Has Journalism Become Feminized Over Time Media Essay

Has Journalism Become Feminized Over Time Media Essay Introduction During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, journalism was dominated by man. When advertising became the main source for the newspapers profit, women journalists were hired in order to appeal to female audiences. However, they were assigned to soft news topics, such as fashion, the arts and domestic issues, because of the lack of professional reporting skills assumed by their male editors. Even when dealing with the politics or social issues, women journalists were required to write from the human interest angle and emphasize the events effects on people (Chambers et al. 2004, p14). In the past two centuries, studies have shown the influx of women into journalism. Feminists tend to focus on both the equality in the employment and the news representation of women in this progress. These two issues are of great importance when discussing the feminization of journalism over time. This essay aims to examine has journalism become feminized over time and show whether the influx of women entering journalism could shape the news and newsroom structure. This essay is divided into two parts. The first part discusses female journalists and their work in the newsroom. The second part analyzes how women are portrayed in the news. Women in the newsroom With more women entering journalism, there have been significant differences in the proportion of female employment in the media industry and the level of their occupations. According to a study conducted by the London College of Printing (LCP) School of Media in 1995, there were approximately 30,000 active journalists in the UK and 11,130 of them, nearly 40 per cent, were women. The highest percentage of women journalists was in periodicals where women journalist accounted for 55.6 per cent of the total. 40.8 per cent of journalists in broadcasting were women. Newspapers (22.6 per cent) had the lowest rate of women journalists. Statistics have shown that women have become an important part of journalism. According to van Zoonen (1998), it is the transformation to market-driven journalism that provided an opportunity for women journalists to enter, or even dominate, journalism. The main reason is that human interest news, audience needs and desires, and emotional investment are three key elements in the consumer-oriented journalism. They coincide with the characters of feminine news values. The news values in market-driven journalism have changed and consequently given potential for more women to become professional journalists. News and journalism at present, with its increase of human interest topics and angles, is becoming more and more feminine despite the ongoing minority of women in journalism. Those changes may open up journalism as a profession for women(van Zoonen 1998, p35). Van Zoonen highlights that the content and style of news are crucial factors that determining whether men or women are more s uitable to work in journalism. This is not the first time in the history that a large number of women entering journalism. Chambers et al. (2004) argue that this trend parallels the new journalism and the rise of sob sister journalism in Britain in the late nineteenth century. Therefore, from a historical point, it is possible to predict some outcome of the transformation to market-driven journalism. The rise of new journalism during the 1880s opened up the profession for women journalists. Chambers et al. (2004) point out that the new journalism was an emotional and sensational style that employed to attract readerships and this style brought two major changes to women journalists. First, the needs for interviewing and reporting about women enabled women to become journalists. Second, women were treated as independent subjects as they could represent the social changes. Women journalists became sob sisters to report about women movement or horrible conditions for women in order to advocate social reform. In addition, they were assigned to investigate stunts which would be regarded as extraordinarily daring for women. This can also be found in todays newsroom. Consequently, both new journalism and contemporary market-driven journalism have two characteristics: heavy criticism for abandoning objectivity and impartiality, and a trend of employing large numbers of women (Chambers et al. 2004, p201). Although the emergence of a market-oriental journalism has resulted in the influx of women journalists, women remain marginalized to the topics of politics and public policies. Creedon argues the increasing number of women in the news industry does not translate into superior power or influence for women; instead it has been translated to mean a decline in salaries and status for the field (1993, p17). The rise of women journalists does not necessarily indicate the advancement of female status in the profession, as a glass ceiling still preventing women to promote to key decision-making positions (Chambers et al. 2004). Delano (2011) finds out that in the newspapers, more women were working as reporters, while more editors or deputy editors are men. More female senior executives, assistant editors, news directors appeared in the periodicals and broadcasting, with 12 per cent were women and 4 per cent were men. This provides some clues about the imbalanced gender division in the news industry. Delano (2011) contends that it reveals an insufficient representation of women in national daily newspapers that van Zoonen (1994) defines as high prestige. In radio and TV, whereas female reporters are less than their male colleagues, more women become newsreaders. As the market-driven journalism calls for the human interest, emotional involvement and entertainment in news, anchoring has become a suitable profession for women (van Zoonen, 1998). Nevertheless, it does not necessarily mean a positive outcome for women. Holland (1987) argues that the reason more women becoming news anchors in Britain is that the newsreaders task has been regarded as a decorative performer rather than an originator