Saturday, December 21, 2019

The Importance of Eradicating Workplace Discrimination

In the changing business environment nowadays, organizations need to differentiate themselves to gain competitive advantages to survive. One of the most important advantages is workforce diversity. Because â€Å"A well performing team will create additional value to a company by combining individuals’ strengths and take advantage of synergies that may exist, thereby making the whole greater than the sum of its parts.† (Holtzman p.75). Hence, the requirement of workforce diversity, especially heterogeneity is a must in the twenty first century. The benefits of heterogeneity are unparalleled. With a combination of a diverse set of skills, talents and experiences, a heterogeneity team can offer multiple viewpoints and ideas, leading to innovative†¦show more content†¦Older workforces are perceived as too conservative, costly and have shorter work live span compared with younger workforces. However, studies are showing that â€Å"The majority of employers found ol der managers to be more productive than younger ones†. The two distinctive advantages of the older workforces are knowledge of procedures and ability to interact with customers. (Dennis p 85-86) These perceptions make the use of human resources ineffective and place a tremendous burden to the society in the long run. Age diversity bring both productive and contrary to the organization. The role of the leadership is to promote productive and balance out contrary. One of the solutions for age diversity is to encourage age as a significant component in all diversity training and conduct intergenerational training, communication, and team building. In fact, some employers are making their move to solve the ageism issue such as recognition programs and knowledge-retention approaches. Recognition programs are acknowledgement of contribution for senior employees after a certain period of time like ten, twenty or thirty years. Knowledge-retention approaches are cross training between a senior and a freshmen or a junior to â€Å"rehire† the knowledge of senior workforces. (Dennis p87) If these programs are implemented well enough, organization can use age diversity as a supporting force to bring the organization to a newShow MoreRelatedAmerican Multiculturalism : How Discrimination1432 Words   |à ‚  6 Pages American Multiculturalism: How discrimination in the workforce is dispelling a famous myth in America The United States of America has been categorized by many individuals as the â€Å"melting pot.† The nation has acquired this name because is a country that is made up of an extensive variety of people from different cultures. Every single individual whose living in the United States is different in some way or another depending on their culture. This term is primarily used to describe a wide culturalRead MoreSexism And Its Impact On Society1046 Words   |  5 Pagesdevote their lives as homemakers. The feminist movement of the 60’s and 70’s changed everything. At first the movement focused on workplace inequality, such as denial of access to better jobs and salary inequity, via anti-discrimination laws.However that soon expanded as women began to notice the inequality extended far beyond workplace matter. It had equally importance dealing with their personal life, such as the encompassing their relationships, sexuality, birth control and abortion, clothing an dRead MoreAffirmative Action : Is It Still Needed1544 Words   |  7 Pagesor religion. In the United States democracy we are all equal, but some groups have been enjoying more advantages in society than others for centuries. Current statistics show the depth of modern day racial gaps, which are rooted in historical discrimination and modern-day structural racism. Generations of nominal disadvantages have created large barriers to opportunity for many minority groups. It is a very controversial issue in the United States’ society today, some regards it as a step forwardRead MoreDiscrimination And Diversity : The Challenges And Rewards Of The Workplace Essay1942 Words   |  8 Pages Discrimination and Diversity: The Challenges and Rewards of the Workplace David Kiedis Palm Beach State College â€Æ' Abstract This paper will be one that explores some of the challenges that have made up the workplace. Namely the fact that discrimination of people who are considered different than others in the workplace has been commonplace since the dawn of our great nation. By contrasting discrimination with how diversity can be extremely rewarding for businesses and the employees,Read MoreSexual Harassment At Their Places Of Employment1150 Words   |  5 Pagesstaff (Mondy Mondy, 2012). Individual effects include low work performance, loss of jobs, adverse psychological effects such as stress, anxiety, and depression, negative social consequences such as humiliation and public scrutiny, lack of trust, discrimination from workstations, transfer, and loss of references. Methodology This investigative study aims to evaluate an identified sample of American workers’ and employers’ sensitivity to the issue of sexual harassment at their places of employment. ThisRead MoreThe Controversy Surrounding Gender Inequality2040 Words   |  9 Pagesincreasingly recognised that is a serious social problem that affects a significant proportion our society. According to Hirby (2016) gender inequality, is sometimes called sex  discrimination, which means receiving unequal treatment based solely on gender. Women are believed to be greatest victims of gender inequality