An Exploration of the Impact of Employer Motivation on Organisational Success The WritePass Journal

An Exploration of the Impact of Employer Motivation on Organisational Success An Exploration of the Impact of Employer Motivation on Organisational Success CHAPTER ONEIntroductionChoice of Research AreaBackground of StudyStatement of the ProblemAims of the ResearchResearch ObjectivesSignificance of StudyCHAPTER TWOLITERATURE REVIEWIntroductionTheories on Employee MotivationContent TheoriesWhat is Success?Factors of successLeadership in an OrganisationSUMMARY CHAPTER THREEMETHODOLOGYIntroduction Research PhilosophyResearch Method  Research DesignTypes of Research DesignExploratory ResearchDescriptive ResearchCausal Research (cause/effect)Target PopulationData GatheringQuestion FormatEthical ConsiderationResearch LimitationConclusion CHAPTER FOURAnalysis of DataIntroductionRespondent ProfileSummary CHAPTER FIVEDISCUSSION OF RESULTS AND ITS IMPLICATIONSIntroductionKey Research Areas and Results ObtainedCHAPTER SIXConclusionRecommendationsAreas of further studiesReference Related CHAPTER ONE Introduction This research Explores the Impact of Employer Motivation on Organisational Success, and how employers plan strategically for the well-being of its staff; to make them comfortable in their jobs, which will make them more effective and efficient. It also looks at what gives the employers satisfaction, and what motivates them.   These are important factors which will work in favour of the organisation. This study is based on a company called Greener Books Limited which at the moment uses Amazon the famous online company to retail their books. The company deals in used books and have been in business for approximately 5 years.   The books are of good quality and affordable. The company has been in the E-commerce industry for some time now, and has been competing well in the sector.   The researcher would like to investigate what has given the company its edge even in time of difficulty, to be able to weather the storm. The researcher will outline the objectives and significance in achieving organisational performance, its various limitations and a clear definition of motivation. The researcher will also demonstrate how if employers are well motivated, the impact it’s going to have on employees, and how it is going to contribute to the success of the organisation.   This will be shown after analysing the role of the employer, and the impact he or she will make on the organisation. Choice of Research Area The reason for this research topic is because the researcher feels not much has been discussed on employer motivation, and not a lot of researchers have been bold enough to venture into the area of employer motivation.   As many of the researchers feels employer motivation is all about making profit.   This research is going to prove employer motivation goes beyond making profit alone. Background of Study The study of this research is based on motivation, which is linked to Human Resource Management (HRM).   Human resource management can be defined as all management decisions and practices that directly affect or influence the people, or human resources, who work for the organisation. (Fisher et al. 2003).   It also looks at success and leadership in an organisation This research is going to provide us with information about employer motivation, as not much has been said about it before; the researchers aim is to fill that gap, as most theorists only talk about employee motivation.   Like Maslow who talks about the hierarchy of needs, that an individual would have to satisfy one need before he can go to the next level, or Alderfer, who like Maslow said that the individual needs are more a continuum than hierarchical level.   More than one need may be activated at the same time.   Herzberg went on to create his two-factor theory which is the hygiene factor and the motivators or growth factors.   Many more theorists discussed motivations of employee.   The researcher is going to discuss more in the literature review. This research project is looking at the aspect of motivation that most researchers don’t talk about, and why most people believes money is the only motivating factor for any employer.   The focus of this research is going to be on small businesses, as it will be easier for the researcher to get hold of the employers themselves. The researcher is going to be using qualitative methods in the analysis of this research because it provides more insight for this topic, and helps the researcher to understand employers better.   Questionnaires are going to be the form of data collection, due to word limitation for the whole research; the researcher would not be able to combine other data collection methods for this research. Statement of the Problem Why do people feel money is the only motivating factor for employers? One of the major problems facing employers is that people often feel that they go into the business mainly to make profit.   This is important to study because there are more to employers than making profit alone.   They also look for job satisfaction and esteem as any other employee, and that is why a lot has not been said about employer motivation. To find out the truth, and to change the perception of individuals towards employers, the researcher would have to speak to or ask a number of employers and owners of small businesses in north-west London to help in this survey, by filling in questionnaires. Aims of the Research The aim of this research is to explore the impact(s) of employer motivation on organisational success, and how it affects the everyday activities and enhance productivity of Greener Books Limited to become a self sufficient online retail organisation.   The research will focus on small businesses in north-west area of London Research Objectives To identify the motivating factors employers have in owning a business. To identify whether it is more-rewarding to run a business, as opposed to working for someone else.   To change the perception of people towards employers. To highlight the significance of motivation in a business environment. Significance of Study This study is important for the following reasons: It will show that employers need to be motivated just as much as employee. It will show that employers and employees are motivated by different factors. It will challenge the perception that making a profit is the main reason employers set up a business. It study will change the idea people have about employers. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction For any business to be able to thrive in this present economy, it has to have a very strong base, which is their employee. However the employer must be able to motivate himself first before he can motivate his employees.   He has to have exceptionally good leadership skills.   Also have the ability to plan, organise and successful deliver the organisations requirements. He should have an idea of what and where he wants the organisation to be in the next 7 to 10 years.   He or she also has to be aware of their environments, both internal and external, and make it work in their favour.   There should also be a feedback system to show if the company is deviating from their initial goals and objectives. What is Motivation? Motivation is often seen as the cornerstone to any organisation; without motivation from employees or employers an organisation will struggle to compete, especially in times of economic uncertainty.   This section will give an understanding of motivation in the workplace and some of the theories behind it. Studies in motivation have shown it as the driving force within an individual, by which they attempt to achieve goals in order to fulfil some need or expectation. ‘’Motivation can be described as the direction and persistence of action.   It is concerned with why people choose a particular course of action in preference to others, and why they continue with a chosen action, often over a long period, and in the face of difficulties and problems’’(Mullins, 2005). On this basis, Mitchell defines motivation as ‘‘the degree to which an individual wants and chooses to engage in certain specified behaviours’’.   Bennett (1997) ‘’sees motivation as consisting of all drives, forces and influences- conscious or unconscious- that causes the employee to want to achieve certain aims’’.   Wilson and Rosenfeld (1990) said that ‘’motivation is characterised by a certain level of willingness on the part of an individual to increase effort, to the extent that this exertion also satisfies some need’’. Rudolph and Kleiner (1989) proposed a more detailed definition stating that the needs and expectations at work fall into two categories, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.   Intrinsic motivation is related to psychological rewards such as opportunity to use one’s ability, positive recognition and receiving appreciation.   The psychological rewards are those that can be determined by the actions and behaviour of individual managers.   Extrinsic motivation on the other hand, is related to tangible rewards such as salary and fringe benefits, security and promotion, contract of service.   Such tangible rewards are often determined at the organisational level and may largely be outside the control of the individual manager. As can be seen there are various definitions of motivation, however all of them agree in that motivation is resident within the individual, however motivation is clearly linked to a desired outcome. Even though Rudolph and Kleiner’s definition includes external factors it is not clear how these contribute or inhibit motivation. Theories on Employee Motivation There are many competing theories which attempt to explain the nature of motivation.   All of them have been criticised and don’t seem to be able to fully explain motivation in relation to people’s behaviour.   Some of these theories are introduced below. The usual approach to the study of motivation is through an understanding of internal cognitive processes, that is people’s feelings and thoughts.   These cognitive theories of motivation are usually divided into two contrasting approaches: content theories and process theories. Content Theories Content theories provide a link between individual needs and work rewards.   They offer a perspective based upon the relative value people place upon various rewards (Wilson and Rosenfeld, 1990).   ) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Model was originally published in 1943 (Mullins, 2005).   Maslow’s basic preposition is that people are â€Å"wanting beings†, wanting more after each achievement.   He suggests that human needs are arranged in a hierarchy of importance. Maslow identified eight innate needs, including the need to know and understand, aesthetic needs, and the need for transcendence.   However, the hierarchy is usually shown as ranging through five main levels. From the bottom to the top of the pyramid these are as follows. Physiological needs include homeostasis (the body’s automatic efforts to retain normal functioning) such as satisfaction of hunger and thirst, the need for oxygen etc. Safety needs are physical security, freedom from pain or threat of physical attack, protection from danger or deprivation, the need for predictability and orderliness. Love needs include affection, sense of belonging, social activities, friendship etc. Esteem needs are self-respect and the esteem of others, also the desire of confidence, strength, independence and freedom, and achievement. Self-actualisation is the development and realisation of one’s full potential. Maslow sees this as: ‘What humans can be, they must be’, or ‘becoming everything that one is capable of becoming’. However, Bennett (1997) criticised Maslow’s theory that needs are individual and can vary from person to person depending on social influences, cultural backgrounds and traditions or can even be suppressed by cultural or social pressures.   In relation to this Maslow did not specify the source of needs, which could be biological, trans-cultural or conditioned behaviour.   Also, whereas Maslow arranged his needs hierarchically, they could also exist at the same time or in a different order.   