Critically Evaluate the Importance of Working With Professionals and Essay

Critically Evaluate the Importance of Working With Professionals and Families in Schools - Essay Example ortant if families and professionals can be involved in after-school programs and activities in order to enable their children to collaborate well with all including leaders and other important people in the community. Role of Interdisciplinary Teams, Nature of Multi-Agency, Families, and Professionals As long as the school leadership recognizes other community members, families and professionals in the school activities and development, positive results will be achieved. According to Cheminais (2009, p.8), multi-agency collaboration is advantageous to children as it allows integration of skills and expertise in school programs, thus enhancing value addition and preventing barriers to learning process. The teachers and the school leadership should consider moral leaders and other role models in the community to ensure that their students develop morally, and to promote strong connections between the students and the larger community. Besides, corporate members and government leaders should be considered for partnership with the school to provide more external support to the students. When this is done, the students will feel well secured and valued, hence promoting the value of education in the school and in the community or society in general (Cummings, Todd, and Dyson, 2007). For school to develop faster, the leadership must ensure that there is improvement in the education standards in the school and ensure that the students welfare is catered for; this can only be achieved through involving community resources in learning. Therefore, including professionals and families will enable the students to understand properly the social, political, and economic environments that surround the school, thus giving them more knowledge and proper awareness of their surroundings.... This report approves that involvement of families and professionals in the learning process is important, as it results into positive benefits including improvement in students general performance. Again, the discussion above has detailed the importance of community involvement in learning process as well as how to promote community involvement for maximum benefits in the learning process. The discussion has elaborated that parental attachment and students’ needs assessment is very important in the provision of better learning and performance of students with special needs. Therefore, it is important that all these be put in consideration while teaching and learning in the context of students with special needs, including involvement of proper communication and negotiation. The partnership of schools, professionals, and families will enhance support, guidance, and motivation, thereby allowing students to improve their performance. This will promote learning to all the students including those with special needs. Again, multi-agency in the community should be involved to give more support to the students where necessary. These multi-agencies can also help in providing guidance and health solutions to students. Furthermore, interdisciplinary teams can also be involved to provide for the students’ needs where necessary, thereby producing all-round students. This essay makes a conclusion that the parenting practice and child-rearing styles adopted by families have a great influence on the child’s learning behaviour later on in life. Indeed, parenting practices tend to is more objective in that, it is geared towards molding a child’s behaviour towards a certain goal. Therefore, a parent would be aiming for excellence in a child’s school performance and in such a case, provide an atmosphere for achievement of that goal.

The Development of Soft Skill Training in the Workplace

The Development of Soft Skill Training in the Workplace Introduction Since the beginning of the twentieth century and especially after World War II, training programs have become widespread among organizations in the United States, involving more and more employees and also expanding in content. In the 1910s, only a few large companies such as Westinghouse, General Electric, and International Harvester had factory schools that focused on training technical skills for entry-level workers. By the 1990s, forty percent of the Fortune 500 firms have had a corporate university or learning center. In recent decades, as the U.S. companies are confronted with technological changes, domestic social problems and global economic competition, training programs in organizations have received even more attention, touted as almost a panacea for organizational problem. The enormous expansion in the content of training programs over time has now largely been taken for granted. Now people would rarely question the necessity of training in conversational skills. However, back to the 1920s, the idea that organizations should devote resources to training employees in such skills would have been regarded as absurd. Such skills clearly were not part of the exact knowledge and methods that the employee will use on his particular job or the job just ahead of him. Nevertheless, seventy years later, eleven percent of U.S. organizations deem communications skills as the most important on their priority lists of training, and many more regard it as highly important. More than three hundred training organizations specialize in communications training (Training and Development Organizations Directory, 1994). Previous studies on training have largely focused on the incidence of formal training and the total amount of training offered. This study, however, draws attention to the enormous expansion in the content of training with an emphasis on the rise of personal development training (or popularly known as the soft skills training, such as leadership, teamwork, creativity, conversational skills and time management training). Personal development training can be defined as training programs that aim at improving ones cognitive and behavioral skills in dealing with one self and others. It is intended to develop ones personal potential and is not immediately related to the technical aspects of ones job tasks. Monahan, Meyer and Scott (1994) describe the spread of personal development training programs based on their survey of and interviews with more than one hundred organizations in Northern California. Training programs became more elaborate; they incorporated, in addition to technical tra ining for workers and human relations training for supervisors and managers, a widening array of developmental, personal growth, and self-management courses. Courses of this nature include office professionalism, time management, individual contributor programs, entrepreneur, transacting with people, and applying intelligence in the workplace, career management, and structured problem solving. Courses are also offered on health and personal well-being, including safe diets, exercise, mental health, injury prevention, holiday health, stress and nutrition. Training Excuses Training is one element many corporations consider when looking to advance people and offer promotions. Although many employees recognize the high value those in management place on training and development, some employees are still reluctant to be trained. It is not uncommon to hear excuses regarding why someone has not received training. Some people are just comfortable in what they are doing. Some fail to see the value of training because they really believe that they already know it all. And while that might be true, the knowledge value of training and development is not the only perk. Training and development offers more than just increased knowledge. It offers the added advantage of networking and drawing from others experiences. When you attend a seminar or event with others who have jobs that are much like yours, you have the added benefit of sharing from life experience. The seminar notes or the conference leader might not give you the key nugget you take back and implement in the workplace. Your best piece of advice for the day might come from the peer sitting beside you. Another common excuse is that there is not enough money budgeted to pay for training. Who said that training always carries a heavy enrollment fee? Training can be free. You can set up meetings with peers who are in similar positions and ask how they are doing their jobs. Follow someone for a day to see how he organizes or manages his work and time. The cost to you is a day out of your normal routine, so the only drawback may be working a little harder on an assignment to catch up from a day out of the office. You usually dont think twice about taking a day of vacation, so why should a day of training be any different? Time is another often-heard excuse when training and development is mentioned. Have you considered that training and development might actually give you more time? Often the procedures, ideas, short cuts, and timesaving hints learned in training and development sessions equal more time in the long run. Have you heard the old saying that you have to spend money to make money? Well, in a sense, the same is true for training and development. You have to devote some time to training and development to make you more productive in the long run. What is Training in terms of organization? Transferring information and knowledge to employers and equipping employers to translate that information and knowledge into practice with a view to enhancing organization effectiveness and productivity, and the quality of the management of people. It also means that in organizational development, the related field of training and development (T D) deals with the design and delivery of workplace learning to improve performance. Difference between Training and Learning There is a big difference: Training implies putting skills into people, when actually we should be developing people from the inside out, beyond skills, i.e., facilitating learning. So focus on facilitating learning, not imposing training. Emotional maturity, integrity, and compassion are more important than skills and processes. If you are in any doubt, analyze the root causes of your organizations successes and your failures they will never be skills and processes. Enable and encourage the development of the person in any way that you can. Give people choice we all learn in different ways, and we all have our own strengths and potential, waiting to be fulfilled. Talk about learning, not training. Focus on the person, from the inside out, not the outside in; and offer opportunities for people to develop as people in as many ways you can. A Brief Critique of Previous Approaches to Employee Training It is a classic question in the training field, first raised by human capital theorists, that why firms train their employees. Many attempts have been made to address this question, but the question of why firms provide general-skill training has not been fully understood. There have been two main theoretical approaches towards employee training, namely, the human capital approach and the technology-based approach. The human capital approach regards training as investment in human capital. Training is provided only when the benefit from productivity gains is greater than the cost of training. The technology-based approach regards training as a skill formation process. According to this approach, the expanded training in the contemporary period is driven by the rapidly changing technologies and work reorganization. These two approaches are popular in academic and policy discussions. What they have in common is that they assume an instrumental logic and technical rationality behind tra ining decisions. Training is provided because it satisfies the functional needs of an organization. Studies with these approaches have largely overlooked the content of employee training, as if all kinds of training programs equally contribute to human capital accumulation or skill formation. Moreover, personal development training becomes a puzzle if viewed from these approaches, because it does not seem to follow from an instrumental logic or technical rationality. The Puzzle about Personal Development Training The puzzle about personal development training comes in the following four ways. First, it is not innately or immediately related to the technical aspects of specific job tasks. Second, prior need analysis is rarely conducted for such training, despite suggestions to do so in many training handbooks. Third, organizations and trainers seldom conduct evaluations of behavior or outcome changes brought out by such training. Evaluation, when there is one, is often about how one feels about the training or what one has learned. The evaluation questionnaire is often called a smile sheet, as trainees often respond happily to the questions. But the impact of the training remains uncertain. Fourth, the rapid expansion of personal development training has taken place in the absence of scientific evidence of any link between such training and improvement in organizational bottom lines. Core Argument So, why have organizations increasingly engaged in personal development training? It is because that the rise of the participatory citizenship model of organization over time has driven the expansion of personal development training in organizations. This argument is based on an institutional perspective towards organizations. It is distinct from previous approaches to training in two ways. First, it recognizes that training is not only provided to satisfy functional needs of firms, but is also shaped by the shared understanding about individuals and organizations, which is called organizational model in this study and is independent of the functional needs. Second, training decisions are not only affected by the internal conditions of an organization, but are also affected by the dominant ideologies and practices in the organizational field. Importance of Developing a Role in Training Developing a national role in training is important for an employers organization for several reasons. First, it enables the organization to contribute to the development of a countrys human capital, through its influence on education policies and systems and training by public training institutions, to better serve business needs. It also enables it to influence employers in regard to the need for them to invest more in training and employee development which employers should recognize as one key to their competitiveness in the future. Second, it provides an important service to members, especially in industrial relations in respect of which sources of training for employers in developing countries are few. Third, it is an important source of income provided the organization can deliver relevant quality training. Fourth, it compels its own staff to improve their knowledge without which they cannot offer training to enterprises through their own staff. Fifth, the