The Value of Hrm to Business Organisations Essay Example for Free

The Value of Hrm to Business Organisations Essay The value of HRM to business organisations Section 1: Literature Review The approach to the employment of people experienced a major shift from traditional personnel management towards human resource management (HRM) in 1980s, when the deflation and recession crashed into the infrastructure of employment. After that shift, the employees were more likely assumed as valuable assets and a key source of competitive advantage (Marchington and Wilkinson, 2002), and the effective management of ‘resourceful humans’ tended to be seen as a crucial approach to improve organizational performance through ‘the strategic deployment of a highly committed and capable workforce using an array of cultural, structural and personnel techniques’ (Storey, 2007, p. 7). As an integral and prominent part of HRM, the pay and reward management also has undergone many considerable changes over the past two decades driven by the shift of organizational management as mentioned above. More recently, the notion that equilibrium pay level results from Adam Smith’s â€Å"invisible hand† – market forces – can hardly explain the pay and reward system of HRM, which involves far-researching aims (Gilman, 2009). Lawler’s ‘new pay’ began to attach much importance to the understanding of the organization’s goals, values and culture and the challenges of a global economy when formulating pay strategy (Armstrong, 2002). And its model suggested that the reward strategy should consist of three key elements: the organization’s core value, structural issues and process, whose consistency would be the key factor of effectiveness of the reward system (Lawler, 1995). More frequently, the reward system is now linked to business strategy through motiving people to behave in expected ways. As Gomez-Mejia (1993, cited in Kessler, 2007) stated that the new approach to pay is more about achieving business objectives, rather than the issues of internal equity and external equity. However, the reward system as a strategic tool in practice is quite doubtful. Many studies showed the indeterminate results from such system like PRP in  terms of performance (Gilman, 2009). And Lewis (2006) also pointed out the limitations of assumptions in Lawler’s model. What’s more, the pay design is fraught with difficulties in changing people’s behavior for organizational goals. For example, the business objectives may contradict on each other in pay policy (Marchington and Wilkinson, 1998). Additionally, it was argued that the business strategy should not be primacy over internal and external equity. As Kessler (2007) suggested that the employees are more likely to feel good and act in ways to progress business objectives if they are paid fairly. And he also pointed out that business strategy and equity may be well related, rather than being alternatives. In the light of these statements, various types of payment scheme are developed such as Payment by Results, Performance Related Pay, Total Reward and Skills-based Pay. And each of them involves a range of principles like internal and external equity, working time, outcome, skills and competencies, effectiveness, experience. The combinations of different principles vary from organizational objectives, cultures and features. Thus there is unlikely to be an all-fit system for every organization. This paper will then focus on the Performance Related Pay (PRP) and the organizations with PRP system. Performance-related Pay (PRP) appears in organizations during 1980s as a result of motivating people to improve their work performance and developing a culture which performance plays a determinant role. First-generation system implemented in the 1980s did not acquire desirable results. Some organizations are carrying out second-generation system to avoid previous mistakes. Others are trying the pay relevant to competence or contribution (Armstrong, 2002). Nowadays, PRP is introduced continuously in two-thirds of organizations (Marchington and Wilkinson, 2002). ‘Performance-related Pay (PRP) provides individuals with financial rewards in the form of increases to basic pay or cash bonuses which are linked to an assessment of performance, usually in relation to agreed objectives’ (Armstrong, 2002, p. 286). According to Armstrong (2002), Performance-related Pay provides the following  potential advantages: Firstly, it incents individuals and thereby enhances personal and organizational performance. Secondly, it can be used as a lever for change. Thirdly, it conveys an idea that performance plays a significant role in general or specific fields. Also, it connects incentive programmes with the fulfillment of certain results which contribute to realize organizational goals. Additionally, it is beneficial for organization to recruit and retain people with monetary incentives. Finally, it satisfies a fundamental human need to acquire rewards for fulfillment. However, there are some problems about PRP. If employees agree about the principle and practice of PRP, then they will do better jobs and organization will acquire beneficial outcomes. Inversely, if they do not agree about either the principle or practice of PRP, they will not be motivated effectively for better work performance and organization will get bad outcomes (Lewis, 1998, cited in Marchington and Wilkinson, 2002). According to a research made by Marsden and Richardson (1994, cited in Marchington and Wilkinson, 2002), PRP may cause jealousy among