International Marketing Strategy for Multinational Company Essay - 1

International Marketing Strategy for Multinational Company - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the global expansion helps a company in many ways. It increases the brand value in the global market, due to globalization an organization can earn huge revenue and can maximize the profit. Moreover, global expansion can give a huge market share to the operating company. The companies may face several internal and external challenges while practicing international business. Depending on the core competency, strengths, and competitive advantages the particular organization has to develop their global business plan. Wal-Mart is the largest American multinational retail chain established in the year 1962 currently headquartered in Bentonville, United States. The company has ranked top in the list of fortune 500 in two consecutive years. It is the third largest public limited company in the global market. The employee strength of Wal-Mart is more than two million internationally. Wal-Mart has made its position on New York stock exchange in the year 1972. The c ompany operates on their own in countries like Canada, Brazil, and Argentina. They have the outlets in China, South America, UK. They have ventured into countries like South Korea and Germany. ASDA, one of the leading UK based retail chain is the Subsidiary of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart offers different luxurious and consumer durable goods to its customers. The broad range of different product categories that include crafts, movie DVDs, gift items, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics, garments, home appliance, video games, outdoor living, grocery, college essentials, toys and much more are available in a Wal-Mart outlet globally. The various product ranges have increased the core competency of Wal-Mart in a global market.

Comparison of The Raven and The Erlking Essay Example for Free

Comparison of The Raven and The Erlking Essay In this essay, I am going to compare and contrast the two famous poems, The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe and The Erlking by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The Raven is a one hundred and eight line poem about a lonely man who is unstable after losing his wife and comes across a raven who only speaks the word, nevermore. The Erlking is a poem about a man in a small girls nightmare as he torments her but nobody else can see him. There are many similarities and differences between the two poems. Both poems have a gothic atmosphere and can be compared strongly in this way. However, both are of different lengths and differ fro9m each other. In this essay, I am going to discuss how the two poets create tension and suspense and make a conclusion after studying these poems. The first element I am going to compare and contrast is the storyline of the poem and the impression it is meant to have on its reader. I am going to start by analysing each poem individually and then make a small conclusion when I will see how they are similar and how they differ. I will be using this structure for each point I will discuss. I will start by analysing The Raven. The main principle of Edgar Allen Poes poem was to have a lasting effect on its reader. Shortly, before he wrote The Raven, Poes wife had been diagnosed with an illness. This illness was later the cause of her death soon after he had finalised is poem. It is said that this poem is his forecast of what was going to happen to his wife. This is, therefore, the reason why he chose a raven to be the main character, because it was thought to be the most evil bird. The Raven is meant to be a representation of Edgar Allen Poe reflecting his responses to the bad news of his wife. The Erlking is a very dark poem and starts by giving a notion that the boy is simply imagining the Erlking and is dying of a strange disease. However, the poem takes a sinister twist when the boy dies at the end of the poem. Goethe had many reasons of writing such a dark poem. Such a reason is that the night before he wrote the poem he saw a local farmer carrying a bundle. This turned out to be a man who was carrying his sick child to hospital. This was where the main inspiration for the storyline for the poem of the Erlking came from. Also in German mythology there is meant to be a spirit/ supernatural power that is meant to cause controversy and ruin the minds of children. These two factors were merged together to make the Erlking. They are both dark poems and want to create a mysterious mood for the reader. Both had an individual reason of why they were written but then their similarity grew because they had the same atmospheric impression. The second point I am going to examine is the linguistic techniques used by the poets. The Raven has a lot of alliteration and is used very frequently. Examples of this alliteration is:- While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain Both are examples of alliteration but in different ways, one very simple and the other has more complexity. The first quote is just three consecutive words starting with the same letter. The second quotation, on the other hand, uses two words consecutively starting with the same letter. However, the third word is part of the alliteration. The un is not part of the alliteration but the second part is. Although this part of the word starts with a c, it is pronounced as the letter s. This is still part of the alliteration because this poem was obviously written to be read aloud. The Erlking is very different to the Raven, in this way, as it does not contain hardly any alliteration used for boosting the atmosphere. The Erlking does use a linguistic technique that the Raven does not use as much is repetition. An example of this is:- Dear father, oh father, and do you not see, This is a technique very similar to alliteration as it created the same type of tension and both are meant to be read fairly slowly. Later on in The Erlking, this repetition phrase is repeated, showing that there is internal repetition (with the word father) and also phrasal repetition. The third I am going to consider is the rhyming scheme of each of the poems. The Erlking has a different rhyming scheme to the Raven. The Erlkings rhyming scheme is a very common one but the one of the Raven is very peculiar. Many poems have the rhyming scheme the same as the Erlking because it is very basic. This rhyming scheme is:- 1. A 2. A 3. B 4. C An example of this rhyming scheme in the poem is:- 1. Who rides so late where winds blow wild? 2. It is the father grasping his child; 3. He holds the boy embraced in his arm 4. He clasps him snugly, he keeps him warm. The rhyming scheme of the Raven is very different and unusual, not many poems have the same rhyming scheme. This rhyming scheme is:- 1. AA 2. B 3. CC 4. CB 5. B 6. B An example of this rhyming scheme is:- 1. Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, 2. Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore- 3. While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, 4. As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door- 5. Tis some visitor, I muttered, tapping at my chamber door. 6. Only this and nothing more. The two poems differ greatly in their rhyming schemes and have similarities. The Erlking has a very simple rhyming scheme with only two lines that rhyme out of the four. However, the Raven has a much more complex rhyming scheme with internal rhymes as well as end-of-line rhyming. The Ravens rhyme scheme, however, has an effect on how the poem is read. The Raven is a very gothic poem and this rhyme scheme changes the way the poem is read, especially when the enunciation is used. The Erlking is very different and is a lot easier to read, compared with the Raven. This could mean that the poem is meant for a younger audience because of the simplistic reading ability needed. The other issue I am going to study is the excess of patterning. The Raven uses this several times, however, the Erlking does not. Excess of patterning is when a sound is repeated in a line to give an emphasis of those particular words. An example of this in the Raven could be:- Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, This quotation from Poes poem gives emphasis on the description to make this highlighted when the poem is read. This could have been a good technique that could have been added to the Erlking poem to make a part of the poem more prominent. The final factor I am going to consider is the length of the poems. The Raven is considerably longer than the Erlking. The Raven being 108 lines long compared to the Erlking which is a mere 32 lines long. The length of the Raven allows Poe to go into a lot of depth in his descriptions. However, this style of writing does not suit the Erlking as well. The reason for this is that the Erlking is meant to leave questions unanswered and a sense of mystery. If it had gone into the depth that the Raven did in its length, this would have been taken away. Over all, I can see that both poems are very individual but still contain some similarities. Both poets had very different inspirations of why they wrote their poem but they still had a very similar atmosphere that was created. They also use different linguistic techniques, although they create a very parallel effect. I can see that Edgar Allen Poe uses many more techniques in his poem than Goethe does, this may be because the Raven is longer and may have more room to use more effect without over-doing them.

