Atelka, a leader in outsourcing within Canada

Atelka was selected for this paper since it is considered a leader in relationship management in the field of customer service and business process outsourcing (BPO) within Canada. The company specializes in the provision of business process outsourcing services to companies. Basically, they outsource the customer service departments of corporations within the U.S. to locations within Canada. This helps various companies to save millions of dollars in salary expenses due to the lower base salary range found in certain Canadian regions. Based on the analysis of Echchakoui Naji (2013), it was noted that the customer service industry that Atelka finds itself in is considered to be a â€Å"high churn† industry when it comes to human resources management. Churn rates refer to the number of employees that enter into a company versus the amount that leaves. Industries that have low churn rates have relatively few employees that enter and leave the company. Examples of this can be seen in law firms, engineering firms and various specialist consultancy firms where employees tend to stay for decades. High churn rates, on the other hand, are instances where there is a high rate of employees leaving and entering the company. Overall, it can be seen that Atelka applies a creative business strategy that provides a needed service to companies that are looking to lower their expenses. Taking this into consideration, this paper will examine their strategies and tactics in order to determine what sets Atelka apart from other customer care corporations. What are their strategies and tactics? When examining the strategies used by Atelka to retain employees, it can be seen that they do so by addressing the â€Å"opportunity factor† that Schaub (2008) explains is one of the main reasons why employees leave their jobs. Studies such as those by Schaub (2010) have revealed that amongst all the previous generations of employees, it is the current generation (i.e., Generation Y) which is the more likely to leave a job for better opportunities as compared to the Millennials (i.e., employees born after the baby boomer generation). This is not to say that this generation can be considered self-centered or disloyal, rather, from their perspective loyalty is measured by their level of productivity and performance and, as such, companies need to take this into consideration when devising the means to retain Generation Y employees (Schaub, 2010). What you have to understand is that the customer service industry is notorious for its high churn rates due to the various pressures associated with the job (i.e. irate customers, the need to resolve issues in an expedient manner, etc.), low pay as well as the shifting schedules that customer service representatives need to put up with (i.e. having to work on weekends, during holidays, night shifts, etc.). Despite being in such an industry, the data from Glassdoor.com (2013) shows that Atelka actually has one of the lowest employee churn rates out of any of its competitors. This is indicative of practices that have been put in place to hire and retain talented employees. One of the primary tactics that they utilize are promotion based benefits, wherein Atelka gives rewards to their employees based on performance. Rewards come in the form of a percentage-based salary increase, being able to choose the ideal schedule for your work week, getting several fully paid days off and other such benefits. These rewards are often given to employees who, through their metrics, have shown that they have gone over and beyond in their desire to work hard for the company. Dissecting what they do and breaking it down and Analysis of Success The following are the processes utilized by Atekla in their recruitment and employee management practices. This sections showcases what the company does in order to be successful in its industry: Use of Performance-Based Advancement Opportunities An examination of current practices by Atelka in their business process outsourcing and call center divisions within Canada reveals the use of performance-based advancement opportunities as a means of retaining employees (Training Millennials at Work: Strategies for Training a New Generation, 2010). This process works by setting a series of performance metrics that each employee is rated by (i.e., on scale of performance that is determined by the HR department of the company) with an evaluation period coming once every 4 to 6 months. Should that particular employee meet the metrics set by the company, they are immediately promoted to the next tier resulting in the possibility of reaching the position of an operations manager within one of the company’s many departments within the span of 2 years (Training Millennials at Work: Strategies for Training a New Generation, 2010). Such a method presents itself as a quick opportunity for advancement and, as such, creates a certain degree of appeal for the current generation of employees that want quick advancement and opportunities rather than developing long term relationships with their companies (i.e., the practice utilized by Millennials). Incentivized Hiring Practices Aside from this, the company also employs a rather creative employee hiring tactic wherein they offer significant hiring bonuses that are equivalent to a quarter of a month’s salary should an employee pass the initial hiring stage (CBC News, 2013). This tactic, which is often advertised in various newspapers, has been shown to be quite effective in bringing in talented employees that desire the rather large bonus that they can get