Working Capital
Working Capital
Working Capital
Abstract:
A well designed and implemented working capital management is expected to
contribute positively to the creation of a firm’s value. “Working Capital” is the
capital invested in different items of current assets needed for the business, viz, inventory,
debtors, cash and other current assets such as loans & advances to third parties. Those
current assets are essential for smooth business operations and proper utilization of fixed
assets. The firm should maintain sufficient level of working capital to produce upto a given
capacity and maximize the return on investment in fixed assets. Shortage of working
capital leads to lower capacity utilization, lower turnover and hence lower profits. Working
Capital, in excess of the amount required to produce to full capacity, is idle and
consequently leads to decline in profits. Hence the dictum “Adequacy is a virtue, surfeit
is not”.
The study concentrates on the main components of working capital like inventory
management, accounts receivable management and cash management of Public
Enterprises. The tools used in this study includes ratio analysis, trend analysis and
percentage method.
Introduction:
Every business whether big, medium or small, needs finance to carry on its
operations and to achieve its target. Infact, finance is so indispensable today that its
rightly said to be the lifeblood of an enterprise. Without adequate finance, no
enterprise can possibly accomplish its objectives. So this chapter deals with studying
various aspects of working capital management that is necessary to carry out the
day-today operations. The term working capital refers to that part of firm’s capital
which is required for financing short term or current assets such as cash, marketable
securities, debtors and inventories funds invested in current assets keep revolving
fast and are being constantly converted in to cash and this cash flows out again in
exchange for other current assets. Hence it is known as revolving or circulating capital.
On the whole, Working Capital Management performs a key function and is of top
priority for every finance manager. All managers must, however, keep in mind that n
their pursuit to liquidity, they should not lose sight of there basic goal of profitability.
They should be able to attain a judicious mix of liquidity and profitability while
managing their working capital.
In our present day economy, finance is defined as the provision of money at
time when it is required. Every business whether big, medium or small, needs finance
to carry on its operations and to achieve its target. Infact, finance is so indispensable
today that its rightly said to be the lifeblood of an enterprise. Without adequate
finance, no enterprise can possibly accomplish its objectives.
A firm is required to maintain a balance between liquidity and profitability while
conducting its day to day operations .liquidity is a precondition to ensure that the firm
CAMS Journal of Business Studies and ISSN : 0975- July-September
Research 7953 1
are
PERIOD OF STUDY
The present study deals with the data collected from the annual reports and other
relevant documents for the period commencing from 2000-2001 to 2009-2010.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study is on working capital management of selected Public enterprises. The
study furnishes the management of idea about the performance of working capital of
the company. Management of working capital refers to management of current assets,
current liabilities and relationship between them. The basic goal of working capital is
to maintain the satisfactory level of working capital. A sound working capital policy
ensures higher profitability and proper liquidity of a firm. Every business needs funds
for two purposes: for its establishment and to carry out its day to day operations. For
this purpose it is important for the company to manage its short term assets and
liability.
Working capital is quite essential for the working of any business. For a good
manufacturing company, some basic capital for producing the goods is required
before it starts selling them. It has to take care of production expenses, administration
expenses as well as selling expenses. Moreover, since business is usually done on
credit, there is a time lag between the date of sale and date of receipt of revenues,
which can be as high as 90 days at times. Considering all these, it is essential that a
company has sufficient capital to keep it going before it coverts its purchases into
goods and then finally into cash.
Each and every study has its own scope. This project intends to study the working
capital position of the Public enterprises. This study helps to identify the areas that
could be improved. Further suggestions were quoted which the company could use it
in the future program enhancing better utilization of all resources.
LIMITATIONS
The data’s were collected mainly on the basis of secondary data. So the limitations of
secondary data are applicable. Due to busy work schedule, detailed discussions were
not possible. The data collected for the study was historic in nature, so the
suggestions will be irrelevant.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Mohammad Neab and Noriza BMS (2010) worked on crating the relationship between
Working Capital Management (WCM) and performance of firms. For their analysis
they chose the Malaysian listed companies. They administered the perspective of
market valuation and profitability. They used total of 172 listed companies from the
databases of Bloomberg. They randomly selected five year data (2003-2007). This
research likewise the researches quoted before studied the impact of the dimensions
of working capital component i.e. C.C.C., current ratio (C.R.), current asset to total
asset ratio (C.A.T.A.R), current liabilities to total asset ratio (C.L.T.A.R.), and debt to
asset ratio (D.T.A.R.) in effect to the firm’s performance whereby firm’s value
dimension was taken as Tobin Q (T.Q.) and profitability i.e. return on asset (R.O.A.)
and return on invested capital (R.O.I.C). They applied two different techniques for
analyzing the data that are multiple regression and correlations.
They found that there is a negative relationship between working capital variables and the
firm’s performance.
Dong (2010) reported that the firms’ profitability and liquidity are affected by working
capital management in his analysis. Pooled data are selected for carrying out the
research for the era of 2006-2008 for assessing the companies listed in stock market
of Vietnam. He focused on the variables that include profitability, conversion cycle and its
related elements and the relationship that exists between them. From his research it
was found that the relationships among these variables are strongly negative. This
denote that decrease in the profitability occur due to increase in cash conversion
cycle. It is also found that if the number of days of account receivable and inventories
are diminished then the profitability will increase numbers of days of accounts
receivable and inventories.