Consumer’s Perception of Risk of Online Transactions

Consumer’s Perception of Risk of Online Transactions Abstract The purpose of this research is to investigate whether a consumers perception of risk in transacting on the internet (Perceived Risk) would have an influence on their trust of a banks e-banking website (Specific Trust) and their willingness to use e-banking. Data were collected from a survey and a usable sample of 202 was obtained. Hierarchical moderated regression analysis was used to test the model. The results showed that Perceived Risk has a direct influence on a consumers willingness to use e-banking and Specific Trust has a positive moderating influence on the relationship between Perceived Risk and a consumers willingness to use e-banking. Consumers who have low perceived risk of transacting on the internet are generally more willing to use e-banking. Their willingness to use e-banking was also shown to be more pronounced in cases where the consumer also trust their banks e-banking website. These findings are of particular relevance to banks. It highlights that a consumers wil lingness to use e-banking primarily depends on their perception of risk in transacting on the internet; trust of the specific e-banking website was secondary. This suggests the need for banks to not only employ mechanisms to build trust for their specific e-banking website, but that banks should first take measures to educate their customers and manage general consumer perceptions of the risks of transacting on the internet. Keywords: Trust, Perceived Risk, Internet, E-banking Adoption. Introduction In recent years, the advancement in technological developments in information technology has lead to the evolution of e-banking in the banking industry. The evolution of e-banking has fundamentally transformed the way banks traditionally conduct their businesses and the ways consumers perform their banking activities (Eriksson et al., 2008; Sayar and Wolfe, 2007). Today e-banking has experienced phenomenal growth and has become one of the main avenues for banks to deliver their products and services (Amato-McCoy, 2005). E-banking reaps benefits for both banks and its customers. From the banks perspective, e-banking has enabled banks to lower operational costs through the reduction of physical facilities and staffing resources required, reduced waiting times in branches resulting in potential increase in sales performance and a larger global reach (Sarel and Mamorstein, 2003). From the customers perspective, e-banking allows customers to perform a wide range of banking transactions electronically via the banks website anytime and anywhere (Grabner-Kraeuter and Faullant, 2008). In addition, customers no longer are confined to the opening hours of banks, travel and waiting times are no longer necessary, and access of information regarding banking services are now easily available (Hamlet, 2000). However the success of e-banking isnt without its problems. Firstly the adoption of e-banking has not kept pace with that of internet usage (White and Nteli, 2004). This gap is attributed to the lack of trust among bank customers, particularly among internet users age 65 and older (Ilett, 2005; Perumal and Shanmugam, 2005). Secondly, customers still prefer face to face interaction (Asher, 1999) due to reasons such as fear of the online environment and lack of trust in the internet. Recent literature on e-banking showed that the formation of trust can help reduce the impact of key inhibiting factors such as fears about using the online service among non-eÂÂ ­banking customers (Vatanasombut et al., 2008). Moreover, even with the increased usage of e-banking in recent years, banks are faced with a conundrum whilst e-banking does have its benefits of convenience and cost savings; the ease at which e-banking allows for switching back to traditional ways of banking consequently reduces long term customer commitment (Sarel and Mamorstein, 2003). The commitment-trust theory of Morgan and Hunt (1994) proposes that trust leads to commitment in relationships, and so, if trust is built amongst existing customers, over time they will become committed to the e-banking service, reducing the chances of customers jumping ship (Mukherjee and Nath, 2003; Vatanasombut et al., 2008). Evident in past literature is the fact that risk plays a role in the formation of trust (Chen and Dhillon, 2003; Pavlou, 2003), but what is not evident is the relationship risk has with trust especially in regards to the perceived risk consumers have in transacting on the internet. Past research studies into the area of risk found that it is not objective risk, but perceived risk which matter in the formation of trust (Bauer, 1960 as citied in BÃ ¼ttner and GÃ ¶ritz, 2008; Garbarino and Strahilevitz, 2004). A recent research study found that, perceived risk is directly related to an individuals adoption of e-banking with many past research studies showing that intention to use e-banking is often times affected by fears of theft or fraud (Gerrard et al., 2006). The relationship between perceived risk and trust is an underdeveloped area in the literature. Past work in the area of trust and perceived risk has not yet managed to fully determine the exact relationship which risk has on trust, as whilst risk is necessary for the formation of trust, it is not an antecedent of trust (Chen and Dhillon, 2003). Moreover, trust has been shown in the past to effect perceptions of risk, as well as having mediating effects through risk (Pavlou, 2003). Hence the purpose of this research is to investigate whether a customers perception of risk in the internet would have moderating effects on trust and a customers willingness to use e-banking. As noted by BÃ ¼ttner and GÃ ¶ritz, (2008), there is a lack of empirical studies in this area. Moreover by understanding the nature of risk and trust, banks can ascertain the steps necessary on their part to ensure that the trust which they have built in their services will indeed influence customers adoption and commitment to e-banking. Literature Review Trust in E-banking Trust is essential in situations where risk, uncertainty and interdependence exist (Mayer et al., 1995), and the online environment certainly encapsulates these factors. In an online environment, there is no direct physical contact between buyer and seller. This spatial distance means that consumers cannot use the physical cues, such as observing the sales staff or the physical office/store space, in order to judge trustworthiness (Reichheld and Schefter, 2000). Due to the global nature of the internet, consumers and e-retailers often face spatial and temporal separation as a result transactions carried out online often do not involve a simultaneous transaction of goods (or services) and money (Grabner-Kraeuter, 2002). This delay in time means that consumers can become increasingly uncertain whether the other party will actually perform their side of the transaction. Another reason for the increased need for trust in the online contexts is consumers fear for the sa fety of their personal information due to hackers or other harmful possibilities (Hoffman et al., 1999; Yoon, 2002). Apart from the necessities of trust in order to get consumers to purchase online as per the theory of reasoned action (Azjen and Fishbein, 1980), trust is also important for businesses to grow and maintain profitability, as per the commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing by Morgan and Hunt (1994). Past research studies have identified that one of the benefits of trust are committed customers (Casalo et al., 2007; Morgan and Hunt 1994). Loyal repeat customers are highly beneficial to organizations, as it is much cheaper to retain customers than it is to find and attract new customers (Reichheld and Schefter, 2000). In the online arena where substitutes are readily available, the benefits to businesses of having committed customers are plenty, hence the amount of research into the area (e.g. Casalo et al., 2007; Jarvenpaa et al., 2000; Vatanasombut et al., 2008). Numerous research studies have been conducted to identify what factors drive or inhibit the adoption of e-banking by consumers (Gerrard et al., 2006; Hernandez and Mazzon, 2007; Lichtenstein and Williamson, 2006; Sayar and Wolfe, 2007). It has been identified that the lack of trust was one of the main reasons why consumers are still reluctant to conduct their financial transactions online (Flavian et al., 2006; Luarn and Lin, 2005; Mukherjee and Nath, 2003; Rotchanakitumnuai and Speece, 2003). In order for e-banking to be a viable medium of service delivery, banks today must try to narrow the trust gap due to the higher degree of uncertainty and risk in an online environment compared to traditional settings. Research studies conducted examining the role of trust in e-banking (e.g. Vatanasombut et al., 2008; Casalo et al., 2007; Lichtenstein and Williamson, 2006; Rexha et al., 2003; Suh and Han, 2002), found that trust plays a key role in the adoption and continued use of e-banking. Furthermore, it was found that trust not only affects the intent to use e-banking (Liu and Wu, 2007; Suh and Han 2002), but trust in e-banking has also been found to be an antecedent to commitment in e-banking (Vatanasombut et al., 2008; Kassim and Abdulla, 2006), and is therefore useful to reduce the perceived risk that consumers feel is present in an online environment (Pavlou 2002). Perceived Risk and Trust Perceived risk is depicted as a concept that is complex, multifaceted and dynamic (Zhao et al., 2008, p.506). Perceived risk is defined as a consumers perceptions of the uncertainty and the possible undesirable consequences of buying a product or service (Littler and Melanthiou, 2006). In the online context, past research studies suggest the inclusion of perceived risk due to its importance in influencing online consumer behavior (Cunningham et al., 2005; Pavlou, 2003; Salam et al., 2003; Schlosser et al., 2006) and more so in the area of e-banking (Cunningham et al., 2005). As mentioned earlier, perceived risk is important in the formation of trust (Bauer, 1960 as cited in BÃ ¼ttner and GÃ ¶ritz, 2008; Garbarino and Strahilevitz, 2004). The body of the knowledge on trust has identified that risk is the element which gives rise to the need for trust when engaging in an activity which means that if there were no perceptions of risk, trust would not be necessary to engage in an activity, as actions could be taken with complete certainty (Yousafzai, 2003; Chen and Dhillon; 2003). There are two different types of risk that have been identified in relation to trust risks associated with a partner and risks associated with a type of transaction (BÃ ¼ttner and GÃ ¶ritz, 2008). Risks associated with a partner in general are perceptions that a particular interaction partner in a transaction will not perform their end of the bargain, and are formed from perceptions of the attributes of that interaction partner this type of risk should be inversely related to trust of that partner (Jarvenpaa et al., 2000). Essentially, the higher the trust one has in a partner, the less perceived risk in dealing with that partner. However, risk associated with a type of transaction has a different association with trust. The more risky a type of transaction is perceived to be, the more trust is required in order to engage in an interaction with that partner (Mayer et al., 1995). The relationship between risk and trust is a complex one, whilst risk is necessary to the creation of trust, it is not an antecedent to trust which means the presence of risk does not automatically equate to the formation of trust (Pavlou, 2002). According to Mayer et al. (1995, p.711) It is unclear whether risk is an antecedent to trust, or is an outcome of trust. Clearly, a gap of knowledge exists in this area, and further research is required so as to determine the relationship which risk has with trust, especially in the context of e-banking. However the area that interests the authors of this research is the work by Pavlou (2002) which found that the effect of trust on transaction intention could be moderated through perceived risk. This is a relationship which was originally proposed by Mayer et al. (1995), who postulated that the level of trust needed to engage in a risk taking behavior is influenced by the perception of risk inherent in that behavior. Pavlous (2002) work also called for future research so as to examine the complex interrelationships among trust, perceived risk and behavioral intention to reach definite conclusions. (Pavlou, 2002, p.125). This research aims to answer that call by testing perceived risk in the internet as a moderator in the relationship between a consumers trust in a banks e-banking website and the consumers willingness to use e-banking. Theoretical Framework The investigation of the role of trust in the use of e-banking necessitates the examination of two key theories the theory of reasoned action by Azjen and Fishbein (1980) and the commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing by Morgan and Hunt (1994). The theory of reasoned action states that a persons behavior is determined by their behavioral intent, which is in turn shaped by attitude and subjective norms (Azjen and Fishbein, 1980). Increased trust means that when a persons attitudes towards a particular behavior (in this case, using e-banking) are positive, it will likely increase a persons intent to perform that behavior. This has