8th grade Universe Stars Review Example For Students

8th grade Universe Stars Review Term Definition Expanding The Big Bang theory tells us that the universe has been and still is __________ Nebula A large cloud of dust and gas that becomes a star Nuclear Fusion The way stars produce energy Milky Way The galaxy in which our solar system exists Andromeda What is the closest spiral galaxy to our galaxy Temperature A physical property that is part of the basis for the HR Diagram Spiral The Milky Way galaxy is this type of galaxy Event Horizon The edge of a black hole Constellations Patterns of stars in the sky Redshift Evidence that the universe is expanding Main Sequence Our sun is this type of star Clouds of Magellan Two irregular galaxies that orbit our galaxy Electromagnetic _______ waves can move through the vacuum of space Light years Extremely large distances in space Universe Something that is approximately 12 to 14 billion years old Yellow The color of a medium temperature star Red Giant A star that has used up all of its hydrogen becomes larger and cooler Gamma rays The highest energy waves that come from stars Luminosity Another expression that means brightness Irregular The type of galaxy that is the smallest Distance What is measured by light-years Parallax Changing star location by earths movement which allows us to calculate how far away they are cool The temperature of orange and red colored stars Galaxy A large group of stars held together by gravity Black Hole One possible result after a star goes supernova White Dwarf After a Red Giant star collapses slowly the very hot tiny dense star that remains Steady state Theory Theory that the universe was and always has been as it is now Super nova Giant stars that collapse quickly and explode out Red Color with the longest wavelength Blue Shift The change in light that is getting closer

Company Analysis Sears Holding Corporation free essay sample

Company Analysis: Sears Holding Corporation Abstract Sears Holdings Corporation (SHC) is the nations fourth largest broadline retailer with approximately 3,900 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. Formed in the later part of the 19th century it was the largest retail company in the country until the early nineties. SHC is currently the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, home electronics and automotive repair and maintenance. As a result of its merger with Kmart in 2005, SHC also has Martha Stewart Everyday products, which are offered exclusively in the U. S. by Kmart. SHC operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation. In recent years Sears has undergone major changes in order to maximize its profits and beat its competitors. In the past several decade Sears has been the place to go shop for home goods, clothing, and fitness equipment and auto repairs. We will write a custom essay sample on Company Analysis: Sears Holding Corporation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As time progressed they became very comfortable with what they hard as other companies such as Wal-Mart, Target, Lowes, JC Penny crept in and reaped a chunk of its market. In a struggle to re-invent itself, it tries to maintain focus on its primary and secondary target markets. Introduction The Sears Holding Corporation is a multinational corporation with retailers purchasing products in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. It is the fourth largest retailer within the United States, with over 3900 locations and sells many different marketable goods for consumers. These goods include products such as tools, branded clothing, appliances, sporting goods, electronics, home maintenance and repair, and automotive from many different retailers (http:// www. searsholdings. com/). The Sears Holding Corporation is a result of the merger between Kmart Holding Corporation with the Sears Roebuck Co. which occurred in 005, and the headquarters is located in Hoffmann Estates, Illinois. The consolidated subsidiaries include Sears, Roebuck and Co. , Lands End Inc. , LRFG, LLC, Sears Brands, LLC, Sears Canada, Inc. , Sears Financial Holdings Corporation, Sears Reinsurance Company, Ltd. , Kmart Holding Corporation, Kmart Management Corporation, Kmart Corporation , and the Sears Holdings Management Corporation(http:// www. secinfo. com/dVut2. v3ap. 5. htm#1stPage). Brief History The Sears Roebuck Corporation was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah C. Roebuck in 1893. Sears started as a Jeweler who made a profit by selling watches. The most innovative and quite possibly the most famous method of sales synonymous with Sears was the Sears Catalog. Providing pictures of the products, the prices, and a handy item that could be ordered on a regular basis for sales was by far an ingenious method of marketing. Consumers would be able to purchase items with no markup, have knowledge of their budgets required for purchases, and be somewhat assured of the quality of the product based upon the appearance, marketable ideas and mainly products which could be sold, thus expanding Sears enterprise. Mainly from the early 1900s throughout the 1980s, Sears maintained its tronghold in Americas consumer market, especially in the 40s and 50s with its tremendous