Human Resource Practices in Sme Sector

EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 Human Resource Practices in SME Sector: An Exploratory Case Study of Pakistan Naveed R. Khan Faculty of Management and Economics Sciences, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, 35900, Malaysia naveed. r. [email  protected] com Mustafa Rehman Khan Faculty of Management Sciences, Institute of Business and Technology, 75190, Pakistan [email  protected] com Abstract The role of human resource practices (HRP) at its significance in small and medium enterprises (SME) become an emerging topic, especially in developing countries.This study aims to gauge the level of HR practice being exercise in SME. Quantitative approach has been followed and data was collected from 195 SMEs through a structure questionnaire. Findings suggested that SME are performing moderate level of HR practices and owner/managers are aware with the importance of HR practices in their organizations. Moreover, compensation is the most significant factor of HR practices foll owed by employee performance, recruitment and selection and training and development.HR function has been substantially implemented and HR practices are being carried out in number of SME and is contributes at all phases of organization’s functions. The globalization and dynamic milieu is forcing the SME sector to switch informal functions to formal manner. However more coherent approach is required to replace the traditional way of practicing HR functions. This study validates the implementation of HR practices in SME as documented in the literature. It further provides a reference for academicians and practitioner to build upon a contention for future research. 7 7Keywords: recruitment and selection, training and development, employee performance, compensation. COUNTRY CASE STUDIES Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=2155840 EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 1. Introduction In the era of globalization, business environment becomes highly dynamic with high r isk and uncertainty. This uncertainty decreases market share and increases organizational inefficiency. As elsewhere, Pakistani SMEs too are affected by the recent global economic meltdown. Escalating inflation in Pakistan further compounded the situation for SME growth.Human resource working in SME sector plays a vital role in economic growth without any space for their personal growth. It is therefore observed that retention is one of the major problems in small and medium size industries. Slightly better emoluments provide good reasons to an employee to switch over from one organization to another organization. Growth in salary in SME sector is far behind the growth in inflation which is a source of depression and made them less productive at their workplace (Khan, 2011). SMEs are identified as the leading employment generation sector, nation wide.In context of the Karachi city which contributes 30% in manufacturing sector of Pakistan and 90% in Sindh’s GDP and around 20% of the total GDP of Pakistan. These figures indicate the potential and further growth in this sector further it prove the argument that SME sector shall plays pivotal role and have potential to grow. Moreover, extensive economics activities at sea ports and industrial zones increase the significance of Karachi city, hence is called the financial and business hub of Pakistan, providing millions of economic opportunities (Ghouri et al. 2011). This study has been conducted to measure the gap between philosophies and practices of HR practices. HR scholars have argued that SMEs are insignificantly practicing the HR function in Pakistan. It may be consider that the owner / managers are not able to utilize their human resource strategically and coherently. Perhaps this is due to the shortage of HR professional in SME sector. Further, fragile structure and substandard formalization intends management to ignore organization’s most valued assets, that is, 8 the workforce.This ignorance causes the job dissatisfaction in employees and ultimately affects the organizational performance. However, employees perform the essential tasks within the organization, and organizational human resource systems are designed to support and manage this human capital. 7 This study aims to measure HR practices in SME operating in Karachi, Pakistan. The city is considered as the hub of commerce and financial activities of Pakistan. SMEs operating are having a mix of proper and casual setup.The study is designed to measure the level of HR practices and identify the most significant HR practice among recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation and employee performance. Consistent with the discussion so far, this study seeks to answer the following questions. 1. What is the level of HR practices followed in the SME? 2. What is the most/least important practice of HR, among four facets, in SME? 1. 2 Brief Overview of Employment in Pakistan Over the years, Pakistan ha s substantially moved from agriculture economy to manufacturing economy.Economically active size is the largest in the total population of the country. Human capital is enriched with diverse skills from unskilled labor to high-skilled critical mass. Pakistan’s urban growth rate is highest in South Asia. Estimated in 1980s, urban population growth rate was 4. 5% per annum and projected to 60% by the turn of the century. That proved true. Karachi’s urban economy and its employment pool is the glaring example of this. Its formal and informal sectors provide greater employment potential and are in a position to use human capital efficiently (Khan et al. , 2011).ISSN: 1582-8859 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=2155840 EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 At present, SMEs are recognized as the backbone of the country’s economy by representing nearly 90% of all the enterprises in Pakistan. SMEs form a significant po rtion of the manufacturing and services sector. According to the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s report (2010) the labor force today is divided in agriculture 43%, manufacturing 13%, construction 7%, transport 6%, and services 14% and the other head carrying the rest of the burden.The total workforce in Pakistan is 102. 7 million; out of which 55. 77 million people are employed in 2010 with $2400 per capita income; this labor force will increase to 154. 4 million by 2030 with the growth rate of 2. 05. However, 15. 2% unemployment rate was recoded in 2010. SMEs provide 80% employment of the non-agricultural labor force. In Pakistan small and medium enterprises offer diverse employment and production and share 40% in annual GDP of Pakistan (Khan, 2011). 2. Literature Review Pakistan’s SMEs sector is very different from SMEs working in industrialized world.Here, small and medium size businesses are usually not documented mostly with purpose. Pakistan has also a un ique culture of not sharing information with others. Freedom of public information is only on paper. Businesses profiles are not uploaded on the website and it is even so difficult for field researchers to collect basic information through interviews. Limited academic studies are conducted so far on HR practices in Pakistan’s SME environment. This study thus dependent on earlier researches conducted in environment other than Pakistan for conceptual understanding and theory development.Selected literature is reviewed for this study whose results are generalizable to any other environment. Basically, employees perform the essential tasks within the organization, and organizational human resource systems are designed to support and manage this human capital (Gramm and Schnell, 2001). HRM philosophy emphasizes on the benefits of meeting employee needs and enables them to have control over their work, moreover, satisfied workers willing to improve their efficiency, effectiveness a nd productivity to get the work done.The extensive use of high-involvement work practices represents a significant investment in human 7 capital. Basic microeconomics suggests that investments in human capital (employees) are justified when such investments are more than offset by future returns in the form of increased productivity. Thus, firms will make greater use of such practices when employees are viewed as particularly vital to firm success (MacDuffie, 1995). By adopting effective HR practices firms can acquire not only new skills and knowledge and change the attitudes of their employees but also improve their organizational performance.Through effective HR practices firm can get rid of traditional ineffective and inefficient practices which in turn enable the firm to maximize the achievement of its objectives (Delery and Doty, 1996). Armstrong (2006) defines human resource management (HRM) as the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organization's most val ued assets – the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the business.Findings from previous studies indicated that increased concern for HR practices among firms resulted from the need to develop HR as a source of competitive advantage (Walker, 2001; Wright et al. , 2001; Wright and Snell, 1991). In relation with the SMEs recent studies acknowledged the relevance and applicability of HR practices in small and medium scale firms (Nankervis et al. , 2002; Singh and Vohra, 2005; Chang and Huang, 2005; Schlogl, 2004) SMEs who successfully integrate their HR system with their vision and organizational objectives, are achieve their goals in a more organized manner (Singh and Vohra, 2005).Hence it would build-up more 9 