Furthermore Maslow’s theory states that people will only seek to achieve higher-level needs once lower-level ones have been satisfied.   Many people, however, are actually conscious of higher needs even though their fundamental physiological needs have not been fully met.   In a consumer society, the poor may yearn for status symbols even though they are unable to satisfy their immediate requirements. Alderfer (Mullins, 2005) went on to modify Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, his model condensed it from five levels of needs into only three levels based on the core needs of existence, relatedness and growth (ERG theory). Existence needs are concerned with sustaining human existence and survival, and cover physiological and safety needs of a material nature.   Relatedness needs are concerned with relationship to the social environment, and cover love or belonging, affiliation, and meaningful interpersonal relationship of a safety or esteem nature.   Growth needs are concerned with the development of potential, which covers self-esteem and self-actualisation. Like Maslow, Alderfer suggests that individuals’ progress through the hierarchy from existence needs, to relatedness needs, to growth needs, as the lower level needs become satisfied.   However, Alderfer conceptualises these needs as continuum rather than hierarchical levels.   More than one need may be activated at the same time.   Individuals may also progress down the hierarchy.   There is a frustration-regression process (Mullin, 2005).   Unlike Maslow’s theory, the results of Alderfer’s work suggest that an individual does not have to satisfy a lower-level need before he can start thinking of a higher-level one. However, similarly Alderfer’s theory does not offer further explanations of sources of needs or how they are formed and influenced. Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory is based on his original study, which consisted of 203 accountants and engineers, who were interviewed because of their growing importance in the business world.   Professor Herzberg (Oakland, 1993) carried out investigations into the factors affecting job attitude.   From an analysis of his findings, he hypothesised that the things that lead to satisfaction and dissatisfaction are not equal and opposite.   He labelled the satisfying factor motivators or growth, and the dissatisfying factor hygiene or maintenance.   Herzberg’s hygiene factor relates to the condition of work rather than to work itself (Bennett, 1997). Proper attention can prevent dissatisfaction, but does not create a positive attitude or motivation by itself, How people are treated at work. Salary.   Working conditions.   Supervision. Oakland (1993) stated that, to be motivated people need ability, which may require some training, and the opportunity to use that ability.   According to Herzberg there are another variety of factors such as job enrichment, feedback, self-checking and direction communication all aid motivation. Achievement.   Recognition of achievement.   Meaningful and interesting work.   Increased responsibility. Growth and advancement at work. King (1970) suggested that the two-factor theory is open to different interpretations.   He outlined four other interpretations, one being: motivators cause more satisfaction than dissatisfaction. Hygiene causes more dissatisfaction than satisfaction. However, if for example, hygiene are the predominant cause of both satisfaction and dissatisfaction, then the above hypothesis could be verified; but with hygiene rather than motivators having the greater effect on satisfaction. Thus any weaker version of the Two-Factor theory can result in situations contradictory to the general intent of the theory. Shipley and Kiely (1988) seriously challenge the worth of Herzberg’s theory to industrial sales managers.   Its application by them would result in a less than wholly motivated and at least partially dissatisfied team of salespeople. Despite the criticism, there is still evidence of support for the continuing relevance of the theory.   Phillipchuk’s (1996) based his study on a small sample of engineers within a single company in Canada. He attempted to replicate Herzberg’s study in today’s environment.   Herzberg’s methods still yield useful results.   Respondents did not offer any new event factor from the original study although some old factors were absent.   Salary and working conditions were not mentioned as a satisfier or a dissatisfier, and advancement as a satisfier did not appear.   The top demotivator was company policy and the top motivator was achievement. According to Crainer and Dearlove (2001) Herzberg’s work has had a considerable effect on the rewards and remuneration packages offered by corporations.   Increasingly, there is a trend towards ‘cafeteria’ benefits in which people can choose from a range of options.   In effect, they can select the elements they recognise as providing their own motivation to work.   Similarly, the current emphasis on self-development, career management and self-managed learning can be seen as having evolved from Herzberg’s insight. A fairly recent theory of motivation comes from Professor Reiss (Reiss, 2000) a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University. After conducting studies involving more than 6,000 people, Reiss found that 16 basic desires guide nearly all meaningful behaviour.   These desires are power, independence, curiosity, acceptance, order, saving, honour, idealism, social contact, family, status, vengeance, romance, eating, physical exercise, and tranquillity.   These desires are what drive our everyday actions and make us who we are, Reiss said.   What makes individuals unique is the combination and ranking of these desires.   He said at least 14 of the 16 basic desires seem to have a genetic basis. Only the desires for idealism and acceptance dont appear to have a genetic component’’.   Most of these desires are similar to those seen in animals, and seem to have some survival value, Reiss said. This indicates they are genetic in origin. The research is bound to be controversial with many researchers who have tried to reduce all human behaviour to just one or two basic desires such as pleasure, pain or survival or who say that that there are some desires that all people share equally.   Looking at how people differ in these 16 desires, Reiss said he concluded that we are individuals to a much greater extent than psychologists have previously realised. For example, he said our educational system is built on the premise that all children are naturally curious (curiosity is one of the 16 basic desires) and have the same potential desire for learning, but he found that people can differ quite a bit in their maximum potential to enjoy learning. Not everyone is naturally curious, Reiss said. A child may be very smart, but still not be interested in school. But our educational system cannot deal with the idea that there is someone who cannot enjoy learning and never will. Educators are making a mistake when they think all children were born with more or less equal potential to enjoy learning. He also said, parents of non-curious children should realize they will never be able to change their childs fundamental nature.   Its OK to be non-curious.   As long as the child is not flunking and is meeting some minimum standards, parents should ease up on their expectations.   By pushing a non-curious child to be more curious, all a parent is doing is ruining their relationship. The same goes for any fundamental desire, according to Reiss.   Workaholics may work a lot, not because they have some void or problem in their life, but because they have a naturally strong desire for power and status. The failure to understand individual differences causes problems in everything from marital relationships to co-worker interactions.   People know that other people have different values and pursuits, but they cannot understand how this can be.   Self-huggers waste enormous effort trying to change people who do not want to be changed. Reiss said the research that psychologists cannot boil down human experience to just one or two basic desires that we all share equally.   He noted that 2 trillion different profiles can be assessed by the Reiss Profiles. Every person has a unique desire profile, he said. What is Success? Fitzgerald (n/d) ‘’Success can be defined as the ability to work constructively in teams, develop and maximise others’ contribution and ensure commitment of the team towards overall goals’’.   ‘’It can also be defined as the ability to plan, organise and measure activities to ensure effective delivery of business requirements’’. Factors of success Harrison (2000) identified six critical success factors for career development: It must embody a transparent process owned by line manager. It must be a process that can evolve through time and is integrated with existing HR systems. It must comprise a system based on full information about people’s career expectations and about the needs of the organisation. There must be a measurement of standards to show whether the system works. There must be clear communication about development processes and responsibilities to all employees and provision of all employees of relevant and full information about career path. There must be support for employees in planning and developments. Leadership in an Organisation Leadership, according to Doherty and Horne (2002) â€Å"is a relationship through which one person influences another† and also â€Å"according to Useem (2001) leadership is a matter of making a difference’’.   It entails changing an organisation and making active choices among plausible alternatives, and depends on the developments of others and mobilising them to get the job done. Leadership theory and research have increasingly centred on leaders as good at articulating, communicating visions, empowering people and developing the trust of their followers (Peters and Waterman (1982).   Further to this, Joyce (1999: 88) adds that a good sense of timing, personal ‘drive’ and the ability to handle the emotional aspects of strategic change are fundamental qualities a good strategy oriented leader must possess. Strong leaders can lead to both success and failure of any organisation.   There is ample evidence from firms which have turned round and escaped from the jaws of decline due to the tireless effort a strong leader (Pettigrew, 1985).   They can also lead to a strategy which will ‘over-extend’ the organisation with rapid growth followed perhaps by divisionalisation, but which is uncontrolled or simply in the wrong strategic direction SUMMARY The overall success of any organisation, relies mainly on its employees, and for organisation to achieve their aims and objectives, their staff have to be in a good frame of mind, so that they can be very efficient and effective in their job descriptions. For the staff to be well motivated, the employers themselves must be motivated as well, because without a well motivated and focused employer, the employees might not have a conducive environment to work in. After conducting the research, the researcher noticed that not a lot, if any, had been said about employer’s motivation.   The entire theorist has only focused on employee motivation. The researcher is going to investigate how employers get motivated; he is going to conduct this by issuing out questionnaire to employers.   Feedback from the questionnaires will allow the researcher conclude his analysis. CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY Introduction In this methodology, the researcher is going to discuss the different components that makes up the chapter, they include, research philosophy, research methodology, research design, research method, target population, question format, ethical consideration, research limitation and conclusion for the chapter. Research Philosophy Saunders et al. (2003) stated that research philosophy depends on the way that you think about the development of knowledge.   They are three views of literature that dominate the research process; these are positivism, interpretivism and realism.   They are different, if not mutually exclusive, views about the way in which knowledge is developed and judged as being acceptable.   