Investigate their human resources, administration, finance and sales Essay Example for Free

Investigate their human resources, administration, finance and sales Essay Marks and Spencers have many different store departments but also have many different departments of their business, its functional areas. I am going to look at and investigate their human resources, administration, finance and sales and marketing departments to then see how each contributes to the running of Marks and Spencers. Human Resources: The human resources department aims to carry out 5 major things, these being: 1. Recruiting, keeping and dismissing employees. This is a major task for MS as they need the right type of employees for the business to operate its best, also the employees shall decide the businesses success present and future. Recruiting new employees could be hiring new people from outside the business or promoting workers already working in the business. Many businesses such as MS like recruiting from outside the business to bring new ideas and enthusiasm. MS would want to keep all their existing employees as they would risk losing experienced and trained staff, plus recruiting new workers and training them can prove to be expensive. Sometimes MS would have to dismiss or sack employees, this may be due if an employee cannot carry out their job efficiently or effectively. Also many employees are dismissed or made redundant, as their jobs no longer exist, say the fall in a particular product could lead to the dismissal of many staff. Read more:Â  Human Resource Management Essay 2. Monitoring and providing good working conditions. Working conditions includes; the cleanliness of a place, the provision of rest areas, hours of work and holidays. Working conditions have a great impact on how well a business operates and how well employees can carry out their work. They are normally a subject for negotiation between trade unions and human resources. MS have an area for staff to relax and spend their breaks in. The whole store would be regularly cleaned every day for both the workers and customers. 3. Training, developing and promoting employees. Human resources need their staff to be able to ensure that employees are able to do their jobs, they may give training at MS or through course at local colleges, planning jobs so that employees enjoy new experiences and develop new skills also promoting employees to more senior positions to give the business the skills and experience it needs. 4. Negotiating with trade unions. The human resources department of MS would have to discuss and agree pay and working conditions with trade unions or other representatives of the workforce. This process is called collective bargaining. 5. Health and safety is an important responsibility for human resources, as it requires MS to provide all employees with a secure risk free working environment. That is what the human resources function of MS had to ensure is carried out. Here are some typical job titles within an organisation such as MS. Job title Description Human resources director Deciding the overall staffing policies of Boots. Also he/she advise senior management. Setting the human resources budget. In charge of all human resource functions in Boots. Human resources manager He/she manages the human resources department and staff involved with industrial relations and trade union negotiations, also ensuring his/he staff is following the policies of Boots. Recruitment officer Responsible for the taking on of staff and section of staff, depending on their standard of work they offer to Boots and the customers of Boots. Training/staff development officer He/she are responsible for training and developing of their staff to bring or take them to a higher level. Personnel/staffing officer Keeping staff records, monitoring staff welfare. Health and safety officer He/she makes sure all aspects of health and safety are in order for staff matters. Also they monitor accident and prevention. Security officer General security, responsible for all security staff. Human resources administrative assistants Administrative work relating to the human resource function. Finance: Now I am going to look at the finance function of MS. The finance department of a business manages the money for the business. The department controls the financial transactions of a business and help managers to plan for the future. The various activities of the finance department are: 1. Recording all the financial matters of MS as they are constantly spending money or receiving it from sales. It is vital that they keep all records of all the activities in order to, calculate whether the business is being profitable, asses how much tax the business will have to pay and to help managers to make the right decisions. 2. All businesses have to prepare their accounts in order to summarise their financial affairs during a year, plcs are required to publish their results legally as they are a public company such as MS. They have to do the following; the balance sheet which states both what a businesses aims and its debts, profit and loss account- which records the profit or loss made during a lengthy period of time usually a year, the inland revenue have to confirm that MS has paid the correct amount of tax, suppliers are able to see whether business can pay its debts and finally shareholders can decide whether its worth investing in the business or not. 3. MS have to pay the wages of all their employees and it involves the finance department in a number of ways. The business has to deduct income tax and national insurance from each employees pay, it may be required to operate a pension scheme for its more elderly employees and to make sure the correct amount of wages or salaries has been given out to employees. 