in the workplace. Despite decades of reform, statistics suggest that for every dollar a man earns a woman in a similar job earns just 77 cents (Hirby, 2016). This suggests that there areRead MoreThe Importance Of Diversity, Inclusiveness And Equality, Causes, Problems, And Issues1805 Words   |  8 Pagesto be exclusive† – Mahatma Gandhi. I could have been more diverse in selecting a quote from someone who doesn’t belong to my culture, but this quote emphasizes everything about diversity in a single sentence. This essay tries to emphasize on the importance of fostering diversity, inclusiveness and equality, causes for problems in diverse organizations and societies and ideas on how diversity can be harnessed and celebrated in an organization. Are We Diverse? Diversifying the workforce became a sloganRead MoreBernie Sanders, A Political And Economic Theory Of Social Organization1703 Words   |  7 Pagesand profit and to end poverty, racism, sexism, environmental disaster and to avert the still potent threat of a catastrophic nuclear war. The former Vermont Senator, Bernie Sanders, is an advocate for the rights and needs of human beings, and eradicating controlling banks and corporations, as opposed to economic hierarchy prevalent in today’s government. He has clearly made an impact in his home state, remaining the longest serving independent member of Congress in American history, serving sixteenRead MorePerformance Management And Appraisal Management2611 Words   |  11 Pagesdisengaged staff members, encouragement of unproductive tasks, wasted time and effort, and poor decisions. This essay will critically discuss, further, how performance management and appraisal contributes in achieving organisational goals and the importan ce of continuous performance management. Performance management is an ongoing process which ensures employees contribute towards achieving organisation’s goals. CIPD insist that performance management should be about ‘performance improvement’ ‘development’Read MoreManagement of Diversity in Organization2147 Words   |  9 Pagesheterogeneous teams to create a marketplace of ideas, recognizing that a multiplicity of points of view needs to be brought to bear on a problem. Kanter also specifically noted that companies high on innovation had done a better job than most on eradicating racism, sexism, and classism, in addition, tended to employ more women and racioethnic minorities than less innovative companies. Research by Charlene J. Nemeth found that minority views can stimulate consideration of non-obvious alternatives in

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Quality Competition and Market Segmentation - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the Quality Competition and Market Segmentation. Answer: Introduction Marketing is the key that determines the success of the business organization. By effective marketing, the business organizations are able to create a unique image in the eye of the customers as well as stand out from the competitors. The marketing and management strategies developed and implemented by the business organizations ensure growth, profitability, targeting, segmentation and positioning. Effective marketing ensures growth in business, customers and profit for the business organizations (Armstrong et al., 2015). This report introduces Woolworths, an Australian retail chain by briefly describing the industry of the organization and analysing the current trends. Additionally, the report also investigates the major market segments of Woolworths and discussing the involvement of primary market segment in decision-making. The report also evaluates the strengths and weakness of Woolworths and compare with the main competitor Coles. Lastly, the report also develops a position map in order to determine the position of the company in the market. Industry trends Woolworths is a leading supermarket in Australia established in 1924 and covers almost 80% of the Australian market. Woolworths mostly deals with selling groceries but also sells beauty products, households, pet products and stationery items. It has over 1000 stores in Australia with 968 supermarkets and 19 convenience stores. The report suggests that Woolworths has confirmed sales growth in the industry by 4.7% thereby, estimating $9.63 billion in the beginning of 2017. The requirement of the groceries and fast food has risen drastically in the Australian market due to which the sales have grown to $36.37 billion over the year (Arli et al., 2013). The management of the Woolworths is satisfied with the overall sales growth of the company but aim towards building the progress in order to maintain their growth and profitability. It has been seen that Woolworths has been growing continuously since 2010 and has 37% of Australias supermarket whereas Coles has only 31% of Australian market share. It has also been seen that Woolworths has bounced back with $1.5 billion profit in the Australian supermarkets and has become the star of the profit (Kang Gray, 2013). The company has also opened more convenience stores for the Australian market thereby, ensuring growth and profitability in the Australian market. The PESTLE analysis of retail in Australia is stated below: Political: The political conditions of a country largely determine the success or failure of an organization. The retail industry in Australia has maintained its momentum since decades as the country has undergone several developments in terms of society and the economy. The political condition of Australia highly affects the retail