Explore the Dramatic Significane of Lady Bracknell in Act 1

Explore the dramatic significance of Lady Bracknell in Act 1 Throughout Act 1, Oscar Wilde uses the character of Lady Bracknell as a highly comedic character who causes the entire play to come together by unknowingly creating a calamitous chain of events to occur by her refusal to let her daughter Gwendolyn marry to Jack Worthing. She is presented as strict, uptight woman who is very much the Matriarch of the family.One way Wilde presents this idea is when Lady Bracknell is interviewing Jack on whether he should be allowed to marry Gwendolyn. In the interview Lady Bracknell is seen asking Jack questions such as â€Å"Do you smoke† this could indicate the void of old London society where more important issues weren’t considered as important in an world of extravagance, wealth and luxury such as the one they were living in.Lady Bracknell is first and foremost a symbol of Victorian seriousness and the unhappiness it brings as a result. She is powerful, arrogant, ruthless t o the extreme, conservative, and proper. In many ways, she represents Wilde's opinion of Victorian upper-class negativity, conservative values, and power it is also thought that Wilde had fashioned Lady Bracknell by basing her on the hierarchy within it.Her overshadowing presence in act one tells us how the mood and tone dramatically changes when she is in and out of the room, for example when she is not in the room Jack is relaxed and at ease with Gwendolyn, but when she returns and tells Jack to â€Å"rise from this semi-recumbent posture, it is most indecorous† he instantaneously stumbles to get up. It is her question on Jacks parents which eventually leads to the rest of the play falling together when she asks where his parents are, which he replies to that he was abandoned as a child, she comes up with a witty, hilarious remark of â€Å"to lose one parent, Mr.Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness. † The idea of this statem ent is so ridiculous it is regarded as comical yet it also reveals that she will not Jack to marry Gwendolyn as she believes already that he is reckless and immature and his admission further proves that he is not responsible enough to marry her daughter. This sets of a series of events that lead to the eventual revelation at the end of the play and the humorous events in-between.

Paulo Coelho Biography

Paulo Coelho No one thought Paulo would ever amount to anything. While attending a Jesuit school as a teenager, he dreamed of becoming a writer. When he revealed his career goals to his mother, she told him â€Å"My dear, your father is an engineer. He's a logical, reasonable man with a very clear vision of the world. Do you actually know what it means to be a writer? † He was determined to prove to them that he could accomplish his dream, whether they approved or not. After he turned seventeen, his parents placed him into a mental institution.Their reason being, they wanted to protect him from himself. Paulo Coelho wanted to be different; he wanted to follow an untraditional path. Coelho later admitted that his parents â€Å"did not do that to destroy me, they did that to save me. † At the time, Paulo must not have understood that since he escaped the institution three times before he was released at age 20. Coelho’s parents convinced him to register for Law Sch ool; they were still well aware of his dream to become a writer.After a year of drudgery in Law School, he finally dropped out to pursue his life as a Hippie, traveling around the world absorbed in the drug culture of that time. He later took up a career in songwriting for Rita Lee, Elis Regina, Raul Seixas. The military government arrested him in 1974 because they believed his lyrics were undermining their authority. Twelve years after that incident, Paulo began the long expedition through the Road of Santiago de Compostela. Little did he know this was the beginning of a new life for him.During his journey he went through a spiritual development, which he describes in more detail in his book The Pilgrimage. Coelho left his songwriting career after saying in an interview â€Å"I had money, but I was not fulfilling my dream. My dream was, and still is, to be a writer. † Even though Paulo was still hesitant about initializing his writing career, he thought to himself, â€Å"If I see a white feather today, that is a sign that God is giving me that I have to write a new book. † Coincidentally, in the window of shop he found a white eather and he kept his promise to himself and began writing after that. He was 38 when his first book was published. In 1986, after writing Hell Archives and adding to Practical Manual of Vampirism, he wrote his first successful book, The Pilgrimage. He discovered a small Brazilian publishing house, and later a bigger publisher, and published his book The Alchemist about 12 months later. The Alchemist has become a best seller in Brazil and has been printed in over 70 languages, selling over 65 million copies!Since then, he has become a well-known author. Some of his other books include Eleven Minutes, The Fifth Mountain, Brida and The Witch of Portobello. Brida and The Alchemist have both been made into successful movies, too. In the end, Paulo had a crazy life, but he never truly gave up on his dream of becoming a writer. No one believed he could do it, except himself. Paulo posted to his Facebook page in September that â€Å"You don't need to explain your dreams. They belong to you,† and has lived by this his whole life.

Agencies And Information Classification Criminology Essay

Agencies And Information Classification Criminology Essay Individual agencies classify criminal information that is compiled in a report as Uniform Crime Reporting. The Uniform reports are usually compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and they consist of criminal data that belongs to all the states that form United States of America. This program began in 1929. It was the idea of police commanders, who saw the need of creating a reliable criminal statistics for the country (Anderson and Dyson, 2002). Today, the reports form an important element of fighting criminal activities within United States of America. This is because they necessary information that law enforcement officers can rely on for purposes of fighting criminal activities. For instance, the reports provide the names of the most wanted criminals, and the patterns of crime within a certain locality (Anderson and Dyson, 2002). The reports also help policy makers in the department of homeland security on how to develop policies that will help in making the country secu re. The various law enforcement agencies within the country have the responsibility of collecting these reports, and thereafter present them to the FBI for compilation. Currently, there are three Uniform Crime Reports published by the FBI, namely; Hate Crime Statistics 2011. Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted 2011. The Preliminary Uniform Crime report 2012. Resources Available for Sheriffs and Police Chiefs: One of the resources that public safety officials like police officers and Sheriffs have in classifying crimes in their locations is the fusion centers. A fusion center is an institution formed by the department of homeland security for purposes of receiving, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence information from to the relevant security bodies. These centers can therefore guide security officers and Sheriffs on how to classify the various crimes within their areas of jurisdiction. They have the capability of identifying whether a crime falls under terrorism, or i t is a murder/ homicide. The Central Investigative Agency is also another resource that police chiefs and sheriffs have that can help them in classifying and analyzing crimes (Dunn, 2012). The agency has the responsibility of collecting intelligence information, and provides it for assessment by senior policy makers in United States of America. On this note, Sheriffs and local police chiefs can benefit from their facilities and experience in analyzing and classifying the various criminal activities within their locality. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is another resource unit that the Sheriffs and local police chiefs can use to classify and categorize criminal activities. This is a Federal Agency that has the responsibility of fighting crimes within the United States of America. The department is well equipped to handle any forms of criminal activities. The department also has experts who can categorize and analyze various criminal activities within the state, and therefore She riffs and local police chiefs can use their experiences in analyzing the various criminal activities within their areas of jurisdictions. Pros and Cons of UCR: The Uniform Crime Reporting system is advantageous because people are able to know the crime rate of their locality. For instance, women who are concerned with the security of their children might know the crime rates of the schools in which they take their children to, or the surrounding environment where their children play or pass through. The report also provides information on the various crimes that occur within the state, and tries to project their occurrence in future (Dunn, 2012).

Special Business Forms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Special Business Forms - Essay Example This involves the issue of how risks can be accommodated between and amongst the coalescing parties. Moreover, the person needs to come to familiarize with the terms and conditions governing such a form of partnership (Emerson, 2009). However, in the case of Bateson Corp, it is very challenging to join the other two companies. Any move to partner with either of the two companies is poised to result to big losses to Bateson Corp. this follows that Bateson Corp is not familiar with the way such businesses operate. In addition, Bateson Corp is not familiar with some of the terms and conditions that may govern their partnerships. In such a case, forming a partnership with such business ventures may most likely result to losses on the side of Bateson. For instance, such business corporations may breach the contracts of the partnership. In case such happens, it is most likely that such corporations may even fail to pay for the equipment that may have been supplied by Bateson Corp. This is likely to result to big losses on the side of Bateson

Expanding Service Operations Across Borders Essay

Expanding Service Operations Across Borders - Essay Example The researcher states that triumph of the company of Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts can be accredited to that management comprehended what the consumers value, built the Banyan Tree brand, and put that understanding into the application to form a truly distinguished consumer experience. As the corporation goes international, it faces the new-fangled possibilities, presented through increased funds, and new predicaments, for instance, demands enforced by shareholders. Banyan Tree Hotels, along with Resorts had unquestionably accomplished a distinguishing position within the sumptuous resort's business. One of the major predicaments, which lay at the forefront of the business, was the manner in which it could maintain its competitive advantage to preserve its marketplace position. Despite the fact that Banyan Tree took pleasure in a high-flying status amongst its competitors as soon as it initially started out, since then, there has been greater competition than before from different c ontenders offering comparable products, as well as services. The huge price gap within the lavish resort's market imply that customers who are from the middle-upper class are supposed to either draw out to make ultra deluxe resorts payments, for instance, Aman, or decide to be guests at resorts, nonetheless luxurious, accommodated to the masses of people. He found out that the business opening brought about by the gap within the resorts marketplace. This is because room existed for pricier resorts and additionally elite, which would accommodate the middle-upper class of individuals better. These customers had better spending influence compared to the average customer within the mass marketplace and would have the capacity to manage to pay for and ready to pay for an elite, premium service.