been supported by research in both the e-retailing context (Jarvenpaa et al., 2000), and also in the e-banking context (Liu et al., 2005), where trust has been shown to lead to a purchase intention. Further, Morgan and Hunt (1994) purports that by building trust over time, customers become committed to the relationship built, and will subsequently reciprocate with continued business. Past research in this area have extended the applicability of this commitment-trust relationship to the e-banking context (Casalo et al., 2007; Mukherjee and Nath, 2007; Vatanasombut et al., 2008). This gives rise to the first hypothesis for this research which forms the basic relationship between a consumers trust in a banks e-banking website (Specific Trust) and the consumers willingness to use e-banking. H1: Specific trust in e-banking has a direct effect on willingness to use e-banking Perceived risk is defined in this research as a consumers perceptions of risk in transactions using the internet, and is hypothesized to have a moderating role in the relationship between specific trust and the willingness to use e-banking. As mentioned previously in the literature review, there is little empirical research on the moderating effect of risk in the e-banking context. Work by Pavlou (2002) found that the effect of trust on transaction intention could be moderated by perceived risk, but called for further research in this area to confirm the complex interrelationships between these three constructs. Therefore, the authors of this research proposed the second hypothesis as: H2: Perceived risk has a negative moderating effect on the relationship between specific trust and willingness to use e-banking. Methodology To test the model, a cross-sectional survey was undertaken using an instrument containing 15 items. The 15 items used were established scales adapted from Doney and Canon (1995), Chow and Holden (1997), Jarvenpaa et al. (2000), Suh and Han (2002), Kim and Ahn (2006) and Verhagen et al. (2006) measuring specific trust, willingness to use and perceived risk. Great care was taken when adapting the scales to ensure that the original concepts being measured by the scale had theoretical congruence and relevance to this study. Each item is measured on a 7-point Likert scale with 0 denoting the low end and 6 the high end. The questionnaire was then preÂÂ ­tested on a non-probability sample of university staff. Refinements were made to the questionnaire based on feedback from the pre-test. All items in the final instrument were then reviewed by marketing academics for content validity. Measures The scale used to measure perceived risk was adapted from a number of scales which have similar theoretical congruence with the definition of risk perception in the theoretical framework. A few of the items in the scale used was sourced from Verhagen et al. (2006), which measured intermediary risk and was defined as the belief of a probability of suffering a loss due to the inability of the intermediary to provide sufficient protection against fraudulent and/or opportunistic sellers (p.545) which is similar to the definition of the perception of risk on the internet. In that, the consumers belief in a possibility of loss or harm as a result of the medium internet is being measured. The nature of the internet is such that, there is insufficient protection to consumers from fraudulent and/or opportunistic people, and so the use of items from Verhagen et al.s (2006) scale on intermediary risk was appropriate. Other items in the scale were sourced from the work of Jarvenpaa et al. (2000 ), Kim and Ahn (2006), and Chow and Holden (1997), which measured concepts such as risk perception and web-shopping risk, all of which was similar to the concept of perceived risk being operationalised. Minimal alterations were made to the items due the similarity of the concepts being measured. Whilst it would have been ideal to operationalise the construct of perceived risk in the internet with a singular scale, but there is a lack of scales in this area (Verhagen et al., 2006), therefore the use of a composite scale was necessary. To measure specific trust in e-banking, items from work of Doney and Canon (1995), Suh and Han (2002) and Jarvenpaa et al. (2000) were adapted. These items were chosen due to their semantics and wording. Items directly relating to interpersonal trust including the service of e-banking, and a belief in the benefits and trustworthiness of e-banking were used as part of the scale. Lastly, in measuring the willingness to use e-banking, items that measure at titudes and intentions towards using e-banking were chosen. Items in the scale were sourced from scales published by Verhagen et al. (2006), Pavlou (2003), and Kim and Ahn (2006). Demographic data were also collected for the purpose of classification and determining the generalisability of the results. Sample and Data Collection Representativeness, reliability of results as well as time and resource restraints were considered in determining the sample. The final sample was a non-probability sample of administrative and academic staff in ten departments across the five faculties of a large Australian university. University staff was chosen, as they were deemed to be more educated and informed about a range of issues. Therefore it is concluded that university staff would likely have a higher chance of responding to the survey, with more accuracy and honesty in their replies. Surveys were distributed physically and via online. Data collection took place over two weeks. A total of 218 returned questionnaires were yielded of which 202 passed manipulation checks and were usable. The response rate was 34.8%. Results Adoption of Internet and E-banking Descriptive analysis was used and a bar chart (Figure 2) was constructed to compare the year of adoption of the internet and the year of adoption of e-banking. In relation to internet adoption, the results showed that there was a slow growth in the adoption of internet prior to 1995. The rate of adoption increased significantly in the years 1995 to 2000 and dropped significantly after. As for the adoption of e-banking, the results showed that there was no apparent usage of e-banking till the late 1990s and after which the adoption of e-banking rose reaching its peak in 2006. Figure 2 illustrates how the adoption of e-banking has not kept up with the pace of internet usage this is consistent with the previous finding of White and Nteli (2004). Furthermore results also showed that there were still a significant number of people who have not adopted e-banking. Demographic variables were examined across the three constructs of specific trust, perceived risk and the willingness to use. The results in Table 1 showed that there were significant differences between gender and specific trust (sig. value 0.010, t-value 2.588) and perceived risk (sig. value 0.029, t-value 2.206) constructs. The means scores showed that males have higher specific trust (5.2748) and higher perceived risk (4.2916) as compared to females towards e-banking and the internet. For age, the results showed a significant difference between age and willingness to use (sig. level 0.017, f-value 4.161). The difference was found between respondents of age groups 29 and under, and 50 and above. The means scores showed that respondents who were age 29 and below (mean 5.603) were more willing to use e-banking as opposed to respondents who were 50 and above (mean -4.8571). For qualification, significant differences were present in the perceived risk (sig. level 0.020, f-value 4.991) and willingness to use (sig. level 0.030, f-value 4.932) constructs. In regards to perceived risk, the difference was found between respondents who have completed secondary school and respondents who have a post-graduate qualification. The means scores showed that respondents who had a post-graduate qualification (4.4355) have a higher perceived risk compared to those who had completed secondary school (3.4006). In relation to willingness to use, significant differences were found between three groups of respondents those who had a trade qualification/diploma, a tertiary degree and a post-graduate qualification. The means scores showed that respondents who had a post-graduate qualification has a higher willingness to use e-banking (5.6871) compared to those who had a trade qualification/diploma (4.5259) and those who had a tertiary degree (5.5925). Finally for income, significant differences were found between the different income groups in the perceived risk (sig. level 0.049, f-value 2.249) and willingness to use (sig. level 0.003, f-value 3.788) constructs. The two groups of respondents with income levels of $15,001 -$ 30,000 and $70,001 -$90,000 were found to be significantly different in the perceived risk construct. The means scores of the two groups showed that respondents with an income level of $70,001 $90,000 had a higher perceived risk (4.6057) compared to respondents with an income level of $15,001 $ 30,000. In relation to willingness to use, significant difference was found between two groups $30,001 $50,000 and $50,001 $70,000. A comparison of the means scores showed that respondents who had an income level of $50,001 $70,000 (5.8625) were more willing to use e-banking compared to those who had an income level of $30,001 $50,000 (4.6513). Model Testing In order to validate the measures of each construct, exploratory factor analysis was conducted using principal components extraction with varimax rotation. The items in each factor were then tested for scale reliability using standard Cronbach alpha indices. As the items for both perceived risk and specific trust in e-banking were used together as a single scale in the survey instrument, factor analysis was ran on them both, to ensure that the two different factors were still valid. To check for the appropriateness of the data for factor analysis, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and Bartletts Test of Sphericity was examined. Results showed that the KMO statistic for the data set was 0.885 and the Bartlett test showed that non-zero correlations exist at the 0.000 significance level. This indicates that the data is appropriate for factor analysis. The results of the factor analysis showed that two factors were indeed present, however, one of the items from the scale measuring specific trust in e-banking Compared with other forms of banking, e-banking would be more risky had moved to the factor measuring perceived risk (see Table 2 , item marked with asterisk). A reliability analysis was conducted on this adjusted factor; a Cronbach alpha ind ex of .926 was obtained. The factor loading of the item, whilst not very high at .651 was much higher than the items alternate factor loading which was .253. The item content was examined, and was found to also be applicable to the context of perceived risk due to the items wording which could be interpreted as a higher perception of risk in the medium of the Internet in comparison to other mediums. Given all these results, it was decided that the adjusted factor would be used as is in the analysis. Items measuring the construct of willingness to use e-banking were also analysis to ensure that it was indeed a singular factor (Table 3). The results showed that the KMO statistic for the data set was 0.873 and the Bartlett test showed that non-zero correlations exist at the 0.000 significance level. This indicates that the data is appropriate for factor analysis. The results revealed a uniÂÂ ­dimensional structure, and corroborated that all five items in the scale loaded onto one factor. The factor loadings of each item were high, indicating strong relevance of each item within the scale. When in combination with the high Cronbach alpha of .957, the results of the analysis show that this factor is a highly useful measure. Regression Analysis To test the relationship between the constructs of specific trust, perceived risk and willingness to use e-banking, hierarchical moderated regression was conducted. This method was proposed by Baron and Kenny (1986) to examine moderating effects. In conducting hierarchical moderated regression analysis, a series of regressions were performed. The first regression (Model 1) involved regressing the dependent variable (DV) on the independent variable (IV); the second regression (Model 2) involved regressing the DV on the IV and the moderator; and the final regression (Model 3) regressing the DV on the IV, the moderator, and a cross-product of the DV and the moderator. The three regression models were tested for explanatory power, and yielded R-squared values of 0.396, 0.454, and 0.508 respectively (see Table 4). Results of the R-squared comparisons showed that Model 3, which included specific trust, perceived risk, and the cross product of specific trust and perceived risk, had significantly improved R-squared values from Model 1 and Model 2. The analysis yielded results quite different to what was hypothesized. Besides Model 1 where specific trust was the only IV in the regression, specific trust was shown not to have a direct influence on the DV of willingness to use e-banking. Rather, perceived risk was shown to have a direct influence on the DV of willingness to use e-banking in Models 2 and 3. Model 3, which had the greatest R-squared value, suggests that it is not specific trust that influences a consumers willingness to use e-banking, but rather perceived risk. The regression coefficients from Model 3 (see