Business and Services Marketing: Yo Shusi

Question 1: Analysis of the theatre analogy

The operation at Yo! Shushi (YS) fits perfectly into the theatre analogy. YS is in the hotel industry. The staff and the customers at YS form the actors and audience of the theatre. The staff at YS must are trained to be immaculate in their performance during the service encounter. A successful service encounter is critical for the creation of a repeat customer. Service encounter is said to have occurred at the point where the customer directly interacts with a service. Service encounter may include personal exchange between the customer and the service or an impersonal interaction between the customer and technology or equipment.

Evidently, service encounters at YS happens at both levels. That is to say, the customers interact directly with the servers who are the main actors in the restaurant. These main actors are supported by a cast of chefs who work behind the scenes to design and deliver the food that has been ordered by the customer (Wilson et al., 2012). The second level comprises the customers’ interaction with the ordering system and the conveyer belt. This service encounter allows the customers to take charge of their own orders by picking them off the conveyer belt system.

Similar to a theatre play in which the success of the play depends on the acumen of the actor, at YS the success of the restaurant is pegged on the service experience afforded to the customers by the servers. The servers at YS strive at portraying desirable impression before their audience (customers). The servers play their role with a high level of excellence understanding that their dedication to service performance will yield either satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the part of the audience (consumers). The servers being the people at the point of contact between the customer and the service present themselves as well groomed individuals with a demeanour that imparts good attitude and mood to their audience.

The skill of the servers and chefs at YS is reflected in their courtesy, knowledge, communication, and competence. This is seen at that point, where servers ask their customers as to whether they are virgins, regulars, or regulars, or ambassadors. The sole purpose for asking this question rests in the desire of the servers to afford best and quality service to the customers tailored to respond to the specific type of customers. For instance, new customers (virgins) are given an orientation by the servers whose role allows them to explain the working of the whole system from ordering to paying for the meals at YS.

Another semblance between a theatre and the service at YS rests in the fact that the customers at YS are expected to contribute towards the creation of a positive service encounter. The customers are expected to place their order and pick their food from the conveyer belt. Additionally, customers are also expected to order special meals that are not on the menu by talking to the servers. Without the customer’s participation then the service performance will not be complete (Lovelock & Gummesson, 2004). Moreover, both the servers and the customers at YS follow a service script. This script outlines the sequence of behaviour that the customers and servers must abide by. The servers and chefs are trained on their role while customers are expected to learn their role via experience.

However, unlike the typical theatre where the support and production cast are hidden at the back stage, the YS’s backstage is open to the public. The kitchen represents the production centre. The audience is allowed to see the happenings at the backstage. They get to see how the chefs are working on designing and cooking their foods. This gives the customers a unique experience. Customers whose food choices are not listed on the menu can order through the servers. The servers then communicate the orders to the chefs (production team) who work on cooking the desired meal. Once the meal is ready, the chefs can then deliver the cooked meal to customers seated around the kitchen table or give the dish to a server who will then deliver it to the customer.

The theatre analogy provides insight into the consumer and employee behaviour by mapping them out as audience and actor in a theatre, which is the setting of the play (service delivery). Successful service delivery depends on the performance of both the actor (employees) and the audience (customers). The employees must endeavour to put up the best show by offering the best service and selling a variety of meals and dishes to their audience. Additionally, the audience expects the theatre (restaurant) to give them special offers and capture their interest by introducing new deals and dishes.

Question 2: What are the implications of viewing consumers as co-producers in the service process at Yo! Sushi?

The implication of viewing the consumer as a co-producer in the service process at YS is huge. The customer is seen as a co-producer because he partakes in the service delivery process. The customer plays an active role in ensuring that the service flows in the intended direction. It is the role of the customer to select a correct dish and drink from the menu. Supposing the food a customer desires is missing on the menu then the customer is expected to raise a special order with a server who will in turn communicate the wishes of the customer to the chefs. The chefs will work with speed to deliver the desired dish in record time. In this instance, the customer is a co-producer because it is his demand that has set the whole wheel of service on motion.

Another instance where customers are seen as co-producer is during the service delivery process. The customers are expected to use the technology based self-service system. They are also expected to maintain open communication with the servers. The customers are also expected to tolerate little shortcomings that might occur in the course of the service delivery process (Bateson, 1989). However, they are also expected to communicate their major grievances to the management by mail. This feedback mechanism is important as it helps the management of YS to respond to the needs of the customers and improve service delivery. In this instance, the customer is seen to have partaken in the process of value creation and has thus acted as a co-producer.

The third implication of viewing a customer as a co-producer relates to the customers ability to promote and advertise the restaurant to friend s and family. Once a customer’s need is met by a service provider, such a customer might end up becoming a regular at the restaurant (Jacoby & Oslon, 1986). The regulars at YS are rightfully called ambassadors because they not only frequent the eatery but also advertise YS to their friends through positive word of mouth and reviews. By so doing, the customers are acting as co-producers working on producing demand for YS’s service and product offering.

The work of a co-producer is to work with his or her colleague to ensure that the production exceeds expectations. In this regard, the customers at YS are expected to cooperate with the employees in ensuring that the service encounter and delivery is of high quality (Bitner, 1990). As a co-producer, the new visitor has to reach out to the other co-producer (server) who will explain to the new customer how the whole system works. The repeat customer on the other hand must keep himself abreast with the changes and innovations happening at YS.

Q3: From the information in the case study, identify what constitutes quality at Yo! Sushi. How could it be managed and measured across the Yo! Sushi chain of restaurants?

Every aspect of YS is designed to mirror and reflect excellence. The management at YS appreciates the fact that customers come into the restaurant expecting to get value for their money. Additionally, the management is alive to the fact that customer satisfaction is crucial for the success of the business. Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1988) define service quality as the discrepancy between customer expectations of a service offering and the actual service offered (Langevin, 1988). Accordingly, the service quality is evaluated and judged by the customer. It is also assumed that the perception of service quality precedes the actual satisfaction (Caruana, 2002). Various components make up service quality (Berry, 1986). Evidently, all these components work together to constitute what is seen as service quality by the customers. The dimensions or components of service quality include the tangibles, reliability of the server, empathy from the part of the server, assurance from the eatery, and responsiveness of the server.

YS has erected and implemented all these service dimensions and they can be used by their customers to evaluate the quality of service offered. Customers encounter numerous tangibles when they enter into any YS Restaurant. For instance, the conveyer system is a perfect example of a tangible asset that the customers can use to evaluate YS’s quality. When there is food going around the conveyer belt, the customer can assume that the kitchen staffs are maintaining the speed that characterizes eatery. The GAPS model can also be used to check the discrepancy between expected and actual service offerings. SERVQUAL as a measuring tool can be applied to measure the quality of the service offered at YS (Hoffman, & Bateson, 2009).

The reliability dimension can be evaluated by looking at how the eatery keeps to its promises. Repeat customers at YS expect the restaurant to deliver quality meals and services. They also expect the servers to deliver the service quickly without compromising on the quality of the service offering. The customers are also concerned with the responsiveness of the employees. Whenever a customer misses an item from the menu, he is expected to raise the issue with a server who will then communicate the order to the chef who will in turn act on the order and come up with a dish that meets the customer’s wishes. New customers also need much help in getting to understand the system at YS. Once a server realizes that the customer he or she is attending to is a “virgin” (first-time visitor), it is his obligation to orientate the customer and brief him or her on the workings of the system from ordering to billing. The next service dimension touches on the aspect of assurance; customers always want to feel assured that their needs will be met (Kurtz & Clow, 1998). At YS, the employees have been trained on how to be courteous and competent when dealing with the customers. Additionally, Customers desire to feel that the servers show empathy. First impression matters a lot. Matter of fact, visitors will either be retained or repelled by the service they encounter during their first visit at a food joint. YS’s management appreciates the importance of customer retention and as thus, they ensure that they respond to all grievances raised by the customers (Wilson et al, 1989).

Cronin &Taylor (1992) assert that there is a relationship, which exists between service quality, purchase intention, and customer satisfaction. This means that when a customer comes to a place like YS and encounters poor service quality, he or she might decide not to purchase the service or might persevere through the first purchase but might never return to the restaurant. Grönroos (1984) points out that service quality is made up of both the functional and technical dimension. SERVQUAL is a measurement tool used to measure service quality (Hill & Alexander, 2006). There is a marked difference between perceived and objective quality. According to Garvin (1983), market researchers and consumers define quality using different parameters. Perceived quality is the consumer’s definition of service quality while objective quality is the quality as defined by market researchers (Holbrook & Corfman, 1985).

Managing and measuring service quality is a taunting task (Zeithaml, 1985). The GAPS model can be used to determine the reasons behind service quality shortfalls. This model shows the potential gaps existing between the expected and perceived levels of service delivery in five key areas. For YS, the service quality can be managed through all its chains by establishing a standard by which all employees are supposed to abide by when offering their services to their customers. The service quality can be assessed and monitored by applying the SERVQUAL measurement tool (Carman, 1990). The gaps discovered from the analysis of the service at different branches can then be addressed.

Q4: Critically analyse the capacity and demand issues that Yo! Sushi faces. How might it manage these issues

YS faces multiple capacity and demand issues. The seating capacity at YS is primarily determined by the available space. The available space at YS is majorly used for the construction of dining area for the customers. Only a small portion is left for the offices. The Kitchen is placed in an open area and the customers get a unique opportunity of seeing what is happening at the kitchen area. Additionally, customers are allowed to sit on a counter table that faces the kitchen. This layout maximizes on the available floor space ensuring that as many customers are seated at one particular time.

The ability of the eatery to offer quick services also plays an important role in ensuring that as many customers are served per day. The average time taken by a diner visiting YS is pegged at about 45 minutes. This is the amount of time a customer spends between placing an order and paying his or her bill. However, most of the customers spend lesser amount of time. Some come to the restaurant to “refill and run.” Busy businesspersons and other workers stop by the eatery for a quick bite before going back to work. Additionally, the restaurant also offer “Yo to go”, this is a take-away alternative for those not willing to dine at the restaurant.