All three have an important part to play in business and management research. For this research the researcher is going to focus on interpretivism process, because in business and management, not only are the situations complex, they are also unique. The researcher is going to be dealing with a number of employers to find out what motivates them, because of this, the researcher would not be able to generalise as we keep being told that the business environment is not constant. With the interpretivism process, the researcher would be able to understand the situations in details and the reality working behind them. The researcher could have used positivism or realism for this research, but both of them are not suitable for this research, because for positivism it is more standardised and law abiding, while realism is based on a reality that exists independently of human thoughts and believes.   In the study of business and management this can be seen as indicating that there are large-scale social forces and processes that affect people without them being aware of the existence of such influence on their interpretation and behaviour. (Saunders et al 2003). They both underpin the collection of data and the understanding of that data, they both do not suit this study where the researcher is to interpret the data and bring in some ideas according to own understanding. Research Method According to Jankowicz (2000), ‘‘Research method is a systematic and orderly approach taken towards the collection and analysis of data so that information can be obtained from those data.’’ Research methods are the techniques used in gathering evidence, and also the various ways of preceding the information.   (Harding, n.d). The individual purpose in doing the research will dictate when and how it is undertaken.   The goal will thus vary but publication in one way or the other is essential. There are two main kinds of research methods, which are Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods. According to Brocklehurst and Gates, in O’Brien and Pipkin(1999) in broad terms said, Quantitative research is concerned with enumeration; for example, measuring whether an exposure leads to an outcome and, if so, by how much that outcome is increased, or measuring the size of an effect of the new intervention.   Quantitative research is concerned more with why social factors lead to change in outcome or how an intervention is effective. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, quantitative research only measures the number of individual’s feelings, and how they think or operate in a certain way. Such surveys require huge samples – for examples above 50 interviews or questionnaires. These questionnaires are structures in a way that they answer the research objectives of the study, as a result there are numerous tools used to gather all this valuable information but the regular methods used are the street and the telephone interviews. Having looked at quantitative research, the researcher will now analyse qualitative research. Qualitative Research is done after gathering all the information from the questionnaires, telephone interviews or internet survey. The data collected is then used to analyse the study in a well planned manner, where the researcher will make final conclusions based on them. Qualitative research draws the final concrete conclusion of the study which gains insight into the participant’s attitudes, behaviours, concern, motivation, culture, background, communication, and survey and value systems. Qualitative research involves any analyses of unstructured bits and pieces of data which includes feedbacks from customers in a form of reports, questionnaires and media clips. With the two research methods available to the researcher, the researcher decides to use the qualitative methods, because this method provides more in-sight for the research, and gives the researcher a better understanding of what motivates employers. Qualitative methodology and case studies provide powerful tools for research in Strategic Management and business subjects, including general management, leadership, marketing, organisation, corporate strategy, accounting and more.   Particular attention should be paid to the study of decision making, implementation and the change processes within companies and other organisations.   (Gummesson, 2000) Although both quantitative and qualitative methods are used for data collections in case studies, the latter will normally predominate in the study processes in which data collection, analysis, and action often take place concurrently.   (Gummesson, 2000) Qualitative analysis allowed the researcher to investigate some of these concepts rather than standardised measures of the quantitative approach.   Research Design ‘‘A research design is a framework for conducting the research effectively.   It involves the procedures necessary to obtain the information needed to structure or solve the research problems.’’ (kotler et al. 2006). Types of Research Design Exploratory Research Descriptive Research Causal Research (cause/effect) Exploratory Research Exploratory research is a valuable means of finding out ‘‘what is happening; to seek new insights; to ask questions and to asses phenomena in a new light’’ (Robson 2002).   It is particularly useful if you which to clarify your understanding of the problem.   There are three principal ways of conduction exploratory research: A search of the literature; Talking to experts in the subject; Conducting focus group interviews Exploratory research can be linked to the activities of a traveller or explorer (Adams and Schvaneveldt, 1991).   Its great advantage is that it is flexible and adaptable to change.   If you are conducting exploratory research the researcher must be willing to change direction as a result of new data that appears and new insight that occur along the way. Adam and Schvaneveldt (1991) reinforce this point by arguing that the flexibility inherent in exploratory research does not mean absence of direction to the enquiry.   What it does mean is that the focus is initially broad and becomes progressively narrower as the research progresses. Descriptive Research The object of descriptive research is ‘‘to portray an accurate profile of persons, events or situations’’ (Robson, 2002).   This may be an extension of, or a forerunner to, a piece of exploratory research.   It is necessary to have a clear picture of the phenomena on which the research intends to collect data prior to collection of the data. (Saunders et al. 2003) Saunders et al. (2003) went on to say, project tutors are rather wary of work that is too descriptive.   There is a danger of their saying ‘That’s very interesting but so what?’ They will want the researcher to go further to draw conclusion from their data.   They will encourage the researcher to develop the skills of evaluating data and synthesising ideas.   These are higher-order skills than those of accurate description.   Description in management and business research has a very clear place.   However, it should be thought of as a means to an end rather than an end in itself. Causal Research (cause/effect) Causal designs differ from descriptive designs in their greater probability of establishing causality. The reason for this is that causal designs are similar to experiments done in the lab; it is often difficult to determine because of the influence of other variables.   Causal designs are also known as experimental designs.   It is undertaken with the aim of identifying cause and effect relationship among two or more variables. For this research project the researcher is going to make use of exploratory research method, because it is the only method that can help the researcher clarify the ambiguous problems facing employer motivation. This method also provides a platform for the researcher to be able to explore in-depth about employer motivation, because most people think employer motivation is all about making money.   So with this method the researcher will find more knowledge sufficient enough to draw a conclusion that employer motivation goes far beyond just making money.   With this method the researcher will be able to explore and uncover basic viewpoints, perception, behaviour and attitudes. Target Population The target population for this research project is going to be organisations that are running on a small scale, from two (2) employees to about twenty-five (25) employees.   The reason for scaling down to small organisations is because the aim of the researcher is to be able to speak to the owner or rather issue out questionnaires to the owners of these organisations directly. Having considered speaking to large organisations, the researcher found out it might not be possible to be able to get hold of the actual owners of those organisations.   For this research project, the researcher is going to use make use of about twenty-five (25) organisation for the survey. Data Gathering There are many way to collect information.   The most common research methods are: literature searches, focus groups, talking with people, questionnaire, personal interviews and internet surveys etc. Among the research methods available to the researcher for this project, the researcher is going to make use of questionnaire method; this would make the researcher be able to analysis the data quickly.   Due to words limitation and time constraints, the researcher would not be able to combine other research methods in the analysis of this project. It took the researcher about three days to be able to gather all the data used for this research project Question Format For this research project, the researcher is going to make use of questionnaire; the questions were designed in accordance to the research objectives.   The question formats for this project are mainly going to be close-ended questions.   Also they are going to be some few open-ended questions.   A scale of a-d is going to be used to answer the questions (a. Strongly Agree  Ã‚  Ã‚   b. Agree  Ã‚   c. Disagree  Ã‚   d. Strongly Disagree).† Yes† and â€Å"No† questions would also be used to analyse what makes employers motivated.   The researcher did not opt to use â€Å"5 scale† as most respondents have a tendency of always choosing the middle answer (3) which is neither agree or disagree and in most cases it misleads the researcher.   The questionnaire would be given directly to the employers by the researcher, and explained to them the reason for the research, and give them a three day period for collection. Ethical Consideration Due to ethical issues and the sensitivity of people, the questionnaires were designed in a manner that does not require the respondents to mention their names, sex and other confidential information.   This is done to protect their identity and privacy.   The researcher also assured respondents that the information shared would not be given to a third party, that it is only going to be used for this research project. Research Limitation The greatest limitation was to find the actual owner of the businesses, because many of the organisations the researcher went to was managed by an employee. Secondly time constraint was another factor that affected the researcher; it took the researcher time to track the owner of the businesses to help fill the questionnaires. The researcher managed to overcome this limitation by share persistence, and was able to convince the employers how important this research project was to the completion his bachelor’s degree.   This made the employers create some time from their busy schedule to take part in this survey. Conclusion To be successful in any research project, the researcher would have to use the appropriate research method to analyse the data collected.   For this research project, qualitative research method was more suitable for the researcher, because the research method is more interactive, and the researcher got to understand how they are feeling. CHAPTER FOUR Analysis of Data Introduction In this chapter the researcher is going to collate and analyse the data collected from the employers of small organisations in the north-west area of London that took part in the survey organised by the researcher with the aid of a questionnaire. Through a detailed and careful analysis of the research data collected from the employers on what motivates them and how it leads to the success of their organisation, the researcher was able to gather crucial information’s about employers, and this data should change the perceptions of people towards employers that they only go into business for the monitory rewards.   