industry in the country. A stable political environment is essential for any organization or industry to bloom in a country. The changes in the policies of the Government highly impacts the organizations present in the country (Sutton-Brady Kamvounias Taylor, 2015). The retail industry in Australia has witnessed excellent growth in the past few years as a result of an increase in the population of the country as well as due to the increase in the purchasing power of the Australians. The policies developed by the Federal Government in Australia largely determine the success or failure of the retail sector in Australia. Economic: The economic condition of a country largely determines the success or failure of the organizations in the country. The price of the property is higher in Australia as compared to the income levels of the population of Australia. This has resulted in the increase in the price of rental properties (Bailey et al., 2015). As a result, a large portion of the income earned by the Australians is spent on rent. Australia has witnessed a decline in the economic market conditions, which has adversely impacted the retail industry in the country. The fluctuations in the rates of currency exchange also impact the retail industry in Australia. The weak position of the Australian dollar has adversely affected the retail industry in Australia. Social: The social factors have a huge impact on the industries located in a country. Australia comprises of mainly three social classes namely working class, upper class and the middle class. This social stratification highly affects the retail industry in Australia. The change in the social trends largely affects the retail industry in Australia. The success or failure of an organization highly depends upon the manner in which the organizations initiate target market segmentation. The changes in the tastes and preferences of the target audience determine the success of an organization (Brotchie et al., 2017). The Australians nowadays prefer purchasing goods and services from the organizations that are socially responsible and are involved in some kind of social activities. Therefore, the retail organizations that initiate social activities are likely to be more successful in Australia. Technological: The technology plays a vital role in determining the success or failure of an organization. The retail industry is largely affected by the technology and technological advancements help the organizations to improve their efficiency and achieve economies of scale. Technology helps the organizations to provide better quality products and services to the customers at lower prices (Balaji Roy, 2017). Australia is a developed country and is well- equipped with the latest technologies, which has helped the retail industry to obtain the latest technologies easily for improving their operations. The application of technology has enabled the retail sector in the country to improve its operations and continue successful operation of the businesses. Environmental: The environmental condition of a country highly affects the functioning of a business in a country. The organizations can be successful in long- run only when its business activities do not harm the environment (Nepal, Menezes Jamasb, 2014). The retail industry in Australia has adversely affected the environmental conditions in Australia, which has indirectly affected the profitability and performance of the retail sector in the country. Legal: The legal factors involve the legal environment of a country in which an organization operates. The legal changes affect the costs incurred by the organizations along with the demand for a product or service. The carbon tax implemented in Australia has largely affected the retail industry in Australia (Davidov, 2014). The regulatory bodies in Australia such as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and several others have affected the business activities of the retail industry in Australia. The legal regulatory bodies keep a check on the activities of the organizations in order to ensure that the organizations follow a fair policy while conducting the business. The strict regulatory bodies have negatively affected the retail sector in Australia. Market segments overall Market segmentation provides an opportunity for Woolworths to divide and segment the customers based on their needs and wants. As commented by Wilkinson (2013), segmenting the customers allows the business organizations to categorise the customer needs, demands and develop marketing strategies accordingly. Primary and secondary are the major market segments of Woolworth in Australia. As mentioned by Braun (2016), primary target market allows the business organizations to believe will give the best chance to sell their product. Thus, based on the type of industry and organization, the primary target market for Woolworths are the people with higher income and people with the standard living measure. According to the current economic condition of Australia, a vast majority of the people falls into the group with higher income. Setting the primary market segment allows Woolworth to develop a business strategy accordingly to the demands and needs of the customers in terms of price and qua lity of the product. As commented by Deakin (2013), the secondary target segment of the business organization is the second most important section of customers that companies prefer to target for additional profits. Thus, these sections of customers are expected to have less money and less product demand. Thus, the