Saswata Chatterjee (2010) focused on the importance of the fixed and current assets in
the successful running of any organization. It poses direct impacts on the profitability
liquidity. There have been a phenomenon observed in the business that most of the
companies increase the margin for the profits and losses because this act shrinks the
size of working capital relative to sales. But if the companies want to increase or
improve its liquidity, then it has to increase its working capital. In the response of this
policy the organization has to lower down its sales and hence the profitability will be
affected due to this action. For this purpose 30 United Kingdom based companies were
selected which were listed in the London Stock exchange. The data were taken of three
years 2006-2008. It analyzed the impact of the working capital on the profitability. The
dimensions of working capital management included in this research which is quick
ratios, current ratios C.C.C, average days of payment, Inventory turnover, and A.C.P
(average collection period. on the net operating profitability of the UK companies.
Mathuva (2009) studied the impact of working capital management on the
performance. He took almost 30 listed firms as a sample and all these companies
were listed in Nairobi stock exchange and the data was taken from 1993 to 2008.
There were certain findings of his research by analyzing the fixed effects regression
models. Firstly, there is a negative
relationship between the time when the cash is collected from the customers and
the firm’s productivity. This depicts, firms that are more profitable enjoys less time
period for the collection of cash from the customers as compare to ones which are
less profitable.
Secondly, there is a positive relationship between the inventories when they were brought
in and the period to which they are sold and the firm’s profitability. The interpretation
comes out as that the firms or the organizations which take more time to keep the
inventories it reduces the costs of the disruption in the process of production and
usually the business losses as there is the insufficiency in the goods. This situation
decreases the operating cost of the firm. The third assumption of the research was the
association between the average payment period and profitability and found out to be
positive (p<0.01). The more the time taken to disburse the creditors, the profitability
will increases
SOURCES OF
WORKING CAPITAL
a. Management of inventory
Management of inventories means an optimum investment in inventories. It should
neither be too low affect the production adversely nor too high to block the funds
unnecessarily.
c. Management of cash
Cash management involves the efficient collection and disbursement of cash and any
temporary investment of cash while it resides with the firm. It is concerned with the
managing of cash flows into and out of the firm, cash flows with in the firm, and cash
balances held by the firm at a point of time by financing deficit or investing cash
surplus.
WORK IN
DEBTORS
PROGRESS
FINISHED
SALES GOODS
The length of time involved in the conversion of cash into raw materials, raw
materials into work- in-progress, work –in-progress into finished goods, finished
goods into debtors
,debtors into cash again the operating cycle or working capital cycle.
The length of operating cycle or working capital cycle may differ from one firm to
another, depending upon the nature of the business.
WORKING CAPITAL POLICIES
A business firm can adapt any of the following working capital policies:
1. Conservative working capital policy
2. Aggressive working capital policy
3. Moderate working capital policy
Under Conservative approach, the firm carries high investment in current assets such as
cash, marketable securities and carries large amount of inventories and grants generous
terms of credit to customers resulting in a high level of debtors. The consequences of
conservative working capital policy are quick deliveries to customers and more sales due
to generous credit terms.
Under Aggressive working capital policy, investment in current assets is very low. The
firm keeps less amount of cash and marketable securities, manages with less
inventories and tight credit terms resulting in low level of debtors. The consequences of
aggressive working capital policy are frequent production stoppages, delayed deliveries to
customers and loss of sales. A trade off between two costs namely carrying cost and
shortage cost determines the optimal level of current assets. Costs that rise with
current assets i.e. that cost of financing a higher level of current assets form carrying
costs. Shortage costs are in the form of disruption in production schedule, loss of
sales and loss of goodwill.
The optimum level of current assets is denoted by the total costs (= carrying costs +
shortage costs) minimized at that level
After determining the level of current assets, the firm must determine how these
should be financed.
Investment in current assets can be broken into two parts
1. Permanent current assets
2. Temporary current assets
A firm requires a certain amount of current assets to meet even the minimum level
of sales where as temporary current assets reflects a variable component that
moves in line with seasonal fluctuations. Several strategies are available for financing
capital requirements DATA ANALYSIS
RATIO ANALYSIS
a) Liquidity ratio:- Liquidity refers to afirms ability to meet its obligations in the
short term, usually one year. These ratios are based on the relationship
between current assets and current liabilities. The important ratios are
current ratio, acid test ratio and cash ratio.
CURRENT RATIO
Current Ratio is the ratio of Current Assets to the Current Liabilities. It shows
the ability of a firm to cover its Current Liabilities with the Current Assets.
CURRENT RATIO=CURRENT ASSETS/CURRENT LIABILITIES
Since the availability of the raw materials are seasonal in nature and the industry
uses imported Materials and Stores the Company have to stock them for a longer
period to avoid lead time. Both these components make the Inventory level very high
in turn resulting in a higher Current Assets level over the Current Liability, this in turn
lead to a higher Current Ratio.
