Project On Bajaj Auto Limited

November 14, 2009 Project On Bajaj Auto Limited Submitted by Team TiTanS -Amit Sheth -Anand Dube -Darshna Chande – Mrinal Kaul -Subrato Das -Vinay Chaudhary Page 1 of 23 1 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 Index 1. 0 Introduction 2. 0 PRODUCT PORTFOLIO. 2. 1 Product life cycle of the various products. 2. 2 A BCG Matrix of Various products. 3. 0 Key Brands – Top Three in terms of volume and revenue 3. 1 Bajaj Pulsar. 3. 2 RE (3 Wheeler). 3. 3 Discover. 4. 0 Positioning of the top three brands of the company. 4. 1 Pulsar. 4. 2 Discover. 4. Bajaj Auto (Commercial Vehicle). 5. 0 Competitors and the differentiation of each based on positioning. 5. 1 Pulsar key Competitors. 5. 2 Bajaj Auto Commercial Vehicles. 5. 3 Discover key Competitors.6. 0 Key marketing communications and the evolution of the same since 1995 7. 0 The Future. 7. 1 Recommendations. 8. 0 Graphs. 8. 1 Sales data of BAL and Industry Comparison. 8. 2 BAL in International Market. 8. 3 3 Year Projection for Comme rcial unit of BAL 8. 4 BAL projection for Domestic Sales 9. 0 References. Page 2 of 23 2 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 BAJAJ AUTO LTD 1. Introduction Bajaj Auto is India's largest and the world's 4th largest two and three-wheeler manufacturer. It is based in Pune, Maharashtra, with plants in Akurdi and Chakan (near Pune) and Waluj and Patnagar in Uttaranchal. Bajaj Auto produces and exports scooters, motorcycles and auto rickshaws. Over the last decade, the company has successfully changed its image from a scooter manufacturer to all round two wheeler manufacturer. Its product range encompasses scooters and motorcycles. Founded in 1926, at the height of India's movement for independence from the British, the group has an illustrious history.The integrity, dedication, resourcefulness and determination to succeed are characteristics of the group even today and can be traced back to its birth during those days of relentless devotion to a common cause. Jamnalal Bajaj, founder of the group, was a close confidant and disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. In fact, Gandhiji had adopted him as his son. This close relationship and his deep involvement in the independence movement did not leave Jamnalal Bajaj with much time to spend on his newly launched business venture.His son, Kamalnayan Bajaj, then 27, took over the reins of business in 1942. He too was close to Gandhiji and it was only after Independence in 1947, that he was able to give his full attention to the business. Its’ real growth in numbers has come in the last four years after successful introduction of a few models in the motorcycle segment. The company is headed by Rahul Bajaj who is worth more than US$1. 5 billion. Bajaj Auto came into existence on November 29, 1945 as M/s Bachraj Trading Corporation Private Limited. It started off by selling imported two and three-wheelers in India.In 1959, it obtained license from the Government of India to manufacture two and three-wheelers and it went public in 196 0. In 1970, it rolled out its 100,000th vehicle. In 1977, it managed to produce and sell 100,000 vehicles in a single financial year. In 1985, it started producing at Waluj in Aurangabad. In 1986, it managed to produce and sell 500,000 vehicles in a single financial year. In 1995, it rolled out its ten millionth vehicles and produced and sold 1 million vehicles in a year. Kamalnayan Bajaj not only consolidated the group, but also diversified into various manufacturing activities.The present Chairman of the group, Rahul Bajaj, took charge of the business in 1965. Under his leadership, the turnover of the Bajaj Auto the flagship company has gone up from Rs. 72 million to Rs. 46. 16 billion (USD 936 million), its product portfolio expanded and the brand has found a global market. He is one of India's most distinguished business leaders and internationally respected for his business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit. Page 3 of 23 3 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 2. 0 PRODUCT PORTFOLIO Product Portfolio Two Wheelers Three Wheelers Entry Level Mid Level PeformancePassenger Carrier Goods Carrier Platina 100cc & 125 cc DTSi Kristal DTSi XCD 135 cc DTSi Discover 100cc & 135 cc DTSi Pulsar 150, 180, 200 & 220 cc DTSi Avenger 200 DTSi RE-2 Stroke 2 Diesel & CNG RE – 4 Stroke Diesek & CNG GC MAx Diesel & CNG In 1972, it introduced Ba Bajaj Chetek. The company formed a joint venture with . Maharashtra Scooters in 1975. Bajaj Auto established Waluj production plant in Aurangabad, in 1985. In the following year, the company entered into the technical tie-up with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan to produce a range of two up Japan two-wheelers in India.The company signed agreements with Kubota, Japan for the development of diesel engines for three-wheelers, and with Tokyo research and development for un wheelers, ungeared Scooter and moped development, in 1995. In 1999, Bajaj Auto commenced the production at Chakan plant. The company introduced Bajaj Saffire in 2000. In the following year, Bajaj Auto launched Eliminator and Pulsar bikes. Bajaj Auto launched Bajaj Wind 125, Pulsar 150cc and 180cc sports styled bikes, in 2 180cc 2001. In the next year, Bajaj Auto launched Bajaj CT100 and Bajaj Discover DTS The company DTS-i. aunched Bajaj Discover, Bajaj Avenger DTS i, and Bajaj Wave DTS in 2005. In DTS-i, DTS-i, the following year, it launched Bajaj Platina. Bajaj Auto launched 200 cc Pulsar DT DTSi, and Bajaj Kristal DTS-i in February 2007. Bajaj Auto started a new plant at i Pantnagar, Uttarakhand in April 2007. In the following month, the company demerged to form three separate entities: Bajaj Auto (automobiles); Bajaj Holdings and Investment Limited (an investment company); and Bajaj Finserv Limited (wind ited power and financial services company).Bajaj Auto launched its ‘XCD 125 DTS DTS-Si', a 125cc motor bike in September 2007. In May 2008, Bajaj Auto, Renault and Nissan Corporation formed a joint-venture company to develop, produce a nd market the car ure code-named ULC with wholesale price range starting from $2500. The joint named joint-venture company would be 50% owned by Bajaj Auto, 25% by Renault and 25% by Nissan, and to construct the plant in Chakan (Maharashtra state) in India with an initial (Maharashtra planned capacity of 400,000 units per year. In February 2009, Bajaj launched XCD Page 4 of 23 4BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 135 cc DTSi. Bajaj Auto has a distribution network in 50 countries and presence in India, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Bangladesh, Mexico, Central America, Peru and Egypt. The company has global partnerships with the shipping lines of Maersk Sealand, P&O Nedloyd and APL. The company's subsidiaries include: Bajaj Auto International Holdings, a 100% Netherlands based subsidiary; and PT Bajaj Indonesia which assembles and markets Pulsars in Indonesia. 2. 1 Product life cycle of the various products is shown below.INTRODUCTION STAGE: Products like Discover 100 DTSi and Pulsar 220cc. GROWT H STAGE: Products like Discover 135 cc have a great potential to grow and become market leaders in their segment. MATURITY STAGE: Products like Bajaj Pulsar 150 ; 180cc are at their maturity stage. DECLINE STAGE: Bikes like Avenger, Platina, Pulsar 200 cc market have ready substitutes available resulting in lower demand and lower market share. 2. 2 A BCG MATRIX OF VARIOUS PRODUCTS ARE SHOWN BELOW STARS BAJAJ PULSAR SERIES DISCOVER 100cc COWS DISCOVER 125CC DISCOVER 135CC Page 5 of 23 5QUESTION MARK XCD 125CC PLATINA 100cc DOGS AVENGER KRYSTAL BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 3. 0 Key Brands – Top Three in terms of volume and revenue 1. Bajaj Pulsar 2. RE (3 wheeler) 3. Bajaj Discover 3. 1 Bajaj Pulsar It is a motorcycle brand owned by Bajaj Auto in India. It was developed by the product engineering division of Bajaj Auto in association with motorcycle designer Glynn Kerr, Tokyo R;D. Currently there are four variants available with engine capacities of 150cc, 180cc and two var iants with capacities of 220cc. More than a million units of Pulsar were sold by November 2005.Pulsar 200 variant was discontinued in July 2009. With monthly sales of more than 48,000 units in June 2009, Pulsar is the leader in the 150 cc + segment in India with a market share of 43%. The following is the sales data of Pulsar Brand for the last five months. Month Sales (Units) June 48062 July 49621 August September October 65000 55413 56000 3. 2 RE (3 Wheeler) The leading three wheeler manufacturers in India are Bajaj Auto, Mahindra ; Mahindra and the Italy-based Piaggio. In the three wheeler segment, the classification is broadly in terms of carriage and passenger vehicles.Since the former does have a very limited capacity to carry goods and is not preferred by many, the three wheeler manufacturers are more into the passenger three wheelers. Bajaj Auto has a range of models for passenger three wheelers namely RE 2S,RE 4S,RE 4S CNG,RE 4S LPG,RE Diesel and RE Diesel mega . Page 6 of 23 6 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 TVS Motor has recently entered the fray with its own model of a three wheeler and with the market recording an impressive 18% CAGR rate over the last fiscal, the three wheeler manufacturers still have plenty to laugh about. 3. . Discover The Bajaj Discover a motorcycle made by Bajaj Auto in Chakan, India, debuted in 2004. This is the second indigenous bike from Bajaj. During mid 2005, the Discover was made a single variant model. It was revamped with new graphics, and other features like sns(spring in spring) suspension, self-start, etc. The Bajaj Discover has been the highest selling 125 cc bike in India since the day of its inception and has proven to be a very popular executive commuter. 135cc model has recently released which features a front disk brake, auto-start and black alloy wheels.The following are the sales figure for the last two months for Bajaj Discover. Month Sales (Units) September 94000 October 95139 4. 0 Positioning of the top three brands of the company 4. 1 Pulsar Pulsar was launched in direct competition to the Hero Honda's ‘CBZ' model in 150 cc plus segment. The campaign bore innovative punch line of â€Å"Definitely Male† positioning Pulsar to be a masculine-looking model with an appeal to the performance sensitive customers. The Pulsar went one step ahead of Hero Honda's ‘CBZ' and launched a twin variant of Pulsar with the 180 cc model.The model was a great success and has already crossed 1 million mark in sales. The Big Idea was to position the bike as World's first bike endowed with a gender. Page 7 of 23 7 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 Pulsar changed its tagline to â€Å"The Fastest Indian† for its 220cc bike. After dumping the â€Å"Definitely Male† tagline, Pulsar advertisements never were a thriller. The product qualities made the brand a huge success. The new ad and new tagline gives a remarkable boost to this brand. It is very wise for the brand to own th e highest superlative.Pulsar has owned the â€Å"Fastest† superlative, which means another brand cannot be faster than the fastest. This is a powerful positioning strategy adopted by the brand. Pulsar has become synonymous with Bajaj. It single handedly brought Bajaj from a state where it was thought that it would be sold or it was running for family prestige. Pulsar Mania was supposed to be the answer to MTV hero Honda roadies which had become synonymous plus a huge success between the youth. Target Audience Bajaj targeted the 18-24 with Pulsar but later found that the brand appealed to a much older audience.This helped Bajaj to change its target audience to 21-35 years 4. 2 Discover Pulsar helped Bajaj to establish itself as a serious player in the Indian motorcycle market. Bajaj had failures in establishing its presence in the executive segment where Hero Honda's Splendour rules. Hence Bajaj launched Discover DTSI with Page 8 of 23 8 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 much f anfare. The brand ambassador was none less than the legendary Jackie Chan. Things were perfect for a bestseller. But had Discover delivered? Still, No.This was partly because Bajaj was still struggling with the positioning of its brand. The same mistake was done with Calibre. Bajaj was trying to sell Discover by its looks. But then the new commercial suggested something else. The new commercial with a Harry Potter look alike was well executed but had no marketing significance. What was being communicated to the customer? Just like the Hoodibaba campaign involving cartoon characters which actually killed the product, Discover campaigns was based on fantasy. Positioning has to be realistic and hould differentiate the product from its competitors. That is the theory and it works also. So, Bajaj decided that the platform at which Discover is going to be placed is going to be sold as both stylish and performance bike. This bike is the perfect choice for the people with average height as people with more six feet of height may face some difficulty in adjusting their knee position on the tank. Otherwise, this bike offers the great comfort and handling due to its well placed seat and handles. It offers a good mileage of 70-80 kmpl. Therefore it is positioned as a fuel efficient bike.Also, Bajaj wanted to make this bike for masses, so it launched Discover in different variants of 100cc, 125cc, and 135cc. Next year Bajaj is also planning to launch the Page 9 of 23 9 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 bike in 150 cc to cater the needs of the power hungry people who can’t afford Pulsar. So overall Bajaj is trying to position Discover as a bike for each segment of people. 4. 3 Bajaj Auto (3-Wheeler) Talk of passenger vehicle, and first thing that comes to mind is Bajaj Auto. It is very popular throughout India, and people use them in quite frequently as daily means of transport.Bajaj in auto rickshaws, is already the global market leader. In the domestic market of app roximately 6 million motorcycles annually. Bajaj Auto launches eco-friendly auto rickshaw the vehicle incorporates the latest Gasoline Technology – the Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engine, to achieve substantially lower emissions than even alternative clean fuels like Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Combusted Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles 5. 0 Competitors and the differentiation of each based on positioning 5. 