knowledge required for training increases the quality of other services provided by the organization policy lobbying, advisory and representation services. Sixth, it contributes to better human relations at the enterprise level and therefore to better enterprise performance, by matching corporate goals and people management policies. Finally, it improves the overall image of the organization and invests it with a degree of professionalism, which can lead to increased membership and influence. Many entrepreneurs seem to view employee training and developmen t as more optional than essentiala viewpoint that can be costly to both short-term profits and long-term progress. The primary reason training is considered optional by so many business owners is because its viewed more as an expense than an investment. This is completely understandable when you realize that in many companies, training and development arent focused on producing a targeted result for the business. As a result, business owners frequently send their people to training courses that seem right and sound good without knowing what to expect in return. But without measurable results, its almost impossible to view training as anything more than an expense. Now contrast that approach to one where trainings viewed as a capital investment with thoughtful consideration as to how youre going to obtain an acceptable rate of return on your investment. And a good place to start your thoughtful consideration is with a needs analysis. As it relates to training and development, needs analysis is really an outcome analysiswhat do you want out of this training? Ask yourself, Whats going to change in my business or in the behavior or performance of my employees as a result of this training thats going to help my company? Be forewarned: This exercise requires you to take time to think it through and focus more on your processes than your products. As you go through this analysis, consider the strengths and weaknesses in your company and try to identify the deficiencies that, when corrected, represent a potential for upside gain in your business. Common areas for improvement in many companies is helping supervisors better manage for performance. Many people are promoted into managerial positions because theyre technically good at their jobs, but they arent trained as managers to help their subordinates achieve peak performance. Determining your training and development needs based on targeted results is only the beginning. The next step is to establish a learning dynamic for your company. In todays economy, if your business isnt learning, then youre going to fall behind. And a business learns as its people learn. Your employees are the ones that produce, refine, protect, deliver and manage your products or services every day, year in, year out. With the rapid pace and international reach of the 21st century marketplace, continu al learning is critical to your businesss continued success. To create a learning culture in your business, begin by clearly communicating your expectation that employees should take the steps necessary to hone their skills to stay on top of their professions or fields of work. Make sure you support their efforts in this area by supplying the resources they need to accomplish this goal. Second, communicate to your employees the specific training needs and targeted results youve established as a result of your needs analysis. Third, provide a sound introduction and orientation to your companys culture, including your learning culture, to any new employees you hire. This orientation should introduce employees to your company, and provide them with proper training in the successful procedures your companys developed and learned over time. Every successful training and development program also includes a component that addresses your current and future leadership needs. At its core, this component must provide for the systematic identification and development of your managers in terms of the leadership style that drives your business and makes it unique and profitable. Have you spent time thoughtfully examining the style of leadership thats most successful in your environment and that you want to promote? What steps are you taking to develop those important leadership traits in your people? Financial considerations related to training can be perplexing, but in most cases, the true budgetary impact depends on how well you manage the first three components (needs analysis, learning and leadership). If your training is targeted to specific business results, then youre more likely to be happy with what you spend on training. But if the training budget isnt related to specific outcomes, then money is more likely to be spent on courses that have no positive impact on the company. In many organizations, training budgets are solely a function of whether the company is enjoying an economic upswing or enduring a downturn. In good times, companies tend to spend money on training thats not significant to the organization, and in bad times, the pendulum swings to the other extreme and training is eliminated altogether. In any economic environment, the training expense should be determined by the targeted business results you want, not other budget-related factors. To help counter this tendency, sit down and assess your training and development needs once or twice a year to identify your needs and brainstorm how to achieve your desired results effectively and efficiently. Your employees are your principle business asset. Invest in them thoughtfully and strategically, and youll reap rewards that pay off now and for years to come. Beyond Training: Training and Development Training is generally defined as change in behavior yet, how many trainers and managers forget that, using the term training only as applicable to skills training? What about the human element? What about those very same people we want to train? What about their individual beliefs, backgrounds, ideas, needs and aspirations? In order to achieve long-term results through training, we must broaden our vision to include people development as part of our strategic planning. Although training covers a broad range of subjects under the three main categories (skills, attitude, knowledge), using the term training without linking it to development narrows our concept of the training function and leads us to failure. When we limit our thinking, we fall into the trap of: Classifying people into lots and categories Thinking of trainees as robots expected to perform a job function Dismissing the individual characteristics of people and the roles they play Focusing only on what needs to be done without adequately preparing the trainees involved to accept and internalize what is being taught. We are dealing with human thoughts, feelings and reactions which must be given equal attention than to the skill itself. We thus create a double-focus: people development and skills training. These two simultaneous objectives will give us the right balance and guide our actions to reach our goal. To clarify our training and development objectives, and identify our criteria for success, we must ask ourselves a few questions: Do we expect an automatic, faultless job performance? Does attitude count? Does goodwill count? Do loyalty and dedication count? Does goal-sharing count? Does motivation count? Do general knowledge and know-how count? Do people-skills count? Does an inquisitive mind count? Does initiative count? Does a learning attitude count? Does a sense of responsibility count? Do team efforts count? Do good work relations count? Does creative input count? Do we want employees to feel proud of their role and contribution? How can we expect such qualities and behavior if we consider and treat our personnel as skills performers? However, we could achieve the desired results if we address the personal development needs of the employees involved. When we plan for both training and development, we achieve a proper balance between the needs of the company and those of the trainees. The synergy created takes us to new levels, to a continuing trend of company growth. Our consideration of the people involved results in work motivation, goal-sharing, and a sense of partnership. Not only do the employee-trainees perform at the desired levels, but they offer to the company and its customers their hidden individual gifts and talents, and this reflects itself in the quality of service. Customers feel and recognize efficient performance, motivation and team-work. They become loyal customers. We can learn from the case of a small restaurant operator who had become desperate at the negligent attitude of his servers, resulting in customer complaints. He decided to seek professional expertise to help him replace his employees with motivated, trained people fresh out of a waiters training school. Following some probing questions it came to light that, besides hourly pay, he did not offer much to attract and retain loyal and dedicated employees. Through professional consultation, he came to realize that even if he paid higher wages to new trained employees, the problem would persist because employees want more than wages from their work place. They want: Organization and professional management Information regarding the business and its customers Recognition for their role in the companys success Acknowledgement of their individual capacities and contributions Positive discipline / fairness A say in the way the business is run. The restaurant operator realized that until then he had treated his employees as plate carriers and this is exactly how they had behaved and performed. He was ready to change his mode of operation: he diverted his focus to the needs of his employees, re-structured his organisation, planned new operational strategies, a human resources strategy, training and development guidelines, disciplinary rules and regulations. He communicated and shared these in a meeting with his employees and handed out the employee handbook prepared for that purpose. He also reminded them of their responsibilities towards the business, the customers, and themselves (taking charge of their own training, development, and work performance). They were more than pleased when he asked them to express their opinions, make comments and suggestions. He was surprised at the immediate transformation that took place. He began receiving excellent reviews from his customers, the employees worked as a team, their motivation sky-rocketed and he never had to replace them! All this was accomplished by extending the previous concept of training to that of training and people development. Training and Development represents a complete whole that triggers the mind, emotions and employees best work performance. It is not only business managers and owners who must do this shift in thinking, but Human Resources Directors and Training Managers (whose title should be Training and Development Managers). By their actions, they should offer a personal example, coaching and guiding all the people in an organisation to think beyond training and invest efforts in people: Professional development Personal development. Contrary to what some managers think, people do not quit a place of work as soon as they have grown personally and professionally through training and development programs at least they do not do so for a long while. They become loyal to their employer and help him/her grows business-wise, which offers them more opportunities. They chart their own course for career advancement within the broader framework of organizational growth. Do we not call employees our human resources asset? Whatever their positions, each expect to be treated as such; when they are, they give more than their physical presence at work. Training Evaluation Training Improving business performance is a journey, not a destination. Business performance rises and falls with the ebb and flow of human performances. HR professionals lead the search for ways to enhance the effectiveness of employees in their jobs today and prepare them for tomorrow. Over the years, training programmes have grown into corporate with these goals in mind. Training programmes should enhance performance and enrich the contributions of the workforce. The ultimate goal of training is to develop appropriate talent in the workforce internally. In India, training as an activity has been going on as a distinct field with its own roles, structures and budgets, but it is still young. This field is however; expanding fast but controversy seems to envelop any attempts to find benefits commensurate with the escalating costs of training. Training has made significant contributions to development of all kinds. Training is essential; doubts arise over its contribution in practice. Complaints are growing over its ineffectiveness and waste. The training apparatus and costs have multiplied but not its benefits. Dissatisfaction persists and is growing at the working level where the benefits of training should show up most clearly. This disillusionment shows in many ways reluctance to send the most promising people for training, inadequate use of personnel after training etc. With disillusionment mounting in the midst of expansion, training has entered a dangerous phase in its development. Training is neither a panacea for all ills nor is it a waste of time. What is required is an insight into what training can or cannot do and skill in designing and carrying out training effectively and economically. The searchlight of inquiry may make the task and challenges stand out too starkly, too simply. Using experience with training in India and other rapidly developing countries has this advantage at similar risk. The contribution that training can make to development is needed acutely and obviously. At the same time, the limited resources available in these countries make this contribution hard to come by. These lines are sharply drawn; on the one hand, no promise can be ignored; on the other, no waste is permissible. Much of the training provided today proceeds as if knowledge and action were directly related. This assumption is itself a striking illustration of the wide gulf that separates the two. On a continuum with personal maturation and growth at one end and improvement in performance of predetermined tasks at the other, education lies near the former, and training near the later. Focusing training on skill in action makes the task wide and complex. Training embraces an understanding of the complex processes by which various factors that make up a situation interact. For every training strategy, no matter which, the proper focus right from the very outset is on one or more people on-the-job-in-the-organization this whole amalgam. Wherever the focus moves during the training programme, the starting point becomes the focus again at the end. The difference lies in what people have learned that they now apply. That difference, in terms of more effective behavior is the measure of the efficacy