We must ban animal testing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

We must ban animal testing - Essay Example In the testing of cosmetics, various cleaners and various other consumer products, numerous animals are putrefied, made blind and killed each year by companies. These animals are supposed to breathe in poisonous gases, dogs are required to eat insecticides while rabbits have scarring compounds smeared on their bodies and eyes. Most of the tests that are conducted on animals are not a requirement of the law and in most cases; their outcomes are inexact and misrepresentative. Regardless of whether a product harms an animal or not, it still ends up in the shelves for customers to buy (PETA). The fatal and unpleasant experiments that take place as part of huge supervisory analysis initiatives are in most instances financed by taxpayers’ money. Thesis: Millions of animals experience suffering and are ultimately killed in various kinds of experiments even though modern alternatives have demonstrated that they can produce more accurate results compared to the animal tests Animals testing, which is also known as in vivo testing involves the use of animals that are not human in testing some where some of the experiments entail the observation of the behavior of the animals. These tests are conducted in universities, medical institutions, drug companies and commercial facilities that provide the services to other industries. Some of the research entails pure research like genetics, developmental biology, testing of drugs as well as cosmetics among other things. The animals may also be used in teaching various disciplines, breeding purposes as well as defense tests, but the activity of using animals in testing has varying degrees of regulation in different nations. Globally, it is approximated that the number of animals ranging from fish to primates used every year may reach tens of millions and sometime more than a hundred million. These numbers do not include the invertebrates like mice and frogs

Clear and Simple as the Truth in Dressing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Clear and Simple as the Truth in Dressing - Essay Example Meaning (p.59) that writing is thinking about the paper and thought is writing on the mind.   Before the ideology of the war tragedy come to be on the paper, it must be concrete in the writer’s mind, thus the time comes when the stylistic ability of the writer brings the war tragedy already written the mind to be as concrete as it should be. In what seems practical, thought proceeds speech, meaning that writing is not thinking, but rather the reverse is true. Keagan's war tragedy is written as a stylistic output of the written story in the mind of the writer that it becomes more concrete and tangible. Truly, a classic writer presents the concrete diamond and its aesthetic beauty as if both are visible, clear, and exact. Before the ideology of the war tragedy come to be on the paper, it must be concrete in the writer’s mind, thus the time comes when the stylistic ability of the writer brings the war tragedy already written the mind to be as concrete as it should be.

Social Engineering Attacks and Counterintelligence Case Study

Social Engineering Attacks and Counterintelligence - Case Study Example Social engineering is seen to mostly rely on people’s innate inability to effectively keep up with the current culture that heavily relies on information technology, this essentially refers to the fact that most persons happen to not be well aware of the actual value of the information that they happen to possess and are therefore rather careless about its protection (Rouse, 2006). It is not uncommon for most social engineers to try and search dumpsters in a bid to try and obtain valuable information, engage in the memorizing of access codes by essentially looking over someone else’s shoulder in a technique that is commonly referred to as shoulder surfing, or taking full advantage of people’s natural inclination to constantly choose passwords that happen to be meaningful to them and can be easily guessed (Rouse, 2006). Most Security experts have taken to proposing that as the modern day culture continues to become ever more dependent on information, it is increas ingly evident that social engineering will ultimately remain as the greatest threat to any possible security system. What is Counterintelligence? According to Hawkins (1997), counterintelligence has actually been around for as long as espionage has been. Traditionally, counterintelligence has mainly been thought of only in the context of solely attempting to counter human espionage efforts. However, modern counterintelligence is designed to be a multi-disciplinary effort and can be defined as being the detection and effective neutralization of the activities and opportunities of a given competitor with the sole objective of gaining proprietary advantage over a certain given organization by using a raft of unethical and illegal methods. Competitors can be identified as being anything from a local or foreign business enterprise or individual to a foreign government. Hawkins further notes that, over the past ten years, counterintelligence has been redefined by the United States federal government to counter more than the threat from human intelligence to now include imagery and signal intelligence collection. The Potential Implications of Social Engineering and Counter Intelligence in respect to the Leaked Iraq War Logs and Afghan War Diary It is probable that social engineering was primarily used to trick Bradley Manning who is the 22 year old U.S Army Intelligence analysis suspected of leaking an approximated over 700,000 secret government documents to the Wikileaks website. As such, it is seen that Manning may have been tricked into going beyond his already established user rights into divulging this information. The Wikileaks website owner Julian Assange is however seen to refuse to divulge exactly who it was that provided him with the leaked documents. To this end, it is seen that the United States counterintelligence efforts happened to experience a serious lapse in that such important and classified information could be copied and sent to an outside source unofficially. As a result of social engineering and inefficient counterintelligence efforts, the United States military is now seen to be exposed as the Pentagon claims that it is aware that a number of various terrorist organizations are currently actively engaged in mining the leaked Afghan War Diary documents in an effort to try and obtain

Aviation Inspection and Maintenance System Research Paper

Aviation Inspection and Maintenance System - Research Paper Example 996), since the beginning of the FAA regulation scheme, FAA maintenance personnel have been required to be certificated in order to perform various tasks in keeping aircrafts under repair and airworthy. Moreover, there are other mechanics that are granted inspection authorization by FAA to perform required inspections on all aircrafts operating in the national airspace (Eichenberger, 1996). Furthermore, federal aviation regulations have been put in place to regulate maintenance and inspections and define operating limitations for aircrafts having different kinds of certifications (FAA, 2008). The federal aviation regulations provide five regulation options that should be adapted by all the aircrafts operating in US airspace. These are the continuous airworthiness inspection program, inspection program used by air taxi operator, inspection program used by air travel club, a manufacturer’s inspection program and any other inspection program developed by the owner and approved by the administrator (King, 1986). According to Patankar and Taylor (2004), to reduce the aviation risks, aviation maintenance strategy should optimize the contribution of people and information through technical support. However, Garland et al. (1999) indicate that human factors such as the individual differences of aviation inspectors have a very great influence on the process of inspection and maintenance of aviation facilities and equipment. Several factors resulted in occurrence of this accident. One of the key factors is the failure of an air traffic control system to facilitate the dissemination of key, available wind information to the air traffic controllers and the pilots due to poor maintenance. In this case, both the pilot and the traffic controllers were not aware of the presence and effect of the gusting wind that was being experienced at the airport. It is clear that if the two were aware they could have chosen to delay the flight or could have chosen another runway and the

