Elements Of Culture Corporate Artifacts Commerce Essay

Elements Of Culture Corporate Artifacts Commerce Essay Experienced captains know that navigating uncharted sea should be pay more attention to observe, analyze to predict potential risks and make proper decisions. As a manager, running an existing or setting up a new company also need these skills, strategic management helps corporate to focus ahead, understand the marketing environment and reposition business to effectively compete other companies. Corporate strategy management is related to different aspects, such as financial aspects, human resources management, organizational culture, marketing, etc. Organizational culture is one of these important aspects, which is an indispensable and intangible aspect of strategy management. The concepts of organizational culture and organizational strategy looks like different, but they have a closer relationship between each other. Normally one part of corporate success depends on the support of organizational culture to organizational strategy. Organizational culture is about expectations, valu es and beliefs learned and shared by the companys members and transmitted from one generation of employees to anther. The organizational culture generally reflects the values of the founders and the mission of the company. Culture gives a corporate a sense of identity: This is what we stand for. This is who we are. This is what we do. The culture includes the dominant orientation of the company, such as customer care at Hilton, innovation at Apple, product quality at Volvo, or RD at HP. It often includes the many informal work rules that the staffs follow without asking questions. These work practices over time become part of a companys unquestioned tradition. The culture, therefor reflects the companys value. (Thomas, L 2012) Apple Inc does well in their organizational culture, their culture was based on an ideal that self-motivated individuals will work harder if they do not have a boss micromanaging every action. This unique and successful culture helps Apple Inc develop the mos t attractive products and occupy the market rapidly. (Scribd 2010) Elements of culture corporate artifacts, shared values, shared assumption When you walk into a hotel, a resort, a university, a bank, what do you notice first? What do frist impressions tell you about the organization that you have just entered? How friendly it will be? How expensive it will be? What kind of behavior is expected of you? How will the staff approach and deal with you? Now look more carefully at the physical surroundings what positive and negative signs, symbols and signals do you get? How exactly are these being transmitted to you? These are all aspects of organizational culture. Cultural awareness will not only lead to more effective staffs, but also get more customers or clients and increase the customers loyalty. There are many elements of organizational culture, but three of them artifacts, values, and assumptions are the key elements, organizational employees create the sets of artifacts, values, and assumptions, no single element can build corporate culture. Corporate artifacts are the observable signs and symbols of an organizationa l culture, such as the corporate stories or legends, the organizations physical layout and the way guests are greeted, it is also a language and physical structure of the organization, the artifact may be as formal as the staff handbook or a hotel logo, or as informal as decoration in the front lobby. Artifacts are important because they offer the best evidence about a companys culture. In Hilton, there is a famous story, 80% hotels were closed down during the great depression in America. The hotels owner Conrad Hilton still told his staff dont forget the etiquette, the smile is always belong to the guests. After the great depression, Hilton hotel lead into the new flourishing period and became the leader in tourism industry. (Charles Kelly 2010) Values are stable, evaluative beliefs that guide organizational members preferences for goals or plans of action in a variety of situations, such as compassion, innovation, cooperation, compassion, integrity, service innovation, and the cr eativity. Values could demonstrate themselves in the form of corporate strategies, goals and desired qualities. Building organizational core values can be used to guide principles and wish the employees to insist to these. For example: Lenovo which was established with 25,000 RMB investment in a guard house in China, today, Lenovo is a US$21 billion personal technology company which ousts HP as worlds largest PC vendor. (Gartner 2012) Its success mainly depends on its strategy and corporate culture, its core value innovative spirit and customer service attract more talents and customers, which help Lenovo occupy the global market.( Lenovo 2012) Along with shared values , corporate culture consists of a deeper element shared assumptions. These are unconscious taken for granted perception or beliefs that have worked so well in the past that they are considered the correct way to think and act toward problems and opportunities. Shared assumptions are so deeply ingrained that you prob ably would not discover them by surveying employees. Only by observing employees, analyzing their decisions, and debriefing them about their actions would these assumptions rise to the surface. (Steven, L. 2008) Why do executives at Lenovo, Hilton hotel group and other companies pay so much attention to organizational culture? The answer is that they believe a strong culture is competitive advantage. Culture is one of the most precious things a company has, so the company must work harder on it than anything else.the effect of