Over the period of analysis the Current Ratio of the company never went below 2.5:1.
For the last 9 years i.e. from the year 2001-2009, the Company was stable in
maintaining its Current Ratio. In the year 2010 the Companies Current Ratio was at
1.92:1 which is not suitable as per the above rule
Overall the Company is found satisfactory with its Current Ratio till the year 2009.
The Liquid Ratio shows the actual liquidity of a firm. As a convention the Liquid Ratio
of 1:1 is considered satisfactory. The company has been efficient in maintaining its Liquid
Assets over its Current liability.
Over the period of analysis the Company has maintained its Quick Assets more than
its Current Liabilities till 2008.But in the year 2009 the company had stepped into
severe liquidity crisis and the quick ratio had gone below the ideal ratioi.e 0.87 The
Company was successful in maintaining its Liquid Ratio below 2:1 after the year 2000-08
thereby increasing the efficiency of the firm. The Liquid Ratio of the Company is not at
a satisfactory level. The Company is not in a safe position.
LEVERAGE RATIO
Financial leverages refer to the debt finance. Leverage ratios helps in assessing the risk
assessing the risk arising from the use of debt capital. The important ratios are debt
equity ratio, debt assets ratio, interest coverage ratio, and fixed coverage ratio.
2009-2010 - 19175.03 -
This ratio measures the extent to which borrowed funds support the firm’s assets. It is
related to the debt equity ratio and so the lower the ratio the more sound the form is
said to be. As shown this ratio is high during 2003-2004, but decreased during 2004-
2005 and continued this decline till 2007-2008 but then rose to 0 .12 in the year 2008-
09 which is not favorable. In the last year the debt asset ratio is nil which sounds
good financial position of the firm.
(Source:Secondary Data)
The Current Assets Turnover Ratio shows the number of times the Current Assets are
being turned over in a stated period. It also shows how well the Current Assets are
being used in the business. A high ratio indicates high degree of efficiency in asset
utilization
The Company was found satisfactory with the level Current Assets turnover ratio. There
was an increasing trend in the ratio till the 2005-06 after that the ratio gradually
started decreasing; this was because of the increase in the level of Current Assets during
the period. In the year 2008-2009 current asset turnover ratio was 1.36. The last year
shows high efficiency in utilization.
(Source:Secondary Data)
This ratio measures the number of times the Working Capital is turned over. The
Company could maintain a satisfactory level of Working Capital Turnover Ratio in the
period of analysis.
The Working Capital Turnover Ratio stood at the highest level in the year 2009-10
Owing to lower Unit Net Sales Realization during the year 2008-09. In the year 2010
the Working Capital turnover of the Company increased to 3.40 which is the largest.
Profitability ratio:- Profitability reflects the final results of the business operations. There
are two aspects of profitability ratios: profit margin ratio and rate of return ratios. Profit
margin ratio shows the relationship between profit and sales. Rate of return ratio
reflects the relationship between profit and investments.
Net profit margin ratio =net profit/net sales
Table :7(Rs in Lakhs)
Year Net profit Net sales Net profit
Margin ratio
2000-2001 1619.98 25335.59 0.06
2001-2002 407.23 23375.95 0.02
2002-2003 -488.91 21457.4 -0.02
2003-2004 502.46 25267.61 0.02
2004-2005 421.55 27393.28 0.02
2005-2006 1568.11 30296.34 0.05
2006-2007 3192.31 31519.30 0.10
2007-2008 1153.69 29860.84 0.04
2008-2009 1263.56 29767.37 0.04
2009-2010 (4802.40) 28438.59 (0.17)
(Source:Secondary Data)
This ratio explains the per rupee profit generating capacity of sales. If the cost of
sales is lower than the net profit will be higher and then we divide it with the net
sales, the result is the sales efficiency. This ratio is very useful for proprietors and
prospective investors because it reveals the overall profitability of the firm. The
ratio was high in the year2006- 2007 but in the year 2009-2010 it has declined to
(0.17) and still continuing so there is a chance of increasing the ratio through
improved efficiency of the concern
FINDINGS
1. The financial performance of the companies was not encouraging with a sales
turnover of Rs 284.39 crore for the year ending 31st march, 2010 to Rs 297.67 crore
during the previous year
2. Actual production has been increasing consistently from 2003-04 but was low in
2009- 2010 when compared with this previous year.
3. The company has no accumulated losses at the end of the financial year.
4. No loans and advances have been granted by the companies on the basis of
shares, debentures and other securities..
5. Overall the Companies are found satisfactory with its Current Ratio till the year 2009
6. The Liquid Ratio of the Companies are not at a satisfactory level. The Company is not
in a safe position.
7. The debt equity ratio is favorable from long term creditor’s point of view. It
ascertains the soundness of long term financial policies of the Companies.
8. The debt asset ratio is nil in the year 2009-2010 so there will be goog affect in
the financial strength of the business enterprise.