Table 5) showed that perceived ris k had a significant negative impact on willingness to use e-banking (p = 0.000, Beta = -1.179, t = -5.588). Specific trust in e-banking instead was found to have a positive moderating influence on the relationship between perceived risk and willingness to use e-banking (p = 0.000, Beta = 0.759, t = 4.386). The results derived from the regression analysis thus do not support the two hypotheses H1 and H2. It appears that the roles of the independent variable and the moderator have swapped. Figure 3 shows the amended model reflecting these new roles, where the independent variable of perceived risk is shown having a primary role with a direct influence on a consumers willingness to use e-banking and specific trust in the banks e-banking website having a secondary role as a moderator. Discussion and Implications Adoption of Internet and E-banking The results showed that there was no apparent usage of e-banking till the late 1990s. This was firstly attributed to the late adoption of e-banking facilities by the four major banks in Australia. It was only at the end of 1997 when e-banking facilities were provided by the banks in Australia (Sathye, 1999). Secondly, a report by the Australia Bureau of Statistics (1999) stated that the use of internet by adults to pay bills and transfer funds were only approximately 2 per cent during that time. These findings deserve attention, as Australians were considered to be technology savvy being at the forefront of United States as the worlds third highest users of electronic point of transfer (Eftpos) in the 1990s (Macfarlane, 1997). However there were other reasons for the late adoption of e-banking in Australia. These reasons include the lack of knowledge of service availability, the internet website being not user friendly, and security concerns (Sathye, 1999). In the last decade, banks have addressed these problems through the use of effective marketing strategies, education and adopting innovative technology in security measures and information technology. It has proven to be effective as the latest statistics showed that approximately 40% of the internet users in Australia have adopted e-banking (comScore, 2008). This proportion however is still relatively low, and concurs with the results of past research such as White and Nteli (2004), Lichtenstein and Williamson (2006), and the current research showing that the adoption of e-banking has not kept up with the pace of internet usage. This is despite figures for internet access quadrupling from 16% to 67% in the last decade from 1998 to 2007/08 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008). Demographics and Specific Trust, Perceived Risk and the Willingness to Use Constructs Results showed that respondents who are aged 29 and below, earning an income level of $50,001 $70,000 and with post graduate qualifications were more willing to use e-banking. This finding is congruent with the findings of past studies that claimed that consumers who are well educated and with higher incomes are more willing to engage e-banking services (Kolodinsky et al., 2000; Gartner, 2003). Furthermore results of this study concur with past research studies on the unwillingness to use e-banking by the older/elderly generation (Ilett, 2005; Perumal and Shanmugam, 2005). Further examination of the results showed that respondents who are unwilling to use e-banking have a trade qualification/diploma and are earning an income of $30,001 $50,000. In relation to the perceived risk constructs, males who have a post graduate qualification and earning $70,001 -$90,000 have higher perceived risk. This finding is rather surprising as it does not concur with previous studies which found females to have a higher perceived risk. Females were found to be more concerned on the level of risk in technology (Lichtenstein and Williamson, 2006), more anxious with privacy protection and ethical standards (Shergill and Li, 2005) and have greater fears in new technologies such as the internet (Morahan-Martin, 2000) compared to males. Further examination of the results showed that respondents who have a lower perceived risk are females, earning an income of $15,001-$30,000 and have completed secondary school. Results from this research showed that males have higher specific trust than females regardless of income, age and qualification. Drawing from the findings of the perceived risk construct, an interesting discovery was made males have higher perceived risk as well as higher specific trust compared to the females. The authors of this study propose that a possible reason for this may be explained by a higher level of involvement in banking services in males. This should be con

Stress In The Workplace :: Workplace Health and Safety

1. In today’s fast paced Air Force, it is very common to hear someone in an office saying "I’m so stressed out". With the big drawdown of personnel in all the armed forces, the Air Force was no exception. We were forced to do more with less. So for this one reason, it is likely that you will find stress is prevalent in the workplace. Because different people respond differently to the same type of stress, some people seem to cope better than others (1:4). When dealing with computers, the trick is finding a healthy balance between positive, motivating stress and stress overload, which can affect the body in different ways. Understanding stress an help you change that feeling into a positive challenge. Therefore, stress with computers can become a thing of the past. 2. You will find computers in just about every office, regardless of the type of business it is. In today’s world, computers have become the way to do business, communicate with the world, or just having one for personal recreation. Office work in general is full of potential stress, from not enough light and noisey offices, to deadlines and demanding bosses. Additional sources of stress come directly from using the computer: monotonous keyboarding, hours of staring at the screen, and lack of physical movement (2:85). For these reasons, we need to bear in mind that stress management should be a combination of reducing the stress, relaxing, and rethinking our expectations and self-demands, i.e., breaking the everyday routine, planning ahead, making wise use of breaks or lunches, eating right, and exercising every day to keep healthy (2:86) 3. Stress is an instantaneous physical reaction to a danger or demand: "muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, the heart speeds up, and extra adrinaline rushes through your system" (3:2). No matter what you occupation, everyone feels stress at one time or another. Stress is a fact of life (3:2). That is why control stress is to your advantage, versus it controlling you. Learning to control stress is to your benefit so that you feel, 1) calm, instead of nervous, 2) in control, instead of hassled, 3) alive, instead of burned out, 4) at peace, instead of angry, 5) refreshed/renewed, instead of frazzled (3:3). Physical and Psychological affects of stress may be prominent if stress exists in your life. Some ways for you to reduce stress include but are not limited to: exercise, deep breathing, hobbies (3:11-12). Personal stress relievers are getting enough sleep, talk worries and anger, and not substituting alcohol, tobacco and other drugs for relief of stress

Fighting for Ameican Manhood

Omar Perez-Velazco Hist. 460 Dr. McDonough February 18, 2013 Since the beginning of time the topic of human gender its differences has been a controversial subject that always attracts attention. After the Spanish-American War, many men were seen as heroes, some even put into important positions in our nations’ government. Men like McKinley and Roosevelt, for example, used such praise and recognition to reinforce their positions of President and, later on, Vice President, respectively. One of the men who benefited from this line of thought was President McKinley, who no doubt was delighted to find that being a commander in chief during a war restored his image as a capable leader† (110). Roosevelt was a man with power, being the assistant secretary of the navy, but he gave it up to join 1st United Stated Volunteer Cavalry, more commonly known as the Rough Riders. He received nationwide praise and everyone knew him as a hero. â€Å"Two years later, Roosevelt’s mil itary record helped him win the vice presidential slot on the Republican ticket† (112).Women held many important roles during this war, such as nurses. While women were vital to the war effort, many people did little to spread the news. â€Å"In magazines and newspapers of the time, stories glorifying soldiers and sailors are hard to miss. In contrast, stories covering women’s wartime contributions are difficult to find† (128). How does considering gender change our views of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American wars? This is the argument that Kristin Hoganson makes in Fighting for American Manhood.I believe that without the aid of women in the camps, the wars would have gone much differently. â€Å"This book shows how international relations affected ideas about gender, how gendered ideas about political authority affected American democracy in an imperial era, and how high politics served as a vibrant locus of cultural struggle† (14). I can agree with the author on all these points and I believe that women and also minorities during the wars had a great impact from their local factories and towns. Fighting for American Manhood collects its information from a wide variety f sources, some being magazines and journal articles, and others being more in depth, like family letters. There is also a large quantity of political cartoons from the time, depicting such people as President McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and the iconic Uncle Sam. Some of the primary sources, the letters, come from places like the Alabama Department of Archives and History, or the Cincinnati Historical Society, which provided information in the form of the Wheeler Family Papers, and the Joseph Benson Foraker Papers, respectively.While a lot of these family accounts were safely in the hands of the state, many other accounts from the day were residing in university libraries, such as the Harvard University Houghton Library, and the University of North Carolin a Wilson Library: Southern Historical Collection, from which Hoganson uses the Theodore Roosevelt Collection, from the Charles Eliot Norton Papers, and the Edward Ward Carmack Papers, respectively. The secondary sources that the author compiled were mostly magazine entries and newspaper articles, like those from the New York Times, or the Washington Post.The chapter that I found most interesting was Chapter 6 – The Problem of Male Degeneracy and the Allure of the Philippines. I was just amazed with the United States when our government, using the power of the Treaty of Paris, decided for the Philippines that they wanted to be ceded into the United States. †The peace treaty with Spain, signed on December 10, ceded the Philippines along with Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States. The treaty, known as the Treaty of Paris, then went to the U. S Senate for ratification.But the Filipinos who had been fighting for independence from Spain did not want to be ceded† (13 3). This angered the Filipino nationalists and almost brought an all out war. The reasons that the U. S government officials gave to try and justify their takeover of these territories also surprised me and showed me just how far some countries will go to expand, both physically and mentally. â€Å"Imperialists based their assertions that the Filipinos were unfit for independence on three stereotypes that gave meaning to racial prejudices by drawing on ideas about gender.All three presented the Filipinos as lacking the manly character seen as necessary for self-government† (134). These men were considered less than human, along with Native and African Americans. I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter because of all the different aspects it covers related to gender and the ceding of the Filipino territories. The chapter that I found least interesting was Chapter 2 – Cuba and the Restoration of American Chivalry. While the information in the chapter was important to get the m ain argument across, it just didn’t appeal to me, and it didn’t get any better in my opinion as I kept reading.American citizens fantasized about the Cuban rebels, about how chivalrous the men were and how responsible and loyal wives the Cuban women are. â€Å"In contrast to American men, who seemed to be losing sight of knightly values in their single-minded pursuit of riches, Cuban men appeared to exemplify chivalric character† (47). American men drew inspiration from these fantasies, often showing how Cuban men drew their inspiration from women in illustrations and cartoons. â€Å"Their images as acquiescent, traditional women made Cuban women seem to be perfect feminine foils for assertive American women.In addition to appearing well worth defending, Cuban women appeared eager for rescue† (46). This chapter was important to getting the point across but I felt like it was sort of out of place. Fighting for American Manhood is a very interesting read an d it really makes me think. When did anyone every really stop and think so deeply about how gender can affect wars? The book is unique and I recommend it to anyone who wants to study the topic of gender affecting war.