International Marketing Essay Example for Free

International Marketing Essay International marketing variables would vary from region to region or say from country to country, although the concept of marketing globally could be the same for achieving the company’s goals and objectives. There would be a very thin line of varying concerns and reported differences in between the costs of all inputs and resources, prices, advertising cost and mediums used and last but not the least the distribution factor to deliver the products in all corners of its country of operation. But through proper consultancy for businesses and its operation in different countries can enable companies to adapt, properly manage, and intelligent coordination plan in newly tapped marked where all the operations and functions are unfamiliar to the new ones. Companies choose to discover international markets for a variety of reasons. In some case in point, companies start exploring international markets in reaction to spontaneous information and instructions or say demands from end-consumers in those respective markets. While, many businesses also start their operations in other countries in order to ascertain a the market share in those countries thus to overcome the overhead costs at home, diversify their corporate holdings, take advantage of domestic or international political or economic changes, or tap into new or growing markets. (Eight Tech, 2009) Businesses strategically planning to expand their portfolio operations used to adopt certain various ways depending upon certain form of strategies. These strategies include exporting certain goods or raw materials from the host country and making retailing outlets in different countries worldwide. These forms of strategies are numerous starting from formal joint venture agreements to establishing their own branded subsidiaries in the prospective country (ies). These two extreme forms of strategies could also include provision of licensing and patenting agreements with formal rights holding, etc. to companies / businesses already in operation in countries abroad, franchising; contract manufacturing; and establishing subsidiaries in foreign countries are also considered on a large scale. Each method has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages. (Eight Tech, 2009) The two countries that I have chosen to consider for operations of my company are Pakistan and India. Bothe the countries are located in the south of Asia and both have needs of similar kinds. Thus it will be easy to compare the two with similar environment and similar consumer needs and patterns. There are numerous factors that affect directly and indirectly on the planning, designing, implementation and execution of marketing campaigns. At first these campaigns before execution need to be properly executed via going through the processes of market research on both primary and secondary basis with defined level of monitory evaluation in order to prepare an international marketing strategy. Analyzing any international market we need to properly judge the variables of the respective market such as political environment; economic environment; social and cultural environment; demographic and physical environment; technological environment and legal environment. Below in the paper we will be discussing these factors in detail and how they affect the international market of India, which is our chosen country for exploring new markets. (Eight Tech, 2009) India: India has transformed itself from a third world country to a major powerhouse which has now become a major attraction for foreign investment. This statement can be backed by the fact that India is the second most popular country for the foreign direct investment after China. It is currently the fourth largest economy of the world. Despite of the terrorism threat India is striving hard and has become one of the most important innovators of the technology that will be required in the next part of the global economy. (Kamdar, 2007) India is a huge market with its population of more than 1. 2 billion as at 2008. The growth rate of the country has been immense as it has seen growth of around 7. 2% while the inflation rate has been pretty high for the year. Having said all this, one thing which is the irony of India is its poverty. In India 26% of the people in the urban areas are living below the poverty line while 28% is living below the poverty line in the rural areas. These statistics together forms up into a huge number which may be a little important fact for a chain of retail outlet coming into India for operating business. Where at one side high population growth of India makes India an attractive economy for any foreign business, at the other hand this has also been termed as the major cause of people living below the poverty line. (Indian Freedom Fighters, n. d. ) India also has issues relating to terrorism within it as various serious incidents have taken place in India that have harmed the economy very badly. A good example could be either a riot in Gujarat or the Mumbai attacks in India. To analyze the environmental conditions of India in a better way, I would do a PEST analysis of India with context to the business operations of Tesco to give a very clear idea that whether India would be a good place or not. PEST analysis refers to the Political, Technological, Environmental and Social factors of the country. This is a way in which the environment could be analyzed in a better way as it incorporates the four major elements in an environment. Political Situation: Similar to many other countries, political factors in India also play a major role in the economy of India. India currently is supporting its local entrepreneurs in order to make sure that they don’t suffer due to huge multinationals. They are providing them with every sort of assistance to make sure that the small businessmen of India survive in front of the multinationals. (Luo, 2004) This can become a difficult situation for the international retailer as he would have to compete with huge powers like Ambani group who have recently opened up a huge superstore called Star Bazaar, the local markets that are supported by the government. Other than that major concern is India is the political instability that is in India due to the terrorism activities in India. A lot of local religion based riots takes place in India and at times even major terrorism activities like bomb blast occurs over there. These might affect Tesco very badly as at times huge superstores are set to fire by the mob as it has already been done in the past. Other than that poor political conditions in India would mean closure of the superstore due to the bad conditions which would affect the revenue badly. Even if the superstore is not closed, low foot fall may also reduce the revenue and increase the average cost which would affect the net profit. Economic Situation: Economic situation in India would be of very much importance to Tesco as it would directly influence its revenues. As even mentioned earlier, India is a very fast growing economy which has now became the second most popular place to invest after China. The GDP in 2009-2010 was around 7. 8%. The two factors that might serve as a drawback for Tesco are the inflation rates which were 16. 2 in January 2010 and the other is high poverty level in the Urban India. The increasing inflation rate might increase the number of people falling within the poverty level in the urban areas where Tesco might want to locate itself. This would then reduce the number of customers for Tesco. India though is the second largest when it comes to population but the huge number of people living below the poverty line makes it difficult for such retailers to take advantage of the high population rate in India. Social / Cultural Environment:Â  The biggest advantage of India is its youth population whose interest for leisure activities as shopping and others is increasing at a rate of 14% per annum. This would help Tesco a lot as there is a huge market in India that is open towards this trend of supermarkets. (Indian Retail Report, 2009) But a portion of the economy still consists of those individuals who prefer going to local bazaars due to low prices and their buying habits like negotiations etc. To get that market shifted towards the supermarket trend would be a difficult task. This would also require a shift in the overall culture of the economy where people have been buying things from local bazaars or the local grocery shops. (Hiscock, 2008) Demographic and Physical Environment: Fundamentals that best fits under this category of factor assessment include income and consumption level with the measured percentage of spending, population size, development, and distribution; atmospheric conditions would affect the viability and sales of business; shipping distances; time zones; and natural resources, etcetera. Technological Compatibility: India is becoming a hub for innovation. It is famous for its fast paced innovation in all categories. Thus, it would add up to Tesco as it would get new and innovative technologies for managing supply chain and other related important processes. Urban India is technological savvy and thus it is not difficult to integrate new technologies as people know how to operate it. Online shopping is not a new phenomenon for Indians as they have been doing it for past several years now. (Iyengar, 2007) New technologies can give them advantage in their logistics and they can even replicate the technologies that they have been using abroad as the people in India are very handy with new and different technology. The expectations of the Indian consumers are rising very fast thus the companies have to keep at pace with it and constantly get in new technologies in order to come up to the expectations of the consumer and in order to delight him the companies might even have to go a mile ahead for that. (The Financial Express, 2009)

