Development of Employee Disciplinary Policies

Discipline is best defined as the observation of principles, rules or any other laid down procedures, practices, written or otherwise in the organization by the employees or group of employees, to whom these apply, for smooth and effective functioning of the organization. Since, disciplinary measures have serious implications for employees; they often are based on the principles of being fair, just and acceptable to employees and, where applicable, the union as well. It cannot be enforced or imposed on employees, as history has proved, it never benefits anyone. So one of the most significant transformations that has impacted the workplace in the past few years is the ‘reinstatement’ of discipline in a positive and employee-supported environment. The way it is practiced in today’s organizations is extremely well communicated and adopts a discretionary approach. The principal ingredients of sound employee disciplinary policies  in organizations are: Location of responsibility: The responsibility for Continue reading

Case Study: Managing Employee Discipline

Mr. Harry, Branch Manager, Luxemburg Main Branch of XYZ Bank was wondering as to what could be done to restore the punctuality of the staff in his branch. A majority of the staff members were taking time off from the work, on a number of occasions, during the day, which resulted in work remaining incomplete, and in the payment of overtime wages for its completion. The problem was generally not faced by other banks in Luxemburg, except the PQR Bank, another Indian bank having branches in Luxemburg. Other local and British banks were able to exercise sufficient control over their staff to ensure proper attendance and maintain office decorum. Initially, Mr. Harry tried to persuade the staff to be punctual. He sermonized them on several occasions. None of this, however, made any dent on the problem. Failing in these methods, he resorted to punishment of the erring members of the Continue reading

Psychological Contract – Meaning and Importance

The psychological contract is certainly an important aspect of the employment relationship as it invisibly binds the employer and the employee through a set of expectations. For the individual in an organisation, the psychological contract is mostly relevant as it directly affects the level of motivation, commitment and morale of that person. Moreover, a positive psychological contract helps to boost the productivity and performance of an employee. Thus, to gain the commitment and loyalty of individual employees, it becomes essential that organisations put in place appropriate systems to foster the identification of employee expectations and ways to fulfill them. However, expectations are not easily identified, both on the employers and employees side. These often give rise to breaches on behalf of either one or both parties. The maintaining of a positive psychological contract with all members of an organisation thus becomes a primary focus of the HR practitioner and HR Continue reading

Inventory Management System – Meaning, Evolution, Types, and Benefits

Inventory management could as be defined as managing inventory with the primary objective been determining and controlling stock levels within the facility to balance the need for product availability against the need for minimizing stock holding and handling costs. A management system is an information system that is used by a business to ensure they can manage and fulfill their tasks through a framework of procedures and processes. Typical management systems are used to maintain data within an organization as well as ensuring data is shared accurately, or for the management of services or products offered. A management system could also be defined as the integration of traditional management methods with a computer system to create a tool for strategic and automated information management. An inventory management system is usually used to automate a sales order fulfillment process. These types of system are designed containing a structure whereby it contains Continue reading

Factors Affecting the Structure of Industrial Channels

Industrial marketing channels are set of independent, external organisations involved in the process of marketing an  industrial  product available to  industrial  buyer. Marketing channels satisfy the demand of industrial buyers by supplying products  at the right place, in the exact quantity requirements and at correct price. The factors influencing industrial channel structure are: Type of market: If a manufacturer product can be sold only to the members of one or few industries, and the number of firms in each industry is small, direct distribution is profitable. On the other hand, if the market is horizontal, the product must be sold to buyers in many industries. Market financial:  If the probable volume of sales in a market area is quite large, direct marketing may prove profitable. On the other hand , if the sales volume of a specific product is low, the direct method may be too expensive. To what extent Continue reading

Global Company Competitiveness Analysis

A domestic company may extend its products to foreign markets by exporting, licensing and franchising. Initially, the exporting is indirect. It may develop a more serious attitude towards foreign business and move to the next stage of development. International company is normally the second stage in the development of a company towards transnational corporation. The orientation of the company is basically ethnocentric and the marketing strategy is extension. The marketing mix developed for the home market is extended into the foreign markets when a company decides to respond to market differences, it involves into the stage there multinational that pursues a multidomestic strategy. Multinational company’s each foreign subsidiary is managed as if it were an independent city stage. The subsidiaries are part of an area structure in which each country is part of a regional organization that reports to world headquarters. The transnational corporation is much more than a company Continue reading