employees. Unfairness exists in distribution of performance payments which is the major reason for the non-efficiency of motivation. The amount of money is also a significant element for successful introducing PRP. If it is not large enough, then it is hard to trigger a change in work performance. As Lawler (1990, cited in Marchington and Wilkinson, 2002, p. 501) suggested that variable pay less than 10 per cent of base salary would be not attractive in PRP scheme. An organization introduces and develops a PRP programme generally involving these main stages: setting objectives for rewarding employees according to their performance; analyzing the circumstances of organization, including its culture and the type of employees; determining who should be participated in line managers, team leaders, employees and trade unions; considering methods of performance appraisal; carrying out the plan and assessing its effects. PRP should be schemed and conducted with great care and organizations have to be flexible to adjust the plan timely for constantly changing environment and the feedback from staff (Armstrong,  2002). The following part will describe two organizations conducting PRP scheme. Section 2: Case Study Description In this section, two pieces of empirical researches are introduced for the further analysis in next section. The first case of Finbank is regarded as an unsuccessful case of PRP system. And the second case of NHS has been chosen for two reasons: Firstly, though NHS is not exactly a business organization, the PRP of NHS was set by commercial-oriented objectives (Bach, 1994, cited in Dowling and Richardson). Therefore NHS still bears mush resemblance of business organizations in respect of PRP. Secondly, few empirical researches showed the positive result of PRP in the four journals. Thus the case of PRP in NHS is introduced here for its commercial-oriented objectives and relatively successful results. 2.1 The case of Finbank’s reward strategy for managers  (Summarized from Lewis, P. (2000) Exploring Lawler’s new pay theory through the case of Finbank’s reward strategy for managers. Personnel Review, 29(1), pp. 10-32.) The article explains consequences and effectiveness of introducing PRP in Finbank, by using Lawler’s model, where Lawler argues that three principal elements of reward system – core vale, process and structure – need to be consistent for the effectiveness of the system. The interviews of managers and personnel staff were conducted to explore their views on the reasons why the bank adopted PRP, and the extent to which it was successful. Finbank introduced the new reward system with the business objectives of ‘driving up income and driving down costs’, where the incremental system never worked and any increase in salary depended on performance. This shift was expected to create a â€Å"performance culture†, while the process of implementation was more likely to result in a reduction of trust between Finbank and its managers. Consequently, PRP in Finbank was regarded as the main measure of cost control, not incentive mechanism for better performance. The research showed that the low level of communication was the one of main features in Finbank’s PRP and reduced the effectiveness of the whole system. A lack of participation and involvement in objectives setting and performance appraisal resulted in low acceptance of the new system, and low levels of openness in performance feedback and reward criteria also declined the credibility of PRP process. In conclusion, a fundamental inconsistency between the process and the values in Lawler’s model was argued for the deficiencies of PRP system. While, more limitations of a simple top-down process assumption, an assumption of causal link between reward strategy and employees’ behavior, deterministic assumption in Lawler’s model were tested by the Finbank case. 2.2 The case of PRP system for managers in the NHS  (Summarized from Dowling, B. and Richardson, R. (1997) Evaluating performance-related pay for managers in the National Health Service. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 8(3), pp. 348-366.) This paper assesses the use of PRP (performance-related pay) for NHS (National Health Service) managers and explains the limited success drawbacks in the scheme’s design and administration. In addition, some refinements and implications of the scheme are also concluded. In the first section, the author gives a brief introduction of NHS scheme. The three key elements of the scheme include the setting of objectives, the appraisal of the degree that these objectives being achieved and the increased payment linked to the assessment. As for the evaluation criterion of the scheme, the author took various factors into consideration, such as its impact on manager’s motivation. However, evaluating a single policy innovation can be rather difficult as long as the circumstances maintain uncertain. To make subjective judgments of the extent the scheme succeeds, some explanatory theoretical framework based on scheme’s three key elements is also launched, including structured interviews and questionnaires for gathering data from managers. According to the respondents, the scheme exerts limited positive effects on managers’ motivation and colleagues’ co-operation, and no evident corresponding negative consequences are indicated. The difference in the results may be explained in the following two reasons: the better implement and the mature design. The author tries to figure out why the scheme motivates only a certain group of people