Assistance at National Investment and Insurance Essay

Assistance at National Investment and Insurance - Essay Example As the discussion declares an evolution of the concept of motivation is briefly outlined along with the major theories to enhance the perspective regarding the present context as well as justify the identification of the lack of motivation as the fundamental problematic for the ITS of NII. Based on the theories of motivation, two features of the part-time employment policy – no dependence of pay on performance and the lack of information regarding intrinsic benefits of working part-time in terms of future full time employment possibility, are identified as the fundamental problems that create an environment that does not provide any incentives to perform better. The report suggests redesigning the employment scheme and making a part of the pay dependent upon performance, i.e., introducing financial rewards as incentives to perform better as the first step. Secondly, it is suggested to introduce the intrinsic reward of higher possibility of being offered full-time employment gi ven higher performance. The subject of the given case study entitled â€Å"Assistance at National Investment and insurance† is the sub-optimality of the service provided by the employees of the IT support (ITS) section identified to be Assistance Officers (AOs) and the resulting performance of the department in totality. The study reports that from a survey conducted on National Investment and insurance (NII) employees who utilized services of the IT support section regarding the performance of the AOs emerged to be less than satisfactory. Apart from delayed responses and resolutions, unfriendly or mechanical attitudes were reported though surprisingly, the considerable majority of the problems addressed were

Exam on Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Exam on Business - Essay Example The research was based on the premise that both the layout and location of Ikea stores were indeed intentional, but only in so far as they serve the function of operations management to advance the strategic thrust of the firm. The strategic goal of Ikea is to provide quality furniture at reasonable cost; its target market includes people of all walks of life, particularly those who could not afford the high cost of conventional, ready-made furniture. Its product design employs knocked-down assembly type furniture which may be stored in compressed flat packs. The product design and manufacturing process are all intended to serve the principal philosophy behind Ikea – to reduce production costs while maintaining quality, and engaging the customer in the production process by leaving the assembly of the furniture to them. The location and layout of Ikea stores are but an extension of the production strategy. The flat pack design of the furniture assembly kits enables their stora ge in compressed areas; a system that facilitates quick location and identification of particular products supports the warehouse-type storage area adjacent to the show area. The store layout is consistent with the firm’s self-service philosophy, so customers decide on their choice of purchases in the show area and locate their own goods in the storage area. As mentioned in the report, the principal complaint of consumer groups is that Ikea’s layout forces customers to go through their entire display and entices them to make impulse purchases against their intentions. Research fails to substantiate this allegation, however. Customers who do not wish to buy anything are certainly not forced or intimidated into doing so. It just happens that visitors to Ikea usually find something else that they decided they needed or wanted. The layout therefore facilitates customers’ view of Ikea products to enable them to find what they may not have intended to purchase at the beginning, but which they considered they wanted to buy anyway. The layout helps customers decide what to purchase, it does not compel them to purchase – at least, not any more than any other store that markets retail merchandise. In the choice of location, principles of operations management require the consideration of the following factors: adequacy of market potential, accessibility to customers, potential for growth, business interception, attraction to customers, compatibility with surroundings, minimisation of competition, and site economics. Of these, the principal complaint of competitors has to do with the minimisation of competition. That this has been accomplished by Ikea’s entry into the locality is not disputed; the question is, whether it has been done ethically or not. Whether unethical practices were employed in getting local administrators to permit Ikea to open at their locations is not supported by proof, and to decide in this direction is prejudici al not only to the company but moreso to the local authorities. As far as the research uncovered, Ikea’s location in the locality afforded the immediate community or city significant advantages in terms of employment and access to reasonably priced goods and services. The location of