1 Pulsar Key Competitors: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Apache CBZ Hunk Karizma Pulsar is the Flagship brand of Bajaj.It has been the great success story of modern Bajaj from â€Å"Hamara Bajaj â€Å" to â€Å" Distinctly Ahead â€Å" . The basic differentiation strategy, loaded with the first movers’ advantage, was the technological edge it had over others (Using a patented technology). It mixed performance with killer looks, unlike any of its predecessors was targeted to capture the minds of youth which it did with great success. It was the first bike w hich took India towards full auto-ignition and power bikes. Every now and then it comes with something new and innovative and no doubt Bajaj bikes have mass appeal as well.TVS: With its presence in 160 cc and 180 cc market it is the most potent threat to Pulsar, but erratic nature of TVS motors may pull it down in the longer run. Honda / Hero Honda: The real first mover in 150 cc segment, with CBZ has been the traditional rival, has always been there but has never been really able to really challenge pulsars supremacy. It has launched Hunk and Karizma but never lived up Page 10 of 23 10 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 to the expectations because of its steep price as against the brand of Pulsar that has a presence across all the segments (150, 180, 200, 220) ranging from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 80,000. 5. 2 Bajaj Auto Commercial Vehicles: Key Competitors: †¢ Mahindra and Mahindra †¢ Piaggio In the three wheeler segment, the classification is broadly in terms of carriage and pass enger vehicles. Since the former does have a very limited capacity to carry goods and is not preferred by many, the three wheeler manufacturers are more into the passenger three wheelers. Bajaj Auto has a range of models for passenger three wheelers namely RE 2S, RE 4S, RE 4S CNG, RE 4S LPG, RE Diesel and RE Diesel Mega while its existing carriage three wheeler is called GC 1000.It has enjoyed monopoly in this market. In this segment it achieved differentiation on basis of trust and reliability from its competitors; moreover it had a huge first movers’ advantage. The basic customers for this product are low end business men. Mahindra ; Mahindra has got the Champion range of three wheelers. There are Champion pick up and Champion delivery vans while the Champion Passenger carrier is mostly seen in the western parts of the country. The Alfa three wheeler carriages of the M;M has a wide and tall cabin, heavy duty gear box, unique designed chassis and hydraulic shock absorbers.Th e Italian auto major Piaggio manufactures Ape 50 in association with Bajaj Auto at Pune with a 150cc engine. This three-wheeler has different body forms and matches the specifications of various countries wherever it is produced. TVS Motor has recently entered the fray with its own model of a three wheeler and with the market recording an impressive 18% CAGR rate over the last fiscal. 5. 3 Discover Key Competitors: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Ambition ( Hero Honda ) Splendor CD Dawn Star City Page 11 of 23 11 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 The Discovers as of now seems to enjoy a bull run in the market as there is no visible completion from anyone.It beats its competition on both looks as well as power; in fact it doesn’t have any direct completion in 135 cc segment. The target customer for this bike is the middle aged middle class who are looking for a bike with a bit of looks a bit of power, a bit of economy as well as an affordable price. 6. 0 Key marketing communica tions and the evolution of the same since 1995. Bajaj was the undisputed ruler of the Indian 2-wheeler market . It continued its domination in through the 1980 into mid 1990’s. Then the tagline used to be â€Å"HAMARA BAJAJ â€Å".This brand image was employed to instil a patriotic fervour in the minds of the middle classed dominated Indian society. With this campaign they tried to reach the masses, which had dreams and aspirations to become big. â€Å"Hamara Bajaj† †¦. Became a household jingle and Bajaj marched to become the leading two wheeler manufacturer in the absence of any significant completion. During this phase Bajaj had a monopoly over the scooter market with its flagship brand Chetak. But by the beginning of 1990 things started to change; new players were entering the market in JV with the local entities.New and advanced technology was now available. Honda aligned with Kinetic and Hero group of Munjals while Suzuki partnered with TVS. Hamara Bajaj w as facing the brunt without any partners and new technology to harbour them. They were continuously focusing on continuous reduction of production cost, thus overlooking the threat of new entrants consequently their market share kept on declining. Page 12 of 23 12 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 Declining market Share of Bajaj The biggest problem faced by the Bajaj was that it was losing the scooter market. People were no longer interested in scooters as the market was looded with many new models and variants. Honda was gaining momentum in the Indian market. By 1998 Bajaj was looking right down the barrel. They were facing a tough choice â€Å"To replace a legend is never easy. To replace a legend when the legacy needs a major overhaul is even more difficultâ€Å", but desperate situations call for desperate measures, Bajaj auto decided to go big time into motorcycles and do away with its flagship brand of Chetak. During this passage they launched several products †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Boxer Caliber Wind 115 Saffair Legend Page 13 of 23 13 BAJAJ AUTO LTDNovember 14, 2009 But somehow they all failed to capture the target market. Ever since losing its leadership position, Bajaj Auto Limited (BAL) was trying out new strategies including use of new technology and new marketing communication campaigns. For instance, in the early 2000s it started focusing more on the motorcycle market with new product launches, complemented by new communication campaigns to inject vibrancy into the Bajaj brand. The ad spots launched in late 2001 showed ‘slice of life' situations of â€Å"new age â€Å"India. . Porter’s 5 Forces for Bajaj during 1990’sBy now Bajaj had come a long way from Hamara Baja to its latest message, trying to capture the new India, the young India, the fast paced India, and The ever changing India. With this intention Bajaj made a last effort re-launch itself, repositioning the Hamara Bajaj in the minds of the young v ibrant India. Page 14 of 23 14 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 But it failed to gel in the market. The Bajaj was dying. Its JV with Kawasaki was falling apart and the killer blow came from Hero Honda CBZ in 1999. First time in its lifetime the market share of Bajaj went below 40%.The Change in the Brand message of Bajaj From Hamara Bajaj they transformed to Inspiring Confidence, thus trying to emphasize on the fact they are such an old name in the market and their name inspires confidence. But unfortunately this did not work for them and within two years they again changed their tagline to Distinctly Ahead. This time around they emphasized on the fact that they had better technology than anybody else in the market. And it worked. For that they went for a complete overhaul. Page 15 of 23 15 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009Bajaj logo : Brand transformation They underwent a complete change in the brand image; they changed their logo, which was done in 2004. The reason behind Bajaj cha nging its logo was that people used to associate Bajaj with its old image of â€Å"Hamara Bajaj† and carrying that image Bajaj was not able to communicate its message that effectively to the youth who is its major target customer now as the market for the scooters is almost over and 80% of the 2-wheeler market is covered by bikes. The new logo flying B as it has been named represents style and technology.It connotes speed and open for denotes transparency. Today Bajaj is known with â€Å"Distinctively Ahead â€Å". The recent ad campaigns for Bajaj are associated with stunts and modern gizmos. The concept of Definitely Male was well accepted by the people and Bajaj came out with some astonishing ads. Though the DTSi technology was new, people accepted it very well. It easily conveyed the message it wanted to. The following picture strips conveys the advertisement: Getting on to his bike, a man gets all set to make a move. As he puts his helmet on, a message appears on the w indshield,While the biker cruises through the city, some army men are out for their jog. Just before they cross a road, a zebra crossing forms ahead them and disappears after them, while the biker waits patiently. Page 16 of 23 16 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 A young lady talks to her beau on the phone, while an image of his forms before her. She switches the phone off and the image disappears, in time for her to catch a glimpse of the bike. Riding on, he spots a child playing with a remote controlled toy. In the next shot the toy turns out to be a roller coaster, with children inside enjoying the ride.On arriving home, the biker is greeted by a As he takes off his helmet everything turns robotic dog. back to it's usual self. MVO: â€Å"Imagine a world as advanced as the new Pulsar DTSi†¦ After these ads were successful, Bajaj came out with a second ad wherein a man is shown performing various stunts on his DTSi Pulsar. Even this one was an outstanding one. . The Latest Pu lsar Campaign Page 17 of 23 17 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 DTSi came out to be a good one with proper publicity advertisements and that too without any highly paid brand ambassadors.Unlike its rivals who have highly paid actors or cricket stars as their brand ambassador. 7. 0 The Future Although the avalanche of motorcycles offered Indian consumers a wide variety of models to choose from, it also resulted in increased pressure on the companies to concentrate on cost-cuts, technology enhancements, upgrades and styling. Their margins came under pressure as marketing costs escalated. The companies were forced to reduce prices and offer discounts to survive the competition. Moreover, analysts were skeptical about the segment's ability to maintain the growth rate in the years to come.One of the major assumptions underlying the motorcycles rush was that if the market was considerably large and was growing at a constant pace, there was room for a profitable existence for all brands. I n 2001, there were over 30 motorcycle brands in the market. However, with the top five brands accounting for more than 60% of the market, only 40% of the market was available for all other new brands put together. Despite the launch of more vehicles, the survival prospects of many of the individual brands were deemed to be rather bleak. Page 18 of 23 18 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 SWOT Analysis for Bajaj AutoFurther, the growth in the motorcycle segment was dependant on continuing favorable market conditions. Analysts claimed that to sustain this growth rate, the segment would have to completely cannibalize the market for scooters and a considerable part of the market for scooterettes and mopeds. Considering the fast growing scooters segment, with high demand from female customers, followed by the moderately growing moped segment and the restructuring in the scooter segment with major national and foreign players reinforcing their presence, it was unlikely that the entire growt h in the two-wheeler sector would be due to motorcycles.Analysts also commented that as the two-wheeler industry had grown steadily for eight years, stages in the product life cycle would apply to the field sooner, rather than later and the decline stage would invariably come some day. There was little differentiation between the brands being launched apart from styling as most companies had introduced their four-stroke vehicles. Focus on High Margin Products: Around 50% of the two-wheeler consumers buy high quality products (products of executive and premium segment motorcycles). Margins on these products are higher. Page 19 of 23 19 BAJAJ AUTO LTDNovember 14, 2009 BAL should adopt a deliberate strategy of focusing on executive and premium segment motorcycles and three-wheelers, and a couple of brands on lower-end of motorcycles (to grab the market share) and scooters segment. High margin products – Pulsar, Discover, Three-wheelers, Avenger. Low margin products – Plat ina, Scooters, Mopeds. Second Hand Market: Second hand market in 2-wheeler is one of the most un-tapped market without any competitor. BAL must try and establish a unit dealing with the sales of Second Hand Vehicle something on the lines of Maruti True value and Mahindra First.Car Market: With the launch of the low budget car it can capitalize this market as there are not many players in this market and they already have the network and the knowhow of the elements of the local market as well as the technology (from its foreign partners). 7. 1 Recommendations: Below are the recommendations: †¢ Company should keep focusing on the fast growing motorcycle segment. †¢ In view of the new threat posed by Honda Motors in the scooter segment, the company needs to review its products line-up and launch new products to cater the changed demand. The company needs to take a look at its ungeared scooter offerings and need to adapt to the latest trends(compete with models like Honda Acti va) †¢ The company needs to tap the export market more efficiently as there is a huge potential to make India as the world's two-wheelers production base. For this, it needs to look for joint ventures abroad. †¢ Look to expand their base outside further. It already has a strong presence in Africa and other South Asian Countries. †¢ It needs to target the young age group more effectively as this group is extremely trend savvy.The advertising should have a fresh look and the product should live up to the Gen-X's expectations †¢ Focus on Easy Credit Lending – In the present economical crisis, Bajaj can utilize its subsidiary, Bajaj insurance in coming up with schemes that will help consumers buy two wheelers on friendly terms. †¢ BAL needs to scale up its service centers both in numbers and in capacity. Keeping in line with its growth target for the next 5 years, its service centers should not only cater to two wheelers but should also be upgraded to cat er to the needs of four wheelers that Bajaj plans to launch.Page 20 of 23 20 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 8. 0 Graphs 8. 1 Sales data of BAL and Industry Comparison. 8. 2 BAL in International Market Page 21 of 23 21 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 8. 3 : 3 Year Projection for Commercial unit of BAL 9. 1 BAL projection for Domestic Sales Page 22 of 23 22 BAJAJ AUTO LTD November 14, 2009 9. 0 References. Marketing Management by Philip Kotler & Kevin L Keller www. wikipedia. com www. Bajajauto. com www. howstuffworks. com www. bikeadvice. in BAL Annual Report www. youtube. com Page 23 of 23 23

