Management and Organisational Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Management and Organisational Culture - Essay Example the mode of regulation and , 4. the mode of socialization. In the United States and Britain, flexibility typically embodies one of the two primary definitions, as the principal emphasis is on the internal structure of labour. The French regulationist school tends to put emphasis on the role of the state and its legal manipulation of economy, accessibility, labour flows, and labour structures (McDowell 1992; 402-3). Question 1 addresses flexibility as it pertains to a business article about outsourcing to India; Question 2 analyses the same concept with regards to a specific business. 'Flexibility' as described in Gentlemen's article about cyber-coolies (itself a name that is representative of the new boundaries of international business) is a politically-correct term that can and is applied to both legitimate and culturally-exploitative business practices in India and beyond. The mere fact that industries such as Citibank, as well as hundreds of telemarketing and call centre businesses, can base their customer service centres in places like India, the fact that this is both culturally feasible due to intensive training programs, and fiscally lucrative, due to international economics and exchange rates, is extremely indicative of this 'flexibility'. However, this same term can be used to cover a raft of ills; damaging practices and habits can and have been instituted in a number of countries around the world in the name of this same 'flexibility'. Pietrykowski expands on this definition, writing that the notion of flexibility refers to technology, markets, skills as they pertain to jobs, and the degree to which markets replace the firm in the allocation of resources to production (quoting Schoenberger 1987, 1988; Gertler 1988, 1989, 1992; Harvey 1989; Hirst and Zeitlin 1991). Pietrykowski notes that, when considered as a group, these factors essentially compose a system of capitalist production that stands in clear contrast to its predecessor, Fordism. While there certainly exist differences between flexible accumulation and mass production strategies of accumulation, "this distinction tends to ignore their similarities and, in so doing, fails to provide a detailed account of the historical transition from Fordist to flexi- centralized mass production (Pietrykowski 1995; 383)." Gentlemen's article reveals certain trends that have taken strong hold worldwide. The first, and most pertinent, is the concept of outsourcing: in lay-speech, the practice of sending unskilled, semi-skilled, and even skilled jobs overseas in order to pay workers less for their performances. This trend has been both lauded and criticized, and justifiably so. Marketers and businesses claim that outsourcing provides stable income in countries where such opportunities are largely unavailable, perhaps ignoring the cost to the workers at home. In some cases, Indian workers who are employed at offshore companies experience much better working conditions and benefits than do their nationally-employed counterparts. Outsourcing, however, carries a host of problems. It has the potential to destabilize industries in the business' home country by taking so many jobs away, in the name of financial gain for a few.

Researching and Developing a New Business Venture Essay

Researching and Developing a New Business Venture - Essay Example The paper also focuses on the micro level evaluation of the restaurant industry, with the help of Porter’s five forces model. Subsequently, the paper accentuates on the micro-level restaurant industry evaluation, with due consideration to the economic viability of the restaurant business model. The paper further confers the mission and the aspiration of the team. Finally, the paper concludes with the discussion of the rationale for the attractiveness of the new venture and cites reasons for the same. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Introduction 4 Micro-Level Market Assessment 5 Macro-Level Market Assessment 7 Macro-Level Industry Assessment 8 Micro-Level Industry Assessment 10 Team Assessment 13 Summary and Conclusions 15 References 16 Bibliography 19 Introduction The paper comprises of a customer feasibility assessment for setting up an Afro-Caribbean restaurant in Allerton, a suburb in Liverpool, United Kingdom. The paper initially focuses on the micro-level assessment of the market for the restaurant. This assessment is focussed on identifying the target market segment for the Afro-Caribbean restaurant, its size and growth opportunity. The assessment also accentuates on the needs of the target group and the suitability of the restaurant’s cuisines in meeting those needs. ... Conclusively, the paper discusses the rationale for the attractiveness of the new venture and cites reasons for the same (Mullins, 2007). Micro-Level Market Assessment The potential target market for an Afro-Caribbean restaurant in Allerton, Liverpool would be the British Afro Caribbean community and other ethnic groups residing in the area as well as the British population who have a liking for Caribbean foods. The total population of Allerton has been estimated to be around 30,000 (VDC Group, 2011). It has been observed that a decent magnitude of ethnic population resides in the Allerton region and its vicinity. Bernstock (2007), had stated in his study on the meal preference of Afro-Caribbean people that a clear correlation could be identified amid the African-Caribbean populace interviewed and their consumption preference, with an obvious inclination for Afro Caribbean cooking. This was despite the fact that there have been considerable cultural and social changes that has been o bserved amongst the Afro Caribbean population in the United Kingdom over the years (Caterer and Hotelkeeper, 1986). Additionally, the rapidly increasing statistics of ‘Black and Minority Ethnic’ restaurants imply that there is huge potential for a restaurant business, catering Afro Caribbean foods (Bernstock 2007). This is particularly true for Allerton because this neighbourhood of Liverpool does not have any prominent eatery dedicated solely to Afro Caribbean cuisines. During the recent years, a significant market has emerged for the category of cuisine, often referred as the ‘ethnic’ food. The augmented production of ethnic food in the UK lately is partially a response to the expanding group of African and other Ethnic communities in the UK. However, the growth in