by examining the raw data and using formal multivariate analysis on further study of the scheme’s three elements. Considering both the qualitative and quantitative material involved, the initial examination of the raw data suggests that the three elements of the scheme have different degrees of success. Respondents were most satisfied with many of the objective-setting process elements which may result from improved motivation levels; however, respondents expressed more insistent reservations on the of the performance-judging process elements; in terms of the rewarding element, even few respondents believed the scheme’s financial provisions themselves act as an incentive. So this could be another problem of implementation which hinders the success that the scheme supposed to have. Section 3: Analysis and Conclusions 3.1 Analysis of the case of Finbank As mentioned in the section 2, the research of Finbank’s reward strategy followed the analytical structure of Lawer’s model, where the effectiveness of the reward strategy depended on the consistencies between three crucial elements: the organization’s core values, process of implementation and the structure of pay. In this section, the element of process will be focused and used as analytical framework. 3.1.1 Setting objectives In the major background of recession and deflation of the 1980s, it seems reasonable to set the business objectives as ‘driving up income and driving down costs’ in the condition where PRP was introduced to Finbank with the closure of branches and the consequent loss of jobs. According to author’s research, most managers interviewed regarded cost reduction as a major motive for the introduction of PRP, which led to reduction of trust between  the Finbank and its managers. This negative effect of PRP results from the fact that the business objectives may be contradictive on each other in pay policy (Marchington and Wilkinson, 1998). For ‘driving up income’, the bank want to create the managers behaviors and attitudes meeting with customers’ needs. Whereas for ‘driving down cost’, salary cost the major cost in the financial industry would be cut producing negative attitudes. For sure, the motivational effects of PRP were seriously restricted by the objective of cost reduction. 3.1.2 Measuring performance As Beer and Walton (1984) suggested, the acceptance could be improved by the involvement and participation in decision making and administration of reward system, but such participation was rare for the time-consuming. The research also showed the low acceptance and credibility of performance appraisal with the lack of such participation in Finbank. And the author argued that the criteria of appraisal encouraged managers to focus on â€Å"hard† financial and short-term targets rather than â€Å"soft† and long-term ones like developmental relationships with staff and customers, which managers thought were more important. It sounds reasonable, but more cautious consideration should be taken in this issue. For the â€Å"soft† performance cannot be reliably tested and easier for managers to argue. And such is human nature, that the â€Å"hard† criteria of PRP can hardly meet pleasantness of â€Å"risk-averse† employees, who were used to enjoy the securi ty and predictability of the automatic annual increase in the incremental system. 3.1.3 Performance feedback and translating performance into reward The research showed that there was little feedback on performance received by managers. Furthermore, there were no clear criteria about how to translate a certain performance into reward. These two processes have key functions in changing employees’ behaviors, where Finbank seemed to be a failure. Furthermore, a lack of openness in performance feedback process and reward criteria led to the low trust and credibility in the whole PRP process, which seriously had negative impact on the effectiveness of the system. Personally, the lack of money available to drive the PRP and the cost-control objective appeared to be the main reasons for these results. 3.1.4 Major value of PRP in Finbank PRP was a powerful symbol of â€Å"performance culture† at Finbank, which emphasized individual performance rather than the length of the service. This major shift of culture would definitely change employees’ attitudes and behaviors. Though it seems that the change was not positive and the motivational effects of PRP was a failure in this case, the PRP was still an integral and crucial part of business strategy of Finbank, which drove Finbank from poor commercial performance in 1980s to a recovery in profits in 1900s. On the credit side, PRP of Finbank indeed achieved one of the most importance objectives driving down the cost, which practically is the obvious and vital value of PRP in Finbank, though it is theoretically not the major function of PRP. 3.2 Analysis of the case of NHS The analysis from the research suggests the PRP scheme in NHS is comparatively successful. Although Marsden and Richardson (1994, cited by Dowling and Richardson, 1997) state PRP not only has positive influence, it also has many serious drawbacks; Thompson(1993, cited by Dowling and Richardson, 1997) argues PRP may demotivate employees rather than incenting them; Cannell and Wood(1992, cited by Dowling and Richardson, 1997) question the role of monetary incentives in motivation, because they believe people who work for Health Service are not for money; according to the questionnaire, 29 per cent managers motivated by the scheme and the majority of them thought they work harder