of news. Female newsreaders have been constructed as pleasurable objects for men to look at and could not achieve the prestige as well as the political respect as their male counterparts. Hair that has not been done, lack of make-up, the less studied appearance associated with feminism, must be avoided (Holland 1987, p148). They found themselves dressing as the stereotype for the post-feminism working young women in the 1980s which was built by advertisements and magazines targeted at businesswomen. Holland highlights that women newsreaders are stuck in the conflicting definitions of femininity and of the news themselves trivialised, they can be blamed for trivialising (1987, p148). Anchorwomen are required to speak with a universal voice, yet they are excluded from both the political consensus and the ma sculine structure of language. It represents the deeply rooted female subordination in newsreaders. On the other hand, it is not always the same in Dutch television. The transformation of Dutch television news from 1985 enable female anchors become a majority. Van Zoonen (1998) points out that while they are of good-looking appearance, some of they are in their mid-forties and even fifties. They present a model of traditional female authority who acted as the caring and never-failing mother. Other anchorwomen, who are not old enough for motherly impact, are not spectacularly beautiful and like the ordinary neighbor you can trust. They embodied another women stereotype: the neighbors wife: as van Zoonen defines, very plain and very ordinary, yet very desirable. However, van Zoonen (1998) admits that female news anchors are needed because they provide womens touch in the news. Therefore, while more women are working as news anchors, it was their capacity of communicating as women instead of professional skills that was valued by the news media. The rise of women journalists has lead to the question that whether the news values would be feminized when women become a significant part in journalism. Some researchers have long claimed that women are likely to have distinct news values and perspectives. It brings about the discussion that whether women making news different from men. Van Zoonen (1998) summarizes the feminine values in journalism in terms of topics, angle, sources and ethics. Women journalists focus on topics like human interest news, consumer news, culture and social policy, which are usually neglected or marginalized in the masculine news values. Female journalists also tend to emphasize the backgrounds and effects of news stories, rather than the accumulation of facts in male news writing. In addition, they pay more attention to audience needs than men. As for sources, while women are likely to look for female spokespersons, men overwhelmingly use male sources and spokespersons. This difference, however, can be regarded as reflecting the personal networks of male journalists rather than being a representation of actual gender divisions among sources (van Zoonen 1998, p36). Nonetheless, van Zoonen (1994) points out that although studies show the differences between masculine and feminine values in journalism, these are in fact the reflections of self-perceptions and self-images, and do not necessarily lead to gender division in professional practice. This view is supported by Weaver (1997), who claims that few significant differences between women and men in journalism practices have been found, except that women use female spokespersons as sources. It may partly due to the fact that women have to accept masculine news values in their struggles to be considered as professional. On the other hand, some studies suggest that as a result of womens incursion into journalism, the definition of what is newsworthy has been expanded (Christmas 1997, Mills 1997). It brings about a more diverse range of topics in news, especially issues that particularly attract female audiences. Furthermore, a shift in news sources can also be identified. Journalists, especially women, may be stepping out of the more conventional news beat systems and tapping ordinary people as sources more often (Weaver 1997, p39). As can been seen, the impact of women journalists in changing news values is complicated. As Ross describes, gender alone will not make a difference in changing the culture of newsrooms or in the type of news produced (2001, p542). Factors such as socio-economic background and political values, rather than gender, are of more importance in shaping journalists attitudes and values. Likewise, newsroom and community environments are more influential factors in journalists professional conduct than gender (Weaver 1997). Women in the news Researchers have long been focus on how women are portrayed in the news content. Although more women have entered the newsroom, the changes they bring to the way issues are covered remain unclear, thus it is still hard to say that women have been more fairly treated in the news with more female journalists in the newsroom. The representation of women in the news has been formed in the masculinized discourse and fell into stereotypes. Allan (2004) finds four codes when concerning with gender in the news analyzing the broadsheets in Britain. First, using generic pronouns, for instance he, refers to both male and female news subjects. The views of men on the street are also used as the representation of public opinion. Second, the gender is explicitly pointed out when the news subjects are women, such as using the female victim instead of the victim. Third, the age, marital status and appearance of a female news subjects tend to be regarded as more relevant to the stories than for men. Finally, the news producers are more likely to employ male-centered naming, such as wife, girlfriend and mistress. By utilizing these codes, women are usually sexualized and related to male subjects. In the popular press, the sexualization of women is even more obvious. Bingham (2009) defines three phrases of the popular presss reporting of women and sex since 1918 and it could give a glimpse of how women were represented in the tabloids