Labor Cost – Definition, Types and Importance

Like materials, labor is also one of the prime inputs of production system. All manufacturing concerns require the labor for carrying out their production activities. The labor consists of workers who are essential to convert materials into finished products. The workers operate machine and perform other tasks to help convert materials into final outputs. The labor can be either direct or indirect. The labor who is directly engaged in the conversion process is called direct labor and who is not is called indirect labor. The labor, however, should be properly utilized and satisfactorily paid in order to minimize labor turnover and labor cost. Unlike materials, labor is complex to deal with. Dissatisfied and discontented labor always results in high labor costs and low quality outputs. Therefore there should be proper planning, accounting and controlling of labor. Concept and Meaning of Labor Cost The payment made to the labor in exchange Continue reading

Exit Strategy in a Business Plan

A business plan is a written documentation of which describes the business, the objectives of the business, its strategies, the market of which the business is in and the financial forecasts. The business plan has many functions, from securing external funding to measuring the success with the business itself. It essential when starting up a business for a business to have a realistic working business plan. The last portion of any business plan is the exit strategy. It may seem strange to develop a strategy this soon to leave the business, but potential investors will want to know the long-term plans. The exit plans need to be clear in your own mind because they will dictate how you operate the company. For example, if it is your ultimate aim to get listed on the stock market, then you have to follow certain accounting regulations from day one. The sequence of Continue reading

Divestiture Strategy

Selling a division or part of an organization is called divestiture. Divestiture strategy is often used to raise capital for further strategic acquisitions or investments. Divestiture strategy can be part of an overall retrenchment strategy to rid an organization of businesses that are unprofitable, that require too much capital, or that do not fit well with the firm’s other activities. Divestment is a difficult decision for the management of any organization. The barriers that impede an organization from following a divestment strategy have been described as follows: Structural (or Economic) Strategy. Characteristics of a business’s technology and its fixed and working capital impede exit, especially if the business is a core competence to the company. Corporate Strategy. Relationships between the various business units within an organization may deter divestment of a particular business unit. Managerial  Strategy. Aspects of company’s decision making process inhibit exit from an unprofitable business. Such aspects Continue reading

Committee Organizational Structure

A committee organization is an association of people set up to arrive at solutions to common problems. The line people are given opportunities to discuss their problems in the committee. The committee organizational structure is not like line or functional organization, but is similar to staff organization. Its decisions are implemented, whereas staff decisions are not necessarily implemented.   It is a formal part of the organizational structure wherein the members are specifically mentioned. For example, the Finance Committee will include all the functional managers, viz. Marketing Manager, Production Manager, Personnel Managers, etc. as members, and the Managing Director as the Chairman. It will decide the financial requirements of each and every department. The decisions taken by the committee are followed by the line people, as the committees are representatives of various functional departments. Committee organizational structure provides integrated ideas of various related people of the company. Participative management in Continue reading

Methods of Performance Appraisal

Performance appraisal are considered to be the vital tool, to measure the performance of an employee and use the information collected, to optimize the resource of individuals in an organization.   It is systematic evaluation of individuals with respect to their task performance and their potential for development individually and collectively. It refers to the assessments of an employee’s actual performance, behavior on jobs and his/her potential for further performance.   The main purposes of appraisal are to assess training need to effect promotion and to give high pay. We may say that appraising the performance of an individual has been known as merit rating, but in recent years, we may closure different terminologies have been used to denote this process such as performance appraisal, performance review, performance evaluation, employee appraisal, progress appraisal report, personal preview and so on. Following methods are widely used in Performance Appraisal. 1. Forced-Choice Rating Continue reading

Concept of Decisions and Decision Making Process in Crisis Management

External and Internal business environment have effects on business operations and various strategic decisions taken by organizations. If organizations are not aware about the change in business environment or if they fail to predict the change, it may create crisis for the organization. Decisions and decision-making process has important role in crisis management approach. According to Ducker “A decision is a judgment and choice between alternatives. It is rarely a choice between what is right or wrong, at best it is a choice between “almost right” and “probably wrong”- but more often choice between two courses of actions neither of which is probably more nearly right than the other” Decision-making is a dynamic process, a complex search of information, alternatives and choices. There are two approaches to modeling human decision-making; The Outcome Oriented Approach and the Process Oriented Approach. The Outcome Oriented Approach, based on the view that if one Continue reading