expansion. However, towards the 90s and 2000s, as many other big businesses arrived, divestiture, as well as problems associated with employee wage issues, Sears marketability dropped off until its merger with Kmart in 2005 (http:// en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Sears). Kmart first opened in 1962 and was founded by Sebastian S. Kresge. It was a relatively successful corporation and utilized marketing ideas within the store, namely Blue Light Specials which would entice customers to urchase the blue light or discounted items while they were shopping for their products. Unfortunately, due to failed ideas regarding consumer marketing, failure to utilize the computer technologies for supply chain management, and other setbacks, Kmart had to declare bankruptcy in early 2002. (http://en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/Kmart). Merger The merger between Kmart and Sears clearly enhanced both of the companies mutual progressive goals. Sears invested many assets in the formation of Sears Grand stores, larger off store malls, and in the process bought many of the Kmart locations which were going out of business. Therefore the merger helped this process so that it would enable the further growth of Sears at a quicker pace as well as enhance the productivity and save the Kmart Corporation. This was clearly a strong decision made by the executives in combining forces so that the marketability of both companies would increase. Along with this, the shareholders could make a tremendous profit with this alliance. Prior to the merger, if the independent companies were not steadily increasing their revenue shareholders would lose money from their investments. The combination of both of the corporations would mprove shareholder investment returns and thus facilitate the growth of the Sears Holding Corporation. The more investors receive higher returns, the greater investments into the company thus fostering its overall growth. The proprietary brands, selling the aforementioned products, under both companies would be able to reach the target demographic groups with greater ease. The real estate holdings of individual Kmart or individual Sears stores, now under the umbrella of the Sears Holding Corporation, could be leveraged, thus enhancing the ability to sell more of their combined products to a vast variety of consumers. This was reported to increase revenue by nearly 200 million dollars per year. Along with the increased revenue, a decrease in overall cost for maintenance of both corporations due to the merger would save nearly 300 million dollars per year (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/ Sears_Holdings_Corporation). A general projected net increase of 500 million dollars per year is a phenomenal growth rate. As mentioned previously, a global distribution of these stores in the North American continent (from Mexico to Canada) has enabled the Sears Holding Company to expand even further. Leadership Overall, this merger helped Sears Holdings Corporation be a force in the United States market. As the eighth largest company in the US, the profits and revenue have increased tremendously, but the lack of leadership and the constant changing of executive power has been a preventative factor in its further growth and means that a company cannot initiate new marketable strategies that will come to fruition. Employee stability and satisfaction in a large company is always an issue as well, because Job security is always in question when companies merge. Another downside to such mergers means that the people in executive positions can relocate o other positions at different companies, and strategies that were used to run a single company might not work due to multiple variables involved to create a Joint company. Initially, the decisions to run the Joint company might cause disagreements that might not necessarily increase the percentage of revenue on an annual basis. However, after testing market strategies over a period of time, implementing different methods to sell products, and keep investors happy by generating profits on a yearly basis, the company will eventually succeed through innovation and investment. SHC faces stiff competition from big box retailer such as Wal-Mart and Target. In the mid-tier its competitors include Macys,J. C. Penny and Kohls. Organizational Structure SHC recently implemented an organizational structure and operating model that aids in the management of its several business lines thus creating autonomy and focus for business unit management teams. This 5 unit structure enables each organization to focus on their core capabilities and categories which are: support, operating business, brands, online, operating business and real-estate. These support units provide administrative and operational support to the areas of arketing, store operations, customer strategy and finance. Each unit thus comes with a designated leader and an advisory group which is composed of Sears Holding executives. Giving autonomy to each unit futures the business by allowing them to focus on management and profitable of that Unit and the company as a whole (Reuters 2008). With these changes I believe SHC will be better placed to compete and maximize profits. Target market