immediately after being hired. Overall, when examining the data that has been provided, it can be seen that Atelka has been doing a fantastic job in managing its human resources, which contributes considerably to its continued expansion and growth. This shows how proper employee management and recruitment strategies can have a positive impact on operational performance within a company. What do they do well? What Atelka does well has been the development of internal policies that allow a certain degree of flexibility when it comes to scheduling (i.e., having workers come in during peak customer service hours), time off and the implementation of worker based strategies for improving the performance of the company. Based on the analysis of Thibodeau (2013), it was noted that the current generation of employees places a greater degree of importance on having adequate salaries and benefits. This, above all else, is one of the benefits they greatly desire yet is often not provided to them within the corporate world. This often results in the development of resentment towards their jobs which eventually leads to a subsequent attempt to find a job with better opportunities and a far more flexible scheduling method. By implementing such a method within Atelka, this ensures that current and future generation of workers that apply will be encouraged to stay longer since they would be getting the flexibility and salary range that they crave from their jobs. Based on the analysis of Beer (2012), it was noted that employees often feel more motivated to stay and work for a company if they feel a degree of acknowledgment for their efforts. However, acknowledgement is often a facet of HR strategies that is missing in most companies. Atelka addresses this through the use of acknowledgment reviews which are given to employees that have shown admirable performance in customer service and they are even openly acknowledged in monthly presentations and given rewards in front of the entire office. Through this strategy, employees feel like they are appreciated and thus are more likely to stay with the company (Beer, 2012). What needs improvement? Another benefit desired by Generation Y that is unique to this particular generation is their desire to remain constantly connected to various methods of social media. What you have to understand is that individuals from Generation Y grew up in an era of technological immersion and the development of online methods of social communication. As a result of this, people within this generation prefer to be constantly connected to their peers. Unfortunately, Atelka has banned the use of social networking during work hours. By allowing the use of social networking with a certain set of established boundaries, this would encourage more people from Generation Y to apply and stay with the company since their need to be constantly connected will be fulfilled. Other possible improvements that could be implemented would be to incentivize employee performance by offering them more stable work schedules, such as having proper weekends off. This method of performance-based advancement is in line with what was mentioned earlier regarding the propensity of members of Generation Y to view performance as a method of displaying loyalty and, as such, further reinforces the applicability of this particular strategy in the case of Atelka. Since performance-based incentives is a strategy that has served the company rather well when it came to its expansion strategies resulting in it being acknowledged as the 7th fasting growing company within Quebec, implementing schedule regularity would help to entice employees to work even harder for the company. Reference List Beer, J. (2012). How to build a better call centre. Web. CBC News, (2013). Charlottetown call centre offers bonus to fill 200 positions. Web. Echchakoui, S., Naji, A. (2013). Job Satisfaction in Call Centers: An Empirical Study in Canada. International Journal Of Management, 30(2 Part 1), 576-592. Glassdoor, (2013). Atelka reviews. Web. Thibodeau, W. (2013). Atelka adding 200 jobs in charlottetown. Web. Training Millennials at Work: Strategies for Training a New Generation. (2010). Visual  Resources Association Bulletin, 37(1), 49. Schaub, E. (2010). Managing Millennials in the Workplace. Visual Resources  Association Bulletin, 37(1), 49-52. This essay on Atelka, a leader in outsourcing within Canada was written and submitted by user Bianca O. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Why did Prohibition Fail Research Paper Example

Why did Prohibition Fail Research Paper Example Why did Prohibition Fail Paper Why did Prohibition Fail Paper The act of Prohibition was introduced within the American culture during the twentieth century, within the subject of alcoholic abuse and increasing establishments of saloon bars within rural and urban states. The act of Prohibition was introduced due to the strong temperance movements within the rural states present in the nineteenth century; which included Devout Christians and the Anti- Saloon League presenting their ideas and opinions on the effects of alcoholic abuse within the family environment. The members involved within the groups which created the stigma of alcohol, in the act of Prohibition, presented their case on a political view within their local state. The states were persuaded to prohibit the sale of alcohol, which lead into a wide spread National law on the purchase of alcohol. The Prohibition act came into effect on January 16th 1920, as Prohibition became a law under the Volstead act. Prohibition was set to improve the social, health