Brand positioning and focus Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Brand positioning and focus - Research Paper Example This research is intended to develop the sound understanding of the impact of the branding on the lives of individuals, especially their buying decisions. Moreover, we also aim to identify the best practices of branding in contemporary era. In past era, branding was considered to be what it is considered now. Few years back, brand used to be defined as "the name,associated with one or more items in the product line, that is used to identify the source of character of the item(s)" (Kotler 2000, p. 396) Another definition that was given by Keller (2003) depicts the same thought. He defines brands as "technically speaking, the n, whenever a marketer creates a new name, logo, or symbol for a new product, he or she has created a brand" (p. 3)" However, over the period of time, it was realized that branding has far wider scope than this. Realizing this, people started to explore more avenues into it. "For a long time, the brand has been treated in an off-hand fashion as a part of the product" (Urde 1999, p. 119). With the changing time, the needs and demands of the businesses were changing too. "The challenge today is to create a strong and distinctive image" (Kohli and Thakor 1997, p. 208). This definition shows that the scope of branding has been broadened and besides providing identity to the product, it is also responsible for conveying to customers that brand message associated to that brand through the process of branding. The modern concept of branding is associated to a number of other related concepts. In order to make the brand successful and the high impact brand, one of the most essential part is its positioning. It is well known phrase in the marketing circles that those brands which are top in terms of customer recall are really the leaders. Thus, brand positioning means that a brand should be presented as a response to some customer need, in order to make it successful. For example, if a company sells the cars. The brand manager of that particular car should see that what particular needs that car is going to fulfill for the customers and present the product as simply not the product, rather, the solution to that need of the consumer. Keeping in view the customer needs is simply one factor, others may include competitor's move, emerging trends and so on and so forth. Besides, other factors of success include, targeted marketing, efficient segmenting and focused advertising and public relations . Targeting marketing and focus advertising are essential because, we can't market our product to everyone. There is a cost to it. Every second that runs an ad on any channels, it costs a handsome some of money to the producer and this price is ultimately shifted to the customer. If lesser people Brand purchase that product, higher contribution from each purchaser is required. In today's world where there is cutting edge competition, one

Partisan Comedies Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Partisan Comedies - Thesis Example Reviews done by various popular media outlets as well as people’s reactions on the show will be analyzed. In conducting such study, the researcher proposes that partisan comedies in the US have significant influence on the social and political views of the American people. Introduction Comedy is a form of entertainment art which primary purpose is to provoke laughter. It does not only include the elements of humorous dialogue or actions but also the elements of surprise, incongruity, conflict, repetitiveness, and the effect of opposite expectations. Actually, there are various forms of comedy based on their source of humor, the method of delivery, and the context in which it is delivered (Griffin, p.1). One of the most popular forms of comedy is satire. It is a composition that deals with the fragments of society. And the person who uses satire is called satirist. Certainly, the word satire was coined to describe a collection of literary poem or commonly known as poetic medley. Then, it may also mean a poem that was riddled with vices. It was widely used to describe many works of literature that exposes foolishness or vices in humans, organizations, or even governments. It is a form of entertainment which uses the art of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or humor/comedy in order to effect reaction, change or even to prevent it. It is widely available in written verse or prose, vocal and even in visual form (Griffin, p.1). Today, partisan comedy shows are becoming very popular in the US since it was revolutionized in media. In fact, it becomes an effective tool especially in exposing political and social issues. Thus, this research paper attempts to determine the specific publication or revi ews, or media perception of partisan comedy shows in the US as well as to analyze the influence of the show or comedy on published opinion and public reaction through review of published literature and to determine any link or consequential political or governmental action regarding the comedy or show. The researcher has found these objectives important in this study because these have significant contribution in the evolution of partisan comedy in the United States. Literature Review Evolution of Comedy in US Comedy is a popular literary or entertainment which usually use humorous performance, satirical tone, or jokes to