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=2155840 EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 comprehensive business strategy to retain the position in the industr y. According to Chang and Huang (2005) human resources are viewed as a strategic asset that creates value when embedded in the operational system in a manner that can enhance firm’s abilities to deal with a turbulent environment. Sevral studies indicated that to improve organizational performance and develop a competitive advantage, firms need to implement an ffective HR practice system (Zheng et al. , 2006; Osman et al. , 2011; Katou, 2012). Studies on HR practices indicated that HR theories and models are assumed that they are applicable to all types of organizations regardless of their type, sizes and nature of human resource practice functions (Arthur, 1994; MacDuffie, 1995; Huselid, 1995; Youndt et al. , 1996). However, Nankervis et al. (2002) study findings suggested that previous empirical evidences are still not able to provide enough evidence to suggest that HR practices works for all kinds of organizations.Traditional literature on human resource practices identifie d four general categories, which include: Staffing, training, evaluation and compensation (Dessler, 2008; Mathis and Jackson, 2008; Fisher et al. , 2006). In few cases, these categories are aggregated in a slightly different manner, and certainly there is overlap and interrelationship among them (Shub and Stonebraker, 2009). Shub and Stonebraker (2009) define these categories as: Staffing generally involves the human resource activities of planning, job analysis and design, recruitment and selection.Training generally involves the HR activities of employee training, organization development and career development. Evaluation generally involves HR activities of various evaluation designs, both formal and informal, and different evaluation periodicities. Lastly, Compensation generally involves the HR activities of base wage or salary system, incentive system and perks, as well as benefits. Generally, the relationship-based approaches to staffing, training, evaluation, and compensation are shown in the literature to be directly associated with firm performance (Huselid, 1995; Osman et al. 2011; Ngo et al. , 1998) 2. 1 Human Resource Management and its Measurability Stone (2005) defined human resource management as it involves the productive use of people in 7 achieving the organization’s strategic business objectives and the satisfaction of individual employees need. This definition clearly indicates that the organizations’ objectives are dependent on their work force productivity. Moreover, work task, work environment, freedom in work, opportunities provided and the benefits are provides are few of the most important needs a worker may perceive.The effective HRM practices are able to link these practices with organization structure and objectives. Many studies investigating human resource management practices have looked primarily into an organizational structure construct. To accurately measure â€Å"human resource practices†, a number of H R functions may need to be evaluated. However, these characteristics or facets may not be of equal importance to every organization. One of the most comprehensive and widely used measures for human resource practice is presented by Dessler (2008) and Fisher et al. 2006). In this study human resource management practices is characterized as multidimensional, and it has four major facets namely i) recruitment and selection, ii) training and development , iii) compensation, iv) employee performance evaluation. 2. 1. 1 Practice of Recruitment and Selection Recruitment and selection is the first facet of human resource practice, which involves planning, forecasting, and job analysis for the future demand of employees according to the need and demand of the firm.Moreover, various tools and techniques have been used by the firms for the improvement of staffing process to avoid the loss in terms of time, money and potential employees. 2. 1. 2 Practice of Training 10 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES Eur oEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 Training is another dimension of human resource practice where firms invested on the development of their employees’ knowledge, skills ability and other on-job required skills to improve the productivity of employees.Training can transform human resource to human capital where skilled employee would better perform in the success of organization as compare the employees who can get training lesser or never. 2. 1. 3 Practice of Compensation Compensation is one of the most extrinsic practices of human resource function in an organization setting. This dimension determines the level of job of an employee on the basis of their perceived knowledge and experience.Moreover, the matching of their job knowledge with the pay or compensation provided them must demonstrate the market level competitive packages. Good compensation plan would therefore, inevitably influence on employees’ performance. However, the extent to which an employee who is getting the good compensation package will perform well would also depend on his/her overall assessment of various factors like the compensation package in other organizations in relation to the work load and the possibility of getting better compensation packages (Purani and Sahadev, 2008). . 1. 4 Practice of Evaluation This aspect of human resource practices generally involves the activities of various evaluation designs, both formal and informal, and different evaluation periodicities (Shub and Stonebraker, 2009). It is a means of getting better results by understanding and managing performance within an agreed framework of planned goals, standards and competency requirements. It functions as a continuous and evolutionary process, in which performance improves over time.Moreover, it provides the basis for regular and frequent dialogues between managers and individuals about performance and development needs (Armstrong, 2006). 3. Research Methodology The study comprises on a quantitative survey of 195 SMEs. The data was collected from the companies operating in Karachi through a self-administered questionnaire. The study covered manufacturing and 7 service sectors SMEs. In the study, SME referred to the firms employed between 10 to 250 employees, this definition have been adopted from the SME policy 2007 and SMEDA.The SME were identified and randomly selected from the listing of Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) and Jamal’s Yellow Pages. The questionnaire was adopted from Chew (2004) and modified according to the nature and objectives of the study and tested for reliability, prior to data collection. The questionnaire used in this study consisted of three sections. Section one focused on collecting background information of the respondents. Section two captured the characteristics of the firm and last section obtained the information concerning the HR practices adopted by the firm.To examine the hypotheses of the study, descripti ve statistics analysis were performed using SPSS 17. The sample size for this study was 300 however only 195 questionnaires, with response rate of 65%, were found acceptable for analysis. 3. 1 Reliability Testing To measure the reliability of the instruments used, Cronbach’s alpha was employed. According to Sekaran (2005), if the alpha value is greater then 0. 7, the instrument is acceptable. The internal consistency reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) for the scales used in this study are well above the level of 0. , thus are acceptable for the analysis purpose. In Table 3. 1, alpha scores of all variables with complete response of 195 SMEs are given. 11 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 Table – 1: Reliability Coefficients of the Constructs (n = 195) Constructs Recruitment and selection Training and development Compensation Employee performance No. of Items 4 6 6 5 Cronbach’s Alpha . 750 . 792 . 845 . 824 ISSN: 1582-8859 4. Rese arch Findings 4. 1 Characteristics of the Respondents The characteristics of the respondents are presented in the following table.Table – 2: Characteristics of the Respondents (n = 195) Variable(s) Gender Male Female Age 20-25 yrs 26-30 yrs 31-35 yrs 36-40 yrs 41-45 yrs 46-50 yrs Over 50 Education Intermediate Bachelors Masters MS/M. Phil PhD Other Total Frequency 167 28 %age 85. 6 14. 4 Variable(s) Marital Status Married Unmarried No response Position in Firm Owner but not manager Owner and manager Manager but not owner No Response Frequency 130 64 1 %age 66. 7 32. 8 0. 5 29 48 40 32 16 21 9 3 77 103 7 0 5 195 14. 9 24. 6 20. 5 16. 4 8. 2 10. 8 4. 6 1. 5 39. 5 52. 8 3. 6 0 2. 6 100. 14 108 70 3 7. 2 55. 4 35. 9 1. 5 12 7 Work Experience 1 – 4 Years 5 – 7 Years 8 – 10 11 – 13 14 – 16 ; 17 Total 42 37 45 20 19 32 195 21. 5 19 23 10. 2 9. 7 16. 4 100. 0 As shown in the table 2, statistics of the respondents clearly and logically depict the pic ture of their characteristics. In total of 195 respondents 167 were males and 28 were females. Likewise 130 respondents were married and 64 were unmarried. The age and years of work experience among the respondents ranged from 20 to more than 50 years and one to more than 17 years respectively.In terms of education 3 respondents obtained intermediate certificate, 77 obtained bachelor’s degrees, 103 have master’s degree and 7 have MS/M. Phil degree, however none of the respondent has a PhD. COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 The in-depth analysis of statistics highlighted some interesting facts of the respondents. The Female owner/manager represented the 14. 