When to Consider a Single-Instance Erp Strategy

Reproduction of this publication in any form without prior written permission is forbidden. The Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Garner disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. Although Garter's research may discuss legal issues related to the information technology business, Garner does not provide legal advice or services and its research should not be construed or used as such.Garner shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in the information contained herein or for Interpretations thereof. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. WHAT you NEED TO KNOW Adopting a single-instance, single-vendor enterprise resource planning strategy can deliver benefits, but it does not make sense for every organization. It should only be undertaken If you have a good business case for the project and it matches most or all of Garter's single-instance success factors.If the challenges balance or outweigh the success factors, then you should address organizational issues before proceeding. If this Is not feasible, then consider Illimitableness consolidation or a tiered business application strategy. ANALYSIS Most large multinational organizations have a heterogeneous application portfolio hat has built up over time. The portfolio often is made more complex by tactical purchasing and merger and acquisition activity.Senior executives in such organizations are attracted to the idea of standardizing on applications from a single enterprise resource planning (ERP) vendor because of potential operational cost savings and reduced complexity of the IT landscape (see Note 1). Vendor consolidation is often a first step toward instance consolidation. ; A single instance of an application can run all operating companies on a common process template, a ingle release AT ten application Ana a giggle copy AT ten applications dataset, using a cons olidated technical infrastructure.A single-instance strategy can drive cost reductions in several areas, including integration, interfaces, training, support and hardware. In addition, potential benefits may be found in process improvements, better data consistency and improved visibility of information. However, adopting a single-instance, single-vendor ERP strategy is not a task to be undertaken lightly, because it can create disruption in enterprise operations and often involves replacing some systems that are favored by users.Even if the business case appears to support the deployment of a single-instance ERP solution, there still may be significant obstacles to overcome. Certain types of organizations will find it more difficult to realize the benefits of a single-instance ERP strategy because of their culture and infrastructure. See Table 1 to determine whether single-system ERP might work for your organization. Rank yourself against each of the categories. If you have mainly (or exclusively) success factors, then a single-instance ERP strategy is more likely to be successful. Table 1 .Single-Instance ERP Success Factors and Challenges Enterprise Profile Business Model Corporate Culture and Policy Definition Geographical Concentration Success Factors Single primary core business with similar business processes Centralized with strong corporate head office; policy dictated at corporate level and globally enforced Company aspires to operate as a single global company, and operations, sales and marketing are concentrated in a single geographical region Stable, unlikely to undergo dramatic growth or downsizing Challenges Diversified group with wide range of business processes Decentralized tit autonomous business units; policy decided at the business-unit level Company operates as a multinational company, and operations, sales and marketing are distributed globally Dynamic, growing rapidly or downsizing significantly Business Environment publication Date: 28 September 2005/AD Number: GO 30366 2005 Garner, Inc. And/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved.Page 2 of 6 Merger, Acquisition and Divestiture Status Established ERP Systems Technology Environment Acquiring smaller entities that are easily absorbed into the corporate culture Highly likely to be acquired or merge with a company of a similar size (or larger); vesting encore businesses Diverse, with an even spread from potential single- system suppliers Architecture and technology are decided at the business-unit level Elemental mummer, wilt majority AT systems Trot likely single-system vendor Enterprise-level architecture with similar technologies Source: Garner (September 2005) Note that the scope of this analysis is limited to the processes automated through traditional ERP systems, such as financial, HRS, procurement, inventory management, production planning and order management. Single-instance strategies are typically noninsured first in the ERP domain because these processes are more internally focused and homogeneous, and have less impact on competitive differentiation. Suitability of a single-instance strategy in other domains, such as customer relationship management (CRM), product life cycle management (PLUM) and supply chain management (SCM), should be assessed following a similar process. However, with CRM, PLUM and SCM, organizations are even less likely to meet the criteria in Table 1 and will typically discover that a single-instance strategy doesn't align with the business strategy.By implication, even if a single-instance ERP environment is successfully created, most organizations will have to support multiple instances of peripheral systems. Enterprise Profile Elements ; Business Model: Organizations in service industries such as software or financial services will find adoption of single- system ERP easier than those with a diversified business model, because the ERP adoption will primarily affect their back-office administrative functions. Process changes in these areas will have less impact on revenue-creating activities and, therefore, are lower risk than changes in operational areas such as manufacturing and logistics operations.Corporate Culture and Policy Definition: Organizations that operate in a decentralized manner with highly autonomous business units may find these operations unwilling to release control of local systems to a central IT function. If there is a culture of local decision making, then business-unit executives may not be willing to accept a decision that is mandated from the corporate head office. Geographical Concentration: Companies that aspire to operate as global companies (operate on a common set of business processes across the globe) are well- positioned to achieve a global single instance, because they align the IT strategy with he business strategy.Companies operating as multinationals (have a unique set of business processes for local markets, particularly sales and marketing, and SC M), will have difficulties running their international businesses on a common system. Also, organizations that are physically concentrated in a single geographical region will find it easier to achieve a single instance, because support and operations of the system take place in a narrow range of adjacent time zones. The need to support a single instance around the clock creates issues with available support windows for upgrades and maintenance, and possibly network-related performance and availability issues.Business Environment: A single-instance ERP strategy may not be appropriate for organizations that face significant change. Implementation of a single-instance system may be thrown into disarray if there is a significant change of direction in the business Page 3 of 6 (for example, a manufacturer decides to sell its manufacturing operations and focus instead on design and logistics services). ; Merger, Acquisition and Divestiture Status: This aspect of the general business situ ation can have a major impact on a single- instance strategy. Organizations that are likely to acquire or merge with entities of a similar size may find their investment in a significance strategy compromised if they merge with organizations that use different ERP systems.Established ERP Systems: If the ERP system from a potential single-instance vendor is already used in the majority of the organization, then there may be little resistance to a wider deployment. Many organizations have initially implemented multiple instances of a single ERP system are now considering instance consolidation. However, if there is no nominate provider, then a single-instance strategy will face resistance, because some users are likely to fight to retain their â€Å"much loved† locally implemented systems from â€Å"their† vendors. Technology Environment: Similar challenges may arise if there is no common technology environment and enterprise architecture in place.A single- instance stra tegy requires the adoption of a specific technology environment (operating system, database, middleware and other IT infrastructure), and organizations that already have an enterprise architecture in place will find it easier to implement a single-instance approach. When the technology environment is defined at the business-unit level, local IT functions may resist moving away from their architecture to that which is required to support the single-instance strategy. Determining Who Drives the Initiative Often, instance consolidation initiatives are driven by the IT organization on the basis of simplification of the application landscape, and the IT technical and support infrastructure. Table 1 shows that five out of the seven success factors are within the business domain and entirely outside the control of the IT organization.This underscores the point that instance installation projects should primarily be business-driven projects, with a business case solidly based on business be nefits. Without understanding, sponsorship and commitment at the senior business management level, the project is doomed to fail. The IT organization plays a critical role in educating the business units, and planning and executing the project; however, it does not own the project. What to Do If the generalness outlawed ten success Factors organizations considering giggle-alliance ERP that find the challenges outweigh the success factors have other options: 1 . Consider a limited ERP vendor and infrastructure consolidation strategy, without moving to a single-instance consolidation.This strategy will enable organizations to achieve some efficiency improvements in the IT organization by consolidating some of the operating and support infrastructure of the ERP systems. However, the strategy will not realize the full benefits of a single-instance system. This strategy may be suitable for organizations that are diversified and decentralized in nature, operate in a highly dynamic market environment and consider IT costs to be a significant factor. A common approach is to adopt vendor consolidation with some level of instance consolidation (for example, regional or divisional instances). 2. Adopt a tiered business application strategy (see â€Å"How to Approach Tiered Business Applications†), where specific applications are adopted to address the needs of decentralized business units.Page 4 of 6 3. Address the organizational issues that are creating the challenges prior to implementing the single-instance strategy. There are two main actions that need to be taken to address these organizational issues: ; Involve business-unit executives in alluding and reviewing the business case to create buy-in. Develop a feasibility study that shows how business-unit requirements can be accommodated in a single- instance implementation, and build an instance strategy to support this. Consider getting business-unit executives to develop a business case to Justify why their business unit should not be included in a single-instance solution.Get the executive management team to understand and accept how investing in a single-instance strategy can affect your merger and acquisition strategy. During their due diligence, organizations adopting a single-instance strategy must take account of how ERP systems are used by potential acquisition targets. Similarly, a single-instance strategy may limit downsizing options, because it will be difficult to divest parts of the business on an ongoing basis if they do not have their own business applications. If significant divestiture is likely, then a single-instance ERP project should be deferred until the business environment stabilizes. Key Issues How can more value be gained from an enterprise resource planning investment?Note 1 Definition of Single Instance A single instance of an ERP system is when a single installation of the application is linked to a single database. This significantly sleepless support Ana m alfeasance Decease tenure Is only one set AT application infrastructure to be maintained. This does not necessarily mean that all business units have to use the same business rules, because most ERP systems enable different entities within a single instance to have a degree of uniqueness. However, there will be constraints on the capability of the business units to define their own business rules (compared to separate instances for each business unit).