than before. From this point, in my opinion, the PRP in NHS is working, but with limited effectiveness. The PRP scheme in NHS has three elements: setting objectives, judging performance and the according rewards. Goal setting plays an essential role in PRP scheme. The best objectives are challenging but reasonable with agreed deadlines, otherwise, it may challenge managers instead of motivating them. Besides, making objectives clearly and acquiring feedback and support from immediate superior also exert an impact on the effectiveness of objectiveness. While the process of goal-setting in NHS is relatively success, because the majority of mangers thought objectives fit above characteristics and enhance their motivation and work behavior. For judging performance, to a certain extent, it reduces the effectiveness of PRP in NHS. As mentioned in the material, 67 per cent managers thought it is subjective to evaluate work performance to determine the awards. It is hard to keep fairness in judgment which is from the ideas of assessors. To conduct PRP scheme, it is necessary to remain objectives in performance appraisal with agreed criteria. As mentioned in section 1, the amount of money is also an important element for successful introducing PRP. If it is not large enough, then it is hard to trigger a change in work performance. NHS managers appear to do not pay attention to this point. From the research, it can be found the monetary incentives were thought to be sardonic which was too little to act as a motivator. Probably, the limited cash environment may be a reason for it. The feeling of not reflecting personal fulfillments and subjective judgments make the rewards highly critical. After analyzing main elements of the scheme, some aspects of it should be improved by policy makers. Firstly, people challenged by their objectives may be motivated to work harder. Therefore, objectives set should make people feel reasonable. This demands managers acquire appropriate feedback and support from their immediate superiors timely. Additionally, the process of performance appraisal should be operated with fairness. Otherwise, it may destroy the sense of challenge and cut down PRP’s effectiveness of motivation. Secondly, the scheme’s financial aspects are the other important part. The scheme should make the clarity to managers of the relation between effort and rewards, which is beneficial for strengthening the reliability and predictability of PRP scheme. Thereby, it heightens the motivational and behavioral effects of PRP scheme. (2922)

FINDING THE CONCLUSION :: essays research papers

Background   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Critical thinking can be used in certain aspects of problem solving and requires various types of skills. People must be motivated and not afraid to use their critical thinking skills to solve various troubles that can and will arise. Problem Statement What are the issues and the conclusion? We as readers and listeners in today’s society always seem to believe everything that we read and hear without digging a little deeper to actually find out if it is the truth. Analysis Critical thinking is a skill that we are not born with, but with some knowledge and practice it is a tool that can be used very effectively. Becoming a critical thinker takes time, practice and lots of thought. We as humans always try to force our view upon other people and of course we assume that we are always right. From the other perspective when we have an opinion forced upon us we naturally get defensive. We as critical thinkers need to be open to other people’s opinion but listen with caution to all of the facts before we make any assumptions or judgments. Recommendations 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Don’t always believe everything that you hear and always ask yourself what the issue is. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Always try to find the conclusion and look for indicator words. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Remember what the conclusion is not. Conclusions will not be any of the following: a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Examples b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Statistics c.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Definitions d.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Background Information e.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Evidence S.W.O.T My selected recommendation is: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Don’t always believe everything that you hear and always ask yourself what the issue is. Strengths †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Understanding and listening will make you more aware of the real issue and will help you become a better critical thinker. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Learning to listen will help you in many aspects of not only your personal life but it can be a very strong aide on your professional life. Weakness †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We can become very skeptical about everything. Sometimes we need to sit back and ask ourselves when is critical thinking necessary. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Critical thinking is a very powerful tool and used for the wrong purpose you can damage ones character. Opportunity †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We as critical thinkers have the opportunity to see things very clearly and realize when the wool is being pulled over our eyes.