Crm Practises In The Indian Hotel Industry Tourism Essays

Crm Practises In The Indian Hotel Industry Tourism Essays Crm Practises In The Indian Hotel Industry Tourism Essay Crm Practises In The Indian Hotel Industry Tourism Essay Customer is the most of import individual for a concern. He is non an break to our work but the intent of it. He is non an foreigner ; he is a portion of it. We are non making him a favor ; he is making us a favor by giving us an chance to function him. ( By Mahatma Gandhi ) CRM includes all facets of interaction a company has with its client, whether it is, pre-sales, gross revenues or post-sales ( service related ) . Customer relationship direction ( CRM ) is a scheme that can assist them to construct durable relationships with their clients and increase their net incomes. The client demands can be categorized as: ( a ) Service ( B ) Monetary value ( degree Celsius ) Quality ( vitamin D ) Action and ( vitamin E ) Appreciation. ( By Raghunath A ; Shields 2001 ) CRM can take to cross-selling and up merchandising of merchandises and services. Cross-selling agencies selling the right merchandise to the right client. 1.2 Hospitality Industry Hospitality is all about offering heat to person who looks for aid at a strange or unfriendly topographic point. It refers to the procedure of having and entertaining a invitee with good will. Hospitality in the commercial context refers to the activity of hotels, eating houses, catering, hostel, resorts or nines who make a career of handling tourers. The cordial reception industry is a 3.5 trillion dollar service sector within the planetary economic system. It is an umbrella term for a wide assortment of service industries including, non limited to, hotels, nutrient service, casinos, and touristry. The cordial reception industry is really diverse and planetary. The industry is cyclical ; dictated by the fluctuations that occur with an economic system every twelvemonth. Today cordial reception sector is one of the fastest turning sectors in India. It is expected to turn at the rate of 8 % between 2009 and 2016. 1.3 Indian Hotel Industry Harmonizing to a study, Hotel Industry in India presently has supply of 110,000 suites and there is a deficit of 150,000 suites fuelling hotel room rates across India. Harmonizing to estimations demand is traveling to transcend supply by at least 100 % over the following 2 old ages. Five-star hotels in metro metropoliss allot same room, more than one time a twenty-four hours to different invitees, having about 24-hour rates from both invitees against 6-8 hours usage. Hotel rates in India are likely to lift by 25 % yearly and tenancy by 80 % , over the following two old ages. Hotel Industry in India is traveling to witness a roar with Delhi hosting 2010 Commonwealth Games. 2. Scope of the Study This survey aims to understand the stairss taken by the hotel industry to better their relationship with their clients. The survey would be limited to documenting the practises and plans followed by merely the taking participants in the hotel industry. The survey would analyze the stairss taken by the taking participants to heighten client keeping, client satisfaction, and client delectation which leads to constructing the trade name image in the heads of the clients and hence increased profitableness. 3. Aims of the Study To analyze Customer Relationship Management in the Hotel Industry . To analyze the plans and patterns of CRM employed by the taking hotels in India. To analyze the steps to construct a better relationship between the client and the cordial reception unit. To understand the new selling attacks in hotel industry. To analyze how CRM helps to retain clients. 4. Research Methodology The survey involves secondary research of the similar surveies done in past, hotel duty cards, magazines, newspapers, articles, and cyberspace and company records. The type of informations taken into consideration for this subject is the Secondary informations. This survey is descriptive in nature while it seeks to place the present scenario of the patterns being followed by the taking hotels in India for heightening client keeping, satisfaction and trueness. 5. Restrictions of the Study A · Due to the handiness of merely secondary informations, hallmark of the information is non certain. A · Since the hallmark of the information is non certain, the consequence of the undertaking may non be precise. 6. CRM and the Hotel Industry Hotel Industry is a service sector where there is a major function played by relationship selling. Several large organisations have failed to cognize what the client truly wants and several others, after cognizing, could non truly interpret these demands into rescue. Hotels exist for no other grounds than to run into client demands and outlooks. CRM is a concern scheme to choose and pull off the most valuable client relationships. In cordial reception, each client relationship has value and should be managed efficaciously. There is chance for redemption and recommendation from each past client. The disposal of the information about this past invitee and the effectual integrating of the information into frontline invitee services plans is the challenge of CRM execution. Two parts of CRM: The operational CRM trades with those which make client contacts or otherwise called as touch points. Analytic CRM does the occupation of analysing the accumulated information from the assorted touch points with the assistance of concern intelligence. Integration of Customer Information through CRM: The informations beginnings may include guest history, external invitee profiling systems, eating house nine plans, gross revenues and providing system information and other informations. 6.1 Customer profiling: Demographic and Psychographic information is collected and a big per centum of the client database is built. This is followed by the execution of effectual selling plans to pull similar clients to construct gross. 6.2 Direct selling: The use of the integrated client information for direct selling is the fruit of CRM attempt. Highly profitable offers can supply concern during slow periods. These offers can be communicated via mail or electronic mail. 6.3 Best customer/extraordinary service: It is true that the 20 % of clients contribute to 80 % of gross and therefore it becomes all the more of import to acquire the most profitable clients wholly satisfied. This involves really elaborate satisfaction analysis, combined with valid fiscal informations about each client all appended to the client database. It is the integrating of all the elements that cordial reception has to concentrate on: 1. Personally acknowledging clients ; 2. Offering appropriate value and great service to promote repetition concern ; 3. Sing that employee and guest satisfaction continues to better ; and 4. Beating the competition by offering a better merchandise, viing on the service experience instead than monetary value entirely. 7. Customer Relationship Management Software for the Hotel Industry Guest Ware is a alone Customer Relationship Management System ( CRMS ) designed specifically for the housing industry to supply individualized invitee acknowledgment and exceeding service quality. Leading hotel direction companies use Guest Ware to better guest satisfaction, lower operating costs, construct guest trueness, and increase revenues.Guest Ware is installed in over seven 100 hotels and resorts worldwide ; including Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels, Star wood and many independent hotels and resorts. Customer Acquisition is six times more dearly-won than Customer Retention. The undermentioned tools are provided by Guest Ware for Customer Retention. 7.1 Improvement Analysis Implement Process Improvement Industry studies show that invitees are less likely to return if they experience a job during their stay. Guest Ware s Improvement Analysis tools provides with the information to extinguish repeating jobs and maintain invitees coming back, so to take down operating costs and increase guest satisfaction at the same clip. ( Raghunath A ; Shields 2001 ) 7.2 Comment Card Tracking Listen to your Customers Customer study on eating house or an extended questionnaire of invitees, the GuestWare Comment Card Tracking system assists to pull off client feedback. Guest Ware improves productiveness in the follow-up procedure and supply valuable direction studies to maximise the benefits of studies. Develop comprehensive invitee profiles from reserve information and demonstrate to guests/customers that the belongings is in touch with their demands. Drive guest-centric informations down to the dealing degree, leting employees and guest-facing engineering to present greater value to the guest/customers. Generate a realistic profile on the disbursement and remain forms of invitees, leting the belongings to make guest-centric selling for increased trueness and disbursement. Examples: ITC Maurya Sheraton Field merchandising, Loyalty plans, Reservation systems, Web A ; Call centres are the major beginnings of database development. The hotel has 35,000 members in its database. They regard this direction of their database as an plus because it enables a superior client apprehension. Figure 1 GuestWare Enterprise Edition s Preference entry screen. Note Global Preferences denoted by ruddy G . The fast one is to acquire the relevant information in forepart of the line employees instead than maintaining it locked up in an offline analytical database or centralized system non available to hotel forces. An indispensable construct in discoursing guest acknowledgment is that of penchants. Capturing, retaining and doing effectual usage of expressed client penchants is the kernel of guest acknowledgment. The platform shops and communicates planetary or cosmopolitan penchants for the guest across all hotels in the company ( smoking or newspaper penchants, for illustration ) . Yet it besides supports the gaining control of local penchants, unique to the single belongings, so that a penchant of room off from snowmaking appears at the ski resort, but non the halfway metropolis belongings. 7.3 Using the Database: Product and service betterment is merely one consequence of tapping into a database. Developing particular publicities and using direct mail to advance these runs is another major usage of database selling. For illustration: A gross revenues squad of Mughal Sheraton, Agra had completed a reappraisal of an approaching weekend. This reappraisal revealed that engagements to day of the month were slightly below prognosis and that a particular publicity may be done in order to rush up the concern. The gross revenues squad so enveloped particular publicity packing to promote engagements for weekends. They searched their welcome interruption vacation bundle database and scratched it to place and section the clients who tend to: Book on long weekends Book on a short term footing Respond to promotional runs It is aggressive merchandising to the possible clients who have peculiar demands and wants. ( Sheth, 2002 ) 7.4 Database Mining The systems analysis tools allow users to profile their most profitable clients, analyze their purchasing wonts, develop amp ; measure the public presentation of targeted selling runs. The biggest advantage of database excavation is that it helps to concentrate the attempts and available resources into one way which is most profitable and out-base excavation helps to extinguish the non-profitable clients and hence reduces the costs and enhances the net incomes. The net incomes enhanced are non merely in pecuniary footings but besides in footings of client trueness and long term keeping. ( Rmana A ; Somayajulu, 2005 ) 7.5 Relationship Selling Relationship selling is cognizing the client and utilizing that information to bond with them. Form the initial personal contact and so function as the foundation for fostering this brief brush into a friendly and adjustment relationship by concentrating on personal invitee information. In add-on to cognizing the purchase wonts of members ( room choice, certain agreeableness penchants, and so forth ) , personal information such as partner s name and avocations are added to a member database. The company uses this information to orient particular events and merchandises to little sections of the rank. ( Swift, 2001 ) 7.6 Complaint Handling It is estimated that 90 per centum of disgruntled clients whose jobs were non solved will neer make concern with the retail merchants that sold them the merchandise nor will they once more buy the merchandise that caused the job. In instance of hotels customer/guest is more likely to exchange if the provided service is non satisfactory to their outlook. The amazing intelligence is that those people who do ailment and have their job taken attention of, be given to be more loyal to the company than the people who were satisfied in the first topographic point. First companies see ailments as chances to better, to affect clients and to turn kicking clients into loyal 1s. ( Schneider and Bowen, 1999 ) 7.6 Priority Selling Priority Marketing focuses on what s of import to the client. What is of import to one client nevertheless, may non be every bit of import to another. See the varying demand placed on a hotel: An air hose air hostess may happen the 24 hr room-service highly valuable, a retired twosome may necessitate dietetic bill of fare options, a tour jobber may prefer low monetary values, and a immature female executive considers a security a precedence. Hotels should interrupt down their services and ask clients what is of import to them. This attack can field really valuable penetration about altering client penchants. Identifying groups of clients who have similar penchants or even similar gustatory sensations ( such as sharing common perceptual experiences of quality or provinces ) , hotels can aim publicities to capitalise on known features and individualise the experience. 