Factors Causing High Employee Turnover Rates

Factors Causing High Employee Turnover Rates Staff Retention Human Resources Management Chapter 1 Introduction Employee turnover in the industry has become the custom today in the manufacturing, service and merchandising industry. Employees are moving from one form of employment to another because of several factors that the employers have not yet grasped. In this regard many industry players are busy defining ways to protect turnover of its employees. The most affected part of this is the merchandising industry. In the bid to prove influence in the fastest upcoming sector executives in the merchandising industry are fighting hard the high trend of their staff consistently changing jobs (Rueben 22). Today generating an atmosphere favorable and valued by all employees in the ever changing employee market may not be as pain-streaking as it may appear to the larger population. It engages a number of issues may make the brilliant minds that make up your staffs want to stay in the organization. A combination of this contribution may eventually lead to higher number of employees and thus reduce tur nover. The contributions made above require that they be performed in tandem for observable achievement to be achieved. Grasping the skill of staff retention requires that management delve deeply into what causes turnover of staff in institutions. Many questions should be put on the table in order to ascertain reasons why one would want to work in one organization and not prefer to work in another organization. The managements should not rest at that but proceed to look into the subsequent period that the employee has been absorbed into an organization. By asking these questions it is easy to discern that there are a lot of issues that have been left wanting for a long time. I find it easy to look at these issues by sympathizing with the employee and trying to assume his shoes at the company. This in real meaning requires doing proper research on standard ethical models that might be brought on board to encourage retention of employees. In the recent past the employers used to retai n employees. The confidence thus gained goes down well with those in the precincts of work thus offering them purpose and presence. Boosting the moral of workers is one way of improving confidence of staff. In this regard even the general productivity of the company of the company can be noticed. Working closely and collectively in addition grants the staff presence. Al in all its just a matter of saying thank you as morality demands. There are different styles of leadership in institutions that influence how relationships in the work place take place. People in leadership roles should be in the fore front in show wing proper codes of conduct to their employees, as opposed to taking the hind seat. In turn the employees may feel very motivated within the working environments that they are working. This enabling environment will thus lead to a sense of belonging by the individuals and cohesiveness thus leading to teamwork translating into a proud team. For one to retain staff he or she has to consider several important issues of the work place. Background Draper Co. Ltd. Found in 1987 is a sweater manufacturer that employs more than 100 people in Hong Kong. Since garment companies had bloomed in recent years. The role for merchandising people become more difficult and the manpower is short in the labor market. Draper is facing the problem of high staff turnover rate. In addition, with opening of the mainland market, many foreign enterprises had set up their merchandising sections in Hong Kong and some enterprises also invite Hong Kong garment companies to cope with their expanding business. As a result, the job vacancies of staff increased tremendously. Among the merchandising industry, garment sections are highest in demand for staff. This is due to the fast growing of the sectors as well as the high employee turnover rate and the lack of talent in the labor market. With the goal of identifying predictors of turnover, factors and employees intention to leave or stay with the company will be the major issue of Draper Co. Ltd. Research Problems Initially, the establishment of the project required the involvement of different parties who would provide data and statistical analysis. The study required involvement of external organizations which would require them to allow access their staff to cooperate during the course of the research. Unfortunately some of these merchants turned down request to take part a little after the project was already initialized, it was quite unfortunate. The team of researchers contacted several nationwide merchandise groups to request them to take part in the research as a subsequent measure. Within a short period of time, two particular staff articulated formal concern and primarily arranged to play a part in the project but with the approval of the Board of Governors of their respectful organizations. The team of researchers used up considerable hours meeting with a variety of the team of people representing the staff and giving important information related to the research and showing present ations that highlight the scope of the study. An agreement was made with these staff that the research panel would conduct industry job and staff retention survey within the merchandise organization, rather than concentrating on organizational loop holes as it would imply that there are indeed loop holes, in their respective organizations which might not be the truly case. However because of various unpredicted situations including the falling ill of one of the team members who acted as coordinator of the research team and these respectful staff, the staff in the end made the decision to withdraw its cooperation, leaving operation of the research between a rock a rock and a hard place. The research team then informed the Draper Co. Ltd of the current problems and suggesting a different research method design that would still be in line aims of the project and the objectives outlined before the research was initially flagged off. In this respect, a decision was made to advertise acro ss various merchandise outlets to secure individual people working as staff to act as respondents from different retail outlets, thus eliminating the process of approaching company heads or Board of Governors for endorsement to guarantee a speedy and effortless contact with respondents. The Draper Co. Ltd was highly involved in endorsing the submission for change in the approach for the research. The research carried out by the team concerned conducting 100 partially controlled telephone interviews with staff from different merchandising firms including own staff at Draper Co. Ltd . The research method design of the survey was cautiously designed and conversant with preceding works that dwelled on employee equality and diversity concerns all over the work environment (e.g. Sutherland and Davidson, 1997). The design of the interviews was such that it could be in accordance with the aims and corresponding objectives of the Draper Co. Ltd and eventually deal with a array of concerns as well as the recognition of possible occupational improvement barriers and the recognition of approaches for conquering these limitations, chances for education and training, job promotions and provision for leadership. The partially controlled interview timetable was then stored in secure modules and safe websites secured with passwords, which eventually made it easy for members of the research panel to enter information directly into the research database and online pages, and at the same time carrying out interviews with respondents all over the merchandising industry. The details of the research methodology and what will be contained in the schedule for the research is described in the subsequent sections. Research Objective This study was led by a research team commissioned by the Draper Co. Ltd. The research team was selected by the management of the company with advice by the legal advice wing experts. It was agreed that 16 members be brought aboard the team of researchers. The main goal of identifying predictors of turnover, factors and employees intention to leave or stay with the company will be the major issue of Draper Co. Ltd. The aims of the project were as follows: To examine two sets of potential causes of job turnovers and eventual staff retention mechanisms: firstly, those that impede the retention of workers in the organization and secondly, those that speeds the exit of the players from the organizations. Identify strategies for overcoming these barriers. Investigate the feasibility of constructing a national database, documenting the career paths of women in the merchandise industry. Develop, publish and disseminate good practice guidelines and recommendations using reports, conference presentations, feedback seminars, academic journals and merchandise specialist and national press. The objectives of the project were to: Investigate two sets of potential reasons for staff leaving the company: firstly, those that accelerate the exit of workers and staff and secondly, those that impede the efforts of retaining staff in the organization. Identify strategies for overcoming these reasons. Investigate the feasibility of constructing a company database, documenting the career paths of workers in the merchandise industry. Develop a promotion system, which is more sensitive to the needs of employees Develop an image of the company, which is based entirely upon team cohesion. Provide a concept of role models, which can be utilized by young employees to resolve possible work life balance conflicts. Produce a set of solutions, which can be applied to other retail settings. Develop, publish and disseminate good practice guidelines and recommendations using reports, conference presentations, feedback seminars, academic journals and merchandise specialist and national press. Research Questions: Why this company has high staff turnover rate Why staff relationship will make new comer difficult to fit in team work What relationship caused high staff turnover rate How to retain staff in this company Does the management policy affect staff retention? Does the company is responsive to employees needs and wants Does companys reputation retain staff? Terminologies Merchandising Retention Welfare Turnover Respondent Outsourcing Glass ceiling Dissertation Outlines Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1 Introduction This Section looks at the main literature in this area. The first sections focus on the structure of merchandising and the broader profile of the sector. The section then moves on to its main concern which is the job retention of staff at junior and senior levels in merchandising. Merchandising is an economic sector, which has traditionally been associated with the employment of staff. Overall, 60% of staff are low skilled employees and 40% are highly skilled in terms of there educational background. Even as these figures show that the merchandising sector clearly employs a larger number of low skilled than the skilled, it is not a ‘balanced industry (Stillsmart, 2004). The representation of low skill workers in the merchandising sector however, follows a number of important patterns. Official statistics are used to highlight the predominance of staff in part time work in the merchandising sector and the under representation of a section staff at senior levels. According to Sti llsmart, (2004), official figures are general and are unlikely to provide a clear understanding of the dynamics relating to the position in which staff is employed in merchandising sector. The following sections therefore outline theories that have been offered to account for these disparities, particularly in relation to barriers for staff attempting to progress into senior management positions. An examination of managing diversity is then offered and potential mechanisms for ensuring merchandising organizations fully utilize the talents of all employees to maximize productivity is discussed. 