The researcher has analysed, interpreted and presented the data in various forms in other to better understand and have a visual image of the analysis. Respondent Profile Table 4.1: Total Survey According to the (table 4.1) above, the researcher printed 25 questionnaires for the research project.   22 of the questionnaires were collected from the employers who took part in the survey; only 3 questionnaires were not recovered by the researcher due to unavailability of the employers, when the researcher went back to collect them.   The researcher had to make use the 22 questionnaires returned to analysis the primary data. Table 4.2: Employers Experience In (table4.2) above the researcher grouped the employers according to their years of experience in running their businesses. According to the above diagram in (figure 4.1) it better illustrates the percentage of employers that have been running their own businesses. The researcher grouped some questions together from the questionnaire; according to (table 4.3) this question addresses the business experience of the employers, how they feel and if the challenges of running their own business are worth the effort. Results from (table 4.3) shows that about 89% which is the vast majority of the employers agreed that it was tough at the beginning than expected, but are more satisfied running their own business and enjoy the different challenges everyday brings.   Only a fraction of the employers, just over 11% said it was not difficult at the beginning, because they took their time to look into the business before venturing into it. The researcher went on to ask the employers why they decided to set up their own businesses; about 59.10% of them said it was because they were fed up of the 9-5 routine, and wanted to do what they enjoyed.   The other 40.90% of them said they had never thought of working the 9-5 routine. The researcher then went on to one of the main question for this research project, is money the main motivating factor? Astonishingly over 80% of them said money was not a major factor, job satisfaction, providing services to people that they enjoyed ranked higher to them than just making profits. Fewer than 20% of them said money was the most important factor that made them decide to set up their own businesses; they could make huge profits running their own business, rather than work 9-5. The researcher went on to ask about staff motivation, and a lot of the employers seem very positive about employee motivation, they all agree their employee are all motivated one way or another.   The researcher then decided to ask specific question, 86.36% said their employees are better motivated because of job security and 13.64% said they are not.   For job satisfaction and sense of belonging the researcher found out the percentage there were the same, 81.82% said they were motivated due to the factors, while 18.18% said they were not. However there was a particular employer who believed his employee were mainly motivated by money, and the other factors were down their scale. The researcher also asked the employers if they have ever thought about motivating their employee, they all said yes, and gave their reasons. Training and re-training of employees came up a lot, some said they organised workshops for their staff, better pay incentives, healthy working environment, recognising excellent contributions to work, promotion per performance, bonus, and one employer said his business is run like a family, so he treats all his employees like family. When analysing the factors to consider in running a successful organisation (see table 4.4), the researcher used questionnaires measuring scale from a d to find out how employers feel about running their own business, perception of the public towards them and time management. Out of the entire participant, 81.81% of them agreed and strongly agreed that running their company was more challenging than when they were just employees in other organisation.   All the employers agreed that time management is very important if you want your business to run smoothly. Only 18.18% of the participants said work/life balance is not a problem, but the other 81.82% said its difficult combining both.   They all agreed it is time consuming, and very rewarding to know people enjoy the service they provide. The bar chart below would show the response of the employers, when asked if people have a wrong impression about them, that they are only in it to make money.   81.81% of them agreed and strongly agreed, but one employer in particular strongly disagreed that the public are right to have that impression The researcher left the final question open, saying any other information would be appreciated, but most of the respondent left the question blank.   Among the few that filled it, one said running your own business comes with 100% sacrifice, and the other respondent said, to be a successful business person, one needs to be focused. He said they have to be dedicated, disciplined and determined, which he calls his 3d slogan. Summary In summary, the results from the above analysis represents the more humane and conscious side of the employers, as most of them tend not to be go into business just because of the monitory rewards it provides.   As one employer told the researcher, there is more to business than just making money. CHAPTER FIVE DISCUSSION OF RESULTS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS Introduction In this chapter, the researcher is going to critically look at the analysis in chapter four, and link them up with the research questions in chapter one, this would make him be able to justify the research project. Key Research Areas and Results Obtained The researcher would look if he answered the question asked in the research question in chapter one, which were; To identify the motivating factors employers have in owning a business. To identify whether it is more-rewarding to run a business, as opposed to working for someone else.   To change the perception of people towards employers. To highlight the significance of motivation in a business environment. Several questions were asked in the questionnaire in relation to owning a business, and all the employers said job satisfaction was a high motivating factor for them setting up their business.   Also, due to the high level of customer appreciation towards the service they provided which also motivated the employer to remain self-employed. All employers agreed that it is more rewarding to run their own business rather than to be employed by someone else.   However most of them did face new difficulties with regards to time management and work/life balance to make sure their business ran successfully.   Also they were looking forward to the different challenges each day brings. What prompted the researcher to take on this research topic was the reaction he got from one of his lecturers, when asked what he thought about employer motivation; he just laughed and said money.   This got the researcher thinking that there has got to be more to employers than just making money.   The researcher was then surprised to find out when about 2/3 of the employers said money was not the reason they set up their business.   They all agreed that job satisfaction was the main reason why they did it, and they also enjoyed the challenges and satisfaction they gave to customers with the services they provided. The analysis in chapter four also looked at some part of employee motivation; the researcher found that most of the employers looked for ways to motivate their employees, either by training and re-training them, better pay incentives or bonuses.   These efforts from the employers made the employees have a sense of belonging, believing their jobs were secure, and were satisfied as well. CHAPTER SIX Conclusion The aim of this research is to explore the impacts of employer motivation on organisational success.   To also find out what motivates employers, as people often think money is the only reason that employers set up their business. The researcher is happy to say that the aim of the research set at the beginning of this study has been met; there were several questions he set out to answer at the start of this research which were: To identify the motivating factors employers have in owning a business. To identify whether it is more-rewarding to run a business, as opposed to working for someone else.   To change the perception of people towards employers. To highlight the significance of motivation in a business environment. The researcher took several steps to get to this stage, he did a literature review on the topic, chose an ideal method for the research analysis, and analysed the finding of the research. The literature review section covered what experts theorists have discussed on motivation, but the problem the researcher found was most of the theorists if not all failed to talk about employer motivation; all they did talk about was employee motivation.   This made the research more interesting, as the researcher ventured into unknown territories. Qualitative research method was used by the researcher to gather data, because it gave more insight to the study, and better understanding of employers.   The researcher was impressed with the findings, after close analysis of the questionnaires and the results obtained from it.   The researcher could boldly say there is more to employers than just making profit. Recommendations Areas of further studies Reference    Bennett, R. (1997), Organisational Behaviour, 3rd Edition, Financial Times Pitman Publishing Imprint. Great Britain. Crainer, S. and Dearlove, D. (2001), Financial Times Handbook of Management, 2nd Edition, Financial Times Prentice Hall. Doherty, T.L. and Horne, T.’ Managing Public Service: Implementing Change’ (2002). Harrison, R. (2000), 2nd Edition, Employee Development, CIPD. Joyce P.   (1999), ‘Strategic Management for Public Services’. King, N. ‘A Clarification and Evaluation of the Two-Factor Theory of Job Satisfaction’, Psychological Bulletin, vol. 74, July 1970, pp.18-31. Mitchell, T. R. ‘Motivation: New Directions for Theory, Research, and Practice’, Academy of Management Review, vol. 7, no. 1, January 1982, pp.80-8. Mullins, J. L. (2005), Management and Organisational Behaviour, 7th Edition, Financial Times Pitman Publishing Imprint.   Untied Kingdom. Mullins, J. L (2005), ‘Management and organisational Behaviour’ Reproduced from Fitzgerald, S. Development and Training Manager, Autoglass Limited (n/d). Oakland, J. S. (1993), Total Quality Management, 2nd Edition, Nichols Publishing Company. United States of America. Peters, T.J. and R.H. Waterman ‘In Search for Excellence (1982), United States of America. Pettigrew, A. M. (1985) The Awakening Gaint: Continuity and Change in ICI, Blackwell, Oxford. Phillipchuck, J.   ‘An Inquiry Into the Continuing Relevance of Herzerb’s Motivation Theory’, Engineering Management Journal, vol. 8, no. 1, March 1996, pp. 15-20. Reiss, S. (2004). Multifaceted Nature of Intrinsic Motivation: The 16 Basic Desires.   Review of General Psychology, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 179-193. www.osu.edu/researchnews/archive/whoami.htm [Assessed 25/02/2011]. Rudolph, P. A. and Kleiner, B. H. ‘The Art of Motivating Employees’, Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 4, no. 5, 1989, pp. I-iv. Shipley, D. And Kiely, J. ‘Motivation and Dissatisfaction of Industrial Salespeople – How Relevant is Herzberg’s Theory?’, European Journal of Marketing, vol.22, no. 1, March 1988, pp. 17-28. Useem, M. ‘How to Groom Leaders of the Future’ in Pickford, J. Financial Times Mastering Management 2.0, Financial Times Prentice Hall (2001). Wilson, D. C. and Rosenfeld, R. H. (1990), Managing Organizations: Text, Readings and cases, McGraw-Hill Publishing Company.   England.