over time. The first phase, roughly during the inter-war period, showed that the popular press gave cautious treatment to the topic of sex. Although some space was given to the topics such as birth control, there was little open discussion of sexual matters. Generally, popular newspapers preferred the topics such as titillating divorce reports, exposures of the horrors of white slavery and gossips about the love romance of cinema stars (Bingham 2009). From the Second World War to the late 1960s was the second phase that a significant expansion of coverage of sex took place in the popular press. Sex began to be presented both as a source of entertainment and a subject that public required up-to-date information, thus received far more diverse-ranging, extensive and detailed reporting. For example, the Daily Mirror used more sexually explicit pin-ups and cartoons, and provocative content for titillation. Bingham (2009) argues that this tendency to employ female images enhanced the stress on women to see themselves as sexual playthings and to behave in accordance with media ideals of attractiveness that embodied masculine values. During the third phase, from the late 1960s, the sexualization of popular press became much broader and the family values in editorial seemed to lost its potency. Sexual aspect of the news, however slight the connection is to the main story, was highlighted in the news reporting in the popular newspapers (Bingham 2009). The Page Three girl in the Sun is one of the most controversial representations of women. As Holland (1998) claims, the display of topless women in the Page Three is the representation of male-oriented, sexual pleasure by which to attract a mass readership. The brashness, visual excitement and down-market appeal of the Sun are gendered around heterosexual male privilege. According to Holland, in this context, the visual is associated with a masculine insistence on the inalienable right to a lustful gaze (1998, p24). Similarly, Bingham believes that the pin-up was a feature in which the tension between commercial ambition and moral respectability played out in a very visible way. However disguised, it was, fundamentally, erotic entertainment for heterosexual men that could not be justified according to any ordinary scale of news values (2009, p227) . Furthermore, Holland points out that The Suns construction of female sexuality reflects a gendered politics of social identity. By using the Page Three Principle, The Sun associated sexuality with lifestyle. It is intemperate abuse, as Holland characterizes, that to those whose sexuality do not accord with their lifestyle. In the news reporting, the image of the sexy woman continues to be laid against female demons like single mothers, lesbian teachers and ugly women (Holland 1998, p25). This sexualization of gender difference has widened the gap between women and men and put constraint on womens public participation, because by reinforcing the sexual difference, the nature of the democratic discursive space is brought into question (Holland 1998, p28). The exposed women figures in popular press are regarded as a symbol of sexual pleasure, implying that women are linking with triviality, entertainment and public consumption. The different treatment between men and women can also been found in the reporting of sexual violence. The daily reporting of male sexual violence against women is normalized in masculine preferred patterns (Carter 1998). News reports encourage readers to blame female victims for mens violence. In six British daily tabloid newspapers, Carter (1998) finds that murder and rape are the most frequently covered categories of sexual violence, despite the fact that they are the rarest form of violence. The reporting of murder, particularly when women are the victims, constitutes 42 per cent of sexual violence coverage, while in the reality male are much more likely to become victims of homicide, with 68 per cent of all victims are male. The over-representation of the murder towards women creates the impression among readers that the world outside is highly dangerous places for women and girls, one in which sex crimes have become an ordinary, take-for-granted feature of everyday life (Carter 1998, p231). Moreover, regarding of news sources, Carter points out that male sources significantly outnumber female in the reporting of sexual violence, especially in terms of sources as expert opinion. Female news sources are likely to be seen as unauthorized voice and mostly been cited when an emotional or familial perspective are needed. Normalizing the sexual violence to women, even though the reverse is the reality, represents women as weak, trivial subjects that constantly suffer from violence. Conclusion This essay discusses has journalism become feminized over time from two aspects: women journalists in the news organizations and the representation of women in the news. The market-oriented journalism has engaged more women into the professional journalists. While more women entering journalism, women in the newsroom are largely disproportionate in terms of the level of positions, with a majority of women end up in the lower-status media occupation. Men still dominate the senior level of news organizations, which reproduce the subordinate role of women. The fact that more women appeared on the screen as news anchors is largely because of their gorgeous appearance. Women journalists may add some feminine characters to the news values, but whether it can change the news values that have long been established by men remains vague. Similarly, female subjects in news have not received equal and adequate treatment. Women are encoded in the male-centered news system. The sexualization of the popular press has represented women as the entertainment for the public in order to appeal to the male audience. An improvement of women as producers and subjects of news can be recognized in contemporary journalism, but to a limited scale. Gendered division still exists; masculine values continue to rule the news and newsroom. Journalism may still be far from being feminized.