The primary target market for sears is arguably home owners between the ages of 25 to 55 with a moderate household income 25,000 to 60000 dollars. Homeowners make he majority of the population shopping at sears stores. This accounts for the sale in the hard lines department. Sears provides home improvement solutions to this group of people. This group is attracted by products such as home appliances, entertainment centers, home dГÂ ©cor, and fitness equipments. The main appeal to these customers is home appliances and lawn and garden tools. This is so because Sears has a reputation for Secondary market targeted by SHC consists mainly the younger generation. In an effort to bring itself up to par with its competitors, they have been providing brands and clothing items in the soft lines department. This group consists of school age children (4-18). Sears offers products like the kids advantage program where parents can purchase shoes for their kids and be able to switch it for a new pair sometime down the road. Last year Sears teamed upped with LL Cool J and MTVto provide the LL Cool J brand appeal to the teenage population. This brand resonates better with young African American and Latino teenagers. Competitors In the hard lines division sears faces major competition from hardware retail giants such as Lowes and Home Depot. These two have managed to cut off some primary more variety home improvement products than sears. Their yearly sales post better profits than SHC. The soft lines department faces major completion from JC penny, Macys, Target and Wal-Mart. Macys and JC Penney have managed to chip away some of the market by providing better quality brand named apparel such as Liz Claiborne, Baby Phat, and Anne Kline to these customers. Both companies have managed to post better revenue than SHC the previous quarters. Retail Giants such as Wal-Mart currently (currently No. 1) and Target also provide stiff competition for SHC. These two also have managed to fair better than Sears during this harsh economic period ith Wal-Mart providing a variety of products at super low prices, while target provides more quality apparel at equivalent prices. Recent Performance The company recorded revenues of $46,700 million during the financial year (FY) ended January 2009, a decrease of 7. 8 % over 2008. The operating profit of the company during FY2009 was $251 million, a decrease of 83. 8% from 2008. The net profit was $53 million in FY2009, a decrease of 93. 6% over FY2008. The decline in operating and net profit was due to decrease in gross margin and higher impairment chargers. Stock Market Chart SHC http://www. reuters. om/finance/stocks/chart? symbol=SHLD. OQ The graph chart above illustrates how SHC has performed in the stock market since the merger in 2005. SHC has seen a constant struggle since the merger, the highest grossing year being 2007 when SHLD stock went for $ 190 and currently at $78 thanks to the current economic crisis. Of all the revenue grossed by SHC in recent and past years only 11% comes from Sears Canada meaning the most of SHC revenue is generated here at home: 55% form Sears domestic and 34% from Kmart as demonstrated by the Pie chart below. http://www. wikinvest. com/stock/Sears_Holdings_(SHLD) SWOT Analysts For decades the hard-lines department brought the highest revenue to the business and is considered one of the strengths of sears. Here we see the power of Sears owned brand named products such as Craftsman, Kenmore and the usual home improvement tools and equipments. Such are products that are nationally recognized as very reliable tools. In the soft-lines department sears brands such as Lands End and Diehard are also heavy sellers and nationally recognized. One other strength of sears is that it is dedicate to its community and customers. Sears has taken upon its self to provide excellence in customer services and for years has had a tring of dedicated customers. Sears is also involved in serving the community and helping the less fortunate. Programs like Heroes at Home and Extreme Makeover Home Edition has Sears written all over it. This dedication to the community has help exposed it to consumers The weakness of this corporation stands from what may have been one of its strengths. Though it has a large customer base, Sears has allowed its sales volume to plummet because they are not keeping up with the changing market environment. They have lost touched with the consumers and competitors when it comes to soft- ines (clothing) and some hard-lines divisions. Sears has undergone too much diversification and has thus lost focus on retail services (Prentice-Hall, 2003). Most of it retail stores today are not reflective of the needs of the consumer. Sears clothing line is old, outdated and out of touch with fashion trends. Currently retail stores are old worn out and do not attack customers. At present its current CEO has been interim so for 18 month indicative of managerial or leadership problems (Gorenstein 2009). Opportunity The merger of K-mart in 2005, was thought be the silver bullet that would revamp he company, providing a variety of products and obtain an expanded customer base. So far SHC has post several quarterly losses with the most recent of 94 million dollar (SHC 2009). Sears