amuse and make the audience laugh. It also includes the elements of surprise, incongruity, conflict, repetitiveness, and the effect of opposite expectations. Actually, comedy was used in varied forms of arts and entertainment. But, the development of each form also marked the conceptualization and development of another form i.e. the radio comedy leads in the devel opment of comedy in television (Rourke, 324). In the United States, partisan comedies can be traced back after the American Revolution when the country was already freed from worries and chaos and when the American citizen begun to appreciate the works of art such as comedy. At first, comedy was only used in writing and speaking but years later it expanded in other forms such as in literatures, cartoons, magazines, animation, theater, vaudeville, radio, recordings, television and films even in standup comedy (Rourke, 324). In literature, the earliest available material for comedy and satire was the work of Thomas Morton from Marymount, which was entitled the â€Å"New English Canaan† published and circulated in 1637. The author used humor and wit to compare the cultural values of native people and English Puritan colonists. Another was

Positive Effects Of Homeschooling

Positive Effects Of Homeschooling This report endeavour to provide a compelling information of the positive effects of homeschooling towards a homeschooled kids lives. Modern homeschooling holds the key of an effective method of learning and attaining new knowledge which can be applied in a homeschooled individual future life. Based on the issue of homeschooling, the opposition protest on the practice of homeschooling because of the concern that homeschooled kids are unable to adapt in real life without parents in the near future. However, modern homeschooling that most of the countries have know are implementing a way whereby the kids will be prepared to face reality and have more positive effects rather than negative impacts on homeschooled kids. Therefore, the practice of homeschooling is exceptionally recommended in todays society and this report will also show evidence to clear out the issue of negative effects in homeschooling raised by some individuals in the society. These days, education has been a crucial priority in a family life. It is important as it ensures a comfortable life and a successful future in an individuals lives. Nowadays, society tends to explore possible ways for a more effective technique or methods to educate their children rather than using the traditional way of sending them to normal school and the high school. Parents now believe that sending their children to private school or colleges will have a better impact to their children in the aspect of education. There also parents who homeschooled their children so they are able to monitor their children education by themselves rather than relying on lecturers. However, in the beginning of the introduction of homeschooling, there people who actually disagree and criticize the method of giving education to children at home. Some government also band homeschooling as they fear of development of religious and social extremist. Some people also pointed out that homeschooled kids lacks in social skills that are eventually needed to face real life especially in university life. As times go on, homeschooling are slowly accepted by some governments and has been legalised and became an incentive for parents to educate their children. with 1.7 2.1 million K-12 students home educated during the 2002-2003 institutional school year, home based education is now arguably the fastest-growing form of education, compared to public and private institutional schooling (Ray cited by Jones P. And Gloeckner G., 2004). This proves that homeschooled based education has been practiced by families and are increasing in number. Even though there are certain government who actually legalised the practice of homeschooling such as in America, Denmark and France, there are people who voiced out their opinions and told to stop the practice of homeschooling. This has lead to the question does homeschooling have more positive than negative effects on homeschooled kids? As researches are made thoroughly in this issue, it can be concluded that homeschooling have a variety of positive effects that outweigh its negative effects because homeschooling tends to be better in socializing, became more independent and procure a stronger bond with their family members. This report will show compelling evidence of the reasons that homeschooling have a better outcome in the kids. The research is restricted to countries which homeschooled has been legalised in order to procure a better understanding on its effects on the kids. HOMESCHOOLING KIDS BETTER IN SOCIALIZING Concerns have been rising among the opposition of homeschooling on whether homeschooled kids are able to learn and practice the art of socializing. They believe that homeschooled kids are unable to cope with the advanced socializing skills as they proceed into the real world out of home and into colleges and universities. They have argued that homeschooled kids spend too much time at home with their parents rather than outside. They noted that homeschooled kids spent less time on outdoor activities especially with their peers which are believed to be an important part in developing social skills in an individual life. However this is not true and unproven at all. The opposition