secondary target market for Woolworths include the customers with lower income and the growing section of black middle class people. Woolworths expect that the people with low income and the growing black middle class will shop from the retail stores in the coming years due to better income opportunities. In addition, Woolworths can develop their business and pricing strategy in such a way in the coming years so that the people with low income and the growing black middle class are able to shop. Thus, setting the primary and secondary target market segments is essential for Woolworths, as allowed the company to develop their marketing and business strategy for attracting more customers, expand ing business and maximizing their revenue. Primary segment and decision-making Primary market segment highly influences the decision-making process of the business organizations. This is because the business organizations develop business strategies such as price, quality of the product; marketing based on the demands, expectations and needs of the primary customers. Thus, it is essential for the business organizations to consider the demands and needs of the primary market segment for their business (Weinstein Cahill, 2014). It is essential for Woolworths to consider the demands, needs and expectations of the primary market segment, that is, people with higher income and standard living. This is because considering the demands and needs of the primary market segment will help Woolworths to develop products according to them. As a result, Woolworths will be able to attract the majority of the customers and satisfy them by fulfilling their needs (Ashton, Maguire Spilsbury, 2016). On the other hand, considering the demands and needs of the primary market segment is essential for Woolworths, as this segment will result in the majority of the sale for the company. Thus, Woolworths need to ensure that the demands of the primary market segment are fulfilled by maintaining the quality of the product, the price of the product and the type of the product launched for the customers (Dey, Lahiri Zhang, 2014). Additionally, considering and fulfilling the aim of the primary market segment of Woolworths will also help the company in gaining competitive advantage and stand out from the major competitors in the Australian market. Competition The Australian market highlights pure competition in the retail sector that has a homogenous range of products. The number of retail supermarkets in Australia includes: Wesfarmers Metcash Coles Costco Lidl Aidl Star Mart From the aforementioned list, it can be said that the Australian market has pure competition with several retail supermarkets dealing with similar products thereby, providing endless and pre competition. One of the major competitor Woolworths in the Australian market is Coles. The SWOT analysis of Woolworths includes: Strength One of the oldest companies to introduce model retail trade With more than 968 retail outlets and 19 convenience stores Strong brand name Sales products manufactured by the company Weakness Negligible global presence Failed to gain competitive advantage Late entry to online marketing Extended length of offers on products Opportunities Using electronic media for advertising Comparatively low price to the competitors Extending channels for customers Adopting multi-option retail to cope up with changing needs Threats Higher and aggressive competition Increased cost of raw materials Economic recession Political intervention From the above analysis, it can be said that Woolworths has a more competitive advantage compared to Coles in the Australian market. Strengths: Woolworths is one of the oldest companies that have introduced the model of retail trade in Australia. The company has more retail outlets throughout Australia compared to Coles. Thus, the majority of the Australian population prefers Woolworths than Coles due to the higher brand presence and brand name. Additionally, Woolworths sales sole manufactured products in terms of vegetables and fruits that are not done by the sole competitor Coles in the Australian market. These strengths helped Woolworths in gaining a competitive advantage over Coles (Dos Santos, Svensson Padin, 2013). Weaknesses: The weakness that determines the position of Woolworths from Coles includes the negligible presence of the brand or the company at a global platform. Coles has the worldwide recognition that has helped the company in gaining better competitive advantage both in the national and in the international market. Additionally, Woolworths opted for digital marketing much lately compared to Coles (Fernie Sparks, 2014). As a result, Coles succeeded in capturing large Australian market compared to Woolworths. Another drawback of Woolworths that affected its position compared to Coles is the extended length of offers on the products. Coles provide offers for limited and short period thereby, engaging the customers effectively. Extended offers by Woolworth's results hamper the customers willingness to shop from the supermarket (Corkery, Mikalsen Allan, 2017). Opportunities: Woolworths has better opportunities compared to Coles, as the company uses electronic or digital media for advertising their products and offers. As a result, in a huge market like Australia, Woolworths is able to reach out to a wide range of customers thereby, increasing their sales and business. The use of digital media by Coles is limited that hampered them in capturing the Australian market recently. Considering the huge competition in