has the opportunity to revamp or improve sales in the soft-lines department by buying and capitalizing on brands such as Liz Cleburne, Nine West that are appealing to customers. They currently have brands such as LL Cool J and Joe Boxers that are thriving in the male department. For the Hard-line department, while it is thriving sears can still provide affordable and durable products with the kind of guarantee that they have for Craftsman tools. In general a change to inventory that appeal to the consumers will bring in revenue and make Sears a better competitor. Threats Like any other company in business Sears faces a constant threat from its competitors. Sears current faces threats from retail giants such as Wal-Mart and Target. More over departmental stores such as Macys and JC Penny are also fighting for its customers. It is worth noting that all these business were babies compared to Sears in the past. More discount stores are opening further driving down sails in certain departments. Sears risk losing its customers if it doesnt re-invent the stores o provide items that appeal to them. The economic down turn hasnt been fair to SHC as they have posted record losses for the whole year and until the situation improves SHC has to take steps to reduce cost and increase profits or revenue. Supply Chain Management Sears main focus when supply chain management is concerned, is to replenish its inventory as quickly as possible. SHC has 3 basic products: seasonal products such a s lawn mowers and snow blowers, perennial best sellers and fast moving products that need to be replenished rapidly. Unlike many of its competitors, SHC provides 6 illion home appliances/home improvement deliveries directly to customers homes every year. To do this effectively SHC uses Cross-docking which is a type of distribution in which inbound products are unloaded at distribution centers, sorted by destination and then loaded onto delivery trucks. Thus the goods are not warehouse i. e. they are Just moved across ducts This reduces the days in inventory positioned its inventory in 4 regional warehouses so it can provide next-day delivery to it customers and quickly replenish store supply. Recommendations How can we stars fixing the problems faced by sears? Starting from the top, a permanent CEO, not another Interim should be put in place to take charge of long term decision making. An environmental analysis would help Sears see where it is and help guide it to where is should be in the market place. Showing them who their customers are, what the customers want and how they can out-beat the competition for more customers. It is no secret that the brands and styles in the soft-lines department have to be ever changing to appeal to customer in time. SHC needs to invest more money into remodeling each departmental store, making it easily accessible and more appealing to consumers. In light of the fact that SHC has lost touch with its customer base, decentralization should be considered. This will allow specialty stores that carter to consumers in each region thus increasing customer base and revenue. References About Sears Holding Corporation (2009) Retrieved September 4, 2009 from website: https://searsholdings.com/about https://searsholdings.com/about/kmart https://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx.shtml http://wps.prenhall.com/bp_beekman_compconf_6/ http://ru.reuters.com/ http://www.searsarchives.com/history/history1886.htm http:// www. wikinvest. com/ https://searsholdings.com/ http://archives.chicagotribune.com/

Childhood Essays - , Term Papers, Research Papers

Childhood We were then Children with nothing but Childhood. We played kiss Tag and suicide which Was merely a game with Throwing, and running, and Touching the side of the School house before the thud Of the ball. You became The rumor of a girl Who missed high school English And dated the boys who Would have, should have, will have Been in jail. They said You fought with your parents And even ran away At Christmastime. I became The sweetheart of the high School staff with "Excellents," Ivy League potential, A chance to do great deeds And late nights alone in My room, worrying if A ninety was an "A" Or a "B." What we became Was friends for life who ran And then walked naked on The dunes of Moody Beach And talked of God and life As we shot our shots of Kamikaze and I Carried you out of the Bar with love. What they saw Was the saver in me And the savee in you The lost girl who was back On track after all of That trash and even has A shot at college now Which means all the tea in China you know. What I see now Is the girl who saved me From torching my path through The sky. At breakneck speeds Towards oldness and deadness And all the monsters we Fought in youth, who wore ties, Breathed fire, and who worked more Than played. What you are now Is dropped out and free As you scheme to tag whales Off the coast of Wales or Study the Earth in New Zealand. But you still crashed Your car twice last week On the ice of Tatnic Road and I worry. What I am now Is learning, achieving, Interning. Taking notes, Gaining knowledge, looking At the future and all I could be, and grad school, Careers and how much I could Make and B.A.'s and b.s. And you worry. Rightly so.