thinks to narrowly as they are more focused in the word home in homeschooling and concluded that they spent times at home. The kids are homeschooled but they are not home activist? Homeschooled kids just learn at home but they still spent a lot of their time doing leisure activities outside of home. They are also better in social skills than their traditional peers Homeschooling provides an excellent opportunity to approach socialization from this perspective, because it removes a huge level of daily, value-based-on-externals, chameleon-creating, soul-crushing peer pressure from our childrens lives'(Molewyk, 2010).It shows that homeschooling teaches a different way of learning to socialize which are far better than how learning to socialize is applied in public or private school which has been stressing kids. Nowadays, the community who actually supports the idea of homeschooling have established homeschooling groups and as sociation which functions to host activities for homeschooled kids. A lot of activities have been hosted by these groups to ensure homeschooled kids are balanced in their studies and social activities. For an example they arranged sports clubs such as soccer, basketball and others for homeschooled kids and also hosted games between clubs from different region where kids can mingle around with new friends. This has helped a lot in developing useful social skills in the kids. Furthermore, homeschooling group activities involve a variety of people coming from different places, religion and very importantly from different ages. This exposure to a wide variety of community significantly increases the capability of homeschooled kids to interact and enhances their social skills to a higher level. Basically, homeschooled kids learns more from interaction with people who are older than them and helps develop their maturity rather than their traditional peers who are schooled in public school who interact mostly with friends of the same age and hardly learns new things from them. Moreover, homeschooled kids learn to interact with grownups simply by having interaction within the family. Family members often dont have the personalities youd seek out in friends. Learning to get along with such vastly different personality types in a healthy waylearning how to get real with them, saying what you mean, and setting healthy boundariesis excellent training for dealing wi th different personality types (Molewyk, 2010). This encourages them to be more confident in speaking with people are more matured and teaches them the ways to approach people who have different and a diversity of personality in the society. The evidence stated has proven that homeschooling children gives an exceptional unique technique of socializing that are required to face real modern life and people that are existing now. It also guarantees a better life of the kids in the near future and teaches them to overcome reality itself. HOMESCHOOLED KIDS ARE MORE INDEPENDENT The opposition has gone so far as to speak of homeschooled kids lacks on the ability to be an independent individual. They stated that homeschooled kids relied too much on their parents instead to give an effort to do things on their own. To be an individual that knows how to live independently is important because parents are not always there when they are needed especially when an individual is going to the university where they need to rely on friends and self-learning. They also pointed out that a homeschooled kid does not have the capability to perform or learn new things without depending on others because they were always spoon fed by their parents during their homeschooling days. Moreover, most of the problems being faced by homeschooled kids are settled by parents which causes those kids to have less experience in dealing problems by themselves. As a consequence, homeschooled kids are unable to handle problems and predicament situation in universities life due to the longing independence towards parents that has been implied through homeschooling before. Indeed it is plausible to argue that homeschooled kids lacks in independent skills, Yet other evidence suggest that homeschooled kids are actually more independent than their traditional peers. Homeschooled kids are said to be more independent because they are more exposed to a wide variety of people in the society regardless of age, races and religion as compared to their traditional peers where they are learning things only among themselves and does not have much difference in the way of thinking and handling problems. Their thoughts and ideas are limited whereby homeschooled kids who mingled with a diverse society where there is a diverse thought and ideas. Homeschoolers acquire other homeschoolers unique experiences and are able to implement it into their independent lives in the future especially in college and university life. These variations helped homeschooled kids to feel more secured in dealing with unusual experiences. Besides that, homeschooled kids learn to be independe nt through their parents. Naturally, children look up their parents in building up their style and etiquette. Homeschooled kids are able to familiarize with independent life by observing their parents carrying out their daily responsibilities in the family. In addition, supporters of homeschooling asserts homeschooled kids are more independent than their traditional peers in the way they learn and acquire knowledge