4 % of total respondents which show significant contribution of females in the total workforce, however, this proportion need to be increase at substantial level.Moreover, sixty percent respondents’ age ranged from 20 to 35 years, it shows that young entrepreneurs/managers are coming into the industries with new passion for growth. Likewise 52. 8 percent respondents have a Master’s degree. This combination of ‘young age’ along with ‘education’ shall change the mind-set of traditional business practices and may bring new innovative ideas and measures which shall boost the SME sector in near future. 4. 2 Characteristics of the Firm The characteristics of the firm are summarize in Table 3.These characteristics depict the picture of the firm’s form of business, number of employees working, age of the firm and type of business. Table – 3: Characteristics of the Firm (n = 195) Variable(s) Form of Business Solo proprietor Partnership Private limited Age of Company 3-5 years 6-8 years 9-11 years 12-14 years ; 14 years Total Frequency 24 74 97 23 15 42 51 64 195 %age 12 38 50 11. 7 7. 6 21. 5 26 32. 8 100. 0 Variable(s) No of Employees 10 to 50 51-100 101-150 151-200 201 – 250 Type of Business Manufacturing Se rvices Total Frequency %age 45 16 26 73 35 89 106 195 23. 8. 2 13. 3 37. 4 17. 9 45. 6 54. 4 100. 0 13 7 The in-depth statistical analysis shows that fifty percent SME are the private limited firms and 32. 8 % firms are operating since more than 14 years. Likewise, 37. 4 % SME employed the workers range from 151 to 200. Lastly, 54. 4 % SME are fall under the category of services firms. 4. 3 Distribution of firm by Business sector The SME, participated in this study, represented various business sectors in the manufacturing and services industry. The distribution of the sample firms by type of business sector is presented in table 4.Table – 4: Characteristics of the Firm (n = 195) Variable(s) Business Sectors Financial Institution Engineering/Construction Energy/Petroleum Frequency 18 23 5 %age 9. 2 11. 8 2. 6 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 Chemical/Pharmaceutical Education Textile Telecommunication Logistics Others Total 18 15 19 18 17 62 195 9. 2 7. 7 9. 7 9. 2 8. 7 31. 8 100. 0 ISSN: 1582-8859 The statistics indicated that eight different business sector firms were participated in this study. Most of the firms are from Engineering/Construction business sector which comprises of 11. % of the firms participated in the study. Energy/Petroleum business sector have the least presentation in the sample which comprises of only 2. 6%. However, the ‘others’ head carrying the rest of the burden comprises of 31. 8%. 4. 4 Human Resource Practices The mean and standard deviation scores of HR practices variables which include recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation and employee performance are recorded, from the firms, are presented in table 5. The results depict that the mean scores of HR practices ranged from 3. 352 to 3. 83. Hence, at the general level, results suggest that the SME in the study practiced the HR function, to a certain extent. Furthermore, recruitment and selection is moderately practiced in the organization (mean = 3. 49, SD = 1. 10) along with training and development (mean = 3. 35, SD = 1. 081), compensation (mean = 3. 68, SD = . 975), and employee performance (mean = 3. 69, SD = 1. 34). Table – 5: Descriptive Statistics of Variables (n = 195) Items Recruitment and selection Training and development Compensation Employee performance Overall HRM Practices 4. . 1 Recruitment and selection Table 6 highlights the descriptive statistics for each item. Out of the four items of selection, â€Å"only the best people are hired to work in this organization† (mean = 3. 74, SD = 1. 07) followed by â€Å"the values and beliefs of this organization are discussed in interviews with potential employees† showed the second highest mean value of 3. 69 (SD = 1. 054), followed by, â€Å"when new employees are hired, they must go through an extensive hiring process in which they are interviewed a number of times† (mean = 3. 44, SD =1. 53), and â€Å"employ ees of this organization are involved in the hiring of their peers† (mean 3. 11, SD = 1. 152). In general, the SMEs appeared to have moderate level selection practices in their organization. Table – 6: Descriptive Results of recruitment and selection (n=195) Mean 3. 497 3. 352 3. 683 3. 682 3. 553 Standard (SD) 1. 10 1. 081 . 975 1. 349 1. 126 Deviation 14 7 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 Items Only the best people are hired to work in this organization. The values and beliefs of this organization are discussed in interviews with potential employees.When new employees are hired, they must go through an extensive hiring process in which they are interviewed a number of times. Employees of this organization are involved in the hiring of their peers. Total Mean (Selection) 4. 4. 2 Training and development Table 7 highlights the descriptive statistics for each item. Out of the six items, â€Å"people are properly oriented and trained upon joining this organization† showed the highest level of training practice (mean = 3. 67, SD =1. 042), followed by â€Å"the company provides enough training for the employees to learn new ways to do their job† (mean = 3. 9, SD = 1. 037). â€Å"This organization does provide regular opportunities for personal and career development† (mean = 3. 43, SD = 1. 045). â€Å"Training provided by the firm often consists of both classrooms teachings and On-Job-Training (OJT)† (mean = 3. 27, SD = 1. 168); â€Å"This organization subsidizes, assists or reimburses employees for training they get outside the organization†, mean = 3. 22, SD = 1. 097). However, â€Å"employees in this organization receive additional compensation† have the lowest level of practice in the variety of activities (mean = 2. 0, SD =1. 099). Table – 7: Descriptive results of Training and development (n = 195) Items People are properly oriented and trained upon joining this organization. Th is organization does provide regular opportunities for personal and career development This organization subsidizes, assists or reimburses employees for training they get outside the organization Employees in this organization receive additional compensation Training provided by the firm often consists of both classrooms teachings and On-Job-Training (OJT). The ompany provides enough training for the employees to learn new ways to do their job Total Mean (Training) 4. 4. 3 Compensation Out of the six items in table 8, â€Å"Employees are given positive recognition when they produce high quality work† showed the highest level of compensation practice (mean = 3. 89, SD =. 965), followed by â€Å"This organization pays well† and â€Å"This organization offers good opportunities for promotion† (mean = 3. 723, Mean 3. 6769 3. 4359 3. 2205 2. 9077 3. 2769 3. 5949 3. 352 SD 1. 04202 1. 04524 1. 09713 1. 09906 1. 16885 1. 3793 1. 081 Mean 3. 6923 3. 7436 3. 1128 3. 4410 3. 497 ISSN: 1582-8859 SD 1. 05405 1. 07737 1. 15213 1. 15337 1. 10 15 7 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 SD = . 927) and (mean = 3. 723, SD = 1. 018) respectively. â€Å"The way in which employees in this organization are compensated† (mean = 3. 65, SD = . 920). â€Å"This organization values individual excellence over teamwork† (mean = 3. 61, SD = 1. 015); â€Å"This organization offers a good benefits package compared to other organizations†, mean = 3. 49, SD = 1. 007).Table – 8: Descriptive Results of Compensation (n = 195) Items This organization pays well The way in which employees in this organization are compensated This organization offers a good benefits package compared to other organizations This organization values individual excellence over teamwork Employees are given positive recognition when they produce high quality work This organization offers good opportunities for promotion Total Mean (Compensation ) 4. 4. 4 Employee performance SMEs are highly intended to let its employees know, how they are performing (mean = 4. 08, SD = 2. 98).Table 9 the descriptive statistics is highlighted for each item. The measurement of an employee's performance on the job is a priority in this organization receives the 2 nd highest mean value (mean = 3. 77, 16 SD = . 895), followed by the measurement of turnover and absenteeism is a priority in this organization† and â€Å"when evaluating the employees for promotion, seniority is one of the criteria taken into account† (mean = 3. 517, SD = . 937) and (mean = 3. 517, SD = . 970) respectively. However, â€Å"this organization 7 makes a point of keeping track of factors that it considers critical for success† receive the lowest mean value (mean = 3. 0, SD =. 959). Table – 9: Descriptive Results of Employee performance (n = 195) Items The measurement of an employee's performance on the job is a priority in this organization. Th is organization makes a point of keeping track of factors that it considers critical for success. The measurement of turnover and absenteeism is a priority in this Organization When evaluating the employees for promotion, seniority is one of the criteria taken into account Does your company lets its employees know how they are performing Total Mean (Evaluation) Mean 3. 7795 3. 5077 3. 5179 3. 5179 4. 0872 3. 682 SD . 89534 . 95986 . 3799 . 97041 2. 98408 1. 349 Mean 3. 7231 3. 6513 3. 4974 3. 6154 3. 8923 3. 7231 3. 683 SD . 92793 . 92024 1. 00706 1. 01574 . 96522 1. 01800 . 