The Matter Of Gun Control - 846 Words

In Hitler’s Table Talk, 1941-1944: His Private Conversations, Adolf Hitler was recorded as stating â€Å"The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the supply of arms to the underdogs is a sine qua non for the overthrow of any sovereignty† (Hitler, Cameron, Stevens, Trevor-Roper, 2000). The matter of gun control in America has long since been a rather controversial issue, with individuals on the left and right passionately voicing their opinions for their cause. Gail Collins and Michael A. Schwartz both address the matter of gun control in their respective New York Times and San Diego Union Tribune opinion articles, but they each do so in drastically dissimilar approaches. Gail Collins, author of The New York Times opinion article â€Å"Wanted: Straight Shooters†, takes a rather straight forward, common sense tactic to addressing the issue of gun control. Collins’ main point is that, since our government can’t agree on controlling the sale of guns, requiring citizens who wish to purchase and carry weapons around to pass a firearms training course. She goes on to point out that, currently, most states don’t require a citizen to demonstrate knowledge of how to safely and properly operate a firearm before a concealed carry permit is issued. New York PoliceShow MoreRelatedThe Matter Of Gun Control1816 Words   |  8 PagesThe matter of gun control has become an increasingly controversial issue. Whenever, a nationalized tragedy ensues that involves gun violence, the question on what to accomplish regarding America’s gun control takes center stage. While exploring this topic, this essay will attempt to discuss the circumst ances that prohibit a person from possessing firearms, also regulations to prevent these persons from possessing firearms. Upon reflecting on the personal side of the gun control debate, stricter gunRead MoreEthnographers Relevance in Aiding the Understanding of Diverse Social Issues 927 Words   |  4 Pagesis facing several social issues that include the matter about gay rights, gun control, capital punishment, environmental pollution among others (Totten Pedersen, 2012, p. 465). The social issue adopted for discussion in this paper is the matter pertaining to gun control that has been very divisive in the nation. The debate about gun control remains a great social issue since it elicits mixed reactions. There are those who think that gun control policy should not be imposed citing that is boundsRead MoreGun Control Essay1256 Words   |  6 PagesGun Control will make the nation Safer Some have said, â€Å"Gun control is good, others have said it isn’t.† â€Å"Gun Control is a governmental regulation of the sale and ownership of firearm†(gun control). I believe that if we have a semi-stricter law on Gun Control, the crime rate would lessen. The reason I decide to choose a topic on Gun control was that it had some intriguing viewpoints, such as different point of views and some controversial viewpoint. I decided to read two type of views on concerningRead MoreThe History Of Gun Control1605 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"In 1939, Germany established gun control. From 1939 to 1945, six million Jews and seven million others unable to defend themselves were exterminated.† Joe Wurzelbacher. The history of gun control legislation started in the 1920s-1930, which made it so that the states and congress could make laws on guns, before this congress had no say on guns and this made it possible for them to create laws. The National Firearm Act of 1934 made it so that owners must register any sawed-off shotguns with the TreasuryRead MoreGun Control: Regulating Concealed Guns1025 Words   |  4 PagesIt is very important to notice that the matter of regulation, first of all, refers to concealed guns. Lott (2013) states that th e problem of allowing concealed handguns--but not openly carried handguns--is based on the argument that â€Å"when guns are concealed, criminals are unable to tell whether the victim is armed before striking, which raises the risk to criminals of committing many types of crimes.† The author also speculates that, on the other hand, when â€Å"open-carry† handgun laws are adopted,Read MoreGun Control859 Words   |  4 PagesScholarly Essay: Gun Control There has been considerable debate recently in Canada over the issue of gun control. The Canadian parliament enacted the Firearms Act to enforce gun control by requiring gun owners to register their firearms. Just recently, the government of Alberta lead in a charge, including five other provinces and numerous pro-gun groups, complaining that the law is unconst... Gun Control Gun control Gun Control Part I:Introduction The issue of gun control and violenceRead MoreGun Control And Its Effect On The Country1310 Words   |  6 Pagesbut guns are the instrument of death. Gun control is necessary, and delay means more death and horror† (BrainyQuote, n.d.). Many people say that gun control will not affect violence rates in a country. Also, they say that if everyone has a gun, then that will stop mass massacres. The people who believe that gun control is not needed are wrong. This is because gun control has been proven to improve the safety of a country. For example, In Australia and Britain reduced violence caused by guns by puttingRead MoreThe Constitutional Right Of The Second Amendment1714 Words   |  7 Pagesthere have been many stories of shootings taken place across various parts of the United States, all of which bring up the highly volatile topic of gun control. Unlike many other wealthy countries, such as the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, and Australia , where gun ownership is strictly regulated, by in large-the US has very little universal gun control laws throughout the nation. This great controversy is based on the Constitutional right of the Second Amendment, stating, â€Å"A well regulated MilitiaRead MoreGun Control Vs. Gun Rights1099 Words   |  5 PagesReflection Paper One: Gun Control Vs. Gun Rights Whether you gather your information from the newspaper, radio, or a website, you have certainly been exposed to one of the most controversial, current debates. It seems that the media refuses to stop talking about this topic. In fact, as soon as the press over one event disappears another event seems to revive the debate. Some citizens say that we need more restrictive gun laws. Meanwhile, other Americans say that more guns are what is necessary.Read MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1418 Words   |  6 PagesOctober 2014 Gun control has been a controversial issue in America for over a half-century. This issue has two sides. On one side, there are people who oppose gun control and believe that it is their right under the second amendment to own one or more assault weapons. Republicans such as Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, Governor Rick Perry of Texas and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina are against gun control. On the other side of the issue, there are people who favor gun control and believe that

The Hunger Games And 1984 - 918 Words

One of the most popular themes in novels today involve dystopian societies and many of these books share many characteristics. Both novels include an overpowering government that does not allow basic freedoms to its citizens and when crimes are committed, the punishments have no regulations controlling them. The society in The Hunger Games and 1984 both use a bird as a symbol of freedom, monitor citizens via telescreens and divides their society into groups that work together to benefit the government. A prominent similarity throughout both 1984 and The Hunger Games, is rebellion; it acts as one of the main themes throughout each novel. In The Hunger Games, Katniss leads the districts in a rebellion against the capitol and President Snow. Katniss uses the symbol of a mockingjay to represent the rebellion and bring the citizens together. In 1984, Winston and Julia break the laws set by the Party and attempt to bring members of society together to go against the wishes of the government. They break the rules by speaking against the Party, getting items such as makeup, bread and coffee from the black market, and participating in a secret relationship. They even tell O’Brian about how they do not agree with the Party. While sneaking around in the woods they hear sounds from a thrush bird. When they hear the singing it makes them think about what life could be like without all of the rules and regulations they currently live by. In both societies these symbols are usedSh ow MoreRelatedThe Hunger Games And 1984941 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout history, some of the most popular novels have been about dystopian futures, where an all-powerful government has total control over its citizens and abuses its powers. Two of the most popular and well-known novels are the recent Hunger Games series and 1984, which was written soon after World War II ended. Both follow similar themes, showing a government of the few ruling over its people with unlimited power, and pulling all rights from the citizens they are meant to protect. There are severalRead MoreThe Hunger Games And 1984 Use1083 Words   |  5 PagesHow do the writers of the Hunger Games and 1984 use their first chapter to introduce ideas of a dystopian society? A majority of us squander our time fantasizing about a faultless society, a place where sorrow has not meaning but is replaced with harmony, compassion, and riches. Essentially, we want a place where dreams come true. On the contrary, how often do we reflect on the worst? A place where sorrow is the only meaning and harmony, compassion and riches have no existence. Susceptibility, combatRead MoreComparing 1984 And The Hunger Games930 Words   |  4 Pagesand overcrowding† (Dystopia). Both 1984 and The Hunger Games are novels that revolve around dystopian societies. These two dystopian societies have many aspects in common. Each area is controlled by a high authority and contained by a hierarchy, consumed by poverty and struggle, inhumanely surveilled, and revolutions have been formed. The first similarity found between 1984 and The Hunger Games is the authority figures that have control over the public. . In 1984, their form of the police, The ThoughtRead MoreHunger Games And 1984 By George Orwell852 Words   |  4 PagesHunger Games vs 1984 The novel 1984 by George Orwell is based in a totalitarian society where the inner party controls the rest of Oceania. This storyline is very similar to the modern day story of The Hunger Games. Themes in 1984 such as Big Brother, the Inner Party, Telescreens, Thought Police, and Rebels are all also portrayed in The Hunger Games. Both stories follow the journey of the main character that is also the rebel in the story. There are many modern day stories that model the dystopianRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book 1984 And The Hunger Games 1032 Words   |  5 PagesCorrupt governments, totalitarianism, and no recollection of the previous years, can describe not only the book, 1984, but also the book, the Hunger Games. The two books share many similarities, from districts to ministries and thought police to peacekeepers. These books both share a glimpse into the future after a world war. They both predict that the futuristic societies will be separated into parts, the upper class being ve ry wealthy and receiving many advantages, and the lower class workingRead MoreComparing the Dystopian Elements in Suzenne Collins The Hunger Games and George Orwells 19841377 Words   |  6 Pageselements in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games echo those in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four Dystopian literature adheres to certain conventions; the theme of a dystopian future typically encompasses a severely repressed society, with socio-political dysfunction and class stratification. Themes of surveillance, censorship and personal independence have been established by authors such as George Orwell, and are recurrent throughout 2008 novel â€Å"The Hunger Games† by Suzanne Collins, although OrwellianRead MoreGeorge Orwell s The Hunger Games979 Words   |  4 Pages1984, the first most influential dystopian novel, set the stage for the future post-apocalypse genre. The â€Å"Big Brother† style overbearing government plowed the way for novels such as the Giver, Fahrenheit 451, The Maze Runner, Divergent, and the Hunger Games. George Orwell wrote 1984 as a warning/prediction of what was to become of the world if it kept on its route. In many ways, some of Orwell’s predictions came true. The main ideas of Orwell’s 1984 inspired Suzanne Collins in her writing of theRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s 1984 949 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"1984† is a story which takes place in what was then the future of England. The book illustrates a dystopian society in which a government figure named â€Å"Big Brother† rules above all. The country is surrounded by eyes so to speak, devices called â€Å"telescreens† are in houses and buildings to monitor what all of the citizens are doing via camera. Coupled with that is the existence of the â€Å"Thought Police† whose sole job is to monitor citizens from committing â€Å"thoughtcrime† which is essentially thinkingRead MoreThe Hunger Games By George Orwell928 Words   |  4 PagesThe Hunger Games may just seem like another one of today’s trendy book series, but it is far more intellectual than that. Unlike the enormously popular and overly romanticized Twilight Saga, The Hunger Games manages to captivate its audiences using a more complex and compe lling plot. A plot that focuses on life in a dystopian society, which is incredibly comparable to the novel 1984. Both authors intended for these novels to be a wake up call to the audience, they wanted readers to be aware so thatRead MoreThe Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins1487 Words   |  6 PagesMy first text is The Hunger Games which is written by Suzanne Collins and it was written in September 14 2008; was set in the future, around the year 2087. My second text which is 1984, which is written by George Orwell and was written on Wednesday June 8 1949 and it was set in 1948. There are many themes in the book hunger games such as ‘the inequality between rich and poor’, ‘suffering as environment’ and ‘the importance of appearances’. In 1984 there is also many themes portrayed such as ‘the

The Best Car free essay sample

This paper provides market research on the best car available. This paper documents a young persons search for the best car around. It provides a look at advertising and marketing ploys, salesmen talk and other useful information that may cloud a persons judgement. The author decides that the best way to test a car is to drive it. From the paper: What is the best sports car for the 2002 model year? This question, which this paper attempts to answer, is not as simple as it might seem to be at first because ?the best? can be very ambiguous. This is why every single car ad that you ever see on television or that you ever see in a magazine can claim that it is in fact the best without the manufacturers? being accused of false advertising, since every car is probably the best for someone. For example, if you have a family with eight children in it, the best car for you will be a really big van that every can fit in at the same time. We will write a custom essay sample on The Best Car or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page If you use a wheelchair to get around, then the best car for you is one that a disabled person can use.