by themselves without depending much on others. In a homeschooling environment, kids are taught by parents only in certain aspects of the syllabus while additional information are procured by the kids themselves through other sources such as internet and researches. This is called independent learning. Unlike their traditional peers who mainly relying on what teachers or lecturers are giving and have a narrow understanding on the subject, homeschooled kids gain a better understanding through research and observation they have made. The knowledge achieved in this way are more appreciated as it comes from an individual willing and hard work. Furthermore, homeschooled kids are better in applying the knowledge in their real life rather than students who went to schools, mostly learn knowledge just for the sake of examination and forget what they have learned easily after the examinations have ended. This portrays that homeschooled kids are more productive because of the independent learning instigated in homeschooling as they are able to use knowledge in a sense of deep understandings and applications in their daily lives. Hence, it is proven that homeschooling has helped a lot in the kids future lives, as it prepares them to overcome problems by themselves as it teaches them how to be independent and helped them to apply knowledge holistically in their imminent and challenging future. HOMESCHOOLED KIDS PROCURE A STRONGER BOND WITH FAMILY In an article wrote by Ko, (1997), she had expressed her concern on sending her children to an institutional school which is the Waldorf school and seeing children being exposed to negatives influences there. She also believed rather than sending her children to an institutional school, it is better to homeschooled them where she is able to observe them, hinder them from negative influences and most importantly being able to enjoy her time with them. From the experiences shared by Mrs. Ko, it can be claimed that homeschooling enable kids to procure a stronger bond with their families. Parents are responsible in developing their childrens behaviours. Parents have the authority to control their children activities and outside exposure. Homeschooling are able to restore a critical social function that has been lost in families who send their children in an institutional school which is education to children from family. Homeschooled kids are protected from being affected by unwanted behaviour which is happening frequently in institutional schools. Parents education to children is crucial as it impose the responsibility of the parents in moulding their children for a better future. In homeschooling, parents decide on the children learning materials, curriculum activities and with whom they are interacting with. Parents and children can spend more time together and share their daily experiences which creates a unique bonds between them. Homeschooled kids understand more about their parents and enhanced the trust between them. They learn how to achieve a common goal tog ether through home-based learning and improve communication and love between them. Furthermore, homeschooled kids spend more times with their siblings at home. It develops a close ties between them. Homeschooled kids learns with their brothers or sisters and care for younger siblings at home. They are also able to model their older siblings who are homeschooled too. Sharing of daily experiences improved their communication skills with a wide range of ages and increases understandings among them. Thus, kids who are homeschooled gain one of the most crucial aspects of life which is love and bonds between family members. By having this unique bond through homeschooling it creates a peaceful and harmonious living in the family institution. RECOMMENDATION Homeschooling groups should expose more about the practice of homeschooling to the society in an expo. There, they should consider showing the steps needed to be taken to establish a well-organized homeschooling of the kids to parents. Moreover, they need to introduce some preferable schedules to give parents a starting point of giving their children a home-based education. The parents need to be taught on how to have a balanced life of working and educating their children to prevent any unnecessary conflicts between parents and their children such as lack of attention. These kind of support will surely encourage more member of the society to apply the concept of homeschooling in their lives. Furthermore, problems that has been argued by the opposition that homeschooled kids are unable to face reality of life in the future can be overcome by careful planning in homeschooled families and increasing the number of social activities done outside of home with other homeschooled kids around the world. This will significantly reduces the chance of a homeschooled kid being drop behind. CONCLUSION It is proven that homeschooling have a variety of positive effects on homeschooled kid even with the negative impacts that has been stated by the opposition of the issue. Homeschooling enable kids to procure a better technique in socializing and trained them to be independent and live independently. Most importantly homeschooled kids are able to appreciate family member more and thus procure a stronger bond with them. As a conclusion the practice of homeschooling will be a popular way of educating children in the future due to the benefits that it offers to the society.