2.2 The structure of the merchandising sector The merchandising sector is the largest private sector employer in the Hong Kong yet it is rarely recognized as such. Stillsmart (a not for profit organization, set up and part funded by Government to identify and address the skills needs of the Hong Kong merchandising sector), suggest that this is, possibly because its workforce is not concentrated in any particular region or locality. In fact, the merchandising sector is the largest public sector employer in the Hong Kong. Furthermore, Wang XI Inc is the Hong Kongs second largest employer after the Jubilee (Stillsmart, 2004). Overall, the merchandising sector employs three million people throughout the Hong Kong, which accounts for approximately ten per cent of employment throughout the Hong Kong. However, the structure of the industry is unusual, and is described by Stillsmart, as ‘hourglass shaped. The vast majority (95%) work in firms with less than ten employees. Consequently, there is significantly less (just over two th ousand) merchandising employers with more than fifty staff, reflecting the â€Å"hourglass shape† of the industry profile. 2.3 Job Retention and improvement Strategies The welfare reform programs of the 1990s moved many families from cash assistance into the work force. The strong economy provided an abundance of entry-level, low-skill job opportunities to support this transition. For most of these families, however, finding a job is only the first step in the difficult path toward self-sufficiency. Like other working parents, adults who leave welfare (â€Å"leavers†) often encounter barriers to job retention and advancement. Between 1994 and 2002, the welfare caseload declined drastically, by more than 2.5 million cases (or 50 percent). Simultaneously, the number of single mothers either divorced or never married— in the work force increased by more than 1.2 million (or 22 percent). Government welfare programs have been instituted to help keep women employed and off welfare. Job retention and improvement strategies are becoming increasingly important to state policymakers as unemployment rates rise and slowed economic growth, corpora te lay-offs, and hiring freezes limit job opportunities for parents who are moving into the work force. Current and former welfare recipients and those who dont have a strong attachment to the work force may find it more difficult to gain employment in hard economic times, thus increasing the demand for job retention and improvement services for those who currently are employed. 2.4 Present profile of turnover of employees Employment expectations have risen slightly in (Q1) from an already high level in Q4. Of the 514 sales executives surveyed, 54% expect to increase their hiring which is slightly up from 53% the previous. As the years go by, expectations have remained solid. The 54% planning to grow headcount this year is at the same level as Q1 2004, though there are some variations between the sectors surveyed. Companies are extremely confident about how they will perform in the next six months with 95% of respondents forecasting their companys performance to be excellent or good in the first half of 2007. Respondents in Hong Kong report higher levels of staff turnover than in any other market surveyed in Asia with 37% stating that turnover in the last twelve months has exceeded 10% (Hudson, 2007). Hudson, one of the worlds leading professional recruitment, outsourcing and capacity management solution providers, today released findings of its broad quarterly Hudson Report for Asia. With a status as a key socio-economic indicator in the present market since its Asia launch in September 2000, the survey has been built on the premise that employers expectations of an increase or decrease in staffing levels represent a significant indication of their optimism in the growth of their organization and their industry as a whole. The Hudson Report represents the expectations of over 1450 key employment decision makers from multinational organizations of all sizes in all major industry sectors, with 400 of these executives based in Hong Kong. 2.4 The general profile of employees in the merchandising sector Traditionally the merchandising sector is associated with the employment of low level and unskilled workers, the vast majority of whom work in the lower ranks of the organizational hierarchy. The profile of employees in merchandising also follows a number of other patterns. The merchandising sector for example employs a large proportion of young people. According to recent estimates 29% of those employed in the sector are between the ages of 16 to 24. This is compared to the overall economy figure of 14%. It has been suggested that this figure may be due to the popularity of merchandising as a part-time occupation for young people and students (Stillsmart, 2004). Merchandising is also a popular choice for older workers (persons over 55). In terms of ethnic minority employment, the merchandising sector employs a similar fraction to those figures available nationally (Stillsmart, 2004). Recent research has shown however, that certain recruitment practices may prevent ethnic minorities from gaining employment in merchandising organizations. For example a study for Birmingham and Manchester cities in Britain for example, found that employers might specify jobs as a matter of course that require the staff to work on Saturdays without realizing that a large pool of potential workers would be unable to work on this day as it is their Sabbath (Vector research, 2003). 2.4 The trends common in the merchandising sector Merchandising is an economic sector, which has customarily been associated with the employment of diverse people of different background. Overall, 55% of merchandising employees are women and 45% are men (Stillsmart, 2004). This gender factor in the merchandising sector remains fairly consistent throughout other nations and regions of the Hong Kong and this profile has been fairly consistent over the last 10 years. Skill level has also played a bigger part in influencing how long an employee is wiling to stay in a given organization. Better salaries in other organizations may lead to employees moving from their respective place of work in pursuit for better opportunities (Hudson, 2004). Level of qualification gives workers a broader scale of work opportunities that they willingly take into considerations. Stillsmart (2004) suggest that Hong Kongs larger ethnic population is likely to be the source of this greater proportion of the workers in the capital run by ethnic minorities may p roprietorship driven by highly skilled male people. It is important to note however, that the representation of retention in the merchandising sector follows a number of important patterns discussed in the subsequent sections. Firstly the prevalence of staff turnover in the merchandising sector will be discussed. Secondly, evidence will be presented to show the under representation of employee needs at senior levels within the merchandising sector. 2.4.1 The prevalence of staff turnover in the merchandising sector Statistics from Stillsmart (2004) indicate that merchandising sector employment occupy three quarters of all employment in the Hong Kong economic sector, which accounts for 40% of all employment. This is a significant figure when, compared to the economy overall, where only 25% of people are employed permanently. The other majority of those working are part time workers employed in sales and customer service occupations. Figure 2.1 outlines the proportion of full and part time employment in the merchandising sector by gender. Source: Survey by National Employment Institute 2.4.1.1 Job retention in the labor force as a whole The prevalence of staff turnover when compared with other sectors of the economy is particularly evident in the merchandising sector. This trend is also reflected in employment across the Hong Kong, particularly in the service industries. The numbers of staff entering the labor market has dramatically increased over the past thirty years and this rise in numbers has mainly been in by young people with low skill (Burke and Nelson 2002; Davidson and Burke, 2002). Because of this influx of young energetic minds quickly induces training for the staff. After gaining much needed experience then leave the industry for more lucrative jobs in other sectors. Youthful persons in the Hong Kong are far more likely than middle and old aged persons to work as part-timers (EAC, 2004). According to the National Office of Statistics, in 2005, 42% of young employees in the Hong Kong worked in the sector compared to just 9% of old people. Interestingly, the number keeps on increasing in the industry whe reas companies are reporting a high staff turnover hence posing a big threat to company survival in the highly competitive industry (EAC, 2004). Source: Survey by National Employment Institute 2.4.3 Explanations for the prevalence of staff turnover among staff in the merchandising sector Traditionally, the predominance of staff turnover is largely attributed to the level of education and other academic qualifications (e.g. those with degrees go for more lucrative jobs in other lucrative industries vacating there positions) traditionally occupied by them which limits the productivity of the company (Thompson, 2004; Stillsmart, 2004). When addressing the merchandising sector specifically, Lynch (2003) comments that it is the very nature of the merchandising industry that contributes to the high proportion of turnovers. In the merchandising industry, recruitment is largely secured from the local labor market, staff requirements vary due to seasonal demands and employees are often required to work unfriendly hours as outlets open longer. These are all factors that lead to the reduction of morale and interest in the jobs within any organizational sector, and specifically the merchandising sector. In addition, Lynch (2003) further suggests that due to these delimiting fact ors in the industry and the continuous fluctuation of workforce in particular, potential merchandising companies are provided with an available pool of labor that accepts inferior terms and conditions of employment, as staff attempt to resolve their need to educate and retain their staff. 2.4.3.1 The under representation of staff interests in the merchandising sector by executives and senior officials Official statistics show that there is a higher proportion of college educated in managerial and senior occupations in the merchandising sector than in comparison to the economy a whole. It is important to note, however, that if the representation of staff; male and female, skilled and unskilled were equal throughout the sector. Furthermore, low skilled staff tends to predominate in certain types of management positions including personnel, which are roles traditionally associated with low skilled. 2.5 Recruitment and Retention of Paid Staff It can be surely asserted that, paid staff is a vital part of the retail and merchandising sector. Lynch (2003) further suggests that almost half (40%) of Canadas estimated 161,000 nonprofit and voluntary organizations has least one paid staff member. The sector as a whole employs just over 25% of the total economy. Twenty percent of paid staff in merchandising organizations is in permanent positions and 56% work full-time. The survey asked all organizations involved about the challenges they face recruiting the type of paid staff they need. Twenty-eight percent of organizations said that this is a problem for them; 8% said that the problem is serious. Organizations with paid staff were also asked if they have problems retaining staff. Nineteen percent said that they do, with 8% saying that the problem is serious. As a group, problems relating to paid staff were reported less frequently than other types of capacity challenges. Nevertheless, challenges relating to paid staff are signi ficant for some organizations. 