SUGGESTIONS
The companies have a sound working capital managements system. In our opinion and
to the best of knowledge of information about the companies does not have
accumulated losses as at the end of the financial year and the companies have not
incurred cash losses in the current financial year and in the immediately preceding
financial year.
The major sources of Working Capital of companies are Sundry Debtors, Sundry
Creditors, and Advances from customers and Provisions The internal control procedures
need to be more ad equals so as to be commensurate with the size of the company
and the nature of its business with regard to accounting, handling, control and
valuation of inventories, so that it does not block a huge amount of money in
inventory.
The bad/doubtful debts for the last 10 years are showing an increasing trend. This
should be given due attention as it implies the provision for bad debts made in the
previous years were not sufficient as compared to the reality so effective collection
methods should be adopted.
Quick ratio of companies from 2000-2001 to 2007-08 is more than ideal ratio
1:1.But in the year 2008-09 and 2009-10 it has declined to 0.87 and 0.96 .So.
Management has to take actions to maintain the ratios at the standard level as it is
important for the concern to keep its liquid assets at least equal to the liquid
liabilities at all times. The cash position should be improved as early as possible
since it is at an alarmingly low level.
CONCLUSION
A study conducted in public limited enterprises; enable to get practical touch to the
topic Working Capital Management of the company. The management of working capital
plays an important role in maintaining the financial health of the companies during the
normal course of business. The company should maintain sufficient level of working
capital to produce upto a given capacity and maximize the return on investment in fixed
assets .Shortage of working capital leads to lower capacity utilization.
To maintain the solvency of the business and continue production, it is necessary that
adequate funds be available to pay the bills for material, labour, selling and
administrative expenses and other cost of doing business .The prompt payment of b
ills to suppliers of materials ensures a continued supply of raw materials and
established credit for the future or for reasonable operations.
From the study undertaken it is clear that the various components of working capital
are interrelated. An increase in one component will decrease the amount of other,
leading to maintain the level of working capital. As could be seen from the working
capital the financial position of the firm is very encouraging. It ensures reasonable return
on investment, hence it
is considered as a sound and feasible project. Objective of working capital management is
to manage in such a way that satisfactory level of working capital is maintained.
The goal of working capital management is to ensure that a firm is able to continue its
operations and that it has sufficient ability to satisfy both maturing short term debt and
upcoming operational expenses. To conclude the project work has been a great
experience and exposure to the real fixed experience and actual working of an
organization.
REFERENCES
BOOKS
[1] Dr. Prasanna Chandra (IIM B), Financial Management Theory and Practice, Second Edition, Tata Mc-
Graw Hill Publications, New Delhi, pp- 245-265
*2+ Pandey,”Financial Management”, Vikas Publishing House Pvt Ltd, pp108-157,808-939
*3+Sharma,”Working Capital Management”Surabhi Pulications, 103-173.
WEBSITE
[1]http://www.hnlonline.com
OTHER SOURCES
[1]Annual Report of the companies, Year 2000-01 to 2009-
10 [2]Articles issued by the Companies
[3]Monthly Statement of Operational Data
(MSOD) [4]Journals, Magazines issued by the
Companies.
EFFECTIVENESS OF EMPLOYEE MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES IN THE PRINT MEDIA INDUSTRY
Abstract
The world is shrinked to a global village; the opportunities for the competent employees are opened
with red carpet. Thus the relevance of employee motivation is getting strategic importance for achieving the
benchmarks and attracting the talents. Even though it’s a world of opportunities the employees
without having expected level of competence and having expected level of competence but not motivated
will not be able to cop-up with the industry competitors. Media industry in India is exploring the world with
ultra- modern, world class facilities and competing with the global leaders. But now print media lost its
legacy but the relevance makes it more competent with other media. This study chalks out clear picture of
print media industry and its employee motivational strategies adopted for sustenance and existence.
Introduction
Needs, which determine a person’s motivation, changes constantly. They alter according
to change in external environment and it is possible that the same person will have different
needs at different times. Also, needs and wants are never completely satisfied- no sooner is
one need satisfied, than another one arises. An individual thus constantly tries to achieve one
goal after another. However he cannot achieve all goals. Thus, a person may be unable to
satisfy all his goals because of his personal, financial, social and cultural limitations.
Motivation is a term that refers to a process that elicits, controls, and sustains certain
behaviours. Motivation is an important function which every manager performs for actuating
the people to work for accomplishment of objectives of the organization. A manager has to
make appropriate use of motivation to enthuse the employees to follow them.
The word motivation has been derived from motive which means any idea, need or
emotion that prompts a man into action. Whatever may be the behaviour of man, there is
some stimulus behind it. Stimulus is dependent upon the motive of the person concerned.
Motive can be known by studying the needs and desires of employees. There is no universal
theory that can explain the factors influencing motives which control mans behaviour at any
particular point of time. In general, the different motives operate at different people and
influence their behaviours. The process of motivation studies the motives of individuals which
cause different type of behaviour.
Motivation means any idea, need or emotion that prompts a man in to action.
Motivation is the core of management. Motivation is an effective instrument in the hands of
the management in inspiring the work force. Motivation involves getting the members of the
group to pull weight effectively, to give their loyalty to the group, to carry out properly the
purpose of the organization.
