Organisation Resource Management Ikea Commerce Essay

Organisation Resource Management Ikea Commerce Essay History is evident from the fact that for the success of any organisation is very vital to have an alignment between the strategic and human resource objectives of the organisation to ensure both short term efficiency which would ultimately lead to long term profitability. A concept by McKinsey stating 7 S which includes super ordinate goals, strategy, structure, systems, staff, skills and style was a spectacular approach towards setting up an organisations performance excellence criteria. Human resource management alignment with mission is simply combining people management with organisational ultimate goal achievement strategy, one way of doing is to grant access to human resources to be a part of planning phase as a company would always prosper if the employees or human resource is given equal importance and utilization as other sectors of decision making. Unlike the traditional strategic planning where human resource department was only considered to be a provider of personnel fa cility like staffing, pay, training where as sectors like research and development, finance, production and marketing were the major players to be carefully considered neglecting human resource significance completely but the concept was out ruled by the modern sense of strategic planning, in which the importance of human resource is realised together with the actualisation of the fact that the company is known by people it keeps, as the business world got into the era of intense competition the need for people training and development increased rapidly and time came when for a successfully run company it has to have properly trained and skilled people and also have a system of provision of more trained employees on regular intervals to continuously fill the gap caused by employment turnover, companies opted for the later concept noticed instant improvement not only in the performance level but also the motivational level of staff showed a rapid incline which realistically the only reason for the overall improved performance. It is evident that where ever people in organisation are involved then its inevitable to neglect the presence of HR elements, Human resource also plays a very vital role in bringing cohesion between the employees of any organisation which when achieved could do wonders in terms of goals achievement and has created history at several times. A retailer which stands by its name IKEA (Ingvar Kampard Elmtaryd Agunnaryd), a home furnishing retailer which was established in 1943, currently IKEA is not only a furniture retailer but a phenomenon, a name which is identified from its unified identity of standardisation no matter what part of the world one steps into its big blue and yellow set of blocks which carries approximately more than 9500 range of home furnishing and relevant products with a restaurant facility as well provided under the same roof. Over the years it has evolved as an identity of its own, a simplified approach towards furniture making with excellent cost cutting strategies, which ultimately has a direct impact on the price offered to customer, price offered by IKEA stands out to be the cheapest in the market which has become so far the best unique selling point this brand can offer, but nothing is worth without a consideration of flat-pack concept back in early days which entirely change the image of furnit ure industry, it was planning ahead which now proves to be a convenience by coping up with the pace of present days working people life style particularly younger generation Ikeas vision is to create a better everyday life for many people is a complete reflection of how company perceives people in mind which not only includes customers but any stakeholder which has a direct or indirect link to the company operation e.g. customers, employees, suppliers etc. on the other hand IKEA follows a very careful path in the pursuit of its business mission which is to offer wide range of home furnishing items of good design and function, excellent quality and durability at prices so low that the majority of people afford to buy them Therefore it is evident from the mission and vision that IKEA not only relates and base its overall operation to provide a better life for cheap but also focus on the quality and modernisation of the product it sells to keep it desired on affordable prices. The harmony between the organisational overall strategy and human resource strategy is achieved through a process which in present era been adopted and utilised by almost all the organisation realising the importance of integration of human resource element into overall strategy to ensure excellent results and motivated employees. To dig further deep it is very essential to realize the political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal environment of IKEA which basically makes the basis of any strategic objective as external environment together with elements of internal environment that are strength and weaknesses would assist to evaluate ikeas corporate strategic situation which becomes the basis of ikeas strategic plan quite carefully phrased in it its vision and mission. Ranging from political stability. concern for society and social causes together with people concern, day to day technological advancement to overall economic recession faced by the company , the companies strategy to keep the cost low is a great tactic in these times of economic turmoil specially when the retail market is hit by vat increases starting from 04th of january,2011 low price policy with diversity in the nature of product range and business concepts referring to restaurant business IKEA has evolved as an intelligent set of brains and with inclusion of human resource strategy and other functional strengths to align with the overall mission has proved to be a successful and productive idea in terms of sales and employee retention as well. C) Merger: Its a kind of a take over when both the firms combine into a new firm with the due permission of the real owners of the company who possess the shares of the company therefore resulting in completely new official entity. IKEA first of all baring the largest share in the home furnishing industry doesnt find itself in an urgent need of a merger as among the main reasons for merger is the pursuit of better performance or avoidance from decline scale of performance, expansion behind ikeas one of the vital priorities in next few years might attract the concept of merger with some furniture retailer most probably on high street level to launch its high street outlet , but doing that would require certain changes which could include new payroll system, different pay and other remuneration schemes, new policies for training and development could be settled between the parties to the merger, new staffing methods, new policy could be formed for retirement scheme and benefits, disciplinary proc edures could be altered as well etc. in a nut shell relocation of resources is always a part of mergers which could also include relocation of human resources depending on which kind of merger does actually take place. Acquisition: In case of acquisition as well the whole set of human resource elements would be considered by party purchasing the other to suit their enhanced business and acquired work force requirements together with legal regulations, but in this form of take over if IKEA takes over any company it must be an intention to provide a helping hand to stakeholders of the acquired company, therefore changes like payroll, staff rotation, job rotation, combined training and development, it could also result in human expertise been sent to look after the acquired business resulting in lack of concentration