The Cherokee Indians Essays - Cherokee Nation, Cherokee, Sequoyah

The Cherokee Indians The Cherokee Indians were one of the four civilized tribes in the United States during colonial times. The Cherokee people were interested in the white men and their ways, and even using some of the new mens ways. The Cherokee played an important role in Colonial American history with help from Sequoyah and learning the ways of white men. The Cherokee were originally located in the southeast United States. This area included: the western sides of the Carolinas, the northern parts of Georgia and Alabama, southwest Virginia, and the Cumberland Basin. Around 1781 the Cherokee population was around 25,000. They had just lost around half of their population due to smallpox and other diseases. The population remained stable at 25,000 until the late 1830s when the Cherokee were forced to move to Oklahoma(Sultzman). On their way to Oklahoma many of the Cherokee committed suicide or died of hunger causing the population to drop again(Brandon 227). The Cherokee lived in towns of 30 to 60 houses and a large council house(Sultzman). The houses in the towns were not very large, only being one, two, or three room homes. Most of the homes were one story high, but a two-story house was not uncommon. The houses were built by the men and took a long time to build. The men began in early spring to get the boards from trees. When summer came around the men stopped with the houses and turned to planting crops and welfare. As fall arrived the men began to actually put the houses together. Often men from other towns came to help. Since the houses were so small they did not have much room for furniture. The little furniture that they did have was stools, storage chests, and three-foot-high beds. The beds were located in the back and sides of the house. The beds had white-oak foundations and mattresses covered with bear, buffalo, mountain-lion, elk, and deerskins, dressed with the hair on. Just outside the front door of each house was a small sweat house. This is where a fire was constantly kept burning. These were used to purify themselves for religious purposes and to cure diseases(Mails 51, 54). The Cherokee were primarily an agricultural people. Corn was their most important crop. Corn was so important to them they had a ceremony when the corn began to get ripe in hopes that the corn would continue to grow well. Other crops planted were beans, squash, and sunflowers. They also hunted. The main two animals that were hunted were white-tailed deer and wild turkey. Other animals that were hunted are bear, quail, rabbit, and squirrel(Brown 63). Hunting trips in the towns were very serious. Only the men who were fully cleansed and fit were allowed to go on the hunt. When the men needed to go on a hunt they had to go get the priests authority. For the priest to give the permission to the hunt the men must not just be fit and cleansed, but the town must also need meat and/or animal skins. The Cherokee would never be wasteful(Mails 59). All of the Cherokees weapons and tools were made themselves from plants, animals, and other natural things such as rocks and minerals. This lasted until tools and weapons were available from the white men. The most commonly used weapon was the bow and arrow. Other weapons were the stone ax and club. Many of the children had blowguns for toys as well as a weapon. The Cherokee children were not allowed to go on the large hunts, but only by themselves(Brown 51). These weapons were still used after guns were available in many towns. Some areas, however, were heavily hunted by the white men and the amount of game on some of the Cherokee land was reduced. In these areas guns were used instead of the traditional weapons(Sultzman 2). Men who did not hold special rank or position wore belted skin robes fashioned from the hides of bear, deer, otter, beaver, and mountain lion. In the winter they also wore moccasins made of beaver skins. All of the men except some priests shaved all of their heads leaving only a small roachlike section. The women wore short and sleeveless deerskin dresses which were sewn together with fishbone needles.

Top 10 Percent Graduating Essays - Education In Texas,

Top 10 Percent Graduating Top Ten Percent Graduating top ten percent is a hard road filled with four years of all nighters, study sessions, and countless hours at the library. To graduate with this honor not only brings pride to ones' parents but it also gives the student a special privilege. The top ten percent rule passed in 1997 (House Bill 588) by the 75th legislator automatically accepts these students to any public Texas University. While this may seem like a noble idea on the surface, in retrospect this gives an unfair advantage to the rest of the graduating class. Texas government believes that the top ten percent rule will encourage students to work harder in high school and increase the amount of minorities accepted into a public Texas University. Instead, it works against other hard working students who did not achieve top ten percent status but have other outstanding achievements. I believe that this rule excludes many deserving students and cause parents as well as public school systems to do irrational things t o circumnavigate a well intentioned but poorly thought out bill. This rule should be abolished for the good of the future students. A great deal of hard working students who have made it their goal to attend the University of Texas at Austin are rejected solely on the basis that they are not in the top ten percent of their respected school. In the article ?Student Run Into to Ten Percent Law? published in the Houston Chronicle, a promising 17-year-old student who wanted to follow in his father's footsteps by attending the University of Texas was reject purely on the grounds that he was not in the top ten percent of his class. The rejection letter stated that his ?academic record did not meet the required competitive level?(Nissimov, 1a) but his accomplishments such as maintaining a 3.94 grade point average and scoring a 1240 on his SAT (180 points above the national average) clearly states otherwise. His only draw back was attending a very academically competitive high school. His grade point average would have easily placed him in the top ten percent in many other schools but at the high school he attended, it o nly managed to secure him a spot in the top 30 percent. The top ten percent rule has caused students, parents, and schools to do outrageous things to get students in the top ten percent of their class. In some instances, parents were forced to move out of their home and or illegally place their children into a less competitive and less challenging school by falsifying their address. In the article ?Dumbing Down of the Education Plaguing Texas and the Nation.? By Marc Levin, states that ?There have been reports of parents transferring their children to inferior high schools to give them a better chance of graduating it the top ten percent, thereby receiving automatic admission to UT and A&M. This outgrowth of the top ten percent rule provides a clear example of how leveling can bring an entire educational system down to the lowest common denominator.?(Levin, 2) These students may achieve the top ten percent status but in essence, they sacrifice the better education that they could have received. There have been cases in some schools that h ave squeezed extra student in the top ten percent. At Westlake High School, 63 of the 491 seniors were in the top ten percent, but the math clearly shows us that in actuality that would make it 12.8 percent. ?Ms. Faske, the school's college career counselor, concedes that the school did inflate some student's class rank.?Golden, 1) Another instance was at Lyndon Baines Johnson High School where 15 percent of the seniors managed to with the top ten percent status. The outcome of so many students accepted through the top ten percent automatic admission rule is that there is little room left for regular admission. As a result of this, many students end up in the provisional program offered here at UT Austin. The requirement for acceptance through the provisional program is that students are required to take 12 credit hours in the subjects of mathematics, science, social science, and English. They must pass all of their classes with no incompletes

Reggae History essays

Reggae History essays History of Reggae and Caribbean Music. To this day there are many mixed disputes about the origin of the word reggae. To Jamaican music fans of the late sixties and early seventies the term came from a song entitled Do the Reggay from legendary band Toots and Maytals. Some think that it comes from the word streggae, a Jamaican slang term for prostitute. The most reputable explanation was by Bob Marley himself which was that the word came from Spanish origin which roughly translated to the kings music. (Timothy White, 16) Reggae music originated from the style of Calypso. For years during and after the 1920s, Calypso was the dominant music throughout the Caribbean. Calypso originated from the celebration of carnival in the Caribbean province of Trinidad. (White, 18) The celebration of carnival gave the Trinidadians an outlet for their music. Carnival is a celebration that emanates from a smorgasbord of European and African cultural expressions. The word CARNIVAL comes from a Roman word which translates into farewell to the flesh. Carnival is celebrated throughout different areas of Brazil and Trinidad prior to Ash Wednesday. (Mascots2000.com) It was during the 18th century that carnival celebrations were brought to Trinidad. During this time period the Spanish were the governors of Trinidad and they invited the French to live in their lands. With the French settlers came their cultural identity and traditions. As business flourished from the French settlers so did mass celebrations originating from French/Creole culture. With these celebratory balls came masks, music and dancing. Soon after, Trinidad was taken over by Britain. This change in ownership did not effect the celebrations as they became a tradition of the island. The Britishs African slaves witnessed the celebrations and began to incorporate their own culture and traditions into the celebration with ...

Management Styles for Human Resource in Corporate Banks Essay

Management Styles for Human Resource in Corporate Banks - Essay Example The paper tells that theorists outline the major forms of management styles as autocracy, democracy, participative, and laissez-faire styles. The essence of management in banks and other businesses is to ensure proper planning and execution of tasks through the human resource towards the acquisition of the set goals and objectives. The acquisition of these variables is possible through proper leadership skills whereby the managers are bound to organizing the programs set to stimulate the workers towards the acquisition of the set businesses’ objectives. Northern Rock Bank operates in the UK market as a multi-billion organization serving over 50 million global clients. On the other hand, the Royal Bank of Scotland operates in the European continent and is seemingly a competitor to Northern Rock Bank since its capital base and clientele group seem to match closely. History depicts that the two banks’ performances endured in crisis since the edge of economic crisis in 2008 to the present. However, findings reveal that the banks are restructuring towards the acquisition of success and maintenance of their positions in the global markets. Arguably, the two banks crises emanated from top managements’ negligence to comprehend employees as important to the organization. Expert evaluations show that the Northern Rock Bank entered a streak of fallacies as financial accounts ascertained flaws. The bank’s top management concentrated on the surety that they had a large capital base thus the threat of failures in performances would not threaten the bank's abundance of operations. On the contrary, the bank’s application of laissez-faire (bureaucratic management style) threatened the abundance and prowess in the UK and global market platforms. The same case was evident in the Royal Bank of Scotland whereby the top management observed the bank’s performances as most crucial compared to the imposition of favorable strategies to ensure cl ose workmanship between the organization and the workers. Employees in the two banks realized the presence of ignorance from the top management and lost morale in operations thus the banks would eventually fall in continuous streaks of failures as the operations dwindled. Arguably, the top management in the two banks failed to ascertain that the banks would face threats from the employees since the tally in each entity ranged between 120,000 to 150,000 in the UK and other global branches. In account for the Royal Bank of Scotland operations, the evidence accrued revealed that the top management failed to support human resource programs since with the notion that such programs were insignificant to the acquisition of the bank’s goals since it was a competitive entity in the global banking industry. Herzberg’s hygiene theory depicts through the theory X and Y approaches that people may perform effectively under negative and positive motivation respectively.