Motivation is an important function which every manager performs for actuating the
people to work for accomplishment of objectives of the organization. There are types of
motivation which are categorized as positive motivation, negative motivation, extrinsic, intrinsic
and group motivation.
Research Methodology
Objectives
The primary objective of the study is to find the effectiveness of motivation of the
employees in the print media industry.
It also identifies the methods used by the company to increase motivation in employees.
Identify the needs of the employees in order to help them improve their motivation.
Motivation has a wide scope in the present scenario. A motivated employee is the
main wealth of the company as it will provide the efficiency. This study will help in the
studying the motivational need of the company. Motivating an efficient employee will increase
the overall functioning of the organisation. A motivated employee will work thrice as much as
a normal employee who is less motivated. Employee motivation is one of the major issues
faced by every organization. It is the major task of every manager to motivate his
subordinates or to create the ‘will to work’ among the subordinates.
Universe
The population selected for the study is the 850 employees of a print media organisation.
For this study the method used for sampling is convenient sampling. Its due to the
availability of employees are mainly in reporting areas and accessing them was a herculeous task.
Number of the sampling units selected from the population is called the size of the sample.
Out of the 100 questionnaires distributed sample of 60 respondents were obtained.
The study is limited for a short period and this is not enough to study the original
problem of company. The data collected from the employees will be biased. There is a chance to
get prejudiced information.
Data analysis
Literature Review
Herzberg (1959) categorized motivation into two factors: motivators and hygienic
(Herzberg, Mausner, & Snyderman, 1959). Motivator or intrinsic factors, such as achievement and
recognition, produce job satisfaction. Hygiene or extrinsic factors, such as pay and job
security, produce job dissatisfaction.
Vroom's theory is based on the belief that employee effort will lead to performance
and performance will lead to rewards (Vroom, 1964). Rewards may be either positive or
negative. The more positive the reward the more likely the employee will be highly motivated.
Conversely, the more negative the reward the less likely the employee will be motivated.
Adams' theory states that employees strive for equity between themselves and other
workers. Equity is achieved when the ratio of employee outcomes over inputs is equal to
other employee outcomes over inputs (Adams, 1965).
Skinner's theory simply states those employees' behaviors that lead to positive outcomes will
be repeated and behaviors that lead to negative outcomes will not be repeated (Skinner,
1953). Managers should positively reinforce employee behaviors that lead to positive outcomes.
Managers should negatively reinforce employee behavior that leads to negative outcomes
Hale (1998) and Lawler (1981, 1987) revealed that rewards have critical importance as a means
of employee motivation. Organisation managers acknowledge rewards and recognition
consistently as a motivator of individual employees.
Cacioppe (1999) in his article revealed that employees understanding and satisfaction with the
reward system lead to specific behaviours and actions, finally results operational and
financial results.
Saxby (2007), in his study says that it is an avoidable mistake of management for not
rewarding employees for a well done job. Tangible rewards are nicest and more meaningful
regarding employee motivation rather than intangible praising and acknowledgement.
Newspaper Industry
Technology has rendered obsolete newspaper in their traditional format. The future of
newspaper has been widely debated as the industry has faced down soaring newsprint
prices, slumping ad sales, the sales, the loss of much classified advertising and precipitous
drops in circulation. Most traditional papers also feature an editorial page containing columns
that express the personal opinions of writers.
Advertising
Due to the over use of internet by the new generation the newspaper industry of the
world is declining now a day. For this Mrinal Chattergi suggests some newer avenues. Those
are:-
Multimedia platform: Print media companies should now adopt multi-media platform. In fact
almost all large and successful print media companies have now become multi media
companies.
Niche market: According to a study titled “There’s life in the old dog yet” by consulting firm
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, print media can grow despite digital competition if they
apply various success factors. As Alexander Moggs, Partner in the InfoCom Competence Centre
at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, say, We see growth potential in the premium reader
segment and in other niches. The ability to fill a niche, strengthen the brand and improve
competence in innovation will be the decisive factors.” Rigorous orientation toward the target
group and the alignment of the medium, the reader market and advertising strategy as part of
an overall publishing concept have a positive effect on sales. That’s because premium
customers are ready to pay good money for high-quality offers. And premium customers are
especially attractive to advertisers. “Especially for image ads and premium segments, print
media will continue to be an attractive environment in spite of online competition.”
Bottom of the Pyramid model: This refers to targeting the masses. Print media in India,
especially mainstream newspapers have been doing that for ages. There can be further
attempts to reach the masses and improve revenue collection by turning the number as
strength.
Find unexplored market: As stated earlier there are hundreds of thousands of literate people,
who can afford to buy newspapers and periodicals and not doing so. Attempts have to be
made to make them buy and patronize print media.
Catch them young: Young people especially need to be introduced to print media. Investing in
brands therefore pays off, because strong brands are becoming more and more important in an
increasingly diverse media landscape. Possible ways to do this include “worlds of experience” and
events such as conventions, seminars and trips. They not only spark interest, but also
represent the next level for profitable sidelines after the first generation of tie-in product
business from books, CDs, DVDs, etc.