4. All businesses need some resources and capital to trade successfully. To purchase these resources businesses may need to raise large sums of money, known as capital, but not MS as they are already fully developed and expanding across the globe. But nevertheless a business has 2 main sources of capital; a loan raised by borrowing money from a bank or another business and retained profits, if MS has been very profitable they may be able to invest in the business and obtain resources they may need. Some typical job roles in the finance function in MS would include; Job Description Financial director Giving advice to senior managers on the overall financial policy of MS. Overseeing the budget of MS. In charge of all finance function in MS. Financial Manager Managing the finance function and staff. He/she also advises other members of staff with any financial queries. Chief Accountant He/She ensures that final preparation of accounts MS are in good and correct order. Management accountant He/She produces continuous financial information to MS. Credit Controller Advising on credit policies. Making sure money owing to MS kept in confidence. Credit control clerks Helps check accounts of new and existing customers accounts. He/She works below the Credit Controller but assist the credit controller. They also remind customers of overdue payments Chief Cashier He/She is responsible for the receipt, safe keeping accounting and banking all money received from boots. Payroll Administrator He/She is in control of ensuring that all of MS employees payroll and salary/wages section. Wages Clerks He/She helps and assists the payroll administrator, in the production of wages ands salary details. Administration: The administration department provides important support services to other departments in the business. Not all admin departments in all businesses are the same. In small businesses the admin department may take responsibility for human resources or finance, but in a large organisation such as MS it is usually most likely to be specialised. The admin department makes considerable use of computers and IT as it is required for a lot of their jobs. There are as always many activities for the administration department; they can be broken down into 5 groups: 1. Clerical services are the main role of every admin department. The department may provide clerical services to all other departments within the business. These maybe; word-processing, making telephone calls, booking accommodation for staff, sorting and delivering incoming mail and posting outgoing mail, organising meetings and keeping records of what takes place at these meetings, talking responsibly on behalf of the whole company and creating and keeping records of the company. 2. All businesses require regular cleaning MS is no exception as it is especially true as MS have cafes, which require thorough cleanliness. Admin also organises the maintenance of the building, they may decorate the inside and outside of the building if they wish. 3. Health and safety is a big issue with all businesses. It includes; providing safety clothing, warnings for workers, ensuring that there are no dangers around the workplace and providing regular medical checks for those working in risky environments. 4. Security is an increasingly important issue for all businesses, security duties would include; signing visitors in and out of premises, ensuring that unauthorised people are kept out by use of patrols or even guard dogs, protecting computer systems from hackers, patrolling to prevent shoplifting by employing guards in uniform. 5. Information technology is being more widely used by the minute, nearly all businesses use some form of IT nowadays. The admin department may use IT to; make spreadsheet for financial data, a database of customers and employees, payroll systems to calculate employees wages and salaries, e mail for communicating internal and external, web based systems, web sites for selling goods etc. Typical job roles of the administration function would be: Job Description Administration manager Managing the administration operations of MS. Administration assistant Assists with administrative tasks in particular areas. Secretary of Boots A senior executive responsible for all the legal affairs of MS. It manager Managing all IT requirements of MS, including equipment maintenance and advising on future needs. Office manager/senior administrator Responsible for ensuring the administrating operations in particular office or department. Chief security officer He/she is responsible for the security staff and advising on security requirements. Security Responsible for maintaining and monitoring security to the required standard. Reprographics supervisor (photo coping and printing) Ensuring all reprographics are done and to a high standard, as it reflects on Boots reputation from the quality of leaflets and formal letters etc. Pa / Secretarial staff These staff are mainly there to providing secretarial and administrative support to senior members of staff and Word processing operator/Data input clerk (worker) He/she type out letters and any other documents and also input data into a computer system. Maintenance of Staff He/she is responsible