Indicators of the Effectiveness of Marketing

An important task of marketing research is the evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of marketing activities. Management companies require marketers increasingly rigorous reporting and substantiation of expenses. Tired of the high and steadily increasing marketing costs, executives are naming the following as marketing : failed new products and failed advertising campaigns, too many phone calls and expensive campaign that are created to stimulate sales but fail to do so. Marketing research is partly able to solve the problem of accountability of marketing.Consider the basic approach to evaluating the effectiveness of marketing activities – a system of performance marketing. Performance indicators of marketing – the criteria by which companies quantify, compare, and interpret the results of its marketing activities. Brand managers are using these indicators, or metrics, program design, and top managers – in the allocation of financial resources. If the ma rketer can show how the money will give the effect of his proposed measures, which means he can no longer justify the allocation of appropriate resources to senior management.Performance indicators can be internal marketing, i. e. , refer to the company's internal environment and external, that is, relate to the external environment of the company. In turn, internal and external indicators are divided into: †¢Current – continuously varying parameters, which require continuous monitoring, and are often carried out with the help of a marketing information system. †¢Final – indicators that are used as marketing the company's goals and evaluated, as a rule, for the quarter, half, or year. Let’s consider the most popular domestic rates. Current domestic rates: †¢defect rate of products degree of knowledge of the company's goals of personnel †¢timeliness of delivery †¢errors in billing †¢inventory turnover It is advisable to keep in mind key indicators that are not directly related to marketing activities. For example, estimating the percentage of defective products and participating in the task to reduce the reject rate, the marketer, thus reducing production costs, which in turn can reduce the price of the product. A price control is one of the essential tasks of the marketer. Timeliness of delivery can improve customer loyalty and forms in their eyes the image of a reliable and punctual company.The degree of knowledge of the objectives of the company allows staff to make the right decisions in complex ambiguous situations. And, most often benefit from such solutions is primarily a consumer. The final internal indices: †¢net profit (income) †¢return on sales †¢margin per unit of output †¢return on assets These figures can be attributed to the financial. The marketer should be aware of the dynamics of their growth or decline. Financial performance could not be more eloquently and accurately desc ribed as the company's activities in general and the marketing department.Of course, to a direct relationship between the magnitude of these parameters and the degree of effectiveness of the marketing department can not, however, the negative trend indicators will clearly indicate the true chosen strategy of the company and, accordingly, a lack of effectiveness of the marketing department. The most popular external indicators include the following. 1. Current external indicators: †¢degree of customer satisfaction †¢the number of complaints †¢the total number of customers †¢loyalty, retention rates †¢intention to buy †¢awareness of the productThe presented figures are difficult to translate into a financial equivalent. How, for example, brings the company's customer loyalty? Therefore, these parameters are estimated separately, according to a specific, produced for a specific company, the system scales. Also, the absolute values are used, for example, to measure the number of complaints or the total number of customers, and the relative values of, for example, the percentage of people who have the intention to purchase goods in the near future. 2. Final external indicators: †¢market share †¢size of the market comparative sales of new products †¢revenue per customer †¢market growth rate In fact, these figures constitute a group of industry and competitive rates. Industry indicators – a measure to assess the state of the industry – its rate of growth or size of the market. It is not possible to measure these indicators. But on the basis of these figures the company can make adjustments to the marketing communications plan or competitive strategy. Competitive rates, for example market share, company can assess its position in the market relative to competitors.Market share – one of the most important indicators of the effectiveness of marketing activities, and the dynamics of its growth has a d irect impact on sales growth. To ensure the maximization of the diversity metric can be done by the special organizational processes and systems. All materials used in the company's internal and external parameters can be represented as a marketing information system. As a source of data for marketing information system companies can use two systems of market valuation, reflecting the company's results and help to learn in advance about the possible impending problems.The evaluation system of consumers includes analysis of the following indicators: †¢percentage of new buyers from the average number of customers †¢percentage of