The restaurant opens its doors to different classes of diners who may include couples, singles, families, or groups. The eatery serves food and drinks tailored to meet the demand of any group of diners. The popularity of YS among its ambassadors earns the restaurant franchise many repeat customers who often come along with new customers or virgins. YS is continuously expanding its restaurant outlets to be able to deal with the growing demands.

Whenever YS is opening a new outlet in a new environment, the management always utilize forecasted numbers to be able to come up with an ideal outlet. Before setting up the outlet, the management must know the expected number and type of diners (Parasuraman et al, 1996). They should also get estimate of the expected weekly demand. These measurements will help the design time in designing a restaurant that will adequately serve the target market.

The ambiance and decor at YS serve to attract one of the three main categories of customers. The customer categories include the urban intelligence that are attracted by the fun and cool design of the restaurant. The second group comprises of the symbols of success who are the households that enjoy eating out. Both the urban intelligence and symbols of success constitute the biggest percentage of those who frequent YS. These two groups appreciate the speed of service and the freshness of the food served at YS. The third group are the Welfare borderline; these associate with the restaurant because they are allowed to self- select their own meal pricing.

The design of the floor space is also ideal .The central kitchen is encircled by a counter where the customers sit. The counter has a conveyor belt system on which the chefs keep loading food. This system takes off the pressure of work from the servers. The pricing system is also designed to ease the burden of having to bill all the diners. The entire process that runs from the time a diner orders food to the time the diner leaves the eatery is meant to take the shortest time possible.

The short dwell time that takes about 45 minutes enables the eatery to serve as many customers as possible. The restaurant’s success stems from the fact that it opens chains in different locations and that most of these outlets are unique to the setting and location of the restaurant. Whenever the management see a need, they do their very best tom meet it. The customers at YS are the number one priority and the management has conditioned the employees to respond to the needs of the customers within the shortest time possible.

Bibliography

Bateson. John E. ( 1989), Managing Services Marketing. London: Dryden Press.

Berry, Leonard L, (1986), “Retail Businesses Are Service Businesses,” Journal of Retailing, 62 (Spring), 3—6.

Bitner. Mary Jo (1990). “Evaluating Service Encounters: The Effects of Physical Surroundings and Employee Responses.” Journal of Marketing. 54 (April). 69-82.

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Cronin, J. J., Taylor, A. S., (1992). Measuring Service Quality: A Reexamination and Extension. Journal of Marketing.56: 55-68

Garvin, David A. (1983). “Quality on the Line,” Harvard Busine.ss Review, 61 (September-October), 65-7

Gronroos, Christian (1982), Strategic Management and Marketing in the Service Sector,

Helsingfors: Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration.

Hill, N., & Alexander, J. (2006). The handbook of customer satisfaction and loyalty measurement. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Gower.

Hoffman, K. D., & Bateson, J. E. G. (2009). Services marketing: Concepts, strategies & cases. s.l.: Cengage Learning Services.

Holbrook MB & Corfman KP (1985). Quality and value in the consumption experience: Phaedrus rides again, in Jacoby J & Olson JC (eds) Perceived Quality: How Consumers View Stores and Merchandise, Lexington Books, Lexington MA, 31-57.

Jacoby, J. and J. Olson, eds. (1985), Perceived Quality, Lexington, Massachusetts: Lexington Books.

Kurtz, David L. and Kenneth L. Clow (1998),Services Marketing .NewYork: John Wiley

Langevin, Roger C. (1988), “Service Quality:Essential Ingredients.” Reviev^’ of Business. 9 (3), 3-5.

Lovelock C., & Gummesson, E., (2004). Whither Services Marketing? : In Search of a New Paradigm and Fresh Perspectives. Journal of Service Research.

Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml V & Berry L (1996). The behavioral consequences of service quality. Journal of Marketing, 60, 31-46.

Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., (1988). SERVQUAL: A Multiple-Items Measuring Cons Perceptions of Service Quality. Journal of Retailing. 64(1): 12-17

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Zeithaml, A. V., Parasuraman, A., & Berry, L. L., (1985). Problems and Strategies in Services Marketing. Journal of Marketing. 49: 33-46

Reflection Paper: Group Process Observations

For my group process observation, I opted for Saudi Club group discussion. The club members met to discuss and explore some of the most effective means of raising club financial budget. The club also discussed on the possibility of engaging in additional activities that would attract more members into the club. Based on my personal observation, the Saudi Club was a clear example of a cohesive and a dynamic group. Everyone was relatively comfortable with the group discussion. The group president, who is also a group leader, was also competence in guiding the group discussion. Although there were some group members who were not happy with the discussion, the leader ensured that everyone was involved in the group discussion.

The group discussion also helped its members in learning new ideas of working in a dynamic group. As observed by Saudi Club members, different people have diverse cultural beliefs and ideas that defined their practices and perceptions. To succeed in the group discussion, members were required to respect other members’ cultural beliefs and perceptions.

Based on the knowledge from class training on group dynamic, the group used its diverse skills in offering mental and social support to its group members. Although there emerged some differences in the discussion process, the group leader used his competence in solving the emerging disputes. Group members were as well wholly involved in strategy adopted in solving emerging differences among group members. The adoption of reliable mechanisms in solving group challenges was vital in facilitating effective and productive discussion in the group.

The Saudi Club was useful in influencing both the perception and the behaviours of group members. The group aimed at offering advice on the most effective means of helping the group to advance its financial resources. The group was also an important source of information and competence among campus students. At the end of the discussion, every member of the group was satisfied with the outcomes of the discussion. The Saudi Club was also useful in pulling together group members in one table to discuss important issues that affect the group. In the discussion, the group focused on supportive and educative aspect in the group. Furthermore, each group member had a specific role to play in a group. Therefore, individual role was useful in reducing unnecessary conflict of interests in the group.

On the issue of group dynamic, the group was composed of individuals from different cultural and social backgrounds. The integration of people from varying backgrounds helped in enriching the content of the group discussion. Although group members were from different cultural and professional backgrounds, members adopted a common language that was understood by all group members. The different in the perceptions that emerged because of varying culture practices and beliefs were also solved in a sober and in realistic manner. In the group discussion, the group members used two-way communication means where all participants had an opportunity of responding to the suggestions of other partners. Moreover, although there were some disagreements in some instances, there was relative cohesion and teamwork in the group. The group has various strengths that included the existence of able and qualified leader, adequate skilled human resources, and effective mechanism of solving group disputes. Despite having encouraging strengths, the group has some such as lack of adequate financial resources and opposition from some members of the group.

The group leader used his competence in taking full control of the discussion in a group. Based on my own personal observation and experience, I think the group leader was one of the most competence leaders in any group. The leader was able to lead the discussion without resulting to conflict among group members. Although group members have varied perception regarding the most effective means of improving the group reputation, the leader ensured that nobody spoke over him. In the entire group discussion, the leader ensured that, no one interrupted with the contribution of other members. Instead of reacting with frustration and confusion to disturbing issues, the group leader was relatively comfortable in responding to members’ contribution. Although some situations seemed to infuriating and frustrating, the leaders did not take personal reaction to annoying situations.

The group was also a mixture of individuals from both genders. The group leader ensured that every gender has its own role in facilitating the success of the group discussion. Although the male members of the group made sexists remarks, the female members were successful in holding their position in the group. The men in the group took effective care of their female counterparts while the female had the role of offering mental advice. Furthermore, the Saudi Club offered supportive atmosphere to its members. The manner in which the group disagreements and conflicts were handled was relatively dramatic and surprising. The group used dialogue in solving the emerging disputes among the group members. For instance, when Abraham discredited Ayat’s idea, Fahad was quick to defend her. Protecting Ayat from Abraham provocation was due to the perception that in Saudi culture, men have a specific role of protecting women. The group used its conflict and confusion as an opportunity of offering technical advice to its members.

Therefore, taking part in the group discussion was an avenue for improving my awareness on group dynamic. Although there were some disagreements in the group, the conflicts did not tamper with the objectives of the group. I also used the group discussion in practicing the acquired skills and competence.

Criminal Law / Civil Law

What additional costs may be there beyond what he was asked to pay; the potential harm of his actions.

There are various additional costs that may be there beyond what Dr. Stokes was asked to pay. The victims could have sought punitive damages to be awarded against Dr. Stokes because he was in breach of fundamental rights provided by law governing healthcare safety (Mathiharan, 2006). An award of these of these damages would act to punish the defendant and thereby deter potential negligence cases in the healthcare setting. Beyond reistututition, of thirty-one counts healthcare fraud, the court applied six-level enhancement for the offence that had affected over 250 victims. However, Stokes may face additional costs for failing to exercise due care in his practice.

Although the court determined 126 months of imprisonment as the appropriate sentence for Stokes, the victims may have sought special damages for treatment of conditions they sustained from the exposure. For some patients, Dr. Stokes had removed several tissues from their body that were not cancerous, as a misdiagnosis for cancer. The impact of the action is that most of them had been heavily scared and were still healing. The court may have considered reconstructive surgery costs for such patients. Another potential harm of his action that Dr. Stokes may have caused the victims is psychological torture. During the investigation process, unknowing patients at the time of treatment had to be subjected to a series of tests to establish whether they had contacted any infections. Victims of Dr. Stokes had been psychologically affected by the exposure and may face challenges seeking healthcare from other practitioners lest their negligence cause them the same ordeal.