Supply Chain of Amul

ARAVALI INSTITUE OF MANAGEMENT (An institution of Marwar Education Foundation) Term Paper on Supply Chain of AMUL Submitted to:Submitted by: Dr. Parikshit CharanSunil Kansara PGP II PGDM (S) Section A Roll No. 30 HISTORY Amul was formally registered on December 14, 1946. The brand name Amul, sourced from the Sanskrit word Amoolya, means priceless. It was suggested by a quality control expert in Anand and it was chosen because it was a perfect acronym for Anand Milk Union Limited. The Amul revolution was started as awareness among the farmers. It grew and matured into a protest movement that was channeled towards economic prosperity Over five decades ago, the life of an average farmer in Kheda District was very much like that of his/her counterpart anywhere else in India. His/her income was derived almost entirely from seasonal crops. The income from milk buffaloes was undependable. Milk producers had to travel long distances to deliver milk to the only dairy, the Polson Dairy in Anand – often milk went sour, especially in the summer season, as producers had to physically carry milk in individual containers. Private traders and middlemen controlled the marketing and distribution system for the milk. These middlemen decided the prices and the off-take from the farmers by the season. As milk is perishable, farmers were compelled to sell it for whatever they were offered. Often, they had to sell cream and ghee at throw-away prices. In this situation, the private trader made a killing. Moreover, the government at that time had given monopoly rights to Polson Dairy, which was run by a person of Parsi descent, (around that time Polson was the most well known butter brand in the country) to collect milk from Anand and supply to Mumbai city in turn (about 400 kilometers away). Another problem farmers faced was that in winter the milk output of buffaloes doubled which caused prices to fall down even further. India ranked nowhere amongst milk producing countries in the world in 1946. Gradually, the realization dawned on the farmers with inspiration from then nationalist leaders Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (who later became the first Home Minister of free India) and Morarji Desai (who later become the Prime Minister of India) and local farmer, freedom fighter and social worker Tribhovandas Patel, that the exploitation by the trader could be checked only if they marketed their milk themselves. Amul was the result of the realization that they could pool up their milk and work as a cooperative Setting up of Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers' Union In the early 40’s, the main sources of earning for the farmers of Kaira district were farming and selling of milk. That time there was high demand for milk in Bombay. The main supplier of the milk was Polson dairy limited, which was a privately owned company and held monopoly over the supply of milk at Bombay from the Kaira district. This system leads to exploitation of poor and illiterates’ farmers by the private traders. The traders used to beside the prices of milk and the farmers were forced to accept it without uttering a single word. However, when the exploitation became intolerable, the farmers were frustrated. They collectively appealed to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who was a leading activist in the freedom movement. Sardar Patel advised the farmers to sell the milk on their own by establishing a co-operative union, Instead of supplying milk to private traders. Sardar Patel sent the farmers to Shri Morarji Desai in order to gain his co-operation and help. Shri Desai held a meeting at Samarkha village near Anand, on 4th January 1946. He advised the farmers to form a society for collection of the milk. These village societies would collect the milk themselves and would decide the prices at which they can sell the milk. The district union was also form to collect the milk from such village co-operative societies and to sell them. It was also resolved that the Government should be asked to buy milk from the union. However, the govt. did not seem to help farmers by any means. It gave the negative response by turning down the demand for the milk. To respond to this action of govt. , the farmers of Kaira district went on a milk strike. For 15 whole days not a single drop of milk was sold to the traders. As a result the Bombay milk scheme was severely affected. The milk commissioner of Bombay then visited Anand to assess the situation. Having seemed the condition, he decided to fulfill the farmers demand. Thus their cooperative unions were forced at the village and district level to collect and sell milk on a cooperative basis, without the intervention of Government. Mr. Verghese Kurien showed main interest in establishing union who was supported by Shri Tribhuvandas Patel who lead the farmers in forming the Co-operative unions at the village level. The Kaira district milk producers union was thus established in ANAND and was registered formally on 14th December 1946. Since farmers sold all the milk in Anand through a co-operative union, it was commonly resolved to sell the milk under the brand name AMUL. At the initial stage only 250 liters of milk was collected everyday. But with the growing awareness of the benefits of the cooperativeness, the collection of milk increased. Today Amul collect 11 lakhs liters of milk everyday. Since milk was a perishable commodity it becomes difficult to preserve milk flora longer period. Besides when the milk was to be collected from the far places, there was a fear of spoiling of milk. To overcome this problem the union thought out to develop the chilling unit at various junctions, which would collect the milk and could chill it, so as to preserve it for a longer period. Thus, today Amul has more than 150 chilling centers in various villages. Milk is collected from almost 1073 societies. With the financial help from UNICEF, assistance from the govt. of New Zealand under the Colombo plan, of Rs. 50 millions for factory to manufacture milk powder and butter was planned. Setting Up of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation In 1954, Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union built a plant to convert surplus milk produced in the cold seasons into milk powder and butter. In 1958, a plant to manufacture cheese and one to produce baby food were added. Subsequent years saw the addition of more plants to produce different products. In 1973, the milk societies/district level unions decided to set up a marketing agency to market their products. This agency was the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF). It was registered as a co-operative society on 9 July 1973 COMPANY PROFILE THE TASTE OF INDIA, AMUL comes from the Sanskrit word Amoolya, means priceless. It was suggested by a quality control expert in Anand and it was chosen because it was a perfect acronym for Anand Milk Union Limited. AMUL was formed under the dairy cooperative movement in India in 1946 The Amul Pattern has established itself as a uniquely appropriate model for rural development. Amul has spurred the White Revolution of India, which has made India the largest producer of milk and milk products in the world. It is also the world's biggest vegetarian cheese brand . The system succeeded mainly because it provides an assured market at remunerative prices for producers' milk besides acting as a channel to market the production enhancement package. What's more, it does not disturb the agro-system of the farmers. It also enables the consumer an access to high quality milk and milk products. Contrary to the traditional system, when the profit of the business was cornered by the middlemen, the system ensured that the profit goes to the participants for their socio-economic upliftment and common good. Looking back on the path traversed by Amul, the following features make it a pattern and model for emulation elsewhere. Amul has been able to: ? Produce an appropriate blend of the policy makers farmers board of management and the professionals: each group appreciating its rotes and limitations, ? Bring at the command of the rural milk producers the best of the technology and harness its fruit for betterment. ? Provide a support system to the milk producers without disturbing their agro-economic systems, ? Plough back the profits, by prudent use of men, material and machines, in the rural sector for the common good and betterment of the member producers and ? Even though, growing with time and on scale, it has remained with the smallest producer members. In that sense. Amul is an example par excellence, of an intervention for rural change. Organization structure It all started in December 1946 with a group of farmers keen to free themselves from intermediaries, gain access to markets and thereby ensure maximum returns for their efforts. Based in the village of Anand, the Kaira District Milk Cooperative Union (better known as Amul) expanded exponentially. It joined hands with other milk cooperatives, and the Gujarat network now covers 2. 12 million farmers, 10,411 village level milk collection centers and fourteen district level plants (unions) under the overall supervision of GCMMF. There are similar federations in other states. Right from the beginning, there was recognition that this initiative would directly benefit and transform small farmers and contribute to the development of society. Markets, then and even today, are primitive and poor in infrastructure. Amul and GCMMF acknowledged that development and growth could not be left to market forces and that proactive intervention was required. Two key requirements were identified. The first, that sustained growth for the long term would depend on matching supply and demand. It would need heavy investment in the simultaneous development of suppliers and consumers. Second, that effective management of the network and commercial viability would require professional managers and technocrats. To implement their vision while retaining their focus on farmers, a hierarchical network of cooperatives was developed, which today forms the robust supply chain behind GCMMF's endeavors. The vast and complex supply chain stretches from small suppliers to large fragmented markets. Management of this network is made more complex by the fact that GCMMF is directly responsible only for a small part of the chain, with a number of third party players (distributors, retailers and logistics support providers) playing large roles. Managing this supply chain efficiently is critical as GCMMF's competitive position is driven by low consumer prices supported by a low cost system. The Union looks after policy formulation, processing and marketing of milk, provision of technical inputs to enhance milk yield of animals, the artificial insemination service, veterinary care, better feeds and the like – all through the village societies. DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL Amul products are available in over 500,000 PLUS retail outlets across India through its network of over 3,500 distributors. There are 47 depots with dry and cold warehouses to buffer inventory of the entire range of products. GCMMF transacts on an advance demand draft basis from its wholesale dealers instead of the cheque system adopted by other major FMCG companies. This practice is consistent with GCMMF's philosophy of maintaining cash transactions throughout the supply chain and it also minimizes dumping. Wholesale dealers carry inventory that is just adequate to take care of the transit time from the branch warehouse to their premises. This just-in-time inventory strategy improves dealers' return on investment (ROI). All GCMMF branches engage in route scheduling and have dedicated vehicle operations Establishing best practices: A key source of competitive advantage has been the enterprise's ability to continuously implement best practices across all elements of the network: the federation, the unions, the village societies and the distribution channel. In developing these practices, the federation and the unions have adapted successful models from around the world. It could be the implementation of small group activities or quality circles at the federation. Or a TQM program at the unions. Or housekeeping and good accounting practices at the village society level. More important, the network has been able to regularly roll out improvement programs across to a large number of members and the implementation rate is consistently high. For example, every Friday, without fail, between 10. 00 a. m. and 11. 00 a. m. , all employees of GCMMF meet at the closest office, be it a department or a branch or a depot to discuss their various quality concerns. Each meeting has its pre-set format in terms of Purpose, Agenda and Limit (PAL) with a process check at the end to record how the meeting was conducted. Similar processes are in place at the village societies, the unions and even at the wholesaler and C agent levels as well. Examples of benefits from recent initiatives include reduction in transportation time from the depots to the wholesale dealers, improvement in ROI of wholesale dealers, implementation of Zero Stock Out through improved availability of products at depots and also the implementation of Just-in-Time in finance to reduce the float. Kaizens at the unions have helped improve the quality of milk in terms of acidity and sour milk. (Undertaken by multi-disciplined teams, Kaizens are highly focussed projects, reliant on a structured approach based on data gathering and analysis. ) For example, Sabar Union's records show a reduction from 2. 0% to 0. 