975 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 5. Discussion and Conclusion Small and medium enterprises may have a significant contribution in the economic growth of a country. The swift progress in entrepreneurial set-ups depicts healthy business activities. The findings of this study measure the level of HR practices in SME. The mean score of overall HR practices reported at 3. 553 indicated a modera te level of HR practices, followed in the firms.The adequate level of HR practices is an indication that the SMEs, participated in the study, are involved in implementing and practicing HR activities in their organizations. However, sophistication HR practices bring ample opportunities to gain competitive advantage in the market in terms of HR outcomes i. e. employee retention, satisfaction, competencies and commitment. This increase in HR outcomes may significantly affect the SME performance. Hence HR practices should consider as the source of sustain competitive advantage and owner / manager should therefore put the HR agenda in central to any strategy.Human resources are consider as the activators of all non-human resources and are means for developing competitive advantages in the market place (Stone, 2005). Compensation practice of employees has a significant role followed by employee performance. These are considered as the key factors in managing HR in SME. Hence are practice s in a comprehensive manner. However recruitment and selection and training and development practices are still need the attention and would like to practice in a more sophisticated manner.Especially, training and development, since, trained and motivated employees and managers contribute effectively under these practices. Moreover, scant attention is being paid to new HR practices to manage knowledge and its effective use (Taha, 2006). Efficient HR practices in a SME may bridge the information gap and improve the organizational performance. Moreover, HR practices framework in SMEs requires a collective approach to practices HR functions working as a set or â€Å"bundle† rather than independently (Delery, 1998). SMEs owners and managers should broaden the scope of HR practices.It will increase the retention rate of employee, enhance the competencies and commitment in work force and levitate the level of 7 satisfaction among employees. This shift in-turn enhances the organizat ional performance in terms of quality, productivity and market share. Successful HR system also helps to integrate the other organizational functions in lesser time. This integration will open long term investment opportunities through organizational strategy. Finally, appropriate strategies at national level may enable the SME sector to boost the national economy. Acknowledgement: I would like to acknowledge Dr.Mashhood Ahmad Khan and Dr. S. M. Taha for providing guidance in initializing this study and insightful comments at different stages of this research. ISSN: 1582-8859 17 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 References Arthur, J. (1994). 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Journal of Entrepreneurship, 14(1): 59-70. Shub, A. N. and Stonebraker, P. W. (2009).The Human Impact on Supply Chains: Evaluating the Importance of â€Å"Soft† Areas on Integration and Performance, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 14(1): 31-40. Stone, R. J. (2005). Human Resource Management, 5th ed. , Australia: John Wiley & Sons. Taha, S. M. (2006). Kno wledge Entrepreneurship: A New Paradigm for Organizational Performance. Business Review, 1(1): 96-105 Walker, J. W. (2001). Perspectives Human Resource Planning. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(2): 6-10. Wright, P. M. , McMahan, G. C. (2001). Theoretical perspective for Strategic Human Resource Management.Journal of Management, 18(2): 295? 320. Wright, P. M. , & Snell, S. A. (1991). Toward an integrative view of strategic human resource management. Human Resource Management Review, 1 (3): 203–225. Youndt, M. A. , Snell, S. A. , Dean, J. W. , and Lepak, D. P. (1996). Human resource management, manufacturing strategy, and firm performance. Academy of Management Journal, 39: 836-65. Zheng, C. , Morrison, M. , Neill, G. O’. (2006). An empirical study of high performance HRM practices in Chinese SMEs. International Journal of Human Resource Management. 17(10): 1772-1803. 19 7 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES

Canon Marketing Project Essay

Introduction: About Canon Incorporation Canon Incorporation is a Japanese multinational company that specializes in manufacturing imaging and optical products worldwide. The company manufactures many products like cameras, lenses, camcorders, photo printers, office network multifunction devices, laser printers, laser multifunction devices, solution soft wares and many more Industry & Business products. Canon`s headquarters is situated in Ohtaku, Tokyo, Japan. The company was founded on 10th of August in the year of 1937. The company was founded by Takeshi Mitarai, Goro Yoshida, Saburo Uchida and Takeo Maeda in Tokyo, Japan. When the company was founded its name in 1934 was Kwanon named by Goro Yoshida and later in 1947 the name had changed to Canon Inc. The present Chairman and CEO of Canon Inc. is Fujio Mitarai. The company`s first product was Kwanon (1934) the Japan` First 35 mm focal-plane-shutter camera produced in prototype form. The company has three divisions; Consumer Business Unit, Office Business Unit and Industry & Others Business Unit. The divisions have spread their products in the following manner; Consumer Business Unit: Digital SLR Cameras, Compact Digital Cameras, Digital Camcorders, Lenses for SLR Cameras, Compact Photo Printers, Multifunction Inkjet Printers, Inkjet Printers, Commercial Photo Printers, Multimedia Projectors, Image Scanners, Network Cameras and Broadcast Equipment. Office Business Unit: Office Network Multifunction Devices, Laser Printers, Lase Multifunction Devices and Solution Software, Toner Cartridges, Digital Production Printers and Large-Format Inkjet printers. Industry & Others Business Unit: LCD Lithography Systems, Semiconductor Lithography Systems, Ophthalmic Equipment, Digital Radiography Systems, Document Scanners, Color Label/ Card printers, Personal Information Products, Handy Terminals, Components, Die Bonders, Organic LED Panel Manufacturing Equipment and Vacuum T hin-Film Deposition Equipment. The company`s foundation rise from guiding principles of San-Ji (Three selfs) that have been passed down since Canon was founded they are; Self-motivation, Self-management, Self-awareness. These Three Selfs continue to serve as the company`s most important guiding principles. Vision & Mission (2011-2015): Canon Inc. VISION Simple advanced solutions freeing people to live their dreams and lead enriched lives at home and at work. & to be a group of service creation companies that practices the principle of customer focus with a global perspective. MISSION To provide optimal value through marketing innovation that enhances security and peace of mind and supports creativity in all areas of life, work and society. Canon Incorporation has a DNA. It`s called Canon`s Corporate DNA: Canon had been developing Excellent Global Corporation Plan since 1996 when Fujio Mitarai became the Canon`s 6th company president. as three Phases till now Phase I (1996 – 2000), II (2001 – 2005), and III (2006 – 2010) which led the company to aim to the world`s No.1. Now the company is ready with its Excellent Global Corporation Plan Phase IV for the next 5 fiscal years 2011 – 2015. The history of the company started with the enterprising spirit to make the world`s best camera. THE TIMELINE OF HIGHLIGHTS & MILESTONES 1933: Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory was established. 1934: Kwanon Camera prototype developed. 1936: Hansa Canon Camera Introduced. 1937: Precision Optical industry, Co., Ltd. was founded. 1941: Japan`s first Indirect X-ray Camera Introduced. 1947: The company name changed to Canon Camera Co., Inc. 1955: New York branch office opened. 1957: Sole European distributor, Canon Europa, established. 1961: Canonet Camera Introduced. 1964: Canola 130 Calculator Introduced. 1967: Cameras in the right hand, business machines in the left. 1969: Company name changed to Canon Inc. 1970: PPC-1 mask aligner introduced. 1976: Premier Company Plan Launched. 1976: AE-1 SLR camera introduced. â€Å"The world’s first SLR camera with a built in microcomputer† 1979: LBP-10 Laser printer introduced. 1982: PC-10/20 personal copying machine introduced. 1985: BJ-80 Inkjet printer introduced. 1987: CLC-1 digital full-color copying machine introduced. 1987: EOS 650 AF SLR camera introduced. â€Å"EOS AF cameras & lens are one of the best ever produced† 1988: Corporate philosophy of Kyosei introduced with the company`s second inauguration. 1990: Toner cartridge collection &recycling program launched. 1996: Excellent global corporation plan launched. 2000: Canon Inc. ADRs listed on the New York Stock Exchange. 2000: PowerShot S100 DIGITA ELPH (DIGITAL IXUS) compact digital camera launched. â€Å"Canon`s PowerShot is one of the bestselling camera brand in the world.† 2002: EOS-1Ds Digital SLR camera launched. 2006: Image PROGRAF IPF9000 printer launched. 2007: ImagePRESS C7000VP digital press introduced. 2009: ImageRUNNER ADVANCE network multifunction device introduced. 2011: Excellent Global Plan Phase IV launched. 2012 – : â€Å"striving to create the best products possible†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.† â€Å"Canon`s EOS cameras have the photographic power to break into the world of movie and television.