Cultural Diversity in Nibelungenlied, Beowulf, and Gilgamesh :: comparison compare contrast essays

Cultural Diversity in The Nibelungenlied, Beowulf, and Gilgamesh Cultural diversity is something that mankind has experienced since the dawn of time. Different cultures and different people have different views on the same issues, and it all adds to the diversity that is life. It shows that there is something for everybody. For the most part, there is no one person saying that everyone has to be this or follow that. A person's culture is determined on how they are brought up, what country they live in, how their parents were raised, and what the people around them do and believe in. The differences in culture is what caused people of later time to believe in more that one God, something that, for the most part, is unheard of today. It lead to Feudalism and the divine right to the throne. Different people are brought up to think different things, and the things people learn as a child stick with them forever. Culture is also based on choice, and every person has the choice to do whatever makes them happy. So much is know about culture now becaus e it has been recorded in books such as Gilgamesh, Beowulf, and The Nibelungenlied. Three different books displaying cultural views from three different time periods. And it is with works like these that modern scholars and historians can examine what the people and times were like back then. Two books with a similar time period were those of The Nibelungenlied and Beowulf, both placed in 6th century Europe, one based in England and the other in Germany. Both cultures had a history of war, almost a passion for it. The English had no fear for what they might battle, and knew the consequences like every skilled knight should: "However great an army we take, the Queen has such dreadful ways that they would all have to die through her arrogance." (The Nigelungenlied, Ch. 6, pg. 54) But knights had to know the risk involved in being one of the best, and the sacrifices that needed to be made to put their country on top. And it has been shown that both cultures took pride in their work: "Then the king ordered eight gold-bridled horses to be led onto the floor, into the enclosure; on one of them was a saddle skillfully decorated, ornamented with jewels." (Beowulf, lines 1036-1038). It can be seen in both Beowulf and The Niblungenlied that the quest for expansion of one's country is one of importance.

Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) Practices and the Performance of a Nigerian Small and Medium Size Enterprise (SME).

Introduction The contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to the economic growth and development has been enormous. This contribution is significant for both the developed and developing world. Many governments acknowledge the fact that SMEs play a significant role in the growth and development of their economies. Consequently, a number of government investment projects are geared towards fostering the growth and development of local SMEs. The institution of policies geared towards the facilitation and empowerment of SMEs as well as improving the performance of SMEs remains a major objective of many economic policy makers and governments. In addition, international economic and financial bodies such as the IMF, World Bank, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the International Financial Corporation (IFC) have invested heavily in making SMEs robust and vibrant in developing countries. Furthermore, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in developing countries such as Nigeria have employed advocacy and capacity-building campaigns to promote the growth of SMEs. Despite the importance accorded to SMEs as well as their contribution to economic growth, Onugu (2005) argues that the performance of SMEs in Nigeria has been below expectations. Unlike SMEs in other countries, the contribution of Nigerian SMEs to economic growth has not been very impressive (Onogu, 2005). Following from its independence, the Federal government of Nigeria has invested significant sums of money to promote entrepreneurial and small business development projects (Mambula, 1997, 2002). However, results from these projects have not been very impressive. In order words, most of these projects have often been unable to yield their expected returns. Despite the country’s endowment with raw materials and other natural resources, there has been little progress towards the development of the manufacturing sector, which could have increased the production of value added products thereby substituting imports, increasing exports and increasing employment (Mambula, 1997, 2002). Business failure often comes as a result of a number of factors. This could be as a result of poor customer service, poor management and poor human resource management. While the poor performance of SMEs in Nigeria can be attributed to a number of factors, human resource management could be a major factor in determining this poor performance. Human resources are a principal source of economic growth. Like other resources, human resources require effective and efficient utilisation so as to ensure maximum contribution is achieved from them. Approximately 50 per cent of people work in small and medium sized enterprises. Despite this high proportion of human resources in SMEs, most studies that study