5% in the amount of sour milk/curd received at the union. The most impressive aspect of this large-scale roll out is that improvement processes are turning the village societies into individual improvement centers. Supply Chain of Amul Consumers expect marketers to deliver products in the locations and forms they require. To meet expectations of such demanding consumers, alignments of our four Distribution Highways of Fresh, Chilled, Frozen and Ambient products were already made by introducing Project DIL. Subsequently, a major initiative was taken to enhance distribution network to smaller towns. About 1200 distributors in small towns across India were added during this initiative. Today about 3000 Distributors ensure availability of our products across India, whether it is in Leh or Lakshadweep, in Kutch or Arunachal. Simultaneously, to augment fresh milk distribution in various markets of India, approximately 1400 exclusive Milk Distributors have been inducted. ? AMUL has the largest cold chain network in India (i. e. 18000 refrigerators) as compared to any other company. The chemical components of milk are water, SNF and solids. Milk is very perishable product so it has to be consumed within 24 hours. In order to avoid wastage AMUL converts the milk in to SNF and milk solids by evaporating the water, which comprises up to 60-70% of milk contents. This is possible only if the distribution channel right from the producer to the consumer is well organized. It will be surprising to know that AMUL makes even the ‘Sarpanch’ to eat pizza i. e. it supplies pizzas even to rural market. ? Last year, theye divided the retail market into 14 specific segments to achieve further distribution efficiency. This year our focus was on inducting distributors having expertise in servicing such specific market segments. This initiative is yielding results by way of ensuring wider availability of our product range. ? The role of distributors in our business process has never been more diverse or more important, as it is today. As a matter of fact, we consider our Distributor to be the real â€Å"Marketing Manager† of our organization. To enhance business performance of our Distributors, a workshop on Marketing and Sales Management was designed in collaboration with a premier business school. The objective of the entire initiative was to upgrade the knowledge of our Distributors in terms of contemporary Business Management Practices, so that they can perform well not only as our business partner but also as Marketing Managers. During the year, 659 Distributors have undergone this programme in 39 locations. Cold Storage is an extremely essential component n the Federation’s distribution process. Unfortunately, availability of efficient cold storage facilities is grossly inadequate in our country. To cope up with the increasing need of suitable cold stores closer to our markets, we have continued our endeavour of creating the Federation’s own cold stores this year in various locations acr oss the country. We now own 24 state-of- the art cold rooms of different sizes. ? To get an exposure to our cooperative structure, our culture as well as operational systems and processes, every year we invite our distributors, major retailers and other business partners to Anand, for Amul Yatra. So far, about 7000 Distributors and other business partners have participated in this Amul Yatra. ? Over recent years, the Federation has successfully introduced new product lines. This year, in order to leverage their distribution network strengths, to optimize market supervision expenditures, to achieve increasing efficiency while keeping the distribution infrastructure lean, focused and productive, the Federation amalgamated its different distribution networks. Today, they operate an efficient distribution infrastructure consisting of 46 sales offices, catering to 3,000 distributors and five lac retailers. Almost every Federation stockist has visited Anand to participate in a unique programme called ‘Amul Yatra'. During this programme, stockists are exposed to the Federation Philosophy, the culture of Cooperation, as well as operational Systems and Processes. The Federation has also invited distributor's salesmen from all over the country to Anand for a training program focused on the Federation's philosophy and developing their selling skills. AMUL is a dairy cooperative in the western India that has been primarily responsible, through its innovative practices, for India to become the world’s largest milk producer. The distinctive features of this paradigm involves managing a large decentralized network of suppliers and producers, simultaneous development of markets and suppliers, lean and efficient supply chain, and breakthrough leadership. Every day Amul collects 447,000 litres of milk from 2. 12 million farmers , converts the milk into branded, packaged products, and delivers goods worth Rs 6 crore (Rs 60 million) to over 500,000 retail outlets across the country. To implement their vision while retaining their focus on farmers, a hierarchical network of cooperatives was developed, this today forms the robust supply chain behind GCMMF’s endeavors. The vast and complex supply chain stretches from small suppliers to large fragmented markets. Management of this network is made more complex by the fact that GCMMF is directly responsible only for a small part of the chain, with a number of third party players (distributors, retailers and logistics support providers) playing large roles. Managing this supply chain efficiently is critical as GCMMF's competitive position is driven by low consumer prices supported by a low cost system of providing milk at a basic, affordable price. THE BUSINESS MODEL From the very beginnFng, in the early 1950s, AMUL adopted the network as the basic model for long-term growth. †¢ The network explicitly includes secondary services to the farmer-suppliers. †¢ Several of the entities in the network are organized as cooperatives linked in a hierarchical fashion. Customers: In comparison with developed economies, the market for dairy products in India is still in an evolutionary stage with tremendous potential for high value products such as ice cream, cheese etc. The distribution network, on the other hand, is quite reasonable with access to rural areas of the country. Traditional methods practiced in western economies are not adequate to realize the market potential and alternative approaches are necessary to tap this market. Suppliers: A majority of the suppliers are small or marginal farmers who are often illiterate, poor, and with liquidity problems as they lack direct access to financial institutions. Again, traditional market mechanisms are not adequate to assure sustenance and growth of these suppliers. Third Party Logistics Services: In addition to the weaknesses in the basic infrastructure, logistics and transportation services are typically not professionally managed, with little regard for quality and service. In addition to outbound logistics, GCMMF takes responsibility for coordinating with the distributors to assure adequate and timely supply of products. It also works with the Unions in determining product mix, product allocations and in developing production plans. The Unions, on the other hand, coordinate collection logistics and support services to the member-farmers. In what follows we elaborate on these aspects in more detail and provide a rationale for the model and strategies adopted by GCMMF. Simultaneous Development of Suppliers and Customers: From the very early stages of the formation of AMUL, the cooperative realized that sustained growth for the long-term was contingent on matching supply and demand. The member-suppliers were typically small and marginal farmers with severe liquidity problems, illiterate and untrained. AMUL and other cooperative Unions adopted a number of strategies to develop the supply of milk and assure steady growth. First, for the short term, the procurement prices were set so as to provide fair and reasonable return. Second, aware of the liquidity problems, cash payments for the milk supply was made with minimum of delay. This practice continues today with many village societies making payments upon the receipt of milk. For the long-term, the Unions followed a multi-pronged strategy of education and support. For example, only part of the surplus generated by the Unions is paid to the members in the form of dividends Managing Third Party Service Providers: Unions focused efforts on these activities and related technology development . The marketing efforts were assumed by GCMMF. All other activities were entrusted to third parties. These include logistics of milk collection, distribution of dairy products, sale of products through dealers and retail stores, some veterinary services etc. It is worth noting that a number of these third parties are not in the organized sector, and many are not professionally managed. Hence, while third parties perform the activities, the Unions and GCMMF have developed a number of mechanisms to retain control and assure quality and timely deliveries. This is particularly critical for a perishable product such as liquid milk. Coordination for Competitiveness Coordination is one of the key reasons for the success of operations involving such an extensive network of producers and distributors at GCMMF. Some interesting mechanisms exist for coordinating the supply chain at GCMMF. These mechanisms are: Inter-locking Control The objective for developing such an inter-locking control mechanism is to ensure that the interest of the farmer is always kept at the top of the agenda through its representatives who constitute the Boards of different entities that comprise the supply chain. This form of direct representation also ensures that professional managers and farmers work together as a team to strengthen the cooperative. This helps in coordinating decisions across different entities as well as speeding both the flow of information to the respective constituents and decisions. Coordination Agency: Unique Role of Federation Its objective is to ensure that all milk that the farmers produce gets sold in the market either as milk or as value added products and to ensure that milk is made available to an increasingly large sections of the society at affordable prices Supplier Enhancement and Network servicing Their objective is to ensure that producers get maximum benefit and to resolve all their problems. They manage the procurement of milk that comes via trucks & tankers from the VSs. They negotiate annual contracts with truckers, ensure availability of trucks for procurement, establish truck routes, monitor truck movement and prevent stealing of milk while it is being transported. GCMMF’S SUPPLY CHAIN DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL Amul products are available in over 500,000 PLUS retail outlets across India through its network of over 3,500 distributors. There are 47 depots with dry and cold warehouses to buffer inventory of the entire range of products. GCMMF transacts on an advance demand draft basis from its wholesale dealers instead of the cheque system adopted by other major FMCG companies. This practice is consistent with GCMMF's philosophy of maintaining cash transactions throughout the supply chain and it also minimizes dumping. Wholesale dealers carry inventory that is just adequate to take care of the transit time from the branch warehouse to their premises. This just-in-time inventory strategy improves dealers' return on investment (ROI). All GCMMF branches engage in route scheduling and have dedicated vehicle operations Establishing best practices A key source of competitive advantage has been the enterprise's ability to continuously implement best practices across all elements of the network: the federation, the unions, the village societies and the distribution channel. In developing these practices, the federation and the unions have adapted successful models from around the world. It could be the implementation of small group activities or quality circles at the federation. Or a TQM program at the unions. Or housekeeping and good accounting practices at the village society level. More important, the network has been able to regularly roll out improvement programs across to a large number of members and the implementation rate is consistently high. For example, every Friday, without fail, between 10. 00 a. m. and 11. 00 a. m. , all employees of GCMMF meet at the closest office, be it a department or a branch or a depot to discuss their various quality concerns. Each meeting has its pre-set format in terms of Purpose, Agenda and Limit (PAL) with a process check at the end to record how the meeting was conducted. Similar processes are in place at the village societies, the unions and even at the wholesaler and C&F agent levels as well. Examples of benefits from recent initiatives include reduction in transportation time from the depots to the wholesale dealers, improvement in ROI of wholesale dealers, implementation of Zero Stock Out through improved availability of products at depots and also the implementation of Just-in-Time in finance to reduce the float. Kaizens at the unions have helped improve the quality of milk in terms of acidity and sour milk. (Undertaken by multi-disciplined teams, Kaizens are highly focussed projects, reliant on a structured approach based on data gathering and analysis. ) For example, Sabar Union's records show a reduction from 2. 0% to 0. 5% in the amount of sour milk/curd received at the union. SELECTION, MOTIVATION & EVALUATION OF CHANNEL MEMBERS Selection: The company takes into consideration a host of factors while selecting the channel members. This is because GCMMF believes that selection of channel members is a long run decision & the rest of the decision regarding the supply chain depends upon the efficiency & coverage by the channel members. The following are the host of factors considered by the company in selecting the channel members: ? Authentication is required by the regarding the identity of the channel members, which includes the name & address, photograph of the location. ? Proof of solvency which requires name & address of the channel member’s bankers ? Safety of the inventory, which means that the distributor/ dealer should et the stock of the company insured. ? Inventory or the perishable goods kept by the distributor/ dealer should be in good condition which means a detail of storage space & Refrigeration facility is to be provided. Refrigeration system should have deep freezers, cold room & walk in coolers. ? Details of the delivery vehicle, which includes Light Commercial Vehicles, Matador, 3 Wheel er Van, Tricycle Van & Hand/Push cart. The number & model of each of the vehicle needs to be furnished to the company. ? GCMMF acknowledges the fact that it needs to be sensitive to the market demands. For this it requires that a number of salesmen needs to be present on the field. The salesmen too are divided into various categories like the Field salesmen & Counter salesmen. Also the details of Clerical Staff & Mazdoors are to be provided. The technical competence of the salesmen needs to be mentioned ? Details of the product kept of other companies have to be provided. The annual sales of these products too have to be mentioned. Also details of complementary products & product lines need to be mentioned. ? Dealers of the company must carry a good reputation. This is due to the fact that the company believes reputation of the dealer affects the clientele. ? Market coverage by the distributors needs to be defined which includes details of Geographic coverage & Outlets per market area. ? The company also requires the dealers to furnish any Advertising & Sales initiative undertaken by them on behalf of the company. Observation ? The company’s strength is in its procurement and not the distribution even they know this, as this is the industry’s main problem. Other companies fail to replenish demand due to lack in procurement of raw milk. Amul has loyal cooperatives that provide milk only to them, over time the relationship of trust has built up with these people that amul leverages now. ? Transport channel is another strength as the transporters have grown with the company overtime the bonding with them enables the company to give least margins when it comes to the distributors in the industry, lowering the costs. ? The company believes that there is an ongoing demand in the market and therefore no promotions are needed to increase the sales, also the fact this would affect the cost of the product the company doesn’t undertake many promotion schemes. The not being a profit driven organization, is able to provide products at the least price in the industry, and is able to give least channel margins as the channel members earn through volumes and not through high margins. ? The company is enabled to push its new products into the market by hooking them onto the fast moving products like Amul butter; they force the channel members to carry the new products as well. Comments and Suggestion: ? Amul should go in for exclusive outlets in at least all the shopping malls coming up these days and any location where footfalls are large in number. The advantages of this channel will be: Full range display Easier to promote new products Easy to push impulse purchase products Brand building will be facilitated ? Pushcarts should be increased in number in order to increase the market reach this can provide with e very effective channel for ice creams and flavored milks. ? Trade promotion should be formulated for newly launched products instead of just tagging them onto best sellers. ? The company should start a home delivery where a particular household will order full range of products required by it over a period of time. For this the company could provide a deliveryman with cycle to reach the different houses. ? In order to motivate the channel members it is also very essential for the company to increase the margins for the hard selling items e. g. Amul dahi where it faces competition from Nestle & Mother dairy. ? In order to remain sensitive to market demand, it is essential for the company to place additional salesmen on the field since the brand as such commands a high demand in the market but fails to match it with the supply. [pic][pic][pic]