organizational culture depends partly on its strength. Corporate culture strength refers to how widely and deeply employees hold the companys dominant values and assumptions. In a strong organizational culture, most staffs across all subunits hold the predominant values. These values are also organized by established artifacts, which make it difficult for these values to change. A strong corporate culture potentially increase a companys success by serving three important functions: control system, which is deeply embedded form of social control that influence employee decisions and behaviors; social glue, which is increasingly important as a way to attract new staff an d retain top performers; and sense-making process, it helps employees understand what goes on and why things happen in company. Impact of organizational culture on tourism industry customers decision In tourism industry, the organizational culture also play an important role in its daily business, the organizational culture will have impact on the customers decision, employees service, the companys brand or reputation and the revenue. Organizational culture is the most basic determinant of a persons wants and behavior. It comprises the basic values, perceptions, wants, and behaviors that a person learns continuously in a society. Today, most societies are in a state of flux. Culture is expressed through tangible items such as food, architecture, clothing, and art. In the minds of millions of travelers worldwide, hotel means Hilton a place where they know they will find warm hospitality, comfort, value and rewarding recognition. This brand strength, coupled with Hiltons leading edge management systems, translates into an incredibly successful business model. Partnering with this iconic industry The culture of Hilton hotel group helps the corporate to attract more customers and inc rease their customers loyalty indirectly. Impact on employee performance Corporate culture not only have impact on customers decisions, but also on the employees satisfaction and performance, organizational culture has the potential to increase the corporate performance and employee satisfaction, the relationship between the culture and performance are that organizational culture can have a significant influence on a companys long-term economic performance and will probably be an even more important factor in determining the success or failure of firms during the next 10 years, the impact of organizational culture is also related to the service to the guests. Organization culture is important in hotel, because it sets out a control mechanism. It influences the the relationship between the employees and how decisions are made by managers in hotel. An example is where the hotel hire a new supervisor who make decisions without studying the organizational culture first, If the changes he makes conflict with the organization culture, it will confuse the employ ees behavior. In Hilton, the hotel management do it specially, other hotel put the customers in the first place, but in Hilton, they also put their employees in the first place, not matter you are the general manager or the cleaner of the back area, they think that in the hospitality industry fulfilled guests are the direct result of a fulfilled staff. The hotel offer scholarships ,travel plans, health schemes for the employees, and trust, respect, understand their employees, create the relaxed working environment to build team spirit and good mood. Hilton elevator program, which helps the Hilton Group develop a large amount of talented, internationally mobile employees and try the best to make sure every of them to the management level during 5-8 years from starting this elevator program, also helps the corporate retain their talent employees and attract more new employees. Impact on branding Nowadays, the most important thing lead brands famous or not normally is their strong culture. Successful organizations often ask themselves: how do we continue grow and promote the continuation of organization culture that makes them successful? Amazon purchased Zappos.com. Why? One key reason: because of their culture and potential to innovate the customer experience on the web and WOW them. What are the ingredients for the kind of brand culture that will fuel your companys sales, create customer loyalty and attract the right people to work with. When company begin to create culture, people are the companys asset. A company existing in the world now consist lots of people staffs, guests and suppliers. Thats why people and what they think and feel matter now more than ever before. The look of a companys advertising, design of the web site, coolness of its mobile apps are all important, but not as important as the voice and the actions of its people. Building a strong brand culture, then, starts with the people. The culture is not owned by the marketing team, it is owned by the entire company from the CEO to the customer service rep and everyone in between. And companies that nurture a distinct brand culture in the workplace will become a distinctive brand in the marketplace. Focus on developing your people and relationships and everything else will follow. Impact on leadership Organizational culture can have impact on customers decision, employee performance and corporate brand, it also can influence the leadership, leaders is created by the culture; culture created by its leaders, Leaders are supposed to be in charge of organizations, but the organizational culture also have huge impact on their decision-making in the workplace. If the leaders want to change something in company, their styles of leadership should be adjusted strategically and accommodated the organizational