Megan Fox

Writing is one of the greatest forms of creativity, allowing you to express your opinion and voice on anything you feel or any knowledge you want to share. It is also a vital learning skill to have in the workforce, as your writing skills can be reflected upon the way you communicate and present yourself. Everyone's different writing style shows their personality, allowing you to have an understanding of what the person is really like through their own words on paper. For me, I've always considered writing to be one of my favorite subjects throughout my years of school. My interest sparked at a young age when I started reading books at school, and decided to take it upon myself to write my own stories. I'd spend hours at home creating different short stories and hoped that someday I'd get them published, which of course didn't happen, but it made me realize that writing was something I really appreciate. I loved the freedom of it and being able to write down exactly what was on my mind, so that I'd never forget a certain thought, idea, or story in my head that I wanted to remember. Later on, I discovered I also enjoy writing when it is based on a certain topic, such as research papers on a particular historic figure, or research findings and my thoughts on an issue or topic. I like becoming more knowledgeable on a subject as it can provide you with information on things you never knew about, but find very fascinating. A few times in high school, for example, I remember having to do a couple of 8-10 page research papers that I absolutely dreaded, but when I was done I felt a sense of accomplishment and was happy to have learned something new. As of now, I look forward to improving my writing skills through further studying and practice. I believe writing is a crucial method of communication that you will need to be successful in whatever career you choose. Often, the methods of communication used include email, letters, and reports, all of which require adequate writing skills that you will need to make yourself look professional for your chosen career. I believe writing also improves your speech by being able to articulate your opinions clearly and concisely, as well as widening your vocabularly by coming up with new ways to say what you want to say. My main goal in becoming a better writer is to be able to come up with creative ideas and develop insight on things that I never knew. I want to be able to broaden my mind further and bring this new information with me throughout my life.

Asian philosphy reflection Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Asian philosphy reflection - Article Example These limbs are referred to as the Dharana, which implies the practice of turning the attention of the mind to a particular point, item or object. Patanjali explains that, this custom is meditative and can only be attempted after perfecting asana, pranayama and pratyahara (PatanÃŒÆ'jali & Ranganathan, 2009). According to Patanjali, Dharana, does not represent an end in itself, however, it acts as a preparation stage, which leads to other meditative feats, particularly the dhyana, which is described as an incredibly advanced stage of meditation that cannot be contrasted with ordinary prayer. On equal measure, the book gives an image of the benefits of justification for meditation of a spiritual character, which includes allowing the yogis to comprehend themselves. On a similar note, the book gives a picture on the three aspects that explains the â€Å"perfect constraint of the mind†. These aspects include concentration, reflection of profound spiritual character and liberating state of absorption (Samadhi) (PatanÃŒÆ'jali & Ranganathan, 2009). Another aspect evident in this book is the process of that an aspirant takes from dharanja to dhyana and then to Samadhi. This process is summed as the Samyama, which implies the perfect constraint of the mind. The primary significance of Samyama that is repeatedly referred in this book is its ability to lead to the luminescence of wisdom. We learn that this process occurs in a progression trend (PatanÃŒÆ'jali & Ranganathan, 2009). On the closing pages, Patanjali succeeds to offer an alternative but systematic philosophy of understanding how soteriological freedom from disturbances of the mind is similar with moral freedom to live in accordance to one’s uppermost responsibility, which is attributed to the normative theory of the social