Free Essays on Civilization

Development of civilization As advanced of a society we live in today it is sometimes hard to perceive how far we have come along in the last couple thousand years. From today’s metropolises, religious quarrels, ten million man armies, computer graphics, political leaders, and records on everything from Wall Street to what J-lo and Ben are up to. To the early civilization cave drawings of a mammoth, three man hunters, ten person settlements, gods of fire, tooth necklaces, and village chiefs. There have always been six constant factors that have defined civilization. Though very different in structure they all achieve the same purpose, to live harmoniously as a group. I guess? Most of the early civilizations were all based around of some water source, such as the most famous, the Nile River in Egypt. This provided a place for people to bathe, hydrate, hunt, and participate in such activities together. This was the basis of all that followed of urbanization. Though not planned it started a community that eventually became structured. This is where all political, economic, culture, and religion was based around. Though religion is different in all early civilizations it remained to have the same concept of ideas of a higher being or beings knowing all and controlling a certain element of life. Again, infamously the Egyptians which were as strong as any other in religious beliefs and ceremonies. It was the biggest factor in there society. Everything from what they ate to how they were buried had to do with some religious factor. It also served as there government. The Pharaohs were perceived as gods with special powers of some sort. They in fact also ran the government with firm power. They controlled everything including the military. This was one of the most well documented theocracies in history. As society progressed a certain distinction between people developed. It was the defining factor on which you are... Free Essays on Civilization Free Essays on Civilization Development of civilization As advanced of a society we live in today it is sometimes hard to perceive how far we have come along in the last couple thousand years. From today’s metropolises, religious quarrels, ten million man armies, computer graphics, political leaders, and records on everything from Wall Street to what J-lo and Ben are up to. To the early civilization cave drawings of a mammoth, three man hunters, ten person settlements, gods of fire, tooth necklaces, and village chiefs. There have always been six constant factors that have defined civilization. Though very different in structure they all achieve the same purpose, to live harmoniously as a group. I guess? Most of the early civilizations were all based around of some water source, such as the most famous, the Nile River in Egypt. This provided a place for people to bathe, hydrate, hunt, and participate in such activities together. This was the basis of all that followed of urbanization. Though not planned it started a community that eventually became structured. This is where all political, economic, culture, and religion was based around. Though religion is different in all early civilizations it remained to have the same concept of ideas of a higher being or beings knowing all and controlling a certain element of life. Again, infamously the Egyptians which were as strong as any other in religious beliefs and ceremonies. It was the biggest factor in there society. Everything from what they ate to how they were buried had to do with some religious factor. It also served as there government. The Pharaohs were perceived as gods with special powers of some sort. They in fact also ran the government with firm power. They controlled everything including the military. This was one of the most well documented theocracies in history. As society progressed a certain distinction between people developed. It was the defining factor on which you are...

Discussion Board 4-1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Discussion Board 4-1 - Assignment Example Suppression and denial of emotions leads to withdrawal and even development of antisocial behaviors that may spill to affect the nature of relationship with a family. The approach can be effective in treating a family with a depressed and withdrawn adolescent daughter who is experiencing first menstrual circle but fears to tell parents who discourage discussions about sex and sexual developments. In this case, the depression and withdrawal of the adolescent daughter may be the only causes of the presenting family problem. Parents may feel uncomfortable with emotional shifts in their daughter and opt to invite a therapist. Applying Experiential Therapy will enable a therapist directly and spontaneously interrogate the daughter about her concerns and reasons for emotional shift. Structural Therapy will not be effective because it can be possible that parents only prohibit discussions about sex with their children but encourage other topics. Interpersonal boundaries can be comforting to every member, and it may be difficult noting any inefficient boundary within the existing family