2.5.1 Size of Paid Staff Complement In general, the more paid staff an organization has, the more likely it is to report problems with staff recruitment and retention. Forty-one percent of organizations with 13% of paid staff members reported problems recruiting paid staff. This rises to 30% among organizations with 20 to 50 staff members, 63% among those with 100 to 500 staff members, and 73% among those with 1000 or more staff members. The relationship between the number of staff an organization has and staff retention problems is less pronounced. Seventeen percent of organizations with one to four staff members said this is a problem for them. This increases to 26% among organizations with 100 or more staff members (Stillsmart, 2004). Source: Survey by National Employment Institute 2.5.2 Reliance on Paid Staff Lynch (2003) suggests the greater the percentage of an organizations workforce that is comprised of paid staff (As opposed to volunteers), the more dependent on paid staff the organization can be said to be. The more reliant an organization is on paid staff, the more likely it is to report difficulties employing and retaining staff. Lynch (2003) further suggests that this relationship is particularly strong for staff recruitment. For example, among organizations in which staff makes up one-third or less of the workforce, 15% said that staff recruitment is a problem for them and 19% said that staff retention is a problem. Nevertheless, among organizations in which staff comprises two thirds or more of the workforce, 54% said that staff recruitment is a problem and 20% said that staff retention is a problem (Stillsmart, 2004).. Source: Survey by National Employment Institute 2.6 The Glass ceiling theory The under representation of minority group in management positions in the merchandising and other occupational sectors has led theorists to assert that a ‘glass ceiling exists. The minority in this case includes: physically handicapped, less educated and women. The term ‘glass ceiling is used to reflect the ability of and minorities to view the world above them but the metaphorical ceiling prevents the minorities from accessing the better opportunities they can view. This glass ceiling effect occurs when minorities with equivalent credentials as the other employees, i.e. those who traditionally occupy positions of power within organizations, are prevented from accessing top jobs simply because they have particularly weaknesses (Davidson, 1997; Powell, 1999; Konrad, Prasad and Pringle, 2004). Nevertheless, the proportion of minorities in management has increased over the past three decades in almost all countries and legislation in some countries (e.g. Affirmative Action L egislation in the U.S. and Canada) has contributed to this trend (Powell and Graves, 2003). Despite this encouraging increase, recent research by Catalyst (2005) has shown that the glass ceiling is firmly in place. In the U.K., seventy-eight Financial Times Share Index (FTSE 100) companies in 2004 had physically challenged directors, up 13% from the previous year. However, only eleven FTSE 100 companies had female executive directors, which was below the 2002 figure and twenty-two of the FTSE 100 boards in 2005 were all-male (Singh and Vinicrombe, 2005). These statistics largely reflect the experiences of white staff. It is important to highlight that black and ethnic minority staffs across the globe often face significant hurdles. Although there is a general lack of data on ethnicity and employment or physical handicap and employment, ethnic minority employees are under- represented at senior and professional levels in the labor market (Commission for Racial Equality, 2004). In Hon g Kong in 2004 for example, 17% of ethnic minority men were managers or senior officials compared to 10% of ethnic minority staff. The highest percentages of staff and men in these positions were Indian and Chinese (Commission for Racial Equality, 2004). Research has highlighted that a glass ceiling exists even in occupations where staff predominate. Approximately 90% of nurses, for example, are female but male nurses often experience greater career success than female nurses (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2005). The number of women studying merchandise in England now outnumbers men (Davidson and Burke, 2004) but partners of top merchandise firms continue to be predominantly men. An examination of data from the top 10 ten merchandise firms in the Hong Kong in 2005 revealed that on average, 15% of female partners in the top 10 merchandise firms are women (The Merchandise Society, 2005). Recent research has highlighted that whilst women and physically challenged are now achieving mor e senior roles, they are more likely than men to find themselves on a ‘glass cliff (Haslam, 2005). According to Haslam (2005), this is because staff are more likely to secure positions of leadership when organizations are not performing at their optimum level. This means that their appointments are made under more risky circumstances which make them more uncertain. This suggests that not only do staff experience hurdles to achieving senior roles; they are placed under greater scrutiny and face increased pressures when they do reach leadership positions. The disadvantaged experience of the glass ceiling is an important area of study and has implications for the future development of talent in organizations of all sectors including merchandising. Research has shown for example that frustrated by the glass ceiling, many workers quit and start their own businesses (Powell, 1999; Davidson and Fielden, 2003). This can have a detrimental affect within organizations as competent and e xperienced staffs remove themselves from the selection pool. 2.5.1 Pay Differences However, research shows that staff leaders and staff at all levels of the workforce are generally paid less than men with equivalent skills, training and experience, for performing the same roles. In 2005, the percentage difference between the average hourly earnings of staff working full-time in Great Britain for example was 17.1 % (Equal Opportunities Commission, 2004). In the US, staffs earn approximately 77 cents for every dollar earned by men (Retailers Bureau data, 2000, in Nelson and Michie, 2004). The Equal Opportunities Commission in the U.K. (2005) highlights three main reasons for this pay difference. Firstly, there is discrimination in pay systems. Staff are paid less than men for performing the same roles. Secondly, ‘occupational segregation exists. Many employees is concentrated in low paid jobs. Thirdly, staffs assume caring responsibilities for children and other relatives/dependents, which affects their progression at work due to the lack of flexible working. 2.6 Perspectives on barriers to staff in management Authors have identified an array of complex factors that contribute to the existence and pervasive nature of the ‘glass ceiling. Three main perspectives have been offered to explain the adversity facing staff aspiring to senior levels within organizations. These are commonly referred to as the ‘person centered or ‘gender-centered approach (Powell, 1999), the organizational structure perspective (Fagenson, 1993; Kanter, 1977) and the social systems perspective. It is widely acknowledged that the glass ceiling is a result of a culmination of these three main perspectives (Omar and Da Factors Causing High Employee Turnover Rates Factors Causing High Employee Turnover Rates Staff Retention Human Resources Management Chapter 1 Introduction Employee turnover in the industry has become the custom today in the manufacturing, service and merchandising industry. Employees are moving from one form of employment to another because of several factors that the employers have not yet grasped. In this regard many industry players are busy defining ways to protect turnover of its employees. The most affected part of this is the merchandising industry. In the bid to prove influence in the fastest upcoming sector executives in the merchandising industry are fighting hard the high trend of their staff consistently changing jobs (Rueben 22). Today generating an atmosphere favorable and valued by all employees in the ever changing employee market may not be as pain-streaking as it may appear to the larger population. It engages a number of issues may make the brilliant minds that make up your staffs want to stay in the organization. A combination of this contribution may eventually lead to higher number of employees and thus reduce tur nover. The contributions made above require that they be performed in tandem for observable achievement to be achieved. Grasping the skill of staff retention requires that management delve deeply into what causes turnover of staff in institutions. Many questions should be put on the table in order to ascertain reasons why one would want to work in one organization and not prefer to work in another organization. The managements should not rest at that but proceed to look into the subsequent period that the employee has been absorbed into an organization. By asking these questions it is easy to discern that there are a lot of issues that have been left wanting for a long time. I find it easy to look at these issues by sympathizing with the employee and trying to assume his shoes at the company. This in real meaning requires doing proper research on standard ethical models that might be brought on board to encourage retention of employees. In the recent past the employers used to retai n employees. The confidence thus gained goes down well with those in the precincts of work thus offering them purpose and presence. Boosting the moral of workers is one way of improving confidence of staff. In this regard even the general productivity of the company of the company can be noticed. Working closely and collectively in addition grants the staff presence. Al in all its just a matter of saying thank you as morality demands. There are different styles of leadership in institutions that influence how relationships in the work place take place. People in leadership roles should be in the fore front in show wing proper codes of conduct to their employees, as opposed to taking the hind seat. In turn the employees may feel very motivated within the working environments that they are working. This enabling environment will thus lead to a sense of belonging by the individuals and cohesiveness thus leading to teamwork translating into a proud team. For one to retain staff he or she has to consider several important issues of the work place. Background Draper Co. Ltd. Found in 1987 is a sweater manufacturer that employs more than 100 people in Hong Kong. Since garment companies had bloomed in recent years. The role for merchandising people become more difficult and the manpower is short in the labor market. Draper is facing the problem of high staff turnover rate. In addition, with opening of the mainland market, many foreign enterprises had set up their merchandising sections in Hong Kong and some enterprises also invite Hong Kong garment companies to cope with their expanding business. As a result, the job vacancies of staff increased tremendously. Among the merchandising industry, garment sections are highest in demand for staff. This is due to the fast growing of the sectors as well as the high employee turnover rate and the lack of talent in the labor market. With the goal of identifying predictors of turnover, factors and employees intention to leave or stay with the company will be the major issue of Draper Co. Ltd. Research Problems Initially, the establishment of the project required the involvement of different parties who would provide data and statistical analysis. The study required involvement of external organizations which would require them to allow access their staff to cooperate during the course of the research. Unfortunately some of these merchants turned down request to take part a little after the project was already initialized, it was quite unfortunate. The team of researchers contacted several nationwide merchandise groups to request them to take part in the research as a subsequent measure. Within a short period of time, two particular staff articulated formal concern and primarily arranged to play a part in the project but with the approval of the Board of Governors of their respectful organizations. The team of researchers used up considerable hours meeting with a variety of the team of people representing the staff and giving important information related to the research and showing present ations that highlight the scope of the study. An agreement was made with these staff that the research panel would conduct industry job and staff retention survey within the merchandise organization, rather than concentrating on organizational loop holes as it would imply that there are indeed loop holes, in their respective organizations which might not be the truly case. However because of various unpredicted situations including the falling ill of one of the team members who acted as coordinator of the research team and these respectful staff, the staff in the end made the decision to withdraw its cooperation, leaving operation of the research between a rock a rock and a hard place. The research team then informed the Draper Co. Ltd of the current problems and suggesting a different research method design that would still be in line aims of the project and the objectives outlined before the research was initially flagged off. In this respect, a decision was made to advertise acro ss various merchandise outlets to secure individual people working as staff to act as respondents from different retail