Global Marketing and Advertising Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Global Marketing and Advertising - Assignment Example Such is an effective strategy that ensures that they develop advertising contents that resonate with the uniqueness of the respective markets. Key among the factors that influence the decisions to localize advertising is the fact that emerging markets become the most lucrative markets for some of the leading global brands. They must, therefore, find appropriate ways of penetrating the unique markets. Hollensen, (2004) asserts that localizing advertisement is vital since it limits the costs of marketing to the prevailing marketing costs in any given market. Introducing a new product in a new market requires the company to employ appropriate brand development strategies. Developing a brand requires the effective introduction of the product a feature that validates the localized advertising. Any company such as those marketing whiskeys like Johnnie Walker cannot employ the same marketing strategies it uses in the United States in such a new country as China. The United States is an established market. Johnnie Walker is a stable brand and a market leader in the country. In China, Johnnie Walker is a new brand with the company barely introducing its products. The company, therefore, uses localized advertising in China with the view to introducing and developing a brand in the country as it has in the United States. In emerging markets, the company uses basic target market strategies such as the marketing mix. The marketing mix is a vital introductory and product developmental strategy that presents specific features of a product (Kotler & Armstrong, 1991). Key among such features is the product itself, the price of the product, place, and promotion. The attractiveness of the emerging markets often enhances the development of a scramble for the market. This requires strategic yet aggressive marketing that validates the use of the marketing mix since it presents the price of a product as a major competitive advantage.

Intrapreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Intrapreneurship - Essay Example What does it mean, to intrapreneur with power In essence it means to use power effectively in the intrapreneuring process. I will attempt to clarify the meaning of intrapreneuring with power by explaining the overall process in five step (Brandt, 1988). 4. What are your sources of power and influence What sources of power can you develop to gain more control over the situation With your sources of power, which strategies and tactics for using power seem most appropriate The first step is to clarify your vision and objectives. This clarification step serves two purposes: First, it provides a basis for identifying who, inside and outside the firm, will be affected if the venture accomplishes its stated objectives. These people will almost certainly want either to support the venture or to obstruct its progress. Second, it enables the venture manager to identify what kind of help is needed for the venture to succeed. The second step involves systematically identifying all the people, groups, or organizations on whom the venture's outcome depends. These parties include: the major internal units that would be affected by the venture's success (for example, departments competing for the resources needed by the venture); the venture's prospective customers, distributors, and suppliers and their competitors; such groups as shareholders, employees, and unions (These groups should be retained only if they are relevant to the outcome.) In the third step, we must figure out what point of view these various individuals and subunits have on issues of concern to us. As a starting point we should identify the venture's opponents and allies. The opponents are those groups that will be, or we think will be, adversely affected if the venture succeeds. The analysis should turn up two or three key internal parties who are likely to obstruct the venture's progress. It should also identify two or three key external parties that have a vested interest in the venture's failure. We pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses. Also, the venture manager should identify key allies inside and outside the firm. All parties that would benefit from the venture's success should be identified. Even if they have not yet become allies, they are potential allies. The allies are the players whose support is most critically needed to promote the venture's progress. Particular attention should be paid to those who can help the venture meet its immediate objectives. With limited resources, the venture manager must rely on the resources of allies whenever they are available. In the fourth step we understand that intrapreneuring with power means

Illegal immigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Illegal immigration - Essay Example The end of the Civil War grew the desire to restrict immigration of specific groups to the United States. In 1875, the first statute was passed to restrict immigration which was barring prostitutes and convicts from admission (Nadadur, 2010). Various laws were enacted some to curb the issue of illegal immigration and others to ensure that regardless of their situation the immigrants are not subjected to any discrimination or unfair treatment. Undocumented people go through a lot of discriminations in the United States. Institutions that have been set up by the government are sometimes seen to be the perpetuators of these kinds of injustices (Obama, 2015). From the health sector, education, finance and even housing, they are seen to discriminate against the undocumented regardless of these areas handling the basic needs of any human being. Although these people access the United States without all the required documentation, they deserve to be respected and be treated as human beings. On the health sector, the undocumented also face discrimination. Disease breakouts are sometimes among the reasons why people migrate from their country to the United States. The migration is usually in search of a better health environment but the reception they get at the health facilities is not as they expect. The health insurance and policies available have not put them into consideration making access to health facilities difficult (Rhodes et al., 2015). Yet, access to health services constitutes the main determinant of the quality of life for all human beings. The employment world in the United States is another key area where the undocumented face discrimination. Most of the undocumented are people who come to the United States in search of a better job. Upon their arrival, they may have the qualifications needed to perform a particular task but an American will be given the priority. Once immigrants

Big foot Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Big foot - Essay Example This could seem funny, but to some it is not. Bigfoot has been described as a real cave man. In 2007, Robert Wilson a Vancouver resident stated that he saw a large and hairy man who looked like a cave man. This strengthened the earlier theory that indeed, Bigfoot is a man. Those who dispute the Bigfoot conspiracy justify it by saying that there have never been corpses of bigfeet men found anywhere. But the supporters of this conspiracy use the counter argument that big feet bury their dead, and in fact, they are mentioned in the Bible in the book of Genesis. In 1999, there are those who claim that in the Battle Mountain fires, one Bigfoot was injured and taken away for treatment by government officials. Another theory is that just like there are gay people; it is believed that 10% of bigfeet also known as sasquatches are also gay. This is according to Loren Coleman, a cryptozoologist. But there are also those people who claim that the male sasquatches sodomize male domestic