Why Duabi become a successful city in short amount of time compare to Research Paper

Why Duabi become a successful city in short amount of time compare to other cities - Research Paper Example The economy of the city has grown in double digits for the past decade with the GDP per capita growing from â€Å"US $ 19,000 in the year 2000 to US $ 33,500 in 2006† (Matley & Laura 2007, p. 5). In fact, Dubai city has grown in stature to compete with the world’s biggest players in sectors such as port operations, financial services, tourism and construction. This research paper will evaluate the factors that have enabled Dubai to become a successful city in a relatively short period compared to other cities globally. It is evident that oil revenues have played a significant role in the economic development of most Arabic countries. Notably, the boom in oil prices in the 1970s helped the oil producing countries to obtain a cash windfall. Although Dubai had just around five percent of the oil reserves compared to other cities in the United Arab Emirates such as Abu Dhabi, its rulers realized early enough that the oil revenue had to be invested wisely so as guarantee the city economic prosperity even after the oil was exhausted (Matley & Laura 2007). Sheikh Rashid Al Makhtoum laid down the infrastructural foundations that heralded the rapid growth of Dubai as a global metropolis. The political landscape in the Middle East is different from the governance structures in the Western countries. Dubai is a monarchical state that is ruled by a prince. In as much as the political regime may not be necessarily democratic, the political environment in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates is stable (Bagaeen 2007). Thus, the stable political environment has played a critical role in attracting and facilitating investments. It should be noted in the past decades, the government of Dubai has been the leading investor in Dubai. Private investors have played a secondary role in the development of the city and it is the government that has driven the growth in

Communicate with Clients Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Communicate with Clients - Case Study Example By contrast, a poor communicator will speak non-stop, denying the other party an opportunity to take an active part in the dialogue. Examples of non-verbal dues are facial expressions and eye contact(Daisley-Snow, et al., 2014). Facial expressions reveal the emotions of a person in a powerful way that words cannot. For instance, a person who is surprised may raise their eye-brow. Similarly, when people are sad, they frown and when they are happy they smile. Eye contact is one of the most powerful visual clues (Daisley-Snow, et al., 2014). When one talks to a person and the recipient maintains their gaze into the eyes of the speaker, this is usually taken as a sign of interest. Also, when a person is thinking, they tend to stare far into the distance. These are the tools I would use to build a therapeutic relationship with my client Adonia. In order to get the most of my consultation with Adonia, I would use several listening skills. These would include paraphrasing, summarizing, questioning and the use of encouragers (Bolton, 2009). I would use paraphrasing whenever Adonia would seem uncertain of what they were telling me. In that case, I would paraphrase what they had just said and ask if that was what they meant. I would resort to summarizing if I felt that the client was giving too much information that was not relevant and, therefore, not adding value to the consultation. I would look for appropriate moments then intervene. Such moments would include her pauses. I would intervene by redirecting her to the purpose of the consultation. I would question my client whenever they appeared not sure of whatever they were saying or at moments when they appeared doubtful of me. In the first instance, I would restate what they had just said and ask them if they were sure of it. In the second instance, whenever I sensed doubt through the way she expressed herself facially, I would encourage her to ask me questions so I could clarify points. Encouragers would come