Dr. Stokes actions had potential human toll on victims and the society at large. Long after the treatment, many patients still suffer the repercussion of his actions. Many patients had been diagnosed for cancerous cases yet Stokes did not sent tissues for testing. This has the implication that patients lived in agony managing their presumed cancer conditions. Such victims may seek compensation for psychological torture they underwent considering that cancer is terminal (Noire, 1985). Such victims may have abandoned their productive lives to manage the presumed terminal condition Stokes had diagnosed them with. They could seek compensation costs for the trauma the error in diagnosis had caused them and their loved ones. Moreover, Stokes had treated over 13,000 patients and after a health alert issue by the Kent County Department calling all Stokes’ patients to test for HIV, Hepatitis B and C. This practice may have put the victims through emotional turmoil and fear as they underwent the tests.

Out of the 776 stokes patients tested in public facilities, 7 of them tested positive for Hepatitis C. The restitution may have also incorporated the costs the infected patients underwent treating illnesses caused by the possible infection from the unsanitary practices of Dr. Stokes. In addition, Stokes practice of sterilizing sutures and equipment in a sterilizing solution did not comply with current standards. As a result, patients who suffered ailments from the presumed conditions may seek damages for any costs incurred seeking additional treatment.

Whether Dr. Stokes sociopathic behavior may have contributed to his criminal actions

Dr. Stokes Sociopathic behavior could have led to his criminal conduct. Statistics indicate that Sociopaths are classified under the category of people who have a character disorder with 3% of all males classified in this category (Verene, 2010). Dr. Stokes is a male and his conduct may be attributed to this condition. With a thriving dermatology practice, from the sociopathic view, Dr. Stokes may be justified to have committed the malpractice to sustain his luxurious lifestyle. Sociopathic individuals demonstrate criminal behavior because of the risk of personal disturbance such individuals face. Stokes fraud incidences may be justified on the basis that he felt insecure if he was not able to accrue huge amounts to sustain his lifestyle, regardless the means he applied. Specifically related to serial crimes, sociopath is a suitable attribution to the offender. Hence, Stokes may be exonerated on the basis that the repeated malpractices and negligence may be attributed to his conduct. Moreover, sociopaths do not show any form of reasonability and do not meet the reasonable man test hence Dr. Stokes could be exonerated on the basis that the malpractices and negligence committed are attributed to his unstable state of mind.

In their unstable state of mind, sociopaths may unknowingly commit a crime but may show remorse for their action once the normal state resumes (Verene, 2010). A study conducted among sociopaths shows that they are not particularly law abiding and do not conform to regulations. In the same context, stokes failed to comply with the set sterilizing procedures for surgical equipment standards and healthcare regulation for quality and safety. Sociopaths tend to consider themselves above others, are remorseless and narcissistic. Hence, Stokes’ actions can be justified on the basis that he was acting to safeguard his own interests and status. Furthermore, sociopaths are characterized by antisocial behavior and are incapable of feeling guilt and are incapable of feigning emotions. Under these circumstances, Stokes could be exonerated on the basis that he suffers a personality disorder.

References

Mathiharan, K. (2006).Supreme Court on Medical Negligence. Economic and Political

Weekly, 41(2), 111-115.

Noire, K. (1985).Medical Negligence: Who Sets the Standard? Journal of Medical Ethics,

11 (3), 135-137.

Verene, D. (2010).The Sociopath and the Ring of Gyges: A Problem in Rhetorical and Moral Philosophy. Philosophy & Rhetoric, 43 (3), 201-221.

Antecedent of Trust in Strategic Alliances

Word Count: 5,000

Table of Contents

Abstract. 3

Antecedent of trust in strategic Alliances. 4

Introduction. 4

Strategic Alliances. 5

Key Learning. 5

Antecedent of Trust in Strategic Alliances. 6

Variables that influences antecedent to trust. 8

Key Learning. 10

Effects and results of Antecedent of Trust in Strategic Alliances. 11

Key Learning. 12

Importance of antecedent of trust in S.A.. 13

Key Learning. 19

Methodology. 19

Future Research and implications. 20

Conclusion. 21

References List. 22

Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive review of the literature on Antecedent of Trust in Strategic Alliances. In this paper, we present a framework that investigates trust in the strategic alliances using various sources. Overall, after conducting the research, this research found that information exchange, fairness, network relationships, communication, type of alliances has implications for the trust in the strategic alliance. Typically, trust is a core factor that cannot be underestimated in enhancing success of the strategic alliance. Trust facilitates discipline and obtainment of goals in an organization. For firms to be successful, goods and services have to be satisfactory, acceptable and worth purchasing. With the integration of industry-related issues including service marketing concepts and long-term business association, trust has become an important factor of enhancing growth in the organization. Given the importance and role of trust in strategic alliances for both international and local business, this research explored the antecedents of trust in depth.

Antecedent of trust in strategic Alliances

Introduction

Trust is a core factor that cannot be underestimated in enhancing growth in the organizations. By definition, trust is an activity or service that is intangible or tangible between two people. According to Akbar &Parvez (2009) trust is a belief that something is effective, good, reliable, honest, and worth considerate. In response to this research, Angelova &Zekiri (2011) also believed that trust is the confidence that an individual has that something is good. Trust creates a strong ground for consumers to trust an organization because of the goods and services offered. Despite the benefits that emerge from trust, most organizations have encountered problems evaluating how to foster trust in their services. As Ariffin & Aziz (2011) describe the process of trust, an individual or else an organization must invest of rewarding favor, gifts, and activities to increase their trust to consumers. Specifically, consumers must trust an organization to maintain the relationship. Various researchers have been done to portray how trust is gained. For instance, social exchange theory portrays that there must be an open-ended, broad, and unspecified obligations for any trust to occur (Voon, 2011). In this case, the obligations may be based on the fact that, voluntary actions are more likely to bring forth good results (Baker &Saren, 2010). The key concepts postulated in the social exchange theory are that, there must be give and take relationship and the social exchange may not always be an explicit arrangement. The give and take relationship occurs when an organization invest its resources to introduce rewarding activities with a intention of creating trust and converting new clients to potential and frequent buyers (Bolton &Lyer, 2009). The social exchange theory is a significant perspective to examine the social context in which the transactions of strategic alliances are made. Thus, this paper will provides adequate information about trust in strategic alliance as provided by the social exchange theory. To gather adequate findings of the research, this research collected information from a number of articles. Basically, I choose recent articles such as the article by Musriha published in 2012. The purpose of this was to ensure that the researched information relates to the modern age. The snowball methodology was used to locate most articles for the study. Obtaining the various articles involved a sequential development from a single article on the theme ad further explored the key concepts of the subject.

Strategic Alliances

Strategic alliances have been common forms of organization strategies that increase competitive advantage. It is undeniable that, trust is an essential component that fosters successful international strategic alliance. Musriha (2012) believes that the association of strategic alliance creates a strong platform for organizations to undertake a specific beneficial project. Basu &Biswas (2012) and Brito (2011) define strategic alliance as the process where two or more organizations unite to work and pursue the set goals and objectives. On other hand, Sahaf (2008) believes that a strategic alliance is a process where firms share the same benefits ad control over their assigned duties and responsibilities. This research also reveals that a strategic alliance is a continuing basis in the key strategic areas. The three types of the strategic alliances are minority equity, joint ventures, and non-equity alliances.

Key Learning

Most authors believe that strategic alliance is a crucial strategy that increases competitive advantage in the modern age. Further, most authors agree that trust is core component that enhance success in strategic alliances. Although every author presents different views about strategic alliances, their literature presents three types of the strategic alliances; minority equity, joint ventures, and non-equity alliances.

Antecedent of Trust in Strategic Alliances

At this point, this literature will utilize social exchange theory to analyze and identify factors that influence trust in the strategic alliance. Basically, social exchange theory is derived from the sociological perspective, which based its concepts of economics (Alipour &Darabi, 2011).According to social exchange theory; there must be broad and open-ended obligations for any party involved in any relationship. A different research by Alfadly (2012) postulates that, social behavior occur after an exchange process. The aim of this exchange is to minimize costs and maximize the benefits of social relationships. This research continues to argue when the risks outweigh the benefits or rewards, then people are more likely to abandon or terminate relationship. The key concepts of the social exchange theory as argued by Akbar &Parvez (2009) are that, there must be give and take form of social exchange. It is important to note that, the social exchange may not always be an explicit arrangement. Overall, social exchange theory is a crucial perspective to examine the social context. It lays a strong for people to comprehend the transactions that occur in strategic alliances. Typically, Akhtar (2011) also believes that social exchange theory provides a strong foundation to examine the concept of trusts in the strategic alliance.

As previously mentioned, trust is an exchange of activity, which may intangible or tangible and less or more rewarding between two people. As Donaldson & O’Toole (2007) describe the process, people often initiate exchange by investing on small things or offering rewarding activities, favor, or gift. In any kind of relationships, trust is very important (Baker, Baker&Saren 2010; Basu&Biswas 2012; Biswas 2011). A study carried out by Akbar and Parvez found out that ‘trust and the satisfaction of the client are significantly and positively related to customer loyalty’, (Akbar&Parvez 2009). Customer satisfaction also proved an important facilitator between customer loyalty and service quality (Bolton, Grewal&Levy 2007; Bolton&Lyer 2009). The important variables that help the sales people earn a buyer’s trust on the other hand include dependability, expertise, customer orientation, honesty and compatibility.

The concept of relationship marketing further relies on a move from function-based marketing to cross-function marketing and a shift from marketing activities that emphasizes on customer acquisition and trust to those emphasizing customer retention. Relationship marketing is therefore built upon the relationship between customer loyalty, consumer contentment and profitability. Rather than concentrating on acquiring new customers, firms should focus on retaining the existing ones and turning them into partners and advocates through interaction marketing, database marketing and network marketing (Baron et al).