An ESP Program for Business English in Speaking and Writing Essay - 1

An ESP Program for Business English in Speaking and Writing - Essay Example The requirements for business take a different precedence over other forms of speaking, specifically because the communication levels change the approach to a given job and the way in which many perceive a specific condition. Ensuring that the business English is spoken and written in a form which can easily communicate a message also provides different options for individuals to build into a future career with strong business communication skills. This paper will explore a curriculum which can be used for ESP for business speaking and writing. 1.1. Background Information   The English that is required within a given setting is one which is based on the work, environment and expectations within the given classroom. The field of work which one moves into and the ability to speak in everyday situations is one which is required to further one’s career and the perceptions which they have in society. Traditionally, individuals with lower English speaking skills have been unable t o move into and maintain a specific career field. The lack of communication and inability to perceive the ideologies that are associated with a given field creates gaps that relate to the environment. The gap that is in the work force has led to pedagogical strategies that are not only based on those who don’t speak English as a first language but also is built with those who are expected to move into the career field of business (Belcher, 2006). The need to have a pedagogical program for anyone that is moving into the business field is one which also links to the current understanding of how communication changes the environment in business. If the communication isn’t perceived at a specific level then it can lead to gaps that are within the organization. The first evaluation which business individuals will look at is the ability to communicate effectively as well as the understanding that the level of writing and speaking needs to be clear. The clarity is based on sp ecific business terms which are associated with the business majors and how they work in the specific field. This is combined with the views of those who have English as a second language and which note that without the proper use of English speaking and writing for business, there is the inability to further one’s career. This is based specifically on the organizational implications that are associated with the business environment (Bacha, 2008). 1.2. Preview of Key Points   The ability to create a specific relationship to the business and English speaking field is one which is dependent on creating an overall understanding of how individuals need to communicate within a specific environment. The key points which need to be looked into with the business writing and speaking include the following: - General terminology and associations that are a part of speaking English. - Ways communication is used in business - Expectations for business writing and communication - How co mmunication changes between organizational environments - Use of communication with co-workers, managers, etc. - How to write specific ideologies to others within a business for stronger influences and an understanding of the organizational environment 2.0 Critical Analysis of Curriculum Development 2.1. Needs Analysis The development of a curriculum for ESP in business writing and speaking is one which is not completely analyzed or understood. The development of this application began after the 1950s when English was diffused at an international

Cloud Client Computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cloud Client Computing - Essay Example The most common mistakes that are made are: ordering too much computing power, no shutting down the software in off hours, not using monitoring tools to keep tabs on cycles, and not telling programmers about the costs. Companies such as Netflix have written software that automatically shuts the system down during off-peak hours, but many companies who are not as large in size do not have the means to do this. When these things are not done, the costs of cloud computing soar making the idea of the cloud not as cost beneficial as previously thought. Still, the cloud market is expected to grow 23% a year through 2017. In the world, there are more than 2 billion devices connected to Internet and majority of them are smartphones. CEOs must think every change in technology to keep their firms in the business. CEO if Parkmobile, Cherie Fuzzell states that they can’t rely on their current app or services, technology changes every day and they should keep considering all the changes, otherwise they won’t survive in the business. IBM has decided to invest in faster-growth segments such as cloud, analytics, mobile, social and security technologies. Those businesses generated $25 billion in revenue last year, or 27% of total revenue, though the trend line has been rising for both figures. The $4 billion spending has set a new financial target for those faster-growth segments: $40 billion in combined annual revenue by 2018, or more than 40% of the company’s expected total revenue. The trend is Cloud/Client Computing. It describes concentrating on cloud and mobile computing with the aim of promoting the development of applications that are centrally coordinated and thus be delivered to any device. The first article by Boulton talks of the wastes that are associated with cloud computing. The second one by an anonymous writer is about the mobile devices that are connected to a cloud and the third one.

Beloved by Toni Morrison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Beloved by Toni Morrison - Essay Example It is then left up to them to put the pieces together. The use of the juxtaposition approach of the present and past fulfill that purpose of reinforcing the idea that the past continues to exist in the present. The fact that Morrison is putting the story in fragments, puts the story into one piece that is inseparable . He forces his reader to put the pieces back together. He puts them in a position where they are forced to think of the pieces. The readers are also further forced to think and consider the worth of each piece. When it comes to the style that has been used in the novel, Morrison’s artistry is considered to be nothing but breathe taking. Beloved is a novel that is very complex, and the plot is mainly told by use of flashbacks, which incorporates stories that retold in different perspectives. The novel has a loose structure that was intentionally assigned to it. The plot does not flow in a straight line. The plot meanders, with several flashbacks though forty year since the time when Sethe was born in the year 1835, till when the novel comes to an end in 1875. The plot of the novel revolves around 1873. With the arrival of Paul D in 124 Bluestone , a number of flashbacks come into play. The reason for this is the fact that Paul D and Sethe constantly tend to dwell on a number of issues about their lives. Although the setting of the novel is in 124 Bluestone, the flash backs take the reader to a number of locations, with the inclusion of Kentucky, where Hale, Sethe and Paul D were slaves on a plantation that was known as sweet home plantation. The story goes as far as to the Ohio river, which serves as a line of demarcation between states of slaves, the free states in addition to the place that Denver was born. The flash backs go as far as Delaware, where a weaver woman lived with Paul D for a number of years. Back to the clearing, where the preaching of Baby Suggs was done to the black people, to encourage them to develop a love for themselve s, and finally to the lands that were outside sweet home, which is where Paul D and Sixo were captured, and sadly where Sixo met his end and was burnt. The flashbacks are mainly a means of storytelling, which is also a means for the slaves to be able to cope with some of their repressed memories of the past. As the characters remember their stories, it gives the novel a different twist. At the end of the novel, all the pieces fit together. The structure of the novel is a compound of ever-changing perspectives. All the characters, with the inclusion of the dead ones and those that are half alive, have a section of the story in which they tell. At one instance, Paul D and Sethe share flashbacks that are eventually combined into one, (chapter two). There is also an instance in which the point of view transitions gently between four of the characters who are white. Their conversation is a revelation of how some people may view slaves as nothing other than tamed animals. The variance in the various perspectives creates a tapestry of interesting individuals, who are linked with the present and the past, into forming a community. Another perfect example is the instance in which Paul D and Sethe give their narration of the experience of the corn field. Another instance is made the four men on horses when to Sethe. The use of this mechanism dares to challenge the idea of the singularity, which presents history in an objective manner. Perhaps

Motivation and Teams Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Motivation and Teams Case Study - Essay Example Abraham Maslow argued that unsatisfied needs motivate employees to meet their needs in order to feel satisfied. The various needs include physiological needs (bonuses), security needs (job security), belongingness needs (group cohesiveness), esteem needs (promotion to senior positions), and self-actualization needs (responsibility for profitability (Fargus, 2000). After satisfaction of the physiological needs, the employee’s demand moves to security until the next higher level. For example, an employee satisfies his physiological needs such as water, food, and clothing. After the satisfaction is met, the employee feels motivated and proceeds to satisfy the next needs. Expectancy theory explains that work motivation is a function of an employee’s belief. The managers encourage employees to believe that if they sacrifice and work hard, they will succeed. For example, an office messenger believes that he will receive reward if he performs, which is fuelled by the belief th at working hard leads to high job performance (Fargus, 2000). Goal setting theory illustrates that managers should establish goals for their employee’s, which will find use in assessing their performance. For instance, a manager who tells his staff that they have two weeks to finish processing some work motivates the employees to work harder before the expiry of that date in order to attain their objectives. Equity theory argues that employees are motivated to achieve goals after believing that they will remain rewarded fairly for their efforts. For example, two personnel working together perform effectively when their salary output is similar. Job enrichment theory illustrates that the best way to motivate employees is to raise their responsibility over the way they function (Fargus, 2000). For instance, a subordinate staff having several responsibilities has great autonomy; hence, feeling satisfied. Finally, management

Creating a Competitive Strategy for a Discount Retailer (MKT 100) Essay

Creating a Competitive Strategy for a Discount Retailer (MKT 100) - Essay Example This has induced a lot of involvement and commitment from the managers of the stores. CanadaCo stores offer significantly higher level of customer service due to the reason mentioned above. The stores are cleaner, more attractive and better stocked. This has resulted in higher per store sales when compared to the competition and has lead to higher revenue and market share. Though CanadaCo has a wider variety of products, the product mix is similar to that of the competition. CanadaCo can expand the number of product categories and also include a number of varieties for each category. The SWOT analysis has given a clear picture of the current position of CanadaCo and also the potential challenges it has to face in the future due to the recent course of events. It is clear that UsCo is a big threat to CanadaCo as it has a larger infrastructure in terms of man power and number of stores. Moreover, the stores are centrally managed and hence, UsCo’s initial aim will be to gain a considerable market share in a short span by cutting down the profits. It is evident from UsCo’s approach in the United States, that it gives greater importance to market share. It has expanded rapidly by focussing on gaining consumer trust. UsCo also gives great importance to brand image and positioning, as the cheapest supplier of consumer goods. The pricing policy of UsCo has been set to meet the requirements of the target consumers. It is a well known fact that acquiring a new customer is about six times costlier than retaining an existing customer (Jobber, 2004). Hence CanadaCo can take initiatives to retain the existing customer base. This can be done by the introduction of Customer Loyalty schemes. As it is evident that UsCo will take initiatives in the future to expand its market share in Canada, CanadaCo should effectively counteract this by being the first mover in