Assessment Centers as a Recruitment Strategy

Assessment Centers as a Recruitment Strategy SYNOPSIS TOPIC : â€Å"Assessment Centers Its Pertinence, Functionality and Application† OBJECTIVE : Primary Objective The theme permeating this research is to know about the Assessment Centers inside out, its relevance in todays businesses, functions and objectives. Secondary Objective To apprehend the application of Assessment Centers in various firms. ABSTRACT : An Assessment Center is a process designed to assess whether candidates have the skills required for the job and the future potential that the organizations are looking for. It mainly comprises a range of activities or simulations designed to test these factors. Some of the activities that are included in Assessment Center are Psychometric Tests, In-basket Exercises, Group Exercises, Role Plays, Behavioural Interviews, Case Studies et al. The primary objective of an Assessment Center is to match the right person with the available positions in an organization. The assessment center method, in its modern form, came into existence as a result of the ATT Management Progress Study In this study, which began in the late 1950s, individuals entering management positions in Bell Telephone operating companies were assessed and, from then on, their careers were followed. The chief reason the assessment center method is valid in so many different countries is that it is an easily adaptable evaluation system. Assessment Centre Method has a bearing on the following aspects of personnel management: staffing: decision making on selection, promotion, turnover and dismissal; staff development: determining educational and training requirements improving performance in management/staff relationships; bringing compensation policy in line with general policy objectives. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY : The Research will consist of Secondary Data (Reference Books, Websites, Business Journals and Articles) and Primary Data (Questionnaire, Interviews from Industry Experts) GUIDE : Prof. Arvind Rajashekar, visiting faculty, IIPM. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY A Research is something that always has a question or a problem on the other side of it. The purpose behind ay research is to question through the application of Sciences or otherwise. It is a systematic and an in-depth study with the use of Primary and Secondary Instruments to gain more or complete knowledge of the subject under study. Research consists of Secondary and Primary Instruments 1. PRIMARY RESEARCH The Primary research consists of conducting a Questionnaire Survey with HR Professionals, business persons and Consultants. For this purpose, I have kept a Sample Size of 20 Respondents. The aim behind this survey is to get knowledge about Assessment Centers and its application and use by the Industry expert themselves and also Consultants who have applied Assessment Centers as a tool of Evaluation. 2. SECONDARY RESEARCH v The Secondary research consists of : a. Books on Assessment Centers b. Articles on the Internet c. Articles published in Business Journals d. HR Websites e. Research Papers by Industry experts Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION TO ASSESSMENT CENTERS 1.1 Assessment Centers A Gist An Assessment Center (AC) is a process designed to assess whether candidates have the skills required for the job and the future potential that the organizations are looking for. It mainly comprises a range of activities or simulations designed to test these factors. Some of the activities that are included in Assessment Center are Psychometric Tests, In-basket Exercises, Group Exercises, Role Plays, Behavioural Interviews, Case Studies et al. Traditionally an assessment centre consisted of a suite of exercises designed to assess a set of personal characteristics, it was seen as a rather formal process where the individuals being assessed had the results fed back to them in the context of a simple yes/no selection decision. However, recently definite shift is seen in thinking away from this traditional view of an assessment centre to one which stresses the developmental aspect of assessment. A consequence of this is that today it is very rare to come across an assessment centre which does not have at least some developmental aspect to it, increasingly assessment centres are stressing a collaborative approach which involves the individual actively participating in the process rather than being a passive recipient of it. In some cases we can even find assessment centres that are so developmental in their approach that most of the assessment work done is carried out by the participants themselves and the major function of the centre is to provide the participants with feedback that is as much developmental as judgmental in nature. The primary objective of an Assessment Center is to match the right person with the available positions in an organization. Assessment Centre Method has a bearing on the following aspects of personnel management: staffing: decision making on selection, promotion, turnover and dismissal; staff development: determining educational and training requirements improving performance in management/staff relationships; bringing compensation policy in line with general policy objectives. To align the strategic intent in line with the market requirements. 1.2 Definitions of an Assessment Center given by Consultants, Academicians Practitioners * Assessment Centres are often described as the variety of testing techniques that allow the candidates to demonstrate, under standardized conditions, the skills and abilities most essential for success in a given job. Dennis A. Joiner, ‘Assessment centre in public sector: A practical approach, Public Personnel Management Journal. * An assessment center is a comprehensive standardized procedure in which multiple assessment techniques such as situational exercises and job simulation (business games, discussions, reports presentations) are used to evaluate individual employee for variety of manpower decisions. * An Assessment Centre consists of a standardized evaluation of behavior based on multiple inputs. Several trained observers and techniques are used. Judgements about behavior are made, in major part, from specifically developed assessment simulations. These judgements are pooled in a meeting among the assessors or by statistical integration process. In an integration discussion, comprehensive accounts of behavior, and often ratting of it, are pooled. The discussion results in evaluation of performance of the assessees on the dimensions/competencies or other variables that the assessment centre is designed to measure. Statistical combination methods should be validated in accordance with professionally accepted standards. ‘Guidelines and ethical considerations for assessment centre operations. 28th International Congress on Assessment Centre Methods * The main feature of assessment centres is that they are a multiple assessment process. There are five main ways in which that is so. A group of participants takes part in a variety of exercises observed by a team of trained assessors who evaluate each participant against a number of predetermined, job related behaviors. Decisions are then made by pooling shared data. Iain Ballantyne and Nigel Povah * An assessment centre is a process in which individuals participate in a series of exercises, most of which approximate what they would be called upon to do in the future job. Assessors usually selected from higher management levels in the firm, are trained to observe the participants and evaluate their performance as fairly and impartially as possible. -‘Can assessment centres be used to improve the salesperson selection process, E. James Randall, Ernest E. Cooke, Richard J. Jefferies, Journal of personal selling and sales management * An assessment centre is a multi-faceted and multi-dimensional approach designed to provide reliable and valid information about a range of competencies of an individual considered to be necessary for successful performance at a target level in a specific job. ‘360 degree feedback, competency mapping and assessment centres, Radha R. Sharma * Tata Management Training Centres definition of AC: AC is an integrated standardized process in which a series of exercises are used to assess people on pre-defined parameters. These pre-definedparameters define job success in a given organizationalcontext. Most of the exercises are simulation of job activities/work challenges that the candidate is expected to perform in the next level role/job. 1.3 History of Assessment Centers Assessment Centre process was first used sometime between the two world wars. The Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War, prevented Germany from rearming and thus the traditional approach to the selection of officers, which was of observing their performance in war or in exercises was denied to them. German psychologists then devised this method which involved a combination of tests, simulations and exercises to identify the potential of officer candidates. The British Army used this methodology in the early days of Second World War when they established the War Office Selection Boards (WOSBs), again for the selection of officer candidates. However, it was brought into the private sector only in 1956 after ATT (American Telephone Telegraph Company) used it for selection of high potentials for managerial positions. This was the first industrial application of the assessment centre methodology. Both individual characteristics of young managers as well as organizational settings in which they worked were studied and evaluation at the assessment centre was used to predict whether the participant would make it to the middle management in the next ten years or less. The sample included both recent college graduates and non-management personnel who had risen to the managerial positions relatively early in their career. The dimensions assessed included managerial functions like organizing, planning, decision making, general ability such as intellectual ability, personal impression, sensitivity, and values and attitudes, both work related and social. The success of the earlier work of ATT was followed by Standard Oil which was the second to a start assessment centres. This was followed by IBM, Sears Roebuck, General Electric, and Caterpillar tractors. By 1981 more than 2500 organizations applied this methodology to select potential managers 1.4 Assessment Centers in Asia The first assessment centre in Asia was for selecting project leaders for the entrepreneurship development programme in Gujarat. Subsequently, efforts were made to introduce it in Larsen and Toubro . LT did a lot of work on job profiling but never got to the stage of developing an assessment centre for potential appraisal. Crompton Greaves attempted to use an assessment centre approach for selecting their general managers from within. It is only in the 1990s that interest in assessment centres was renewed. This was a natural response to the need to ensure competent people manning strategic positions. A large number of Asian companies have established assessment centres and many others are exploring. The companies that are trying out include : RPG Group, Escorts, TISCO, Aditya Birla Group, Eicher, Cadburys, Castrol (India), Glaxo, Grindwell Norton, ONGC, Mahindra and Mahindra, SAIL, Siemens, Wipro, Wockhardt, and Johnson Johnson. Different organizations initiated assessment centres for recruitment, selection, placement, promotion, career development, performance appraisal, and succession planning and development purposes such as identification of training needs, identification high potential managers, create a pool of managerial talent and multifunctional managers that would be available across the business group, employee recognition and fast growth. Philips, Dr. Reddys Laboratories, and Global Trust Bank are organizations that have been using assessment centres. Some of these organizations are, in the process of developing Indian managerial talent and measure it periodically. Generally the competencies that are to be measured are determined by each organization by using methods such as job analysis, managerial aptitude profile surveys, identifying competencies in star performers, etc. A variety of assessment techniques are used in Asian organizations like in-baskets, business simulations, questionnaires, group discussions, role plays, interviews, case study, individual presentations, etc. While the need is felt by all organizations to test reliability and validity of the tools used, many of them are not testing them. Both internal and external assessors are used for evaluation. Assessor training is done either through in-house training programmes or with the aid of external institutions like Academy of HRD (Hyderabad), SHL (UK), etc. Some Asian organizations have also sought assistance from organizations abroad that are using assessment centres such as GE, and Motorola. 1.5 Training and Developmental Needs Analysis The assessment centre methodology can be used to measure the abilities of individuals against certain critical criteria and identify their training and developmental needs. Such assessment centres are more diagnostic than evaluative and can be termed as development centres. In the case of use of assessment centre methodology for early identification, promotion, and selection, a final yes-no decision is critical. But in diagnostic assessment centres or development centres, final overall decision is insignificant. Each dimension must be measured with a high degree of reliability and validity because decisions are being made on each dimension. Therefore, the dimensions to be studied should be made as specific as possible. Quick, easy training methods dont change peoples skill levels. Skill acquisition requires intensive, time-consuming classroom training and must be coupled with opportunities for on-the-job practice and feedback so new behaviors are â€Å"set† in the individuals repertoire. Because skill development takes a lot of time and effort, everyone cannot be trained in every skill. The assessment center method provides an effective means to determine training or developmental needs. Individuals then can be placed in the most appropriate program. The assessment center method is an excellent diagnostic tool because it separates an individuals abilities into specific areas (dimensions) and then seeks specific examples of good and poor behavior within each dimension. This helps the assessee and his/her boss determine more precisely what training and developmental activities are required. Almost all organizations using assessment centers for selection or promotion also use the information obtained to diagnose training needs. However, a major shift in focus is the large number of firms now using assessment centers solely to diagnose training needs. 