In order for relationship marketing to be established and retained between the service supplier and the customer, a relationship has to be established and worked on (Compton&Baizerman2011). The relationship must also be long-term and should be between the providing organization and the customer in question (Dash, Bruning&Guin 2007; Donaldson&O’Toole 2007; Dukic&Kijevcanin 2012). Moreover, the relationship should be for mutual benefit of both parties. Relationship in marketing can be retained through adding financial benefits, adding structural ties and adding social benefits. In order to strengthen and maintain relationships, firms must also offer quality, trust, satisfaction, commitment, power dependence, and idiosyncratic investments (Gbettor,Avorga, Danku&Atatsi 2013;Goi 2009; Gunelius 2011). Despite the importance of relationship marketing, research shows that consumer service providers often use a transactional marketing approach which was commonly used by business-to-business service firms.

In the modern businesses, trust has proved to be the basis of strategic partnerships and the mediating element in any buyer-seller relationships. Trust has also been found to be the bottom-line of the relational approach and the key to the development of commitment notion in buyer/seller relationships (Huotari&Hamari 2012). It is also the basic element in establishing lasting relations with customers and the maintenance of the firm’s market share. In their study on restaurant suppliers and consumers, Jones and McCleary discovered that trust is considerably related to seven variables important in buyer-consumer relationships in terms of quality (Hussain,Dogar, Azeem&Shakoor 2011), performance, satisfaction, communication, price, accommodation, cooperation and social bonding (2009).

Variables that influences antecedent to trust

When exploring the antecedents of trust in strategic alliance, it is crucial to understand variable that influence trusts. At this point, this literature review will analyze six variables that are key antecedents of trust. These variables are communication, information exchange, inter-firm adaptation, fairness preservation, type of alliances, and network relationships.

Network relationships

By definition, network relationships are the structure of ties that occur between economic parties in the social system (Boone & Kurtz, 2012). In this case, the parties may refer to organizations, individuals, and groups ties that may include information exchange, economic, kinship, friendship, affection, and conversation exchange. When there is network relationship between parties in the same industries, it is more likely that the parties will have formed a strong relationship with their potential partner. In some cases, the parties may have had previous business relationship. Having or knowing information about strategic alliance partners have been known to be an important factor that influences trust.

Type of Alliances

As strategic alliances are two or more firms that unite to pursue a set of agreed goals and objectives. Basically, there are three types of strategic alliances; minority equity alliances, joint ventures, and non-equity alliances (Boone & Kurtz, 2012). By definition, joint ventures are separately incorporated entities, which are separate from the main or “parent organization”, but operate alike. The minority equity alliance occurs when one party or organization takes an equity stake in its associate. Non-equity alliances occurs when there is no sharing or the exchange of equity. In their research, Bolton, Grewal & Levy (2007) further supported Sahaf (2008) research by affirming that, trust is usually created through strict contracts because there is contractual control. However, in non-equity alliance, confidence is usually created because there is no exchange or sharing of equity. The orientation of quality is acknowledged by an organizational promise to developing and sustaining core competencies based on the quality offered. Regretfully, whereas value (quality) is a persuasive concern, it remains a theoretical characteristic that has been defined in different ways.

Communication and Information Exchange

Arguing from the social behavioral theories point of view, honest and effective communication and information exchange occurs when there is trust (Dash, Bruning &Guin, 2007). Brito (2011) defines communication as the process of sharing informal and formal message between partner firms. This research continues to argue that communication is closely related to success, which occurs through trust. It is crucial to note that, communication is an indispensable aspect of a trusting relationship. When explaining this in terms of social exchange theory, this research postulates that trust thrives in the environment where there is effective communication and information exchange. These processes are important aspects of social exchange (Bejou & Palmer, 2012).

Fairness Preservation

By definition, fairness preservation is the degree to which organization part judges the other in terms of commitment. Based on social exchange theory, participants in the relationship must morally oblige to give something that is worth exchange. For a strong relationship to occur there must be justice between parties (Bejou & Palmer, 2012).

Inter-firm adaptation

This is process where organizations adjust their behavioral patterns to fit their partners. Arguing from social exchange theory perspective, trust can be attained through inter-firm adaptation (Brito, 2011). This theory assumes that the process of exchange clearly demonstrates trustworthiness. Specifically, exchanges that occur from adaptations lead to the building of trusts between two partners in the strategic alliances.

Key Learning

The antecedent of trust in the strategic alliances is explained through the social exchange theory. Basically, this research portrays that there must be give and take in the form of social exchange. Overall, social exchange theory is a crucial perspective widely used to examine the social context. Further, this research continues to outline the key factors that influences trust in the strategic alliance. These factors include communication and information exchange, fair preservation, inter-firm adaptation, and network relationships.

Effects and results of Antecedent of Trust in Strategic Alliances

In their research, Rahnama & Beiki (2013) found that, trust is closely associated with satisfaction and growth in sales and profit. However, creating value and satisfaction are at the very heart of service marketing (Goi 2009; Hightower& Shariat2009). Researchers agree that marketing is the distinguishing and unique function of a business (Jain, Grover&Singla 2007; Jain 2009). Trust in this case helps in communication between the society and the firm, increasing profits, business planning and decision making, distribution, bridging the gap between producers/manufacturers and consumers while acting as a facilitator for firms (Rahnama&Beiki 2013). Ideally, the product characteristic of a service refers to the variety and depth of the service offered and the area of operation (Bon&Mustafa 2013). It is mainly concerned with the matching of services to the target markets.

The effect of trust is an important factor to consider in the development of strategic alliances (Pai& Chary 2012; Sichtmann 2007; Abdul, Gaur &Penaloza 2012). As a basic relationship-building block, trust is defined as an acceptance that one relationship-partner acts upon the interest of the other (Cater 2007). A seller can in this case create confidence in the eyes of the buyer by being credible and following through on what it promises. Researchers agree that one of the best tools for establishing trust is effective communications. In order to enhance relationships, it is important for the businesses to be honest, open, clear and thorough (Rahnama & Beiki, 2013). Establishing a good channel of communication can also help avoid unwarranted disasters and loss of customer trust. In fact, it is believed that trust is the only important factor for customers choosing an online supplier. The more a customer gets confidence in a service provider, the more they are likely to remain in the relationship and the more they feel areal and demonstrative commitment to their relationship with the service providers.

In a relationship that is intended to last, there is also fair sharing of rewards and risks, high level of trust and commitment, clear understanding of each person’s roles and obligations, common sharing of information, long-term orientation, responsiveness towards each other’s needs and a sincere wish to win (Inayatullah, Narain, Singh 2012). As far as customers are concerned, the paybacks of tight relationships with suppliers at the operating levels are given as improved quality of products and services, reduced lead-time and cost and service completion time. At the strategic level, the benefits are acquired in form of increased innovation (Wang, Bradford, Xu&Weitz 2008) and market share and enhanced competitiveness (Inayatullah et. al 2012). Marketers should look for a strategic approach of retaining, upgrading and ending relationships with customers (Nigam 2011; Pai&Chary 2012; RaskovicBrencic, Fransoo&Morec 2012). Customer retention involves developing cost-effective and long-term relationships with the customers for the mutual benefit of all involved parties. Research on the other hand confirms that customer profitability and return on sales can be increased by concentrating on the top notch customers. Consequently, it is required of service organizations to appreciate the needs of customers within different profitability tiers and adjust the service levels accordingly (Sahaf 2008).

Key Learning

After collecting information from different authors, there are various key points that most authors agree on. Overall, most authors believe that trust increases good and solid relationships. It also increases communication and information exchange. When business trust each other, they are more likely to agree and work on the set goals and objectives. With this in mind, this research postulates that businesses are more likely to grow when they embrace trust in their endeavors. Businesses are also encouraged to appreciate the needs of customers to succeed in global world.S

Importance of antecedent of trust in S.A

The literature on trust additionally advises that confidence on the part of the trusting party results from the belief that the trustworthy party is reliable and has high collectivity associated with competency, consistency, honesty, helpful, being responsible, fairness and benevolent (Kabadayi, Alan&Erdebil 2011; Canning&Lloyd 2007). Other reviews concluded that trust and its indicators, co-operative synergy, information-collaboration and low levels of supposed risks make up the most essential feature of an exchange-relationship. In business relationships, the major cognitive trust-building processes include prediction, calculative, transference, intentionality and capability (Jones&McCleary 2009). Maintaining successful channel partner relationship in this case requires the development, maintenance and improvement on the dynamics of a relationship within the supply chain (Ng 2009).

Trust has recently emerged an important issue in strategic alliances (Yusof, Hassan, Rahman&Ghouri 2012; Siddique, Karim&Rahman 2011). In the modern competitive world, the quality of a service has proved an essential strategy for competitive advantage (Ensuring customer and satisfaction and loyalty are the key issues of the marketing practitioners (Dukic&Kijevcanin 2012). This is more so for the modern firms which have to deal with numerous challenges in the new environment. Delivering quality service is actually an essential strategy for survival and success in today’s competitive world (Basu&Biswas 2012). This is considering that high service quality provides a competitive advantage edge for an organization that can lead to the organizational growth. On the other hand, based on lifestyle, purchasing power, dynamism of customers’ differentiation, expectations and preferences pose many challenges and issues in satisfying customers.

In most sectors, research shows that perceived service quality contributes to customer satisfaction, repeat visits, strategic benefits and positive feedback (Akbar&Parvez 2009). In their review of literature, Akbar and Parvez further noted that service quality has traditionally been hypothesized as the variance between customer expectations regarding a service to be received and perceptions of the service being received (2009). As a result, an understanding of customer perceptions of quality is important when examining efforts by a firm that is to be directed toward factors that are important to the particular customer.

As also noted byPai and Chary, service quality is the customer’s insight of the level of success or failure in meeting expectations (Pai&Chary 2012; Yusof et al. 2012). Generally, most researchers measure service quality using customer evaluation of reliability, tangibles, assurance, empathy and responsiveness (Basu&Biswas 2012). This insight was also noted in Akbar and Parvez’s study where five scopes of service quality including empathy, reliability, assurance, responsiveness, and tangibles were realized as the qualities that connect specific service characteristics to consumers’ anticipations (Akbar&Parvez 2009). Since the perceptions of service quality are based on various dimensions (Leacock&Nesbit 2007) there is no one general agreement about the nature or content of the dimensions.