BHS 499 (Senior Capstone Project) Module 4 CBT Essay - 1

BHS 499 (Senior Capstone Project) Module 4 CBT - Essay Example y aging of present qualified nursing faculty; ineffective and diluted role expectations of some nursing faculty due to tremendous role-related stress and high faculty workload; lack of salary competitiveness in the clinical setting; nursing faculty members are not motivated to prepare for doctoral programs and too few applicants are willing to teach clinical courses at the same time conduct research, which are both essential roles in academic arena (Starnes-Ott & Kremer, 2007). Are there any solutions to the above-mentioned problems? Are some of the solutions already implemented? Or are the implemented programs for it working? These are some of the questions which require honest evaluations and can be answered by the facts below. Hospitals and other related agencies have fortunately identified significant elements crucial to the health as well as well being in work environment of a nurse, at the same time, the security and safety of the health care delivery system. According to Buerhaus, Donelan, Ulrich, Norman, & Dittus (2008), the said elements were identified based on the 2002 and 2004 surveys conducted and further disclosed that there are several positive changes in the work environment of nurses that have occurred and resulted in decreased overtime and stress, heightened job and career satisfaction and has improved relationships among nurses. Moreover, to arrive at the optimum approach to attain a healthy work environment basically depend on the employment setting, available resources, size, and the commitment of administration. Lovell (2006) rationalized that â€Å"overworking† pushes nurses out of their workplace to other health care settings this do not address the continuing concerns on wages and working conditions of nurse workforce. Cited by Lovell (2006), research published in peer-reviewed journals, workforce analyses, and other professional publications have confirmed that the crucial role played by wages in additional nurse labor supply. The

Financial Case Report Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Report - Case Study Example All-inclusive Connector, a U.S. firm situated in Ohio, was evaluated to have a developing offer; it offered a comparative exhibit of institutionalized items and modified outline administrations (International Monetary Fund, 2009). The determination of the situation ought to consider natures turf in which the venture works. Likewise, the cases ought to be sensible and fitting for the choice to be made. Running different situations with diverse qualities is an essential demonstrative instrument in evaluating the anxiety set on the money related articulations. The proclaimed changes in each variable as they affect financials can give critical viewpoint. At the point when running various conditions, it is paramount to run a series that incorporates both skeptical and hopeful cases. Cooperation among variables is imperative and must be portrayed. As an illustration, Strong Tier multiple times may wish to run a situation that reflects a 5% drop in specialists remuneration premiums coupled with weakening in earlier mischance years laborers payment saves for the approaching year. Going through the balance sheets we realize that the total liabilities has been increasing from $1,588, $1,723 and $1,863 for the three consecutive years respectively affecting both liquidity and efficiency as well gross profit margin of the company. Strong Tier multiple times needs to take strong emphasis on how liabilities can be of minimal at the end of each financial year Organizations whose essential objective is to seek after part of the overall industry do not toll well, and their center is on their objectives, not their clients advantage. The reasons that a piece of the overall industry technique falls low; the organizations do not characterize the business anyhow and expect that all purchasers are potential customers. In addition, frequently markdown intensely gets clients who do not esteem what they offer and lose the edge on all

Questions in History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Questions in History - Assignment Example very short period of time because by the end of like four months there was already the use of gas in vans as a form of automatic death with the aid of a senior commander named Herbert Lange (Fulbrook, 2001). In this article, the impacts of the ‘final solution’ have also been discussed i.e. impacts in the academic sector and the cultural effects of the same. The whole issue of brutally murdering the Jews and enclosing them in death camps is unimaginable and disturbed people’s minds such that even psychologists could not understand what could have been happening in the camps. Therefore, this left a great impact on the society because people lived in great fear of what would come next. In the academic sector, there have been many historical publications on dictatorship and such leaders and also on what happened during the killings of the European Jews. Many academic writers have also shown interest in how the Nazi concentration camps rose and also the Second World War; therefore these issues are still being taught in many learning institutions (Fulbrook, 2001). This happened between the years 1980 to 1990 and it tried to cover up the bad impression brought about by Nazism by trying to explain in a humane way. According to the holocaust, the Nazi concentration and death camps still existed just for a simple reason that the present people may remember what was happening in the past and not that they were sites for murder. However, the holocaust has faced much opposition from many historical analysts because they claim that it is difficult to understand such serious issues without the actual survivors. Furthermore, there is no common language that the survivors, if there were any, would use to pass the message whether in written or spoken form. Holocaust research is centred on information acquired from the actual victims of the final solution through video-taped testimonies and written literature (Fulbrook, 2001). The ‘final solution’ was accomplished by

Green Estate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Green Estate - Essay Example The remit provides background of the company under study. Introduction section, which follows the remit, provides an overview of the whole paper in addition to defining some aspects of the analysis. Methodology section on the other hand indicates how collection of data was achieved and where it (data) was obtained from. The main source of data for analyzing Green Estate as used in this paper is the firm’s website. From Green Estate’s website, it was possible to obtain data on environmental factors affecting internal and external operations of the firm hence development of the PESTLE and SWOT. Within the findings/results, the paper attempts to critically review Green Estate’s background, mission statements, PESTEL, SWOT, competitors, and substitutes that are affecting operations of the firm. A conclusion, giving a brief summary of the main points, forms part of the paper. Lastly, the paper has recommendations, which mainly revolve around taking advantage of their strengths to overcome weaknesses and through opportunities, overcome the threats. Remit Found in 1998, Green Estate Ltd is an organization or firm has been involved in designing landscape, managing landscape, green roof, composting green waste, maintenance of ground, and providing educational experience. Through Single Regeneration Budget (SRB), Green Estate Ltd was created to help in reforming the landscape. The good reputation created from the SRB, Green Estate Ltd was able to attract more reputation hence being an epicentre in enhancing the landscape (Cote et al., 1994). Operations of Green Estate Ltd have enabled the organization to create a landscape, which has so far led to a positive relationship between land and people. Green Estate Ltd has been able to achieve tremendous success in their bid to enhancing land and people (Greenestate.org.uk (a)). Consequently, Green Estate Ltd forms part of the study area. Interest to study and analyze Green Estate Ltd has been aroused by th e achievements of the firm over the past few years since its inception. Introduction Like many other organizations, Green Estate Ltd has inspired many people in respect to how it has handled issues dealing with landscape and people. Undoubtedly, contemporary environment has been adversely affected by human activities. Hence, there is a sour relationship between people and landscape especially when the latter attempts to obtain their livelihood from the former. People through land have been able to find their livelihood. Green Estate Ltd has therefore been a fundamental firm in creating a positive and mutual relationship between people and landscape. The mutual relationship between people and land has been a creation of Green Estate Ltd thereby arousing the interest to dig deep into the firm’s mission, objectives, competitors, and surrounding business environment. Method In order to analyze the company, there is need to obtain adequate data and information on the organization. One of the ways of finding data is through analysis of the firm’s PESTEL, and SWOT strategic tools. PESTLE and SWOT strategic tools will provide an overview of how Green Estate Ltd is operating within and is affected by the environmental factors. Moreover, finding or obtaining adequate data on Green Estate Ltd also involved evaluating the firm’

Altruists attract and origins of mating behavior Essay Example for Free

Altruists attract and origins of mating behavior Essay In the experiment study altruists attract researchers concluded that people tend to corporate with the more attractive members of the opposite sex. Besides, as more one member of opposite sex is showing corporation, the more attractive it may seem to other member of the opposite sex. No doubt, altruistic behavior is beneficial in both genders which are in the long-term relationships because they share the same resources or care about their children. Research shows that people who are corporative are viewed by others as more attractive and kind and these are the values which people count for when are looking for mating partners. For example, males tend to give more money to women beggars than to the same sex beggars-males. Second article talked about origins of mating and how people choose partners when it comes to mating. Charles Darwin was the first who proposed the theory of sexual selection, emphasizing that mating behavior can be explained by evolutionary change; preferences for a mate and competition for a mate. Humans never choose mating partners just by coincidence; they tend to use strategies in order to find the most appropriate mate. Also, our ancestors used strategies for mating, they chose to mate with the opposite sex members who were reproductive in order to pass on genes to the next generations. For instance, females choose their mates who are economically independent, who will take care of them and their children, and who would devote their time to family. These both strategies can be both referred to our ancestors and our time scale. Author of this article compare women with weaverbirds which also prefer man with rich and fruitful nests. However, the most difficult decisions for humans in selecting a mate is to distinguish and indentify what kind of relationship are they looking for; short term or long term relationship. Even when it comes to animal mating, the stronger and larger ones are the more chances in finding an appropriate mate. Therefore, the weaker ones ten to fail in finding a mate and they become extinct. No doubt, keeping a mate is another important thing for the people who are seeking a long term relationship. Some people tend to be by nature more jealous than others. Therefore, sexual jealously can elicit either vigilance or cause violence between couples. Finally, it is not in human nature to date just with one person for an entire lifetime. Humans often brake up or split with other member of sex, due to the conflicts such as one may feel unsatisfy being in a particular relationship, cheating or other reasons. All over the world humans are failing for the divorce. It is not only seen in Western world. When people brake up or split they tend to enter again the mating market. But reentering again and starting everything from new can cause other problems. For example, women having children from previous relationship may have difficulty to finding a new mate. Besides, ages plays a big role in finding a mate.