Mobile tecnology services Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Mobile tecnology services - Assignment Example Vodafone Business Email, Windows Mobile Email and Blackberry from Vodafone provide business customers, ranging from small start-up companies to multinational corporates, with wireless access to their enterprise and internet based email. Vodafone live- Vodafone live! is our on-handset communications and multimedia portal, which gives you access to services like games, ringtones, news, sports and information. We are always enhancing and improving Vodafone live! to provide better and richer content and make it easier for you to access it. Vodafone live! is available over our 3G network, enabling far higher quality content and communication services, like news broadcasts, sports highlights, music videos and movie trailers. Content partners include Time Warner, News Corp, NBC, Universal and Sony. The 3G service also supports full-track music downloads. You can use your phone to listen to music, choosing from more than 750,000 music tracks to download. Agreements with Sony BMG Music Entertainment, EMI, Universal Music, Warner Music and independent music labels secure music from some of the world's greatest artists. Vodafone live! also includes useful information services for driving directions, train and flight times and much more. The full Vodafone live! service is included with the latest Vodafone live! mobile handsets. V Vodafone to Roll Out Advanced Customer Service Directly on the Handset- The SNAPin service enables customers to navigate an on-screen visual menu of options which customers can use to answer questions or solve their problems right on the handset. Customers also have the option to connect through to the call centre, bypassing traditional IVR menus, or to get an automatic response directly on their phone. The menu can be tailored according to the needs of different customers. Roper Mobile Technology Roper Mobile Technology is the leading provider of fully rugged, highly customizable computer solutions for challenging environments. Designed from the ground up, the Company's full line of rugged mobile computing solutions include lightweight handhelds, Tablets, Ultra Mobile PCs and fixed mount computers. Roper Mobile Technology provides Customer Services through contact of Technical Support inside the website as well as a form to be filled-up by customers known as Returend Materials Authorization (RMA) MYPORTAL EXCHANGE INC. Services Offered: MyGallery - Offers a unique service of creating your own online photo album so that you won't have to consume as much phone memory. If you're the type of person who loves taking picture of just about everything using (just about any form of device but specially) a mobile phone, then you have encountered problems with your phone memory not being enough. In that case, we have the perfect solution for you! MyGallery offers a unique service of creating our own online photo album so that you won't have to consume as much phone memory. With the lastess technology, it has become a lot easier to upload pictures and download them via the Internet or WAP-enabled phones. SchoolConnect- A product that make use of SMS messaging to utilize the network of parents and students and schools. It has a wide-range of service among which are message broadcasting for example sending out to registered parents that

Examining HRM Initiatives utilized by Modern Companies

Examining HRM Initiatives utilized by Modern Companies What is HRM The term HRM or human resource management means managing people in different areas of the business. Human resource responsibilities consist of four types of responsibilities in the business management hiring, retaining, compensation and designing their work in the organization. The basic objective of almost every HRM department in the business organizations is to maximise the overall production efficiency of the organization and the optimal use of the human resources (employees) As Edward L. Gubman observed in the  Journal of Business Strategy,  the basic mission of human resources will always be to acquire, develop, and retain talent; align the  workforce  with the business; and be an excellent contributor to the business. Those three challenges will never change. Human Resource Management in the Current Era In recent years, HRM field changed to a great extent and has the major effect on the field of human resource management. One of the major aspects is technology development in the business environment. So human resource management has to face new challenges like to train the employees for new technologies like satellite networking and tele-conferessing and other such like devices. Importance of Human Resource Management Until a few years back the HRM department was being considered the department of less importance in the corporate hierarchy but now human resource department value in the organizations has grown dramatically because management knows that HRM department is directly responsible for the progress and nourishment of the business. Without effective HRM department it is impossible for companies to compete and evolve the current era of business competition. And this recognition of HRM importance has reached not only to the large scale businesses but also to the small scale businesses. As Irving Burstiner commented in  The Small Business Handbook,  Hiring the right people-and training them well-can often mean the difference between scratching out the barest of livelihoods and steady business growthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Personnel problems do not discriminate between small and big business. You find them in all businesses, regardless of size. Importance of Performance Appraisal in Current Scenario To measure and evaluate the performance of the employees is always very crucial for business and the concerned managers and officials continuously perform this rating and evaluation throughout the year. The importance of appraising performance of the employees can be compared to the managing financials and other resources of the organization because the performance of the employees has the direct relation with the utilization of the other resources of the organization and heavily effect the overall performance of the organization. How to conduct performance appraisal programme The five key elements of the performance appraisal are: Measurement   assessing performance against agreed targets and objectives. Feedback   providing information to the individual on their