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 19

Damon wouldn't have thought a sadistic old fool who whipped a woman to pieces for not being able to pull a cart meant for a horse would have any friends. And Old Drohzne, indeed, may not have had any. But that wasn't the issue. Neither, strangely, was murder the issue. Murder was an everyday affair around the slums and the fact that Damon had initiated and won a fight was of no surprise to the inhabitants of these dangerous alleyways. The issue lay in making off with a slave. Or perhaps it went deeper. The issue lay in how Damon treated his own slaves. A crowd of men – all men, no women, Damon noticed – had indeed gathered in front of the doctor's building, and they did in fact have torches. â€Å"Mad vampire! Mad vampire on the loose!† â€Å"Drive him out here for justice to be done!† â€Å"Burn the place down if they won't turn him out!† â€Å"The elders say to bring him to them!† This seemed to have the effect the crowd desired, clearing the streets of the more decent people and leaving only the bloody-minded sort who'd been hanging about at a loose end, and were only too glad of a fight. Most of them, of course, were vampires themselves. Most of them were fit vampires. But none of them, Damon thought, flashing a diamond-bright smile around the circle that was closing in on him, had the motivation of knowing that the lives of three young human girls depended on him – and that one of them was the jewel in the crown of humanity, Elena Gilbert. If he, Damon, was torn to pieces in this fight, those three girls would lead lives of hell and degradation. However, even this logic didn't seem to help him prevail as Damon was kicked, bitten, head-butted, punched, and stabbed with wooden daggers – the kind that slice vampire flesh. At first he thought he had a chance. Several of the youngest and fittest vampires fell prey to his cobra-quick strikes and his sudden strafes of Power. But the truth was that there were simply too many of them, Damon thought, as he snapped the neck of a demon whose two long tusks had already scored his arm almost through the muscle. And here came a huge vampire, clearly in training, with an aura that made Damon feel bile at the back of his throat. That one went down with a foot in the face, but he didn't stay down; he came up, clinging to Damon's leg and allowing several smaller vampires with wooden daggers to dart in and hamstring him. Damon felt black dismay as his legs went out from under him. â€Å"Sunlight damn you,† he grated through a mouthful of blood as another tusked, red-skinned demon punched him in the mouth. â€Å"Damn you all to the lowest hells†¦.† It was no good. Dully, still fighting, still using great swaths of Power to maim and kill as many as he could, Damon realized this. And then everything became dreamlike and dazed – not like his dream of Elena, whom he seemed to see constantly in his side-eye, weeping. But dreamlike in a feverish, nightmare sense. He could no longer use his muscles efficiently. His body was battered and even as he healed his legs, another vampire scored a great cut across his back. He was feeling more and more as if he were in a nightmare where he could not move except in slow motion. At the same time, something in his brain was whispering for him to rest. Just rest†¦and it would all be over. Eventually, the greater numbers bore him down, and somebody appeared with a stake. â€Å"Good riddance to new rubbish,† the stake bringer said, his breath reeking of stale blood, his leering face grotesque, as he used leprous-looking fingers to open Damon's shirt so as not to make a hole in the fine black silk. Damon spat on him and had his face stamped on hard in return. He blacked out for a moment and then, slowly, came back to pain. And noise. The gleeful crowd of vampires and demons, drunk on cruelty, were all doing a stomping, rhythmic, improvised dance around Damon, roaring with laughter as they thrust imaginary stakes, working themselves into a frenzy. That was when Damon realized that he was actually going to die. It was a shocking realization, even though he'd known how much more dangerous this world was than the one he'd recently left, and even in the human world he had only escaped death by a hairsbreadth more than once. But now he had no powerful friends, no weaknesses in the crowd to exploit. He felt as if seconds were suddenly stretching into minutes, each one of incalculable worth. What was important? Telling Elena†¦ â€Å"Blind him first! Get that stick blazing!† â€Å"I'll take his ears! Someone help me hold his head!† Telling Elena†¦something. Something†¦sorry†¦ He gave up. Another thought was trying to break into his consciousness. â€Å"Don't forget to knock out his teeth! I promised my girlfriend a new necklace!† I thought I was prepared for this, Damon thought slowly, each word coming separately. But†¦not so soon. I thought I'd made my peace†¦but not with the one person who mattered†¦yes, who mattered the most. He didn't give himself time to think about that subject further. Stefan, he sent out on the most powerful but clandestine jettison of Power he could manage in his foggy state. Stefan, hear me! Elena's come for you – she'll save you! She has Powers that my death will let loose. And I am†¦I am†¦s – At that moment there was a stumbling in the dance around him. Silence descended on the drunken revelers. A few of them hastily bowed their heads or looked away. Damon went still, wondering what could possibly have stopped the frenzied crowd in the very midst of their revelry. Someone was walking toward him. The newcomer had long bronze hair that hung in separate unruly tangles down to his waist. He was naked to the waist, too, exposing a body that the strongest demon might envy. A chest that looked as if it had been carved out of gleaming bronze stone. Exquisitely sculpted biceps. Abs – a perfect six pack. There was not a spare ounce of fat on his entire tall leonine frame. He wore unadorned black trousers with muscles rippling under them at every step. All along one bare arm he had a vivid tattoo of a black dragon eating a heart. Nor was he alone. He held no leash, but by his side was a handsome and uncannily intelligent-looking black dog that stood at alert attention every time he paused. It must have weighed close to two hundred pounds, but there was not an ounce of fat on it, either. And