† Even in the Hollywood the film makers use these camera functions for best results. Through new inventions, Canon is committed to meeting the ever-growing expectations for digital camera. In 2010, Canon has welcomed Oce N. V. of Netherlands into its group which helped canon to be the one in worlds best printers manufacturers. Canons equipment is also used widely in the Medical treatments in Japan and United States which led to many successful surgeries. In these ways, Canon is applying leading-edge imaging technology toward making people`s lives healthier. The company has an ample amount of production units around the world in the most optimum locations worldwide. Knowing that earth-friendly production is vital for the future, Canon relentlessly continues its focus on globally optimized production. The Company`s all Corporate Activities include; Research & Development (R&D), Design, Procurement, Production, Distribution, Sales & Marketing, Post-Purchase Services, Recycling, Environment, Quality. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Business Highlights & Global ranking 2010 Canon was ranked in 216th for Net Sales Globally by FORTUNE Global 500 (Fortune, June26 2010 Issue). It was ranked in 190th in 2009. Canon was ranked in 202nd for Net Income Globally by FORTUNE Global 500 (Fortune, June26 2010 Issue). It was ranked in 131st in 2009. Canon Inc. was ranked in 93rd for Market Capitalization by FINANCIAL TIMES Global 500. It was ranked 104th in 2009.* Canon Inc. was ranked 7th in Technology Hardware & Equipment sector by FT Global 500.* *[Financial Times, May 29/30 2010 Issue] Canon Inc. was ranked 4th in the TOP TEN U.S. patent holders. i.e. 2,543 in No. of Patents. *Based on weekly patent counts issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. â€Å"Canon`s EOS cameras have the photographic power to break into the world of movie and television.† Even in the Hollywood the film makers use these camera functions for best results. Through new inventions, Canon is committed to meeting the ever-growing expectations for digital camera. In 2010, Canon has welcomed Oce N. V. of Netherlands into its group which helped canon to be the one in worlds best printers manufacturers. Canons equipment is also used widely in the Medical treatments in Japan and United States which led to many successful surgeries. In these ways, Canon is applying leading-edge imaging technology toward making people`s lives healthier. The company has an ample amount of production units around the world in the most optimum locations worldwide. Knowing that earth-friendly production is vital for the future, Canon relentlessly continues its focus on globally optimized production. The Michael Porter`s five competitive forces: Canon Inc. 1. Threat from potential new entrants: The Canon Incorporation now in the imaging industry has an ample amount of considerable standard as well as many competitors at the same time. But the company always needs to be deliberately awake to have a look at new entrants ready to break into the industry. It does have a threat from the new companies. The Canon Inc. has to be concerning about the important factors like price they throw newly into the market and product range they throw in the market. Bigger the new entrant, the more severe the competitive effect would be. If any new companies who come into the industry of imaging and printing will have the ability that can shift the interest of canon customers towards their brand then, the company will surely have to take care of the existing standards, as to how did the new company tried to take the minds off from the Canon. The company shall take up the strategies to avoid that situation with hitting promotions that will never turn up the customers towards other companies and brands. 2. Bargaining power of customers: Like it happens in the small scale companies the users of industrial products come never together exert pressure on the producer directly. The company receives the competition in this aspect indirectly may be not because of the direct bargaining of customers but, the willingness of the customers to pay such price for the product is all that matters and concerns. The Canon Inc. shall keenly receive the proper feedback about the price and willingness of customers to pay the price for their products from all the parts of the world. Through this measure the company can not only avoid the pressure upon the prices that the company charges but also upon the costs and investments. 3. Bargaining power of suppliers: The company will also have the pressure from the supplier’s side in bargaining. Suppose the Canon Inc. needs the plastic material to assemble their products, if the suppliers for the plastic i.e. the raw material to the company are very limited and the company have the situation only to depend upon them, they supplier will obviously have the chance and opportunity on the price they were paid. The company has to look at this important force. 4. Rivalry among the current players: The three important things to be kept in concern for Canon to overcome a lot of heavy competition from the already existing companies and brands are; (I) Prices that keeps on changing (II) Advertising and (III) Pressures on Costs, Product and so on. Mainly a heavy competition often imposed in the same industry in the market are from Nikon, Olympus, Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic, Kodak, Samsung in the industry of camera (SLR and Compact) manufacturing. Nikkor AF from Nikon, Carl Ziess, Olympus Zuiko/ M Zuiko, Sigma, Tamron, Tokina in the industry of lens manufacturing. Nikon, Metz, Olympus in the industry of camera accessories manufacturing. Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, Ricoh, Samsung, IBM, NEC, Panasonic, Sony, Benq, LG etc. in the industry of office equipment, heavy printer, scanner, projector etc. manufacturing. Therefore because of such a heavy competition from many companies Canon Inc. has to be awake all the time with regard to the strategies, policies, promotions and prices of its competitors and plan the strategies accordingly. 5. Threats from substitutes: The threat from the substitutes is in fact most unsafe threat unlike others. Here it would be very severe because the product itself is getting substituted. For example, the mobile phone with a good camera facility to some extent substitutes the cameras at times. Therefore the target people has to be educated about the advantages of the company`s products and services properly. If the new product in the market substitutes the trend of the product then, the company has to care about their new products which would substitute the competitor`s products or at least competes with them. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policy Canon expresses its appreciation through its CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities. In Vietnam, the focus is on the younger generations. Canon CSR activities also include support for the building of schools, volunteer projects in which the company`s employees help repair school facilities and plant trees, and donations of school supplies. At the heart of Canon CSR is the hope that the company`s ongoing efforts may help nurture the next generation of leaders. Marketing Policy of Canon Inc. Canon Inc. prefers to always take effort to achieve success in marketing unlike the product, sales & production fields. The marketing concept of Canon Inc. holds that consumers prefer to buy a product that best satisfies their needs. The main focus of the company is to know and understand the consumer needs and then produce products that satisfy their needs. According to Philip Kotler (One of the world`s most leading authorities in marketing management), Canon is one of very few handful number of companies which actually practice the marketing concept. Canon Inc. focuses on the customer and is organized to respond effectively to changing customer needs. The company has well-staffed marketing departments. Canon Inc. manufactures fax machines, printers, network devices, projectors etc. and sells them to various consumer, business and government markets. It makes the company benefited selling its goods to diverse set of markets. (As according to the statement given in the company`s official corporate profile) â€Å"[Canon companies worldwide do more than ordinary conventional sales and marketing. The thing that makes that more relevant is its one of its kind & unique customer services. They use leading-edge information and communication technology to connect consumers to the latest products, services and tailored solutions. Canon Inc. is a big family, which has spread to about 180 countries and regions. They develop trust and reputation for strength and reliability.]† The main step of Canon Inc. that really makes its marketing policies efficient is its GLOBAL SALES & MARKETING FRAMEWORK. This enables Canon Inc. have Regional Marketing Headquarters like Canon U.S.A, Canon Europe, Canon China, Canon Australia and Canon Marketing Japan. They make marketing policies not globally but all according to the region`s local market. This step was taken to improve the quality of marketing policies suitably according to the regions. Not all the regions would have the same kind of market; every region would have a different market. These regional heads make the policies individually suitable to different markets. Heavy number of staff like marketing managers etc. researches the local market and makes policies accordingly to the local market. This helps the company in a very effective way because of its one of its kind planning of marketing policies individually through regional marketing head offices. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. (Page 13, Philip Kotler, Marketing Management, Millennium Edn., Tenth Edition: Pearson Publishing, US. ISBN: 0-536-63099-2).