1.6 Relationship between an Assessment Center and Development Center The type of centre can vary between the traditional assessment centre used purely for selection to the more modern development centre which involves self-assessment and whose primary purpose is development. One might ask the question Why group assessment and development centres together if they have different purposes? The answer to that question is threefold. Firstly, they both involve assessment and it is only the end use of the information obtained which is different i.e. one for selection and one for development; secondly, it is impossible to draw a line between assessment and development centres because all centres, be they for assessment or development naturally lie somewhere on a continuum somewhere between the two extremes; thirdly most assessment centres involve at least some development and most development centres involve at least some assessment. This means that it is very rare to find a centre devoted to pure assessment or pure development.. Also, it purely depends upon the Organizations requirements, its policies and procedures whether it wants to conduct an AC or a DC. It is easier to think about assessment centres as being equally to do with selection and development because a degree of assessment goes on in both. Development centres grew out a liberalisation of thinking about assessment centres and it is a historical quirk that while assessment centres were once used purely for selection and have evolved to have a more developmental flavour the language used to describe them has not. Another problem with using the assessment development dichotomy is that at the very least it causes us to infer that little or no assessment goes in development centres. While you will hear centres being called assessment or development centres remember that assessment goes on in both and so to some extent at least they are both assessment centres. The end result of this is that it is not possible to talk about assessment or development centres in any but the most general terms. It is more useful to talk about the constituent parts and general processes involved in each. In these terms we can identify a number of differences between assessment and development centres that one might typically find: Assessment centres usually * have a pass/fail criteria * are geared towards filing a job vacancy * address an immediate organisational need * have fewer assessors and more participants * involve line managers as assessors * have less emphasis placed on self-assessment * focus on what the candidate can do now * are geared to meet the needs of the organisation * assign the role of judge to assessors * place emphasis on selection with little or no developmental feedback and follow up * give feedback at a later date * involve the organisation having control over the information obtained * have very little pre-centre briefing * tend to be used with external candidates Development centres usually * do not have a pass/fail criteria * are geared towards developing the individual * address a longer term need * have a 1:1 ratio of assessor to participant * do not have line managers as assessors * have a greater emphasis placed on self-assessment * focus on potential * are geared to meet needs of the individual as well as the organisation * assign the role of facilitator to assessors * place emphasis on developmental feedback and follow up with little or no selection function * give feedback immediately * involve the individual having control over the information obtained * have a substantial pre-centre briefing * tend to be used with internal candidates Chapter 2 ASSESSMENT CENTERS INSIDE OUT 2.1 Stages in a typical Assessment Center A typical Assessment Center consists of the following stages. They are : Pre AC Stage During AC Stage Post AC Stage a. PRE AC STAGE * Defining the objective of AC . * Get approval for AC from the concerned officials. * Conduct job analysis. * Define the competencies required for the target position. * Identify the potential position holder and send them invitations. * Identify the observers. * Train the observers. * Design the AC exercises * Decide the rating methodology. * Make infrastructural arrangements. * Schedule the AC. * Informing the concerned people of the schedule. b. DURING AC STAGE * Explain participants the purpose of the AC, the procedure it would follow and its outcome. * Give instructions to the participants, before every exercise. * Distribute the competency-exercise matrix sheets among observers. * Conduct all exercises. * Conduct a discussion of all observers on every participants ratings, at the end of the session. * Make a report of the strengths and improvement areas of every participant. * Give feedback to participants. * Get feedback from participants and observers about the conduction of AC. c. POST AC STAGE * Compile reports of all participants and submit the list of selected participants to the concerned authorities. * Make improvements in the design according to the recommendations. * Evaluate the validity of results after a definite period. 2.2 Sequence of Steps of an Assessment Center Sequence of Steps of an Assessment Center ( Source ‘Assessment Center for Identifying potential project managers , a Paper for the 6th European Conference on Software Quality 1999 in Vienna ) 2.3 Factors for Evaluating Assessment Center Design Five Factors for evaluating the Center Design The COLAT Model (Source Research Paper ‘Assessment of Assessment Centers by Dr. P. Sethu Madhavan) Center Design The following factors related to the centre design can be used to evaluate and compare the Assessment Centers s in the backdrop of best practices and benchmarks. * Use of qualified resource persons, assessors and support staff * Content validity of the centre and the competency profiles * Use of triangulation and corroboration of assessment results Organizational Preparedness Organizational preparedness refers to following macro level factors, that need to be addressed adequately and established in order to make an assessment or development centre to work effectively. * Policies and procedures * Structure * Clarity of organisational objectives * Buy in, commitment and change management * Communication Linkages, integration and alignment It has been observed that organizations vary considerably in ensuring the linkages, integration and alignment of ACs with the other organisational level factors and the individual level factors. ACs, therefore can be evaluated based on the following best practice anchors falling under these dimensions. * Alignment with core values, vision, mission and strategy * Alignment and linkages with other key HR systems and processes * Alignment with external professional bodies ADCs should be â€Å"purposively† aligned with and derived from the strategy, vision, mission, values and culture of the organisation or the unit. The centre should be designed in such way as to ensure that it helps to meet the strategic objectives of the organisation Quality of Assessment tools and methods In many countries, professional associations and legal requirements dictate that ACs follow some standard practices in the selection, use and administration of assessment methods, especially the psychometric tests. India perhaps has been lagging behind in imposing national level professional standards and certifications to ensure competent and ethical use of psychometric tests. In the absence of any national level qualifications regarding the use of psychometric tests in India, many institutions have been doing a great service to fill this gap by offering, professional training and consultancy services. However, observations and experiences reveal that ACs still vary considerably on their eagerness to ensure quality of tools and methods. * Quality of administration * Reliability * Validity * Utility * Reactivity * Relevance * Test fairness(Statistical) * Technology and use of computers Treatment of Participants and Data Treatment of participants and data in assessment centers is very important from ethical point of view. Some variables and indicators related to this dimension are listed below. * Psychological fairness as perceived by the participants and stakeholders * Right to information, informed consent and informed decisions * Confidentiality and data protection * Feedback policy * Post assessment follow-up and support 2.4 Types of Assessment Exercises Some of the widely used Assessment Center Exercises are as follows : Assement Center Exercise An in-tray or in-basket exercise asks to assume a particular role as an employee of a fictitious company and work through the correspondence in your in-tray. This exercise is designed to measure candidates ability to organize and prioritize work. In a presentation exercise, candidate is given a topic or possibly a choice of topics and asked to make a presentation of around ten minutes with five minutes at the end for questions. This is designed to measure his presentation skills including the ability to organise and structure the information and to communicate his points clearly and concisely. Group discussion exercises involve working with other candidates as part of a team to resolve a presented issue. These exercises are designed to measure interpersonal skills such as group leadership, teamwork, negotiation, and group problem solving skills. Panel interviews are regarded as a more objective means of assessing the candidates suitability as he will be interviewed by between three and five people and therefore the decision is not reliant on just one persons opinion. In addition, they are usually more structured than a one-to-one interview as the panel need to assess all of the candidates against the same criteria. 2.5 How Assessment Center Exercises are Conducted ? The assessment centre method is utilized in a variety of settings including industry and business, government, armed forces, educational institutions, and safety forces to select individuals for supervisory, technical, sales, or management positions. One recent trend is in the development of mass testing. This is done by video-taping candidates as they perform various exercises and by using objectively scored exercises. This permits the assessment of a much larger number of candidates per day as the scoring is done later and requires far less observation and administration. Assesment Centre Procedure Assessment centres are usually used after the initial stages of the selection process, because of the large amount of time and expense in conducting them, and usually follow the initial job interview. Other measurements such as psychological tests may complement the selection process.: They are commonly held either on employers premises or in a hotel and are considered by many organizations to be the fairest and most accurate method of selecting staff. This is because a number of different selectors get to see you over a longer period of time and have the chance to see what you can do, rather than what you say you can do, in a variety of situations. Assessment Centres may be conducted by HR personnel within the employer company or by outside consultants. They are highly structured in their design, application, and assessment procedure and are specifically adapted to assess factors such as your level of skills, aptitude and compatibility with the organizations culture. Each test measures a range of indicators within these factors. During each test, a group of observers will rate the candidate on a range of set indicators, using a prescribed performance scale. Results are then cross compared against the same indicators, which are measured in other tests. Following test completion, observers meet to discuss the test results and reach a group consensus about the ratings. At the beginning of the assessment, participant should receive an initial briefing about the timetable of tests, location of rooms etc. Prior to each test, he will be given instructions describing the exercise, his role, timeframes, equipment etc. He will not be told in detail about the individual indicators which will be measured. In addition, he is unlikely to receive feedback on the results, unless he have been successfully selected. Assessment centers typically involve the participants completing a range of exercises which simulate the activities carried out in the target job. Various combinations of these exercises and sometimes other assessment methods like psychometric testing and interviews are used to assess particular competencies in individuals. The theory behind this is that if one wishes to predict future job performance then the best way of doing this is to get the individual to carry out a set of tasks which accurately sample those required in the job and are as similar to them as possible. The particular competencies used will depend upon the target job but one will often find competencies such as relating to people; resistance to stress; planning and organising; motivation; adaptability and flexibility; problem solving; leadership; communication; decision making and initiative. There are numerous possible competencies and the ones which are relevant to a particular job are determined through job ana lysis. The fact that a set of exercises is used demonstrates one crucial characteristic of an assessment centre namely that it is behaviour that is being observed and measured. This represents a significant departure from many traditional selection approaches which rely on the observer or selector attempting to infer personal characteristics from behaviour based upon subjective judgement and usually precious little evidence. This approach is rendered unfair and inaccurate by the subjective whims and biases of the selector and in many cases produces a selection decision based on a freewheeling social interaction after which a decision is made whether the individual is face fit with the organisation. 2.6 Essential Elements of an Assessment Center Assessment Centers must have the following criteria to be called so : 1. Job Analysis To understand job challenges and the competencies required for successful execution of the job. 2. Predefined competencies Modeling the competencies, which will be tested during the process. 3. Behavioral classification Behaviors displayed by participants must be classified into meaningful and relevant categories such as dimensions, attributes, characteristics, aptitudes, qualities, skills, abilities, competencies, and knowledge. 4. Assessment techniques These include a number of exercises to test the assessees of their potentials. Each competency is tested through atleast 2 exercises for gathering adequate evidence for the presence of particular competence. 5. Simulations The exercises should simulate the job responsibilities as closely as possible to eliminate potential errors in selection. 6. Observations Accurate and unbiased observation is the most critical aspect of an AC. 7. Observers Multiple observers are used to eliminate subjectivity and biases from the process. They are given thorough training in the process prior to participating in the AC. 8. Recording Behavior A systematic procedure of recording must be used by the assessors for future reference. The recording could be in the form of hand written note, behavioral checklist, audio-video recording etc. 9. Reports Each observer must make a detailed report of his observation before going for the discussion of integration of scores. 10. Data Integration The pooling of information from different assessors is done through statistical techniques. 