on one shoulder he carried a large falcon. It wasn't hooded as most hunting birds were on forays out of their mews. It also wasn't standing on anything padded. It gripped the bare shoulder of the bronze young man, digging its three front talons into the flesh and sending small streams of blood down his chest. He didn't seem to notice. There were similar, dried streams beside the fresh ones, undoubtedly from previous journeys. In the back, a single talon made a lonely red trail. An absolute hush had fallen on the crowd and the last few demons between the tall man and the bloody, supine figure on the ground scrambled out of his way. For a moment, the leonine man was still. He said nothing, did nothing, emitted no trace of Power. Then he nodded at the dog, which padded forward heavily and sniffed at Damon's bleeding arms and face. After that it sniffed at his mouth and Damon could see the hairs go up on its body. â€Å"Good dog,† said Damon dreamily as the moist, cool nose tickled his cheek. Damon knew this particular animal and he knew also that it did not fit the popular stereotype of a â€Å"good dog.† Rather, it was a hellhound who was used to taking vampires by the throat and shaking them until their arteries spouted blood six feet high into the air. That kind of thing could keep you so occupied that having a stake slipped into your heart might seem an afterthought, Damon mused, holding perfectly still. â€Å"Arrtez-le!† said the bronze-haired youth. The dog obediently backed off, never taking its shining black eyes off Damon's, who never took his own eyes off it until it was some feet away. The bronze-haired youth glanced over the crowd briefly. Then he said with no particular vehemence, â€Å"Laissez-le seul.† Clearly, to the vampires no translation was necessary, and they began to edge away immediately. The unlucky ones were those who didn't edge fast enough and were still around when the bronze young man took another leisurely look about him. Everywhere he looked, he met downcast eyes and cringing bodies, frozen in the act of edging but apparently turned to stone now in an attempt not to attract attention. Damon found himself relaxing. His Power was returning, allowing him to make repairs. He realized that the dog was going from individual to individual and sniffing at each one with interest. When Damon was able to lift his head again, he smiled faintly at the newcomer. â€Å"Sage. Think of the devil.† The bronze man's brief smile was grim. â€Å"You compliment me, mon cher. You see? I'm blushing.† â€Å"I ought to have known you might be here.† â€Å"There is infinite space to wander, mon petit tyran. Even if I must do it alone.† â€Å"Ah, the pity. Tiny violins are playing – † Suddenly Damon couldn't do it anymore. He just couldn't. Maybe it was because of being with Elena before. Maybe it was because this hideous world depressed him unutterably. But when he spoke again, his voice was entirely different. â€Å"I never knew I could feel so grateful. You've saved five lives, though you don't know it. Though how you stumbled on us†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sage crouched down, looked at him with concern. â€Å"What is it that has happened?† he said in a serious voice. â€Å"Is it that you hit your head? You know: news travels fast here. I heard you arrived with a harem – â€Å" â€Å"That's true! He did!† Damon's ears caught a bare whisper of sound at the edge of the street where he'd been ambushed. â€Å"If we take the girls hostage – torture them – â€Å" Sage's eyes met Damon's briefly. Clearly, he had heard the whisper as well. â€Å"Saber,† he said to the dog. â€Å"Just the speaker.† He jerked his head, once, in the direction of the whisper. Instantly, the black dog jumped forward, and faster than it took for Damon to describe it in his own mind, had sunk his teeth into the throat of the whisperer, flipped him over once, causing a distinctive crack, and was bounding back, dragging the body between his legs. The words: Je vous ai inform au sujet de ceci! blasted by on a surge of Power that made Damon wince. And Damon thought, yes, he did tell them before – but not what the consequences would be. Laissez lui et ses amis dans la paix! Meanwhile, Damon was slowly getting up, only too glad to accept Sage's protection for himself and his friends. â€Å"Well that certainly should have done it,† he said. â€Å"Why not come back and have a friendly drink with me?† Sage peered at him as if he'd gone mad. â€Å"You know the answer to that is no.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"I told you: no.† â€Å"That's not a reason.† â€Å"The reason I will not come back for a friendly drink†¦mon ange†¦is that we are not friends.† â€Å"We pulled some pretty scams together.† â€Å"Il y a longtemps.† Abruptly, Sage took one of Damon's hands. There was a deep and bloody scratch on it, which Damon hadn't got around to healing. Under Sage's gaze it closed, the flesh turned pink, and it healed. Damon let Sage continue to hold the hand for a moment, and then, not ungently, retrieved it. â€Å"Not such a very long time ago,† he said. â€Å"Away from you?† A sarcastic smile formed on Sage's lips. â€Å"We count time very differently, you and I, mon petit tyran.† Damon was full of befuddled cheer. â€Å"What's one drink?† â€Å"Along with your harem?† Damon tried to picture Meredith and Sage together. His mind balked. â€Å"But you've made yourself responsible for them anyway,† he said flatly. â€Å"And the truth is that none of them are mine. I give my word on that.† He felt a twinge when he thought about Elena, but his word was true. â€Å"Responsible for them?† Sage seemed to be reasoning it out. â€Å"You pledged to save them, then. But I only inherit your pledge if you die. But if you die†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The tall man made a helpless gesture. â€Å"You have to live, to save Stefan and Elena and the others.† â€Å"I'd say no, but that would make you unhappy. So I'll say yes – † â€Å"And if you don't perform, I swear I'll come back to haunt you.† Sage regarded him for a moment. â€Å"I don't think I've ever been accused of being unable to perform before,† he said. â€Å"But of course that was before I became un vampire.† Yes, Damon thought, the meeting of the â€Å"harem† and Sage was bound to be interesting. At least it would be if the girls discovered who Sage really was. But maybe no one would tell them.