Product Placement On Tv Marketing Essay

Product Placement On Tv Marketing Essay Product placement is a promotional tactic used by business to advertise there products. Business pay a fee or provide there services in exchange for there products to be displayed/featured into content such as movies and TV shows. The use of product placement has both a negative (con) and positive (pro) impact on consumers. For example, the cons regarding the issue include that product placement invade the content space, builds expectation on what product individuals should buy, removes creativity from the program and adds more editorial review, effects consumer choice and sheds false light on products. However, in the majority of cases product placement can have a beneficial effect on consumers. Product placement pays for content, provides more realism to the movie (instead of a plain label, it says coke), eliminates the need for commercials and introduces new products in an entertaining way. Ethical code of product placement is a very complicated topic. A lot of elder people consider product placement to be not ethical and unfair, because the product is not advertised directly and the audience is not notifies about the fact of advertising. The issue of Product placement could have been introduced because of the worlds evolving technology. Advances in technology (remote controls, DVDS and TiVO) have made it increasingly easier for consumers to avoid traditional advertising messages. On TiVO you can fast-forward past commercials, and the use of the remote controls has allowed viewers the ability to change the channel at the sight of a commercial. This would ultimately mean that the use of this advertising medium would be unnecessary, and promotion wise would not benefit the business. As a result, brands would have had to find an alternative way to attract consumer attention. Additionally, the issue of product placement could have also been introduced because it can be seen that what the media tells us is what is popular, and products which are being promoted by celebrities are more likely to become popular. Therefore, businesses utilize this idea and each appearance of a leading brand reaffirms a products star-status an d helps maintain its leadership image. Furthermore, some examples of the success of product placement include: There are numerous solutions to the issue of product placement on TV. If consumers find product placement discouraging to children especially when junk food is being promoted-businesses could encourage young people and their families to eat healthier foods and be more active in order to support their well-being. This strategy will earn the respect of customers, as well as benefiting the business financially. Additionally, companies should not direct advertising at children but encourage healthier dietary choices, and that while this is a step in the right direction, consumers need to manage what there children are watching. Businesses can not be accounted for what parents allow there children to watch. Another solution, because product promotion is a debatable subject, is to let consumers find it difficult to disagree or agree on whether they want to watch product promotion. Different consumers have different views on product promotion and in-order to have a favorable result on both a business and consumer level, they must communicate. A step in the right direction would be stating whether the program contains product promotion (in print). Then, Consumers can decide whether they wish to watch the program. Furthermore, Product promotion is not necessarily a big issue and most consumers enjoy the realism that the products add to the movie. The only real issue is when smoking, alcohol, drugs and unhealthy food are glamorized and made to look acceptable. This type of promotion should be banned. It may not prove favorable for the business, but once consumers recognize that the company respects there health and wellbeing, they will trust businesses and ultimately the business will benefit. Furthermore, business should only advertise what is Good. placement will be allowed in films, drama, sports and light entertainment programming, but will still be monitored, and restricted for certain types of programming, such as childrens shows, and public service television. The issue I have chosen is unhealthy food sold and directed to children. Junk food advertising is a kind of product marketing which works by bombarding children with ads for drinks and foods of dubious nutritional value, full of sugar and fat. Products may be marketed to kids through promotions (e.g. Celebrity endorsements and the use of cartoon characters), price (Cheaper prices to make them more appealing to young people), place (school canteens and vending machines and incorporating packaging which is appealing to young people. This type of marketing has a negative effect on children, as Food advertising directly influences childrens choices and increases their requests of unhealthy foods. Additionally unhealthy food sold and directed to children impacts on the quality of childrens diets and can ultimately affect their weight. Furthermore, once food advertising has influenced the choices of children, health issues such as obesity, heart attacks and cholesterol may result. However, Food advertising is a necessary revenue stream without ad revenues from food companies, TV channels couldnt afford to make kids programming. This would have a negative effect on consumers (kids would suffer). There are numerous reasons why unhealthy food sold and directed to children has become such a serious issue in todays growing society. The main reason why unhealthy food sold and directed to children has become an issue is due to Money. The snack food industry in market-driven societies such as Australia generates billions of dollars in revenue each year. The market for processed snack foods is enormous, and a number of large corporations compete rigorously to capture larger shares of the snack food industry. This type of competition would mean that there would be a greater proportion of business competing thus the amount of food being advertised would would reach peaks causing an even bigger issue. Furthermore, the different advertising medians have developed over the past years; children were only commonly exposed to promotion of unhealthy foods only through television advertising. However, now children are exposed to Promotions including premium offers, celebrity endorsements, the use of cartoon characters, health and nutrient claims, product placements Sponsoring TV programs, sporting events, fundraisers and establishing or donating money to charity. Additionally, the kids whose parents who do not monitor and encourage their kids to eat healthy foods are more susceptible to these types of advertisements, and these children grow up to like the taste of the additives, and preservatives and ultimately influence there purchases as future adult customers. Solutions to unhealthy food sold and directed to children. Children and young people are particularly susceptible to the power of brands and advertising. Selling and Advertising unhealthy food is socially damaging and has a negative influence on our well-being. If business can advocate healthy eating, and can promote protecting the well-being of children and young people then consumers can feel more reliant on trusting businesses, likewise this strategy can be seen as a marketing campaign, and a way of promoting the business. This will have favorable results both ways. The amount junk food advertising should be limited. While an advertising ban alone will not eliminate the problem of obesity its a sensible first step that has the support of health experts, including doctors, community groups and, most importantly, parents. Furthermore, if business whish to continue advertising, then instead of offering toys when purchasing a meal, they could offer a choice of yogurt, fruit cup etc. In conclusion, parents should teach kids to discern what is marketing and what isnt, Limit the hours kids spend watching TV, and encourage their kids to eat healthy foods. If kids are taught in there early stages of life then they will not purchase junk food in the first place. Education is the key. If the media has proven to migrate decisions about health to children and adolescents, then business can use this to there advantage. Business can promote contributing to some of the negative affects which impact children and adolescents. You dont really come to this realization until your own children are in school. One step at a time, wake county schools in the elementary grades has removed soda and junk food machines and offers at least one piece of fruit on their lunch menu. Only teachers lounges have those machines in some schools, not that it is much better because they should be an example to the students.