Research Paper on France

Research Paper on France A number of key features and concepts affected France at the beginning of the 20th century. Some of them strengthened France as a nation, while others significantly weakened her. As it would be almost impossible to discuss all of them I will just briefly talk about those features and concepts that made the biggest mark in France. These include imperialism, militarism, nationalism, technological change and aggression and war. Most of these concepts and features were integrated, meaning that the rise of one issue led to the rise of another. For example the rise of nationalism resulted in the rise of militarism, as the French felt that they should unite in their bid to get revenge on Germany. Nationalism also resulted in imperialism as the French put their interests first and disregarded the needs of other nations. Imperialism affected France at the beginning of the century in positive and negative ways. It opened up opportunities that otherwise would never have existed, such as the building of the Suez Canal, which was to give France an advantage over Britain by providing them with a shipping route from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. Imperialism also provided France with a new source for markets and resources. On the negative side imperialism created tensions between France and the other powers, that by the beginning of the century, were threatening peace in Europe. It created a number of disputes over land, in particular with Germany, which had joined the ‘scramble for Africa’ after France and the other powers. Militarism was also an important concept in France at the beginning of the 20th century. This was largely due to the Franco-Prussian war in 1870-71, which was the war that unified Germany and created a change in the balance of power in Europe. The war was relatively easily won by the Prussians and France was forced to pay an indemnity of $1 billion to the Prussians. This at the time was a huge sum of money. What was even more humiliating for France was that Alsace, except for Belfort, and much of Lorraine were conceded to Germany. What this did to France was create a desire for revenge. Many of their policies after the defeat were based around that desire. They became major participants in the arms race and tried to form alliances with other European powers. What this militarism did by the turn of the century was create a feeling amongst the French that they were ready to enter a war. A concept that went hand in had with militarism was nationalism. Nationalism resulted in the belief that the French nation was superior to others and that French interests should be placed above the interests of all other nations. What helped the spread of nationalism were the concepts of urbanisation and industrialisation. As a result of them the government was able to spread its propaganda more easily. Thus for the first time in history the whole of France could be united. People from all over France could hear the message of nationalism. A key feature in France at the beginning of the 20th century was the technological change and the impact it had on France’s economic, political, social and cultural circles. At this time France was experiencing healthy growth. Even after the defeat at the hands of the Germans post 1870s, France’s industrial sector was rapid improving every day with the latest technology available. France was desperate to make up for her humiliating defeat in the Franco-Prussian war and in 1889 France was host to the Universal Exhibition which was to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution. This famous exhibition gave France a chance to show of to the rest of Europe her latest technology. The exhibition displayed France’s latest cars, aeroplanes, the invention of the escalator amongst other things, and also displayed the construction of the Eiffel Tour. Another key feature in France at this time was aggression and war. I’ve already mentioned the impact the Franco-Prussian war had in terms of militarism. France under took large scale militarism and spent large amounts of money on its defence force. She was becoming heavily industrialised and preparing for the almost inevitable war. With the recent loss of some of its colonies such as Vietnam, Frances foreign policy was becoming more aggressive, determined to keep control of the colonies it still had such as Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco in Africa and to a lesser extent Tahiti. The reason for Frances increased militarism and aggressiveness was its insecurity on its own soil. The inevitability of World War One was clear to everyone in Europe, and France saw this as the perfect chance for not only revenge but to regain respect, dignity and most of all Power. In conclusion France at the beginning of the 20th century had many more strengths than weaknesses. It was still one of the most powerful nations in the world, with an empire that stretched around the entire globe. Nationalism was high, creating a sense of unity amongst the French people and the increase in military power made France an even more formidable nation. France was also a forerunner in terms of technological advances. While nationalism was a strength, it was also a weakness in terms that it made the French feel invincible. The people were actually excited when the war started as they felt that France would win easily. So it can therefore be said that one of the few weaknesses of France at the beginning of the 20th century was her eagerness to go to war.

Working with Adults Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Working with Adults - Case Study Example Erickson tells us that the review of one's life helps the elderly person to increase their well being by looking at the conflicts in their life and comparing them to past experience. He felt this was the stage in life in which the task was to look back and try to integrate the feelings and memories of the past into the present. Sometimes this is a difficult task but if the person is able to do this they will be able to deal with the negative experiences they have had and turn them into integrity and wisdom. May is seventy two years old which would put her in Erickson's's eighth stage of life or that of maturity. She had many conflicts and challenges. She raised three children, two boys and a girl in a small town. She had some difficulty relating to them when they were young and she sees little of them now. She developed breast cancer a couple of years ago and had surgery and chemotherapy. Her tests are now negative. She lives alone, has very little income, and has no transportation. May has many things to deal with to come to the point of coherence in her lifetime. She will need to reflect back on her time with her children and be able to determine in her own right whether the conflicts she had could have been changed or were they just what had to happen at that time in her life.

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 114

Summary - Essay Example According to Kasongo (2012), they were factors that led to the African scramble of which were economic, social, political, and religious. One dominant factor that Kasongo believes and addresses is that the colonization was the most significant factor. Colonization was the heart and soul of the African scramble; this is because Africa had many valuable resources that were vital to the European countries. The resources proved essential as a solution for European nation to recovery from the great depression (p. 196). The political and social motives were intertwined. Regarding Political motives, European nations sought to expand their territories, which was a viewed as a sign of power (Kasongo 197). Countries such as Britain used territories to decongest the United Kingdom, and it allowed the British immigrants to start a new life and sustain their families. These social motives allowed European countries to develop their territories according to their objectives (that related to their political motives). Through resettlement into the territories, the European countries used religion to improve the lifestyles of native African (Kasongo 198). In addition, the Europeans as a way of giving back and enriching the African population used religion. In conclusion, these elements illustrate the impact of the European countries during the scramble in Africa. Kasongo, Michael. â€Å"European Expansion and the Scramble for Africa.† (Re) Tracing Africa: A Multi-Disciplinary Study of African History, Societies, and Cultures. Eds. Salome Nnoromele and Ogechi Anyanwu. Dubuque: Kendell Hunt, 2012. 195-207.