Hewelett Packard Case Wiac

Human Resource management| HP Case| WAC Submission| | Submitted By: Syed Ahad GardeziM. Awais IbrahimSyed Ammar HassanZaid Rahman ShamsiMBA II29-Nov-12| Lahore School of Economics Submitted to: Prof. F. A. Fareedy Company Background: HP products were mainly electronic test and measuring instruments for engineers and scientist. Since then HP has added computers, calculators, medical electronic equipment and many more products. HP had 57000 employees worldwide and there were 20 manufacturing locations spread across the United States and 8 others around the world.Company’s objectives were first put in writing in 1957. Product Strategy: The prevailing importance is on R&D to products that will compete by new technical contribution rather than through marketing or to the competitive devices. The product strategy reflects the external modification, technical contribution and basic design or purposes of the instruments were not altered. HP’s focus was on technical contribution and short run profits rather than improving long term growth. Organization: The fundamental business unit at HP is the product division.The division is an incorporated self-sustaining organization with a great deal of independence. No product area is a division until it contains the six basic functions of R&D, manufacturing, marketing, quality assurance finance and personnel. At the end of 1980 there were 40 HP divisions. Coordination of divisions’ activities is the responsibility of 10 product groups. Financial Element: The financial reporting system also provides special statements to view each division’s success in worldwide management of its product line. Each ivision is measured along two dimensions: 1) The financial results of the actual manufacturing of products in the divisions. 2) The total worldwide activity in the divisions’ product line’s whenever they are manufactures. Capital allocations are negotiated during the yearly budgeting process al though divisions are expected to be self-sustaining over any time period. Human Resource Elements: Hiring is done by normal interviewing processes. Testing is rare and then limited to specialized skills tests mostly pertinent to a position.The confrontation with the problem growth in 1973 also led to the expansion of training in the values and methods of HP. Executive seminars were increased and a new series of courses started for supervisors on managing at HP. The course is offered for the employees and it was taught by the local personnel staff and by at least by one lone manager. The routine tasks of employees are carried by a comprehensive system of management by objective (MBO). By introducing this system HP thought that each group or division to operate as a completely separate business. So that divisions have freedom of choice in their operations.The perception of the entire team about the success of HP is the communication at each level of division which is due to trust, tea m work and openness. HP used a variety of techniques to encourage an ongoing dialogues with its. One way it tries to do this is by an open door policy. Supervisor was there to promote the employees and helped them in to seek any advice. The career was given a specific name at HP that was â€Å"career maze†. â€Å"This phrase acknowledges the normalcy of cross functional, cross divisional, and lateral moves that often occur over the course of career at HP. The performance appraisal and salary administration process also expose individual employees to many managers around the company. The performance components were predominant in the line with HP and moreover pay positions of the employees closely related to the performance. Problems Loss of Human Capital One issue that HP faces is the loss of human capital. The company is not very good in retaining its most important resource and is facing problems in this regard. The workforce of HP is so competent and all the employees are very proficient when they were hired that they only needed just a little bit of xperience and learning to touch the heights of success. HP spends too much of its resources and time to train these employees in such a way that they could make big decisions and right decisions on their own without any difficulties and hesitation. All this learning and experience make them capable of doing their own business and make them self sufficient. These employees then no longer want to stay in the company but want to grow by starting their own new ventures. Loss of these employees may not affect the company in short run but it will be very costly for HP in the long run. Doubtful Career of EmployeesAnother rather minor but an important issue in the company is that employees are not aware about when they will be promoted and where they could be working in the company for their next assignment. So there is so much ambiguity about the career of the employees due to which they cannot plan about thei r career. And when they are not sure about their career and could not plan much for it, they might get de- motivated which is again not a very good sign for the company. De-motivated employees cannot work on their full potential and efficiency and the loss is then beard by the company.Complex Organization Culture Thirdly the organizational culture of HP is varied and cannot be understood very easily and quickly. One of the reasons is that it is not very well defined by the company. Goals, objectives and strategies are very well communicated to the employees but then they are set free to choose whichever path they want to choose for accomplishing the tasks. Employees can give their input and suggestions to their supervisors about their jobs and also they can have flexible