Supermarket database-computer coursework Essay Example for Free

Supermarket database-computer coursework Essay Introduction There are many supermarkets around us, but there do you know how it works. In this coursework. , we will anyalsis the problem of the old supermarket system and how to solve this problem. Besides, in this coursework, it will introduce a new supermarket system, introduce its advantage, how to set up, how to use it and what is its advantages. Old supermarket system Disadvantage: piles of papers are used to keep the records it is hard to back up the records, if you really do so, the cost of the ink and the papers can make you bankrupt the payments are calculated by men, if your mathematics is poor, you will bankrupt again you need to spend nights after nights to turn the pages by your hands in order to search the data of the customers and supplier snail mail is used, which means time and money is wasted your customers cannot immediately get the most update news of your product, simply the million-dollar contract will fly to other companies the piles of paper wont remind you when your product is expired, you need to search through the papers it is not easy to comunicate to your branch stores. Many workers are needed to check the store Solution of the problem To solve the problem in the old supermarket system,setup up a database system that would control local store inventory, and cover the ordering of stock from the customers. Advantages of the new system Digital record is used. Millions of information are stored in a 6-inch hard-dish. The records can be backed up inside a DVD or a hard dish drive. the payments are calculated by computer, which decreases the human error In order to search the data of the customers and supplier, you simply need to type the name, or tel. number. email is used, your customers can get the most update news of your product, at once the computer will remind you when your product is expired, so you can make preparations you can communicate the computer form one branch store to another. Information can be transferred immediately computer can do most of the jobs. Less workers are employed Old system Computer system Space needed to keep the records more Much less Back up Very difficult Very easy error High possibility Low possibility Search data Very complicated Very convenient mail Slow and expensive Quick and free Check expired stock By hand automatically Communication Slow and inconvenient Quick and easy Number of employees more less Requirement of the system. It is consider that the supermarket has original system which has only one computer with the following equirement. Working system Windows 2000, standard edition Processor Pentium III 733Mhz, RAM 256MB recommended Drive space 20GB Video 32MB shared ram In order to reach the requirement of the new system, the computers need to replace new ones and connected as the following instructions. Requirement of the server. Working system Windows server 2003, standard edition Processor Pentium 4 3. 0Ghz, 550+ MHz recommended RAM 1024MB/1G recommended Drive space 250GB Video 128MB shared ram or better This computer is highly security. It needed the voice check and the password of the three highest manager to open the report of the profit and also to open the economy condition of the supermarket. Besides, the server is connected to a internet server with domain name. This is because this can convenient the customers to shopping or order products from the internet. Requirement of the other computers The other four computres is used to save data. They should have the following requirement. Working system Windows XP, Professional Processor Pentium 4 3. 0Ghz, 550+ MHz recommended RAM 512 MB recommended Drive space 80 GB Video 128MB shared ram or better. Software of the programme The supermarket can use Microsoft Access or Visual Basic The advantages of using MS Access are: Â  It is a relational database, which makes the data management easier. Â  It integrates easily with other Microsoft packages such as Word and Excel. Â  It is inexpensive. Â  It is a flexible product that cab be used for all kinds of databases. Â  It can be used to build extensive database applications. Â  All the information is held in one place and the information only needs to be updated once. Â  It can retrieve and update information quickly and easily. Â  Reports, standard letters can be easily produced. Backup and archiving is easy. The disadvantages of using MS Access are: Â  It lacks in high volume capacity. It is limited to a low transaction rate. It can bring down the entire servers if it is not used properly. The advantages of using Visual Basic are: It provides a user-friendly interface. The modular structure in visual basic program helps the programmer to develop a large program without knowing all the variables and their relationships. Â  It is provided by an integrate development environment that helps the programmer in debugging syntax errors. The disadvantages of using Visual Basic are:Â  It is limited in the kind of application that visual basic can code.