8. Some Hotels who excel in Customer Relationship Management 8.1 ITC WELCOME GROUP HOTELS ITC hotels stepped into the cordial reception industry in 1975 and are one of the most approaching hotel ironss in its category. They started their first hotel in Chennai and now they have 66 hotels across more than 50 finishs in India. ITC collaborated with Sheraton hotels, which is a portion of Starwood hotels and resorts and is a well-known planetary cordial reception concatenation. They were the first 1s to follow this sole logo which has non been thought or taken by anyone to fit this The Namaste-Nobody gives you India like we do . It is represented by four typical trade names functioning the demands of the travellers, viz. : ITC Hotels Super deluxe and premium hotels in strategic concern location. Welcome Hotels Five Star first category cordial reception for concern and leisure travellers. Fortune Hotels and Resorts Full service cordial reception at mid-level monetary values for concern travellers and leisure travellers. Welcome Heritage Palaces, garrisons, havelis, resorts and places that conveying alive the history and love affair of India s heritage. 8.2 THE OBEROI GROUP OF HOTELS The Oberoi Group of Hotel has played a prima function in the growing of the hotel industry in India. Oberoi hotels today operate the largest concatenation of luxury hotels with 30 hotels in 9 states and are quickly spread outing into new finishs around the universe. In order to guarantee individualized attending to all invitees, anexclusive pantryman service has besides been introduced on all floors. The Oberoi has 8 floors with even numbered suites confronting towards the Golf Course ( pool side ) and uneven numbered suites confronting Humayun s Tomb ( monument side ) . Leisure Facilities: Health nine, Swiming pool, Delhi Golf Club installations. Particular services: Bank, Barber Shop, Shoe Shine, Beauty Parlor, Laundry, Drug Store, Flower Shop, Book Shop, Mercury Travels ( fining A ; auto hire ) , Executive Center ( Typing, Fax, Photostatting, Board room ) etc. Shops: Shoping Arcade located at the anteroom degree. 8.3 TAJ GROUP OF HOTELS Taj group of hotels is the largest concatenation in India- with several Hotels abroad besides. The parent Hotel-The Taj Mahal Hotel, Bombay is rated among the 10 best hotels in the universe. Taj has been runing in the USA, the UK, the Maldives, Oman and Srilanka and the Taj Empire continues to spread out farther. Today Taj has 50 Hotels of which 48 are operational, 38 finishs and is the largest Hotel concatenation in the state. Merely one hotel group knows India and South Asia so good, and does so with such masterful manner. The singularity of the Taj Group lies in the amount of its parts in supplying a living heritage of India, together with superb amenitiess and modern installations. All of these combine to do The Taj Experience a must. The Taj Club It is a known fact that a concern traveler is a much pampered individual indulged with amenitiess and comfortss unheard of even a decennary ago. However a longing has doubtless arisen for a particular privilege, an interior sanctum, an Exclusive Club. Born of desire, The Taj Group of Hotels offers the Taj nine which offers alone universe of installations and privileges, both indispensable and extraordinary. Business Centre It offers several utile installations 24-hrs a twenty-four hours, seven yearss a hebdomad. These include Facsimile, Internet, E-mail, Color photocopying and legal library, every bit good as laptops, metropolis beepers and nomadic phones on rental footing. Taj Palace Business Centre is designed to give the best to the concern community who do necessitate sophisticated communicating installations and other appliances to remain connected to the remainder of the universe while at the Hotel. With no hyperbole it could be said that the guest gets the best of best services and installations which are more than necessary for a modern concern adult male, and besides feel at place piece at work. The hotel calls this construct An office off from place . Other Services A ; Facilities: A · 24-hour room service A · Free safe sedimentation cabinets A · Express laundry/ prohibitionist cleansing A · Purified H2O supply A · Doctor-on-call A · Full-equipped Business Centre A · 24-hour fax/ teletypewriter installations. A · 3 Meeting suites A · Work station handiness A · Laptops on hire A · Secretarial service A · Knight Rider online service A · Currency Exchange A · Travel aid . Car hire service A · 24-hour Coffee Shop A · 6 Restaurants A ; Parallel barss A · Night Club A · 8 epicurean Banquet Rooms A · Shopping arcade A · Fitness Centre A · Agreements made for golf and tennis 9. CRM Practises at Some of the top Hotels: 9.1. ITC GROUP OF HOTELS ITC MAURYA SHERATON DEFINES CRM AS: Customer Relationship Management is a procedure of pull offing client dealingss in an organized manner . They aim at pull offing each Moment Of Truth that is experienced by the client. There are assorted contact points where the hotel comes in direct contact with the client which are known as Touch points in the CRM linguistic communication. These touch points are considered of import as there is direct interaction with the client and they provide valuable input to the hotel. The input provided by the client has to be captured in such a manner that it becomes information and can be used by assorted procedures within the hotel. This can be done with the aid of engineering and the purpose is that whenever there is a client interface with any of those procedures they are able to utilize that information in serving the invitee in a most efficient mode. ITC Maurya Sheraton has been following an unstructured signifier of CRM with a narrow focal point of functioning the client well and in a most efficient mode. The construct of Customer Relationship Management has a broader focal point of non merely functioning the client but besides making the client and retaining him for measurable and significant returns. CRM is a huge topic where the construct of one to one selling is supported by Database Marketing. CRM procedure at ITC Maurya Sheraton has been divided in 2 stairss: 1. Designation of all Customer Relationship direction vehicles 2. Integration of these Customer Relationship direction vehicles DATA CAPTURE VEHICLES Maurya Sheraton has identified 5 such vehicles ( from marketing point of position ) which are besides the touch points for the hotel in the procedure of pull offing its Customer Relationship. These vehicles are: Field merchandising Loyalty Plans Distribution Points Web Call Centers 9.1.1 Field Selling When a gross revenues group or a selling executive of the hotel makes a gross revenues call to a corporate, so it is called Field Selling. Field Selling includes Prospecting which means searching and seeking for new clients. Current Histories are one of the best beginnings to bring out new concern that is within these current histories, as they harbor many beginnings of untapped concern potency. They besides provide Leads and referrals. Leads are possible clients with whom no contact has yet been made and larning of possible clients from current clients is called Referral. 9.1.2 Loyalty Plans Second vehicle for CRM identified by Maurya Sheraton are the Loyalty Programs. These plans are designed to honor the loyal invitees of the hotel. Every clip a invitee cheques in the hotel at his every touch point or interface with the hotel, every clip he spends on a service provided by the hotel ( usage of Room, Restaurant, Laundry, Telephones etc. ) , the dealing is recorded at each single point and is added to the concluding measure presented to the invitee at the terminal of the stay. There are certain points attached to the figure of rupees spent by the invitee. Therefore higher the sum of the measure, the higher will be the figure of points attained by the invitee. These points are credited to the history of each invitee with the aid of engineering. These are called Loyalty points. These histories holding the trueness points are alone to every invitee. Therefore, whenever after the first clip that guest cheques into the hotels, the guest history besides affects the trueness points. The higher the figure of points, more loyal is the invitee. The points can be redeemed by the invitee for either free corsets at the hotel or free gifts as listed by the hotel or free repasts depending upon the figure of points accumulated. The aim of holding a trueness programme is non merely to do the guest feel rewarded for his stay but besides cross-sell other services which can be used by the invitee like wash, telephones, eating houses etc. and the gross generated from these could be earned by the hotel. Therefore, alternatively of loss of gross by supplying free stay, they really gain the gross every bit good as certain clients for life with the aid of the trueness. 9.1.3 Distribution Points/ Central Reservation System A client can merely do a call at the reserve Centre to do a engagement with the hotel. It sounds simple but it could acquire complex in instance he does non have the expected or the coveted response. The information sing all guest reserves is managed through computing machine package, hence, when a client brand calls to question about a reserve, all his hotel usage history pops up in the system which gives a opportunity to the executive at the reserves to immediately acknowledge the client and reference him by his name. This minute of truth is experienced by the client with a feeling of acknowledgment and feels it as good service at the first touch point itself. The input or direction received from the client at the phase is recorded in the reserve system for farther mention by the hotel operations. 9.1.4 World Wide Web ITC has an information portal which merely allows the client to bespeak a reserve which has to be checked manually by the hotel reserves and so merely the verifications are given. This is a touch point of client relationship because a speedy and accurate response could win you a client. And since it is on an single footing, it is more individualized and customized because the client puts in his penchants when bespeaking a engagement. Therefore, once it is entered in to the hotel s informations base the client does non hold to reiterate his penchant as they are automatically suggested by the reserve signifier on the cyberspace. 