As argued by social exchange theory, trust is an important factor to the development of a quality strategy (Akbar&Parvez 2009). In their descriptive study on private commercial banks in Bangladesh, Rahaman and colleagues further perceived service quality as an approach to manage business processes in order to ensure full satisfaction of the customers which in the long run increases effectiveness and competitiveness of an industry (Rahaman, Abdullah &Rahman 2011). It is therefore important to design service products based on pricing paradigms and customer needs while introducing to customers actively.

Numerous researchers show that customers’ value for a company increases with extension of the period of their bonding. Trust in strategic alliance enhances the business productivity due to gained experience and better understanding (Dukic&Kijevcanin 2012). In order to determine customer loyalty of a service, the satisfaction must be cumulative by existing in each transaction. Other researchers consider responsiveness, reliability, access, competence, communication, courtesy, security, credibility, tangibles and understanding of the customer as the main determinants of quality service (Lee 2011, p.61). In their empirical study on customer’s perception about the determinants of service quality of foreign and domestic banks,Siddique, Karim and Rahman concluded that reliability, credibility, communication, tangibility and security are the factors affecting the service quality for domestic private banks (2011, p.1). This was compared with credibility, reliability and tangibility characteristics which were the only factors seen to affect the quality of service in the foreign banks (Siddique et al. 2011).

In today’s increasingly competitive world market, buyers find themselves presented with choices regarding suppliers and their products (Ahmed 2013; Alias, Roslin&Shariff 2013; Brito 2011). In this important market, the traditional methods of selling that focused on closing the sale (Botha&Brink 2007; Fichtel 2009) have proved inefficient and often counterproductive to the firm’s long-term and sustainable strategies. Today, relationship marketing represents a fundamental transformation from traditional marketing in that relationships shift from adversarial to cooperative and the goals shift from market share to share of customers (Akhtar 2011). Customers must in this case move from a short-lived transaction-orientation to a long-term and long lived relationship building goal (Akbar&Parvez 2009; Akhtar 2011). In the new economy, services will not matter as much as the relationship between the customer and the company (Bon&Mustafa 2013;Ariffin&Aziz 2012).

Ideally, the shift toward relationship selling has today changed both the roles played by the marketers (sales people) and the skills and activities they exercise in carrying out the presented roles (the selling process itself) (Ariffin, Bibon&Abdullah 2011). Today’s more contemporary selling process is embedded within the relationship marketing paradigm (Bon&Mustafa 2013; Basu&Biswas 2012). Consequently, it emphasizes the initiation and fostering of enduring consumer-seller relationships based on value-added benefits and sharedfaith.As noted by Akbar and Parvez, the activities and skills essential for relationship selling can be classified according to their purpose in terms of the initiation, development, and enhancement of the relationships (Akbar&Parvez 2009).

Most researchers suggest that trust, selling approach and relationship-marketing are the most sufficient means of building long term customer-seller relationships in the service industry (Jones&McCleary 2009; Botha&Brink 2007). The importance of managing the relationship is further supported through the concept of the interrelationships between human resource management, marketing management and operations management (Canning&Lloyd 2007). To a great extent, relationship marketing owes its popularity to the limitations and shortcomings of traditional marketing (Cater 2007). Instead of building lasting relationships with the existing customers, traditional marketing activities dwell on the processes, transaction and recruitment of new customers (Christopher, Payne&Ballantyne 2008). The main driving force for relationship marketing on the other hand has been the new opportunities made available through information technology including internet integration, electronic commerce, data warehouses and relational warehouses.

Usually, the quality of service to be supplied is determined by market demand and competitive positioning (Golder, Mitra&Moorman 2012; Jen, Lu, Hseieh,Wu&Chan 2013). The size of the potential market on the other hand depends on the degree of domestic and global demand(Golder et al 2012). Nevertheless, the ideal value-added service has a strong relationship with the core product or service, compensates for any weaknesses in the core elements of the package offered and is something that the customers expect and are prepared to reward (Alfadly 2012; Ahmed 2013). While providing opportunities for offering new and enhanced services, technology has today provided tools forproviding existing services in more convenient, accessible andcreative ways (Bejou&Palmer 2012). Technology in this case facilitates basic customer service functions in terms of questions asked and answered, bill-paying, tracking orders and cheque account records, transactions (i.e. retail and business2business) and learning and information seeking (Brink&Berndt 2008).

In their research on quality performance of contractors in Nigeria, Idrus and Sodangi singled out trust as a persuasive concern throughout the marketing process (Idrus&Sonangi 2010). In this case, the orientation of quality is acknowledged by an organizational promise to developing and sustaining core competencies based on the quality offered. Regretfully, whereas value (quality) is a persuasive concern, it remains a theoretical characteristic that has been defined in different ways (Hightower 2010; Khan 2013). It is for instance considered a subset of performance, productivity parameter, conformity and safety and timeliness (Idrus&Sonangi 2010) by different authors. The main functions of service agencies in marketing include offering the competition differentiation, productivity and service quality (Pai&Chry 2013; Schultz, Doerr&Frederiksen 2013). The new competitors in the market have actually focused their services on the line of prices, service delivery in terms of quality and communicative efforts (Alipour&Darabi 2011; Angelova&Zekiri 2011). Trust is important in strategic alliances as it helps organizations to consider the 7Ps of service marketing mix including pricing, process, people, product, promotion, physical evidence and the process (Alipour&Darabi 2011).

Key Learning

From the ongoing discussion, it is evident that trust is an important issue in strategic alliances. Trust strengthens relationships, boost performance, and productivity. Trust increases customers’ satisfaction, which in turn increases sales and profit growth. Overall, most authors agree that trust increases customer satisfaction, and this increases repeat visits, strategic benefits and positive feedback. With this, most authors conclude that businesses should work hard to increase their consumers’ trust, which further dictates the performance of the business. Businesses parties with strong relationship ties are more likely to flourish in their partnership. With this, business partners should establish a strong relationship based on trust to succeed in the business.

Methodology

The methodology of the study involved a qualitative approach that entailed two case studies that focused how marketing is an effective tool for attaining and keeping the competitive advantage. In this case, semi-structured interviews were conducted to fully explore the antecedent of trust in the strategic alliance. A number of companies involved in strategic alliance were identified and later interviewed. Snowball sampling was used to evaluate the best organizations that presented adequate information of the research. Participants were guaranteed of confidentiality and privacy. With this, most authors were in a better position to collect their information from the survey and fields.

Some data was collected using the survey method; for this reason, most authors explored the important aspects related to antecedent of trust in the strategic alliances. Most of the sources collected provided adequate facts and information of how trust is an important factor that enhance success in the strategic alliance. Most articles provided a comprehensive review of the factors that influences trust in the strategic alliance through case studies. Most researchers acknowledge that successful firms should have a customer-oriented business culture (Brady&Cronin 2009; Hightower&Shariat 2009; Hightower&Florida 2010; Lee 2011). In a research on ‘the modeling correlation between servicescape, self-perception, congruity and loyalty intention of customers toward department stores’ for instance, Alias and his colleagues discovered that servicescape has a significant effect on customers’ loyalty intention. A store can in this case create an effective atmosphere to stimulate customers’ immediate attention. It can also reflect the congruity of customers’ self-image (Alias, Roslin&Shariff 2013).

Future Research and implications

Although the research was deep in content, there few limitations found. For instance, some authors used small sample size to interview. With this, it was difficult to evaluate and generalize the findings of other strategic alliances. With this in mind, this research would recommend future studies to examine the subject in multiple international businesses. This study would recommend many authors to identify more variables that influences trust in strategic alliances. The research would be more comprehensive if it highlighted the factors that facilitate international strategic alliances. For instance, organizations should work hard to recruit managers with knowledge on international networks. Having this knowledge would helped in developing trust, which further would enhance success in the partnership. The research would also evaluate how firms can improve in their communication and exchange information. With this knowledge in mind, most organizations would embrace the recent innovations of technology to succeed in communication and information exchange.

Conclusion

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effect or result of trust on the performance of the strategic alliance. After a thorough research, this study found that trust is built through various variables such as fairness preservation, inter-firm adaptation, communication and information exchange, and network relationship. Overall, this research has explained the concept of trust through social exchange theory. From the ongoing discussion, this theory highlights that trust is a crucial factors that cannot be underestimated in enhancing growth in strategic alliance. This research has also evaluated that trust boost performance. The main driving force in stratrgic alliances have been the new opportunities made available through information technology including internet integration, electronic commerce, data warehouses and relational warehouses.

The goal for relationship marketing is to identify and create new value with individual customers. Relationship marketing focus more on the marketing elements of product quality, customer sensitivity, customer convenience, price, promotion, place and service. In future, this research would recommend authors in articles to support their facts and information from other sources. This would enhance a deep understanding of the study. Typically, this research utilized qualitative methodology to explore the concept if trust in both international and domestic strategic alliances. In future, this research suggests that authors should conduct their research in multiple companies to collect adequate facts and information of the subject.

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Organizational Behavior and Negotiations

Part One: Personal Case Study

Redants is a company that manufactures and sells consumer products. It has approximately 500 employees distributed in various departments. This is a private company that was founded in 1990 but still sells its products only in its founding country despite being in operation for more than twenty years. I was employed in that company on June, 2012 and worked for only one year before I handed in my resignation letter on June, 2013. When I was there, I realized that the rate of labour turnover was quite high with at least one employee leaving the company every month. This case study will address some issues in relation to employee motivation and offer solution to this problem.

Around March, 2010, I spotted an advertisement in a local newspaper where the Redants Company required a person to fill the vacancy of a marketing officer. After scrutinizing the advertisement, I realized that I had the required academic qualifications but lacked the eight years experience that was stated. However, I made a decision to apply for the job and waited for the feedback. I did not receive any feedback until the end of May. I had already given up because they had stated in the advertisement that applicants would be contacted within one month either for a job offer or with a regret letter. When I failed to receive any form of communication from them, I dismissed the company as a hoax. My attitude was however changed when I received the letter requesting me to show up for an interview and be ready to start working immediately if I passed the interview.