human resource management have focused on large corporations with very limited attention to SMEs. Moreover, most studies on the practices of human resource management have been carried out in the developed world with very limited attention paid to developing countries like Nigeria. This study is one of the few studies that focus on the management of human resources in SMEs in a developing country. The country that has been chosen for the study is Nigeria. The paper examines the factors that affect the practices of human resource management in an SME in Nigeria and how these practices can affect the performance of the SME in particular and its contribution to the overall growth of the economy as a whole.Objectives of the Study The objective of the study is to examine the SHRM practices of an SME in Nigeria. The study will also examine how those practices affect the performance of the SME and provide polic y implications of the findings for future strategy development.Research QuestionsThe paper will be providing answers to the following questions: What are the Strategic human resource management practices of the SME How do these practices affect the performance of the SME What are the implications for future development of strategic human resource management practices at the SMEResearch OutlineThe paper is going to follow the following areas: Section one will cover the introduction; section 2 will be dealing with the literature review; section 3 will be discussing the methodology and describing the data; section 4 will provide the results and analysis; and section 5 will present conclusions and recommendations. Literature Review Strategic human resource management (SHRM) practices refer to those activities that are specifically developed, executed and implemented on a deliberate alignment to a firm’s strategy (Huselid et al., 1997). The phrase â€Å"strategic human resource management is an indication that people in the firm are regarded as strategic resources (i.e human capital) that must be managed and leveraged when implementing and executing the strategy of the firm. In early years, efforts made to develop a conceptual framework on strategic human resource management were based on the assumption that in order to promote human behaviour that would fulfil the strategic objectives of the firm, the firm had to implement specific human resource management practices (Fisher, 1989; Schuler and Jackson, 1989; Snell, 1992). A strategic approach to human resource management is an approach that links the human resource management policies with the strategic objectives of the firm. There has been significant debate over the term SHRM as has been the case for human resource management (HRM). Many researchers argue that SHRM lacks conceptual clarity (e.g., Bamberger and Meshoulam, 2000). Three competing frameworks on SHRM have emerged: the contingency, universal and configurational perspectives (Miles and Snow, 1984; Schuler and Jackson, 1987; Delery and Doty, 1996; Pfeffer, 1998; Youndt et al., 1996; Boxall and Purcell, 2000, 2008). According to the universal perspective, all HR practices in all firms have a positive impact on firm performance (Delery and Doty, 1996). The configurational perspective suggests that firm performance depends on unique HR practices while the contingency perspective suggests that a firm’s HR practices are a function of its strategy (Miles and Snow, 1984; Schuler and Jackso n, 1987). A number of studies have tested the different frameworks and found contradictory results. For example, Youndt et al. (1996); and Chang and Huang (2005) argue in favour of the contingency perspective while Tackeuchi et al. (2003) favour the configurational perspective. The frameworks suggested above are mostly relevant for large organisations. Little effort has been devoted towards the development of SHRM in SMEs. For example, Saini and Budhwar (2008) in a study of SHRM practices in SMEs in India argue that bounded rationality tends to constrain the willingness to implement innovative HR practices in SMEs in India because most owners of SMEs tend to believe that they are doing their utmost best. Barber et al (1999) observe that HRM practices that work well in large organisations do not work properly in small firms. As a result, Heneman and Tansky (2002) stresses the need to develop different HRM models for SMEs rather than simply extending existing models that are suitable for large organisations to SMEs. The literature on Human resource management in SMEs suggests that a strategic approach to HRM in SMEs is yet to be developed. Conceptual models that relate human resource management practices in SMEs to the strategic capabilities of these organisa tions need to be developed in order to enable SMEs achieve the full benefits of their human resources. As can be observed, most of the studies of HRM practices in SMEs have been limited to SMEs in Western Europe, U.S.A and India with very limited attention given to Africa in general and Nigeria in particular. In the light of the above limitations, this study aims at contributing to the literature by studying the SHRM practices of SMEs in Nigeria. The study does not intend to test any hypothesis. Rather it intends to focus on providing an in-depth analysis and discussion of the HRM practices of a Nigerian SME. Research Methods and Data Research Methods are the approaches taken to achieve the