9.1.5 Call Centers ITC Maurya has a Call centre dedicated to serving the trueness programme members. Here the clients can name in and happen out about any information related to their rank. Whether question relates to accumulation or salvation of points, it can be accessed through these centres. This installation has been outsourced by Maurya and is out of the premises of the hotel. This has been done to serve the quest in a most individualized and efficient mode. Call centres can now even be accessed via electronic mail as it is the most cost effectual and clip effectual manner of accessing 9.1.6 OTHER INCENTIVES TO THE CUSTOMERS BY ITC WELCOME GROUP HOTELS Welcome Award Honoring Relationships Welcome Award has earned the differentiation of being India s premier and most powerful frequent invitee programme. The Welcome Award programme recognizes client as a concern traveller and through its strategic confederations with travel spouses enterprises to construct a rewarding relationship client. As a Welcome Award member clients can gain Stars on every facet of their concern tripaˆÂ ¦hotel corsets, concern amusement, Car leases and even air travel. Welcome Link- Bring place the wagess Welcome Link, India s most popular programme for cardinal professionals offers many value-added benefits. It is designed to assist members in doing reserves for their company executives. For every materialized room dark booked by a member at ITC-Welcome group Hotel, points are earned that can be redeemed for a broad scope of wagess. With Welcome Link, the member can look frontward to many exciting publicities and awards coming their manner plus an exciting scope of wagess, complimentary dining, free vacations, air tickets, auto leases and privilege shopping with Citibank Diners Gift Vouchers countrywide. ITC s STEPS IN THE CRM PROCESS: The first measure in CRM is for the internal client ie the employees. At Maurya, they are trained to larn more about the invitee and his background so that when he talks to the invitee, he can strike a conversation that is of some involvement to the invitee. That may non be needfully related to his stay at the hotel but these informal conversations with the invitee can assist construct an first-class resonance with the invitee which will take the guest to cognize the employee by the name. In future interactions, it is possible that the invitee may merely wish that most of his work done through that employee. This is besides a signifier of customized and individualized merchandising within the hotel. The 2nd measure in CRM procedure is to incorporate the information which is received through touch points. From a selling point of position, it is of import to acquire the desired input back from touch points in such a manner that all the spots and pieces picked up by different touch points can be organized and used as valuable information by assorted other touch point to offer the right merchandise to the right client and that excessively at the right clip. All this is done by making a information base 9.2 THE OBEROI GROUP OF HOTELS Oberoi has a really loyal backing from its invitees, which has ensured a high market portion in the high-end section of the market, which they cater to. CRM PROCESS AT THE OBEROI GROUP OF HOTELS Harmonizing to the Oberoi the terms-Customer Relationship Management and Relationship Marketing are used interchangeably therefore they do non hold a separate CRM section as the sketching maps of the CRM procedure are integrated in the Gross saless and Marketing operation. They use a assortment of after gross revenues tactics for client bonding and trueness. Co-operative and collaborative relationships with clients seem to be the most prudent manner to maintain paths their changing outlooks and suitably act uponing it. The Oberoi has ensured the above by the assorted end user and booker plans such as: ( Starkov, 2006 ) 9.2.1 Top The Oberoi Plus This is an end-user plan with an enrolment fee of Rs.575 merely. It is good for invitees who use the services of the hotel. Each clip a invitee spends, he accumulates points which can be redeemed for any services of the hotel. By inscribing and honoring clients with the aid of this plan, the hotel ensures that a greater bonding towards long-run client keeping. They have besides tied up with the air hoses for interchangeable salvation of points. 9.2.2 Connections Bookers Program Bookers are an of import nexus in happening an existent sale therefore they need to be kept motivated to force the hotel when the reserves are made by a corporate history. Each clip a booking agent gives as reserve to the hotel he gets recognition points for that and which can be redeemed for gifts or any hotel services. 9.2.3 Food Festivals The Oberoi conducts assorted nutrient festivals at its Restaurants. Regularly and sends invitations to its more profitable Clients. 9.2.4 Tie-Ups The Oberoi invites top clients like CEO, Managing Directors and cardinal determination shapers of different companies to societal eventides specially arranged to further heighten the Customer relationship direction maps. 9.3 THE TAJ GROUP OF HOTELS The Taj Group is besides puting to a great extent on CRM systems to keep client databank with their profiles to give a quicker and individualized service to their loyal patronage. The Taj gives high precedence to guest satisfaction. They even have an SMS service to maintain path of lost/missed calls by the clients while they are off. They have employed applications like PMS, CRS and CIS to maintain path of clients profiles which includes information such as their disbursement forms and their particular demands besides. They employ informations excavation technique to acquire and move on informations and besides give recognition to the employees who get regards from the invitees. TAJ GROUP OF HOTELS TO ITS CUSTOMERS/GUESTS 1. Taj Inner Circle Taj Inner Circle, the frequent invitee programme, allows invitees to gain points whenever they stay or dine at The Taj. Guests can so deliver their points for specially selected wagess like complimentary corsets at Taj hotels, resorts, and castles. 2. Taj Epicure Plan The Taj Epicure Plan is an optional add-on dining program to the Taj Inner Circle. Members earn Epicure points for outgos incurred on nutrient and drinks, at take parting Taj eating houses in India. 3. About the Taj Inner Circle The Taj Inner Circle has three rank degrees Blue, Silver and Gold. Customers/Guests articulation at the Blue degree and get down gaining on their stay or dining or both disbursals at all Taj belongingss. To measure up for the Taj Inner Circle Silver rank degree, client demand to roll up 250 points in any uninterrupted 60-day period i.e. pass Rs.25,000 ( INR ) , excepting revenue enhancements, in any uninterrupted period of 60-days. Members who spend Rs.2,00,000 ( INR ) , excepting revenue enhancements, in uninterrupted 12-month period, will be automatically upgraded to Gold position. Gold card members enjoy enhanced privileges and accumulate points at a faster rate i.e. they earn at the rate of 1 point for every Rs.80 spent, excepting revenue enhancements. Gold and Silver card members of the Taj Inner Circl

Comparitive Study of Two Multi National Corporations

Comparitive Study of Two Multi National Corporations Abstract Wal-Mart Company and London Cake Company are the chosen multinational corporations for this analysis. In analyzing the two companies, the main focus will be centered on how these multinational corporations differ in terms of the way they treat workers as well as employees from various countries. Under this analysis, the paper will also focus on the common practices and characteristics, which are relevant to these two multinational corporations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparitive Study of Two Multi National Corporations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Introduction It is evidenced that the main differences that are often witnessed in these two multinational corporations are gender inequalities among both the workers and the employees from different countries. In fact, the practices of gender inequalities and other socio-economic factors have really affected the productivity of both the Wal-Mart Compa ny and the London Cake Company. Gender discrimination is any form of unequal opportunity awarded purely based on sex of an individual. Social discrimination is any form of a move aimed at decreasing the status of a given gender in the social sphere of life. The most common social discrimination occurs to women. Gender discrimination among women is a form of an abuse, which lowers their dignity and capability in executing tasks to men. Differences analyzed There are more ways by which discriminations are experienced in the work place in the Wal-Mart Company. For instance, direct inequality happens when employer offers driving jobs to only male applicants. This is gender discrimination practiced among the employees and workers. There are also indirect discrimination cases where the given work conditions only favour one group of people. Women are forced to work until late and even overtime irrespective of any domestic responsibility that they might have (Drucker 29). Harassment of any kind is a way of reflecting inequality at the work place. This mainly takes place in the offices or dinners held by the company for the employees, most of which are sexual harassment. In addition, victimization at work place is rampant. The employer might favour one person of the opposite sex based on personal interest. Treating a person unfairly also amounts to discrimination at work. This mainly happens to employees who are ignorant of their rights. It should to be admitted that some employees at the Wal-Mart Company felt inequality based on gender or race (Hamel 79).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Work place gender discrimination has been witnessed to be the most common form of bias in the social set up. People with the same academic qualification, experience, and competencies have been unethically given promotion and job opportunities based on their sex. Job d iscrimination can either be under the whole employees group or on individual basis. Following statistical evidences, women are the most discriminated in pay and promotion, although the trend is gradually changing. Women segregation on pay has also been witnessed to decrease in gap. Between 1990 and 2000, payment was increased by 75 percent for men and only 25 percent for women. Women are also given job opportunities based on childcare (Drucker 47). This has shown that most women only getting part-time jobs, while men get permanent employments. Women are also horizontally segregated in work place environments. The Wal-Mart Company has distinct types of positions, which women can occupy while the rest are perfectly design for men. It was indicated by 2001 that only 20 percent of women were managers in Wal-Mart stores. Men occupied the largest 80 percentage. The pay gap was at around 20 percent with women earning at 72.5 percent (Hamel 96). Attention of many people has been drawn towar ds the operation of this multinational corporation on its sexism strategies. Wal-Mart Company has been seen in strings of gender based cases, especially in the Supreme Court. Most of this allegations are based on unequal treatment of women and men, especially on basis of promotion and payment policies. It has been an escalating task for the court to offer a verdict on this case, following the fact that the Company has a well-structured policy outline against any form of gender disparity. At the same time, the court has found it very hard to prove the allegations due to problems of evidence collection. Even though, many have doubted the possibility of Wal-Marts’ possibility of performing in the competitive market, it has been proven by several studies that the company has taken unhealthy approach towards the gender bias. Researches carried through interviews and questionnaires have shown that Wal-Mart Company created gender disparities both vertically and horizontally. In addi tion, the court cases pulling down this organization have brought out this clear picture.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparitive Study of Two Multi National Corporations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Horizontal segregation has been noted by the fact that most of women across the branches of this organization work in almost similar departments. Men’s departments in the work places have shown that they were evenly distributed both in the department and positions. It was shown that large percentagesof administrative and management body were carried out by men. At the same time, men filled the supervisory portfolio as well as ranks, which are down the ladder. Most women in the Company are working at the level of secretary and sales. The percentage of women in the administrative and management system are hardly 25 percent today in this Company. It can be proven that the criteria are not purely based on job qualification as women respondents believed some of them were holding if not equal then above in credentials. Vertical segregation is the biggest challenge in an organization operating like Wal-Mart. Vertical segregation occurs in a place, where the promotion aspect is being addressed in terms of grades and pay. Despite their grades and competencies, women tend to stay longer on low-level jobs as compared to men. This is majorly contributed the organization strategies rather than inefficiency among women. For those that manage to get promotions to the higher positions, they suffer the ‘glass ceiling effect’. The ‘Glass ceiling effect’ is where the women can get to the top only in theory while they cannot achieve it in practice. The speed of promotion is also noted to be higher among men as compared to women. This could be noted by the fact that job stagnancy is more in percentage among women as compared to men. Some women end up falling out of their jobs o ut of frustrations, while others seek judicial interventions. Pay gaps have been seen as another determinants of gender disparity in the Wal-Mart Company. It can be evidenced that many women seek aid from the court over their pay as compared to men. Men in this company feel satisfied with their pay and promotion according to women respondents. Pay in any work set up is tied to promotions and job ranks, thus women are generally disadvantaged in this multinational corporation. The pay gap between men and women is not that distinct on the employees on the same rank. However, the general pay gap is larger on men than on women.