Upon my arrival at the company, I was welcomed by the receptionist who then directed me to the human resource manager. To my surprise there was no formal interview as the manager only requested to see my papers and told me to start working the following day. Furthermore, he promised to prepare the employment contract that I was supposed to sign the following day but he at least mentioned the salary the company was willing to pay me. I could not hide my excitement and thanked the manager for the consideration.

During my first month at Redants, I realized that most employees were coming late to work. I decided to be a good example for them by always ensuring that I arrived by seven in the morning and left at 4.30pm. Most of my workmates were laughing at me that I was too enthusiastic and that it will not take me long to fit into the company’s culture. Surprisingly, the employees who were reporting in the morning were the first ones to leave in the evening with some of them leaving their work stations even before the stipulated time. The more I tried to understand this situation, the more I became confused since the employees were not willing to reveal much. At some point, I approached one of my closest colleagues in the company, Eric, and asked him to enlighten me on what was happening to the employees since most of them were not enthusiastic with their work. Despite being my friend, Eric was not ready to brief me on what was the issue but he told me that I would learn through experience.

Determined to prove everyone wrong, I remained focused, timely, and result-oriented in the first one month because I was optimistic to receive my first salary with the company. As I continued with my punctuality and dedication to accomplish my duties, I realized I was making more enemies and only very few people wanted to associate with me. Being a person who is not deterred easily, I decided to ignore them also and only engaged those who are in my department. When the end of the month was getting closer, I decided to visit the human resource manager since I realized I had not yet signed my employment contract. Upon arriving in the human resource manager’s office, the manager told me not to worry of petty issues and that will receive my salary by the end of the month. He even went ahead to convince me that my salary was among the highest in the company and that I needed to safeguard it and prove that I was qualified to earn it. True to his word, I received my full salary by the end of the month.

This motivated me to work even harder in the second month. Within the first week of the second month, I noted there were five new employees who had joined various departments. To me, this was an indicator that the company was determined to increase its employees as an expansion strategy. When I mentioned this observation to some of the employees, I was surprised to learn that an equal number of employees had left the company on the same month on their own volition. I went ahead to ask an employee for how long he had worked in the company and told me it was his fifth month. During the same month, I fell sick and was admitted in a hospital for two days but the company did not pay any amount of that bill. The salary for the second month was not paid as I kept on being told it will be paid until it rolled over to the third month.

Eventually, the salary for the second month was pushed to the third month and this continued to be the trend in all the other salaries. During my tenure at the company the managers did not call us for any meeting but they seemed to be comfortable as they drove expensive cars and received hefty allowances. Employees were not given a chance to raise their grievances or to share new ideas with the management. Actually, the only time that managers met their employees was in the corridors of the company as they carried on with their duties. Towards June 2013, the Chief Executive Officer called all employees for a meeting. The agenda of the meeting was that the company had reported numerous losses in that year and that sales had reduced drastically. Moreover, employees were being poached by the competitors and if that trend continued the company was in the verge of collapse. It was on the same day that I handed in my letter of resignation, and until today I have not been paid my salary arrears of two months. I blame myself for accepting to work without any formal contract but I still ask myself what the management needs to do to deal with the problem and save the company.

Part Two: Analysis Report

Looking at the Redants Company, it is clear that the company has a problem in dealing with its employees. The high labour turnover in the company also indicates that employees have low morale and are not satisfied with their jobs. According to Miner (25) such employees are lacking motivation. Motivation is essential as it helps in improving employees’ performance which eventually leads to increased productivity.

The recruitment process can be one of the ways for motivating the employees. With an effective recruitment process, employees feel more confident to work in the company. In this case, the recruitment process is not taken seriously considering that the company hires employees without taking them through all the necessary recruitment procedures (Weiner 18). For instance, the company has taken a habit hiring workers without any employment contract. This makes the workers to feel insecure as they keep imagining how they can lose their money. For this reason, only employees who are desperate to get a job will accept employment without any formal agreement. Ideally, the employees at Redants lack both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

According to the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory, human beings feel satisfied when most of their needs are met. In the case study, the employees’ needs are not met fully because they are not paid in time. This makes them not to solve their basic needs in time (Grenway 41). For instance, when the salaries are late, employees may be unable to pay their rents in time and may end up losing their shelter. This eventually affects their self-esteem and job security.

The Herzberg’s two-factor theory may also be used to address the problem in this company. This theory states that employees can be motivated through hygiene factors and motivators. In Redants Company some of the hygienic factors that need to be addressed include timely payment of the salaries and improved interpersonal relationships between the managers and the employees. The interaction between the managers and the employees can also be improved through regular meetings where employees share their idea and problems with the management. For the motivators, the management needs to recognize employees’ efforts and personal growth. This can be done by training them to acquire the latest skills in the industry (Thomas 37). This will also assure the employees that the company appreciates their effort by creating room for career advancement.

The management at Redants needs to let their employees see the benefits of working hard. According to the expectancy theory, employees make the choices about the level of effort they will invest in work by comparing working hard and working less. It is for this reason that employees at Redants come late to work and move out early because they don’t see the benefit of reporting early (Lauby 13). A pay increase and rewards are some of the methods that can be used by the company to influence employees to be committed to their work and to have high expectations in the company.

There is also a problem at Redants because the senior managers seem to be comfortable than the employees of the lower cadre. This is in contrary to the equity theory which highlights that people asses the equitability of their treatment through social comparison. For instance, the managers at Redants drive expensive vehicle while other employees are not even paid in time. This form of inequity can be addressed by avoiding underpayment and overpayment of employees (Miner 36). As a result, the employees will not feel discriminated. If employees at Redants are motivated they will increase their productivity which will eventually lead to increased profits for the company. Likewise, the labour turnover will reduce where employees will not be poached by the competitors.

Works Cited

Grenway, Bernard. The Relationship Between Employee Motivation and Job Satisfaction of African-American Human Service Employees. London: Pro Quest, 2008. Print.

Lauby, Sharlyn. Motivating Employees. Michigan: ASTD, 2005. Print.

Miner, John. Organizational Behavior: From theory to practice. New York: M.E. Sharpe, 2007. Print.

Thomas, Kenneth. Intrinsic Motivation at Work: What Really Drives Employee Engagement. New York: Read How You Want, 2010. Print.

Weiner, Bernard. Human Motivation. Boston: Psychology Press, 2013. Print.

George Washington Successes and Failures

Constructing a Thesis

As the person taking command of the American troops during the American Revolution, Washington was successful because he was brave, was keen on detail, and believed a good leader should utilize their qualities. Moreover, he used his failure as learning points and hence emerged stronger.

What Each Article Says About the Thesis

The thesis for this paper is further supported by various scholars touching on the life history of George Washington. According to Ferling (17) Washington’s confidence was evident in the many battles that he won when he was a commander. At the initial stages of the American Revolution, Washington struggled with the small number of troops that he had (Mann 36). Despite Britain having more troops, he was not afraid to face them where he won various battles. Like many other successful people, mistakes or failure should not make one to give up but should instead be used as a learning experience (Chadwick 26). In support of this Miller (29) notes that Washington lost in several battles but he eventually emerged victorious.

His Exposure to Smallpox and the Importance of it during the Way

In 1751, when George Washington was only 19 years old, he accompanied his brother Lawrence to Barbados. His brother was seeking treatment for his cough due to tuberculosis. George Washington was only able to travel outside the United States only once in his lifetime. The trip was quite memorable because he was attacked by smallpox in Barbados as they visited a merchant who had family ties with the Washingtons (Ferling 27). This incident was quite important because smallpox only attacks an individual once in life. For this reason, the exposure to smallpox in Barbados meant that Washington would be immune to such attacks in future especially during the American Revolution. During the war, smallpox was prevalent and spread at a very high rate among the American army. Smallpox was not common in America until it was brought from Europe. For this reason, the British troops were at an advantage because most of them had been exposed to smallpox earlier and therefore had a lifelong immunity. When Washington was an army commander during the American Revolution, he oversaw the administration of some of the earliest vaccinations against smallpox to protect his army against the disease. He went further to order for an inoculation for all the new recruits in the army who had not experienced the disease before. Although the inoculation was supposed to protect the soldiers from smallpox, some of the soldiers succumbed to the disease after inoculation and it became a major concern for Washington. There was a main fear of the disease spreading through the ranks. To deal with this, Washington ordered all the new recruits to be quarantined in camps and inoculated before they were dispersed to take part in the war. All this had to be done in secrecy to prevent the enemies from talking advantage of the situation.

Washington’s Successes and Failures on War

During the American Revolution, George Washington had managed to build a large army that he held together harmoniously. He also ensured the army was in a maneuverable condition and that they were prevented from defeat. His tactics in war were also successful because he kept the army closer to the British who were by then a force to reckon (Mann 47). Due to the wide knowledge he had about American people on how they lived and fought, George Washington exploited the British methods of fighting that were not suited for the American Environment. Since he was aware of how superior the British Navy was, Washington made use of the French troops to emerge victorious at Yorktown in 1781.

During the 1750’s, France and Britain had made a decision to occupy the upper Ohio Valley. Virginia’s governor, Robert Dinwiddie, sent Washington as the commander in 1753 to boost security at the British fort in Ohio. He was quite furious to learn that the French chased away the builders of fort Virginia and hade proceeded to erect their own fort named Fort Duquesne (Ferling 31). After he erected Fort Necessity, Washington led the ambush of a French troop in May 1754 where the commander and nine more people were killed. During this ambush, there were other French people who were captured by Washington. In reality, this ambush marked the start of the French and Indian War. However, Washington later surrendered when the French force attacked Fort Necessity and demolished it on July 3, 1754 (Chadwick 52). When the Congress formed the Continental Army on 1775, Washington was appointed as the general and commander in chief due to his experience in war.