Body Traffic Jam

1. 2 Objective of the report 1. Broad objective To discuss traffic jam, it’s causes and remedies 2. Specific objective -To discuss the effects of traffic jam on environment and social life, -To be introduced with the way of relief from traffic jam. – To find the way of upgrading the traffic systems . 3 Scope and Limitations of the report This report could have even more wealth and information. But, due to limited time, few information could be collected. More budgeting on this report could have given it a aristocratic look. In spite of these limitations, it has been tried to enrich this report by proper and authentic information. It has been tried to be rational with the real figure of traffic jam. It is believed that this report will help the follower to go for further analysis. Chapter 02: Methodology 2. Population Parameters A parameter is a numerical summary of a population; because populations have so many members, these can never be known except if a census is tak en. 2. 2 Sampling Design In the theory of finite population sampling a sampling design specifies for every possible sample its probability of being drawn. Mathematically a sampling design is denoted by the function P(S) which gives the probability of drawing a sample. 2. 3 Variables Covered Here we have included -urban traffic problems -suburban traffic problems high way traffic problems 2. 4 Methods of Data Collection There are four main methods of data collection. †¢ Census. A census is a study that obtains data from every member of a population. In most studies, a census is not practical, because of the cost and/or time required. †¢ Sample survey. A sample survey is a study that obtains data from a subset of a population, in order to estimate population attributes. †¢ Experiment. An experiment is a controlled study in which the researcher attempts to understand cause-and-effect relationships. The study is â€Å"controlled† in the sense that the researcher controls (1) how subjects are assigned to groups and (2) which treatments each group receives. †¢ Observational study. Like experiments, observational studies attempt to understand cause-and-effect relationships. However, unlike experiments, the researcher is not able to control (1) how subjects are assigned to groups and/or (2) which treatments each group receives. 2. 5 Data Analysis Plan The appropriate methods of data analysis are determined by data types and variables of interest, the actual distribution of the variables, and the number of cases. Different analyses of the same data set may reflect or represent different aspects of the underlying data structure. Once a plan has been established, it could contain any combination of the following types of data analysis strategies: †¢ Exploratory: This type of data analysis often occurs when a program is new, and it is unclear what to expect from the data. †¢ Descriptive: The most common type of data analysis, this approach will summarize your findings and describe the sample. †¢ Inferential: Inferential statistics allow us to draw conclusions about the larger population from which the sample is drawn. These powerful techniques may be able demonstrate if a change has occurred as a result of your program. PDA’s Statistics Division specializes in many sophisticated data analysis techniques. Chapter 3: Traffic Jam, It’s Causes, Effects and Remedies 3. 1 Causes of Traffic Jam â€Å"During experiment, it has been found that human error is a major cause of most frustrating kinds of traffic jams†. ( Annexes – I) In generally the traffic jams are causes by following reasons- -Dishonesty of traffic polices -Insufficient roads and highways. Poor communication system. -Too many vehicles -Low price fuel ( CNG) and available motor cars. -Traffic jams are usually caused because there must be an accident. -Most often, traffic jam are caused by – those who drive too slow always end up compacting the faster drivers behind them -In rush hours when too many people start for destination. -Free parking here and there causes hindrance on traffic way -Some drivers tries to drive faster than the flow of traffic. -Some times drivers stop on the highway and causes a traffic jam. . 2 Traffic Jam Affects Society and Environment Traffic jam affects the society in some of the ways below: †¢ creates mental stress in the motorists †¢ paves way for wastage of fuel and wear tear of vehicle parts which ultimately waste the money of the motorists †¢ becomes a cause for rash driving and road accidents involving loss of lives †¢ makes the motorists to inhale lot of vehicular smoke emissions in a short period of time causing many diseases †¢ wasting time of motorists and passengers Traffic jam affects the environment in some of the ways below: †¢ efficiency of fuel usage by idle running of vehicle engines in low speed is very low leading to wastage of fuel which ultimately results in over exploitation of fossil fuel reserves †¢ vehicles at low speed emit lot amount of carbon monoxide, unburnt fuel particles, suspended particulate matters and other pollutants into atmosphere causing air pollution more grave †¢ when vehicles start to move slowly, noise pollution is created by blowing horns by the motorists. 3. 3 Remedies to Traffic Jam Increased regulation would not work in practice. Regulation either requires more cops, which are an expensive kind of work force, or automated systems, which are sketchy from a legal point of view. Technological solutions aren’t the way to go, either. They are predicated on the assumption that all (or enough) drivers would adopt this technology, which will be expensive and error-prone, and possibly encourage risky behavior. Traffic jams are a symptom of more vehicles than the planned carrying capacity of the roads. In order to prevent traffic jams: -one method is to reduce the number of vehicles. Imposing disincentives (taxation, congestion fees) is one way, but offering sensible alternatives (mass transit, a functional passenger rail system, telecommuting) is smarter. -no hand held cell phones while driving. -controlling Speed of traffic more efficiently during rush hours (points to one idea, the classic â€Å"slow down and keep a constant speed† method). Chapter 4 : C onclusion and Recommendation 4. 1 Conclusion The present problem of traffic jam has not created by one day. For long unawareness and long time plan and booming number of traffic cause this. As Bangladesh is a developing country, it should be more aware of time and money. Not only this, as Bangladesh is a low land country, so it should be aware of green house gas. Traffic jam is killing time, wasting money, causing more green house gas. If we can’t reduce traffic jam significantly we will be great looser. Our development may slow down due to traffic jam. 4. 2 Recommendation: -We will have to go for long time plan to improve our roods and high way communication system. -Withdraw of old and slow vehicles. -Trained driver -Maintain LAN during driving -Use of divider Annexes-I |Bottlenecks (traffic demand   exceeds roadway capacity) |50% of total traffic jam | |Traffic incidents |25% of total traffic jam | |Work zones |15% of total traffic jam | |Bad weather |10% of total traffic jam | |Poor signal timing |  5% of total traffic jam | Fig :- On an average major causes of traffic jam References: 1. Text books: Giltow, C. Oppenhein, R. (1995). Management: Tools and methods for improvement. Boston: Irwin-Mcgraw-Hill. 2. Websites: -HYPERLINK http://statisticssolutions. blogspot. com/2008/09/what-is-included-in-data-analysis-plan. html -http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_causes_traffic_jams -http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_are_some_ways_a_traffic_jam_affects_the_society_and_environment – http://freakonomics. blogs. nytimes. com/2008/03/10/what-causes-traffic-jams-you/ http://www. infoplease. com/ipa/A0931283. html#axzz0wBBDMA5L Body Traffic Jam 1. 2 Objective of the report 1. Broad objective To discuss traffic jam, it’s causes and remedies 2. Specific objective -To discuss the effects of traffic jam on environment and social life, -To be introduced with the way of relief from traffic jam. – To find the way of upgrading the traffic systems . 3 Scope and Limitations of the report This report could have even more wealth and information. But, due to limited time, few information could be collected. More budgeting on this report could have given it a aristocratic look. In spite of these limitations, it has been tried to enrich this report by proper and authentic information. It has been tried to be rational with the real figure of traffic jam. It is believed that this report will help the follower to go for further analysis. Chapter 02: Methodology 2. Population Parameters A parameter is a numerical summary of a population; because populations have so many members, these can never be known except if a census is tak en. 2. 2 Sampling Design In the theory of finite population sampling a sampling design specifies for every possible sample its probability of being drawn. Mathematically a sampling design is denoted by the function P(S) which gives the probability of drawing a sample. 2. 3 Variables Covered Here we have included -urban traffic problems -suburban traffic problems high way traffic problems 2. 4 Methods of Data Collection There are four main methods of data collection. †¢ Census. A census is a study that obtains data from every member of a population. In most studies, a census is not practical, because of the cost and/or time required. †¢ Sample survey. A sample survey is a study that obtains data from a subset of a population, in order to estimate population attributes. †¢ Experiment. An experiment is a controlled study in which the researcher attempts to understand cause-and-effect relationships. The study is â€Å"controlled† in the sense that the researcher controls (1) how subjects are assigned to groups and (2) which treatments each group receives. †¢ Observational study. Like experiments, observational studies attempt to understand cause-and-effect relationships. However, unlike experiments, the researcher is not able to control (1) how subjects are assigned to groups and/or (2) which treatments each group receives. 