outlets, thus eliminating the process of approaching company heads or Board of Governors for endorsement to guarantee a speedy and effortless contact with respondents. The Draper Co. Ltd was highly involved in endorsing the submission for change in the approach for the research. The research carried out by the team concerned conducting 100 partially controlled telephone interviews with staff from different merchandising firms including own staff at Draper Co. Ltd . The research method design of the survey was cautiously designed and conversant with preceding works that dwelled on employee equality and diversity concerns all over the work environment (e.g. Sutherland and Davidson, 1997). The design of the interviews was such that it could be in accordance with the aims and corresponding objectives of the Draper Co. Ltd and eventually deal with a array of concerns as well as the recognition of possible occupational improvement barriers and the recognition of approaches for conquering these limitations, chances for education and training, job promotions and provision for leadership. The partially controlled interview timetable was then stored in secure modules and safe websites secured with passwords, which eventually made it easy for members of the research panel to enter information directly into the research database and online pages, and at the same time carrying out interviews with respondents all over the merchandising industry. The details of the research methodology and what will be contained in the schedule for the research is described in the subsequent sections. Research Objective This study was led by a research team commissioned by the Draper Co. Ltd. The research team was selected by the management of the company with advice by the legal advice wing experts. It was agreed that 16 members be brought aboard the team of researchers. The main goal of identifying predictors of turnover, factors and employees intention to leave or stay with the company will be the major issue of Draper Co. Ltd. The aims of the project were as follows: To examine two sets of potential causes of job turnovers and eventual staff retention mechanisms: firstly, those that impede the retention of workers in the organization and secondly, those that speeds the exit of the players from the organizations. Identify strategies for overcoming these barriers. Investigate the feasibility of constructing a national database, documenting the career paths of women in the merchandise industry. Develop, publish and disseminate good practice guidelines and recommendations using reports, conference presentations, feedback seminars, academic journals and merchandise specialist and national press. The objectives of the project were to: Investigate two sets of potential reasons for staff leaving the company: firstly, those that accelerate the exit of workers and staff and secondly, those that impede the efforts of retaining staff in the organization. Identify strategies for overcoming these reasons. Investigate the feasibility of constructing a company database, documenting the career paths of workers in the merchandise industry. Develop a promotion system, which is more sensitive to the needs of employees Develop an image of the company, which is based entirely upon team cohesion. Provide a concept of role models, which can be utilized by young employees to resolve possible work life balance conflicts. Produce a set of solutions, which can be applied to other retail settings. Develop, publish and disseminate good practice guidelines and recommendations using reports, conference presentations, feedback seminars, academic journals and merchandise specialist and national press. Research Questions: Why this company has high staff turnover rate Why staff relationship will make new comer difficult to fit in team work What relationship caused high staff turnover rate How to retain staff in this company Does the management policy affect staff retention? Does the company is responsive to employees needs and wants Does companys reputation retain staff? Terminologies Merchandising Retention Welfare Turnover Respondent Outsourcing Glass ceiling Dissertation Outlines Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1 Introduction This Section looks at the main literature in this area. The first sections focus on the structure of merchandising and the broader profile of the sector. The section then moves on to its main concern which is the job retention of staff at junior and senior levels in merchandising. Merchandising is an economic sector, which has traditionally been associated with the employment of staff. Overall, 60% of staff are low skilled employees and 40% are highly skilled in terms of there educational background. Even as these figures show that the merchandising sector clearly employs a larger number of low skilled than the skilled, it is not a ‘balanced industry (Stillsmart, 2004). The representation of low skill workers in the merchandising sector however, follows a number of important patterns. Official statistics are used to highlight the predominance of staff in part time work in the merchandising sector and the under representation of a section staff at senior levels. According to Sti llsmart, (2004), official figures are general and are unlikely to provide a clear understanding of the dynamics relating to the position in which staff is employed in merchandising sector. The following sections therefore outline theories that have been offered to account for these disparities, particularly in relation to barriers for staff attempting to progress into senior management positions. An examination of managing diversity is then offered and potential mechanisms for ensuring merchandising organizations fully utilize the talents of all employees to maximize productivity is discussed. 2.2 The structure of the merchandising sector The merchandising sector is the largest private sector employer in the Hong Kong yet it is rarely recognized as such. Stillsmart (a not for profit organization, set up and part funded by Government to identify and address the skills needs of the Hong Kong merchandising sector), suggest that this is, possibly because its workforce is not concentrated in any particular region or locality. In fact, the merchandising sector is the largest public sector employer in the Hong Kong. Furthermore, Wang XI Inc is the Hong Kongs second largest employer after the Jubilee (Stillsmart, 2004). Overall, the merchandising sector employs three million people throughout the Hong Kong, which accounts for approximately ten per cent of employment throughout the Hong Kong. However, the structure of the industry is unusual, and is described by Stillsmart, as ‘hourglass shaped. The vast majority (95%) work in firms with less than ten employees. Consequently, there is significantly less (just over two th ousand) merchandising employers with more than fifty staff, reflecting the â€Å"hourglass shape† of the industry profile. 2.3 Job Retention and improvement Strategies The welfare reform programs of the 1990s moved many families from cash assistance into the work force. The strong economy provided an abundance of entry-level, low-skill job opportunities to support this transition. For most of these families, however, finding a job is only the first step in the difficult path toward self-sufficiency. Like other working parents, adults who leave welfare (â€Å"leavers†) often encounter barriers to job retention and advancement. Between 1994 and 2002, the welfare caseload declined drastically, by more than 2.5 million cases (or 50 percent). Simultaneously, the number of single mothers either divorced or never married— in the work force increased by more than 1.2 million (or 22 percent). Government welfare programs have been instituted to help keep women employed and off welfare. Job retention and improvement strategies are becoming increasingly important to state policymakers as unemployment rates rise and slowed economic growth, corpora te lay-offs, and hiring freezes limit job opportunities for parents who are moving into the work force. Current and former welfare recipients and those who dont have a strong attachment to the work force may find it more difficult to gain employment in hard economic times, thus increasing the demand for job retention and improvement services for those who currently are employed. 2.4 Present profile of turnover of employees Employment expectations have risen slightly in (Q1) from an already high level in Q4. Of the 514 sales executives surveyed, 54% expect to increase their hiring which is slightly up from 53% the previous. As the years go by, expectations have remained solid. The 54% planning to grow headcount this year is at the same level as Q1 2004, though there are some variations between the sectors surveyed. Companies are extremely confident about how they will perform in the next six months with 95% of respondents forecasting their companys performance to be excellent or good in the first half of 2007. Respondents in Hong Kong report higher levels of staff turnover than in any other market surveyed in Asia with 37% stating that turnover in the last twelve months has exceeded 10% (Hudson, 2007). Hudson, one of the worlds leading professional recruitment, outsourcing and capacity management solution providers, today released findings of its broad quarterly Hudson Report for Asia. With a status as a key socio-economic indicator in the present market since its Asia launch in September 2000, the survey has been built on the premise that employers expectations of an increase or decrease in staffing levels represent a significant indication of their optimism in the growth of their organization and their industry as a whole. The Hudson Report represents the expectations of over 1450 key employment decision makers from multinational organizations of all sizes in all major industry sectors, with 400 of these executives based in Hong Kong. 2.4 The general profile of employees in the merchandising sector Traditionally the merchandising sector is associated with the employment of low level and unskilled workers, the vast majority of whom work in the lower ranks of the organizational hierarchy. The profile of employees in merchandising also follows a number of other patterns. The merchandising sector for example employs a large proportion of young people. According to recent estimates 29% of those employed in the sector are between the ages of 16 to 24. This is compared to the overall economy figure of 14%. It has been suggested that this figure may be due to the popularity of merchandising as a part-time occupation for young people and students (Stillsmart, 2004). Merchandising is also a popular choice for older workers (persons over 55). In terms of ethnic minority employment, the merchandising sector employs a similar fraction to those figures available nationally (Stillsmart, 2004). Recent research has shown however, that certain recruitment practices may prevent ethnic minorities from gaining employment in merchandising organizations. For example a study for Birmingham and Manchester cities in Britain for example, found that employers might specify jobs as a matter of course that require the staff to work on Saturdays without realizing that a large pool of potential workers would be unable to work on this day as it is their Sabbath (Vector research, 2003). 2.4 The trends common in the merchandising sector Merchandising is an economic sector, which has customarily been associated with the employment of diverse people of different background. Overall, 55% of merchandising employees are women and 45% are men (Stillsmart, 2004). This gender factor in the merchandising sector remains fairly consistent throughout other nations and regions of the Hong Kong and this profile has been fairly consistent over the last 10 years. Skill level has also played a bigger part in influencing how long an employee is wiling to stay in a given organization. Better salaries in other organizations may lead to employees moving from their respective place of work in pursuit for better opportunities (Hudson, 2004). Level of qualification gives workers a broader scale of work opportunities that they willingly take into considerations. Stillsmart (2004) suggest that Hong Kongs larger ethnic population is likely to be the source of this greater proportion of the workers in the capital run by ethnic minorities may p roprietorship driven by highly skilled male people. It is important to note however, that the representation of retention in the merchandising sector follows a number of important patterns discussed in the subsequent sections. Firstly the prevalence of staff turnover in the merchandising sector will be discussed. Secondly, evidence will be presented to show the under representation of employee needs at senior levels within the merchandising sector. 