During emergencies, Washington used his authority to make decisions and ensured that such decisions were not in conflict with the Congress’ expectations. Washington believed that for him to win the war there was a need for the British colonies to become independent. In addition, he emphasized those American soldiers who were captured by the British to be treated as prisoners of war and not as criminals as it was the case. In order to deal with the British ships, Washington formed a navy of six vessels that captured the British ships that were bringing their supplies to Boston. It was during this period that Washington continued his campaign of independence for the British colonies. In this regard, Washington was successful in influencing the independence campaigns in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Virginia, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. As a result, the Declaration of Independence was accepted on July 1776.

Washington’s reputation in the military was quite admirable. One of his most recognizable successes in war was on March 17, 1776 when the British left Boston. He managed to do this by surrounding them during a siege that had taken more than eight months. Washington had managed to do this by organizing for the training of the first and second American army. Actually, Washington managed to evacuate the British troops by intercepting their supplies and hence disorganizing them. This action made him a hero for proving that Americans could emerge victorious over British in such a contest (Chadwick 55). Washington experienced another major success during the second half of 1776 when he managed to avoid a defeat and kept his army together despite the challenges.

In July and August 1776, the British stormed southern New York with more than 34,000 troops. On the contrary, Washington only had approximately 7,450 men in his troop. The shortage in the number of troops had caused Washington to experience some defeats in the war. Some of these minor defeats included Brooklyn Heights on August 26^th, Kip’s Bay on September 15^th, Harlem Heights on September 16^th, White Plains on October 28^th, and Fort Washington on November 16^th (Miller 29). To avoid more setbacks in New York, Washington decided to retreat through New Jersey. By this time, his army had been reduced to around 3,000 men and there were high chances of it disintegrating. This continued until it was evident that British troops were ready to invade Philadelphia. However, Washington did not give up but instead stormed Delaware in December 25^th and captured more than 1,000 British prisoners. This enabled him to have a striking position in New York while the British stopped their operations and pulled away from New York. The success that Washington had experienced at Trenton had put him in a better position to defend Philadelphia. In this process, Washington suffered some war failures at Brandywine Creek on September 11 and at Germantown on October 4^th. Due to the Washington’s strategies, British left New Jersey and Pennsylvania. When the British decided to strike Virginia in 1781, Washington got a chance to strike a blow that eventually brought the war to an end. This happened when French troops joined the American troops and hence increasing Washington’s troop.

The American-French army was large enough to advance from New York to Virginia while at the same time preventing British forces from escaping via the sea. Eventually, Washington’s army managed to capture Cornwallis at Yorktown who surrendered his troop of 7,000 men on October 19. By this time, the remaining British troops were exhausted due to the various defeats they had experienced from the Washington’s troops. This made them to resign in 1782 and Britain was willing to pacify the situation by granting independence to the United States (Chadwick 48). Due to the success that Washington had on war, he was unanimously elected the first president of the United States and was inaugurated on April 30, 1789 in New York.

A Nation in Mourning upon Washington’s Death

The death of Washington occurred on December 14, 1799. Mourning in response to his death reflected both private and public traditions as Americans from various backgrounds united together. When Washington’s death was made public, the Congress that was in session in Philadelphia was adjourned immediately. Furthermore, the Congress also allowed a publication of a presidential proclamation that required people to wear black armbands on left arms for a period of thirty days as a show of grief towards the death of President George Washington. For the delivery of the national Eulogy for Washington, the Congress chose Lee. The mourning extended to people of various cultural backgrounds including businessmen who closed their establishments to take part in the mourning (Ferling 37. To further portray their mourning, Major General Alexander Hamilton staged a mock funeral to show the military support for Washington. The members of the House of Representatives also wore black in the following day as they carried on with their session. His death was taken as a form of a crisis or omen since it had occurred towards the turn of the 19^th Century. During the mourning period, most of the political leaders tried to enhance a sense of national unity as Americans shared the sorrow.

Thousands of mourners gathered at Mount Vernon for the funeral ceremony on December 18, 1799. Military officers and other Masonic brethren were the pallbearers during the funeral service. Moreover, the coffin had Washington’s sword and a Masonic apron. There were also two servants leading Washington’s horse and dressed in mourning clothes. Due to the burial of Washington, Mount Vernon was a famous tourist destination for Americans willing to show their last respect to Washington (Miller 19). According to some historians, every patriotic American was supposed to visit Mount Vernon as a form of filial pilgrimage. Following the custom, Martha Washington closed the master bedroom and took another room in the third floor. It is also important to note that the first messages of condolence were from women who were the closest friends to the widow.

Works Cited

Chadwick, Bruce. George Washington’s War: The Forging of a Revolutionary Leader and the American Presidency. Boston: Sourcebooks, 2005). Print.

Ferling, John. The First of Men: A life of George Washington. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.

Mann, Barbara. George Washington’s War on Native America. Nevada: University of Nevada Press, 2004. Print.

Miller, Brandon. George Washington for Kids: His Life and Times with 21 Activities. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2007. Print.

Elder Abuse and mandated reporting

The segment of the population that comprises older adults keeps growing larger and larger. It is estimated that the number of individuals aged over 65 years will continue to jump. In the period between 2000 and 2010 the population of the older adults in the US increased by 15%. Additionally, by gender, females seem to outnumber males in the older adults’ population (U.S. Census). Certain States in the US have reported higher older adults’ population than others. States such as Florida, Pennsylvania, and Maine have reported the highest percentages of the older adult population while Alaska has the lowest percentage. Older adults need care and sometimes they are exposed to neglect and abuse (The State of Aging and Health in America, n.d). The paper that follows will discuss the subject of elder abuse and relate it to mandatory reporting. Background on the older adult population

The older adults in the US face a myriad of challenges in their everyday life. Top on the list of these challenges are the challenges related to healthcare. It is estimated that at least 80% of the adult population is living with one or more chronic conditions. These conditions are developed or worsened by poor lifestyle choices that include over smoking, physical inactivity, and poor diets. Cancer, stroke, heart diseases, and diabetes are the highest chronic killers that threaten the adult population. These chronic diseases alone account for up to 60% of deaths among the older adults (Glendenning, 1999). This high proportion has necessitated the engagement of social workers in the management of care among the older adults.

The Process of Aging

Aging is a complex biological process that occasions the decline in the functions of sight, hearing, motor system and biological systems. Additionally, aging might occasion decrease in skin elasticity, changes in hair color, and hair loss. Often times, aging has been misinterpreted to mean a disease that affects people of a certain age. This misnomer is inaccurate. Matter of fact, aging is a biological process that every living creature, both flora and fauna, must go through. A clear understanding of the process of aging is critical for the proper application of care (The State of Aging and Health in America, n.d).

As stated earlier on, the older adults face many health and health-related challenges. Some of these challenges expose the older adults to risks that can only be said to be associated with aging. These risks may include falls that arise due to decline in mobility, medication management occasioned by factors such as confusion and forgetfulness, and isolation that is occasioned by an older adult’s withdrawal from social support. These risks can be mitigated by the involvement of social workers in older adults care and management (Rodriguez, 2007).

The Case of Elder Abuse

There are numerous factors that have led to an increase in the cases of elder abuse. Sadly, some of these cases go unreported exposing the older adult to untold pain and suffering. Research has revealed that persons over 75 years of age are the most vulnerable to elder abuse. The older adults are exposed to abuse that may be psychological, physical or fiduciary in nature. Abuse is further precipitated by the mental and physical declines expressed by the elderly. Additionally, caregiver stress can also add to or promote elder abuse. Elder abuse goes unreported because of factors that extend from fear of the elderly being institutionalized to a worst case scenario that might include retaliation from the abuser (Dimah, 2001).

The role of the Social Worker in working with older adults in health settings

A social worker is expected to use his or her skills in determining the occurrence, extent, and severity of abuse. The social worker is required by law to report all forms of elder abuse (Daniels et al, 1989). A sense of powerlessness on the part of the older adult should be taken as a potential indicator of elder abuse. The social worker is also expected to be cognizant of the potential signs of abuse. Refusal to speak freely, lack of personal grooming, and unexplained bruises and burns should serve as clear indicators of elder abuse.

Social workers are mandated reporters and as thus, they must report all forms of elder abuse. The channel of reporting varies depending on the place or setting where the elder abuse has been spotted. For instance, if elder abuse occurred in a long term facility such as a retirement home, the social worker can report this abuse to the Long-Term Care Ombudsman or the Bureau of Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse. Supposing the abuse is noted anywhere else, the mandated reporter must file a report with the local law enforcement agency or the local Adult Protective Services (Adult Protective Services, n.d.).

Assessment of Older Adults

The social worker can only establish the presence or absence of elder abuse by means such as observation and interviews. Often times, observation is not the best way of assessing older adults. Things are rarely what they seem. Therefore, the social worker can confirm his or her observation by interviewing the older adult. Before the commencement of the interview, the social worker must ensure that the respondent is comfortable enough to speak freely (Daily Living Assessment Surveys, n.d). Additionally, the social worker ought to assess parameters that include psychological and physiological well-being, social functioning, economic resources, spiritual assessment, social functioning, values and preference among others (Craig, 1994).

In conclusion, the many challenges faced by older adults in America can be managed by mandatory reporting. Longevity and value of life depends on the conditions afforded the older adults. Social workers must take lead on reporting every form of elder abuse.

References

Adult Protective Services. (n.d.). Adult Protective Services. Retrieved February 20, 2014, from http://www.cdss.ca.gov/agedblinddisabled/PG1298.htm

Craig, Y. (1994). Elder Mediation:. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 6(1), 83-96.