Blue Ocean strategy: Blue ocean strategy is about creating and capturing uncontested market
space, thereby making the competition irrelevant. Creating Blue Oceans is a way to make the
competition irrelevant by creating a leap in value for both the company and its customers.
Data Analysis
1. Respondents coverage
Table No.1
Present status
Particulars %
Managers 13
Supervisors 27
Executives 27
Employees 33
2. Qualification of Respondents
Table No.2
Qualification of employees
Particulars %
Below SSLC 0
SSLC 17
Graduation 33
PG 42
Above PG 8
Table No.3
Years of experience
Particulars %
Below 5 yrs 7
5-10 yrs 35
10-20 yrs 33
20-30 yrs 17
Above 30 yrs 8
(Source: Primary Data)
Incentives are the benefits that are given other than the normal wages. Employees
are motivated when they are agreed with fair incentives. The incentives are of two types,
financial and non financial incentives.
Table :4
Particulars %
Financial Incentive 53
Non-financial incentives 40
Both 7
5. Responses of how far motivators which motivates - Friendly atmosphere with the
colleagues, Salary , Fringe benefits, rewards and recognition, Idle time ,roles and
responsibilities
Friendly atmosphere with the colleagues implies the relation employees maintain with
each other. Friendly atmosphere with the colleagues is a necessary in every organization.
Salary is the amount which the employees receive as a result of their work in the
organization. Salary is a fixed income and it changes based on the position that the
employees hold in the organization. Fringe benefits are those benefits which are supplementary
to the regular wages. These benefits are paid to all the employees based on their participation
also it helps to provide favourable attitude towards the organisation.
Rewards and recognition and promotions are provided to those employees whose
performance within the organisation is very useful and impressive to the top
management.Lunch break and rest time are those which are provided to the employees as a
recess time. It is the time in which they can relax and rest. A good rest time provides a
refresh employee with new thoughts. Fair rest time motivates the employees and their by
their morale.
Table. 5
Motivators
Particulars Friendly Salary Fringe Rewards& Idle time Roles &
atmosphere benefits Recognitio Responsibili
with % %
colleagues % n ties
% % %
Strongly Agree 25 25 26 33 25 33
Agree 50 58 50 33 33 53
Neutral 25 10 12 22 25 7
Disagree 0 7 12 12 17 7
Strongly Disagree 0 0 0 0 0 -
6. Responses of how far motivators which motivates - Training, relation with top
management, extra curricular activities, opportunity for advancement, acceptance of ideas
and opinions and Working environment
The activities provided by the company other than work for the relaxation &
entertainment of workers. Extracurricular activities will enable a day off from work and thus
employee feel stress- free.Every employee enters an organisation looking for the opportunity
for advancement. It is important for them to have a career growth and their by improving their
living standard.
Employees have an urge to give ideas and opinions about matters and if the top
authority involves in functions they feel of being heard and thus being motivated. The place where
employees work can be called as working environment. Working environment of the organization
should be such that every employees should feel comfortable thus maintaining a high morale
towards the company.
Table. 6
Motivators
Neutral 13 23 0 7 17 32
Disagree 0 12 0 0 0 8
Strongly Disagree 0 0 0 0 0 0
FINDINGS
The study covers the top to the bottom level of employees - the managers,
supervisors, executives and employees.The respondents are basically qualified and majority
credits graduation and one third of them mastered too. From the above table we can find out
that majority of respondents having more than five years of experience and inflow is too low. The
respondents mostly believe in financial incentives or combinations with financial incentives are
effective for motivating the employees. But 40% believes in Non-financial incentives.
The Respondents mostly agrees with the tangible factors like Salary, Fringe benefits,
rewards affects the morale of employees. The Respondents also mostly agrees with the intangible
factors like friendly atmosphere with the colleagues, recognition, idle time, roles and
responsibilities, training, relation with top management, extra curricular activities, opportunity for
advancement, acceptance of ideas and opinions and working environment which influences
motivation. It is clear that a inconsiderable numbers disagrees with the tangible and
intangible factors in the organization will influence motivation, but they may believe in
behavioral factors of an employee.
SUGGESTIONS
While considering the responses we can suggest any factors which motivates an
employee must based on a sound psychological background. Behavior of any employee makes
himself to satisfy with the organization and his own work. So when ever any organization
frames the strategy to motivate the employees consider their behavioral framework to accept
the situation and employee competence and employability.
CONCLUSION
Motivation is an inevitable force in any organization and the study reveals that in the
print media industry also have to motivate their workforce with great combination of tangible
and intangible motivators. The study also analyses about each motivators’ relevance and
influences motivation of the work force. It envisages the fact that in the print media industry
the company must be initiated motivate their employees with great combination of motivators.
As there is a straight competition going on in the industry the company should keep its
strategies and policies in a manner so that the employees are always motivated, and by this the
company can assure employees have a high morale towards the company. Company should
watch on its strategic alliance or it should improve its policies in order to compete with the
competitors. The position in the market will ensure a higher motivation and morale towards
the company from the employee.