of training. The training process is made up of three phases: Phase 1: Pre-training. This may also be called the preparation phase. The process starts with an understanding of the situation requiring more effective behavior. An organizations concerns before training lie mainly in four areas: Clarifying the precise objectives of training and the use the organization expects to make of the participants after training; selection of suitable participants; building favorable expectations and motivation in the participants prior to the training; and planning for any changes that improved task performance will require in addition to training. Phase 2: Training. During the course of the training, participants focus their attention on the new impressions that seem useful, stimulating and engaging. There is no guarantee that the participants will in fact learn what they have chosen. But the main purpose remains: participants explore in a training situation what interests them, and a training institutions basic task is to provide the necessary opportunities. Having explored, participants try out some new behavior. If they find the new behavior useful, they try it again, check it for effectiveness and satisfaction, try it repeatedly and improve it. Finally, they incorporate this new facet into their habitual behavior in the training situation. If they do not find it useful, they discard it, try some variant, or discontinue learning in this direction. The intricate process of selection and testing is continuous and more or less conscious. It is important that work organizations meanwhile prepare the conditions for improved performance by their participants upon their return. Phase 3: Post-training. This may be called the follow up phase. When, training per se concludes, the situation changes. When the participants return back to work from the training, a process of adjustment begins for everyone involved. The newly learned skills undergo modification to fit the work situation. Participants may find their organizations offering encouragement to use the training and also support for continuing contact with the training institution. On the other hand, they may step into a quagmire of negativity. More effective behavior of people on the job in the organization is the primary objective of the training process as a whole. In the simplest training process, improvement is a dependent variable, and participants and organizations independent variables. The training process has the following major objectives: Improvement in Performance Training will be an important aid to managers for developing themselves as well as their subordinates. It is not a substitute for development on the job, which comes from doing, experiencing, observing, giving and receiving feedback and coaching. Research has shown that 80% of a persons development takes place on the job. However, training can contribute the vital 20% that makes the difference. Training can bring about an improvement in a persons: Knowledge Skills Attitude Thereby raising his potential to perform better on the job. Growth Training is also directed towards developing people for higher levels of responsibility thereby reducing the need for recruiting people from outside. This would have the effect of improving the morale of the existing employees. Organizational Effectiveness In company training provides a means for bringing about organizational development. It can be used for strengthening values, building teams, improving inter-group relations and quality of work life. The ultimate objective of training in the long run is to improve the companys performance through people performing better. Benefits of Training Evaluation Evaluation has three main purposes: Feedback to help trainers understand the extent to which objectives are being met and the effectiveness of particular learning activities as an aid to continuous improvement Control to make sure training policy and practice are aligned with organizational goals and delivering cost-effective solutions to organizational issues Intervention to raise awareness of key issues such as pre-course and post-course briefing and the selection of delegates Evaluation is itself a learning process. Training which has been planned and delivered is reflected on. Views on how to do it better are formulated and tested .The outcome may be to: Abandon the training Redesign the training new sequence, new methods, new content, new trainer Redesign the preparation/pre-work new briefing material, new pre-course work Rethink the timing of the training earlier or later in peoples career, earlier or later in the training programme, earlier or later in the company calendar Leave well alone The following are the clear benefits of evaluation: Improved quality of training activities Improved The Development of Soft Skill Training in the Workplace The Development of Soft Skill Training in the Workplace Introduction Since the beginning of the twentieth century and especially after World War II, training programs have become widespread among organizations in the United States, involving more and more employees and also expanding in content. In the 1910s, only a few large companies such as Westinghouse, General Electric, and International Harvester had factory schools that focused on training technical skills for entry-level workers. By the 1990s, forty percent of the Fortune 500 firms have had a corporate university or learning center. In recent decades, as the U.S. companies are confronted with technological changes, domestic social problems and global economic competition, training programs in organizations have received even more attention, touted as almost a panacea for organizational problem. The enormous expansion in the content of training programs over time has now largely been taken for granted. Now people would rarely question the necessity of training in conversational skills. However, back to the 1920s, the idea that organizations should devote resources to training employees in such skills would have been regarded as absurd. Such skills clearly were not part of the exact knowledge and methods that the employee will use on his particular job or the job just ahead of him. Nevertheless, seventy years later, eleven percent of U.S. organizations deem communications skills as the most important on their priority lists of training, and many more regard it as highly important. More than three hundred training organizations specialize in communications training (Training and Development Organizations Directory, 1994). Previous studies on training have largely focused on the incidence of formal training and the total amount of training offered. This study, however, draws attention to the enormous expansion in the content of training with an emphasis on the rise of personal development training (or popularly known as the soft skills training, such as leadership, teamwork, creativity, conversational skills and time management training). Personal development training can be defined as training programs that aim at improving ones cognitive and behavioral skills in dealing with one self and others. It is intended to develop ones personal potential and is not immediately related to the technical aspects of ones job tasks. Monahan, Meyer and Scott (1994) describe the spread of personal development training programs based on their survey of and interviews with more than one hundred organizations in Northern California. Training programs became more elaborate; they incorporated, in addition to technical tra ining for workers and human relations training for supervisors and managers, a widening array of developmental, personal growth, and self-management courses. Courses of this nature include office professionalism, time management, individual contributor programs, entrepreneur, transacting with people, and applying intelligence in the workplace, career management, and structured problem solving. Courses are also offered on health and personal well-being, including safe diets, exercise, mental health, injury prevention, holiday health, stress and nutrition. Training Excuses Training is one element many corporations consider when looking to advance people and offer promotions. Although many employees recognize the high value those in management place on training and development, some employees are still reluctant to be trained. It is not uncommon to hear excuses regarding why someone has not received training. Some people are just comfortable in what they are doing. Some fail to see the value of training because they really believe that they already know it all. And while that might be true, the knowledge value of training and development is not the only perk. Training and development offers more than just increased knowledge. It offers the added advantage of networking and drawing from others experiences. When you attend a seminar or event with others who have jobs that are much like yours, you have the added benefit of sharing from life experience. The seminar notes or the conference leader might not give you the key nugget you take back and implement in the workplace. Your best piece of advice for the day might come from the peer sitting beside you. Another common excuse is that there is not enough money budgeted to pay for training. Who said that training always carries a heavy enrollment fee? Training can be free. You can set up meetings with peers who are in similar positions and ask how they are doing their jobs. Follow someone for a day to see how he organizes or manages his work and time. The cost to you is a day out of your normal routine, so the only drawback may be working a little harder on an assignment to catch up from a day out of the office. You usually dont think twice about taking a day of vacation, so why should a day of training be any different? Time is another often-heard excuse when training and development is mentioned. Have you considered that training and development might actually give you more time? Often the procedures, ideas, short cuts, and timesaving hints learned in training and development sessions equal more time in the long run. Have you heard the old saying that you have to spend money to make money? Well, in a sense, the same is true for training and development. You have to devote some time to training and development to make you more productive in the long run. What is Training in terms of organization? Transferring information and knowledge to employers and equipping employers to translate that information and knowledge into practice with a view to enhancing organization effectiveness and productivity, and the quality of the management of people. It also means that in organizational development, the related field of training and development (T D) deals with the design and delivery of workplace learning to improve performance. Difference between Training and Learning There is a big difference: Training implies putting skills into people, when actually we should be developing people from the inside out, beyond skills, i.e., facilitating learning. So focus on facilitating learning, not imposing training. Emotional maturity, integrity, and compassion are more important than skills and processes. If you are in any doubt, analyze the root causes of your organizations successes and your failures they will never be skills and processes. Enable and encourage the development of the person in any way that you can. Give people choice we all learn in different ways, and we all have our own strengths and potential, waiting to be fulfilled. Talk about learning, not training. Focus on the person, from the inside out, not the outside in; and offer opportunities for people to develop as people in as many ways you can. A Brief Critique of Previous Approaches to Employee Training It is a classic question in the training field, first raised by human capital theorists, that why firms train their employees. Many attempts have been made to address this question, but the question of why firms provide general-skill training has not been fully understood. There have been two main theoretical approaches towards employee training, namely, the human capital approach and the technology-based approach. The human capital approach regards training as investment in human capital. Training is provided only when the benefit from productivity gains is greater than the cost of training. The technology-based approach regards training as a skill formation process. According to this approach, the expanded training in the contemporary period is driven by the rapidly changing technologies and work reorganization. These two approaches are popular in academic and policy discussions. What they have in common is that they assume an instrumental logic and technical rationality behind tra ining decisions. Training is provided because it satisfies the functional needs of an organization. Studies with these approaches have largely overlooked the content of employee training, as if all kinds of training programs equally contribute to human capital accumulation or skill formation. Moreover, personal development training becomes a puzzle if viewed from these approaches, because it does not seem to follow from an instrumental logic or technical rationality. The Puzzle about Personal Development Training The puzzle about personal development training comes in the following four ways. First, it is not innately or immediately related to the technical aspects of specific job tasks. Second, prior need analysis is rarely conducted for such training, despite suggestions to do so in many training handbooks. Third, organizations and trainers seldom conduct evaluations of behavior or outcome changes brought out by such training. Evaluation, when there is one, is often about how one feels about the training or what one has learned. The evaluation questionnaire is often called a smile sheet, as trainees often respond happily to the questions. But the impact of the training remains uncertain. Fourth, the rapid expansion of personal development training has taken place in the absence of scientific evidence of any link between such training and improvement in organizational bottom lines. Core Argument So, why have organizations increasingly engaged in personal development training? It is because that the rise of the participatory citizenship model of organization over time has driven the expansion of personal development training in organizations. This argument is based on an institutional perspective towards organizations. It is distinct from previous approaches to training in two ways. First, it recognizes that training is not only provided to satisfy functional needs of firms, but is also shaped by the shared understanding about individuals and organizations, which is called organizational model in this study and is independent of the functional needs. Second, training decisions are not only affected by the internal conditions of an organization, but are also affected by the dominant ideologies and practices in the organizational field. Importance of Developing