on the main operation which indicated intense care is necessary while allocating the employees efficiently. Strategic alliances: This is now being seen in regular practice by various firms all over the world reason being either to achieve competitive advantage like Superdrug and the perfume shop etc. or to plan a reduction of operating cost because of shared resources or purely marketing reasons. IKEA faced by this type of situation would definitely face some changes on immediate basis including maintenance of healthy relationship between the organizations for the achievement of combined goals, changes would require in the decision making patterns in the favor of common interest, allocation of right people on the right job could raise argument between the relevant heads involved from both sides, a methods requires to be developed to ensure data protection of trade secrets which could be at risk if not handle with proper attention. Human resource strategy would also need a bit of alteration in terms of agreement on objectives as both the parties could have different set of overall objectives to follow. Joint ventures: It is a kind of project undertaken by the two firms for a common interest and share the rewards or losses from the particular venture, depending on the kind of joint venture the human resource would change to suit the requirement of the venture on both side to be conducted smoothly without bothering the overall objectives of both the firms and ensure all the relevant aspects like allocation of combine resources together with any training and development measures required to carry out the joint venture. TASK 2: EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT cultural multiplicity is one of the ikeas prime concern as far its recruitment policy is concerned, IKEA has always abide by the legal employment regulations and also exhibited a very responsible attitude towards its employees and potential employees, with the significance importance been given to the development of multi cultural environment at work place IKEA has established a very strong and constructive multicultural hub for people who IKEA believes only work for people. A suitable candidate is always the one with high motivational energy together with relevant experience or knowledge. EMPLOYEE RETENTION IKEA has a very smart process of communication in-between the employees who allow them express freely their concern about the business and the company, both ways communication is appreciated and practiced which is a prime reason for less percentage of employee turnovers. Together with fair and constructive pay system the company has gained its place in the hearts of its employees and with proper amount of training and development procedures creates a bond between the brand and its very own people. Proper exit interviews are conducted on the exit of any member and both the parties are left with a brilliant image on each other for future reference. TRAINING AND DEVLOPMENT It is a responsibility of an efficient organisation to have a complete provision of training and development facility at work in order to maintain the motivation level of the team and to fulfil the overall strategic objective of the organisation over all quality of work together with amount of loyalty are directly related to companys performance which are fully practiced in a routine culture of IKEA day to day operations. human resource department together with other functional heads and directors establish a strategy for training the team members over a given period of time to achieve future strategic goals with better preparations ensuring all the line managers of the departments are fully informed and trained for the training to be provided on the basis of individual performance and line of direction opted in the company, and together with the same line managers top management develops a plan in order to understand the needs for the relevant process. IKEA has very comprehensive set of performance appraisal system which is conducted on every regular interval constructively to ensure employee satisfaction ultimately leading to customer satisfaction. IKEA has design a unique format of trading and development pattern with the name of on the job training as organised by IKEA college for the seek of potential managers which could lead the brand to a new era an excellence. Task 3: PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL is a technique or a format to review the performance of the employees on one to one basis and comparing it to the company standards to evaluate the areas of strengths and weaknesses in order to improve the performance level and build-up the motivation level of the determined staff, but an alarm bell for below average performing members to come to know their areas of errors and rectify them in a given amount of time ends till next appraisal date which could be from 1 to 6 months depending on the urgency of it . Appraisal is a very vital tool for the employer being the one of its own kind to assist management of performance level. With the help of performance appraisal it is very easy for the employer to assess their potential inner-hierarchy growth in the company, therefore together with affecting the career path of the employees performance appraisal has also got a quite close relation with the salary increments as well. It is always recommended for an appraisal to be conducted with the immediate line manager to get the complete and comprehensive feed back for the sake of improvement over the next period of time, the appraisal process must be familiarised by the manager conducting it and be fair by all means as more the feedback being honest more chances of constructive development in an employee concerned provided the appraisal is conductive with ease and the employee has received all the feedback correctly without being offended. It is very beneficial for human resource department to develop policies also can be utilised to give a chance to employees to express their opinion about anything about their job they wish talk about. Human resource department can provide plenty of assistance and advice with the help of the appraisal form prepared by the HR keeping in view each and every segment of working employee. Overall a very useful tool for employer and employee in relation to performance levels. REWARD MANAGEMENT: The overall idea behind the reward management phenomenon is to support the human resource and mission of the company, it assist the company with patterns how to trains and develop the individuals which ultimately leads to employee motivation, rewards management system enhance the employer employee relationship and bring more harmony and determination among all of them as its about reward in return with self actualization , a proper reward management system has some legal implications to be made sure before drafting it and is also quite smartly looked after. Rewards: There are two kinds of rewards: 1) Financial 2) Non-financial Financial being classified as tangible reward, one could get a monetary return for services but several studies are evident that these type of outer level needs doesnt keep the person motivated for a long time therefore classified in basic needs scenario, but Non-financial are the ones which although has no material value but have done enough to make histories. Intrinsic rewards ensuring self efficacy, self recognition and self actualization etc. satisfies higher level needs which are also known as motivators. Contradicting to the reward definition in old days, money as matter of fact is only considered to be a material return to fulfill basic needs and then what really works for an employer is when the employee is provided a sense of achievement etc. for a better future for the company and employee as well.