dissatisfied customers of the average number of customers †¢percentage of customers who are able to return, the total number of customers †¢percentage of customers who declare their intention to re-purchase the product †¢percentage of customers who declare their intention to recommend a product to others †¢the average perception o f roduct quality in comparison with the main competitor †¢percentage of consumers who claim that the product is the most preferable in its category The evaluation of people that have interest. Companies need to continuously monitor the mood of the various groups interested in their work, or to affect it: employees, suppliers, banks, distributors, retailers and shareholders. It should also set standards for each group and take action as soon as one or more of them show an increased level of dissatisfaction. ExampleIn each division of the company  «Hewlett-Packard » evaluation system of customers is applied, which includes from 18 to 20 indicators. Some criteria (customer satisfaction and timely delivery) the same for all, while others depend on the specifics of each department. Analysis of these estimates allows company management to assess the effectiveness of marketing strategies, sales and profits and to identify areas in which improvements can achieve greater quantitativ e indicators. 9. 2. Methods for assessing the effectiveness of marketing activitiesEvaluating the effectiveness of marketing activities is very challenging and not always given the opportunity to express the quantitative effect obtained at the expense of marketing activities. Nevertheless, there are many different approaches for addressing this problem, which allows you to select the following classification of methods for evaluating the effectiveness of marketing. Qualitative methods involve the use of marketing audit, during which the comprehensive analysis of environmental organizations, as well as all the threats and opportunities.In this case there are two areas of marketing control: control of marketing results-oriented and marketing audit, i. e. analysis of the qualitative aspects of the organization. Quantitative methods for evaluating the effectiveness of marketing requires comparing the costs of marketing with the resulting gross profit and the cost of advertising to sales , and they characterize the final financial results for the organization. Analysis of the profitability and cost analysis can also be one of the options for the quantitative method of assessing the effectiveness of marketing.In evaluating marketing activities should be the parameters that characterize the activity of a particular business units – sales volumes, the organization of the market share, margin and net profit. The volume of sales (gross sales) is a complex indicator and reflects not only and not the success of efforts to implement the product, but also chosen the right price, and most importantly, how the goods â€Å"fell† in the target group of consumers. Dynamics of sales – an indicator of an organization's position in the market, its shares and trends.It should also be noted that independent place in the analysis of cost structures and evaluating the development potential of the organization is the analysis of break-even point. Break-even volume sh ows how many goods to be sold, that the resulting contribution margin covers all fixed costs. This volume is an indicator of the organization capabilities to maneuver in the market. Sociological methods for evaluating the effectiveness of marketing aimed at using the tools of applied sociology – the development of sociological research program and in accordance with its conduct of the study.In the use of tools of applied sociology also is oriented assessment of the effectiveness of marketing communications (advertising effectiveness, sales Tenths methods for assessing the effectiveness of marketing separating its effectiveness for each activity in compliance with the eligibility criteria of the list of structures and processes of the marketing concept of setting a specific score for each criterion. Nowadays, there is an increasing number of methods to assess the effectiveness of information marketing that are most widely discussed on the Internet.The essence of these methods is that in order to evaluate the effectiveness of marketing programs used by Sales Expert 2, Success, and others, which are software for marketing information systems. In fact, the evaluation of the effectiveness of marketing activities is one of the functions of a marketing information system. All the indicators needed to assess the effectiveness of marketing activities should be incorporated in the marketing information system. Marketer, the user of the system is only necessary to define the algorithm and the method of assessing effectiveness. 9. 