2.7 Assessment Centers Usage Various Organizations use the data provided Assessment Centers as a Recruitment Strategy Assessment Centers as a Recruitment Strategy SYNOPSIS TOPIC : â€Å"Assessment Centers Its Pertinence, Functionality and Application† OBJECTIVE : Primary Objective The theme permeating this research is to know about the Assessment Centers inside out, its relevance in todays businesses, functions and objectives. Secondary Objective To apprehend the application of Assessment Centers in various firms. ABSTRACT : An Assessment Center is a process designed to assess whether candidates have the skills required for the job and the future potential that the organizations are looking for. It mainly comprises a range of activities or simulations designed to test these factors. Some of the activities that are included in Assessment Center are Psychometric Tests, In-basket Exercises, Group Exercises, Role Plays, Behavioural Interviews, Case Studies et al. The primary objective of an Assessment Center is to match the right person with the available positions in an organization. The assessment center method, in its modern form, came into existence as a result of the ATT Management Progress Study In this study, which began in the late 1950s, individuals entering management positions in Bell Telephone operating companies were assessed and, from then on, their careers were followed. The chief reason the assessment center method is valid in so many different countries is that it is an easily adaptable evaluation system. Assessment Centre Method has a bearing on the following aspects of personnel management: staffing: decision making on selection, promotion, turnover and dismissal; staff development: determining educational and training requirements improving performance in management/staff relationships; bringing compensation policy in line with general policy objectives. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY : The Research will consist of Secondary Data (Reference Books, Websites, Business Journals and Articles) and Primary Data (Questionnaire, Interviews from Industry Experts) GUIDE : Prof. Arvind Rajashekar, visiting faculty, IIPM. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY A Research is something that always has a question or a problem on the other side of it. The purpose behind ay research is to question through the application of Sciences or otherwise. It is a systematic and an in-depth study with the use of Primary and Secondary Instruments to gain more or complete knowledge of the subject under study. Research consists of Secondary and Primary Instruments 1. PRIMARY RESEARCH The Primary research consists of conducting a Questionnaire Survey with HR Professionals, business persons and Consultants. For this purpose, I have kept a Sample Size of 20 Respondents. The aim behind this survey is to get knowledge about Assessment Centers and its application and use by the Industry expert themselves and also Consultants who have applied Assessment Centers as a tool of Evaluation. 2. SECONDARY RESEARCH v The Secondary research consists of : a. Books on Assessment Centers b. Articles on the Internet c. Articles published in Business Journals d. HR Websites e. Research Papers by Industry experts Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION TO ASSESSMENT CENTERS 1.1 Assessment Centers A Gist An Assessment Center (AC) is a process designed to assess whether candidates have the skills required for the job and the future potential that the organizations are looking for. It mainly comprises a range of activities or simulations designed to test these factors. Some of the activities that are included in Assessment Center are Psychometric Tests, In-basket Exercises, Group Exercises, Role Plays, Behavioural Interviews, Case Studies et al. Traditionally an assessment centre consisted of a suite of exercises designed to assess a set of personal characteristics, it was seen as a rather formal process where the individuals being assessed had the results fed back to them in the context of a simple yes/no selection decision. However, recently definite shift is seen in thinking away from this traditional view of an assessment centre to one which stresses the developmental aspect of assessment. A consequence of this is that today it is very rare to come across an assessment centre which does not have at least some developmental aspect to it, increasingly assessment centres are stressing a collaborative approach which involves the individual actively participating in the process rather than being a passive recipient of it. In some cases we can even find assessment centres that are so developmental in their approach that most of the assessment work done is carried out by the participants themselves and the major function of the centre is to provide the participants with feedback that is as much developmental as judgmental in nature. The primary objective of an Assessment Center is to match the right person with the available positions in an organization. Assessment Centre Method has a bearing on the following aspects of personnel management: staffing: decision making on selection, promotion, turnover and dismissal; staff development: determining educational and training requirements improving performance in management/staff relationships; bringing compensation policy in line with general policy objectives. To align the strategic intent in line with the market requirements. 1.2 Definitions of an Assessment Center given by Consultants, Academicians Practitioners * Assessment Centres are often described as the variety of testing techniques that allow the candidates to demonstrate, under standardized conditions, the skills and abilities most essential for success in a given job. Dennis A. Joiner, ‘Assessment centre in public sector: A practical approach, Public Personnel Management Journal. * An assessment center is a comprehensive standardized procedure in which multiple assessment techniques such as situational exercises and job simulation (business games, discussions, reports presentations) are used to evaluate individual employee for variety of manpower decisions. * An Assessment Centre consists of a standardized evaluation of behavior based on multiple inputs. Several trained observers and techniques are used. Judgements about behavior are made, in major part, from specifically developed assessment simulations. These judgements are pooled in a meeting among the assessors or by statistical integration process. In an integration discussion, comprehensive accounts of behavior, and often ratting of it, are pooled. The discussion results in evaluation of performance of the assessees on the dimensions/competencies or other variables that the assessment centre is designed to measure. Statistical combination methods should be validated in accordance with professionally accepted standards. ‘Guidelines and ethical considerations for assessment centre operations. 28th International Congress on Assessment Centre Methods * The main feature of assessment centres is that they are a multiple assessment process. There are five main ways in which that is so. A group of participants takes part in a variety of exercises observed by a team of trained assessors who evaluate each participant against a number of predetermined, job related behaviors. Decisions are then made by pooling shared data. Iain Ballantyne and Nigel Povah * An assessment centre is a process in which individuals participate in a series of exercises, most of which approximate what they would be called upon to do in the future job. Assessors usually selected from higher management levels in the firm, are trained to observe the participants and evaluate their performance as fairly and impartially as possible. -‘Can assessment centres be used to improve the salesperson selection process, E. James Randall, Ernest E. Cooke, Richard J. Jefferies, Journal of personal selling and sales management * An assessment centre is a multi-faceted and multi-dimensional approach designed to provide reliable and valid information about a range of competencies of an individual considered to be necessary for successful performance at a target level in a specific job. ‘360 degree feedback, competency mapping and assessment centres, Radha R. Sharma * Tata Management Training Centres definition of AC: AC is an integrated standardized process in which a series of exercises are used to assess people on pre-defined parameters. These pre-definedparameters define job success in a given organizationalcontext. Most of the exercises are simulation of job activities/work challenges that the candidate is expected to perform in the next level role/job. 1.3 History of Assessment Centers Assessment Centre process was first used sometime between the two world wars. The Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War, prevented Germany from rearming and thus the traditional approach to the selection of officers, which was of observing their performance in war or in exercises was denied to them. German psychologists then devised this method which involved a combination of tests, simulations and exercises to identify the potential of officer candidates. The British Army used this methodology in the early days of Second World War when they established the War Office Selection Boards (WOSBs), again for the selection of officer candidates. However, it was brought into the private sector only in 1956 after ATT (American Telephone Telegraph Company) used it for selection of high potentials for managerial positions. This was the first industrial application of the assessment centre methodology. Both individual characteristics of young managers as well as organizational settings in which they worked were studied and evaluation at the assessment centre was used to predict whether the participant would make it to the middle management in the next ten years or less. The sample included both recent college graduates and non-management personnel who had risen to the managerial positions relatively early in their career. The dimensions assessed included managerial functions like organizing, planning, decision making, general ability such as intellectual ability, personal impression, sensitivity, and values and attitudes, both work related and social. The success of the earlier work of ATT was followed by Standard Oil which was the second to a start assessment centres. This was followed by IBM, Sears Roebuck, General Electric, and Caterpillar tractors. By 1981 more than 2500 organizations applied this methodology to select potential managers 1.4 Assessment Centers in Asia The first assessment centre in Asia was for selecting project leaders for the entrepreneurship development programme in Gujarat. Subsequently, efforts were made to introduce it in Larsen and Toubro . LT did a lot of work on job profiling but never got to the stage of developing an assessment centre for potential appraisal. Crompton Greaves attempted to use an assessment centre approach for selecting their general managers from within. It is only in the 1990s that interest in assessment centres was renewed. This was a natural response to the need to ensure competent people manning strategic positions. A large number of Asian companies have established assessment centres and many others are exploring. The companies that are trying out include : RPG Group, Escorts, TISCO, Aditya Birla Group, Eicher, Cadburys, Castrol (India), Glaxo, Grindwell Norton, ONGC, Mahindra and Mahindra, SAIL, Siemens, Wipro, Wockhardt, and Johnson Johnson. Different organizations initiated assessment centres for recruitment, selection, placement, promotion, career development, performance appraisal, and succession planning and development purposes such as identification of training needs, identification high potential managers, create a pool of managerial talent and multifunctional managers that would be available across the business group, employee recognition and fast growth. Philips, Dr. Reddys Laboratories, and Global Trust Bank are organizations that have been using assessment centres. Some of these organizations are, in the process of developing Indian managerial talent and measure it periodically. Generally the competencies that are to be measured are determined by each organization by using methods such as job analysis, managerial aptitude profile surveys, identifying competencies in star performers, etc. A variety of assessment techniques are used in Asian organizations like in-baskets, business simulations, questionnaires, group discussions, role plays, interviews, case study, individual presentations, etc. While the need is felt by all organizations to test reliability and validity of the tools used, many of them are not testing them. Both internal and external assessors are used for evaluation. Assessor training is done either through in-house training programmes or with the aid of external institutions like Academy of HRD (Hyderabad), SHL (UK), etc. Some Asian organizations have also sought assistance from organizations abroad that are using assessment centres such as GE, and Motorola. 1.5 Training and Developmental Needs Analysis The assessment centre methodology can be used to measure the abilities of individuals against certain critical criteria and identify their training and developmental needs. Such assessment centres are more diagnostic than evaluative and can be termed as development centres. In the case of use of assessment centre methodology for early identification, promotion, and selection, a final yes-no decision is critical. But in diagnostic assessment centres or development centres, final overall decision is insignificant. Each dimension must be measured with a high degree of reliability and validity because decisions are being made on each dimension. Therefore, the dimensions to be studied should be made as specific as possible. Quick, easy training methods dont change peoples skill levels. Skill acquisition requires intensive, time-consuming classroom training and must be coupled with opportunities for on-the-job practice and feedback so new behaviors are â€Å"set† in the individuals repertoire. Because skill development takes a lot of time and effort, everyone cannot be trained in every skill. The assessment center method provides an effective means to determine training or developmental needs. Individuals then can be placed in the most appropriate program. The assessment center method is an excellent diagnostic tool because it separates an individuals abilities into specific areas (dimensions) and then seeks specific examples of good and poor behavior within each dimension. This helps the assessee and his/her boss determine more precisely what training and developmental activities are required. Almost all organizations using assessment centers for selection or promotion also use the information obtained to diagnose training needs. However, a major shift in focus is the large number of firms now using assessment centers solely to diagnose training needs. 