Line Managers In Human Resource Management Management Essay

Line Managers In Human Resource Management Management Essay Abstract Restructuring, downsizing, and an increased need to focus on employees for competitive edge are levelled to be among the factors encouraging the devolvement of human resource management to line managers. However, recent research indicates that there is substantial potential for human resource specialists and line managers to share more effectively responsibility for their organisations human resource activities in business partnerships. The foundation for this is arguably commonality in opinions on the principles and practices of human resource activities. However, line managers and human resource specialists often have dissonant opinions on human resource management. This paper explores line manager and human resource specialists perspectives on line manager involvement in human resource management, theoretically and empirically. The primary work comprises a survey of the views of line managers and human resource specialists on devolving a range of human resource activities to line managers in a case organisation, Hilton Internationals UK hotels, which is seeking to achieve a successful human resource business partnership. Differences between line managers and human resource specialists perspectives are found in five aspects: understanding and ownership of the companys service and HR strategy; line manager involvement in and rankings of HR activities; HR specialists support of line managers; barriers to line managers involvement in HR activities; and the competence of line managers in HR activities. In addition, a need for more line manager training in human resource activities, together with addressing line managers heavy workloads and short ter m job pressures emerge as highly defined findings. These findings may have resonance for other organisations in devolving human resource management to the line and developing human resource business partnerships. Key Words: line managers devolving human resource management human resource business partnerships Background: Research Issue Business partnerships whereby human resource (HR) specialists and line managers share an organisations HR responsibility have recently emerged as the dominant model for HR professionals (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), 2003). However, it is evident that such partnerships are generally not yet operating as effectively as they could. For the CIPD report on the role of front line managers in people management concludes that delivery of HR practices by the line is seen as an area requiring substantial improvement with HR managers tending to believe that line managers have not fully accepted HR responsibility (CIPD, 2003:2). A fundamental element of HR business partnership development is arguably commonality in line and HR manager perceptions on the HR function in which line managers are elemental (Larson and Brewster, 2003). Evidence that there is such commonality is conspicuous by its absence. Rather, there is evidence that line managers and HR specialists views on HR are generally divergent. The work of Ulrich (1997), Wright et al. (2001), Becker et al. (2001), Harris (2001) and Phelps (2002) on, for example, perceptions of levels of HR service, all point to this perceptual divergence. As McLean (2004) points out in her case study of line and HR manager perceptions of the importance and performance of the HR function, increasingly academic studies of HR are involving examination of different stakeholder perspectives. Because perceptual divergence may negatively impact on line manager and, ultimately, business performance (Gilbert, 2000; Kearns, 2004), understanding it is important. This article addresses, theoretically and empirically, stakeholder perspectives of HR in a dimension not covered thus far in academic studies: the issue of line managers and HR specialists perceptions on line managers involvement in HR. It analyses the inherent challenges from both line manager and HR specialist perspectives on line managers involvement in, and ability to deliver, human resource management (HRM) and human resource development (HRD) activities. First, line manager responsibility for HRM and HRD are discussed from theoretical perspectives. Next, primary work conducted in Hilton Internationals UK hotels on line and HR manager perspectives on line managers in HR is presented. Finally, the key findings and conclusions on the challenges in developing HR business partnerships are offered. Theoretical Perspectives Relationships between line managers, HRM and HRD are arguably changing (Gibb, 2003) and becoming more fused, despite continuing debate about the focus of HRM (Budhwar, 2000) and scope of HRD (Garavan et al., 1999). Indeed it is argued that fusing HRM and HRD is essential to provide the necessary synergy for HR to be a truly valued organisational partner (Ruona and Gibson, 2004: 49). In defining the connections between HRM and HRD, the relationship has been dubbed ambiguous and elusive (Mankin, 2003:2). The literature on these two areas largely treats HRM and HRD separately; therefore the theory underpinning this paper explores the challenges in line manager responsibility for HRM and HRD in turn. Since the advent of human resource management (HRM) in the UK in the 1980s there has been some debate about devolving aspects of HRM to line managers (Gennard and Kelly, 1997; Hall and Torrington, 1998). Indeed, the devolving of human resource activities to line managers has received much attention by both academics and practitioners in the UK and Europe over the last decade (Larsen and Brewster, 2003). Various reasons for this devolution have been cited, including restructuring, downsizing, and an increased need to focus on employees for competitive edge (Cunningham and Hyman, 1999; Renwick, 2000; and Gibb, 2003). Storey (1995), in articulating differences between personnel management and human resource management (HRM), highlights the critical role of line managers in delivering HRM. A recurrent and established feature in discussion on HRM is therefore the centre-stage role for line managers (Renwick, 2003:262). As to the benefits of line manager involvement, several researchers assert that line managers assuming some HRM responsibility can positively influence employee commitment and, ultimately, business performance. For example Cunningham and Hyman (1999:9) highlight the role of line managers in promoting an integrative culture of employee management through line management. Thornhill and Saunders (1998) signal the role of line managers in securing employee commitment to quality, while increased productivity has also been asserted as a basis for devolution of HRM (Industrial Relations Survey Employment Review, 1995). A recent Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) report indicates that line managers involvement in coaching and guidance, communication and involvement has a positive influence on overall organisational performance (Hutchinson and Purcell, 2003). A key finding from this report is that to gain line managers commitment to people management requires support from strong organisational values that emphasise the fundamentals of people management and leadership (Hutchinson and Purcell, 2003). Devolving HRM to line managers has, however, been noted as being problematic (McGovern et al., 1997:12). Renwick (2003) posits that the new millennium marked the onset of keen discussion about the challenges surrounding line manager involvement in HRM. Challenges lie not least in the relationship between line managers and HRM specialists (Cunningham and Hyman, 1997), the ability and willingness of line managers to carry out HR tasks properly (Renwick and MacNeil, 2002:407), and line managers knowledge of company policies (Bond and Wise, 2003). Hall and Torringtons (1998) research on the progress of devolution of operational HRM activities and its consequences points to organisations making sustained and deliberate efforts to vest HRM responsibility with line managers. However, the absence of a designated human resource specialist role (Thornhill and Saunders, 1998:474) may have negative effects on strategic integration and, consequently, organisational commitment, flexibility and qua lity. Renwick (2003), drawing on the work of Ulrich (1998) and Jackson and Schuler (2000), identifies that a partnership approach to HR requires the integration of HR activities into the work of line managers and that a real partnership approach requires a triad approach between HR specialists, line managers and employees. Similarly, the involvement of line managers in HRD has been the subject of academic debate and organisational challenges. In clarifying the role of line managers in HRD, Heraty and Morley (1995) assert that activities surrounding identification of training needs, deciding who should be trained and undertaking direct training either fall within the domain of line managers or in partnership with HR specialists. The aspects of HRD concerned with policy formulation, training plans and advising on strategy are meanwhile more likely to be undertaken by HRD specialists. Gibb (2003) asserts that concerns over increased line manager involvement in HRD are valid in that it may limit the use of specialist resources in HRD. Another issue is that while line managers have been identified as one of the key stakeholders with the HRD process (Heraty and Morley, 1995:31), difficulties in securing line manager acceptance of HRD responsibilities have been evident (Aston, 1984). Research has identified f actors that may enable and inhibit the take-up of line manager responsibility for HRD. Arguably the most significant enabler of line manager responsibility for HRD is the growing body of literature on the emergence and growth of HRD and in particular HRD with a strategic focus (Garavan et al., 1995:4). HRD may be seen as providing the key connection between HRM and business strategy (Garavan et al., 2001). Business-led approaches to HRD can indeed be evidenced (Sparrow and Pettigrew, 1988; Harrison, 1993). For Torraco and Swanson (1995), HRD is not only supportive of, but also central to, business strategy. It is also, as Keep (1989) maintains, central to HRM. Therefore it can be seen that there are important lines to be drawn between HRM, HRD, line managers and business strategy. McCracken and Wallaces (2000) model of the characteristics of strategic HRD indicates that all four of these factors are integral to a strategic human resource development (SHRD) approach being taken. In this model they are expressed as: integration with organisational missions and goals; HRD plans and policies; line manager commitment and involvement; and complementary HRM activities. Within this literature Garavan et al. (1993) and colleagues identify a range of strategic drivers that are moving organisations down the route of integration of HRD activities with strategic goals, including an increased emphasis on quality and change of leadership. In terms of enabling HRD at an operational level, de Jong et al.s (1999:183) research suggests that this is a feasible option providing specific conditions are met in organisations. One significant condition may be the credibility of HRD as an organisational activity in general. For despite the relatively recent interest in, and expansion of, HRD in UK organisations, there seems to be a residual issue of credibility of the training and development function in organisations generally (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2001). Organisational support for line managers in their HRD responsibility is important too in the facilitation of the devolution of HRD responsibility (Heraty and Morley, 1995), as is senior managers understanding of training and development issues (de Jong et al., 1999). Trust between line managers and HRD specialists is another important enabler (Garavan et al., 1993). Lastly, as emphasised by de Jong et al. (1999), line managers acting as role models in demonstrating commitment to HRD in their operational tasks may be a powerful enabler of HRD. On the other hand, a number of barriers to the effective delegation of HRD have been recognised. One potential issue that is conceivably acute in the hotel sector is the pressure of short-term imperatives (Tsui, 1987) that may squeeze out HRD activities for line managers. This factor, in combination with a lack of training in HRD, may minimise the priority of HRD for line managers (Aston, 1984; Brewster and Soderstrom, 1994; de Jong et al.1999). Untrained line managers may avoid a coaching role due to their discomfort with it (de Jong et al., 1999). Further, where managers do not reflect a belief in HRD in their operational role the impact of HRD is likely to be reduced (de Jong, 1999), the direct converse of reflecting a belief in HRD being an enabler of HRD, as pointed out earlier. Thus it is apparent that a number of challenges present themselves in devolving HR responsibility to the line in order to develop HR business partnerships. Arguably, the organisational context within which these challenges may be surmounted (or not) is a positive organisational culture, transcending formal and functional requirements, that supports change (Higgins and McAllister, 2004). Organisational culture may be conceived as the essential medium between formal organisational policy and implementation in practice (Maxwell, 2004;189). It has both a pervasive nature and behavioural outcomes, as Scholzs (1987;80) description reflects: corporate culture is the implicit, invisible, instrinsic and informal consciousness of the organization which guides the behaviour of the individuals [at work] and which shapes itself out their behaviour. In a sense, as Cunningham and Hyman (op. cit) claim, organisational culture may be an adhesive for HR business partnerships as it may support acceptance of devolved HR responsibility. The case organisation examined in this paper, Hilton International hotels, has sought to generate an organisational culture that links their HR activities to their strategic service quality initiative. This requires line managers and HR specialists in hotel units working in partnership to implement and deliver HR activities to employees. The next section of this article explains the methods used by the authors to investigate the views of both line managers and HR specialists on line manager involvement in HR, a key part of HR business relationships. Research Questions and Design Case Study Background The key strategic driver for devolving HR to line managers in the 76 UK based hotels of Hilton International was the development of a worldwide service quality initiative from a UK launch in 2001, following the integration of Hilton and Stakis hotels. This reflects Garavan et al.s (1993) assertion that increasing emphasis on quality and change of leadership moves organisations to integrate HRD activities with strategic goals. Integral to the new service concept in Hilton was the linking of all HR activities to the service initiative in an HR policy and employment package called Esprit. Within Hilton, Esprit is portrayed as being a concept directing the way employees are managed and work. It is a promise on how our colleagues are treated within the company (UK HR Vice-President), consisting of a range of HR activities. Further, HRHHHilton perceives Esprit as being fundamentally concerned with instilling a service culture throughout the organisation. In the words of the UK HR Vice-President, it is intended that Esprit should live in the hotels and [line] managers should determine recognition rather than it being seen as a Head Office