hours.Participative management style is used by the company but at the same time the case also discusses how new employees get confused when they were communicated the objectives of the company only and then theyâ⠂¬â„¢ll have to choose themselves how to achieve them by doing what? This is why most of them asked about what are they going to do about these objectives and what exactly was their jobs? Informal Environment The company has formalized procedures but they did not focus too much on following them. In fact, the president himself said that we don’t focus much n the ‘way’ but the only thing in which they are concerned with is the completion of tasks and achievement of deadlines. Despite having the formal procedures the company is using informal procedures and given employees full freedom so that innovation may continuously take place in the company. But on the same time it is a growing company with lots of potential. Currently it has fifty seven thousand employees which are expected to increase so such an informal and flexible culture would never sustain in a growing environment. Recommendations: Hp is a huge organization with about 57000 employees all together.The c ompany’s culture has been working fine for the employees who get involved in it and with time, they do become a part of it. In its culture, employees were given freedom of how to complete their tasks in a given time along with some set of procedures they had to comply with. This culture has been followed since the company’s long history and has proven to be successful and an edge over the other companies. To keep up with this culture and also to make new comers feel comfortable and see themselves as adjustable to it, we think that here, the role of the senior employees comes into part.The seniors have to be more compliant, more welcoming and help the new employees feel that now they are a part of it. Another problem we see in the case is a flaw in the Human Resource Department’s plan. As mentioned in the case that employees left the company in an effort to start their own ventures and when they failed with it and wanted to join Hp again, they were welcomed in th e company. First of all, there shouldn’t be employees who leave the company. Reasons for this should be identified and taken into notice.A reason mentioned in the case is that there were no defined career paths for the employees which could be a major reason for employees in leaving Hp. This matter should be resolved by proper succession planning and giving a defined path to the employees so that they get to know what position in the firm they might be aiming for in future. Secondly, the employees who wanted to rejoin Hp must not be welcomed to rejoin. This would create a norm within the employees of leaving and coming back whenever they wish to.If they have this idea in mind that it is safe to leave their job at any point in time and if they come back they’ll be accepted, they would work half-heartedly for Hp and not perform as they are capable of. So, we recommend that a fair of job security should be there in the employees before they decide to leave the firm. With a proper succession plan, the posts of the employees who leave should be filled instantly and the post would be no longer available for that employee who left. This way, the employees would think twice before leaving the firm and then make their final decision.

Importance Of Communication In Bank - 942 Words

Executive Summary Communication is a process of sending and receiving information among people. Humans communicate with others not only by face-to-face communication, but also by giving information via the Internet and printed products such as books and newspapers. It is believed that the significance of communication is like the importance of breathing. Indeed, communication facilitates the spread of knowledge and forms relationships Banking is the business activity of accepting and safeguarding money owned by other individuals and entities, and then lending out this money in order to earn a profit. It could be regarded as taking money from the Haves and giving it to the Haves not. For the banks to carry out its core functions, grow,†¦show more content†¦It will also recommend the various forms of digital communication systems the bank needs to adopt to remain relevant in the banking industry, its cost effectiveness and the benefits associated. 1.2 Problems Developing a proper communication strategy in a banking sector must be built in the context of the customers’ expectations. In the current time, banking organizations are no longer interested in developing better communication strategies that will serve their clients. This is because they are obsessed with making money, and maximizing on their profitability. Communication is an important element that determines the profitability and efficiency of a banking organization. A banking organization cannot attract and retain a wide customer base without initiating better and effective communication strategies. Despite these realities, banking organizations maintain poor communication strategies. One of the main reasons is their desire to maximize profits, at the expense of customer satisfaction. Banking cooperation s will lose customers and fail to retain their existing ones if there communication strategies in inefficient and poor. This will most likely lead to reduced profitability, emanating from the reduction of their sales revenue. This will affect the objectivity of the banking corporation, and therefore give an edge to its competitors in the banking sector. Poor communication strategies will also affect theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Mowak National Bank1168 