Burger King HR Essay Example for Free

Burger King HR Essay Burger King is a Fast food restaurant first opened on December 4th 1945 in Miami, Florida by two gentlemen James McLamore and David Edgerton. However the first Burger King was not known as we know it today as it was firstly launched as Insta Burger King. Although it started off as a simple fast food service it is now a large international chain of fast food restaurants. To this day there are now more than 11,200 restaurants in 91 countries worldwide. Up until 1989 Burger Kings biggest competition was Wimpy until they were bought out by the largely growing Burger King. At present, Burger King is a major franchise across the world, also owning over two hundred Hungry Jacks restaurants across Australia. With over fifty years of experience Burger has vastly grown in the Fast food Industry and dominates a large market share along with other Fast Food restaurants such as McDonalds and KFC. Roles and Responsibilities In this section I am going to explore the different roles and responsibilities of the different positions available in Burger King. Roles and Responsibilities of a Manager A manager runs the business on a day-to-day basis and is responsible for specific tasks such as organising resources for the business. A Burger King Manager ensures Burger King runs smoothly and that employees are working well through monitoring their work and motivation. There are five key business areas that Burger King believe their managers need to focus on in order for their restaurants to be run efficiently and achieve high standards. These are: * Operations: Delivering top quality products and restaurant cleanliness * Financial Control: Maximising profits, controlling cash * People Management: Driving results through people; providing development training * Sales Building: Maximising sales at every opportunity * Customer Service: Delivering the Customer Promise 1 Burger King looks for people with passion for their work. Some of the key things Burger King looks for in their managers are: * Outstanding customer service * Great communication skills * Energy, enthusiasm and a hands-on approach * Ability to thrive in a team build working relationships * Responsible flexible 2 * The ability to problem solve Roles and Responsibilities of a Supervisor A supervisor has the power to give instructions, administer disciplinaries and is responsible for the work and conduct of other employees For Burger King supervisors this ensures employees are monitored and that Burger King runs smoothly. A supervisor is usually the first step away from management and can be promoted to management easily. However a supervisor does not have the authority to hire fire employees or the authority over budget. The role of supervisors at Burger King is to promote excellent customer service and that all brand standards are reached. They have to have the ability to motivate their workers and encourage team work especially at busy times throughout the day. Also a Burger King supervisor would need to carry out the instructions of managers and ensure that employees are working well and completing all tasks to the highest standards but in the quickest time possible. When talking to a Burger King employee he spoke about the five minute rule. This means that all food order had to be done in the period of five minutes otherwise a refund could be requested. This benefits burger king as it keeps the waiting time down to a minimum of 5 minutes and keeps the customers flowing in and out of the restaurants. Supervisors need to ensure that this rule is being met through motivation of workers so that profits are not lost. Roles and Responsibilities of an Employee An employee tends to complete the main day-to-day tasks of a business. Employees can either be working full time or part time. Full time workers usually work more than 40 hours a week and get certain benefits such as health insurance and a higher wage. Part time workers usually work less than 40 hours a week and get paid less than that of full time workers. Many people who work part time tend to do other activities during the week such as other jobs or higher education. Whether being a full time or part time employee both should receive the same benefits such as receiving same pay per hour and health plan. Burger King employees tend to do a variety of tasks such as serving customers, working in the kitchens and operating the tills. Employees of Burger King who operate the tills and take orders need to ensure they present themselves in a respectable way and are friendly and helpful as they will be interacting with customers on a daily basis. This helps Burger King to uphold their well known brand and business for themselves as they need to ensure that it is portrayed in the right way. Qualities for Burger King For every position in Burger King there are qualities that you will need to suit it. In this section Im going to explore the different qualities needed for the positions at Burger King. Qualities needed for a Manager To be a successful manager at Burger King you need to ensure that you are adaptable in all situations and have initiative needed to deal with tricky situations. Burger King looks for managers who have good communication skills and customer relations as they will be working with customers daily. Managers need to make sure that employees are enthusiastic and have energy as theyll be dealing with main aspects of the fast food restaurant such as cleanliness and the production of top quality products. Qualities needed for a Supervisor Burger King looks for commitment and responsibility in their supervisors. This is because they need to be there to supervise their employees to ensure that they are working well. Also make sure that all resources are available so that employees have the materials they need in order to work. Also a supervisor needs the confidence to be the voice of the employees and voice any worries to the manager so that customers do not bombard Burger King. Also, they need to be respectful and courteous when handling situations and motivating the employees as if not they will not be providing a good role model. Qualities needed for an Employee An employee needs to have a number of qualities in order to succeed at working at Burger King. Some of these qualities consist of: * Common Sense * Urgency * Flexibility * Customer Focus * Respect for others * Teamwork * Honesty * Pride in performance3 Employees will be either working with customers or in the kitchen. They need to ensure that their service is fast but of the best quality to withhold the Burger King fast food name. Employees on the tills have to make sure that they are friendly even when dealing with tricky customers and learn to be patient. Staff in the kitchens needs to be hygienic and be able to work under pressure when complying with the five minute rule. Qualifications needed for Burger King In this section I am going to explain the qualifications needed to fulfil the different job positions available for Burger King. Qualifications for an Employee For a new employee applying for a job at a Burger King fast food restaurant there is not any specific qualifications needed. As there is no true skill to being a till operative or part of their kitchen staff, Burger King focus more on the qualities and personalities of their employees, rather than what qualifications they may or may not have. I dont think it is essential for Burger King to have highly qualified till operatives and kitchen staff, as before they begin working in their specific area, they undergo extensive training. This training will teach all new employees how to get the most from their job and also how best to represent Burger King. Qualifications for a Supervisor For a Supervisor there are also no specific qualifications needed to carry out this position. However, Burger King does look for someone with previous experience of supervising a team. In the hierarchy of jobs in Burger King we can see that supervisors are only just above employees. This means that is only a small step to be promoted from an employee to a supervisor, or which their skills would already be from working in Burger King previously. I believe that Burger King should look for at least five A-C grades at GCSE level when recruiting a supervisor, as this shows that not only are the candidates good in these specific areas, but also have the drive to succeed and achieve highly. Burger King needs to have an enthusiastic supervisor who would be able to motivate a team to work well, not just someone looking for higher pay than a lower employee in the hierarchy. Qualifications for a Manager Like the employee and supervisor roles, managers also are not required to have any specific qualifications. However, similar to the supervisor position Burger King looks for previous experience of managerial work. This is essential as they need someone who would be able to deal with tricky customers and also a leader to motivate their team. Without experience, candidates may not be able to cope under pressure or realise the initiative theyd need to use in complicated areas. I think that it is essential for a manager to withhold at least five A-C grade GCSEs as it shows dedication and enthusiasm for their work. It may also benefit Burger King to advertise for people with a specific qualification in a managerial subject, such as Business Studies. This could only improve the running of the largely expanding fast food chain, as with more knowledge on businesses, more improvements can be made. Training Employee training is a necessity as it is a way in which your skills can be developed and motivation to be increased. Training relates to employees gaining specific skills and abilities to perform well in their jobs. Training at Burger King can vary depending on the position that is being fulfilled. For each member of the management team the fast food restaurant expect a minimum of 12 weeks on-job and off-job training. The usual on the job training programme for a manager during this period is shown below: Weeks 1-3 * Gaining Product Knowledge * Leaning the job of a crew member * Counter Service * How to make a whopper * Equipment Knowledge * Supervisory Skills Weeks 4-5 * Basic Food Hygiene * Supervisory Skills Course * Supervisor Evaluation (observation on the job) Weeks 6-8 * Shift Control Skills * Loss Control * Shadowing Manager * Daily Administration * People Management Week 9 * Food Safety and Product Quality * Basic Management Training Course * Roles and Responsibilities * Team Work * Customer Service Weeks 10-12 * Shift Running (Under Supervision) * Feedback on management Skills All employees who undergo training at Burger King are not charged however they are expected to fund for the normal living expenses such as commuting and accommodation costs. For new employees such as till staff and kitchen staff Burger King has a Right Track Training Programme to ensure they have the best start to Burger King. This training programme is a comprehensive induction and training programme covering everything from Health Safety and Food safety through to working in the dining area, front counter or kitchen and how to make each product. Through providing an induction to all new staff it allows new staff to see how theyll be working, where theyll be working and who their fellow employees are. Also how things are done to help them fit in. Burger King believes that all their employees will learn what they need to know by shadowing which is when they work alongside others as well as using their new interactive DVD Programmes. It would be beneficial for Burger King to carry out an appraisal system but instead of annually it may be more favourable for them to be carried out every few months. This would then help employees to see what they are working well at and what things to improve on; these could then be made into targets which success could result in promotion or pay rise. The quicker employees feel wanted, the quicker they are earning money for Burger King. From reviewing staff progress more frequently it may give employees more motivation to stay working at Burger King for a longer period as they now have aims and goals which could improve their career. This would mean less training costs for Burger King and also in the long run a low staff turnover. At present I believe the techniques that Burger King is using to train their employees and managers, such as shadowing and induction programmes are effective in what they are doing. However, if Burger King want to ensure that employees stay in the job for a longer period it may be beneficial for them to do other training techniques such as training weekends away. This will build team skills and also allow employees to interact with staff from other sectors in which they work in. Motivation in Burger King In this section I am going to explore the different motivational theorists and see how their theories affect Burger King. Motivation is having the desire and willingness to do something. A motivated person can be reaching for either a long-term goal or a short term goal. Motivation is important as if employees are motivated to work; it increases the quality of products and therefore the reputation of a business. This is a major factor within Burger King as they are known for a high staff turnover. However, if their staff were more motivated and saw the long term opportunities for working for Burger King, they may be more willing to stay on and try for promotion. Abraham Maslow- Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Maslows theory mainly revolved around psychology and stated that, As humans meet basic needs, they seek to satisfy successively higher needs that occupy a set hierarchy. This is Maslows hierarchy of needs: Maslow believes that when the first stage is completely fulfilled only then will an employee be motivated enough to step up to the next level and complete it. For example only when an employee has basic needs such as food drink and sleep will they then be able to progress onto their safety needs such as security, limits and protection. In terms of Burger King Maslows theory wouldnt largely affect them. However for all people to work well certain needs need to be fulfilled such as sleep, food and drink. For Burger King Employees I believe that they only really need to concentrate on the first two stages as many employees do not stay long and are only there for the short term. Burger King does provide good hygiene conditions and security. Belonging and Love needs arent really met as although they work in teams Burger King do not provide team building activities such as weekends or any social events. This theory mainly addresses the needs of employees. Frederick Winslow Taylor Taylors primary idea was that workers are mainly motivated by pay. Therefore his theory was that if you break down production into a set of small tasks and only pay for the amount of product each employee produces, this would motivate staff and increase productivity. At the beginning this seemed like a good idea as productivity increased and workers were only paid for how hard they worked. They began to build specialised skill for the specific area and businesses were more efficient as less staff were needed. However, employees soon became to dislike Taylors approach to motivation as they were given boring, repetitive tasks and were being treated no better than human machines. Certain aspects of this theory do apply to Burger King. Burger King pays their employees hourly, not piece rate, and has set areas in which people work- these can either be tills or kitchen staff. This provides competition between the two areas which can build motivation as to which area can work the best. However Burger King wouldnt realistically be able to pay employees on their productivity as each area has different tasks, some of which cant be measured, such as working on the tills. This theory addresses mainly the performance of employees. Frederick Herzberg Herzberg believed in a two-factor theory of motivation. Job Enlargement- Workers would be given a greater range of tasks to perform (not essentially more challenging) which should make the work more interesting. Job Enrichment- Involvement of workers being given a wider variety of more intricate, interesting and demanding tasks surrounding a complete unit of work. This should then give a greater sense of achievement. Herzberg used a survey to investigate what people liked and disliked about their jobs and with these results he put them into two categories; motivators and Hygiene Factors. His two factor theorem is shown below: Motivators Hygiene Factors Achievement Company Policy Recognition of achievement Supervision Meaningful and interesting work Pay Responsibility Interpersonal Relations Advancement Working Conditions For Burger King they need to ensure that all hygiene factors are covered so that workers