Factors Influencing the Consumer Decision Making Process

Each buying decision you make involves an elaborate mental thought  process, a degree of active reasoning, though on the surface it may not always seem to be so. This may be because over a period of time you have taken certain buying decisions so many times  that they now seem to be made almost automatically but that is not true at all. Even your daily decision of buying a loaf of  bread involves the element of active reasoning as buying a new  sofa set for your drawing room. However, in the former case,  the extent and intensity of active reasoning may be much less as  compared to the latter case. In the case of bread, the only decision variables may be which brand, quantity and retail outlet. But in the case of buying a  sofa set the decision variables are far more in number. These may be: Ready-made or made Continue reading

The Art of Managing Human Resources in an Organization

Organizations and corporations are multifaceted. Such complexity within a business necessitates the need to strategic approach to the management of the employees, whose task is to enable the business to achieve its objectives. Human capital is an imperative asset of an organization and proper use of a potent assent can construct a successful and resourceful organization. In an organization, human capital can make or break an objective or a strategy. The human resource department is the most important department of an organization. Almost all activities directed at attracting, developing, and maintaining effective workforce are implemented in this department. The functions of human resource management are, but are not limited to, hiring the right candidates, at the right time, and at the right price. It also involves training the existing employees, motivating them to give the best to the organization, resolving conflicts, discipline the employees who violate the organization’s rules and Continue reading

Confidence and Success

Confidence is a funny thing — sometimes it’s difficult to imagine why someone doesn’t feel confident about their ability to handle a situation when we know they could easily do it. A key issue to understand is that inside all of us there’s a voice which determines how we react to many of life’s situations.   It’s a voice which tells us which things we’re good at and which things we’re likely to fail at. It’s a voice we generate ourselves based on many years of experience of life. Very often it can be helpful but it can also be a great handicap. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.   Every day we hear about human achievements which initially, people probably scoffed at and said ‘You’ll never do it!’   However when someone really believes in their ability to deliver, they often make it. Most people go through their Continue reading

Make Money with an Advertising Agency

The source of an advertising agency’s income: A manufacturer who operates out of a small and unpretentious office is often impressed (sometimes unfavorably!) by the obviously furnishings in the offices of some advertising agencies. Paying for part of the agency’s overhead, rent, payroll, etc. is naturally going to use up some of the money he spends for advertising. Should he spend his money through an agency, or should he spend that money direct and thus save the cost of the agency’s services? Questions like these are good questions, but the answer to them is often not as clear or simple as it seems. In order to answer them, attention must be focused not on the total costs of advertising agency service but on the additional costs, if any which the use of an advertising agency will involve as against the expenditure of the same number of advertising dollars on a Continue reading

Neoclassical Theories of Organization

The classical organization theories concentrated on discipline and the economic well-being of people. They ignored their morale and desires.  Neoclassical organization theories while accepting the merits of classical theories have given more importance to human relations and behavioral sciences. The neoclassical theories of organization modified, added and extended the classical theories by realizing the fact that management exists in a social system wherein human factors have cognizant roles to perform. Employees can play crucial roles in the decision-making process. Approaches of  Neoclassical Theories of Organization Human Relations and Behavioral Science have become two important approaches of neoclassical theories. 1. Human Relations Theory The human relations theory was developed by Elton Mayo and his associates from 1924 to 1932 at the Hawthrone plant of Western Electric Company.   They experimented in four phases: Illumination experiment, relay assembly test, interviewing programs and the bank wiring observations room experiments. Illumination experiments revealed that Continue reading

International Human Resource Selection Procedures

Multinational Corporations (MNCs)  use a number of selection procedures. The two most common are tests and interviews. Some international firms use one; a smaller percentage employ both. Theoretical models containing the variables that are important for adjusting to an oversea assignment have been developed. These adjustment models can help contribute to more effective selection of expatriates. The following sections examine traditional testing and interviewing procedures, then present an adjustment model. Testing and Interviewing Procedures Some evidence suggests that although some firms use testing, it is not extremely popular. For example, an early study found that almost 80 percent of the 127 foreign operations managers who were surveyed reported that their companies used no tests in the selection process. This contrasts with the more widespread testing that these firms use when selecting domestic managers. Many  Multinational Corporations report that the costs, questionable accuracy, and poor predictive record make testing of limited Continue reading