Comparing Communism and Capitalism :: comparison compare contrast essays

Communism vs. Capitalism In Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto, he describes the Communists as the party that "fights for the interests of the working class"(136), while in a Capitalist society, the "living person is dependent and has no individuality-----only capital is dependent and has individuality"(84). That is not the case of today's society once you take a closer view at the comparison and contrast of communist Vietnam versus the democratic United States of America through their economy systems, educational systems, judicial systems, and the life style of their citizens in general. In a capitalist, democratic nation such as the U.S., freedom gives us just about everything and anything that the Vietnamese do not have under their communist government. Contrary to what Karl Marx has written in his manifesto, the living people of a capitalist nation (i.e. USA) of today are more independent and possess more individualities than ever. Economic-wise, Americans are the most progressive people in the world. The U.S. government is not directing the flow of its economy, but the individual businesses of its people are. These people have all the rights in the world to improve their businesses, as long as they are conducting them under the legal guidelines of the government. Such freedom in a capitalist society gives the Americans much greater advantages over the Vietnamese in improving economic conditions. When we touch upon the subject of education, only eighty percent of Vietnam's population is educated. The government does not provide free public education to its people, and not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to afford it. Many children, especially those in the rural areas, are pulled out of schools as soon as they know how to read and write, for some parents also feel that learning Marxism-Leninism does not benefit their families' income, i.e., putting food in their mouth. Further education is really not an option, for these children also have to work in order to raise their families. Begging in the streets, polishing shoes, toiling on the farms are some of the many jobs that children at the age of five are actively doing, since finding food for themselves and their families is their sole occupation. Fortunately, children in many capitalist nations are provided with adequate tools and supplies in their public schools. Almost all of the American population has at least pass ed the elementary and middle school levels.