and crime effects of alcohol within the country. The use of patriotic pride was used to decline the alcoholic abuse present within the country; as many German breweries were exporting alcohol which was being purchased by American citizens. The First World War boosted the amount of dries (non-alcohol consumers), due to the un-patriotic movement of drinking German products. The Bolshevism community within the Russian revolution thrived on the use of alcohol, which created lawlessness in society. Russia was one of many countries which introduced Prohibition, known as the Suhoy Zakon, but America wanted to prevent the act of communism within society, which created the final amendment stated. Politicians backed the Prohibition act due to the fears of communism, but with the added bonus of rural votes for the Politicians involved, as this was a strong view present in rural states. Prohibition was present from the 1920s up to the year of 1933, but why did Prohibition fail?. This question is a debatable topic within the subject of American History, as Prohibition did prove successful illustrating a decline of alcoholic drinkers, but in this essay I will discuss the problems which ended the law of Prohibition in the 1930s. Prohibition was seen as a successful law within rural states, but many urban states did not comply with the law; which was seen as a failure as a law should apply to all states or districts of a country. The state of Maryland did not introduce the law of Prohibition, which illustrated the first problem involved in the failure of the noble experiment. The poor presence of public support created a downfall for Prohibition which saw the birth of Prohibition agents, two successful agents Isadore Einstein and his deputy Moe Smith. These agents saw the closure of speakeasies within America, as they ordered drinks in the speakeasies, taking samples to arrest offenders. The agents made 4392 arrests within the illegal bars (speakeasies), but public determination on the consumption and purchase of alcohol saw the rise of illegal imports of alcohol, which proved too wide spread for the control of government agents. Enforcement of the Prohibition law proved impossible to keep under control, as illegal imports of alcohol from Canada-across the widespread border and the purchase of alcohol out of USA waters proved inevitable to prevent. The agents were concentrated within the city environments, to prevent the increasing consumption of alcohol in illegal speakeasies. Each agent was poorly funded in the law of Prohibition, which created the rise of illegal stills and bootleggers. Bootleggers produced moonshine, which consisted of a higher concentration of pure alcohol, which caused the deaths of many purchasers of the alcohol. The moonshine contained a high concentration of alcohol, due to the un-professional production of alcohol within stills. Bootleggers became rich people within society, with known fortunes from the Prohibition era, as in the case of Al Capone who earned a vast fortune of $60 million. The production of moonshine saw the increase in illegal stills, with many people making their own whiskey for sale in the speakeasies. Agents seized 280,000 distilleries, but this is only a proportion of stills in use within the period. The Prohibition act is thought to have created more interest in the act of alcohol drinking, as there were more speakeasies than saloons in many cities, due to the vast profit margins involved with selling moonshine. This is one stable reason to conclude the failure of Prohibition, but the factor of crime and gangs- which were supposed to be prevented through Prohibition- contributed to the failure of Prohibition, due to large scale violence within the St. Valentines massacre. The most common image of Prohibition is the era of the powerful gangsters who made their fortunes from the selling of illegal liquor, within local speakeasies of their city. Sources suggest that organised crime gangs made fortunes of about $2 billion out of the trade and sale of alcohol. The gangsters were present all over the USA, but the city of Chicago was closely associated with the presence of gangs. The gangsters on the whole came from poorer immigrant backgrounds, which are closely tied from the melting pot of American society. The concept of immigrants making a fortune off the country which gave them a better quality of life, against the law of the country; I believe is an ironic situation to have, as the guests of a country create fortunes against the political view. This was a large factor of the birth of the gangsters during the era, as they came mainly from Jewish, Polish, Irish and Italian backgrounds. The gangsters were full of cunning and ruthless ideas, which ended in the massacre of many gangs on St. Valentines Day. The gangs fought viciously with each other to control the liquor and Prostitution trade, within the speakeasies environments. The gangs made good use of new technology, with automobiles and the Thompson sub machine gun to concentrate the use of fear and violence on other opposing gangs. Dan OBanion, Pete and Vince Guizenberg, Lucky Luciano and Al Capone were some of the most ruthless gang leaders at the time of Prohibition. In Chicago alone, there were 130 gang member murders within 1926 and 1927 and not one arrest was made. This was the effect of the fear of the gangs, which proved successful in preventing law enforcement against their trade. Gangster leader Al Capone is one of the famous gangsters in relation to the prohibition law, as his tactics of violence and cunning intuition within society illustrated a strong profile