for routine maintenance work, which may include painting or decorating. Cleaning Staff Cleaning of general office areas, facilities and equipment Marketing and Sales: Marketing and sales involve businesses in many ways. Marketing is the process that helps all businesses to discover and meet the needs of customers. Doing market research, carrying it out in the local and wider community enables the business to discover: 1 Customer reactions to existing products 2 What new goods and services customers want 3 Whether or not new products will prove to be popular 4 The prices customers are prepared to pay for goods 5 How satisfied customers already are with the service Marks and Spencers therefore do the following; discover customer needs through market research, advise customers of products through promotion then achieve their sales. There are 2 types of research that can be carried out, Primary- gathering data for the 1st time by asking for views and opinions through questionnaires, interviews, surveys etc and Secondary research which is research that has already been done by someone else such as newspapers web site etc. The best-known marketing activity is promotion. 1 Advertising on TV, radio, internet, billboards, newspapers etc 2 Sales promotions, giving free samples like buy 1 get 1 free etc 3 Public relations, attempting to influence the publics opinions of the business and its products through sponsorship, trade fairs the press and media Businesses try to achieve their sales through a number of ways: 1 Selling products through shops 2 Personal selling such as when sales reps encourage customers to buy their products 3 Internet selling is an increasingly important sales method as it is spreading and growing bigger The typical job roles you can expect are: Typical job Title Job Role Marketing Director Responsible for over all marketing function and its aims and objectives. Sales Director He/She is responsible for the sales function. Sales Manager He/she is responsible for MS entire sales staff and achievement of sales targets usually within the UK. Export Manager This individual is responsible for agents and sales overseas. Advertising Manager In charge of advertising and publishing successful advertising campaigns. Sales Coordinator This person is responsible for giving urgent information required by sales staffs that are travelling. Sales Representatives MS sales staff who visit customers in UK and abroad. Market Researchers This team is relied upon to find out what customers want and whether or not there is a need for this new product. Order Clerks This staffs are responsible to accept and process sales orders. Telephone Sales staff Accept and process telephone orders.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Essay -- society, gender stereotype

Literature is the superlative resource when one is attempting to comprehend or fathom how society has transformed over the centuries. Many written works—whether fictional or nonfictional—express the views of gender roles and societies’ expectations. Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar is an exemplary novel that explores these issues. Ester Greenwood was portrayed the superficial and oppressive values of the mid-twentieth century American society through her experiences of gender inequalities and social conformities. Plath’s own life was correspondingly mirrored in this novel; which in turn left the reader aware of the issues in her time period. At the conclusion of The Bell Jar, the audience realizes that she was pushed to completely conform to society. During the nineteenth century, gender roles were outrageously strict. Linda Brannon, a Doctorate Professor of Psychology at McNeese State University, states â€Å"a gender stereotype consists of beliefs about the psychological traits and characteristics of, as well as the activities appropriate to, men or women† (160). These stereotypes were supposed to be adhered to sternly. Obviously, the stereotypes for men and women were polar opposites. This patriarchal society viewed the male as the head of the household. They were expected to be the workers in the family. Men were expected to be powerful, brave, worldly, rational, independent, and sexual. Joletha Cobb, a minister and an NCCA licensed clinical pastoral counselor, explained the expectations of genders in accordance with past centuries with an emphasis on the bible. Women â€Å"were expected to bear children, stay home, cook and clean, and take care of the children† (Cobb 29). They were expected to be weak, timid, domestic, emotional,... ...her writing career. The Bell Jar was an exceptional novel that can be used to view the ideas of gender roles. Ester, who despised marriage and focused on education, went through multiple events that pushed her to subvert and conform to society’s expectations. Women’s literature—such as this work—of the nineteenth century provided confirmation of society’s emphasis on â€Å"The Cult of Womanhood and Domesticity†. Plath’s life mirrors Ester’s and ultimately brought awareness to the oppression of women. References Brannon, Linda. Gender: Psychological Perspectives. 4th ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn And Bacon, 2005. Print. Cobb, Joletha. Women: Who You Are in Christ. Durham: Joletha Cobb, 2006. Print. Hogeland, Ronald W. Women and Womanhood in America. Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath, 1973. Print. Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar. New York: Harperperennial, 2006. Print.