Managing Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace

Workplace Bullying (the persistent exposure to interpersonal aggression and mistreatment from colleagues, superiors or subordinates) is a reverent problem in contemporary working life, with devastating effects on both targets and organizations (Nearest, Hole, Zap, & Cooper 2003; Earner & Seashell, 2005) There are different forms of bullying in this 21 SST century as it need not be physical with such advancement in technology. Bullying can be direct, indirect passive and through social media as well. Therefore we must outline the scope on what is bullying and what is not before we are able to draw up a way to manage such incidents.There is no specific legislation to combat workplace bullying in Singapore (Jay Parka's, Inciting Injury: An Expos of workplace bullying in Singapore). There are many a time where workplace bullying is so minute in nature and often left undulate with that it is left unnoticed, however this acts of bullying builds up in time creating a hostile and fragile wor king environment. What is bullying and harassment? Physical and verbal abuse can be factored in as bullying but other forms of bullying may be too subtle. Harassment can be a highly sensitive topic as each individual person can take it to be in different ways.What one individual considers being an act of playful gesture the involved party may think otherwise. The Workplace Bullying Institute defines workplace bullying as â€Å"abusive conduct that is; threatening, humiliating, intimidating, or work interference and verbal abuse†. The consequences to the employers may include; reduced efficiency, productivity and profitability. Increase in absenteeism, sick leaves and staff turnover. Increase in indirect costs such as management time, engaging mediators and counselors. This list is not exhaustive as there are many other uniqueness an employer might face due to workplace bullying.On the other hand when we are to look at the consequences for the employees workplace bullying and harassment can cause extensive health problems including physical and psychological illnesses and injuries causing detrimental effects for them. Therefore for the organization to work towards sustainability it is important to first identify and try to eradicate if not hundred percent at least 90 percent of this problem, reason being it is not only the victim who suffers and feels the effects of bullying it is felt across all bevels of the organizations as we have seen from the non-exhaustive list given above.While it may seem that the above analysis may provide an insight into bullying in organizations, it is becoming evident that management has to start taking proactive steps and measures in identifying and putting forth solutions and implementations to address these pressing needs whereas if not losses can be incurred for the organization. 00006718 The first step to this is that the organization spells out clearly their stance and their outline on bullying and harassment before a person is being pointed to any post in the organization, also the management of the organization should clearly state and constitute which activities are considered to be bullying or harassment therefore making it difficult for employees to find any loopholes in the system therefore escaping the penalties.Once this is done, a directive should be spelled out and sent out to all employees in the organization regardless of their position or role in the organization, therefore bringing everyone in the organization to a common single understanding. Clear penalties and actions should also be included in he directive so as to deter any potential bullies from committing such acts. All staff across the board should be made to sign this directive enabling the management to take actions and hold guilty employees liable .These directives should be clearly formalized and well communicated to the frontline managers so that they can take actions if any one of the staff were to breach the directive . Secondly the organization should have a clear communication channel across the board from bottom up. Staff and personal across all level should have access to this communication channel and mad ware of such communication channel. The magnitude of effective internal communication is evident in past researches ( Muhammad Raff et al. 2009; Mark Chon, 2007) For example, Barrett (2002) accentuates, the best way to reach and employee is via face to face communication than relying on indirect channels such as electronic media. Falkland and Hide (2008) emphasizes on bottom-up communication. Furthermore, Welch and Jackson (2007) claims that, rather than treating employees as a single public, they should be segmented based on say structural levels of demographics. This can help in insuring that the relevant information targeted to reach the relevant person can reach them in a meaningful and smooth manner.Therefore with such communication channels put in place the management team are well aw are of complaints against bullying in any levels of the organization and necessary steps and actions can be taken swiftly. Special helpline or trained HER staff in the area of counseling can be put in place to tackle sensitive issues which some employees may find it difficult in putting forth to their direct supervisors. Information from all cases must be upheld with the highest infallibility so as to protect the interests of the employee who is suffering or facing bullying or harassment in the organization.Lastly is to create a strong bond among the employees working in the organization. Inculcating a strong sense of bond between them and creating a strong sense of ownership towards the company and its common goal would enable the employees to work hand in hand to achieve the goals thus enabling the organization to realize its true benefits and bring out the fullest from an employee. If strong bonds are created at the start employees would e able to identify the differences which t hey have and sort them out accordingly without the help of the management of the interference of their superiors thus creating a better working environment.To achieve this, the organization can hold yearly bonding activities for their employees, invite professionals to give their opinions and facts on employee relationships, hold monthly meetings to iron out any issues arising and to let the employees swiftly handle the matter within themselves, Muhammad Shaffer s/o Mohamed Kids In conclusion, a well working and robust organization largely depends on heir sustainability of their employees. Toxic and unfriendly working environment may lead the organization to lack in certain areas, therefore immobility's the organization in their growth.Organizations should therefore from the Start deter such bullying and harassment issues, even if these issues were to crop up in the later part of the organizations growth the management must be swift in handling and weeding out such problematic activ ities before it impacts the whole organization. As said above, bullying or harassment does not only affect the person who is the victim it's effects can be felt across the hole organization as a whole.

Isolation in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essays - 1399 Words

Isolation in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Mary Shelleys novel, Frankenstein, has several themes imbedded in the text. One major theme is of isolation. Many of the characters experience some time of isolation. The decisions and actions of some of these characters are the root cause of their isolation. They make choices that isolate themselves from everyone else. However, other characters are forced into isolation for reasons that are not in their control. The actions of another cause them to experience loneliness. The story begins with Robert Walton writing to his sister, Margaret, about his voyage to an undiscovered place. In these letters, as the voyage gets underway, he writes of his loneliness. Letter II states, ?I have†¦show more content†¦Upon hearing Frankenstein?s story, Walton understands that he is heading in the same direction that led Frankenstein to where he is at. He states, ?I cannot lead them unwillingly to danger (Hunter 151; ch. 7). He recognizes that Frankenstein had put many people in harms way without them even knowing. He chooses to step away from this isolation and allow his crew to return from danger. Victor Frankenstein also chooses his isolation. He becomes so caught up in his studies and in the creation of this monster (or ?human being?) that he becomes ill from the confinement. He first initiated this isolation with the desire to be the only one to create life. He desires to be set apart from other scientists and to be called ?father.? He relates to Walton that he ?seemed to have lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit? (Hunter 32; ch.3). He admits to neglecting his family saying that he was ?caused ? to forget those friends who were so many miles absent (Hunter 33; ch.3). While doing so, he rationalizes these feeling by saying ?[his] father would be unjust if he ascribed [Frankenstein?s] neglect to vice or faultiness? (Hunter 33; ch.3). Frankenstein pushes the blame of disregarding his own family onto his father and the pursuit of knowledge. He chooses to not accept responsibility for ignoring those closest to him. He chooses to be apart from all of them. 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