a Role in Training Developing a national role in training is important for an employers organization for several reasons. First, it enables the organization to contribute to the development of a countrys human capital, through its influence on education policies and systems and training by public training institutions, to better serve business needs. It also enables it to influence employers in regard to the need for them to invest more in training and employee development which employers should recognize as one key to their competitiveness in the future. Second, it provides an important service to members, especially in industrial relations in respect of which sources of training for employers in developing countries are few. Third, it is an important source of income provided the organization can deliver relevant quality training. Fourth, it compels its own staff to improve their knowledge without which they cannot offer training to enterprises through their own staff. Fifth, the knowledge required for training increases the quality of other services provided by the organization policy lobbying, advisory and representation services. Sixth, it contributes to better human relations at the enterprise level and therefore to better enterprise performance, by matching corporate goals and people management policies. Finally, it improves the overall image of the organization and invests it with a degree of professionalism, which can lead to increased membership and influence. Many entrepreneurs seem to view employee training and developmen t as more optional than essentiala viewpoint that can be costly to both short-term profits and long-term progress. The primary reason training is considered optional by so many business owners is because its viewed more as an expense than an investment. This is completely understandable when you realize that in many companies, training and development arent focused on producing a targeted result for the business. As a result, business owners frequently send their people to training courses that seem right and sound good without knowing what to expect in return. But without measurable results, its almost impossible to view training as anything more than an expense. Now contrast that approach to one where trainings viewed as a capital investment with thoughtful consideration as to how youre going to obtain an acceptable rate of return on your investment. And a good place to start your thoughtful consideration is with a needs analysis. As it relates to training and development, needs analysis is really an outcome analysiswhat do you want out of this training? Ask yourself, Whats going to change in my business or in the behavior or performance of my employees as a result of this training thats going to help my company? Be forewarned: This exercise requires you to take time to think it through and focus more on your processes than your products. As you go through this analysis, consider the strengths and weaknesses in your company and try to identify the deficiencies that, when corrected, represent a potential for upside gain in your business. Common areas for improvement in many companies is helping supervisors better manage for performance. Many people are promoted into managerial positions because theyre technically good at their jobs, but they arent trained as managers to help their subordinates achieve peak performance. Determining your training and development needs based on targeted results is only the beginning. The next step is to establish a learning dynamic for your company. In todays economy, if your business isnt learning, then youre going to fall behind. And a business learns as its people learn. Your employees are the ones that produce, refine, protect, deliver and manage your products or services every day, year in, year out. With the rapid pace and international reach of the 21st century marketplace, continu al learning is critical to your businesss continued success. To create a learning culture in your business, begin by clearly communicating your expectation that employees should take the steps necessary to hone their skills to stay on top of their professions or fields of work. Make sure you support their efforts in this area by supplying the resources they need to accomplish this goal. Second, communicate to your employees the specific training needs and targeted results youve established as a result of your needs analysis. Third, provide a sound introduction and orientation to your companys culture, including your learning culture, to any new employees you hire. This orientation should introduce employees to your company, and provide them with proper training in the successful procedures your companys developed and learned over time. Every successful training and development program also includes a component that addresses your current and future leadership needs. At its core, this component must provide for the systematic identification and development of your managers in terms of the leadership style that drives your business and makes it unique and profitable. Have you spent time thoughtfully examining the style of leadership thats most successful in your environment and that you want to promote? What steps are you taking to develop those important leadership traits in your people? Financial considerations related to training can be perplexing, but in most cases, the true budgetary impact depends on how well you manage the first three components (needs analysis, learning and leadership). If your training is targeted to specific business results, then youre more likely to be happy with what you spend on training. But if the training budget isnt related to specific outcomes, then money is more likely to be spent on courses that have no positive impact on the company. In many organizations, training budgets are solely a function of whether the company is enjoying an economic upswing or enduring a downturn. In good times, companies tend to spend money on training thats not significant to the organization, and in bad times, the pendulum swings to the other extreme and training is eliminated altogether. In any economic environment, the training expense should be determined by the targeted business results you want, not other budget-related factors. To help counter this tendency, sit down and assess your training and development needs once or twice a year to identify your needs and brainstorm how to achieve your desired results effectively and efficiently. Your employees are your principle business asset. Invest in them thoughtfully and strategically, and youll reap rewards that pay off now and for years to come. Beyond Training: Training and Development Training is generally defined as change in behavior yet, how many trainers and managers forget that, using the term training only as applicable to skills training? What about the human element? What about those very same people we want to train? What about their individual beliefs, backgrounds, ideas, needs and aspirations? In order to achieve long-term results through training, we must broaden our vision to include people development as part of our strategic planning. Although training covers a broad range of subjects under the three main categories (skills, attitude, knowledge), using the term training without linking it to development narrows our concept of the training function and leads us to failure. When we limit our thinking, we fall into the trap of: Classifying people into lots and categories Thinking of trainees as robots expected to perform a job function Dismissing the individual characteristics of people and the roles they play Focusing only on what needs to be done without adequately preparing the trainees involved to accept and internalize what is being taught. We are dealing with human thoughts, feelings and reactions which must be given equal attention than to the skill itself. We thus create a double-focus: people development and skills training. These two simultaneous objectives will give us the right balance and guide our actions to reach our goal. To clarify our training and development objectives, and identify our criteria for success, we must ask ourselves a few questions: Do we expect an automatic, faultless job performance? Does attitude count? Does goodwill count? Do loyalty and dedication count? Does goal-sharing count? Does motivation count? Do general knowledge and know-how count? Do people-skills count? Does an inquisitive mind count? Does initiative count? Does a learning attitude count? Does a sense of responsibility count? Do team efforts count? Do good work relations count? Does creative input count? Do we want employees to feel proud of their role and contribution? How can we expect such qualities and behavior if we consider and treat our personnel as skills performers? However, we could achieve the desired results if we address the personal development needs of the employees involved. When we plan for both training and development, we achieve a proper balance between the needs of the company and those of the trainees. The synergy created takes us to new levels, to a continuing trend of company growth. Our consideration of the people involved results in work motivation, goal-sharing, and a sense of partnership. Not only do the employee-trainees perform at the desired levels, but they offer to the company and its customers their hidden individual gifts and talents, and this reflects itself in the quality of service. Customers feel and recognize efficient performance, motivation and team-work. They become loyal customers. We can learn from the case of a small restaurant operator who had become desperate at the negligent attitude of his servers, resulting in customer complaints. He decided to seek professional expertise to help him replace his employees with motivated, trained people fresh out of a waiters training school. Following some probing questions it came to light that, besides hourly pay, he did not offer much to attract and retain loyal and dedicated employees. Through professional consultation, he came to realize that even if he paid higher wages to new trained employees, the problem would persist because employees want more than wages from their work place. They want: Organization and professional management Information regarding the business and its customers Recognition for their role in the companys success Acknowledgement of their individual capacities and contributions Positive discipline / fairness A say in the way the business is run. The restaurant operator realized that until then he had treated his employees as plate carriers and this is exactly how they had behaved and performed. He was ready to change his mode of operation: he diverted his focus to the needs of his employees, re-structured his organisation, planned new operational strategies, a human resources strategy, training and development guidelines, disciplinary rules and regulations. He communicated and shared these in a meeting with his employees and handed out the employee handbook prepared for that purpose. He also reminded them of their responsibilities towards the business, the customers, and themselves (taking charge of their own training, development, and work performance). They were more than pleased when he asked them to express their opinions, make comments and suggestions. He was surprised at the immediate transformation that took place. He began receiving excellent reviews from his customers, the employees worked as a team, their motivation sky-rocketed and he never had to replace them! All this was accomplished by extending the previous concept of training to that of training and people development. Training and Development represents a complete whole that triggers the mind, emotions and employees best work performance. It is not only business managers and owners who must do this shift in thinking, but Human Resources Directors and Training Managers (whose title should be Training and Development Managers). By their actions, they should offer a personal example, coaching and guiding all the people in an organisation to think beyond training and invest efforts in people: Professional development Personal development. Contrary to what some managers think, people do not quit a place of work as soon as they have grown personally and professionally through training and development programs at least they do not do so for a long while. They become loyal to their employer and help him/her grows business-wise, which offers them more opportunities. They chart their own course for career advancement within the broader framework of organizational growth. Do we not call employees our human resources asset? Whatever their positions, each expect to be treated as such; when they are, they give more than their physical presence at work. Training Evaluation Training Improving business performance is a journey, not a destination. Business performance rises and falls with the ebb and flow of human performances. HR professionals lead the search for ways to enhance the effectiveness of employees in their jobs today and prepare them for tomorrow. Over the years, training programmes have grown into corporate with these goals in mind. Training programmes should enhance performance and enrich the contributions of the workforce. The ultimate goal of training is to develop appropriate talent in the workforce internally. In India, training as an activity has been going on as a distinct field with its own roles, structures and budgets, but it is still young. This field is however; expanding fast but controversy seems to envelop any attempts to find benefits commensurate with the escalating costs of training. Training has made significant contributions to development of all kinds. Training is essential; doubts arise over its contribution in practice. Complaints are growing over its ineffectiveness and waste. The training apparatus and costs have multiplied but not its benefits. Dissatisfaction persists and is growing at the working level where the benefits of training should show up most clearly. This disillusionment shows in many ways reluctance to send the most promising people for training, inadequate use of personnel after training etc. With disillusionment mounting in the midst of expansion, training has entered a dangerous phase in its development. Training is neither a panacea for all ills nor is it a waste of time. What is required is an insight into what training can or cannot do and skill in designing and carrying out training effectively and economically. The searchlight of inquiry may make the task and challenges stand out too starkly, too simply. Using experience with training in India and other rapidly developing countries has this advantage at similar risk. The contribution that training can make to development is needed acutely and obviously. At the same time, the limited resources available in these countries make this contribution hard to come by. These lines are sharply drawn; on the one hand, no promise can be ignored; on the other, no waste is permissible. Much