Words   |  5 PagesMOHAWK NATIONAL BANK Question 1: How do you implement change in a bank? In a traditional organization of Mohawk National Bank, the main problem is that there is no communication and cooperation between departments due to absence of a project manager, who could act as focal point for the integration work. For solving their problem Mohawk National Bank is thinking to consider a new organizational structure: matrix organization. The main obstacle of this project is the hostility at change ofRead MoreJim Davis Case962 Words   |  4 PagesThis essay analyzes the case study â€Å"Who’s in charge? (The Jim Davis Case)†. This paper has four separate sections intended to explain and define the importance of the three critical elements of leadership (the leader, the followers, the situation) in the Jim Davis case study. The first part will describe the characteristics of Jim’s situation. In addition, how those situations make it difficult for him to achieve the organization’s expectations. The second section of the paper will discuss the mistakesRead MoreProject Job Satisfaction1432 Words   |  6 PagesPROJECT TITLE: JOB SATISFACTION AT MNC BANK DATE: 27th JULY 2009 PROJECT OUTLINE: Part I Executive Summary Part II Company Background Company Details Organizational Structure Organization Environment Part III Research Analysis- Job Satisfaction Work /Life Balance; Stress and Work Pace Personal Expression / Diversity Communication Respect for Employees Feedback Fairness Teamwork Opportunities for Growth Compensation and Benefits Part IV Recommendations to Management HR Policies and ProceduresRead MoreQuality Means Meeting Customers ( Agreed ) Requirements, Formal And Informal, At Lowest Cost1343 Words   |  6 Pagesacademics and there is now a much broader approach to it. Today there is a difference made between transaction-based internal marketing and relationship-based internal marketing. In transaction-based internal marketing there is generally a top-down communication from managers to employees. Relationship-based internal marketing is a more recent approach and means that the corporate culture is based on a two-way-dialogue between management and staff (Little and Marandi 2003). This dissertation will primarilyRead MoreProgress Report on My Execution of Duties in the Customer Service Department from 1 June -31 August, 20111256 Words   |  6 Pagesrequired performance standards of the bank and creating an atmosphere that builds the customer’s satisfaction and confidence in the Bank’s operations and services. Firstly, the e xperience has greatly improved my communication and interpersonal skills. This is because in Customer Service Department we are constantly meeting customers of different backgrounds and who present with a diversity of needs that require the service provider to possess some communication and interpersonal skills to be able toRead MoreJyske Bank Case Answer1133 Words   |  5 PagesDanish bank that is owned and operated as a business. The company attaches great importance to treating their three groups of stakeholders- shareholders, customers and employees – with equal respect. If the balance shifts in favor of one or two of the groups, this will be to the long-term detriment of all groups (Zeithmal, Bitner and Gremler 1996). The banks core values are its fundamental cornerstone. In the eyes of both clients and employees, the following traits are what make Jyske bank unique: Read MoreEvaluate the Advantages and Disadvantages of Globalization for Business1101 Words   |  5 Pagesshown by the major projects – monuments constructed thousands of years ago, and which could not be done, if there was no understanding of cooperative activities of the individual and the concept of teamwork. In this essay we are going through the importance of teamwork in organizations as developed by related authors, to find out the advantages and how this concept can make a business more profitable. To begin with, in a business which working in a team is very important to construct an effectiveRead MoreThe Uk Corporate Governance Code1220 Words   |  5 PagesAssuming that BBB Bank is one of the FTSE 350 and based in the UK, we will be looking at two main publications that can be used as guidance for creating an effective and balanced board of directors. The first is the Higgs Report (2003), which focuses on the role and effectiveness of non-executive directors and builds on earlier reports. The second is the UK Corporate Governance Code (2010), which is administered by the Financial Reporting Council and is now the main reference in regards to corporateRead MoreFmbT Case Analysis996 Words   |  4 PagesTechnology unit’s responsibilities and authority to the bank’s other units, and also to find solution to the bank units’ seemingly lack of clearly defined delineation of functions and accountability. C. RELEVANT FACTS/ANALYSIS Marshal Pinkard is a president and CEO of FMBamp;T a growing California-based regional commercial and consumer retail bank. The successful, leading edge banks used information technology not only to operate efficiently but also to help them focus more effectively onRead MoreInternal Controls And Internal Control1117 Words   |  5 Pagesopen and effective management of the companies when designing, undertaking and optimizing their plans. The definition of internal control is presented in the first section. Then next section shows the importance of internal control, which mainly functions as risk assessment, effective communication and monitoring, followed by a section of limitation of internal control due to its size. Internal control is a process, which is affected by an entity’s board of directors, and managers, helping to provide