the current market, Woolworths has kept less price of the products compared to Coles (Flax, Bick Abratt, 2016). Threats: The major threat for Woolworths in the Australian market is the fierce and aggressive competition with the competitors such as Coles. Additionally, increased cost of raw materials, economic recession and political intervention are the potential threats that Woolworths encounter compared to Coles in order sustain in the Australian market (Zarkada-Fraser Fraser, 2015). Positioning map for Woolworths Figure 1: Market Positioning of Woolworths (Source: Gong et al., 2013) From the position mapping of Woolworths, it can be said that the company is categorised under high quality and high price. This is because the primary target markets of the company are people with higher income and people with standard living style. The primary target markets have high and stable income that has helped the company in maintaining this position in the position mapping. Based on the demands and the income of the primary customers, the Woolworths have to maintain a standard price and quality of the product. This is because the primary target segments of Woolworths are the segment that the company will sell their majority of the products and incur profit. Conclusion In this report, it can be concluded that Woolworths is one of oldest and most successful retail chain in the Australian market. Since its establishment, the company has grown drastically in the Australian market with an estimated 1000 retail outlets all over the country. From the various market reports, it has been seen that Woolworths have maximised their growth and profitability over the years. From the nature of the company and its products, peopled with higher income and people with standard living style are the primary target market of Woolworths. Thus, the position mapping of the company is categorized under high quality and high price. The company needs to develop their business, product and pricing strategy based on the demand and expectations of the primary market segment, as the company will sell the majority of the product to this segment. Woolworths has selected the people with low income and growing middle class black community, as the company predicts growing customers and sales from the secondary target market. References Arli, V., Dylke, S., Burgess, R., Campus, R., Soldo, E. (2013). Woolworths Australia and Walmart US: Best practices in supply chain collaboration. Journal of Economics, Business Accountancy Ventura, 16(1). Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M., Brennan, R. (2015). Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Education. Ashton, D., Maguire, M., Spilsbury, M. (2016). Restructuring the labour market: The implications for youth. Springer. Bailey, J., Price, R., Pyman, A., Parker, J. (2015). Union power in retail: contrasting cases in Australia and New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Employment Relations (Online), 40(1), 1. Balaji, M. S., Roy, S. K. (2017). Value co-creation with Internet of things technology in the retail industry. Journal of Marketing Management, 33(1-2), 7-31. Braun, A. (2016). Pricing in the primary market for cat bonds: new empirical evidence. Journal of Risk and Insurance, 83(4), 811-847. Brotchie, J., Newton, P., Hall, P., Nijkamp, P. (Eds.). (2017). The future of urban form: the impact of new technology. Routledge. Corkery, J., Mikalsen, M., Allan, K. (2017). Corporate social responsibility: The good corporation. Centre for Commercial Law. Davidov, L. (2014). A correlational study of entrepreneurial orientation and performance in the supermarket industry(Doctoral dissertation, University of Phoenix). Deakin, S. (2013). Addressing labour market segmentation: The role of labour law. Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge. Dey, D., Lahiri, A., Zhang, G. (2014). Quality Competition and Market Segmentation in the Security Software Market. Mis Quarterly, 38(2). Dos Santos, M. A., Svensson, G., Padin, C. (2013). Indicators of sustainable business practices: Woolworths in South Africa. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 18(1), 104-108. Fernie, J., Sparks, L. (2014). Logistics and retail management: emerging issues and new challenges in the retail supply chain. Kogan page publishers. Flax, J., Bick, G., Abratt, R. (2016). The perceptions of supplier-buyer relations and its affect on the corporate brand. Journal of Brand Management, 23(1), 22-37. Gong, Y., Liu, Z., Lupini, A. R., Shi, G., Lin, J., Najmaei, S., ... Terrones, H. (2013). Band gap engineering and layer-by-layer mapping of selenium-doped molybdenum disulfide. Nano letters, 14(2), 442-449. Kang, H., Gray, S. J. (2013). Segment reporting practices in Australia: Has IFRS 8 made a difference?. Australian Accounting Review, 23(3), 232-243. Nepal, R., Menezes, F., Jamasb, T. (2014). Network regulation and regulatory institutional reform: Revisiting the case of Australia. Energy Policy, 73, 259-268. Sutton-Brady, C., Kamvounias, P., Taylor, T. (2015). A model of supplierretailer power asymmetry in the Australian retail industry. Industrial marketing management, 51, 122-130. Weinstein, A., Cahill, D. J. (2014). Lifestyle market segmentation. Routledge. Wilkinson, F. (Ed.). (2013). The dynamics of labour market segmentation. Elsevier. Zarkada-Fraser, A., Fraser, C. (2015). Integrating social and economic orientated marketing: A study of retail management. In Proceedings of the 2000 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference (pp. 219-223). Springer, Cham.