objectives of a research project (Saunders et al., 2009). There are two main approaches to research including the inductive and deductive approaches. The inductive approach is an approach that aims at developing testable hypotheses while the deductive approach focuses on testing existing hypotheses. The inductive approach can use a single case study to multiple case studies while the deductive approach depends on the use of multiple cases. Moreover, the inductive approach can use either qualitative or quantitative methods whereas the deductive approach relies heavily on the use of large data sets and quantitative research methods. The inductive approach is advantageous over the deductive approach in that it does not generalise its results to all cases. It aims at providing an in-depth analysis of a small number of cases. Therefore, it is the approach that will be used in this study. In other to achieve the objective of this study, this paper will use a case study approach. In order to do this, a Nigerian-based SME will be selected. An in-depth analysis of its SHRM practices will be examined and related to its performance. In order to gain detailed understanding of the approaches, the â€Å"Interpretative phenomenological Analysis (IPA) will be used to gain an in-depth analysis of the HRM practices of the SME. The Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is an experimental qualitative approach to research in psychology and the human, health and social sciences (Smith et al., 2009). The human resource practices that will be investigated include recruitment, selection, training, remuneration, leave of absence, interpersonal communication, sick pay, and promotion. The practices of these variables will be analysed and an evaluation of how they affect the performance of the SME will be conducted. The performance measures that will be used include profitability , liquidity, management efficiency and leverage ratios. The ratios will be analysed in relation to the SHRM practices identified along with the Nigerian economic environment in which the SME is based. Data The research will use both primary and secondary data. Data for the SHRM practices will mainly be primary data. This data will be collected using survey questionnaires issued to the employees of the SME and interviews conducted with key management staff. Performance data will be collected from the financial records of the SME. Data on the performance measures will be gathered from the financial records of the SME. References Boxall, P., & Purcell, J. (2000). Strategic human resource management: Where have we come from and where should we be goingInternational Journal of Management Reviews, 2(2), 183?203. Boxall, P., & Purcell, J. (2008). Strategy and Human Resource Management. Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan. Chang,W. J. A., & Huang, T. C. (2005). Relationship between strategic human resource management and firm performance: A contingency perspective. International Journal of Manpower, 26(5), 434?449. Delery, J. E., & Doty, D. H. (1996). Modes of theorizing in strategic human resource management: Tests of universalistic, contingency. Academy of Management Journal, 39(4), 802?835. Huselid, M.A., S.E. Jackson, and R.S. Schuler. 1997. â€Å"Technical and Strategic Human Resource Management Effectiveness as Determinants of Firm Performance,† Academy of Management Journal 40(199), 171-188. Miles, R. E., & Snow, C. C. (1984). Designing strategic human resources systems. Organizational Dynamics, 13(1), 36?52. Schuler, R.S. and S.A. Jackson. 1989. â€Å"Determinants of Human Resource Management Priorities and Implications for Industrial Relations,† Journal of Management 15(1): 89-99. Snell, S.A. 1992. â€Å"Control Theory in Strategic Human Resource Management: The Mediating Effect of Administrative Information,† Academy of Management, Journal 35(2), 292-327. Schuler, R. S., & Jackson, S. E. (1987). Linking competitive strategies with human resource management practices. Academy of Management Executive, 1(3), 207?219. Pfeffer, J. (1998). Seven practices of successful organizations. California Management Review, 40(2), 96?124. Onugu, B. A. N. (2005) Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects, St. Clements University Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., Larkin, M. (2009) Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research, Sage Publications. Heneman, R. L., & Tansky, J. W. (2002). Human resource management models for entrepreneurial opportunity: Existing knowledge and new directions. In J. Katz, & T. M. Welbourne (Eds.), Managing people in entrepreneurial organizations, vol. 5 (pp. 55–82). Amsterdam: JAI Press. Barber, A. E., Wesson, M. J., Roberson, Q. M., & Taylor, M. S. (1999). A tale of two job markets: Organizational size and its effects on hiring practices and job search behavior. Personnel Psychology, 52, 841–867. Saunders M, Lewis P and Thornhill A (2009) Research Methods for Business Studies, 5th edition, Prentice Hall FT Harlow Saini, D. S., Budhwar, P. S. (2008) Managing the human resource in Indian SMEs: The role of indigenous realities, Journal of World Business, Volume 43, No. 4, Pages 417-434 Takeuchi, N., Wakabayashi, M., & Chen, Z. (2003). The strategic HRM configuration for competitive advantage: Evidence from Japanese firms in China and Taiwan, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 20(4), 447?480.

