as a new partnership of long-standing successful Lancashire Textile manufacturers. The merged company will be registered at Company's House under the new name of 'Grimshaw's Quality Textiles'. This is a startling development. Grimshaw's is a highly successful textile manufacturer, which has modernised its plant and streamlined its production at its factory in Accrington. Unit costs are kept to a minimum, employees are paid minimum wage rates, but are part of a profit-sharing scheme and get good payouts at two crucial points in the year, immediately before the summer shutdown for 'Accrington holidays' and again before Christmas. Health and Safety records appear to be good, with a reduction of 'incidents' since 2004. There have been some difficulties with industrial relations and there was recently a walkout by employees protesting about the low level of pay 4. Focused Point # III: The threat of losing last year's Christmas profit share bonus brought everyone back to work very quickly. The management of Grimshaw's has a reputation for being tough. "If your face doesn't fit...you 're out' is a frequent complaint amongst Grimshaw's employees. Grimshaw's employs a Personnel Manager who is responsible for the issue and implementation of personnel policies and