culture. Leaders have the roles to decide the daily business and program of activities according the basic assumption of the organizations. If the subordinates behavior are in accordance with the program outlined by the leader the value obtained is high, and vice versa when the behavior of individuals within the organization is far from the truth as set forth in the work program by the leader, then its value is low. Leadership is about supervising and guiding the following employees to wards a unified standard or target, by broadcasting as a positive impact and using motivational strategies. Leaders can be used to lead corporate through organizational, operational, structural and operational reforms.This phenomenon can be said to be similar to the growth phase of organization proposed by, especially in the second growth phase in which an organization grew on the basis of guidance (direction) of a leader that has been agreed upon by the organization. The phenomenon can be turned around, meaning leader could be created by the organizational cultural when the leader is born as a successor (succession) in an organization in which the organizational culture has taken hold and has become part of the life of the organization. An example is in the organization of government. A country or government was born from the foundations of the Constitution and the philosophy of life in which the state constitution and the philosophy of life is the basic assumption of the governmen t culture. New leader as the next generation will continue the previous leadership with the basic assumption that the new leader as the successor will hold and preserve the culture of the organization. It can be said that new leader was being created by the organizational culture. This thinking has been proven by. In his research, he found that the differences of the dimensions of transformational leadership, especially is on the charisma and inspirational motivation. U.S workers have greater leadership on the variables that focus on the vision, expected future, optimism, and enthusiasm in achieving business results. While in Germany, workers have less charisma and initiative. But there is no difference in terms of transactional leadership. Some cultural values may also predict leadership style, but only in small portions. This explains that cultural values have little affect on the leadership. How to learn culture? Building organizational culture should be taken long time, thus let the employees learn the organizational culture also be difficult, Culture is broadcast to staffs in many ways, the most efficient methods are the stories, material symbols, language and material symbols. Numerous of senior Nike executive spend lots of time to be a company storytellers to promote their organizational culture. And these stories they convey are about the Nike history. The executives always tell a story about their co-founder Bill Bowerman, he poured rubber into his wifes waffle iron to create a better running shoe, this story is about innovation sprite of Nike. When the new employees hear the story of Chinese runing star Liu Xiangs battles to be succeed in winning champion at the 100-meter hurdle race, especially he used Nikes equipment, this stroy tells the new hires that Nikes commitment to helping athletes. These stories are circulated through many retail shops and companies. Normally they will tell a narrative of stories about he companies co-founders, reductions in the workplace, rags-to-riches successes, relocation of employees, reaction to reduce the mistakes. The stories explain legitimate current practices and describe history. Rituals are repetitive sequences of activities that express and reinforce the key values of the organization what goals are most important, which people are important, and which people are expendable. One of the better-know is Walmarts company chant. Begun by the companys founder, Sam Walton, as a way to motivate and unite his workforce, Gimme a W, gimme an A, gimme an L, gimme a squiggle, give me an M, A, R, T! has become a ritual that bonds workers and reinforces Waltons belief in the value of his employees to the companys success. Similar corporate chants are used by IBM, Ericsson, Novell, Deustsche Bank. Many organizations and subunits within them use language to help members identify with culture, attest to their accpetance of it, and help preserve it. Unique terms describe equipment, officers, key individuals, suppliers, customers, or products that relate to the business. New employees may at first be overwhelmed by acronyms and jargon, that once assimilated, act as a common denominator to unite members of a given culture or subculture. If you are a new employee at Boeing, you will find yourself learning a unique vocabulary, including Boeing online data, etc. Conclusion Organizational culture has three main functions. It is the bridge that connect people together and makes them feel part of the organizational experience. corporate culture helps employees make sense of the workplace. Third, It is also a deeply embedded form of social control. Organizations with strong cultures normally perform better than those with weak cultures, but only when the cultural content is suit for the companys environment. Also, the culture should not be so strong that it drives out dissenting values, which may form emerging values for the future. As a manager, you can help the company shape the culture. All managers work together and can especially do their part to consider spiritually and its role in creating a positive organizational culture and to create the organizational culture. Often you can do as much as to shape your organizational culture as the culture of the organization shapes you.