Shakespeare Explication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Shakespeare Explication - Essay Example Their love can not be accepted by society, because the family has to approve it first. In this sense love is impossible and tragic. When lovers meet they can experience only "momentany" and momentary passions. Their encounters are short and painful, because they can not fully dedicate each other to the moment of pleasure. They are afraid that they might be seen or caught. That is why their union is "Swift as a shadow, short as any dream". Love is the primary idea around which the play is built up and throughout the scenes we audience is presented with different forms of love. Love is arbitrary and irrational. Compassion and kindness can also inflame passions. Where does this passage stand in the meaning of the whole scene 1 from Act 1. Lysander and Hermia are in love. However, her father Egeus is planning to marry his daughter to Demetrius and is very angry that she refuses. During scene 1 Lysander is trying to convince the public that he deserves Hermia and is equal to Demetrious. What is more he has true feelings to Hermia, whereas Demetrious had a recent affair with Helena. Regardless of his, Helena's tormented by love too, because Demetrious is indifferent to her. And in powerless attempt to win his love, Helena tells him about Hermia's and Demetrious plan to escape from Athens. Unfortunately, the more Helena loves Demetrious, the more he despises her. Love is unexplainable, because there is no reason why Demetrious should not love Helena. If Hermia chooses Lysander she will be punished, just like he describes "War, death, or sickness did lay siege to" true love. At the end of the scene Lysander tries to explain to Hermia that all lovers reach to such moment in their lives, and that this is the only possible course for the true love they have for each other. In Lysander's monologue he is prolific in metaphors to express the nature of love - it is "swift" it is fleeting like the "shadow" it is evanescent as a dream, it is quick as a flash of lighting in a midsummer night. The brevity of love described by Lysander forms the overall feeling that love can not be everlasting when lovers hide their emotions. The course of true love never runs smoothly. Class differences and family bonds "did lay siege to it". Even when love is mutual and is based on sympathy, it often meets the family disapproval. The memories and flashes of love "unfolds" and displays where is the heaven, blissful state and where is the bitter reality. The lovers can not be left alone, they have to be punished for their disobedience. From the background knowledge, love and law are opposed in the play - whether to obey the law and marry the one that your family prefers, or to flee and die for the one you love. Love and law are juxtaposed throughout the play, as well as the motifs of choice, freedom and social values. After the brevity of experiencing their

Caterpillars International Strategy

Caterpillars International Strategy Caterpillars International Strategy The domain of international business theory contains an overwhelming array of perspectives and dimensions. International business (IB) definitions and assumptions are as diverse and ambiguous as their sources. Approaches to IB have established the fundamental perspectives as being global or organisational, but the content of these areas are immense. The development of the global approach, or more correctly labelled as ‘macro (Rugman and Hodgetts 2000. pp. 24), has recently evolved in the 1990s as a result of the mixed organisational orientated approaches, otherwise labelled as ‘micro. This discussion takes the form of analysing Caterpillar in the international business arena by highlighting issues and theories that relate initially to the wider macro environment, then specifically towards Caterpillar as an organisation. The selected definition of IB for the basis of this discussion has been taken from an opening statement. This being ‘transactions taking place across national boarders (Rugman and Hodgetts 2000 pp. 5). This simple statement is considered sufficient to incorporate its entirety, however the recognition of the multi dimensional perspectives and their interrelatedness needs to be comprehended. The aim of this discussion is to explain the international strategy of Caterpillar by using its context as a platform for applying relevant literature. Caterpillar history For clarity reasons it is considered necessary to offer a brief introduction to Caterpillar. They have been established in the construction equipment industry for over 75 years and recorded $20.45 billion turnover in 2001 (annual report 2001). Their main products are divided as machinery with 58% of sales, engines with 33%, and financial products with 9%. The mission statement of Caterpillar is to ‘be the global leader in customer value; this clearly indicates the attention to a high quality of service as being their competitive edge. This service is integrated through a sophisticated network of 1840 locations across all six continents, of these; Caterpillar has foreign direct investment (FDI) in 255 locations. The corporate strategy for the future is to bolster their leadership in the market through initiatives labelled by Data monitor (2003) and the annual report (2001) as being ‘profitable growth, championing continuous quality improvement, aggressively reducing costs, and developing an integrated e-business. In attempting to understand the reality of Caterpillars strategy, theories are applied to offer explanations behind the corporate publishings.  The critical success factors associated with Caterpillar are primarily their h3 brand; this is then supported by network and service capabilities that represent reliability and consistency. Caterpillar is also renowned for product innovation; they have continually innovated which has contributed to the brand and reputation. The international market responds to positive brand vales because the nature of the industry requires trust and relationships. The macro factors present are unlimited in the current dynamic world but the important perspectives are structured as political, economic, technological and social. The elements of these perspectives are selected according to the importance for Caterpillar; therefore they are discussed in this context with reference to relevant literature. The political climate is continuously being developed and negotiated amongst the nationalities that exercise power. The current instabilities are dominated by the differences in opinion over the Palestine conflict and the Iraqi situation. As Caterpillar is active across the globe, its operations would need to be sensitively applied so that the local governments are appreciated. The situation of Caterpillar is slightly precarious due to the fact that in political terms, the Americans are seen as the bullying nation, which is a mentality that ideally Caterpillar would like to distance themselves from. On the other hand, the American political objective may provide an opportunity as reconstruction and other Caterpillar products may experience an increase in demand as a result of the speculated war (eg. tank engines and construction products). This circumstance for Caterpillar represents a relations nightmare because in the home country it would need to communicate support in line with t he public opinion, and in the host countries it may benefit from addressing the local perspective. E.g. the activities in China would be adjusted as to address the sensitive issues to ensure sustainability, rather than inhibiting ill feelings from enforcing the ‘American way. Global political situations are important to Caterpillar because they could gain first mover advantage by moving into recently opened markets such as China. The extent that a region is privatised or Lasses-faire is of interest to Caterpillar because it would aid the process of negotiating a relationship. It would be beneficial for Caterpillar to tailor management to either foreign governments or foreign organisations. IB massively influences the macroeconomic environment. The recent conception is that IB is predominately concentrated around three regions rather than integrating the world. This can be seen through the development of trade blocs that encourages IB amongst its members. The most significant research into this economic environment highlights the triad perspective as being dominant. The triad perspective as explained by Rugman (2001) states that the world economy and FDI is based around Europe, America and Japan, this also extends to FDI clusters, namely Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Pacific rim, that are supported by the dominant triad member. The evolution of this economic environment has matured into a three way economic power base that contributes significantly to the adopted international strategy. The conclusions drawn from Rugmans (2001) research appear to dismiss the argument of a global strategy because an organisation like Caterpillar would only have to accommodate the triad perspectives as opposed to incorporating worldwide responsiveness. The analysis of the macroeconomic environment also includes a consideration of the currency markets, and in particular the value of the US dollar against Caterpillars large foreign investments. Caterpillars largest FDI is in Japan; therefore the continual decline in the economy influenced the strategic decision to operate financially in the Japanese market instead of exposing themselves to exchange rate risk. In theoretical terms this strategic decision is known as ‘currency diversification (Rugman Hogetts 2000 pp. 203). On the other hand Caterpillar has a favourable impact from the sales in other currencies, primarily trading with Euros and the Australian Dollar against the weaker US Dollar. The macro social issues relevant to Caterpillar are identified as originating from the animosity felt by the east towards the west. These issues include the resistance of the east in adopting the ‘western way, this then extends into the business sector where an international business strategy involves a high degree of managing through different social contexts. This is supported by Gesteland (1999 pp. 27) who demonstrates the concept of ‘deal first or relationship first. A relevant example of this in terms of Caterpillar is highlighted by Peppas (2002. pp. 52), which suggests that ‘differences were found in terms of attitude towards a code of ethics. Caterpillar places a heavy bias towards its ‘code of conduct, but is this sufficient to address social issues in international business. At present these publications are not enough, as pointed out by Mokhiber and Weissman (2002 pp. 12). This opinion labelled Caterpillar as a ‘bad apple because its ‘D- 9 bulldozer is used by Israeli military to carry out its programme of ‘home destruction, this is directly inconsistent with the ‘code of conduct (2000 pp. 2) which states that it ‘uses our strength and resources to improve, and in some cases rebuild, the lives of our neighbours. Another important social issue involves the rate of investment into the developing world. The recent trend has been to transfer manufacturing to developing countries, which has stimulated construction and booming economies. This suggests that the international market place is dynamic and evolving, which should influence Caterpillar to adapt in emerging markets and control in mature ones. This idea is also interrelated with the triad perspective, it could be advised that Caterpillar enter the clusters with triad adapted strategies, then encourage segmented alterations in response to market conditions. With this idea incorporated within the strategy, it would combine the economies of scale benefits through behind the scenes standardisation, and benefit from local responsiveness by empowering each of the triad bases. The technological environment is particularly significant for Caterpillar to consider. Not only does Caterpillar have to continually improve the current products but it would also be beneficial to innovate new products to overcome original construction problems. This is highlighting the need to be more advanced than the competition, when Caterpillar enters a market it must ensure that the product offerings are compatible with the geological and business needs. For example track driven vehicles are more appropriate than tyres for working on loose sand. Caterpillar must also undertake a broad view of technological developments in order to identify issues such as alternative power, through to advantages identified in the logistical operation. A recent technological innovation has been the Advanced Combustion Emission Reduction Technology (ACERT); in short this is a more environmentally friendly engine. Along with product development and product innovation, Caterpillar must also be aware of opportunities to diversify. The most recent example of this is where Caterpillar introduced financial products to encourage a struggling economy to buy Caterpillar products. Caterpillars international strategy operates within an environment that is affected by the macro factors. These factors are recognised in a global context and are normally uncontrollable; therefore their management involves negotiations rather than influencing and controlling. The strategic decisions that affect the effectiveness of Caterpillar are mainly catered towards the micro level factors. Meaning the micro level factors are at work within wider macro issues. The discussion here extends to the most important micro factors that Caterpillar must consider when structuring their international strategy. The factors in brief are competition, structure and logistics, culture, and marketing. Each of these factors is discussed using relevant theories in the context of Caterpillar and its environment. Competition within the construction equipment industry (CEI) can be described using the industry life cycle and the five forces analysis (Porter 1985). The CEI is arguably beginning to mature internationally because the competition has been shaken down to leave only 27 organisations that are considered major competitors across all product areas (Datamontior 2003 pp. 13). This information excludes the financial products because these are largely dependent on the machines and engines. Due to the maturing nature of the industry, it implies that the customers will be repeat customers as opposed to new. This increases the value of the relationship and importance of having a h3 brand. Caterpillars position is one of leadership through product quality and support servicing; this directly builds the good perception of Caterpillar in the minds of the customers. The components of the five forces model (Porter 1985) illustrate the competitive environment of the CEI. The rivalry amongst existing firms reflects the increasingly internationalised nature of the market. The basis of competition is held in the ability to offer a broad range of equipment, and build confidence through meeting changing needs. The strategy employed by Caterpillar involves creating extra value by offering an