initiative. Respect, recognition and reward are the key principles of Esprit. They are supported in practical terms by a comprehensive training and reward system which is packaged as a club employees join through achieving levels of training. Another central tenet of Esprit is that line managers in hotels are expected to assume much of the responsibility HRM and HRD activities together known as HR in Hilton that support the strategic quality service driver. These activities include selection, training and development, employee motivation and recognition, and performance management. Line managers are provided with support from specialist HR staff at unit and Head Offic e level. The strategic banner of Esprit is leading the organisation down the route of HR specialist and line managers having to work in partnership to deliver HR activities (Maxwell and Quail, 2002; Maxwell and Watson, 2004). In order to explore perspectives of the challenges in this partnership, views from both line managers and HR specialists were surveyed by the authors. The research questions that underpin this article are, from line manager and HR specialist perspectives: Is there a shared understanding of line manager HR roles and responsibilities? What are the key mechanisms that support line managers with their HR responsibilities? What are the barriers that hinder line managers involvement in HR activities? In order to explore the research questions, a deductive approach has been taken in developing the questionnaires, with the content being informed by the literature review, a series of semi-structured interviews with the UK HR vice-president of the case organisation, and semi-structured interviews with three hotel HR managers. Both questionnaire formats encompassed nominal, ordinal, ranking and Likert rating scales, and several open-ended questions. Both questionnaires were piloted, on consultation with a regional HR director, a hotel HR manager and an external survey organisation. The key themes in the line managers questionnaire were understanding and acceptance of Esprit, then exploration of HR activities in relation to involvement in and importance of HR including support mechanisms; barriers; training; level of confidence; and further support. The closing section of the questionnaire addressed biographical data of respondents. The questionnaire for a census of the HR specialists in Hilton Internationals UK hotels was developed to parallel the line managers survey. The survey population comprises 760 line managers, and 76 HR specialists in Hilton hotels throughout the UK. Following piloting for face validity (Veal, 1997), 10 questionnaires were distributed to each hotel for completion by line managers and one for the HR specialist in each hotel, for completion on a self-selected, self-administered, anonymous basis to address response bias (Mitchell, 1996). The response rate was 43% (328) for line managers and 60% (46) for the HR specialists. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the quantitative results. Open-ended question responses were coded into themes to enable these to be presented using percentage response rates. Quantitative responses are supplemented with qualitative statements where appropriate. Some 775 comments were included in the returns on the 11 questions inviting additional comments from line managers and some 258 comments from HR specialists on the ten questions inviting additional comments from them. A combination of qu antitative and qualitative data reduction techniques were used. Descriptive statistics, including the non-parametric Mann-Witney test to measure the significance of differences between the opinions of the two constituent groups (p The credible volume of primary data generated arguably affords a close analysis of the HR business partnership in Hilton Internationals UK hotels. Nonetheless, a few potential limitations should be raised. Firstly, the non-random self-selection of the line managers may have led to some response bias, though none has been identified. Secondly, the relative lack of anonymity for the HR specialists may have led to reservations in expression of their opinions. However, the nature of the results suggests otherwise. Possibly the inherent limitation of unique case studies, like Hilton International, in the wholesale transferability of findings is the most significant research limitation. With the importance of commonality in line manager and HR specialists on the involvement of line managers in HR, in conjunction with a lack of empirical work addressing the devolvement of HR to line managers in the tourism sector, the primary work is relevant. It may expose some key points in building an effective partnership between line managers and HR specialists that are not only valuable to Hilton but similarly market-orientated organisations. The findings reported next compare line managers and HR specialists perspectives on line managers in HR in relation to: the concept and ownership of Esprit; involvement in activities and ranking of the importance of activities; and supports of, and barriers, to HR activity. Empirical Findings Line manager profiles All 76 hotels in the UK are represented in the sample, with 34% of respondents located in Central and North England, 22% from Scotland and Ireland, 29% South of England and 16% in London. Thirty percent of the sample comprises senior managers, consisting of general managers and deputy managers, 53% are departmental managers, 9% supervisors and 7% (assistant and deputy departmental managers). Two percent of the respondents did not indicate their position in the organisation. Fifty six percent of the respondents have been in their current position for 1-5years, 15% over 5 years and 27 % less than one year. Of those who have been in their current position for less than one year, 39% have been with the organisation for less than one year, representing 10% of the total returns. Forty eight percent of the respondents indicated that they had been with Hilton hotels for 1-5years and a further 38% over 5 years. HR manager profiles All HR managers in Hiltons hotels have the same status and title. There was an even spread of HR manager respondents across the four regions with 26% located in Central North England, 24% from Scotland and Ireland, 26% South of England and 24% in London. In relation to length of service, 41% of the respondents have been in their current position for 1-5years, 50% over 5 years and 9% less than one year. Of those who have been in their current position for less than one year, 57% have been with the organisation for less than one year. Understanding of the Esprit HR Strategy Before examining views on human resource activities, it is important to ascertain whether there is a shared understanding of the philosophy of the strategic driver of Esprit as it is the foundation of HR activities (Heraty and Morley, 1995; Bond and Wise, 2003). Respondents were able to give multiple responses to the question on their understanding of Esprit within Hilton. From their majority responses (see Table 1), it is evident that the respondents do not have an understanding of Esprit that is commensurate with the Hilton conception. For the majority of line managers (87%) and HR specialists (72%) perceive Esprit as a club for employees. This majority view is represented across all levels of management, and is not dependent on length of service, age or gender. Only 26% of the line managers indicate that Esprit is a concept directing the way employees work, with a further 14% indicating that it is a way of working practices. In contrast, 57% of the HR specialists view Esprit as a concept directing the way employees work, with a further 43% indicating that it is a way of working practices. The differences across the line managers and HR specialists here are highly significant (p=.000). Further, only four line managers and four HR specialists indicated understanding of the concept and values underpinning Esprit in positing additional comments: [Esprit is] a belief/ culture system (HR manager, Scotland) and positive enforcement of Hilton as a group in the minds of our employees (line manager, Scotland). Table 1 here Ownership of the Esprit HR Strategy In a similar vein to the findings on understanding the Esprit strategy, there also appears to be discrepancies regarding ownership of Esprit that may be resonant of line manger willingness to carry out HR activities (Aston, 1984; de Jong et al., 1993; Garavan et al., 1995 and 2001; Renwick and MacNeil, 2002).The general view expressed is that there is multiple-ownership. Nearly all respondents provided three responses each to the question on this subject, generating a total of 865 responses. However in analysing these based on number of respondents it can be seen that 69% of line-managers and 59% HR specialists consider Esprit to be owned by Hilton, whilst 54% of line managers and 65% of HR specialists indicated that employees own it. Almost two thirds of the line managers consider it to be owned by human resource specialists (30% head office HR and 31% hotel based human resource specialists). Twenty three percent of line managers perceive it to be owned by senior management, compare d with 39% of HR specialists. Thirty percent of line managers expressed the view that departmental managers own it and 22% considered Esprit to be owned by the individual hotels. This contrasts with the views of the 61% of HR specialists who perceive that departmental managers own Esprit and 50% who indicated that the individual hotels own it. In the other response allowed for the question on ownership of Esprit, all respondents expressed the view that everyone in the organisation owns Esprit, reflecting the corporate view of ownership. What is starkly evident from this comparison is that HR specialists perceive that the Esprit strategic driver has multi-ownership more than the line managers. A significance value of 0.15 in the opinions of the HR and line managers on senior manager ownership of Esprit is a significant aspect of perceptual divergence, while divergence on perceptions of individual hotels, hotel HR and departmental managers ownership of Esprit is highly significant p= 0.000 (see Table 2). Moreover, it is again apparent that the general understanding of the HR managers on Esprit ownership is closer than that of the line managers to the formal Hilton position. Table 2 here Line managers in HR: understanding of roles and responsibilities Renwick (2003), drawing on the work of Ulrich (1998) and Jackson and Schuler (2000), identifies that a partnership approach to HR requires the integration of HR activities into the work of line managers. In order to obtain an overview of the range of HR activities undertaken by line managers, both line managers and HR specialists were asked to indicate their views on: the human resource activities in which line managers are actively involved; the level of importance of HR activities in relation to importance to business effectiveness; and ranking of the most important HR activities. Table 3 provides a breakdown of the results. Table 3 here The first notable point about the findings tabled above is that while all of the HR respondents opine that line managers are involved in four HR activities employee selection, motivation and morale of employees; performance appraisal; disciplinary and grievance procedures there are no activities that all the respondent line managers opine they are involved in. The second notable point is that in every activity the HR managers perceptions of line manager involvement is greater than the level of involvement as perceived by the line managers. The third conspicuous finding is that there are marked differences in perceptions in the relative value of employee budgeting and forecasting; ensuring HR processes are maintained; rewards and benefits; and performance appraisals. These findings strongly suggest that HR managers believe there is greater line manager involvement in HR activities than the line manager do and, further, some difference in HR priorities exists across the line manager and HR manager groups. In employee selection; motivation and morale of employees; and team briefings and communications, there are broadly similar findings in terms of prioritisation. Comments made in relation to line managers involvement in HR activities deepen insight into the respondents views. Twenty one percent of the line managers took the opportunity to provide additional comments on their role in relation to HR activities. Thirty eight percent of the comments relate to training, encompassing analysing training needs, encouraging employees to participate in training, delivery and evaluation. Communications was mentioned by 14% of the respondents predominantly with HR specialists, communicating HR issues to staff and attending HR meetings. Other activities mentioned by respondents include: coaching; sickness interviews, teambuilding and payroll management. Complaints regarding workloads and staffing levels were voiced in comments by 10% of the respondents, with 5% complaining about HR support within their hotel and head office. At the same time 9% of the managers were extremely positive about their role in HR activities, as illustrated by the following quote s from two of the managers: I feel I have a better/greater opportunity to be more involved within HR because of the hotels and staff itself. It is fantastic not only to be supported by our own team, but the whole hotel team as well; and I get support and encouragement continuously. I run my department as if I was HR but with the bonus of all the help I need being available works fantastic sic. Additional comments on line managers HR role were made by HR specialists and relate to ownership of Esprit, with echoes of findings noted earlier. For example, it was recorded that managers should have a role in all of the above in reality however many areas are not currently perceived as their responsibility (HR manager Central England). Another London based HR specialist indicated that managers also had responsibility for their own development, coaching and absence. Support of line managers in HR responsibility Opinions on a number of features of line manager support in HR were canvassed in the questionnaires. In order to gain an understanding of managers views on the value of HR, they were asked to rate certain HR performance aspects, with 5 being excellent and 1 being poor. The highest mean score was found in relation to line managers opinions on the working relationship with their hotel HR manager (M=3.91), indicated as an important factor by Garavan et al. (1999). In contrast, only nine percent of the HR specialists rated the working relationship with managers as excellent, with a further 59% rating it as very good and 26% as good. Overall, the mean score for HR specialists rating of their working relationship with the line managers was very good (M = 3.69), but slightly less good than the converse view of the relationship. In relation to specific support given by HR specialist to line managers, all HR managers indicated that they advised on training, with 96% indicating that they also provided support in tracking Esprit membership numbers, administrative support and evaluation of training. In addition, other support activities include coaching and mentoring of managers to help them achieve targets, specifically to ensure that they are up to date and that user-friendly policies are in place. Time management reminders; providing disciplinary advice; recruitment and retention; staff budgeting; conducting appraisals; and measure and recognise results through internal HR audits were also articulated by the HR respondents as support