of the training provided today proceeds as if knowledge and action were directly related. This assumption is itself a striking illustration of the wide gulf that separates the two. On a continuum with personal maturation and growth at one end and improvement in performance of predetermined tasks at the other, education lies near the former, and training near the later. Focusing training on skill in action makes the task wide and complex. Training embraces an understanding of the complex processes by which various factors that make up a situation interact. For every training strategy, no matter which, the proper focus right from the very outset is on one or more people on-the-job-in-the-organization this whole amalgam. Wherever the focus moves during the training programme, the starting point becomes the focus again at the end. The difference lies in what people have learned that they now apply. That difference, in terms of more effective behavior is the measure of the efficacy of training. The training process is made up of three phases: Phase 1: Pre-training. This may also be called the preparation phase. The process starts with an understanding of the situation requiring more effective behavior. An organizations concerns before training lie mainly in four areas: Clarifying the precise objectives of training and the use the organization expects to make of the participants after training; selection of suitable participants; building favorable expectations and motivation in the participants prior to the training; and planning for any changes that improved task performance will require in addition to training. Phase 2: Training. During the course of the training, participants focus their attention on the new impressions that seem useful, stimulating and engaging. There is no guarantee that the participants will in fact learn what they have chosen. But the main purpose remains: participants explore in a training situation what interests them, and a training institutions basic task is to provide the necessary opportunities. Having explored, participants try out some new behavior. If they find the new behavior useful, they try it again, check it for effectiveness and satisfaction, try it repeatedly and improve it. Finally, they incorporate this new facet into their habitual behavior in the training situation. If they do not find it useful, they discard it, try some variant, or discontinue learning in this direction. The intricate process of selection and testing is continuous and more or less conscious. It is important that work organizations meanwhile prepare the conditions for improved performance by their participants upon their return. Phase 3: Post-training. This may be called the follow up phase. When, training per se concludes, the situation changes. When the participants return back to work from the training, a process of adjustment begins for everyone involved. The newly learned skills undergo modification to fit the work situation. Participants may find their organizations offering encouragement to use the training and also support for continuing contact with the training institution. On the other hand, they may step into a quagmire of negativity. More effective behavior of people on the job in the organization is the primary objective of the training process as a whole. In the simplest training process, improvement is a dependent variable, and participants and organizations independent variables. The training process has the following major objectives: Improvement in Performance Training will be an important aid to managers for developing themselves as well as their subordinates. It is not a substitute for development on the job, which comes from doing, experiencing, observing, giving and receiving feedback and coaching. Research has shown that 80% of a persons development takes place on the job. However, training can contribute the vital 20% that makes the difference. Training can bring about an improvement in a persons: Knowledge Skills Attitude Thereby raising his potential to perform better on the job. Growth Training is also directed towards developing people for higher levels of responsibility thereby reducing the need for recruiting people from outside. This would have the effect of improving the morale of the existing employees. Organizational Effectiveness In company training provides a means for bringing about organizational development. It can be used for strengthening values, building teams, improving inter-group relations and quality of work life. The ultimate objective of training in the long run is to improve the companys performance through people performing better. Benefits of Training Evaluation Evaluation has three main purposes: Feedback to help trainers understand the extent to which objectives are being met and the effectiveness of particular learning activities as an aid to continuous improvement Control to make sure training policy and practice are aligned with organizational goals and delivering cost-effective solutions to organizational issues Intervention to raise awareness of key issues such as pre-course and post-course briefing and the selection of delegates Evaluation is itself a learning process. Training which has been planned and delivered is reflected on. Views on how to do it better are formulated and tested .The outcome may be to: Abandon the training Redesign the training new sequence, new methods, new content, new trainer Redesign the preparation/pre-work new briefing material, new pre-course work Rethink the timing of the training earlier or later in peoples career, earlier or later in the training programme, earlier or later in the company calendar Leave well alone The following are the clear benefits of evaluation: Improved quality of training activities Improved

Wilsons Fourteen Points: a Path to Peace or to Renewed Conflict Essay

Wilson's Fourteen Points: a Path to Peace or to Renewed Conflict Wilson's Fourteen Points were a decent attempt at peace and restitution after the Great War; however, there were many inherent problems with the Wilsonian agenda. These problems were caused by many things, including Allied bias, American ambition, and Western European dominance. While trying to fix many problems in Europe, the Fourteen Points mainly concentrated on the things that were important to the Allied powers: France was bent on revenge, Great Britain was looking to further its power over the seas, and America was keen on becoming an even more powerful trade nation. The Allied Powers made it very hard for Germany and Austria and the newly formed countries in Eastern Europe to carry out many of the things set down in the Fourteen points, in particular, the idea of self-determination that is evident in over half of the points. Reading the Fourteen Points might lead a person to believe that the Allies were in favor of all forms of self-determination unconditionally; in fact, just the opposite was true. They used "self-determination as a formula for rearranging the balance of power in their own interests" (Keynes pp. 2). Point Five of the Wilsonian agenda was a testament to this. It called for the "free, open-minded adjustment of all colonial claims." Essentially, what this did was allow countries to practice limited forms of self-determination, mainly by switching European rule from the more obvious direct control method, to indirect European control. Some countries were allowed independence, but those countries that were denied it became mandates; Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon are examples of the ladder. The main thing Point Five accomplished was that i... ...and incomplete" (Keynes pp. 4). Ironically this is just the thing Wilson had set out not to do. In the speech he delivered before he read out the Fourteen Points, Wilson said that there was "no confusion between the Allied powers, no uncertainty of principle and no vagueness of detail." Wilson goes on to say that the "only failure to make definite statement of the objects of the war lies with Germany and her allies," when in fact this failure of definite statement was also true of the Allied Powers. The Fourteen Points did accomplish something in that they set out terms for a treaty, but unfortunately the Points failed because they severely lacked in detail and succinct. Furthermore, if the Points had been written with the sole objective of peace and restitution and not ambition or revenge, the ultimate Treaty of Versailles may have led to a lasting peace in Europe.

China a Development Miracle

Abstract This paper focuses on the development of China’s Economy. It discusses the transformations that China experienced to move forward and become the world’s fastest growing economy. China’s development occurred mainly because they began to focus on manufacturing and exporting. Growth also occurred due to borrowing technology and the skilled and cheap labor force. INTRODUCTION A Development Miracle China China, officially know as The Peoples Republic of China, is the world’s most populous country with a population of over 1. billion people. The capital of China is Beijing and the president is Hua Jinato. China currently has the world’s fastest developing economy, and it is estimated that from 1978 to 2008 China has grown at a constant rate of approximately 9% a year. In the year 2008, GDP per capita was five times the amount than it was in the year 1978. The People’s Republic of China is also responsible for the most dramatic reduction in poverty, from 53% in the year 1981 to 8% in 2001; about 400 million fewer people are living in extreme poverty(TODARO 2012).This growth miracle has occurred due to the transformation into a market-oriented economy and also as a result of improving their technology. BODY There have been many speculations as to how China has developed at such a rapid rate and also many conclusions. The case of China is one that is very interesting as there is no particular school of thought or specific development policy that is responsible for rapid growth but rather a combination.China is a very good example of how policies that implement trade, markets and globalization are highly beneficial as manufactured exports are China’s primary area of focus. Since the 1980’s when china began its transformation into a market-oriented economy it was a very poor country with a per capita income of US $182 and a trade dependence ratio of 11. 2 %; since then China has mad a dramatic transformation . China now has a per capita GDP of US $3,688 and in the year 2009 China became the world’s second largest economy and also the world’s largest exporter of merchandise (LIN 008). Prior to the 1980’s China’s economy was very traditional; only after the liberalization reforms and cultural counter- revolution in the late 1970’s under Deng Xiaoping we begin to see improvement in China’s economy. Rapid growth began in 1980 due to rural township and village enterprises, which had quasi- cooperative and quasi- municipally, owned character. China’s ability to reform its economy very rapidly to become more efficient has also been one of the key factors responsible for rapid growth.As the industrial revolution began, the catalyst occurred that transformed China from an agrarian society where over 80% of its labor force worked in traditional agriculture, into a society that focused on nonagricultural sectors and manufacturing (LIN 2010). Investo rs were first attracted to China as they had cheap labor, with high skills and good work habits for its low-income level. In the beginning the manufacturing sector was mainly labor-intensive but later with the introduction of advanced technology it became more capital- intensive.Since the 1980’s the service sector has dominated and this structural change has been constant. The manufacturing industry is what transformed China, due to external investors. The more producers located in China the greater the benefits for an increasing number of suppliers. Another advantage that China had over other developing nations was the ability to borrow technology. China did not have to invent technology or industries; they simply had to be innovators. The state was able to borrow technology, industries and institutions at low risks and costs from more advanced countries.Due to globalization and technological advance, there were more market incentives. These market incentives increased trade and GDP. Industrial policies that were implemented helped to ensure that exports of increasingly higher skill and technology content. Accompanying this change in the industrial structure was an increase in the scale of production, the required capital and skill, the market scope, and also the risks (LIN 2008). To be efficient the Chinese had to effectively use technology and labor to reduce the transaction costs.Some economist claim that the Chinese quasi-capitalism economic model is much more effective than that of the American Laissez- faire model, due to China’s extraordinary growth. However, a major source of China’s growth comes from an influx of capital and the mobilization of labor (THE ECONOMIST, 2009). As more capital, labor and technology is being added to any economy, there is sure to be growth. China’s economy continues to experience tremendous growth as a result of global consumers and also the worldwide demand for products.CONCLUSION An important question always asked is if whether of not other developing countries can follow China’s footsteps and experience massive growth. Each developing country differs from others but as long as they are capable of borrowing technology from more advanced countries, they will be able to advance their industries and experience growth. As long as resources such as capital, labor and technology are used effectively growth is sure to occur. There are many claims as to why China has seen massive economic growth and development.The main reason for China’s growth is due to its shift from a country focused on agriculture to one that is export-oriented and focused on manufacturing. Another important factor that assisted was the ability to borrow technology from other countries also helped to spark the industrial revolution, which lead to the transformation. China also developed as they had a skilled labor force with very good work habits for its low-income level. What occurred in Chin a is nothing short of a miracle however, as long as the proper policies are implemented at the right time, economic growth and development are sure to occur.References Todaro , P. & Smith, C. (2012). Economic Development. Eleventh Edition. Pearson enterprises. New York, city. Lin, J. (2010). China’s Mircale. Retrieved from: http://blogs. worldbank. org/africacan/china Lin, J. (2008). China’s Miracle Demystified. http://siteresources. worldbank. org/DEC/Resources/ChinaMiracleDemystified-Shanghai. pdf The Economist (2009). China’s Growth Miracle. Retrieved from: http://www. economist. com/blogs/freeexchange/2009/05/chinese_growth_miracle Centre for Policy and Development Systems (2012). China’s Growth: Assessing the Implications.