extensive range with a supporting service that provides an excuse for premium prices. The main competitors for the heavy equipment market include Komatsu Ltd, Kubota Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. These are the most powerful competitors whose strategy also includes creating value and charging premium prices. It is noted that two triad areas, namely Japan and the US, predominantly contest the makeup of this market. Although it is conceded that European competitors are significant in the industries architecture. To some extent, the internationalisati on of the industry has provided a situation that can arguably be labelled as an oligopoly (Grant 2002 pp. 71), meaning there are a few organisations that are powerful enough to be deemed sustainable. Again this is more evidence that the industry is maturing, therefore influencing Caterpillars strategic decisions. The other main product of Caterpillar is their engine. The main competitors within this industry are identified, amongst others, as Rolls Royce, Ford Motor Company and Hino Motors Ltd. These competitors are of similar size and employ a strategy of offering reliability and supporting services. However it is noted that Ford and Hino Motors do cut costs and charge cheaper prices, but they still maintain the view of being the leaders. Again the geographical base of these organisations supports the triad perspective introduced by Rugman (2001). The basis of competition is the development of quality in terms of reliability and consistency; it is also an advantageous position to offer a wide range in products. Caterpillar currently offers around twenty different kinds of engine (Caterpillar Product Line 2002), there are also many variances that can be offered within these product ranges. Caterpillar is also recognised for its detailed service; an example of this is that they had temporary p ower established at ground zero hours after the September 11 events. Rugman (2001) demonstrates organisational structure theory as a series of alternative options. This approach offers a clear indication of strategies available, however it is implied that the alternatives are one-way avenues, when in fact a holistic view of organisational structure would include the facility of a hybrid approach. A significant limitation to Rugmans (2001) approach is that it failed to recognise the decision makers predisposition. Whether an organisation is categorised as either ethnocentric, polycentric, regiocentric, or geocentric (Pearlmutter 2001, Rugman 2001) would influence the extent to which it could execute a structure. Can a totally integrated transnational network structure be effective if extreme ethnocentric directors excessively control it? The majority Caterpillars board of directors are American, but the boards predisposition is known only by evidence in the companys structure. Caterpillars operations include a dealer network that is claimed to be an im portant competitive advantage, the dealer network comprises of relationships with local outlets totally integrated with private locations involving large amounts of FDI. This is arguably grouped as a ‘transnational network structure, but it obviously operates to an extent with governance from the home country. To maximise efficiencies and quality of service then the structure may need to consider the triad perspective mentioned earlier. The strategy could involve different approaches relating to sensitivity, but also incorporate the logistical economies of scale and scope. In addition to the ‘transnational network structure, Caterpillar is pursuing alliances, most recently with Ford. The aim for this partnership is to develop supply chain software based on their experience in the vehicle parts market. The American perspective dominates this strategic decision concerning the structure of Caterpillar; therefore if the alliance proves profitable then they are likely to integrate it universally. However this perspective may not be profitable in other cultures, which suggests that different locations are equipped to decide what to integrate and how. Current research by Miller and OLeary (2002) evaluated the performance of Caterpillar factories. The conclusions supported the argument of common manufacturing recommendations, these being the trend of computerisation, multi skilling, and the encouragement of an emergent approach. This new factory architecture represents the absence of control, this may be beneficial in the developed American labour market, but this would not be advisable in bureaucratic cultures such as the Chinese. Further American research is provided by Rao, Scheller-wolf, and Tayur (2000), here they intended to make recommendations for the development of a rapid response supply chain for the compact equipment. These recommendations included background theories such as the network theory, inventory theory and simulation theory, to reason their novel features like the ‘duel nodes of supply, which is to benefit dealer replenishment and customer demand in terms of service speed. The point stressed from such ar ticles is that they are only valid to the specific environment, in terms of structuring internationally then these issues would need to be addressed in each geographical location, and this would be unique in each case. Therefore the construction of an international structure is dependent on the location it chooses. Internally Caterpillar has developed a universal approach of how to operate. They have labelled this 6 Sigma. ‘6 Sigma is about success – about being better than weve ever been. Its about getting there faster (www.caterpillar.com/about), the fact that Caterpillar implement this universally suggests that there is an ethnocentric orientation towards the international management. The micro factor of international culture is a consideration that involves negotiation in order for an organisation to be efficient. Organisational culture on the international stage can be viewed as an extension from the four primary attitudes outlined earlier (Perlmutter 2001, Rugman 2001), these attitudes govern the perceptions of how a company organises its activities. Rugmans (2001) ideas outline the important issues of culture as being language, religion, values and attitudes, manners and customs, material elements, aesthetics, education and social institutions. Although the attitudes of the organisations decision makers are catered for, it is felt that this is the starting point when evaluating an international culture. The unconscious attitude of decision makers will directly affect the extent to which they can implement a strategy such as ‘polycentric. For a pure international strategy, not only do the cultural differences need to be understood, but also the drivers th at influence the culture. This opinion is supported by research undertaken by Gulbro and Herbig (1999), this conclusion states that ‘firms must be better prepared, must improve their knowledge of the other side and its culture. This implies that cultural management is a process of negotiations rather than the encouragement of a ‘one best way approach. Gulbro and Herbig (1999) emphasised the need for organisations to learn from studies that show how different cultures are, therefore this would provide the resources to negotiate effectively the desired business activities. Research into Australian construction companies in Malaysia by McGrath-Champ and Carter (2001 pp. 20) found that ‘HR policies and corporate culture are used as marketing devices, not solely for management strategy. The theory formed from this research highlighted the fact that IB in developing economies needs to provide better insights into the role of the domestic market. It is argued that interna tional business ‘is not simply driven by cost or quality but the success the transactions it has within a host country (McGrath-Champ and Carter 2001 pp.). Caterpillars use of internal and external marketing attempts to communicate culturally consistent messages. Caterpillar regularly produces documents and articles such as the ‘code of conduct, ‘corporate support programs, a magazine, and network and product information. This is evidence that Caterpillar attempts to interact with stakeholders such as the communities, customers, dealers and employees. Another suggestion that Caterpillar manages culture effectively is the resolution of the six-year strike with the United Auto Workers (UAW). However it must be highlighted that it wasnt effective management that created the dispute, or dragged it along for six years, but since its settlement Caterpillar has recorded increasing profits year on year. However an argued reason for this maybe the weak dollar and h3 growth abroad, therefore these markets are in earlier in their life cycles which would suggests that problems may arise in the future. Hopefully experience shall instruct Caterpillar to observe the problems at an early stage. Ba Banutu-Gomez (2002) provides an indication of how to manage culture in developing countries. His recommendation implies that the management of international culture ‘requires a h3 commitment to a high standard of conduct. Managing in this kind of situation requires being able to design and implement a bottom up system, which involves a two-way exc hange. (Ba Banutu-Gomez 2002 pp.39). Similar to Rugmans (2001) highlighted issues; Hofstede (1991) identified four dimensions of work related cultural differences, namely ‘power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualismcollectivism, and masculinityfemininity. This research is an extensive piece based on questionnaires; it provides validity in terms of its thoroughness and its aim is to ‘help managers to identify how to create global competitiveness from diversity (Hoeklin 1994). Caterpillars cultural situation involves the problematic issue of combining the culturally diverse network into an efficient information sharing system. The documentation to signify cultural attention is at a thin level; the vast majority of the corporate marketing is of a very directive nature. For example ‘we are placing renewed emphasis on becoming a continual learning organisation at Caterpillar, using 6 sigma as the way we work (Annual Report 2001 pp. 5). The 6 sigma itself is a continuous improvement programme designed by Americans to implement internationally, this obviously does not recognise the needs to negotiate and exchange for maximum productivity and innovation, instead of enforcing a single way. The microenvironment involving marketing tactics is fairly consistent throughout its international markets. The products that are offered are broadly the same apart from simple language adaptations and alike. The important international marketing issue is the content of the supporting service; this would need to communicate in a way that is consistent with local perceptions. The constant problem for Caterpillar is learning what to communicate and where, therefore it is obvious that it should adopt a ‘polycentric approach as identified earlier. For implementing such a strategy techniques such as Yip and Masdens (1996) ‘Global account management have been proclaimed. Benefits associated with this technique include: Establishing links across regions that carry over time to build institutional relationships Good service leading to reputable benefits that can be transferred to new strategic regions or industries. (Yip and Marsden 1996 pp. 38) There is evidence of this within Caterpillars strategy because firstly, they produce ‘supplier communications guidelines. This maybe against cultural theory but nevertheless they are an attempt to establish a link within regions. The strength of the Caterpillar brand has been utilised by extending it to products associated with the core brand values, such as heavy footwear, clothing and watches. This strategy is confirmed with Chernatory, Halliburton, Bernath (1995 pp.20), where their approach ‘argued that international branding should be based on the core essence of the brand, in terms of its added values and positioning. However it must be recognised that the associated values may need to be refined when marketing in more sensitive markets. With the product being largely standardised and economies of scale being utilised, then the marketing and servicing operations need only to appreciate the local values, instead of marketing a differentiated product. Caterpillar largely promotes a consistent message of reliability, expertise and value for money; these are the underlying assumptions that are connected to the Caterpillar brand. Internal marketing could involve more negotiations through understanding local cultures, although this may unconsciously happen it does not get promoted through the documentation. In summary Caterpillars international strategy has evolved within a market environment that demands reliability and dynamic customer requirements. Therefore their international strategy is a unique response that matches the capabilities with customer demands. The current direction of the strategy is to ‘recalibrate our focus (Annual Report 2001 pp.2), meaning to concentrate on successful products and either retain or achieve leadership. Caterpillar does, and should continue to innovate in terms of products and logistics to maintain opportunities for leadership. The brand values provide a critical advantage in supporting the services because the interrelated nature of this allows prosperity. Caterpillars brand management and marketing internationally is effective in communicating the values, but it has been hinted here that the fundamental values may be ideal for the American market, but not necessarily maximising in foreign markets. Caterpillars logistical network involves vast amounts of investment of money and time; therefore it poses as a significant barrier to entry. The critical aspects of this network are the working relationships. Caterpillar manages these by documenting the ideal personality of a networked company. However, it is concluded that Caterpillar has ethnocentric characteristics, which may be inefficient by suppressing the domestic firms. The structural design of Caterpillar resembles that of a transnational network company, this network covers a large proportion of the globe, but the development of the structure extends from a triad perspective due to early investments in Japan and Europe. A criticism of this suggestion is that Caterpillar have sufficient power to influence networked companies, therefore it could be argued that there is evidence so suggest that it undertakes a global area structure. This is based on the opinion that they have a bureaucratic nature, which works against the network structure fundamentals. The competitive forces of the environment, namely the need for reliability and support service, would suggest that the network structure is more appropriate. Caterpillars ability to develop and produce products is a major advantage, but to create total dominance of the construction industry, their logistical network would need continual maintenance. The resulting recommendation is to encourage an emergent approach that encourages communication and business development within the network.