Characterization of Pheonix Jackson Essay

Eudora Welty, in her character Phoenix Jackson, creates humanity’s counterpart of the phoenix firebird from oriental tradition. Although Phoenix Jackson can not lay claim to the immortality manifested by consuming fiery rebirths (as does the mythological bird), she possesses a fiery spirit and is consumed by love for her grandchild. Ana4rzing the character of Phoenix is pleasurable because the characteristics of her â€Å"roundness† are primarily positive, static traits. She is tenacious, confident, wise, and resolute with a clear sense of purpose which guides her fearlessly toward her goal. One word can summarize Phoenix‑‑noble. Even in the one situation when the reader sees Phoenix being sly, her slyness is immediately forgivable. Her slyness is a minor negative characteristic in comparison to her innumerable positive ones and is not a conflicting quality. It is, instead, justifiable in light of the pureness of her motivation‑‑love. Ihe similarities of the phoenix bird and Phoenix Jackson are readily apparent in the author’s physical description of Phoenix; â€Å"†¦her head tied in a red rag,† â€Å"†¦a golden color ran underneath,† and â€Å"†¦a yellow burning under the dark†(457). Further confirming the parable between the woman and the bird is the cornme made by Phoenix at the spring, â€Å"Sweetgum makes the water sweet’ (459). (Sweet‑gum K supposedly, the firebird’s source of nourishment) Since it is obvious that Ms. Welty has made these comparisons, it is noteworthy that the phoenix, in addition to symbolizing immortality, is said to be a good and wonderful bird, possessing qualities not unlike the eagle’s: nobility and powers of endurance. Phoenix Jackson shares these same qualities. Phoenix Jackson is an old Negro woman (456). Being black and female in Natchez, Nfississippi, any time prior to 1963 was particularly treacherous. Since Phoenix refers to the â€Å"Surrender,† the reader knows that she lived during and after the Civil War. This fact confirms that society afforded her little respect. Indeed, the majority ofwhite people would have considered her little more than an animal. However, an investigation of Phoeribes interaction with other (obviously white) characters in the story proves that her noble character commands respect despite her age, race, and sex. For exam ­ple, when the hunter points his gun at her, Phoenix responds by standing firm and facing him straight on. The hunter’s respect is evident in this comment, ‘Well, Granny, you must be a hundred years old and scared of nothing’ (460). Fur ­thermore, when the elegant lady on the street stoops to tie Phoerlik’s shoes, the reader sees Phoenik’s commanding, noble character at work. In fact, it would appear that out of a crowd of people, Phoenix actually chooses this one particu ­lar woman to lace up her shoes: She paused quietly on the sidewalk where people were passing by. A lady came along in the crowd, carrying an armful of†¦presents; she gave off perfume like the red roses in hot summer, and Phoenix stopped her (460). Tradition says the phoenix bird has an affinity for frankin ­cense, aromatic gums, and spices. It is also worthwhile to note that the â€Å"nice lady,† as well as the hunter, initially responds to Phoenix In a negative, perhaps derogatory, way by calling her â€Å"Granny’ or â€Å"Grandma.† But in the final analysis, the lady is (at least momentarily) at Phoenix7s feet, and the hunter voices his admiration. Phoenix’s physical stature stands in sharp contrast to the enormity of her journey. Welty establishes in the first para ­graph that Phoenix is very old and small. Me fact that her walking could be aided and sustained by a thin, small cane made from an umbrella provides the reader with a graphic Illustration of her diminutive size. Her small size, of course, emphasizes, by contrast, Phoenixs giant‑sized determination and perseverance. Effects of old age, particularly poor eyesight, intensifies Phoenix’s dangerous trek. When the path runs up a hill, Phoenix says, â€Å"Seem like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far† (457). Poor vision is indicated throughout the story, for example, â€Å"Old eyes thought you was a pretty little green bush† (457). However, one uncanny incident occurs regarding PhoenbCs eyesight. She sees â€Å"†¦with her own eyes a flashing nickel fall out of the man’s pocket onto the ground† (459). This episode supports the parallel drawn between Phoenix and the firebird‑‑she exercises ‘bird‑like† vision. Perhaps she has long contemplated what she would do if she had a nickel or a dime.

Comparison between Dorian Gray and Dr Jekyll Mr Hyde Free Essay Example, 2000 words

Moreover, there was not the same cynical commentary in Jekyll as there was in Dorian. Thus, the message of the two different novels is decidedly different Jekyll had more of a simple message, and there really were not any sub-themes that detracted from the overall message. Dorian was not only about good and evil, but also about cynicism and the idleness and debauchery of the upper class, and about hypocrisy. That said, Reed would state that Jekyll might have actually been a cautionary tale regarding the dangers of alcohol misuse, so this is another interpretation that might complicate the overall message (32). That said, Saposnik would argue that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was really a commentary about the hypocrisy of Victorian London, but its message about hypocrisy is undoubtedly more subtle than the same message in Dorian. This is because, as opposed to coming right out and stating that London society is hypocritical, as Dorian did, the message about hypocrisy is more symbolic. S aposnik states that Victorian London was teeming with a vice while concurrently responsive to religious persuasion (718). We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison between Dorian Gray and Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page If the story is read in this manner, one can argue that Stevenson had essentially the same message as Wilde, but just in more subtle packaging. This is another major difference between Dorian Gray and Dr. Jekyll. Basically, Dorian Gray became the way that he did because of the subversive influence of Lord Henry, not because of any inherent fascination of the dual nature of man.