Daily Living Assessment Surveys. (n.d.). Daily Living Assessment Surveys. Retrieved February 20, 2014, from http://endoflifecare.tripod.com/imbeddedlinks/id17.html

Daniels, R. S., Baumhover, L. A., & Clark-Daniels, C. L. (1989). Physicians’ Mandatory Reporting of Elder Abuse. The Gerontologist, 29(3), 321-327.

Dimah, K. P. (2001). Patterns of Elder Abuse and Neglect in an Illinois Elder Abuse and Neglect Provider Agency: A Comparative Analysis. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 13(1), 27-44.

Glendenning, F. (1999). Elder Abuse And Neglect In Residential Settings: The Need For Inclusiveness In Elder Abuse Research. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 10(1-2), 1-11.

Rodriguez, M. A. (2006). Mandatory Reporting Of Elder Abuse: Between A Rock And A Hard Place. The Annals of Family Medicine, 4(5), 403-409.

The State of Aging and Health in America. (n.d.). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 20, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/aging/data/stateofaging.htm

The State of Aging and Health in America. (n.d.). The State of Aging and Health in America. Retrieved February 20, 2014, from http://www.agingsociety.org/agingsociety/publications/state/index.html

U.S Census. (n.d.). Census Bureau Homepage. Retrieved February 19, 2014, from http://www.census.gov/

Equity in Job Structures

Equity in Job Structures
Are you receiving a “competitive” level of pay? Are you offered the same benefits as others in similar lines of work? How might the answers to these questions impact your willingness to remain productive and engaged at your job?

Adams’ equity theory of motivation suggests that employees actively and continuously make comparisons of their work “inputs” to the “outcomes,” or total rewards they may receive. This input-outcome ratio is the informal driver of the equity framework. A pay structure built upon internal equity has at its core the concept of “equal pay for equal work.” Internal equity, also known as internal alignment, relates to the fairness of an organization’s pay structure.

When a pay structure is equitable, pay levels accurately reflect the internal value of each job according to the importance of the work performed. For large and fast-growing organizations, finding internal equity can be challenging and complex, because of the number of job evaluations that must be conducted and the restructuring of pay levels. However, determining the equity of job positions and adjusting pay accordingly can be very valuable for organizations. Organizations that have job equity and appropriate pay levels tend to have greater internal consistency, better morale, and increased competitive advantage.

To complete this Assignment, consider the information presented thus far in your course text. Specifically, reflect on the ways in which a well-aligned job structure can contribute to the various methods of job analysis and job evaluation. Apply this information to the scenario below to prepare a presentation that restructures an organization’s internal job structure. Independent research will be required to identify how HR can use this restructuring as a source for promoting greater equity within an organization.

Scenario

You are an HR professional working for a well-known organic health food chain in the Southwest, responsible for the coordination of compensation and benefits. You are required to report to the HR director on a bi-weekly basis.

Over the past five years, your organization has enjoyed substantial growth. Consequently, the organization has hired hundreds of new employees and has added many new positions and departments. At the outset, this growth was seen as positive, but “growing pains” quickly became evident, as large numbers of new employees were integrated into the existing policies and procedures of the organization. This rapid growth quickly outdated the job descriptions and pay grades established nearly a decade ago. The HR Director is concerned, as job titles have proliferated to the point of absurdity.

In anticipation of the annual pay adjustment period, the HR Director asked you to head up a team to conduct job evaluations and validate or revise current job descriptions and pay rates. She wants your team to ensure that the organization has an internally equitable job structure that supports the organization’s strategic goals. She has emphasized that validated job descriptions and pay rates are essential to many HR functions, including recruitment, training, and especially compensation.

To get started, she has asked you to prepare a presentation on the scope of the project at hand. She would like you to address her preliminary concerns and thoughts related to job evaluation and restructuring, and provide resources for the information you find.

For this Assignment, create a PowerPoint Presentation that addresses the following concerns:

The HR Director read a recent periodical about the Department of Labor’s O*NET resource. Describe O*NET’s capabilities as a basis for conducting a job evaluation. Explain whether O*NET could be used for revamping job descriptions for the project rather than a consulting firm or an expensive software package.
The HR Director is concerned about employees’ perceptions and acceptance of the underlying job structure. In your research, look for information on potential benefits of employee involvement in the processes of job evaluation. What are the benefits of employee involvement in job evaluation? What are the costs? Assess employee acceptance of job evaluation results, as well as issues that may arise related to pay confidentiality and other proprietary information.
The HR Director is aware that some employees have heard about the organization’s potential plans to conduct job evaluation. She wants to reassure employees, and has asked you to outline a plan for supervisors and store managers to address any concerns within their departments. What are some approaches to communicating the organization’s goals in future job evaluation efforts? How can these approaches to communication prevent misconceptions about layoffs and department cuts?
The director realizes there are a variety of approaches that organizations might utilize to determine the relative value of jobs. These plans vary across organizations and industries. Provide some preliminary information about at least two different approaches to job evaluation and their applicability to this specific situation and organization.
When preparing your presentation remember to:

Identify key issues that should be addressed, providing answers to the questions already posed by the HR Director (outlined above). Your presentation should have 5–8 slides, excluding references and title.
Include detailed presenter notes for each slide.
This is where the bulk of the information in your presentation should be located. Write your presenter notes in paragraph form, and include all information you would provide verbally if you were to actually present your slides to the HR Director.
Be sure to thoroughly address each of the four major tasks outlined in the bullet points above.
Provide a minimum of two relevant and recent references for each slide.
Compile your references into one slide at the end of your presentation.
This slide will not be counted toward your 5- to 8-slide requirement.
Include a title slide.
This slide must include your name, course name and number, and Assignment title. Applicable graphics are also appropriate.
This slide will not be counted toward your 5- to 8-slide requirement.

Determining the Total Rewards Mix

Determining the Total Rewards Mix
Wage surveys are an invaluable tool that can be used to establish an externally competitive total rewards package. They can help organizations identify the total rewards their competitors are offering employees. Specifically, they can provide information on base pay, incentive usage and values, employee benefits and retirement plans, overtime use, and perquisites. Wage surveys can be found online, and are conducted by various professional organizations and government entities. When used correctly, the results of these surveys can assist organizations in developing a competitive total rewards system.

In this Discussion, you assess the use of commercial wage surveys. First, conduct research to identify common commercial wage surveys. Then consider how these types of surveys are conducted, and the types of information they provide. Select one of the following two scenarios to consider how you would use the information provided from a survey to determine an appropriate total rewards system.

Scenario 1

A commercially available, national compensation survey from a professional society for engineers indicates that half of all engineering organizations surveyed provide some form of incentive pay. The survey indicates that the average value of incentives reported is $6,500 annually. The median annual base salary for an engineer is $70,000. Your engineering firm desires not only to match its competitors, but to be competitive in the relevant market.

Focus Question: What base salary would you recommend for mid-level engineers in the organization? Explain your rationale.
Scenario 2

You are the Human Resource Manager at a non-unionized manufacturing plant in Indiana in a community that has many unionized workers. The majority of your workforce is composed of semi-skilled positions. You’ve acquired a local wage survey through the commerce department indicating that the local median hourly wage is $23 an hour for semi-skilled machinists. The survey also indicates that, nationally, machinists are employed an average of 41 hours per week. However, for half of the firms in your area the average work week for a machinist is 44 hours.

Focus Question: If your organization plans to exclude the use of overtime wages, what is the appropriate base pay rate to offer a competitive level of base salary? Explain your rationale.

Respond based on readings and research this week that addresses the following:

Assess the use of wage surveys in determining a competitive total rewards system
Briefly indicate the scenario that you have chosen.
Respond to the focus question at the end of your selected scenario. Justify your response to the focus question with references to this week’s Learning Resources.
In developing a competitive total rewards system, how can you determine the relevant external market included in a wage survey?
Why is this important?

Job analysis

Job analysis and job evaluation are two processes that go hand in hand. In fact, an effective job evaluation cannot be completed unless a thorough analysis is first conducted. Job analysis is a way for organizations to examine the jobs currently in the organization. During this process, HR professionals should work closely with employees and their respective supervisors to create accurate job descriptions for each position. To create job descriptions, employees must describe various elements about their jobs such as the roles that they fulfill, the skills and aptitudes required to complete daily tasks, and their assigned workloads.

The descriptions developed during this analysis are then used to evaluate the relative importance of each job position. There are many different evaluation approaches. However, each approach is aimed at recognizing job content, the skills required for the job, the organizational culture, organizational values, and even the values of the external market. It is important to note that job evaluation does not include evaluating the performance of individual people in specific jobs. Job evaluation is solely intended to review job descriptions and determine how each relates to the internal hierarchy of the organization. It should always focus on the actual structure of the pay system, not the individuals within the pay system.

During both job analysis and job evaluation, it is imperative that HR professionals communicate why these processes are being conducted. If left unsaid, many employees might feel that they are being asked to justify their jobs, which may cause them to react to the process in a negative manner. Furthermore, employees may become defensive about their positions, finding ways to rationalize their current pay, position, and/or future with the organization. In efforts to gain the essential support of employees, HR professionals should explain how information from these processes will be used.

Analyze various methods of job evaluations, then, select one of the following job evaluation methods (ranking, classification, or point method) to use for this paper. Additionally, analyze how employees perceive the job evaluation method you have selected.

Based on research address the following:

Analyze methods of job evaluation.
Identify the job evaluation method (ranking, classification, or point method) you have selected.
How can an organization’s HR department use this job evaluation method?
Explain how this method can be used to achieve strategic alignment of an organization’s total rewards system. Justify your answer with references to this week’s Learning Resources.
Would you advocate for or against the use of this evaluation method? Why?
Analyze employee perceptions of job evaluation.
Describe two actions organizations should take to measure employee perceptions of job evaluation.
What positive and negative perceptions might employees have about the job evaluation method you have selected?
What ramifications might result from the negative perceptions of employees?
What strategies can HR professionals use to mitigate the negatives and highlight the positives of this specific job evaluation method?