2.4.1 The prevalence of staff turnover in the merchandising sector Statistics from Stillsmart (2004) indicate that merchandising sector employment occupy three quarters of all employment in the Hong Kong economic sector, which accounts for 40% of all employment. This is a significant figure when, compared to the economy overall, where only 25% of people are employed permanently. The other majority of those working are part time workers employed in sales and customer service occupations. Figure 2.1 outlines the proportion of full and part time employment in the merchandising sector by gender. Source: Survey by National Employment Institute 2.4.1.1 Job retention in the labor force as a whole The prevalence of staff turnover when compared with other sectors of the economy is particularly evident in the merchandising sector. This trend is also reflected in employment across the Hong Kong, particularly in the service industries. The numbers of staff entering the labor market has dramatically increased over the past thirty years and this rise in numbers has mainly been in by young people with low skill (Burke and Nelson 2002; Davidson and Burke, 2002). Because of this influx of young energetic minds quickly induces training for the staff. After gaining much needed experience then leave the industry for more lucrative jobs in other sectors. Youthful persons in the Hong Kong are far more likely than middle and old aged persons to work as part-timers (EAC, 2004). According to the National Office of Statistics, in 2005, 42% of young employees in the Hong Kong worked in the sector compared to just 9% of old people. Interestingly, the number keeps on increasing in the industry whe reas companies are reporting a high staff turnover hence posing a big threat to company survival in the highly competitive industry (EAC, 2004). Source: Survey by National Employment Institute 2.4.3 Explanations for the prevalence of staff turnover among staff in the merchandising sector Traditionally, the predominance of staff turnover is largely attributed to the level of education and other academic qualifications (e.g. those with degrees go for more lucrative jobs in other lucrative industries vacating there positions) traditionally occupied by them which limits the productivity of the company (Thompson, 2004; Stillsmart, 2004). When addressing the merchandising sector specifically, Lynch (2003) comments that it is the very nature of the merchandising industry that contributes to the high proportion of turnovers. In the merchandising industry, recruitment is largely secured from the local labor market, staff requirements vary due to seasonal demands and employees are often required to work unfriendly hours as outlets open longer. These are all factors that lead to the reduction of morale and interest in the jobs within any organizational sector, and specifically the merchandising sector. In addition, Lynch (2003) further suggests that due to these delimiting fact ors in the industry and the continuous fluctuation of workforce in particular, potential merchandising companies are provided with an available pool of labor that accepts inferior terms and conditions of employment, as staff attempt to resolve their need to educate and retain their staff. 2.4.3.1 The under representation of staff interests in the merchandising sector by executives and senior officials Official statistics show that there is a higher proportion of college educated in managerial and senior occupations in the merchandising sector than in comparison to the economy a whole. It is important to note, however, that if the representation of staff; male and female, skilled and unskilled were equal throughout the sector. Furthermore, low skilled staff tends to predominate in certain types of management positions including personnel, which are roles traditionally associated with low skilled. 2.5 Recruitment and Retention of Paid Staff It can be surely asserted that, paid staff is a vital part of the retail and merchandising sector. Lynch (2003) further suggests that almost half (40%) of Canadas estimated 161,000 nonprofit and voluntary organizations has least one paid staff member. The sector as a whole employs just over 25% of the total economy. Twenty percent of paid staff in merchandising organizations is in permanent positions and 56% work full-time. The survey asked all organizations involved about the challenges they face recruiting the type of paid staff they need. Twenty-eight percent of organizations said that this is a problem for them; 8% said that the problem is serious. Organizations with paid staff were also asked if they have problems retaining staff. Nineteen percent said that they do, with 8% saying that the problem is serious. As a group, problems relating to paid staff were reported less frequently than other types of capacity challenges. Nevertheless, challenges relating to paid staff are signi ficant for some organizations. 2.5.1 Size of Paid Staff Complement In general, the more paid staff an organization has, the more likely it is to report problems with staff recruitment and retention. Forty-one percent of organizations with 13% of paid staff members reported problems recruiting paid staff. This rises to 30% among organizations with 20 to 50 staff members, 63% among those with 100 to 500 staff members, and 73% among those with 1000 or more staff members. The relationship between the number of staff an organization has and staff retention problems is less pronounced. Seventeen percent of organizations with one to four staff members said this is a problem for them. This increases to 26% among organizations with 100 or more staff members (Stillsmart, 2004). Source: Survey by National Employment Institute 2.5.2 Reliance on Paid Staff Lynch (2003) suggests the greater the percentage of an organizations workforce that is comprised of paid staff (As opposed to volunteers), the more dependent on paid staff the organization can be said to be. The more reliant an organization is on paid staff, the more likely it is to report difficulties employing and retaining staff. Lynch (2003) further suggests that this relationship is particularly strong for staff recruitment. For example, among organizations in which staff makes up one-third or less of the workforce, 15% said that staff recruitment is a problem for them and 19% said that staff retention is a problem. Nevertheless, among organizations in which staff comprises two thirds or more of the workforce, 54% said that staff recruitment is a problem and 20% said that staff retention is a problem (Stillsmart, 2004).. Source: Survey by National Employment Institute 2.6 The Glass ceiling theory The under representation of minority group in management positions in the merchandising and other occupational sectors has led theorists to assert that a ‘glass ceiling exists. The minority in this case includes: physically handicapped, less educated and women. The term ‘glass ceiling is used to reflect the ability of and minorities to view the world above them but the metaphorical ceiling prevents the minorities from accessing the better opportunities they can view. This glass ceiling effect occurs when minorities with equivalent credentials as the other employees, i.e. those who traditionally occupy positions of power within organizations, are prevented from accessing top jobs simply because they have particularly weaknesses (Davidson, 1997; Powell, 1999; Konrad, Prasad and Pringle, 2004). Nevertheless, the proportion of minorities in management has increased over the past three decades in almost all countries and legislation in some countries (e.g. Affirmative Action L egislation in the U.S. and Canada) has contributed to this trend (Powell and Graves, 2003). Despite this encouraging increase, recent research by Catalyst (2005) has shown that the glass ceiling is firmly in place. In the U.K., seventy-eight Financial Times Share Index (FTSE 100) companies in 2004 had physically challenged directors, up 13% from the previous year. However, only eleven FTSE 100 companies had female executive directors, which was below the 2002 figure and twenty-two of the FTSE 100 boards in 2005 were all-male (Singh and Vinicrombe, 2005). These statistics largely reflect the experiences of white staff. It is important to highlight that black and ethnic minority staffs across the globe often face significant hurdles. Although there is a general lack of data on ethnicity and employment or physical handicap and employment, ethnic minority employees are under- represented at senior and professional levels in the labor market (Commission for Racial Equality, 2004). In Hon g Kong in 2004 for example, 17% of ethnic minority men were managers or senior officials compared to 10% of ethnic minority staff. The highest percentages of staff and men in these positions were Indian and Chinese (Commission for Racial Equality, 2004). Research has highlighted that a glass ceiling exists even in occupations where staff predominate. Approximately 90% of nurses, for example, are female but male nurses often experience greater career success than female nurses (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2005). The number of women studying merchandise in England now outnumbers men (Davidson and Burke, 2004) but partners of top merchandise firms continue to be predominantly men. An examination of data from the top 10 ten merchandise firms in the Hong Kong in 2005 revealed that on average, 15% of female partners in the top 10 merchandise firms are women (The Merchandise Society, 2005). Recent research has highlighted that whilst women and physically challenged are now achieving mor e senior roles, they are more likely than men to find themselves on a ‘glass cliff (Haslam, 2005). According to Haslam (2005), this is because staff are more likely to secure positions of leadership when organizations are not performing at their optimum level. This means that their appointments are made under more risky circumstances which make them more uncertain. This suggests that not only do staff experience hurdles to achieving senior roles; they are placed under greater scrutiny and face increased pressures when they do reach leadership positions. The disadvantaged experience of the glass ceiling is an important area of study and has implications for the future development of talent in organizations of all sectors including merchandising. Research has shown for example that frustrated by the glass ceiling, many workers quit and start their own businesses (Powell, 1999; Davidson and Fielden, 2003). This can have a detrimental affect within organizations as competent and e xperienced staffs remove themselves from the selection pool. 2.5.1 Pay Differences However, research shows that staff leaders and staff at all levels of the workforce are generally paid less than men with equivalent skills, training and experience, for performing the same roles. In 2005, the percentage difference between the average hourly earnings of staff working full-time in Great Britain for example was 17.1 % (Equal Opportunities Commission, 2004). In the US, staffs earn approximately 77 cents for every dollar earned by men (Retailers Bureau data, 2000, in Nelson and Michie, 2004). The Equal Opportunities Commission in the U.K. (2005) highlights three main reasons for this pay difference. Firstly, there is discrimination in pay systems. Staff are paid less than men for performing the same roles. Secondly, ‘occupational segregation exists. Many employees is concentrated in low paid jobs. Thirdly, staffs assume caring responsibilities for children and other relatives/dependents, which affects their progression at work due to the lack of flexible working. 2.6 Perspectives on barriers to staff in management Authors have identified an array of complex factors that contribute to the existence and pervasive nature of the ‘glass ceiling. Three main perspectives have been offered to explain the adversity facing staff aspiring to senior levels within organizations. These are commonly referred to as the ‘person centered or ‘gender-centered approach (Powell, 1999), the organizational structure perspective (Fagenson, 1993; Kanter, 1977) and the social systems perspective. It is widely acknowledged that the glass ceiling is a result of a culmination of these three main perspectives (Omar and Da