References:
Adams, J. S. (1965). Inequity in social exchange. Advances in experimental social psychology. New
York: Academic Press.
Bedeian, A. G. (1993). Management (3rd ed.). New York: Dryden Press.
Buford, J. A., Jr., Bedeian, A. G., & Lindner, J. R. (1995). Management in Extension (3rd ed.). Columbus,
Ohio: Ohio State University Extension.
Harpaz, I. (1990). The importance of work goals: an international perspective. Journal of International
Business Studies, 21. 75-93.
Higgins, J. M. (1994). The management challenge (2nd ed.). New York:
Macmillan. Kreitner, R. (1995). Management (6th ed.). Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Company. Smith, K. L. (1990). The future of leaders in Extension.
Journal of Extension, 28 (1).
Peter Fargus (2000). Measuring and improving Employee Motivation. Financial Times Prentice
Hall Robbins, S.P, (2008), Essential of Management, Pearson Education. 8th Edition.
EVALUATION OF STRESS AMONG THE EMPLOYEES
Nishanth.S & Gayathri.S
Abstract
Human Resource is considered as an important asset by many organizations.
Capital, technology and other resources can be used efficiently only with the
help of competent people. The role of work has changed throughout the
world due to economic conditions and social demands. Originally, work was
a matter of necessity and survival. Throughout the years, the role of
“work” has evolved and the composition of the workforce has changed.
Stress, depression and hypertension have now become extremely common
among all industries. Stress can lead to many health problems like sleeping
disorder, anger, headaches, diabetes, fatigue and obesity. This is gradually
transforming into a major health concern in India and especially during the
times of economic depression when job security is doubtful, these concerns
increase drastically. Stress is identified as one of the problems that may
affect the satisfaction level of employees. Highly stressed jobs may affect
employee’s productivity. One of the main effects of employee stress
is related to attitudes. Job satisfaction, morale and organizational
commitment can all suffer, along with motivation to perform at higher
levels. Thus there is a need to identify the stressors and try to reduce their
influence on employees. In this paper we discuss about various factors
affecting the stress and their impact among the employees.
Keywords: Stressors, Healthy, Work place
Introduction
Organizations were walking up to problems posed by high stress levels at
the work place. They were adopting creative methods to address this
menace and equip the employees with stress management strategies. The
work place had become a high stress environment in many organizations
cutting industries. Employees were experiencing high level of stress due to
various factors such as high workload, high targets, type of work, lack of
jobsatisfaction,long
working hours, pressure to perform etc..Interpersonal conflicts at the
workplace such as boss-subordinate relationship and relationships with
peers, were also a source of stress. Experts believed that the dysfunctional
aspects of stress could directly impact on organization’s performance and
also affect the well being of its among the employees
The study was conducted on the topic “Evaluation of stress among
the employees of Terumo Penpol Ltd, Trivandrum”. The company employs
around 984 employees. For the present study, a sample of 100
employees was considered.
Most of the organizations consider competent employees as an
important asset through which they can attain competitive advantage.
One of the great challenges that firms face today is high attrition rate. In
order to retain competent employees, the firm should ensure maximum
satisfaction to the employees. The factors contributing to the satisfaction
can be different in different employees. In order to improve the existing
scenario and retain competent workforce, the factors contributing to the
satisfaction level of the employees are identified and the degree to
which these factors contribute to the work life balance are to be
analyzed. This will help to retain the employees and maintain good
relation with them. Stress is identified as one of the problems that may
affect the satisfaction level of employees. Highly stressed jobs may affect
employee’s productivity. One of the main effects of employee stress is
related to attitudes. Job satisfaction, morale and organizational
commitment can all suffer, along with motivation to perform at higher
levels. Thus there is a need to identify the stressors and try to reduce
their influence on employees.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
DATA COLLECTION FROM SECONDARY SOURCES
Secondary data were collected from different sources like the
company brochures, articles issued by various publications, news paper
publications, magazines, business journals and various websites.
DATA COLLECTION FROM PRIMARY SOURCES
Primary data were collected from the employees with the help of
questionnaires. The questionnaires contained 15 questions which would
bring out the perceptions of employees with respect to various factors. A
five point rating scale was used namely Very high, High, Medium, Low and
Very low/No influence.
SAMPLING TECHNIQUE
The sampling technique adopted for the study is convenient sampling.
In convenience sampling, each of the samples can be selected in the
ease of access.
SAMPLING SIZE
The company is occupied with 984 employees and most of them were in
the busy work schedule. Among them 100 were taken conveniently for the
study. SCALING TECHNIQUE
Scaling technique is the use of a scale in questionnaires to make
interpretation of results easier. In this study non comparative scaling
technique is used with five point scale.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Stress has been called “the invisible”. It is a disease that may
affect you, your organization, and any of the people in it, so you cannot
afford to ignore it.
EVOLUTION OF STRESS:
The Garden of Eden began as a tranquil stress environment.
However when Adam was given the tantalizing chance to eat the
forbidden fruit, he was thrust into mankind’s first stressful situation.