performance and progress. Positive reinforcement   emphasising what has been done well and making only constructive criticism about what might be improved. Exchange of views   a frank exchange of views about what has happened, how appraises can improve their performance, the support they need from their managers to achieve this and their aspirations for their future career. Agreement   jointly coming to an understanding by all parties about what needs to be done to improve performance generally and overcome any issues raised in the course of the discussion. There are many tools for performance appraisal which are being used by the different organizations like behavioural anchored rating scale, forced choice method, checklist, graphic rating scale, rating, M.B.O. etc. Case study AUTOGLASS Ltd Background Autoglass is the UKs leading vehicle glass repair and replacement company, and has the largest market share. It is part of the Belron group, which is the worlds biggest vehicle glass company. In the UK, there are just over 2,000 employees, approximately 1,100 of whom are mobile technicians, working out of 130 branches. There are three main groups of employee: trained and trainee technicians based throughout the UK; customer service staff based in the customer contact centre in Bedford and in Autoglass branches across the UK, and support staff located in the state-of-the-art head office in Bedford. The HR department is a team of 25 people, which manages all the HR functions including: resourcing, employee relations, management development, technical training, internal communications, health and safety, and technical services. The case for alignment The organisation has always performed well. HR has a good reputation and has been an important part of the business since the late-1990s. (From the early-1990s, HR was known as Personnel and Training.) The HR plan is formulated with close consideration to the business strategy, but as well as this HR is in a position to add to the business planning processes. The HR director is a member of the executive committee, which is responsible for strategy and business development. In 2002, although the company continued to be successful, it was felt there was a need to map out new opportunities for growth and to review the strengths of the business, so Autoglass committed to a strategic review. This ran in partnership with the parent company. An important part of this was a people review, which examined: Who have we got? The demographic picture How people enter and exit the business recruitment, tenure and turnover How people are managed The organisational culture. How was alignment achieved? Although historically there has been a personnel function in Autoglass since the early-1990s, the HR director role was created in 1997.HR is now an established fulcrum between company and staff. There are two key strands to this role, which HR endeavours to interweave. Improving: business performance by working closely with the business heads and the yearly/five-year business plans the working lives and conditions of employees and, as it is not a unionised environment, HR takes this role seriously. The HR director believes that working conditions affect the standard of people coming into the company. For example, HR recently increased holiday entitlement for managers after noticing that their offering was a bit short of the national average. This was done despite some management resistance. A great example of HR working in line with the business at Autoglass was the role played in critical structural and reward changes in 2000 after it was recognised that the business structures had become too complex.HR led the approach to these changes while working very closely with regional managers, providing professional competence, guidance and moral support. For the organisation, it was an excellent example of cross-functional working. The changes included: Discontinuation of the network structure, so branches became independent Even stronger commitment to the mobile working strategy Table Of Different Significant HR Initiatives And Business Out Comes HR INITIATIVE BUSINESS OUTCOME Training and development Auto glass invest more than average in its training and development programme50, providing a comprehensive training programme for technicians through the National Skills Centre. In addition, there is a management training plan, and management development centres have been run based on carefully analysed leadership success factors Staff turnover has fallen The quality of service has improved Succession planning An organisation-wide capability review has recently been conducted The trainee management programme is Auto glasss graduate recruitment programme, which is fairly unique in the industry. Improving the quality of branch management Employee relations There is an employee assistance programme,which has a utilisation rate of just under five per cent Managing directors open house programme Field-based HR roles staff satisfaction is used as a key performance indicator and the overall index score has increased from 50 to 61 since 1995. Pay and benefits The pay scales are in the upper quartile and all staff are on a variable earnings plan Business performance has improved year on year since 2000,with 2003 being the best year ever Performance management Autoglass has a well-established performance management system. Every manager has received training in the process. Recent trends show that positive ratings are on the increase The staff survey shows the highest positive results around clarity of goals and whats expected of me.This suggests the organisation is providing a framework for employees to work to their maximum capacity We come to you. Productivity-based reward system for technicians, which was a huge benefit to the business. The management and output of the strategic