IKEA Customer Loyalty Essay

Customer loyalty is all about attracting the right customer, getting them to buy, buy often, buy in higher quantities and bring you even more customers. In short, you build customer loyalty by treating people how they want to be treated. There are many ways by which IKEA builds customer loyalty. The goal of the loyalty program is to reward IKEA’s best customers with discounts and special offers throughout the store. The online business of Ikea was developed as a way of generating greater loyalty among the customer base, as it is this that ultimately delivers greater sales and profitability. This was the view of Adri Kraa, head of Ikea Shop Online, expressed at the Retail Bulletin Summit 2009 when he suggested that only five percent more retention through loyal customers could deliver as much as 60 percent more profits. Through a desire to give customers greater â€Å"empowerment† and convenience the decision was taken to launch the Ikea online store. IKEA’s kiosk-based loyalty program IKEA FAMILY has attracted more than 1.6 million members since its launch a few months ago. IKEA FAMILY offers special offers and benefits to customers, as well as program-branded merchandise and promotional events. The Kiosks, which are built, serviced and monitored by Kiosk Information Systems, allow new members to enroll and receive a membership card on the spot. The kiosks also encourage existing members to scan their cards for a chance to win a monthly $100 FAMILY Sweepstakes, as well as view exclusive current IKEA FAMILY discounts and offers. Mobile is playing an increasingly important role for IKEA as it continues to build momentum for its loyalty program. Mobile is a key part of the strategy, with employees using in-store tablets to sign-up new customers and IKEA sending out SMS alerts to keep consumers updated on new products.

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Food Insecurity in Milwaukee - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1202 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/02/15 Category Health Essay Level High school Tags: Food Insecurity Essay Did you like this example? Wisconsin is an industrial city centered in the midwest. The winters are long and the unemployment rate is dangerously high. Seattle, Washington is a large urban landscape located in the Pacific Northwest with a growing economy. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Food Insecurity in Milwaukee" essay for you Create order The nearby landscape is densely biodiverse and the weather is moderate. How do the differences in economy and geographic location affect the availability to nutritious food in these areas? Food insecurity can be defined as â€Å"the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food† (Gundersen). In the United States, geographic location is a main contributor to food desserts and other forms of food insecurity. In my paper, my goal is to highlight the differences in obesity rates, income, and access to nutritious food in these two drastically different regions . Most importantly I will highlight possible solutions to these problems as well. Seattle Government The midwestern region of the United States is classified by its intensely cold winters and mildly hot summers. Additionally, many cities within this region struggle with low employment and high poverty rates. According to the article, Poverty and Food Security in Milwaukee County (Curtis), the authors’ state that â€Å"In Milwaukee County, the estimated poverty rate during the 5-year span of 2008-2012 was 20.9%, an increase from 2000 when the county poverty rate was 15.3%.† (Curtis). As a result of this high poverty rate many in the region struggle to â€Å"have enough safe and nutritious food for an active healthy life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Curtis). The cold climate and short growing season make it even harder for Milwaukee residents to get fresh, locally grown foods. In Milwaukee county the food insecurity rate is 21.8%. Figure 1 depicts Milwaukee’s food insecurity rate compared to other districts in Wisconsin. The majority of people in these poverty stricken areas a re minorities. Since minorities in this area don’t have access to fresh nutritional foods, their health is at risk. According to a study done by The Wisconsin Division of Public Health, 37% of school children in The Milwaukee Public School System are considered overweight or obese (Cash). Food Insecurity Rate in Wisconsin by District (Curtis) Milwaukee resident stated in a 2018 interview Look at the area that we live inTheres fast food, a lot of fatty things. But you also have to understand that we cant afford [healthy food], (Cash). All in all, Milwaukee’s geographic and economic status are issues that impact its citizen’s health and food security. Another city thats citizen’s health is impacted by its location and economic status is Seattle,Washington. Seattle’s rainy climate and combination of mountainous landscapes and oceans provide for a lot of different year-round crop growth. According to the city of Seattle’s government website, the city’s climate is â€Å"cool and wet in the spring and fall, and usually above freezing in the winter.