My Personal Experience with Religion

I have considered myself a religious person for most of my life.   I was saved at ten years old, but I have been in church since I was two years old.   I know that many people say that religion and Christianity are not the same, but I am one of those few people who do believe that religion is important to.   I think that you cannot have one without the other.   They are both vital to the spiritual makeup of a person. If it had not been for my acceptance of Christ and the Holy Spirit that dwells in me, I don’t know what would have happened to me.   I definitely would not be the person that I am today.   I have always prayed about everything.   I believe that God is my spiritual father, and just like I talk with my biological father and converse with him everyday, I talk with my heavenly about everything. I believe that it is very hard to talk freely with a stranger.   Before you open up and bare your soul to someone, there is an established relationship.   It is the same with God.   It is extremely hard to take everything to him if a person does not know him.   I cannot remember a time when I have not had a relationship with him. It has made a huge difference in my life to be able to talk to him about everything.   I have actually had many prayers answered.   There is no way that I could remember all of them since they have happened every day of my life.   Therefore, my spiritualism has grown and changed over time.   When I was much younger, I saw God as one who had to be obeyed, but I have now grown to the point where I actually do have a relationship with him.   I used to worry so much about how I would handle everything in my life. Now I know that it is all in God’s hands.   I have learned that I have to completely trust him, and that all of my plans and worrying is not going to help.  Ã‚   It sounds on paper like I have just given up, but nothing can be further from the truth.   I have actually gotten stronger, and the time I used to spend on worrying, I now spend on talking to God. I do think that my religion has helped to strengthen my relationship with God.   It is through my religion that I have a church family of people who I can depend upon for my strength.   It is a wonderful sense of well being when I know that I have a whole host of people behind me that love and care about me because of our common beliefs through Jesus Christ.   I also believe that a religion is easier to understand when you are a part of it because you have access to others to teach you.   I have always had mentors and ministers to help me in my understanding of the faith that I have chosen. They not only tell me what they believe about it, but they have encouraged me to seek the scriptures to find my answers, and since they are more experienced than I am, they can steer me in the right direction to find those scriptures.   The faith that I am associated with encourages its members to seek answers from the scripture.   It is not encouraged to accept something just because a person tells us that is the way that it is.   I have many friends from other faiths, and it is nearly impossible for them to overcome the stereotypes that they have heard about my religion.   I find that I have the same problem when it comes to theirs as well. As I stated earlier, my religion encourages its members to try our beliefs with what the scriptures says.   Because of that I do think that I can remain objective.   I have learned that when I challenge something that someone of my faith says is right or wrong, I can go to the scriptures and if it is not there, I can choose to disregard the opinion.   In fact I believe that everyone has challenged at least one thing that their religion upholds.   I think that is only human and it is perfectly natural. If one cannot be objective and at least listen to both sides of a religious topic, then the person must look closely at whether he/she is brainwashed.   Questioning and objectivity is a good thing.   One cannot grow and accept other if he/she does not remain objective.   The only thing that cannot be changed what the Bible says about an issue. My life has been a full one and it has been steeped in religion.   I have enjoyed it immensely.   I am proud of the way that I have grown in my religion and my faith.   I would have to say that my religious experience has been a totally positive experience. Works Cited Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life. 2003. Nashville: Zonderman Press. The Sacred Ritual There have been many sacred rituals that I have participated in during the course of my life.   The one that I enjoy the most and that has had the most impact on me is communion.   It is something that started with the night of Jesus’ arrest before his crucifixion.   I believe that the ritual is so beautiful and meaningful that I get emotional every time I take it. When I was a little child, I could not understand why all of the adults got to eat and drink from those cute cups and I could not have it.   Therefore, I suppose I hated the ritual at first.   I especially couldn’t understand how my own mother, who share everything with her children, could eat and drink in front of us and not even give us a taste.   I remember that her attempts at explaining it to us were feeble at best, so I would get angry every communion.   I cannot help but get a little tickled even today when I hear the small children at my church when communion is served.   Most of them are questioning their parents and grandparents and I automatically go back to my youth in my mind and remember all of my frustrations. Once I was saved and was able to take communion, I was just so glad that I was one of the big people, that I still did not realize the significance of what I was doing.   It was not until I was in my late teens that I realized what it was really all about.   At my church, a sermon on communion is always preached.   It might seem repetitive to some, but like a favorite bedtime story, or favorite movie, it is a joy to revisit the seen of the last supper.   I love the part where Jesus explains to the disciples what each part of the ritual means, and I enjoy what the Apostle Paul explains that it is not just a fellowship supper, but a meaningful link between Jesus and the Christian people. I find it refreshing during the part where all of the Christians in the church take time to reflect on the sins in their lives.   Sometimes it is painful when they are remembered, but after I have asked forgiveness, I feel as fresh as a newborn baby.   I am ready to start over.   There is also a time to ask forgiveness of others that we might have wronged.   This is also a special time.   I love it when I am reunited with someone that I have been at odds with. Then there is the sacred time of sharing the bread and the cup with our Lord Jesus.   The bread is the symbol of the body of Christ.   When we break it to eat it, it symbolizes what cruelties were done to his body.   I was not in Jerusalem the day of the crucifixion, but by taking part in communion I can be.   He died as much for me as he did the ones living at the time.   Therefore, when I break the bread, I am actually symbolizing that I did break his body so that he could die for my sins.   Then I drink from the cup that is supposed to represent the blood of Christ.   Without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sin.   When I drink from the cup, I symbolize that his blood was spilled, and only through the spilling of the Savior’s blood could I be saved. When I ponder these things, I get chilled just knowing what Jesus has done for me and every other person.   He did not have to, but he willingly went to the cross for us.   Communion is one of the ways that I get to be reminded of the tremendous gift that Christ gave to all mankind. Works Cited The Holy Bible. King James Version. New York: Thomas Nelson Press. My Understanding Since I have taken this class, I have had a little better understanding of evil in the world.   I say a little because I have thought about this so much that my feelings on the matter have progressed over a long period of time. I feel that there are many reasons that God allows evil to exist in the world.   I believe that man has a great deal to do with it.   Yes, God is all powerful, but he allows us to live with the mess that we have made.   I will use the example of the horrible Hurricane Katrina.   There were many good people who lost everything that they had and many even lost their lives.   The same can be said of those who had not lived good lives.   There were babies who died, many elderly, and many in the prime of their lives. Some might question why God would allow this to happen.   Instead they should question man.   It was man who built so many houses and cleared so many forest and wetlands that the water had no where to go.   It was man who built underneath Lake Pontchartrain, and it was man who did not do adequate upkeep on the levies.   It could be argued that man helped create the hurricane itself with his utter disregard to the environment which is leading to global warming.   It is man who has to live with the decisions he and others before him have made.   God designed the earth to be perfect.   It was man who messed things up and brought sin into the earth.   If he had stopped man, then he would have taken away personal choice. My ability to understand what is right and wrong has changed over the years.   First I accepted what my parents told me was right and wrong.   When I became a teen, I judged what was right and wrong with what I wanted to do and think.   Now I search the scriptures.   I read the Bible as much as I can, and I have a pretty good feel for the obvious things that are right and wrong.   I will argue an opinion, but when it comes to the Word of God, I feel that if it is in the Bible, then that is the way that it is. I pray about situations that I have a difficult time determining what is right and wrong, and God never fails to send me a sign.   Sometimes it is not the one that I wanted, but he still delivers.   I also rely on what many people call a conscious, but I feel is the Holy Spirit.   I believe if I listen to the still small voice within me, then it is usually more right than what society tells me is right and wrong. Socrates` question: `Is something right because God commands it or does he command it because it is right?`   I feel that there are times that people think too much and this is an example.   Words are powerful and they can also have the power to confuse us.   I feel that God only commands what is right and he is omnipotent therefore he is right.   If he is the creator of all things, and I believe that he is, then he created right and wrong.   At the same time he commands things to be right because he determined it.   God is right. Works Cited Stearns, Bill. Fine Lines: Knowing God's Right/Wrongs for Your Life. San Bernardino: Here’s Life Publishers. 1987.

Incarcerating the Mentally Ill essays

Incarcerating the Mentally Ill essays The Incarceration of the Mentally Ill Mental institutions in the United States were founded for a very important reason; to keep the mentally ill people of America off the streets, and into a place that will provide them with the necessary treatment. Prisons and jails on the other hand, were not designed for that reason. Although many of the mentally ill may commit a crime of some sort, I feel they should be set aside from society, but a prison is not necessarily the right place for them to be sent to. The workers in prisons have been through training to deal with inmates, but they dont have the education or the correct facilities to properly care for the mentally ill. Keeping the mentally ill off the streets is a concern of many Americans, and throwing them in prisons or jail is not a reliable solution; this problem needs to be addressed. It is understandable that there is a need to help people with brain disorders get off the streets, but incarcerating them isnt the right way to do that. They arent being properly cared for in those facilities (Torrey 1). The need and want of getting the mentally ill off the streets has become so bad they are throwing them into jails and keeping them there without a good reasoning (Shopinsky 2). A reasonable percentage of the population in jails and prisons is composed of mentally ill people (Bazelon 1). A study conducted in 1999 showed that almost 300,000 seriously mentally ill people are being kept in jail or prisons (Torrey 1). The reasons for detaining the mentally challenged range from disturbing the peace and threats (Torrey 2). Is punishing them the right thing to do? I feel that all they really need is help. Police are desperate enough to throw a homeless mentally ill person in jail for simply talking too loudly outside a public place (Shopinsky 2). I feel that the mentally ill should not be treated as criminals, but as human beings. It has been proven that...