1.6 Relationship between an Assessment Center and Development Center The type of centre can vary between the traditional assessment centre used purely for selection to the more modern development centre which involves self-assessment and whose primary purpose is development. One might ask the question Why group assessment and development centres together if they have different purposes? The answer to that question is threefold. Firstly, they both involve assessment and it is only the end use of the information obtained which is different i.e. one for selection and one for development; secondly, it is impossible to draw a line between assessment and development centres because all centres, be they for assessment or development naturally lie somewhere on a continuum somewhere between the two extremes; thirdly most assessment centres involve at least some development and most development centres involve at least some assessment. This means that it is very rare to find a centre devoted to pure assessment or pure development.. Also, it purely depends upon the Organizations requirements, its policies and procedures whether it wants to conduct an AC or a DC. It is easier to think about assessment centres as being equally to do with selection and development because a degree of assessment goes on in both. Development centres grew out a liberalisation of thinking about assessment centres and it is a historical quirk that while assessment centres were once used purely for selection and have evolved to have a more developmental flavour the language used to describe them has not. Another problem with using the assessment development dichotomy is that at the very least it causes us to infer that little or no assessment goes in development centres. While you will hear centres being called assessment or development centres remember that assessment goes on in both and so to some extent at least they are both assessment centres. The end result of this is that it is not possible to talk about assessment or development centres in any but the most general terms. It is more useful to talk about the constituent parts and general processes involved in each. In these terms we can identify a number of differences between assessment and development centres that one might typically find: Assessment centres usually * have a pass/fail criteria * are geared towards filing a job vacancy * address an immediate organisational need * have fewer assessors and more participants * involve line managers as assessors * have less emphasis placed on self-assessment * focus on what the candidate can do now * are geared to meet the needs of the organisation * assign the role of judge to assessors * place emphasis on selection with little or no developmental feedback and follow up * give feedback at a later date * involve the organisation having control over the information obtained * have very little pre-centre briefing * tend to be used with external candidates Development centres usually * do not have a pass/fail criteria * are geared towards developing the individual * address a longer term need * have a 1:1 ratio of assessor to participant * do not have line managers as assessors * have a greater emphasis placed on self-assessment * focus on potential * are geared to meet needs of the individual as well as the organisation * assign the role of facilitator to assessors * place emphasis on developmental feedback and follow up with little or no selection function * give feedback immediately * involve the individual having control over the information obtained * have a substantial pre-centre briefing * tend to be used with internal candidates Chapter 2 ASSESSMENT CENTERS INSIDE OUT 2.1 Stages in a typical Assessment Center A typical Assessment Center consists of the following stages. They are : Pre AC Stage During AC Stage Post AC Stage a. PRE AC STAGE * Defining the objective of AC . * Get approval for AC from the concerned officials. * Conduct job analysis. * Define the competencies required for the target position. * Identify the potential position holder and send them invitations. * Identify the observers. * Train the observers. * Design the AC exercises * Decide the rating methodology. * Make infrastructural arrangements. * Schedule the AC. * Informing the concerned people of the schedule. b. DURING AC STAGE * Explain participants the purpose of the AC, the procedure it would follow and its outcome. * Give instructions to the participants, before every exercise. * Distribute the competency-exercise matrix sheets among observers. * Conduct all exercises. * Conduct a discussion of all observers on every participants ratings, at the end of the session. * Make a report of the strengths and improvement areas of every participant. * Give feedback to participants. * Get feedback from participants and observers about the conduction of AC. c. POST AC STAGE * Compile reports of all participants and submit the list of selected participants to the concerned authorities. * Make improvements in the design according to the recommendations. * Evaluate the validity of results after a definite period. 2.2 Sequence of Steps of an Assessment Center Sequence of Steps of an Assessment Center ( Source ‘Assessment Center for Identifying potential project managers , a Paper for the 6th European Conference on Software Quality 1999 in Vienna ) 2.3 Factors for Evaluating Assessment Center Design Five Factors for evaluating the Center Design The COLAT Model (Source Research Paper ‘Assessment of Assessment Centers by Dr. P. Sethu Madhavan) Center Design The following factors related to the centre design can be used to evaluate and compare the Assessment Centers s in the backdrop of best practices and benchmarks. * Use of qualified resource persons, assessors and support staff * Content validity of the centre and the competency profiles * Use of triangulation and corroboration of assessment results Organizational Preparedness Organizational preparedness refers to following macro level factors, that need to be addressed adequately and established in order to make an assessment or development centre to work effectively. * Policies and procedures * Structure * Clarity of organisational objectives * Buy in, commitment and change management * Communication Linkages, integration and alignment It has been observed that organizations vary considerably in ensuring the linkages, integration and alignment of ACs with the other organisational level factors and the individual level factors. ACs, therefore can be evaluated based on the following best practice anchors falling under these dimensions. * Alignment with core values, vision, mission and strategy * Alignment and linkages with other key HR systems and processes * Alignment with external professional bodies ADCs should be â€Å"purposively† aligned with and derived from the strategy, vision, mission, values and culture of the organisation or the unit. The centre should be designed in such way as to ensure that it helps to meet the strategic objectives of the organisation Quality of Assessment tools and methods In many countries, professional associations and legal requirements dictate that ACs follow some standard practices in the selection, use and administration of assessment methods, especially the psychometric tests. India perhaps has been lagging behind in imposing national level professional standards and certifications to ensure competent and ethical use of psychometric tests. In the absence of any national level qualifications regarding the use of psychometric tests in India, many institutions have been doing a great service to fill this gap by offering, professional training and consultancy services. However, observations and experiences reveal that ACs still vary considerably on their eagerness to ensure quality of tools and methods. * Quality of administration * Reliability * Validity * Utility * Reactivity * Relevance * Test fairness(Statistical) * Technology and use of computers Treatment of Participants and Data Treatment of participants and data in assessment centers is very important from ethical point of view. Some variables and indicators related to this dimension are listed below. * Psychological fairness as perceived by the participants and stakeholders * Right to information, informed consent and informed decisions * Confidentiality and data protection * Feedback policy * Post assessment follow-up and support 2.4 Types of Assessment Exercises Some of the widely used Assessment Center Exercises are as follows : Assement Center Exercise An in-tray or in-basket exercise asks to assume a particular role as an employee of a fictitious company and work through the correspondence in your in-tray. This exercise is designed to measure candidates ability to organize and prioritize work. In a presentation exercise, candidate is given a topic or possibly a choice of topics and asked to make a presentation of around ten minutes with five minutes at the end for questions. This is designed to measure his presentation skills including the ability to organise and structure the information and to communicate his points clearly and concisely. Group discussion exercises involve working with other candidates as part of a team to resolve a presented issue. These exercises are designed to measure interpersonal skills such as group leadership, teamwork, negotiation, and group problem solving skills. Panel interviews are regarded as a more objective means of assessing the candidates suitability as he will be interviewed by between three and five people and therefore the decision is not reliant on just one persons opinion. In addition, they are usually more structured than a one-to-one interview as the panel need to assess all of the candidates against the same criteria. 2.5 How Assessment Center Exercises are Conducted ? The assessment centre method is utilized in a variety of settings including industry and business, government, armed forces, educational institutions, and safety forces to select individuals for supervisory, technical, sales, or management positions. One recent trend is in the development of mass testing. This is done by video-taping candidates as they perform various exercises and by using objectively scored exercises. This permits the assessment of a much larger number of candidates per day as the scoring is done later and requires far less observation and administration. Assesment Centre Procedure Assessment centres are usually used after the initial stages of the selection process, because of the large amount of time and expense in conducting them, and usually follow the initial job interview. Other measurements such as psychological tests may complement the selection process.: They are commonly held either on employers premises or in a hotel and are considered by many organizations to be the fairest and most accurate method of selecting staff. This is because a number of different selectors get to see you over a longer period of time and have the chance to see what you can do, rather than what you say you can do, in a variety of situations. Assessment Centres may be conducted by HR personnel within the employer company or by outside consultants. They are highly structured in their design, application, and assessment procedure and are specifically adapted to assess factors such as your level of skills, aptitude and compatibility with the organizations culture. Each test measures a range of indicators within these factors. During each test, a group of observers will rate the candidate on a range of set indicators, using a prescribed performance scale. Results are then cross compared against the same indicators, which are measured in other tests. Following test completion, observers meet to discuss the test results and reach a group consensus about the ratings. At the beginning of the assessment, participant should receive an initial briefing about the timetable of tests, location of rooms etc. Prior to each test, he will be given instructions describing the exercise, his role, timeframes, equipment etc. He will not be told in detail about the individual indicators which will be measured. In addition, he is unlikely to receive feedback on the results, unless he have been successfully selected. Assessment centers typically involve the participants completing a range of exercises which simulate the activities carried out in the target job. Various combinations of these exercises and sometimes other assessment methods like psychometric testing and interviews are used to assess particular competencies in individuals. The theory behind this is that if one wishes to predict future job performance then the best way of doing this is to get the individual to carry out a set of tasks which accurately sample those required in the job and are as similar to them as possible. The particular competencies used will depend upon the target job but one will often find competencies such as relating to people; resistance to stress; planning and organising; motivation; adaptability and flexibility; problem solving; leadership; communication; decision making and initiative. There are numerous possible competencies and the ones which are relevant to a particular job are determined through job ana lysis. The fact that a set of exercises is used demonstrates one crucial characteristic of an assessment centre namely that it is behaviour that is being observed and measured. This represents a significant departure from many traditional selection approaches which rely on the observer or selector attempting to infer personal characteristics from behaviour based upon subjective judgement and usually precious little evidence. This approach is rendered unfair and inaccurate by the subjective whims and biases of the selector and in many cases produces a selection decision based on a freewheeling social interaction after which a decision is made whether the individual is face fit with the organisation. 2.6 Essential Elements of an Assessment Center Assessment Centers must have the following criteria to be called so : 1. Job Analysis To understand job challenges and the competencies required for successful execution of the job. 2. Predefined competencies Modeling the competencies, which will be tested during the process. 3. Behavioral classification Behaviors displayed by participants must be classified into meaningful and relevant categories such as dimensions, attributes, characteristics, aptitudes, qualities, skills, abilities, competencies, and knowledge. 4. Assessment techniques These include a number of exercises to test the assessees of their potentials. Each competency is tested through atleast 2 exercises for gathering adequate evidence for the presence of particular competence. 5. Simulations The exercises should simulate the job responsibilities as closely as possible to eliminate potential errors in selection. 6. Observations Accurate and unbiased observation is the most critical aspect of an AC. 7. Observers Multiple observers are used to eliminate subjectivity and biases from the process. They are given thorough training in the process prior to participating in the AC. 8. Recording Behavior A systematic procedure of recording must be used by the assessors for future reference. The recording could be in the form of hand written note, behavioral checklist, audio-video recording etc. 9. Reports Each observer must make a detailed report of his observation before going for the discussion of integration of scores. 10. Data Integration The pooling of information from different assessors is done through statistical techniques. 2.7 Assessment Centers Usage Various Organizations use the data provided