3.Performance indicators of marketing – the criteria by which companies quantify, compare, and interpret the results of its marketing activities. Performance indicators can be internal marketing, i. e. , refer to the company's internal environment and external, that is, relate to the external environment of the company. In turn, internal and external indicators are divided into current – which should be continuous monitored and which are often carried out with the help of a marketing information system, and final – indicators that are used as marketing the company's goals and evaluated, usually on the basis of quarter, year.The following methods of evaluating the effectiveness of marketing activities: †¢Qualitative methods involve the use of marketing audit, during which the comprehensive analysis of environmental organizations, as well as all the threats and opportunities. †¢Quantitative methods are used for evaluating the effectiveness of marketing requires comparing the costs of marketing with the resulting gross profit, and advertising costs to sales. †¢Sociological methods – for evaluating the effectiveness of marketing aimed at using the tools of applied sociology – a program of sociological research and in accordance with its conduct of the study. Tenths methods for assessing the effectiveness of marketing â€Å"isolate† its effectiveness for each activ ity in compliance with the eligibility criteria of the list of structures and processes of the marketing concept of setting a specific score for each criterion. The essence of the method of information lies in the fact that the evaluation of the effectiveness of marketing programs used by Sales Expert 2, Success, and others, which are software for marketing information systems.Four tools for monitoring the implementation of the marketing plan. 1. Analysis of the distribution suggests a partition of the total sales data into categories such as products, end users, marketing intermediaries, sales territory, and the size of the order. The purpose of the analysis – to identify strengths and weaknesses of the area, for example, products with the highest and lowest sales, buyers, who account for a large portion of the proceeds, as well as sales agents and territory, demonstrating the highest and lowest quality of work. . Analysis of market share. Sales volume and market share are t he primary functions of a number of determining factors. For consumer goods, these factors include the efficient allocation, the relative price, retain or change the perception of one or more of the essential characteristics of the product to consumers in comparison with competitors' products and product placement on store shelves. 3. Itemized analysis of earnings and expenses.Data on sales – it is certainly not the only relevant information regarding the success of marketing activities. Need to monitor values of gross margin and profit margin, and to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of all marketing expenditure items. 4. Analysis of the ratio of marketing costs and sales volumes. Analysis of the annual plan requires ongoing monitoring to achieve the goals of expenditure. The main management measure is the ratio of marketing costs and sales volumes.

Hurricane Katrin A Devastating Storm - 1576 Words

Hurricane Katrina was a devastating storm that ravaged New Orleans, but it was more than just a natural disaster. The general public and even some top officials are quick to dismiss this great storm as an inevitable force of mother nature as if it was just another hurricane of the season. In doing so, they subscribe to a mindset that is actually a disservice to those who suffered Hurricane Katrina’s wrath. A myriad of publications like Come Hell or High Water, Overcoming Katrina, and There is No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster has exposed a startling light on how horrendously human systems can fail. It is no question that Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster - it was a natural phenomenon - but Katrina was more-so a social disaster†¦show more content†¦In comparison, Hurricane Andrew had a central pressure of 922 mb (1), and â€Å"wiped out nearly 30,000 homes and damaged more than 100,000 others (Powers 23). Similarly, Katrina brought violent winds that decimat ed New Orleans with an estimated one-hundred billion dollars in repairs (Waple 6). According to scientists in the Nova ScienceNow episode â€Å"Hurricanes†, the immense damage is particularly due to the location of New Orleans, which is ten feet below sea level and is bordered by a lake and the sea. Areas below sea level or near a body of water, in this case two bodies of water, tend to require levees to prevent flooding. Having a town situated in a place where hurricanes are prone to occur can be considered a human disaster as they put themselves in harms way. This bad situation, however, cannot be helped due to the economic opportunities of its location, so in many ways a disaster was inevitable. Nonetheless, Katrina was a natural phenomenon that ravaged the coastal city of New Orleans. Of course Hurricane Katrina was a large storm, but there should have been measures in place to mitigate its damage. However, Michael DeWayne Brown, the director of FEMA of the time explained, â€Å"this storm is much bigger than anyone expected† (Dyson 77). Brown maintains that his or any other agencies did not expect Katrina to be of such great magnitude, hence why the agency was not adequately prepared. Nevertheless, Brown’s statement contradicts a report from FEMA, the agency heShow MoreRelatedRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagesdevil-devised doctrine to the detriment of deluded mankind and which sinful shitsem [system] will therefore be destroyed in a predestined apocalyptic judgement of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, lightening bolts, brimstone, molten lava, thunder, plagues, hurricanes, drought, famine, tidal waves, hail and heat waves . . . in short by what could be described as a supernaturally controlled ecological backlash.56 52 RASTAFARI Thus the cataclysmic destruction of Babylon will come by its own hands. Its