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The gap is taken from the total some payable to equal number of employees of both sexes separately. A number of cases have been filed over the company, which includes poor remuneration policies among women, but the company has come to a great defense on its operation system. The gender segregation in Wal-Mart Company cannot be understood properly, as its own policies are clear and against any form of gender biasness. It was thought that gender issues affecting this company are local problems within the branches, but this has been disputed by the accumulating cases across the branches. Business organizations always have very objective management system. The system must have clear and sound strategies on the approach of challenges experienced. When these challenges are overturned, the company shall have better results, which translate to reasonable profit. This is why management is termed as a result oriented concept. Good human resource is very vital for the success of any system. Mo reover, this topic is useful to the company because it helps them have the analysis of their human resources and tackle the changes. The management strategies are also useful to ensure proper accountability and ways in which this can be improved. The other objective is to ensure a good strategic management to divert any eminent challenges in future so as to have a clear roadmap for the business. Analysis of major factors affecting the strategic management is looked at. The political and social environment can determine the productive nature of the organization’s performance. Economic factors can be described as the market stabilities, which are affected by either inflation or deflation. Presentation of literature captures on these categories such as environmental analysis, competitive strategies, human resource challenges, organizational behavior, leadership roles, and other employees attendance incentive schemes. In the research study, the results obtained from the London Ca ke Company are very useful to the multinational corporation and any other related business organization. The company knew its competitors and applied these instrumental strategies, thus mobilized their market share. It is through this that they were able to capture the market and have large sales. They also knew that food industry is an investment that will never fall, especially when one goes with the emerging trends in the market. The multi-corporation also applied technology in their strategy. Technology played a major role in this company. The London Cake Company Limited opened a web site. This site was able to attract many people, especially those who even never knew about their products. Customers accessed them through the web. Through this, they have enhanced their marketing strategy to reach many people. The shape of their cakes is very appealing to the customers. This is one of their strengths. The main is the trends in the environment and their events. These have potential to affect the given strategy. The analysis is able to identify these events and trends plus being able to estimate their impact and chances. In performing this analysis, it is essential to limit the analysis to those places, which are relevant and can have considerable impact on the intended strategy. Environmental analysis has five categories, political, technological, economical, and sociological aspects. Political happens when the government has political good will, hence the regulations being put in place change business mode of operation. Like good policies and political good will to enhance business operation. These taxes and incentives can affect business strategy development. Technology determines what extent the existing technology to be effective. The company uses an advanced technology to enhance its products output. They have well equipped modern factory, which has enhanced production of more Cake products. Focusing on the economic aspect, the U K has a stable economy h ence this has ensured minimal cost of production and good supplies. The inflation or deflation is not realized in the company because of the stable economy. Socio-cultural reflects on the current emerging trends in the lifestyle since they were dealing in food industry, these products are really selling and they have a good market. The emerging trend in life style is that people really value cakes for their celebrations and general usage of the house. The ready market enables the company to expand rapidly because it is in line of its business strategy (Handy 46). HR challenges regarding the workers and employees of the Wal-Mart Company Human resource challenges are numerous in number because they are of different categories. The most important challenges are change managements in the business. The environmental HR challenges, workplace diversity, leadership development, retention and motivation or HR effectiveness measurement, compensation, and attracting the best talent. These ment ioned challenges and others are discussed effectively in the following paragraphs. In the Wal-Mart Company, workplace diversity is broader than the London Cake Company and its dimensions include age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical abilities, race, educational background, geographic location, income, marital status, religious beliefs, parental status, and work experience. The company was able to deal with all the forms in the most professional way. The human resource manager introduced training on knowledge development based on utilization skills and continuous training to enhance individual competency. The company would never succeed without all these professional approaches towards the proper management and treatment of its employees (Lamb 57). In comparison to the London Cake Company, the treatment and management practices can be analyzed under the following paragraphs. The treatment of workers and employees of the London Cake Company Analyzed The London Cake Comp any observed that the average number of years or tenure for some professional employees is less than three years. This applies to IT professionals, marketers and other middle strategic managers. The company offers good remuneration to maintain its employees. There is also a problem of attracting the best talents. In a tensed job market, most organizations always experience concurrent demands to get the same kind of talented professionals. In their pursuit for talented employees, they end up cajoling talent all over the world. This company has designed ways of attracting these talents by knowing the reward factors contributing to this. An employee with good communication skills, with capacity to think logically and being able to be analytic coupled with excellent leadership qualities is of great importance to the organization. The London Cake Company never faced all these challenges. When these challenges are addressed, it will have certain implications. The company may offer to pay the required amount at the market demands, but the cost of operation is going to be raised rapidly. This has the effect of reducing the profit margin. For its effectiveness, the management should undertake regular assessments on all issues. These include pay, work environment, benefits, administration, and promotional opportunities to monitor the progress in long term basis. Appropriate tools for measuring development must also be put in place. Introduction of IT training to all the staff will be very effective and motivational to the employees of the London Cake Company Ltd (Asnoff 49). Government roles in terms of legislative and regulatory settings, monitoring and enforcing ethical policies The British government had formed a commission referred to as Equal Opportunities Commission. This commission is championing on unfair treatment of employees at the work place. The commission was formed in 1975 and is still active to date. In Wal-Mart, women on part-time employment are paid le ss by 38.4 percent as compared to men. Full time workers have a gap of 17.2 percent (Blaxill 19).This shows high level of inequality in Wal-Mart workplace. In the Wal-Mart Company, the government asked some of the independent bodies to investigate women harassment at the offices and even in the armed forces. In addition, around 30,000 workers lose their jobs in Wal-Mart because of being pregnant. Finally, many cases of sexual harassment and discrimination have been handed by the court system in the Wal-Mart. All these confirm that there is no equality in most of the working places (Boxall 23). Common Characteristics Retention and motivation of both the employees and workers can also be termed as HR effectiveness and measurement. Motivation and retention of personnel are â€Å"very difficult not only to the Wal-Mart Company, but also to the London Cake Company. It has become a general concern today† (Ansoff 74). In fact, the technological challenge affects both the human resou rces resources of both the Wal-Mart Company and the London Cake Company. This problem has really affected the management and treatment of the workers of these two multinational corporations. Technology is a very prominent item that can have either direct or indirect effect to any company. Technology provides better ways of management, when applied in the right way. It comes in various fields and specification required when dealing in any business transaction. Some computer software may develop technical problems and it only calls for an expert to correct. The company did not train all the employees and workers on computing issues. Only IT departments had the capacity. However, this was not crucial, as measures are underway to implement the policy that all the employees must be knowledgeable in basic computer skills. The purpose is to facilitate communication between the organization and the employees, which is crucial in solving conflicts on management and the treatment of the worke rs (Boselie 102). Conclusion In sum, it has been witnessed from the two multinational corporations, which have been analyzed above that they unfair treat both their workers and employees because they often practice gender inequality. This has been seen in the cases of both the Wal-Mart Company and the London Cake Company. These unfair practices in the employment set ups have prompted the British government to set up independent organizations to investigate the case of Wal-Mart Company. In fact, such unfair treatment of workers should be discouraged through strict laws and regulations so as to achieve success and growth among these two prominent multinational corporations. Blaxill, Mark, and Ralph Eckardt. The Invisible Edge: Taking your Strategy to the Next Level Using Intellectual property. London: Irvine Publishers, 2009. Print. Boselie, Peter. Strategic Human Resource Management: A Balanced Approach. Boston: McGraw Hill Higher Education Publishers, 2010. Print Boxall, Philip. Th e Oxford Handbook of Human Resource Management. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print. Drucker, Peter. The Age of Discontinuity. London: Heinemann Publishers, 2004. Print. Hamel, Gary. Leading the Revolution. New York, NY: Plume Publishers, 2002. Print. Handy, Charles. The Age of Unreason. London: Hutchinson Publishers, 1989. Print. Igor, Henry. Corporate Strategy. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Publishers, 1965. Print. Lamb, Robert. Competitive Strategic Management. New Jersey, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984. Print.