Why American Troops Are Being Sent Overseas :: essays research papers

American troops are being sent overseas to maintain peace in a nation involved in a civil war. Whether the peace troops should or should not be sent overseas, they are being sent overseas. I do not believe that it is the responsibility of American troops to make peace in a country that is at Civil war. A civil war is a war fought within a nation between that nations people. By sending peace troops to East Timor the United States is now becoming involved in this nations war. This could cause the United States to go to war. The arrival of multinational troops could bring more violence, destruction, and chaos to East Timor. On the other hand it could also bring protection to the many people who have fled the violence from the Indonesian Militia. Force should not have to be used to make or keep peace in any country; therefore it is not necessary for American troops to have to risk there lives trying to make peace in a country that won’t make peace until they get what they want, INDEPENDENCE. Sending troops into Dili, East Timor may help persuade the people to make peace, but it is not necessary to send all of those troops. Just a few mediators would be sufficient to help make peace. If the nations at battle would just talk they might be able to negotiate a peace treaty and there would be cooperation without more violence. American troops would not be exposed to the violence either.The United States is a country known for helping other countries in there time of need, and the United States always plays a big role in every country, whatever the situation may be. East Timor is fighting for there independence. The United States should not send more troops to help the Dili militia fight, but send trained people who know how to persuade people to make peace. Then the United States would be setting a good example by not using violence, and would still be protecting the people. The role of the United States is very important, and the United States has quite an image to keep up. Sometimes the United States does not know what the right decision is, and until they try one of there choices they will not know what the right or wrong decision is. It is not the United States responsibility to make peace in a country at civil war.

Environmental Analysis of Target Corporation Essay

Target Corporation is one of the largest merchants in the world. Target is recorded to be the sixth largest retailer within the United States. Founded by, George Dayton in 1902 Minneapolis, Minnesota. Target stores have a variety of products which includes everything from clothing to automotive and electronics. It is a corporation that is on-top of their game and continues to grow day-out. It is a brand that is well known and continues to raise the bar each year effectively. This paper will detect the importance of internal and external within the corporation overall. SWOT The SWOT analysis is â€Å"a historically popular technique through which managers create a quick overview of a company’s strategic situation (Pearce and Robinson, 2011, p. 140).† The SWOT analysis supplies Target with a strategic planning method in order to gauge all the strengths and weaknesses of the company as well as what opportunities are available to the company, and any threats that may arise when operating the company. SWOT allows Target to detect key issues within the environment. This method is essential for Target, because it offers succeeding stepladders in the course of development for achievement of certain objectives. Steps of Actions Considering that Target is one of the largest retailer organization, there are steps that must be taken in order to continue their effective method of operating the organization. First Target will need to assess their market by analyzing their internal and external state of the business and how it affects the organization in general. Target will need to review and understand who are their customers, what strengths and weaknesses each competitor may have, and the issues, which are occurring within the world that may affect the business overall. The company will also have to analysis potential market ventures as well as the driving forces of all sales trends. Assessing the company and competition Assessing Target and their competition is vital when it comes to operating the company in general. Target will need to identify what resources the company has available to access, what they are best at and what capabilities the company has (function). Competition plays a huge part in competing with organization that provides similar services and products. Therefore, the company must identify with their competition by researching what makes them different from their competitor, what is the company’s over-all market conditions of Target, the needs that are needed for the company services and products and what opportunities are available within the customer-market-technology world. Target must also review problems customers may have with their services and product. Strengths of Target Target has continued to rise above and move forward with being one of the largest retailers to date. Target strengths consist of: †¢ Being the second largest retailer right behind Wal-Mart. †¢ Continues to increase sales after each year of operating. †¢ Has a huge number of retail networks, and more than 1400 stores. †¢ Durable supply and demand channels. †¢ Target is environment friendly, meaning they do not offer firearms or tobacco. †¢ Target is the top seller of Gift Cards within the United States. †¢ Has donated a superior amount of profits. †¢ Target stores provides variation of products such as clothing, sports apparel, electronics, kitchen, and bed room materials, beauty, and health products, and hardware and automotive supplies. Weaknesses of Target Although Target continues to stand ground, they are still face with possibility of being at risk, and carries weaknesses that must be address. The weakness of Target consists of: †¢ Target merchandises can become quite expensive matched to competitors such as Wal-Mart. †¢ Incomplete visibility within International Market. †¢ Awareness is low as compared to their competitors. †¢ Currently lacks labor Unions. Opportunities of Target The current opportunities that Target is face with are: †¢ Target will need to focus on cost cutting in order to reduce their prices that are applied to the products. †¢ Target should take advantage of international markets. †¢ Target will need to consider offering awareness program. †¢ Invention of labor Union will need to be essential in order to increase employee gratification. †¢ Target can also consider increasing their market shares overall. Threats of Target Although Target provides superior quality and ideal customer services, the company is still face with risk and threats. The threats of Target consist of: †¢ Increasing competition with Wal-Mart. †¢ Customer diverting or products due to high price products during a recession. †¢ Continuous increasing within interest rates, and taxes. †¢ Security concern due to terrorism threats increasing. †¢ The merge of Sears and Kmart. Competitor analysis Competitor analysis is a serious part of the organization therefore; Target must identify and address all issues pertaining to the business. Target must pinpoint the tangible competitors, and substitutes, evaluate opponents’ objectives, strategies, strengths and weaknesses, and opportunities and threats, and uncover what opponents Target should take on or stand clear of. Therefore, Target must analyze the company’s economic, sociocultural, technological, political, and future. Economic analysis will supply ways to  identify what trends may have an influence on Target action. Sociocultural provides information on current or emerging trends in routine, styles, and other works of culture, demographic trends as well as what trends provide opportunities or threats. Technological analysis will be done in order to identify what type technological developments are affecting the company or what could affect the industry as a whole. Government analysis will supply information of changes within the by-laws if any, what impacts may occur, if taxes or incentives are being established that could affect any strategy progress, and finally could there be any political risks they could occur. Finally Target will need to consider the future of the company. Future will provide what future events may arise, what uncertainty need to be considered such as trends or events and what type of impact the future will bring to the company overall. In closing Target will need analyze every key factor of the company in order continue or correct issues within the company to effectively stay within competition, and continue to grow as a company in the near future. Applying SWOT will take Target a step closer in making progress and moving forward within the company. SWOT will supply Target with a strategic planning method to increase and continue the company’s strengths, and address all risk and weaknesses within the company. This method will allow Target to pinpoint key issues within the corporation, and supply ways to correct issue through internal and external analysis. Therefore, Target will need to rely on these types of methods in order to gain growth, and continue to increase their revenues and customers each year effectively. References Pearce, J. A., II, Robinson, R. B. (2011). Strategic management: Formulation, implementation, and control (12th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin (2009). Environmental analysis of Target Corporation. Retrieved September 12, 2011 from: http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2009/09/environmental-analysis-of-target-corporation.html (2011). Target Corporation. Retrieved September 12, 2011 from: http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentId=WCMP04-030795