people review is a good reflection of the overall HR ethos in Autoglass, which focuses on the practical and does not over intellectualise in pursuit of best practice. The HR director feels that it is more important to realise that organisations are not linear: learning about your specific case and finding out where the pain is in the business is more realistic. While working towards more blue sky improvements is important, it is critical to balance this with attending to existing problems.HR see this balance as their key role. To plan current and future HR work so that it aligns with business needs, Autoglass uses both quantitative and qualitative methods including staff satisfaction survey results, turnover and sickness data as well as listening to what people at all levels around the business are saying. For example, senior managers go out into the business and lead open house participative sessions with a cross-section of staff.HR facilitate these sessions, focusing on what issues are being dealt with in the business currently and managing staff expectations. The HR department is confident in its ability to add value. Resources for the review were found almost entirely internally rather than using large-scale consultancy to manage the process. For the strategic review, Autoglass used an internal team (including a regional manager ,a contact centre manager, an HR manager, the HR director and the rewards manager),with support from their parent company Belron and one independent consultant from The Work Foundation to provide an external perspective. Outcomes Generally, according to the staff attitude survey, satisfaction ratings have improved in gradual progression over roughly the last 8-year period to 61 from a base of 50.Although managers own the results of their area, HR feels this says a great deal about its contribution to the business and the working lives of staff overall. The pace of improvement has accelerated since the changes in 2000 that resulted from the changing the game project. The business, after an initial dip, was energised. More specifically, the people review provided an excellent birds-eye view of how HR was functioning. While the policies and processes were working well generally, it was felt that there were areas of real weakness that were a cost to the business and could be improved on. The main issue was that the recruitment process for technicians was not working. In response to the review findings, in under a year HR has designed and perfected a new approach to recruitment. Although there is habitually high turnover in the industry, this has improved. The process has been well received throughout the business. Training and development initiatives have had a positive effect on the business. Drop-out rates from training programmes are low, indicating that staff and their managers value training and give it a high priority. Around 56 per cent of people are working to a personal development plan. More crucially, the National Skills Centre had a positive impact, most notably on performance of fitters, and a business case for a relocation and expansion of the facility was approved earlier in the year. Succession planning has resulted in a balance at senior levels between internal promotion and external appointments. Most vacancies are advertised internally, but an exclusively external process is used if it is known that the necessary skills and experience do not exist in the organisation or new blood is needed. Conditions for success The good reputation of HR is critical to its involvement in business planning and performance improvements. The HR director feels that HR people who understand the business they are in and are confident to be part of the issues peculiar to it is central to sustaining their reputation. This combined with enlightened senior management is how HR sustains its strategic role. In Autoglass it is accepted that people are part of the solution rather than part of the problem. The people dynamic is crucial people are a vital part of our business, says the HR director. With an overwhelming majority of their customers meeting technicians in the field face-to-face, the people element cannot be ignored.HR is fundamental to recruiting and managing these people. Influencing business heads is an important and iterative process at Autoglass. Partnerships with business heads are central to most of the projects they work on, for example the structural and pay changes in 2000.In addition, persistence with initiatives and ideas has been a large part of HRs success in adding value. While you need a few quick wins, issues such as motivation and leadership are only long term. There is no use in pretending otherwise, says the HR director. Challenges Phase One of the overall strategic process took longer than anticipated due to some complicated market research. As a consequence, the follow-up stages have been delayed. Often the stark realities of business needs are cyclical and demand short-term responses, which can inhibit longer term thinking. However, HR views this as the way things are rather than a major challenge although there can be tensions in getting people to realise that long-term solutions are vital to managing out short-term problems. For example, getting people to use new recruitment approaches and getting people to stick with it even if it does not work at first. Sustainability Building on achievements and working with the business as they evolve. Consistently reviewing HR policies and processes. Continuing to find the weak spots in the business and looking at where HR can intervene. Pushing the boundaries of the employer of choice agenda, for instance implementing a sabbatical policy. Learning and sharing across the Belron group, particularly looking at the more mature businesses in the organisation, such as those in Belgium and Holland