Celestial Travel Agency: Marketing Strategy of Philippine Tourism in the United Kingdom

INTRODUCTION The hospitality and tourism industry is one of the most flourishing industries in the world; thus, almost every country relies on the industry. The income that a country gains from the industry is almost half of its gross national product. However, for developed countries, such as the United Kingdom, promoting hospitality and tourism is not a problem since they are already known and well-established worldwide. On the other hand, for developing countries where they mostly rely on the industry for income, such as the Philippines, upholding their hospitality and tourism sector will be hard.A lot of factors have to be considered, for instance, safety and security of the tourists, the cost of the tour, and the significance of the place as tourism nowadays relies on popularity—the more popular the place is, the more tourists it will attract. Thus, the demand for effective marketing strategies and public relations is a necessity. There are Filipino travel agencies in the UK, yet the number of British people who visit the Philippines is still low compared to the other countries in Europe, such as Germany and Netherlands.The main reason for this is the effectiveness of the marketing strategies used by these agencies. It is also noted that most of these travel agencies focus on the Filipinos in the UK as their target market. This research aims to develop marketing strategies for a hospitality and tourism organization by critically evaluating marketing strategies in the hospitality and tourism sector, assessing the role of network and customer relationship marketing strategies for hospitality and tourism organizations, and recommending marketing and customer loyalty strategies for a hospitality or tourism organization.Also, it aspires to critically evaluate marketing communication strategies for hospitality and tourism organizations through brand strategies, e-marketing, viral marketing, and guerilla marketing. The author chooses Celestial Travel Agenc y, a Filipino travel agency based in Victoria, London. The agency offers travel and tour packages to the United Kingdom and some parts of Europe and the Philippines. Majority of its clients are the Filipinos who are in the United Kingdom.The researcher will investigate the marketing strategies the organization is utilizing, and afterwards, the author will develop a marketing strategy that can be viable for the organization in order to increase market share. METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH This study is a qualitative research that attempts to discover the best marketing strategies utilized by organizations in the hospitality and tourism industry that will be applicable to the subject of research. It intends to accrue existing data governing the principles of marketing strategies. Thus, secondary research will be exhausted during the course of research.ESSENCE OF MARKETING Marketing (Armstrong, et. al) is â€Å"managing profitable customer relationships. † It has two main goals which a re to attract potential customers by guaranteeing them superior quality of service and products and keeping the current customers and making them loyal to the organization by giving them satisfaction. The sole purpose of marketing is to deal with customers; however, it is not the simplest function in the business world as it involves a lot of activities from product development, production, and distribution to branding, selling, and advertising.Hospitality and tourism organization has to understand that nowadays, marketing is not just about simply telling and selling of goods, but it is about satisfying customer needs as well. The marketing department of an organization is the busiest and in fact carries the heaviest load of promoting the products. Whatever the profit that the organization makes is reflected on the activities done by the marketing department. Figure 1. A simple model of the marketing process. When doing marketing, one must have to consider that most consumers are: ? More concern to the prices of a product or a service Gives less interests to marketing messages ?From the average segment of the society Given this situation, a marketing manager has to bear in mind the substantial four P’s of marketing strategy: ? Product – making the appropriate product or a service for chosen target market. Research and analysis has to be done to determine the wants and the needs of the market and that the product to be created should fulfill these specifications. ?Place – the place to market the product has to be properly regarded especially during the process of transporting and distributing the goods and services. Promotion – this division relates to public relations, advertising, and other activities that are conducted to influence the behavior of the consumers toward the product being marketed. ?Price – the product has to be logically priced and that the pricing strategy the organization will use must have a long-term effe ct; thus, several factors are considered whenever pricing a product or a service. The four P’s mentioned are the essentials of marketing, making them the basic things to consider before starting the process of product conceptualization to distribution in the market.When an organization will be able to carry out the following aspects of marketing properly, the profit margin will undoubtedly increase. CELESTIAL TRAVEL AGENCY AND THE FILIPINOS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM The Filipinos are known around the world in the fields of nursing and health care, hospitality and tourism, and Information and Technology and engineering. Out of the 94 million Filipino population, about 8. 7 to 11 million are working, living, or studying overseas, mostly in the Americas, Middle East and Europe. In 2009, about 250,000 Filipinos are working and studying in the United Kingdom alone.The population of Filipinos in the UK is considered to be a big market for Filipino travel agencies operating in the Unite d Kingdom. Since Filipinos are known to love travelling and always want to visit their homeland whenever they are abroad, Filipino travel agencies will not run out of business even if they are just catering to their fellowmen who are living overseas. However, these travel agencies can widen their market share when they try to deviate from the traditional operations of just servicing their fellowmen. The United Kingdom is a very big market for the hospitality and tourism industry.In as much as there are a lot of tourists coming to the UK, there are also a lot of British people who leave the UK to go on holidays in different destinations around the world, and most of them go to tropical countries to avert from the cold climate of the UK. The British people are known to often go on holidays once or twice a year, may they be students, families, or stressed workers. Thus, promoting travel and tour services to the Philippines to the British people market and possibly the European market w ill be a big accomplishment for the organization.To market the Philippines as a holiday destination in Southeast Asia to the international arena is a difficult task because of its palpable competitors, such as Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, which are mostly visited by international tourists mainly coming from Europe and the Americas. Also, the location of the Philippines is not strategic so as to attract more tourists, especially those who have already gone to its neighbouring countries. Moreover, since the Philippines is a group of more than 7,000 islands, to tour it alone takes a lot of time.One must have to travel either by plane or vessel, and bus when on the main island. When people from overseas talk of the Southeast Asian Region, the countries that the people first think of are Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. These four countries are always featured and advertised in newspapers, magazines, on television and a lot more. Thus, considering the number o f Filipino travel agencies in the UK, which is about twenty-five, the number of UK tourists in the Philippine should have increased in the past years. The presence of these agencies would have been a big influence in boosting the Philippine tourism.One of these travel agencies is Celestial Travel and Tours Limited which is the subject of this research. Celestial Travel and Tours Limited is a travel and tours agency that caters mostly to the Filipino people living in the United Kingdom. The products that the organization offers are travel and tour packages to major Philippine destinations and within the United Kingdom and its neighboring countries, such as France, Germany, Netherlands, and Spain, and consultations involving travels in the Far East and world-wide destinations.The organization was established in April 2002 by four professional Filipino women who had extensive knowledge and experience in hospitality and tourism management. The organization’s mission is to provide travel needs and services to the Filipino people. However, most of its services are just travel packages. It is because of the factor that they cater only to the Filipinos in the UK. Tour packages for destinations in the Philippines are seldom being bought, but the packages for places in Europe, for instance Barcelona, Lile, Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels, are often sold out.Celestial travel agency is the most respected agency among all Filipino travel agencies in the UK. It has a very strong presence in Greater London. It has a very strong network within the Filipino community in UK and some parts of Europe. In an interview with one of the managers, she mentioned that the organization was doing well during the past years. Travel services, especially plane tickets, and UK and Europe tour packages were hitting very good market figures. When asked on the tour packages in the Philippines, she said that the packages were rarely purchased.The reason being is the organization’s ta rget market which is mainly the Filipino community who would rather go to Europe than visiting the prime Philippine tourist destinations. Celestial travel agency has a very good potential of increasing its market share without totally expanding the business. Expansion will definitely come in the future. Since its inception, the organization still remains to be a small-time business with just a little increase of its market share yearly.Since the organization has already established its status in the market as a trusted agency for travel and tours in the UK and Europe, the organization has to focus on improving its sales on the travel and tour packages in the Philippines. The UK is a big market for outbound tourists, and therefore, Celestial Travel Agency just needs the appropriate marketing strategies and public relations to promote the Philippines as a tourist destination to the UK market. ?Brand Identity and Strategy Brand identity is the key to building a name in the business wor ld.Nowadays, consumers rely so much on brand names rather than the products. Companies struggle so much when introducing their products to the market, and those who are able to maintain the quality of their products and services for a long period of time can keep up to the market competition, even so making the competition less competitive for them as they are already well-established. Creating a consistent identity is a very challenging task for marketing since it will carry the totality of the company in the business world. The brand identity bears the ideas, the products and services, and the values of the company.A coherent and well-thought brand identity can be a big tool for advertising creating loyalty from clients for repeat business. Celestial Travel Agency has established its brand identity among the Filipino community in the UK making it a well respected establishment. The organization has to establish its brand identity in the UK market in general, not just the Filipino. It must attain a well-trusted level status to be able to promote its products and services in its new market. Furthermore, it has to maintain the good rapport with the Filipino community, thus, satisfying their needs is essential, and proper marketing can be used to do this.The organization has to bear in mind that to create their big web/network, they will need the first market to do this. ?Network and Relationship Marketing A company’s relationship with its customers is vital. However, how can an organization develop relationship with its customers and soon built a network from them? As most marketers say, â€Å"Relate first, market second. † Marketers always have to make the best impression about them and their products and services and be able to build rapport between them and their customers.Personal interaction is the first step to doing network and relationship marketing, and moving the customers to higher level of loyalty is its main purpose. Doing this strate gy, one must have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the customer’s needs and individuality. As Smith (2011) says, â€Å"Think of relationship marketing as a term with the following overarching definition: those efforts that will make your prospective customers aware of your products and services, position your business in their minds as the obvious choice, and help you build lifelong profitable relationships with them. This marketing strategy is the most effective way to build a big network of customers. However, this strategy is sometimes misused by a lot of marketers especially when they do relationship marketing. Relationship marketing requires the marketers to be honest since he or she might spoil the relationship that was built in the first meeting. Marketers have to bear in mind to always practice responsible relationship marketing. Network and relationship marketing is mostly used by small time businesses as a way to introduce their products to the market, esp ecially to the immediate community they are linked to.It is a great strategy to communications development that makes relationship marketing become the tool to widened network. Celestial Travel Agency utilized this strategy when it started in 2002. Through confidence and honesty, the managers began introducing their services to the Filipinos they know and the ones they met mostly during gatherings. The relationship they were able to build with a number of people started to make a big network of clients. However, they still need to improve on this strategy as it will lead to them to a more stable and successful business.Furthermore, the strategy will enable them to develop a new market, the UK market, for their tour packages to the Philippines. Through proper use of communications technology, the organization can easily rebuild the network they have established to an even wider and bigger network. The organization has to deviate from the traditional way of engaging people to relation ships in order to build business contact with them. The current network of the organization is a great strength to building the opportunity of making it a wider network to market the organization products and services.Going personal contact with people (offline) and communicating through means of Internet (online) makes relationship marketing a broader strategy to make use of. Also, it is beneficial to use the social networking marketing hype. Social networking are extremely valuable to marketers since they do not need to personally talk to these people one by one, but thousands of people can read your adverts or messages on these sites in just a click away. The good thing about these social networking sites is that they are people-focused and other people’s network can also be another person’s network.Thus, doing relationship marketing through these sites is undeniably useful and can give a great amount of returns. ?Strategic Customer Relations Optimizing customer sat isfaction and developing Customer Relationship Management is one of the most challenging tasks that businesses face nowadays. Many organization invest on improves customer service to be able to stabilize customer satisfaction. In order to establish excellent customer service, an organization must essentially develop a customer relationship focused culture.In this practice, the employees who always deal with customers must always be updated on the modernize ways to improving customer service skills. Celestial Travel Agency does not regularly updates its staff or let them undertake trainings in relation to customer service. Thus, there are times that they lose some of their customers, even the valued ones. Constant monitoring of the employees’ performance is a must so as not to jeopardize the well established system and customer relations. Communicating with the customer in an efficient way will result to repeat business.It is to be noted that the products and services offered by the organization is harder to market as it is intangible compared to food and other things that satisfy the basic needs of human beings. ?There are ways to improve customer relations through the following: ? Providing training in key areas that are important in rendering excellent personal service ? Reinforce the skills and abilities the employees have through continuous coaching and feedback ? Measure current performance levels ?Recognition through rewards, may it be monetary and non-monetary, to motivate the employees further to excel ?Establishing effective service delivery processes ?E-marketing Marketers will find e-marketing an easy way to advertise their products without having to spend money that much. Marketers can advertise online for free through blogs, social networks, forums, and even free websites. In addition, the mass market online is enormous and e-marketing will allow marketers to make a personalized type of marketing that gives much focus to their products and services. E-marketing has a lot of benefits to give to an organization which includes the following: ? Openness ?Global Contact ?Minimal Cost Traceable and Measurable Results ?Personalisation ?Social Currency ?Improved Conversion Rates Celestial Travel Agency has its own website; however, it is not being updates every now and then. Thus, information on any recent activities or packages that the organization offers to the public cannot be easily accessible. This is mainly because keeping up the website cost money which the organization cannot afford to shell out since the website needs updates and maintenance every time. Keeping an IT personnel for the company that only works twice a week is very much impractical.Besides, the rate for IT staff in the United Kingdom is way too expensive. However, the organization has to bear in mind that keeping the website is a way to reach to the global market, not just the UK market. The company’s valued clients who live outside the UK basic ally will try to reach the company through the website and customers often purchase products online especially tour packages and travels. Also, on the Internet, there are a lot of activities done by its users, who can be travelers, and they often check out forums.There are forums and blogs built for specific topics, such as tourism, food, and a lot more. On these forums and blogs, related links and links are often circulated to its users and updated websites are mostly posted here. In addition, the influence of social networking sites is prominent to Internet users. Any future activities or tours that the organization plans to do can just be posted on these social networking sites and will soon be shared by a lot of users. The circulation of the information is way too fast that feedbacks can be expected straight away.Information dissemination through social networks is very much fast and quick. Yet, the information has to be check and should always be on the new or recent posts, els e, superfluous posts will overshadow the post intended to be marketed. The organization must always update its websites and posts and encourage their valued user to give testimonials as these will help the company gain more customers online. The strength of e-marketing is strong and opportunities are endless, but the organization must take extra care doing e-marketing as fraud cases are soaring. Guerilla Marketing Levinson, et. al (2007) stated that â€Å"Guerilla Marketing simplifies the complexities and explains how entrepreneurs can use marketing to generate maximum profits from minimum investments. † Guerilla marketing has deviated from the traditional style of marketing where money or investments play an important role to make marketing effective. The guerilla approach is very much suitable to Celestial Travel Agency since the organization is a small business and guerilla marketing is an economical way of marketing products and services.Through this approach, the organiz ation can develop different techniques of promoting its services. Undoubtedly, the guerilla approach is already â€Å"tried and tested† to be very much efficient. However, the strategy requires the marketers to do research and make a campaign plan that is unconventional. Nowadays, marketing adverts and messages has to be humorous and extraordinary to be noticed by people. In as much as it is inexpensive, the guerilla approach takes time to materialize. Unlike the traditional way of marketing where money is a big factor, so results can be seen after a short span of time.Conceptualization takes a lot of time while the implementation process challenging since several methods might be used to test the efficiency of the ideas. Since guerilla marketing is very much unconventional, it does not limit the marketers to a number of ways of doing the marketing yet it requires a high level of energy and dedication. ?Viral Marketing Coined from the word ‘virus,’ viral marketin g strategy makes a great influence in the market, just like a virus, when done properly. Creating impact is the important element of this marketing strategy.Viral marketing is a challenging strategy since an excellent idea is needed to make the advertisement stand out among all other commercials. This strategy is extremely effective and simple but making it work is the difficult task. The first step is to make a buzz. There are many ways to do this and the most effective way is to go on television. It is not making another big advertisement to air on TV, but news, such as media coverage. The good thing about media coverage is it hits the local community straight away and then national level.Furthermore, about seventy percent of the population watch news. Also, news reaches even the people who live in distant areas from the capital. Another way of creating a buzz is going online, through social networking sites. The strategy employed the concept of using the social networks of other people so that they can propagate and expose their products and services. People can easily get influenced from what their peers tell them, and on networking sites, there are millions people; thus, it is easy to make a viral effect on these sites.Celestial Travel Agency will find it difficult to do this marketing strategy. Most of the successful viral marketing advertisements are about the food sector. Nonetheless, the organization can still utilize this strategy in promoting their services, yet minimal results must be expected. Since the agency wants to develop their UK market, not focusing on the UK Filipino community, to market its package tours to the Philippines, the organization can take advantage of the current tourist news about the country.For instance, the result of the new Seven Wonder of Nature can be turned into hype among all the tourists, especially the adventure-seekers travelers of UK. The new seven wonders is big news in the tourism industry; therefore, travelers w ill be eager to discover these places. Moreover, there are also tourist spots in the Philippines that are featured on the news which the organization to battle the tight competition of the tourism industry. British tourists will then know that there are wonderful places to see in the Philippines.Also, travelling around the country is very cheap compared to other South East Asian countries. ?CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION The Philippines has a lot to offer to the world, not just to the UK tourist market, which is the prospect market of the organization for market development. Through the unconventional marketing strategies, such as viral marketing and guerilla marketing, Celestial Travel Agency will not find it difficult to market the Philippines to the UK market. Understanding the wants of the UK market when it comes to going on holidays, the places they choose to go to.The British people are fond of adventure or outdoor activities and love going to the beaches, and since the Philipp ines is a tropical country that offers not only beautiful beaches but extreme outdoor activities too, such as mountaineering, scuba diving, spelunking, etc. , it can become a prime tropical tourist destination. The organization can take advantage of the news features regarding the tourist spots of the Philippines and make it viral. Using news, such as â€Å"Top 20 beaches,† â€Å"Seven Wonders of Nature,† and the other tourist destination rankings, the organization can utilize this and use the guerilla approach to making a â€Å"craze† over it.The organization can do a buzz using blogs, forums, and social networking sites. It can even use upload a marketing ad on Youtube and post it on the different social networking sites. The research understands that the organization has very minimal budget for marketing, thus, e-marketing, guerilla marketing, and viral marketing strategies will be very effective to achieving its desired goals of developing the British market as key tourists to the Philippines.