Business Strategy Essays

Business Strategy Essays Business Strategy Essay Business Strategy Essay Liberalization and the context of business strategy 2. 1 What is liberalization? Liberalization refers to the relaxing of rules and regulations or policies of a government in a country. According to the scenario, in 1991, the Indian economy has been opened as a result of liberalization. 2. 1. 1 How did it affect the Indian automobile industry? The Indian government continued to have a closed economy until 1991. By then Maruti Suzuki was the market leader of the automobile industry acquiring a market share of nearly 83. %. But however the government decision of opening the economy in 1991 had significant affects on Indian automobile companies such as Maruti Suzuki. The main affect was the entrance of foreign competitors that made the industry very competitive and the situation made it difficult for domestic companies such as Maruti to retain its market share, which is clearly reflected by the drop of market share from 83. 1% to 60. 8%. This will lead to decline in the growth of India’s automobile industry. However there will be certain advantages on the Indian automobile industry such as the entering of resources from foreign countries which are cheaper than the resources in India. More access to technology will be another advantage to the Indian automobile companies from liberalization. 2. 2 Defining the context of business strategy The prime aim of a business strategy is to provide superior value, differentiation, and core competencies for an organization. (http://jobfunctions. bnet. com/abstract. aspx? docid=90501). Business strategy is a long term plan which adds value, differentiates and identifies key capabilities and capacities of an organization to make the best use of them. 2. 3 Importance of Business Strategy The strategy shows a direction to the organization to reach company’s vision. Gives an understanding about rapidly changing environment. Helps in overcoming problems. 3. 0 Significance of stakeholder analysis Any organization operating in the real world influences the environment or the people related and unrelated to it. Also certain individuals or groups of people also might have impacts on the organization. The individuals or groups of people who are interested or are influenced by an organization’s activities is called as stake holders. The stakeholders can be categorized as internal and external. According to the case study, Maruti Suzuki has started losing its market share after the liberalization. Therefore it is necessary for Maruti to carryout an analysis on different interests and impacts on interests of its stakeholders. An analysis of stakeholders, their stakes and impacts of liberalization on each of these stake holders are shown below: 3. The stakeholder analysis of Maruti Suzuki Government Interest: tax, sovereignty and prosperity The government decision to liberalizatio0n led competitors to enter the market and this will lead to a loss in sovereignty and prosperity of country. The government intention to collect tax would be affected as Maruti’s profits might now come down due to increase in competition. Competitors Interest: effective competition, gaining d ominant power The competitor organizations which were seeking for competing opportunities were effected favorably from the government action of liberalization. They made it an opportunity to enter the Indian automobile industry and compete effectively. This strategy of competitors was successful as they were able to capture Maruti’s market share by attracting most of its customers. Customers Interest: quality, variation, low prices, customer care The buyers, as they always look into new variations that are low priced and last for a long time have well preferred the foreign cars leading to a great fall in Maruti’s market share. (i. e. by 83. 1% to 60. 8%). Employees Interest: salary and other benefits The setting up of competing foreign automobile companies would have given job opportunities at better packages which might have led some employees to leave Maruti Suzuki and join its competitors. Japan based Suzuki Interest: company image, profits, growth This is the mother company of Maruti Suzuki. After the loss of Maruti’s market share and decline in profits, Suzuki’s image will be affected and in turn the profits will go down. Suppliers Interest: long lasting relationship, profits The suppliers of Maruti Suzuki will gain the advantage of higher customer base. They will also be able to sell the resources at a much higher price to foreign competitors than Maruti Suzuki. Therefore this will lead to a loss of some suppliers or Maruti’s competitors producing the same standard products. 2. 3 Internal environment 2. 3. 1 Corporate analysis Strengths Being the dominant market leader in Indian automobile industry acquiring a market share of 55%. Strong brand name of Maruti Suzuki. Increase in net sales to Rs. 90. 81bn. Increase in net profit from Rs. 3. 46bn to Rs. 5. 42bn. The capabilities of employees in Maruti Suzuki and their knowledge and ideas about new technology. The availability of new technology to manufacture and design cars. Established distribution and after-sales networks, and supplier base. Understanding of the Indian market and the agreement with the government. Contemporary technology of Japanese Management practices Early mover advantages Maruti Suzuki was the first company to have brought in the technology in Ind ia in 1983. Good promotional strategy is adopted by MUL to transform its thoughts to the people about its products E. g: Alto: â€Å"Lets Go† The fuel efficient and affordable car. The ability of Maruti Suzuki which helped in identifying its downfall and the application of restructuring strategy to overcome this situation. Weaknesses Difficulty in competing with other global car manufacturing companies due to the availability of insufficient resources and technology. Maruti Suzuki is a subsidiary of Japan based Suzuki Motor Corporation which means it is dependant and has less freedom of working as an individual body. For Maruti to perform better, it needs to convert the weaknesses within the organization to strengths. The weakness of insufficient resources and lack of advanced technology could be overcome by investing more on advanced technology. Further the existing workforce in Maruti can be outsourced in order to sharpen their tacit knowledge as they may now come up with new ideas. This factor might create core competencies in Maruti. However investing in new technology can only be done in the long run. Maruti Suzuki is a subsidiary of Japan based Suzuki Motor Corporation. Therefore it has certain disadvantages such as less freedom of decision making and etc†¦. ut however this might also have certain advantages such as being a part of a leading company Maruti Suzuki can maintain its market share, gain publicity, can get aware of and grow into new markets and etc†¦. the weakness of insufficient materials and less access to new technology could also be overcome by having a good relationship with Japan Suzuki Motor Corporation. Opportunities The increasing demand for cars in the global markets. Improvement in infrastructure will encourage consumers to purchase automobile. Indians’ preference to Indian products Reduced interest rates on automotive loans. Increase in purchasing power of Indian economy. The joint venture agreement between the Indian government and Maruti. Growing population in India provides Maruti with cheaper labour which help them to achieve the objective of producing low cost cars. Threats The improvement in concerns on environment protection will however create negative impacts on companies like Maruti Suzuki. The opening of economy to other countries caused foreign competition to enter Indian economy. Conversion of threats to opportunities would direct Maruti towards its success. The concern on environmental protection is a factor, which has a rapid increase globally. Car manufacturing companies are said to be creating major impacts on environment especially because of global warming which takes place due to air pollution and extraction of resources from the environment. To avoid this, Maruti Suzuki can carry out with effective CSR projects. This might increase its goodwill further. The opening of economy has helped new foreign competitors to enter the market. But however Maruti can make this an advantage as it is now easy for Maruti to aware about the strategies foreign companies are using. Also with the opening of economy, better imported resources might come to the Indian market with high quality and at a lower price. 2. 4 External environment 2. 4. 1 PESTEL analysis Political factors and legal factors Government policies on car industry. The introduction of ‘New industrial policy’ impacted Maruti Suzuki by increased foreign competition but however, it brought in new technology which was beneficial to Maruti Suzuki. Taxes which might be already existing and may be implemented in the future. The joint venture agreement between the government and Maruti has effected the company favorably in 1981. The improving economic stability in India would help Maruti Suzuki in improving its performance. Economical factors Liberalization The opening of economy to other countries caused foreign competition to enter Indian economy, which dropped down Maruti’s market share by 22. 3% (i. e. from 83. 1% to 60. 8%). The Economy of India is the eleventh largest in the world by nominal GDP and the fourth largest by purchasing power parity. The countrys per capita GDP is $3,176 (IMF, 127th) in 2009. (source: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Economy_of_India). Further the GDP of India proves to be increasing from 1960 to 2009 which in turn means that Maruti Suzuki will have an increasing demand for cars, as cars are prestigious or luxury products. The State Bank of India reduced interest rates on automotive loans in February 2009 (source: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Automotive_industry). This means that Maruti Suzuki will gain an advantage of borrowing further loans at a low cost of borrowing in turn leading to expansion of the organization. Socio cultural factors Indians’ preference to Indian products The Indians usually prefer truly Indian products rather than imports, therefore Maruti Suzuki being an Indian car manufacturing company will be preferred by most of the Indians. Taste and fashion The preference of markets for latest designs and long lasting variation and colors will increase demand for cars produced by Maruti Suzuki. The busy living styles of people in each part of the world would persuade them to have their own vehicle which is fuel efficient and easy to handle. This would be another great opportunity to Maruti Suzuki as it is specialized in producing fuel efficient and cost effective cars. Technological factors Use of upgraded technology to manufacture cars E. g. CIM (Computer Integrated Manufacturing) To compete effectively Maruti redesigned its structure and the major changes took place was the upgrading of manufacturing using new manufacturing techniques and use of information technology which brought back the declined market share to 55%. Improved technology in designing E. g. CAD (Computer Aided Design) and CAE ( Computer Aided Engineering) The technological advances in designing cars has helped Maruti Suzuki to come up with new designs to meet up with customer requirements. Environmental factors Improvement in infrastructure will persuade markets to purchase automobile. The improvement in concerns on environment protection will however create negative impacts on companies like Maruti Suzuki. 2. 4. 2 Porter’s five force analysis [pic] Threat of substitutes The major threats of substitutes to an automobile company like Maruti Suzuki can be identified as other types of vehicles such as vans, jeeps and bikes. E. g. : Motorcycles as a segment have grown at a CAGR of 17. % during the last 16 years, while other two-wheelers (scooters, mopeds) have been virtually stagnant, growing at a meager CAGR of 1. 8%. (source: indiaautomotive. net). Considering the above example it is much clear that there is a growing demand for substitutes of cars which will affect Maruti Suzuki. Threat of new entrants Threat of entry refers to the entry and exit barriers of an industry. Maruti Suzuki is an already established company which has been operating since 1971 and it is the market leader in the Indian automobile industry. This would be a threat for the new entrants. However to a great extent, Maruti will not be affected due to an entry of a new organization as entering to automobile industry requires high initial capital and include greater sunk costs. These factors might avoid new entrants but Maruti need to continue with its market research and use new strategies to retain its market share, in case if a new entrant comes to the market. Bargaining power of customers Customers can not directly control the price of a product. But however, according to changes in prices they can vary their demand. Cars are usually considered as luxury products in the economics context, therefore they have inelastic demand. So an increase in price would not lead to a huge fall in demand, but however it is necessary that Maruti Suzuki controls its prices as competitors might make advantage of unstable prices. The responsibility of making low cost fuel efficient cars may be an advantage at this point. Bargaining power of suppliers Bargaining power of suppliers can be considered as a very powerful factor in this scenario. Maruti imports most of its components from other countries and the prices of these components are set up to global standards which might be quite expensive for Maruti. Further Maruti would be a small customer to its suppliers in comparison with other large automobile companies. Therefore, here, the suppliers are seem to be having greater control or bargaining power over prices and other conditions compared to Maruti Suzuki. Competitive rivalry within the industry This is the extent of competition between car manufacturing companies. The competition seems to be very high in the industry as Maruti Suzuki has loss a significant amount of its market share due to rivalry. [pic][pic] [pic] According to the above diagram, it is very much clear that Maruti Suzuki acquires the 11th place in the global automobile market. 10 large competitors have greater shares of market are operating effectively in the global market. Therefore, the rivalry in the market can be said as very high and it would be difficult to Maruti to compete with them. However, the rivalry within the Indian automobile industry can be considered as favorable to Maruti Suzuki as it is the market leader having more than 50% of market share. [pic] 5. 0 Growth strategies 5. 