2. 5 Data Analysis Plan The appropriate methods of data analysis are determined by data types and variables of interest, the actual distribution of the variables, and the number of cases. Different analyses of the same data set may reflect or represent different aspects of the underlying data structure. Once a plan has been established, it could contain any combination of the following types of data analysis strategies: †¢ Exploratory: This type of data analysis often occurs when a program is new, and it is unclear what to expect from the data. †¢ Descriptive: The most common type of data analysis, this approach will summarize your findings and describe the sample. †¢ Inferential: Inferential statistics allow us to draw conclusions about the larger population from which the sample is drawn. These powerful techniques may be able demonstrate if a change has occurred as a result of your program. PDA’s Statistics Division specializes in many sophisticated data analysis techniques. Chapter 3: Traffic Jam, It’s Causes, Effects and Remedies 3. 1 Causes of Traffic Jam â€Å"During experiment, it has been found that human error is a major cause of most frustrating kinds of traffic jams†. ( Annexes – I) In generally the traffic jams are causes by following reasons- -Dishonesty of traffic polices -Insufficient roads and highways. Poor communication system. -Too many vehicles -Low price fuel ( CNG) and available motor cars. -Traffic jams are usually caused because there must be an accident. -Most often, traffic jam are caused by – those who drive too slow always end up compacting the faster drivers behind them -In rush hours when too many people start for destination. -Free parking here and there causes hindrance on traffic way -Some drivers tries to drive faster than the flow of traffic. -Some times drivers stop on the highway and causes a traffic jam. . 2 Traffic Jam Affects Society and Environment Traffic jam affects the society in some of the ways below: †¢ creates mental stress in the motorists †¢ paves way for wastage of fuel and wear tear of vehicle parts which ultimately waste the money of the motorists †¢ becomes a cause for rash driving and road accidents involving loss of lives †¢ makes the motorists to inhale lot of vehicular smoke emissions in a short period of time causing many diseases †¢ wasting time of motorists and passengers Traffic jam affects the environment in some of the ways below: †¢ efficiency of fuel usage by idle running of vehicle engines in low speed is very low leading to wastage of fuel which ultimately results in over exploitation of fossil fuel reserves †¢ vehicles at low speed emit lot amount of carbon monoxide, unburnt fuel particles, suspended particulate matters and other pollutants into atmosphere causing air pollution more grave †¢ when vehicles start to move slowly, noise pollution is created by blowing horns by the motorists. 3. 3 Remedies to Traffic Jam Increased regulation would not work in practice. Regulation either requires more cops, which are an expensive kind of work force, or automated systems, which are sketchy from a legal point of view. Technological solutions aren’t the way to go, either. They are predicated on the assumption that all (or enough) drivers would adopt this technology, which will be expensive and error-prone, and possibly encourage risky behavior. Traffic jams are a symptom of more vehicles than the planned carrying capacity of the roads. In order to prevent traffic jams: -one method is to reduce the number of vehicles. Imposing disincentives (taxation, congestion fees) is one way, but offering sensible alternatives (mass transit, a functional passenger rail system, telecommuting) is smarter. -no hand held cell phones while driving. -controlling Speed of traffic more efficiently during rush hours (points to one idea, the classic â€Å"slow down and keep a constant speed† method). Chapter 4 : C onclusion and Recommendation 4. 1 Conclusion The present problem of traffic jam has not created by one day. For long unawareness and long time plan and booming number of traffic cause this. As Bangladesh is a developing country, it should be more aware of time and money. Not only this, as Bangladesh is a low land country, so it should be aware of green house gas. Traffic jam is killing time, wasting money, causing more green house gas. If we can’t reduce traffic jam significantly we will be great looser. Our development may slow down due to traffic jam. 4. 2 Recommendation: -We will have to go for long time plan to improve our roods and high way communication system. -Withdraw of old and slow vehicles. -Trained driver -Maintain LAN during driving -Use of divider Annexes-I |Bottlenecks (traffic demand   exceeds roadway capacity) |50% of total traffic jam | |Traffic incidents |25% of total traffic jam | |Work zones |15% of total traffic jam | |Bad weather |10% of total traffic jam | |Poor signal timing |  5% of total traffic jam | Fig :- On an average major causes of traffic jam References: 1. Text books: Giltow, C. Oppenhein, R. (1995). Management: Tools and methods for improvement. Boston: Irwin-Mcgraw-Hill. 2. Websites: -HYPERLINK http://statisticssolutions. blogspot. com/2008/09/what-is-included-in-data-analysis-plan. html -http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_causes_traffic_jams -http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_are_some_ways_a_traffic_jam_affects_the_society_and_environment – http://freakonomics. blogs. nytimes. com/2008/03/10/what-causes-traffic-jams-you/ http://www. infoplease. com/ipa/A0931283. html#axzz0wBBDMA5L

The influence of media of Europe and United States America on Middle Essay

The influence of media of Europe and United States America on Middle East and compare the usage - Essay Example Middle East media, particularly in areas of satellite televisions, which eventually raises pertinent questions in regards to the nature and influence of this information explosion. According to Pollack (2011 p.45), tensions between United State and the European Union have been occurring repeatedly since the 2003 Iraq war. It eventually ended up affecting the many areas of the Middle East policy as a result of media coverage. However, none of these states has been able to encapsulate on these tensions as compared to the quest of achieving advanced democracy in the region. The aim of writing this paper is to examine the role of contemporary media coverage, especially television, from both the European and United States America sources on Middle East while also comparing the usage. According to Wehrey (2010), the Middle East region remains to be one of the most cultural and the political intricate regions through the entire world. The Middle East region operates with three religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, whereby all of them trace their origins to the Middle East. Through the presence of rich and diversified cultural history, the Middle East region of today is struggling to find a balance between the â€Å"western† culture and modernization. Most of the influence comes from United States media and the other from European media, with the traditional and religious values of the Middle East region. In some part, due to the struggle and the existent region’s diversity, the media is occupying a special place in the Middle Easter society and its related politics. Bennett & Paletz (1994) also present their views that the media influences all works of life and exercise a profound and an incalculable influence. Coverage on some significant issues such as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is an area that occupies the center stage of the media, with the dissatisfaction fed by the media retaining the capacity of spilling out into the street. It is apparent that

Russian Politics - Instructions attached Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Russian Politics - Instructions attached - Essay Example The Russian Federation despite formally gaining its independence from the Soviet Union in December 1991 stuttered through to the end of the decade despite grave economic, political, and social problems, which President Yeltsin seemed incapable of dealing with. The Soviet Union had an economic system that proved to be highly ineffective, with the black market frequently providing essentials as well as luxury items. Hand in hand with the black markets went corruption and bribery. Black marketers frequently resorted to bribing communist party officials, the police and the KGB or they in turn extorted money off the black marketers. The Soviet leadership started to have concerns about economic stagnation, organised crime and to a lesser extent corruption in the early 1980s without understanding the extent of the economic malaise. Brezhnev had done nothing to halt economic decline and in fact worsened it by accelerating the arms race with the United States. It has been estimated that as much as 50% of the Soviet Union’s annual budgets was spent on weapons. By the 1980s the idea of abandoning the communist command economy in favour of capitalism and liberal democracy gained support in the USSR. For the reformers could look at the neo-liberal experience of the Thatcher and Reagan governments, the devastating economic effects in Argentina and Chile would have been more relevant. There was one group of pro-capitalist economists that hoped to bring in a market system to Russia, the ‘young reformers’.

