Selecting Managers for Foreign Assignments

International assignments are the heart of international HR, and it is therefore disconcerting to see how often such assignments fail. U.S. expatriates assignments that end early (the failure rate) range from 16% to 50%, and the direct costs of each failure can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. The exact number of failure is hard to quantify, in part because “failure” means different things to different people. An early return rate is perhaps the most obvious indicator. However, some expatriates may fail less conspicuously, quietly running up the hidden costs of reduced productivity and poisoned customer and staff relations. The processes firms use to select managers for their foreign assignments and domestic operations obviously have many similarities. For either assignment, the candidate should have the technical knowledge and skills to do the job, and the intelligence and skills to be a successful manager. However, it is seen that Continue reading

Evolution of Performance Management

Traditionally, performance appraisal  has been used as the guide for employee performance. Performance appraisal also known as ‘performance evaluation’, ‘merit rating’, and ‘performance assessment’ is a process of recording assessment of employees’ performance, potential and development needs. According to Wayne F Cascio (1995) performance appraisal is defined as “the systematic description of job related strengths and weaknesses of an individual or a group”. Performance appraisal is a system of review and evaluation of an individual’s (or team’s) performance. Lately it has been supplanted in more and more companies with performance management (PM), a more comprehensive human resource management process. Within the recent past there has been a shift from traditional annual performance appraisal to continuous performance management. The obvious reasons behind this have been the inadequacy of Performance appraisal in serving as a performance enhancement tool. Performance appraisal is known to be a contentious and unpopular activity of Human Resource Continue reading

What is Business Process Management?

Business Process Management (BPM) helps an organization in adapting to changing conditions in the market place so as to remain competitive. A well designed BPM system can help an enterprise run efficiently and effectively, move according to the company’s regulations, and spot inefficiencies in the business activities and bottlenecks to the smooth flow of work.  Business Process Management systems help in recognizing certain situations that may pose trouble in the future. They enhance the overall quality and quantity of the various services and products being provided by the organization. Business Process Management can be extremely useful to employees and top managers of an enterprise. It assists the top executives in monitoring business activities and employee productivity. It is helpful to the employees as it reduces their working hours. It also helps an organization in abiding by the governmental rules and regulations set for the business world. A good BPM helps Continue reading

Types of Consumer Buying Behavior

Consumers are becoming smarter day by day; it is not to fool them with any gimmick. Nowadays, consumer does his/her homework very well before making any purchase in the market. Even before buying a face wash a consumer go through a rigorous process of choosing the best among the many present in the market. Buying a face wash and buying a luxurious car is very different, therefore the perception involved and the information gathered by the consumer in purchasing a car is much more than buying a face wash. Henry Assael distinguished four types of consumer buying behavior based on the degree of buyer involvement and the degree of differences among brands. Routinized Response Behavior (RRB)/ Habitual Buying Behavior:  This is the simplest type of consumer behavior.  This occurs when the consumer already has some  experience of buying and using the product. Usually, this  kind of behavior is adopted for Continue reading

Steps Involved in the Process of Securitization

Securitization, a process by which illiquid financial assets are transformed into tradable commodities, is one of the most significant innovations of the financial world. Having originated in 1970 in mortgage markets in the USA, securitization has already converted over $90 trillion worth of non-tradable assets into marketable securities. As a powerful tool of liquidity and risk management, securitization has had a tremendous impact on the welfare of the world economy. In mortgage markets in many countries it provides a cheaper source of financing, and thus promotes the demand for housing. In the banking sector, securitization is widely used for allocating capital more efficiently, transforming risk into a tradable security, and reducing the overall cost of capital. It has enabled developing countries to  emerging market institutions to raise their sovereign ratings ceilings and thereby tap international capital markets for lower-rate financing. Read More: The Concept of Securitization The process of securitization Continue reading

Role of Advertising in Industrial Marketing

Advertising is the most preferred promotional tool in the consumer market  rather than in the industrial market. It is preferred less by the industrial  marketers compared to personal selling as they get to meet the customers  personally and understand their needs better in personal selling. But still  advertising is used to a good extent by the industrial marketers to assist their  sales force and intermediaries to generate more leads. Advertising plays an  important role in industrial marketing strategy by supporting and supplementing  personal selling efforts. The advertising budget for industrial goods is far less  compared to that of consumer goods. But, to have an increased efficiency and  effectiveness of the overall marketing strategy, industrial marketer should have  an integrated and well planned advertisement strategy that blends properly with  personal selling efforts. Before understanding the role of advertising in industrial marketing, we must be  aware that there are certain forces that Continue reading