1 BCG matrix [pic] BCG matrix of’’ Maruti Suzuki’ According to the above BCG matrix, it could be seen that Maruti Suzuki operates in all the 4 grids which are namely stars, question mark, cash cow and dog. The new models of cars introduced by Maruti Suzuki ( Grand Vitara and etc†¦. ) are said to be positioned as stars since they have an increasing rate of growth and high market share due to increasing customer demand for new models of cars. Selling stocks or the cash cow grid indicates products with low growth and high market share. These would be cars, which are already being existing in the market for a long time and have reached their maturity to have high market share and low growth rate. E. g. Maruti Alto, Swift and etc†¦. ) The question mark, which shows the products with high growth rate and low market share, would be the extra stocks of cars. These products would not help in increasing market share but would increase the growth rate through increase in sales if the stocks were sold at a reduced price. The dog would classify cars, which are outdated or old models, which have a declining trend. For example, Maruti WagonR, an old model that was existing in the market for a long time is now slowly reaching its exit. These products have low market growth and low market share due to less profits and declining sales. . 0 Positioning techniques 6. 1 The position of Maruti Suzuki in the market Maruti Suzuki has its major resources such as cheap components, fuel efficient cars, strong relationship with customers and employees, use of developed technology and etc†¦. It further leads the Indian automobile market with a market share of 55%. Maruti Suzuki operates both in domestic and global market . Globally it acquires a market share of 0. 7% being a part of the 11th largest automobile company, Suzuki. Operating systems in the organization for the purchasing and selling process is highly monitored by its management. This will allow making more profits by reducing wastage and unnecessary costs. This is an added advantage to Maruti Suzuki when comparing with the other competitors in the market. Considering all the factors which were mentioned above it could be seen that Maruti Suzuki has built up its position in the market at a stable level and need to improve further with new strategies. 6. 2 strategic positioning 6. 3Ansoff’s Matrix [pic] Ansoff’s matrix on Maruti Suzuki The activities involved in market penetration are to improve the business performance with existing products while operating in the existing markets. The necessary steps Maruti can use to achieve this is to use effective advertising, promotional techniques, increase quality, minimizing costs and increasing output and sales volume. Maruti Suzuki already operates in a number of countries with its successful product ranges. However the organization could further expand by identifying the opportunities to enter both foreign and local markets with its existing products- Maruti Baleno, Maruti Esteem, Maruti Swift, Maruti Zen, Zen Estilo and etc†¦ Use of effective research and development would help Maruti Suzuki in achieving this growth strategy. The third criterion to be used is product development, which necessitate Maruti Suzuki to come up with new ranges of small cars with new designs and brands. Finally, the fourth grid, which is diversification, allows Maruti Suzuki to come up with new brands while targeting new markets such as substitute markets and, foreign and local markets. Maruti Suzuki has already used this strategy as it has come up with new substitutes- vans and jeeps. These can be considered as the positioning strategies of Maruti. 3. 0 significance of stakeholder analysis Any organization operating in the real world influences the environment or the people related unrelated to it. Also certain individuals or groups of people also might have impacts on the organization. The individuals or groups of people who are interested or are influenced by an organization’s activities is called as stake holders. The stakeholders can be categorized as internal and external. An analysis of stakeholders, their stakes and impacts on Maruti Suzuki are shown in the table below. 3. 1 the stakeholder analysis of Maruti Suzuki |Internal stakeholders |External stakeholders |Stake/ interest |The effect on Maruti | | |Government |Sovereignty and prosperity of |The government decision to pass | | | |country. down the responsibility of building| | | | |low cost, fuel efficient cars for | | | | |the Indian market was favorable to | | | | |Maruti. | | | |The government intention to collect| | | |Tax advantages. |tax from Maruti will increase the | | | | |cost of Maruti. | | | |Government decision of | | | | |liberalization too created negative| | | | |impact by making the market more | | | |Being more competitive among |competitive. | | |foreign countries. | | | |Competitors |Capturing the Indian automobile |The entrance of foreign automobile | | | |industry. companies from 1991 created an | | | |Compete effectively with Maruti |adverse effect on Maruti by | | | |(the market leader) |creating a downfall in Maruti’s | | | | |market share. | |Buyers |Modern designs. |The buyers, as they always look | | | |Low prices. |into new variations that are low | | | |Long lasting cars. priced and last for a long time | | | | |have well preferred the foreign | | | | |cars leading to a great fall in | | | | |Maruti’s market share. (i. e. by | | | | |83. % to 60. 8%). | |Employees | |Job security. |Well-trained employees who could | | | |Considerable pay and other |easily adapt to new technology | | | |benefits. |would have directed Maruti towards | | | | |the recovery of market share. The | | | | |effect of their interests would be | | | | |increasing costs to Maruti. | 4. 0 Environmental audit These can be considered as factors leading to environmental stability. They are as follows: Technical change The improvement in technology and discovery of new technology based principals (CIM, CAD, CAE) have helped Maruti in improving its product quality and design. Competitive products and prices The competitive automobile companies such as Toyota, Honda, General Motors, Ford, Mitsubishi, Nissan and etc would affect Maruti by introducing price and non price competition. Price competition techniques could be analyzed as new products with various designs, improved after sale services and price competition can take place through cutting down prices, tax allowances and etc†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Therefore Maruti can keep low margins and less their cars at a very low price while designing cars which attracts customers. Inflation [pic] Source: ( property-investing. org/images/India) The inflation rate of India is expected to fall in the next few years. Therefore, this would show a positive signal to Maruti Suzuki as certain resources, which would be bought from the Indian market, would be available at a low price than before and the organization would now be able to cut down some of its costs. Therefore, the final product produced would be cheaper allowing Maruti to compete effectively. Also the purchasing power of Indian citizens would then increase leading to higher demand for cars. Demand variability There will not be much change in demand, as cars are not seasonal products. However, due to other factors such as increase in inflation rates, increase in GDP, changes in living styles and changes in taste and preference, there will be a slight change in demand for cars. However, Maruti Suzuki can overcome these problems with the continuous production of low priced cars with various designs. Elasticity of demand El asticity of demand for cars is said to be price inelastic as they are luxury products. Therefore, an increase in price would not create a major impact on demand for Maruti. However, the unsold cars could be sold at reduced prices in markets where economy is under development. E. g. , the car prices dropped down in Sri Lanka during the financial year 2010 Barriers to entry Economic forces that slow down or prevent entry into an industry or market are known as barriers to entry. Capital requirements, product differentiation, switching cost, brand identity, access to distribution channels are some of the common barriers, which slow down organizations from entering into new markets. Capital requirements, switching costs and access to distribution channels are some of the main barriers for Maruti Suzuki. However the company is already established in the Indian market therefore technology, plants and assembly lines which are already owned by the company can be used to grow into new markets. Access to distribution channel would be easy, since Maruti Suzuki is a subsidiary of Japan based Suzuki Motor Corporation. Substitute products The substitute products of Suzuki can be classified as other types of vehicles. This factor has been overcome by Suzuki through the production of a van which has already being introduced to the markets. 7. 0 Process of strategic planning The strategic planning process of a company includes its mission, objectives, internal environment, external environment, corporate analysis or strategic formulation, strategic implementation and analysis of results while reviewing and controlling. [pic] (Source: google. lk/images20planningtbs) 7. 1 Vision â€Å"The leader in the Indian auto mobile industry, creating customer delight and shareholder’s wealth, a price of India† . 2 Mission and objectives The modernization of the Indian automobile industry. Developing cars faster and selling them for less. Production of fuel-efficient vehicles Market penetration, market development, product development and diversification. Partner relationship management, value chain, value delivery net work. 7. 3 Internal environment i. What are Maruti’s resources? Mate rials Use of imported resources to manufacture cars. Reduce wastage due to application of techniques such as TQM and use of advance technology. Human resource Skilled and experienced employees in the industry. Special training is provided to improve the capacities and abilities of human resource. Management An effective and well specialized management. Easily adaptable to market changes. Risk takers. Brief knowledge about customer preference and their buying patterns. Fixed assets Maruti Suzuki own many fixed assets such as plants, machinery, buildings, factories equipment and technical assets. Working capital According to the statistics,75% of company’s components are outsourced. Manufacturing is undertaken on JIT inventory principals. Finance Obtaining loans from banks at a low interest rate as the interest rates on automotive loans has fallen. Increasing profits and sales revenue. Intangible assets Maruti Suzuki’s highly performing staff and the strong b ond with customers are form of intangible assets. Company goodwill. Organization and culture Employees from different cultures, religions and races with different attitudes are employed in Maruti. Maruti Suzuki takes over many CSR projects to meet up with the ethical requirements. The organization has a 360degree view which means it considers customer views, employees and other involved parties when making decisions. Knowledge The knowledge of the employees are improved through outsourcing them and giving them special training. This benefits the organization by gathering a pool of new ideas and creating core competencies. ii. Current positioning in the market ( please refer to page 7. 4 External environment (please refer the PEST analysis and porter’s 5 forces on page 7. 5 Strategic formulations ( please refer the SWOT analysis on page 7. 6 Strategic implementation Strategic implementation is a process by which strategies and policies are put into action through the development of programs, budgets and procedures. The main corporate resources of Maruti Suzuki can be classified as materials, human Resources, management, fixed assets, technology, working capital, finance, intangible assets, organization and knowledge. Maruti Suzuki is involved in both manufacturing and selling its cars. Components, human resources, fixed assets, working capital (inventory) and technology are certain factors, which need to be allocated effectively in the production process. Components should be purchased after the selection of low priced, quality component suppliers in order to keep up with Maruti’s objective of low cost cars. The other factors such as management, intangible assets, and knowledge could be used in areas where planning is involved. Management needs to prepare strategic plans such as restructuring whenever needed. Intangible assets such as customer loyalty and company goodwill are factors, which will be considered by the customer when purchasing the product. The knowledge of employees about the company and other operation should be broad, especially when it comes to customer handling. Therefore proper training should be given to employees. 7. 7 Strategic choice Strategic choices involve understanding the underlying bases for future strategy at both the business unit and corporate levels and the options for developing strategy in terms of both the directions and methods of development. (Source: Johnson, Scholes and Whittington, 2008). Maruti Suzuki outsource more than 75% of its components. This will involve reducing the scope, defining quality levels, re-pricing, re-negotiation, and cost of re-structuring. The designs of the products should be improved and augmented regularly to make advantage of effective competition. The application of this strategy could be supported with effective marketing research. 7. 8 Review and control Review and control is important to strengthen the strategies that are being implemented. Assessing actual performance to budgeted performance can be described as review and control. The expected work level of strategic level can be considered as much higher than tactical level normal employees. This is due to management’s engagement in planning, coordination and risk taking. Maruti Suzuki will have to bear a large cost on giving training to employees which might drop down its profits by a certain amount. But the improvement in employee performance after the training would bring back the investment cost. The positive effects on restructuring were shown by increased sales and profits. However if the restructuring was not successful Maruti needs to have a backup plan for its safety. This would be the carrying out of effective advertising campaigns and promotional activities or investing more on advanced technology. 8. 0 evaluation of alternative strategies . 1 substantive growth 8. 2 limited growth 8. 3 retrenchment 9. 0 selecting an appropriate future strategy Cars with new models E. g. new version of Grand Vitara Outdated stocks E. g. Maruti 800 Selling stocks E. g. Maruti Alto, Maruti splash, Maruti Swift Excess Stocks of cars Developing new brands of cars Moving into new foreign markets with existing cars Vans and jeeps E. g. Maruti Omni micro van, new range of Grand Vitara, Maruti Versa, Maruti Gypsy. Cars E. g. Maruti Baleno, Maruti Esteem, Maruti Swift, Maruti Zen, Zen Estilo.