†(Seattle Government). With encouragement from local governments, there are many urban gardens and food farms occupying the city. Easy access to planting has allowed Seattle residents to be more secure with their food options. Additionally, between 2015 and 2016 the Seattle-Tacoma area reported to have a 9.6% poverty rate, which dropped from the previous post-recision high of 14.1% (Eckart). Only about 11% of Seattle locals have reported food insecurity (Pulkkinen). Figure 2 depicts the average food insecurity rates in the U.S., Oregon, California, and W ashington, and Washington has by far the lowest insecurity rate. As result of these two benefits, Seattle has the third lowest obesity rate for youth ages 10 to 17 in America (State Briefs). These statistics showcase Seattle’s location and economic status effects on food insecurity and health. Average Food Insecurity Rates of The West Coast (Pulkkinen) The problem of disproportionate food insecurity within the United States is a huge issue. Socially, this issue warrants concern. Environmental justice is described as â€Å"the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.† (Houston) . Milwaukee’s inclining poverty rate shouldn’t be a contributor to wether or not its residents should have access to nutritional foods. The outcome of not paying attention to this problem is inclining obesity rates and health problems nationwide. According to an article by UW Milwaukee â€Å"The obesity rate in the city of Milwaukee has risen about eight percentage points in the last four years, which is much more than the national average, state average, and the increase at the county level as well† (Nowakowski). Figure 3 shows the increasing obesit y rates in Milwaukee from 1990-2016. Without policy the results could be detrimental to the overall human health and mainly minorities in not just Milwaukee, but similar urban areas. There are also numerous environmental consequences of food insecurity. Adult obesity in WI 1990-2016 (Nowakowski) of locally grown foods and reliance on non-organic farming is damaging our Earth. Non organic farming uses fertilizers loaded with nutrients. When these nutrients get washed into bodies of water they cause algal blooms. These blooms eventually die/decompose which restricts oxygen in the body of water, causing more death to organisms such as fish. Also, since the food in these areas aren’t locally grown they have to travel many miles to get there, increasing overall carbon pollution. If we don’t take food insecurity seriously, people in The United States will have increasing health risks. Also, minorities will be effected most by food insecurity, and continue being suppressed by environmental inequality. Lastly, our environment will continue to suffer due to waste runoff from agriculture and long travel distances to get food in these areas. There are numerous possible solutions regarding the unevenness of food security in America. Seattle is a huge template to what many other urban areas should strive for. Local governments in Milwaukee could start implementing urban gardens in the city. These gardens will allow access to healthy local foods within walking distance for people in city areas. These gardens have proven to work with improving food security in Seattle and can in other cities as well. The issue regarding geographic location can be solved as well. New technology is being tested with â€Å"deep winter† greenhouses (Figure 4). A deep winter greenhouse (Gunderson) from MPR news states that these greenhouses can be started up without a huge cost. These winter greenhouses are able to grow most fruits and vegetables that aren’t achievable in cold climates by â€Å"mixing technology and old school ingenuity to create an energy efficient winter farm†. (Gunderson) Help and start up from local governments with ideas like deep winter greenhouses and urban farms can aid in the reduction of food insecurity in Milwaukee and other urban areas throughout the United States. All in all, food insecurity is a huge issue in The United States. Many areas are more impacted by the dangerous effects of food insecurity than others. There are multiple reasons for this disproportion of food security between states, including geographic location and economic status. This is of huge concern due to the health risks, environmental injustice, and increased damages to our planet revolving around food insecurity and those who don’t have access to nutritional foods. Solutions vary and are possible with action from local governments, urban gardening, and new technology.