Immigrant Communities and the Trajectories of Othering Essay

Immigrant Communities and the Trajectories of Othering - Essay Example According to another of my writing pieces, the Social Security Administration affirms the illegal immigrants benefit American society. The immigrants pay taxes. The employers automatically withhold the taxes from the illegal immigrants. Lastly, the illegal immigrants buy U.S. goods and services. Accordingly, my other writing piece states the Hmong farmer ethnic race suffers from immigration hardships. Laos’ war-expelled Hmong people travelled around the world. The people suffer from not having a legitimate country. The U.S. immigration law favors the Hmong people (Yang 271). According to my other writing piece, immigrants do their best to be accepted by the U.S. society. The constitution protects the non-citizens. The dominant American population needs cheap labor. The constitution understands’ the plight of immigrants trying to escape from their home country’s life-threatening society, while sending money back home to their families (Mummert 7). According to my other writing piece, immigrants continue facing challenges trying to fit into American society. Immigrants try to be accepted by the new country’s residents. Oppression forces the immigrants to necessarily comply with the American society’s standards. The immigrants’ are forced to accept low wages. According to student Anna Sepeda’s research, othering includes affirming gender discrimination and race discrimination are realistically prevalent over the immigrant population. Sepeda correctly indicates immigrants usually start on the same footing (Mcintosh 91). Sepeda admits immigrants go through unbearable racial and gender discrimination in the new home. The immigration border patrol exercises selective race and gender discrimination. According to student Jake Helmandollar’s research, our nations’ immigration policies are tainted with racial and class issues (Clayton 261). Helmandollar affirms that the

A piece of writing which may persuade or advise a readership. (1,000 Essay

A piece of writing which may persuade or advise a readership. (1,000 words) - Essay Example Nevertheless, plastic is a major threat to our environment, which is already being ravaged by innumerable human activities. If we want our future generations to live on this planet, enjoying its resources, we have to conserve our environment, and shunning plastic is a sure step in that direction. Chemicals used to produce plastic are toxic and many of its constituents like benzene and vinyl chloride are known to be carcinogenic. Ethylene oxide and xylenes, released during its production can cause birth defects and nervous system disorders, besides weakening the immune system and causing damage to kidneys and blood. Discarded plastic waste can choke drains, providing breeding ground for disease causing organisms, and floods during heavy rains. Plastic is non biodegradable, but it degrades into smaller and smaller toxic particles in presence of light. These particles pollute soil, water and oceans, wreaking havoc in marine life and entering our systems through food chain. The Marine Conservation Society, UK has highlighted the increasing danger to marine life from plastic pollution. Discarded plastic causes hardships to about 267 marine species. Can you believe there are about 46,000 pieces of non-degradable plastic in every square mile of the ocean? According to the MCS, the plastic on UK beaches has grown by 126 percent since 1994, explaining the deaths of many seabirds, turtles, whales and seals. The ubiquitous plastic bags, seemingly harmless, are potential killers if swallowed by stray animals. When these bags enter oceans, they become harmful pieces of litter. Mistaking them for food, many marine animals and birds swallow them, and die very painfully. According to a special section in the Oct 2008 issue of Environmental Research—â€Å"A Plastic World†, pthalates used in PVC plastics can block the production of male sex hormone testosterone, bisphenol A (BPA) used in poly carbonate plastics

Southwest Air lines Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Southwest Air lines - Assignment Example People are empowered to make their own decisions at their level of authority, which gives Southwest Airlines the needed flexibility to battle it out with the competition in real time. It can be best described as an ambidextrous learning organization where the culture provides for a fun place environment that serves as a motivation for employees to render excellent service, who are treated as business partners. A strong bond is encouraged among employees (Lauer 30), who readily help each other when needed. Overall culture at Southwest is competitive, despite being a fun workplace, because management offers its employees attractive incentive plans and bonuses based on a pay-for-performance scheme that requires total commitment (passion) and employee buy-in. The leadership in Southwest Airlines is characterized by a strong commitment to its corporate objectives and a passion for rendering outstanding customer service. Its leadership is both inspirational and transformative but does not compromise service quality. Its leaders are viewed as smart, verbally adept, honest and have personable dispositions (Robbins

Management Practice Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management Practice - Coursework Example Gaurav Agrawal is having a master's degree in Microbiology and also he is Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Operation Management. General Manager joined this company when the economic condition of the company was not good. And the business is limited to United States only. Soon after joining General Manager called a meeting of its staff members and asked them to participate in suggestion schemes. These suggestion schemes are open to each & every employee of the organization. In the suggestion scheme, employees are invited to give their suggestion for improving the working condition of the organization. The employee who has given the best suggestion was rewarded by General Manager. These suggestion schemes are very helpful in improving the working environment of the organization. With the improvement with the suggestion scheme General Manager got the confidence of the staff members. Implementation of suggestion also helped in motivation of the employee in the organization. As the employees get motivated there is a sudden increase in the production yield. Also due to the motivation, all the production processes are completed in time. General Manager shares all the information to his staff members and also involves them in making a decision on a particul ar Project. If we see our future as a General Manager of the same organization then we need to understand & learn about the management skills from the existing General Manager. We need to know the "How General Manager is able to manage different kinds of situations". These all information can be found by discussing the different situations at different time interval with General Manager. Interview is the most common method for getting the information about a general manager. Interviewing General Manager: While interviewing General Manager it is necessary to draft the questionnaire before interview. The questionnaire helps you to ask the relevant question only. It helps in asking all the questions, so that no question will be left. The question should be prepared in such way, so that more & important information can be gathered. In the above case our objective is to get the following information related to General Manager: Personality and the manager's core values. Philosophy about work and management Leadership and mentoring of people Organizational Goals and objectives Social responsibility and company culture Discrimination, Sexual Harassment and Diversity IT, Internet, and Globalization. 1) Questions Related to Manager's Personality and Core Value: ME: Sir, Please let me know about your background. What did you do before Erth Ophthalmic Inc. GM: I have been at Erth Ophthalmic Inc. from last 14 years. Before this I was the Assistant General Manager for Sema Technology Inc. in New York. I was responsible for expanding its business in other countries, looking after working environment of the company, sales, marketing and services. Prior to that I was the Quality Manager for Sai Visison Care Inc. and looked after all the quality issues and customer satisfaction. ME: Sir, Please let me know about main vision associated with the organization. GM: The Company needs to focus on their employee satisfaction and the customer satisfaction. These are two major areas which are of major concern in an organization. Employee's satisfaction increases productivity and therefore makes a direct impact on customer satisfac