Methods for communicating business information Essay

In order to communicate business information a business will use a range of electronic and non – electronic methods for the right audience. The way informational will presented will depend upon on a number of factors such as: * Age and attention span * Readability * Interest The audience may have a range of people of different ages. Those who are younger will only be able to concentrate for shorter length of time, while older people and those are who are highly educated will be able to listen to a presentation or other forms of communications such as reports. Younger people will respond well to visual stimuli such as power points rather than verbal presentations. Different types will respond differently to different forms of communications. Businesses will range from the age and the amount of education a person has. For example in an industrial business or supermarket will have a wide range of people. Those who work on the shop floor in a supermarket will have a range of people of ages and the education they have. Some may have basic GCSE level or none at all or may be studying at a degree level. The type of communication that is given to this type of audience will vary. The non electronic methods for communicating business information are: * Letter * Memorandum * Report * Invoice A letter is a form of written communication. Letters are considered to be the easiest form of communication simply because they are simple and quick to produce but also because they provide a written record of correspondence that can be useful in the event of a dispute. Another form a non electric method for communicating business information is a memorandum. This is an internal form of communication for the business and serves the purposes of transferring short messages between members of staff. A report is used as a formal reply to a task that has been set. It is a common form of communication in the business industry and amongst many other forms of organisations. An invoice is a document that is produced by the business. It informs customers that they have bought on credit. The sales department has the responsibility to produce such documents. An invoice will have the details of the Products bought by the customers, the date, details of payments that are required and the date of when the payment is required. Such documents are kept for six years as they later may be used as evidence of a contract if any legal action should be taken. The electronic forms of communications that are used in a business are: * Screen based communication * Email * SMS * Computers and the internet * Telephone * Video conferencing Screen based communications are now becoming more common in businesses. Most forms of communications in the technology world use screens to show information. For example tills have screens to show customers and the cashier the amount that has to be paid and the goods been bought. Screen based communications have become increasingly common and are now used for a range of purposes such as cash machines, railway and airports. Email has become another popular source of communication. The advantages of emailing are: * The costs are extremely low * It is quick and easy * The information can be instantly viewed * A written copy of the message is given to both parties – useful for reference * Easy to store Emails are seen as an informal source of writing where abbreviated words are used. For this reason business emails are written in a less formal way and a friendly tone. Business messages are now being sent and received through text messages (SMS) which is available between mobile phones. This method of communication can be replaced for memos and emails to send messages to employees. Text messages benefits those employees such as sales people who travel frequently as part of their job to be kept up to date with important developments. It also used as a form of advertising the business. Customers can be attracted to the business by the carious text messages they receive by the business on the products or services. The web is one of the biggest changes that have been made in the business world. Due to the internet becoming increasingly popular, businesses have taken this to this advantage. The internet has shown to increase sales and strengthen relationships with existing and potential customers. The internet has helped widen the target market for many businesses. Businesses such as Sony are able to promote and reach to customers globally through the internet as trading resolves the issue of time differences for customers living different parts of the world. The progress of this has allowed businesses such as Sony gain sales and a profit boost. It also benefits the business as it allows the businesses to change products and pricing if circumstances change. This is a cost effective way of change as products being in stored would have to go through the process of reprinting advertising materials. Another reason why the internet has become cost effective is because it has allowed customers to access information on products that would otherwise have to be accessed through broachers, catalogues or leaflets. Telephone calls fast form of communication. This method of communication is effective as it allows instant discussion on a matter and response. Most businesses have a conference via telephone so that a number of people can be involved in a conversation and discuss business matters. Video conferencing is where a business will have a meeting through computer screens. Businesses may want to communicate with people in different locations. Video conferencing makes it easier for businesses to hold meetings within their premises without having to travel.