feel safe and happy to be working in a clean environment. For example clean work surfaces and floors. Burger King does already achieve highly good hygiene factors however theyre not providing the best motivation. With this they dont have any achievement within their working days and simply work for pay. This lacks fun and could mean that employees would work better if they had something to look forward to. This theory addresses both the needs and performance of employees. PEST In this section I am going to explain how PEST affects the recruitment process in Burger King. From identification of a role to managing change inside the company PEST influences how Burger King plans and responds to these influences as it effects the entire recruitment cycle. Pest analysis is concerned with the environmental influences on a business. PEST is an acronym which stands for: P- Political E- Economy S- Social T- Technology When referring to pest you need to think about the following: POLITICAL Local Authorities Central Government Parliament Minimum Wage Base Rates Privatisations ECONOMIC/ LEGAL Laws Health and Safety Dismissals Monopolies Mergers and Takeovers Consumer Protection SOCIAL Trends Laws Habits TECHNICAL ICT Telecommunications Production Human Resources Marketing PEST can be used by businesses to review a strategy or position, direction of a company, a marketing proposition, or idea. Many businesses use PEST analysis for business and strategic planning, marketing planning, business and product development and research reports. PEST analysis is most helpful before completing a SWOT analysis (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats). PEST can essentially be useful when a business is expanding into new countries and markets as it helps guide a company from making costly mistakes, unfounded assumptions, and help effectively adapt well into a new environment, when considering recruitment and selection. Pest in terms of Burger King Political Minimum Wage- At present Burger King do comply with the national minimum wage, however if they were to expand into new countries the minimum wage may be different. If it were increased it would mean that Burger King would be paying more for staff and may have fewer funds for other factors of the business such as new technology. If the minimum wage was decreased then this would mean more funds for other factors of the business. Laws- Burger King needs to take into consideration different laws in different countries. In some countries the consequences of breaking these laws could be ominous especially in China where they use capital punishment. Also laws that in force who can be employed by Burger King, for example women and children. Economic Health Safety- Burger King need to ensure that their health and safety is of the highest standards. If Burger King were to expand into less developed countries it may mean that they need to improve their health safety aspects. Therefore they would need to consider training within their recruitment process. Monopolies Mergers Takeovers- If Burger King where to expand into other countries they need to ensure that there arent other fast food restaurants who dominate the fast food market as they are less likely to build there own customer base. Also less people would be willing to work for them compared to competing restaurants, which would mean Burger Kings recruitment levels would fall. However, if other countries have fast food restaurants that are not well known, Burger King may be able to takeover these smaller restaurants and expand the Burger King brand. Social Trends- Burger King needs to take into account what the favourite foods are in certain countries. For example the Whooper Burger may be favourable in certain countries but in others it may be the Cheese Burger. Habits- As Burger King operate in a number of countries they need to be aware of the language barriers which will occur. To ensure these are fulfilled Burger King needs to employee staff who speak the language of the country they are operating in. Therefore training aids would have to be converted into the chosen language. Technical ICT- As technology is always changing and more developed in certain countries, Burger King needs to ensure that they are up-to-date if they want to be the best fast food restaurant. For instance they need the best till operations so that transactions are fast and comply with the five minute rule. Also as technology changes it will affect the job training that Burger King offers employees. Production- If Burger King used advanced technology it may mean that they could produce their products in bulk and therefore save time and reduce the costs of their production. With production being affected Burger King would have to look at how to ensure consistency in training and staff development. Through using PEST Burger King can evaluate what areas they need to consider when expanding into new countries. It would be beneficial to use PEST as it would be easier for Burger King to adapt to new surroundings if they knew the trends and laws they need to abide to. This means that in the future they could expand into new countries with less difficulty. Recruitment Documents In this section I have created my own personal specification and Job description and will evaluate individually. Job Description Post Title: Manager Responsible to: Director External Contexts: Members of public and other stakeholders Internal Contexts: Other managers and all general staff Salary: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½12,600 Job Purpose To take responsibility for your section by making key decisions, ordering goods and leading, motivating and training your team. To enthusiastically lead and motivate the restaurant team to achieve the highest standards levels of customer service satisfaction. Main Duties and Responsibilities * Manages all daily operations of Burger King to maximise sales and a positive customer experience. * Motivating and training your team to ensure the very highest standards are maintained. * Ensures great food is promptly delivered in a clean and inviting environment. * Take full responsibility for your section to ensure that all transactions run smoothly. * Ensures that each visit by a customer results in a friendly and personalised service. Rewards In return for your dedication and hard work we offer a competitive salary as well as the following benefits: * Medical and Dental insurance * Paid holidays * Vision Care * Life insurance * Bonus Program * Career Advancement Opportunities Analysis of Job Description A job description is a written statement of what a job holder does how it is done, why it is done and the skills needed to perform the job. These include the purpose, duties, equipment used, qualifications, training, physical and metal demands and working conditions. I have created a job description for a managerial position at Burger King. I believe that my job description is effective as the main purpose of it is to describe the roles and duties that the job position undertakes. These need to be in a job description so that the potential employee knows what duties they will be carrying out if they apply for the job. Also in my job description I have added in the rewards of working as a manager in Burger King so that new recruits can see what they will get in return for their dedication to the job. This is effective because it could persuade them to take the job as there are many benefits. I have chosen to layout my job description with headings and sub-headings for each section as it brakes down the information and provides a well ordered recruitment document. Also I researched into the types of job descriptions that Burger King use and used this as a template. Also, I have used the Burger King logo at the top of my document so that all candidates can see what the job is for, before actually reading it. By creating a job description it ensures that only people who believe they can complete the duties of a manager apply to the job and therefore do not waste the time of Burger King. Personal Specification Job Title: Burger King Manager Responsible to: Director Salary: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½12,600 There are a number of qualities that we look for in our manager. These consist of: * Adaptable in all situations * Initiative to deal with tricky situations * Good communication skills * Good Customer Relations * Enthusiastic and energised * Flexibility * Team work * Respect for others * Pride in performance Burger King takes pride in being one of the leading fast food retailers. Our managers need to have the skills to motivate their team and the assertiveness to ensure all work is done smoothly. Also both written and communication skills will be required as you will be working with people daily and also need to write reports on your employees, to ensure that their progression is recorded. The relevant work experience that we look for is four or more years in a management or supervisory capacity in a restaurant or in the retail/ hospitality industry. Qualifications The qualifications we require for our managers are: * High school diploma or equivalent, with two years of college or equivalent preferred * Strong math and Windows-based computer literacy * Reliable Transportation * Open/Flexible Schedule Analysis of Personal Specification A personal specification is drawn up from the job description and describes the knowledge, skills and attributes that are essential to perform jobs. The criteria must be specific, measurable, and justifiable in relation to the job requirements. I have created a personal specification for a managerial position at Burger King. I have created my personal specification so that it relates to my job description and reflects the skills required for competency in the role, as directed in the job description. I believe that this is effective so that the skills on my personal specification relate to the job in hand. My personal specification is successful as is it contains both the skills and qualifications needed to comply with the job. These are needed in a personal specification so that potential employees know what they need to have a chance with getting the job. Without these, Burger King would get too many people applying for the job who are not suitable. I have chosen to layout my job specification with headings, sub-headings and bullet points for key information as this brakes down the information and provides a well ordered recruitment document. Also I researched into the types of job descriptions that Burger King use and used this as a template. Also, I have used the Burger King logo at the top of my document so that all candidates can see what the job is for, before actually reading it. By creating a personal specification it ensures that only people with the given qualities and qualifications apply to the job and therefore do not waste the time of Burger King. Interview Process In this section I am going to explain the preparation of an interview, what a good interview consists of and analyse an interview that was carried out. An interview is a conversation between two or more people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee. Interviews can be divided into two rough types, interviews of assessment and interviews for information. Preparation for an Interview Before an interview can take place there are a number of factors that need to be considered. Firstly, a business needs to have already produced a job description and personal specification, to which they can compare the candidates qualities and previous work experience to. Not only can these documents help identify a candidates personality traits but also a guide to base the interviewers questions around. Before an interview can take place it is essential you know you are going to ask the candidate. These questions need to relate to all recruitment documents including the personal specification, job description and job advert as they focus on the type of employee needed for their company. The questions need to test the candidate on whether their skills are the best suited for the job in hand and to see how they compare to other potential employees. Questions for Interview It is vital that the right sorts of questions are asked during an interview as these will determine whether the candidate suits the job or not. To get the most potential from a candidate it is in the best interest of the business to ask both open and closed questions. A closed question limits responses to a set number of options, such as yes and no, however these could be used at the beginning of an interview to create a more welcoming atmosphere, for example, How are you? Open questions require the person answering to provide a response in their own words, for example, How would you motivate a team? These questions are essential to find out the most about a person including key areas such as skills, qualities and personality. The key to any good interview is to develop on the answers given by the candidate and extend the knowledge of that area, i.e. What examples could you give me of when you have carries that out? The questions asked need to be relevant to the position advertised which is why relating them to the recruitment documents are so important. If you are interviewing for a managerial position you wouldnt ask, How would you deal with difficult customers? as it is unlikely for a manager to spend much time communicating with customers. The Interview Task For this task we were put into groups and carried out a panel interview for a managerial post at Burger King. Before we carried our interview out for a managerial position at Burger King there were a number of factors we needed to consider: * What questions would be suitable and relate to the recruitment documents. * What were the main skills we were looking for to fulfil the position. * How did their personality reflect their interest in working for Burger King. * How were we going to judge their: Appearance Attitude Body language As the interviewers we decided that it was a necessity for us to dress smart as we would be representing Burger King. On our panel we had three people, all carrying out the same role of asking the candidate questions in turn. We used three people as we were interviewing for a managerial position, which we believe would require more than one opinion on the candidates. This way the interview is less biased towards the potential employee as there is more than one opinion. The type of questions we decided we were going to ask was: * Did you find us ok? This helped to create a welcoming atmosphere, to calm any nerves of the candidate. * How have leadership skills benefited you in your previous job? This helps the interviewer get a greater understanding of a candidates previous work experience. This could also be checked up on through references. * How do you think your managerial skills can help our business? This helps the interviewee voice the skills and qualities they could potentially bring to Burger King. This is an open question which candidates could go into depth with and best promote themselves. * What do you know about the history of the company? This allows the interviewer to see how much a candidate actually knows about the business of whom they may be soon working for. The more they know about the business suggests the more interested they of having a long-term career there. * If one of the workers was not working to the full of there potential, how would you motivate them? This is an essential question to be asked for a managerial position as they would be in charge of a team, or which they will need to motivate to work well. * If there was an unsatisfied customer, how would you deal with them? This can help the employer get a fuller understanding of how the candidate would work on the spot and in tricky situations. * If one of your employees were late more than once, how would you deal with this? This is a good indication of how the potential employee would discipline their staff. Analysis of my Interview During our five minute interview we were able to ask a variety of questions relating to the role of manager as Burger King. For this position, we were looking for a candidate with previous managerial experience, who had a keen interest in the history of Burger King and presented themselves well. Whilst carrying out the interview there were a number of things that our group did well: * Asked questions relating to the position of manager. * Asked both open and closed questions. * Kept eye contact with candidates whilst answering and asking questions. * Showed a keen interest in what the candidate had to say. * Had an open body posture, i.e. Arms on the desk not crossed. 1 http://www.burgerking.co.uk/CompanyInfo/careers/index.aspx 2 http://www.burgerking.co.uk/CompanyInfo/careers/index.aspx 3 http://teenzone.monster.co.uk/articles/fastfood/page4/