in the public eye. Capone was a regular at sport games, with cheered applause of fans as Capone donated generously to local charities, with the case of $30,000 on a soup kitchen for the unemployed. The violent side of Capones leadership was illustrated with the beating of a betrayed member to his loyalty, which included the beating of a baseball bat, causing immense damage to his un-loyal members. The un-predictable behaviour of the gang member proved successful in his own right, with the control of the mayor (William Hale Thompson) under the generous pledges of charity. Prohibition led to a massive widespread corruption within the services of Law enforcement during this period, as fear of gangster violence and briberies persuaded the law enforcement officers to turn a blind eye to the law of Prohibition, which was one of the main reasons for the failure of the noble experiment. Large breweries were bribing many local government officials for their businesses to stay in production. Briberies included money and in some cases alcohol, which was creating a large corrupt police force within larger cities of the USA. The conviction of guilty bootleggers was seen to die out, as many judges accepted the bribe of payment from suspected criminals. A national cartoon from the Prohibition era named- The National Gesture, illustrated the large corruption involved in this time period, due to the illustrated hand behind the back picture incorporated into bribery. Many businesses thrived on the corruption of Law enforcement, but most importantly the law enforcers were making a profit out of the law they were supposed to be protecting, creating a mockery of Prohibition. In conclusion, I believe the most probable reason for the failure of the Prohibition era is the factor of the widespread corruption involved, as law enforcers were making a profit out of a law set by the national government. If the law is not being enforced by the enforcers, then the law is non valid, which was supposed to improve social benefits; but this proved incorrect, as large scale bribery increased the production of alcohol. The prohibition era caused national tax problems, which was successfully reversed in the re-introduction of legal drinking. This factor of tax could be a possible reason for ending the Prohibition on a political view, but I believe the corruption of law enforcement was the most important reason, as there is no law without law enforcement present.

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words - 1

International Business - Essay Example While doing so they have to be sensitive to economic, social political and legal factors with a country. To be effective, they need to tap all available sources of supply, both internal and external. Internal promotions and transfer boost the morale of people who have served the firm loyally for a number of years. External sources, too, need to be explored regularly to bring qualified people with lots of ideas into a firm. Induction is a procedure which a superior teaches knowledge and skills to subordinate. Manager briefs the trainee about what is expected of the latter and suggest how it may be done. He also checks his performance and advices him to improve his mistakes. Induction is the task of introducing the new employees to the organization and its policies, procedures and rules. A typical formal induction programme may last a day or less in most organizations. During this time, the new employee is provided with information about the company, its history, its current position, the benefits for which he is eligible, leave rules, rest periods, etc. Also covered are the more routine things a newcomer must learn, such as the location of the rest rooms, break rooms, parking spaces, cafeterias etc. In some organizations, all this is done formally by attaching new employees to their seniors, who provide guidance on the above matters. Lectures, handbooks, films groups, seminars are also provided to new employees so that they can settle down quickly and resume the work (Rao , 2007, 167) Objectives induction serves the following purposes a. Removes fears: A newcomer steps into an organization as a stranger. He is new to the people, workplace and work environment. He is not very sure about what he is supposed to do. Induction helps a new employee overcome such fears and perform better on the job. It assists him in knowing more about The job its contents, policies rules and regulations The people with whom he is supposed to interact The terms and conditions of employment b. Creates a good impression: Another purpose of induction is to make the newcomer feel at home and develop a sense of pride in the organization. Induction helps him to Adjust and adapt to new demands of the job Get along with people Get off t a good start Through induction, a new recruit is able to see more clearly as to what he is supposed to do, how good the colleagues are, how important is the job, etc. he can pose questions and seek clarifications on issues relating to his job. Induction is a positive step, in the sense; it leaves a good impression about the company and the people working there in the minds of new recruits. They begin to take pride in their work and are committed to their jobs. c. Acts as valuable source of information: Induction serves a s a valuable source of information to new recruits through employee manuals/handbook. Informal decisions with colleagues may also clear the fog surrounding certain issues. The basic purpose of induction is to communicate specific job requirements to the employee, put them at ease and make him feel confident about