The sociological theory of social constructionism

The sociological theory of social constructionism Social Constructionism essentially represents a sociological theory of knowledge that studies the development of various sociological phenomena in social contexts. A social construct, the anchor of this theory, refers to a concept that is the artefact of a specific group. Social constructs, to elaborate, dispense with take away from commonly accepted inherent qualities of items, concepts, or issues, and instead focus on their dependence upon, and the contingent and conditional rationale of, our social sense. They describe such issues and things are more easily described as the result of numerous human choices, rather than of natural laws or divine intention. The origins of present day social constructionist theories go back to the writings of Immanuel Kant. Kant argued for the existence of a world that was independent of human minds, thus implying that humans should not assert that they created the world. This world, he said, is without structure and is not divided into things and facts. Structure is imposed on the world by perceiving it and thinking of it in specific ways, as also and by the adoption of particular sets of beliefs, (rather than instead of others) about it. Vivine Burr (2003, p 2) argues that social constructionism enables individuals to adopt critical attitudes towards their conventional and traditional methods of perceiving and understanding the world and their own selves. It provides humans us with fresh ways on perceiving ideas and things that are considered to be commonplace and are unquestioningly accepted. Numerous things like for example money, newspapers or citizenship are socially constructed and. All of these t hings would not obviously have existed in the absence of society. Each of them furthermore could have well been constructed differently. Social constructionism encourages people to question the widely held perception that conventional and accepted knowledge has sprung has come about from objective and impartial examination of the world. It is as such opposed to the positivist epistemology of traditional science and spurs thinking individuals to constantly question their assumptions about the appearance of their environment and its various components. This short study deals with the implications of social constructionism for social workers and how its use can help them social workers to understand human behaviour. Specific emphasis has been given to the use of social constructionism in understanding commonly held perceptions and attitudes towards mental disorders. The Use of Social Constructionism by Social Workers to Understand Human Behaviour Social workers have two fundamental objectives, namely the strengthening of the ability of individuals and groups to cope with and overcome the many difficulties and challenges they confront in life, and the bringing about of improvements in various social and environmental circumstances areas, in order to improve the satisfaction of human needs; especially of people from underprivileged and oppressed social segments. Social workers plan and attempt their various interventions through their understanding of environmental circumstances, the various reasons for such these conditions, and the client system. Such understanding and knowledge and the consequent adoption of theoretic approaches significantly influence the point, the tool, and the nature of social work intervention. It becomes evident that adoption of theoretic preferences, based upon an understanding of the reality of the client environment, is crucial, both to social work theory and its practice. Theories of classical empiricism assert that the truth about the world is established and is independent of the individual. Social constructionism conversely puts forth argues that such truth is certainly not independent of individuals but is actually depends upon their thoughts, perceptions and beliefs. Social workers, by using social constructionism, will be able to understand the various dimensions of reality within such individual thoughts, perceptions and beliefs. Constructionists state that reality cannot be known separately from our elucidation of it. Social constructionism works on the principle that reality is constructed socially and places emphasis on language as a critical route for interpretation of experience. Whilst objectivists state that individuals make discoveries and find out about the reality of the world through the construction and testing of hypotheses via the actions of neutral observers, constructionists debunk such assumptions arguing that the interests and values of observers can never be separated from their observations and are thus bound to influence the final construction of common perceptions about world realities. Gergen (1985, p 270), states that generation of ideas of reality is initiated by social, rather than individual, processes and that the touted objective reality of the positivist approach is actually the result of various social construction processes that are influenced by historical, political, cultural and economic conditions. With such knowledge being essentially constructed, it can change over time and diverge across cultural groups that embrace different perceptions and beliefs about human nature and development. Considering that the norms, beliefs, valu es, traditions, attitudes and practices of different cultural groups vary from each other, the social construction of their knowledge is also likely to differ significantly. An understanding of this fundamental principle can help social workers in their realisation of the different perceptions, attitudes and behaviours of different individuals towards similar social phenomena or stimuli. Social constructionism helps social workers in adopting critical stances towards established assumptions on regarding the social world that reinforce the interests of powerful and dominant social groups and assists them in realising that the world has come about because of historical processes of communication and negotiation between groups and individuals. Gergen (1985, p 266), states that people see the world through the eyes of their particular communities and cultures and respond accordingly. Established assumptions, understandings and behaviours of people are sustained by social, political, economic and moral institutions. Payne (1997), states that reality, according to social constructionism, can be stated to be the guidance of behaviour by individual perceptions of knowledge and reality. Individuals arrive at shared perceptions of reality through the sharing of their knowledge via different social processes that first organise such knowledge and thereafter establish it by making it objective. Social and individual activity thus becomes habitual with individuals sharing their assumptions about their perceptions of reality. People behave in line with social conventions that are based on such shared knowledge. These conventions are furthermore institutionalised because of the agreement of many people on such understandings on different aspects of society. Such realisations and accords become legitimised by processes that integrate these ideas about reality into ordered and believable systems. Social workers need to realise that social understanding is finally the combined result of various human understandings through the operation of circular processes, wherein individuals contribute to the construction of social meaning within social structures of societies through processes of institutionalisation and legitimisation. Societies consequently create conventions through the participation of individuals in their structures, which, in turn influences the behaviours of people. Spirals of constantly moving influences build and rebuild the conventions that people adopt and by which they live. Berger and Luckmann, (1966), state that individuals experience the world to be an objective reality, comprising of persons and events that exist separately of individuals perceptions. Language provides the means through which individuals make sense of their environment, classify persons and events, and interpret new experiences. The shared reality of everyday life by different individuals distinguishes it from individual realities, (like dreams). Language helps individuals in sharing their experiences and making it available to others. Such sharing of reality leads to institutionalisation and thereafter to habitual ways of working. Habitualism makes the behaviour of different individuals predictable, facilitates joint activity and perpetuates social control mechanisms. Knowledge is as such institutionalised within sub-groups, or at social levels, and significantly influences the behaviour of people. Social constructionism allows social workers to question dominant structures of knowledge and understand the impact of culture and history. Social workers by and large understand the requirements of humans through the interplay of different ideological, ethical, political and economic factors. An understanding of social constructionism can help them in understanding the responses behind the actions of both dominant and vulnerable groups of society and decide upon the adoption of the best suited routes for bringing about social change. Social Constructionism and Mental Illness Much of modern day societys perceptions about mental ailments are influenced by the medical and psychological models, which state that medical illnesses are real; they concern disturbances in thoughts, experiences, and emotions and can be serious enough to cause functional impairment in individuals. Such ailments make it difficult for individuals to sustain interpersonal relationships and conduct their jobs. They can also sometimes result in self destructive actions, including suicides. The more serious of such illnesses, like extreme depression and schizophrenia, can often be chronic and lead to serious disability. The social constructionist approach states that such much of modern day perceptions about mental ailments are caused by the specifically constructed vocabularies of medical and psychological models, replete with their elaborate terminologies for mental disorders and focused their focus on deficits. Social constructionism can help social workers in understanding the socially constructive and destructive illusions that have been created put up by existing medical and psychological models and deficit based language. Walker (2006), states that vocabularies of medical and psychological models, including the concept of mental illness itself, are essentially social constructions. They are made up of vocabularies that describe deficits and diseases and perceive human beings as things that can be examined, diagnosed and treated, much in the manner of machines. Such perceptions (a) lead to obsessions with compliance, (b) distinguish between normal and pathological states, and (c) position prac titioners as experts, even as clients are represented built up determined as passive and obedient recipients of treatment. Recommended treatments focus on elimination of symptoms, support established paternalistic roles, and are not focused on actual client needs. Examined from the perspective of linguistics, reified categories like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia appear to be defined by clusters termed as symptoms; schizophrenia for example is concerned with the occurrence of audio hallucinations. Such terms, it is evident exists only because of the creation of consensus among the dominant groups of doctors and psychologists and persist because of convention. Mental illnesses are often described akin to physical ailments like diabetes, where individuals are required to manage their lives with specific medications. Such comparisons are used to explain the working of medications and to make the diagnosis and recommended treatment for mental ailments acceptable to clients. Such analogies however breakdown completely considering if it is realised that discussions about thoughts and feelings of individuals concern their identities and not their bodies. Social workers need to understand that the vocabularies of medical and psychological models essentially position clinicians as the most suitable interpreters of client experiences. Even apparently harmless terms like clinical or treatment plans establish contexts where clients are perceived to be abnormal or having pathologies, even as clinicians are established as authorities with abilities to perform interventions for assisting clients in overcoming their pathologies. With the power of definition lying with clinicians, the labelling of people as mentally ill pushes them to the borders of society and takes away from them their intrinsic rights and privileges. Social constructionism helps social workers in understanding that whilst political and human pressure has helped in eliminating the incarceration of the mentally ill in mental hospitals, the distinction created by vocabulary on mental illness leads to the movement of centres of power to clinicians and undermines efforts for self determination and community integration. Such medical and psychological vocabularies constitute obstacles to more inclusive mental health programmes and undermine social understanding of people with mental disorders.

An Analysis of the Los Angeles County Hospital Emergency Room Essay

An Analysis of the Los Angeles County Hospital Emergency Room Learning Team Operations Management Plan The problem of emergency department overcrowding has become an important issue for many emergency departments throughout the city and county of Los Angeles. Patients frequently have to wait hours just to get into the emergency department to be seen by a physician or other healthcare professionals. The problem does not seem to be getting better as times goes on, but indeed studies seem to indicate that the condition is growing worse. At a local Los Angeles County Hospital (King Drew Medical Center) emergency department, we found that the problem is especially severe. Patients are forced to wait as long as 8-12 hours to be seen and treated by physicians. This paper will propose a plan that will help to alleviate this critical problem of emergency department overcrowding and long patients waits for services. Problem Statement There is a nationwide shortage of emergency room space and an increased demand for emergency services. Public health officials, hospital executives, and doctors are increasingly concerned about emergency department ''boarding," because of the potential impact on both patient safety and staff burnout (Kowalczyk, 2005). Our paper will attempt to solve the problem of emergency department overcrowding and long waiting times. We propose to first create a flow chart of present operations from the beginning of the emergency department visit to the discharge or admission of the patient. We believe that the process can be analyzed and changed in a way that improvement can be accomplished by improving efficiency and flow of traffic through the emergency department processes. Null Hypothesis Our study attempts to identify a serious problem at a local Los Angeles County Hospital that appears to have plausible solutions. Looking at other similar hospitals throughout the nation and abroad, it appears that restructuring and appropriate panning may help to alleviate long patients’ waits for services. The null hypothesis states that changes in the processes of triage, registration, evaluation, treatment and disposition will shorten waiting times and improve efficiency (mu= changes in process). The alternative hypothesis states that changing in the process of triage, registration, evaluation, treatment and disposition will not change or improve waiti... ...y will be made and expenses reduced by a more efficient process. References Campbell, A.B. (2003). Strategic planning in health care: Methods and application. Quality Management in Health Care, 1(4), 12-23. Kowalczyk, L.(2005). Hospitals strive to reduce waiting lines for beds. Retrieved April 26, 2005 from the world wide world: http:// www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/hospitals ================================================================= Kelton, W. D., R. P. Sadowski, D. A. Sadowski, 2002. Simulation with Arena, Second Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Quality in Healthcare. Retrieved April 26, 2005 from the world wide world: http://www.jcaho.org/qualitycheck/ Los Angeles County Hospital (King Drew Medical Center Emergency Room, 2005). Measures to reduce length of stay in the emergency room. LA: Author. Affinity Data Collection Systems. Retrieved April 26, 2005 from the world wide world: www.affinitydata.com. Wilson, A. (2004). Reduction of ED Queues and Elopement Through the Straight Back Approach. .Retrieved April 26, 2005 from the world wide world: http://tgi@thomasgroup.com/