Adam was offered a choice and, as we know, decision-making is the
breeding ground for conflict, frustration and distress.
DEFINITION:
Stress in individual is defined as any interference that disturbs a
persons’ healthy mental and physical well being. It occurs when the
body is required to perform beyond its normal range of capabilities.
Stress is the way that you react physically, mentally and emotionally to
various conditions, changes and demands in your life. High levels of stress
can affect your physical and mental well being and performance.
The results of stress are harmful to individuals, families, society and
organizations, which can suffer from “organization stress”. Ivancevich
and Matteson define stress as individual with the environment.
Behr and Newman define job stress as “a condition arising from
the interaction of people and their jobs and characterized by changes
within people that force them to deviate from their normal functioning”.
Stress is a dynamic condition, which an individual is confronted
with an opportunity, constraint or demand related to what he or she
desires and for which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and
important. Stress is associated with constraints and demands. The former
prevent you from doing what you desire, the latter refers to the loss of
something desired. Stress is highest for those individuals who perceive
that they are uncertain as to
whether they will win or lose and lowest for those individuals who think
that winning or losing is certainty.
ANALYSIS OF DATA
The following are the details of the analysis of data based on the
response of employees to various variables. The collected data is been
analyzed in two ways.
1. Categorization based on the departments
The Finance, IT, HR, Production, Export, logistics and MSG
departments were selected for the study. From each department 20
employees were selected.
2. Categorization based on the category of employees.
The employees were classified based on the category into top, middle and
lower levels.
Top level- 10, Middle level-50, Lower level-40
Views
Department Total
No
Very high High Medium Low
influence
Finance and IT 10 20 60 10 - 100
-
HR - 50 40 10 100
Production 10 90 - - 100
-
Export and
10 50 20 10 10 100
logistics
-
MSG 40 60 - - 100
4
Total 24 56 12 4 100
Middle 2 32 56 4 6 100
Level
Lower 7.5 20 55 17.5 - 100
Level
Total 3.17 17.33 57 17.17 5.33 100
Targets Fixed
A manager should be ambitious and aim high when setting targets
for staff. Challenging yet achievable goals are essential to keep
employees motivated to improve performance and maintain high
standards. They should look at the current levels of performance and
identify ways of improving the skills and knowledge of staff. The targets
set must be in line with the policy and goals of the company.
Table.3-Response to Targets fixed based on departments (in percentage)
Views
Very No
Department High Medium Low Total
high influence
Finance and IT 5 15 45 35 - 100
-
HR 10 55 35 - 100
-
Production 15 80 5 - 100
Export and
- 10 70 20 - 100
logistics
-
MSG 20 65 15 - 100
1
Total 14 63 22 - 100
Views
Department Total
Very high High Medium Low o influence
Finance and IT - 10 55 30 5 100
HR 5 40 50 5 100
-
5
Production 20 35 25 15 100
Export and
- 35 40 25 - 100
logistics
5
MSG 20 60 15 - 100
2
Total 18 46 29 5 100
s
Source: Primary data
The table shows that among the Finance and IT department 55%
of employees’ experience medium level of stress. In the HR department
50% of the employees experience low level of stress.
Among the employees of production department 35% experience
medium level of stress.
40% of the employees in export and logistics department experience
medium level of stress and 35% experience high level of stress
60% of the employees in MSG department experience medium level of
stress. Table 6-Response to Compensation for work based on categories (in
percentage)
Views
Level Total
Very High Medium Low No
high influence
Top Level - 10 20 40 30 100
Middle Level 4 16 50 26 4 100
Lower Level - 22.5 47.5 30 - 100
Total 1.33 16.17 39.17 32 11.33 100
Source: Primary data
The table shows that among the top level 40% experience low
level of stress and 30% are not stressed by the compensation system of
the company. Among the middle level 50% experience medium level of
stress.
47.5% of the lower level employees experience medium level of stress.
Conclusion:
So, in general considering both the analysis based on department
and category majority of the employees are experiencing medium level
of stress due to the compensation.
Incentives provided
A reward for a specific behaviour, designed to encourage that behaviour
also called inducement. When people see that they are receiving positive
rewards for their hard work, they will always work harder.
Views
Department Total
Very high High Medium Low No influence
Finance and IT - - 10 35 55 100
HR - 5 15 80 100
-
Production - 5 55 40 100
-
Export and
- 5 20 60 15 100
logistics
MSG 10 15 40 35 100
-
-
Total 3 11 41 45 100
Recognition at work
Workers value recognition for their contributions over all other
work- satisfaction factors. The criteria for recognition should be directly
tied to the company’s business goals. Recognizing behaviour that furthers
company goals will get the entire team pulling in the right direction.
Table 9-Response to Recognition at work based on departments (in
percentage)
Views
Department Total
Very high High Medium Low No
influence
Finance and IT 10 35 45 10 - 100
-
HR 40 60 - - 100
15
Production 60 20 5 - 100
Export and
10 35 40 15 - 100
logistics
20
MSG 45 25 10 - 100
11
Total 43 38 8 - 100
Views
Department Very No
High Medium Low Total
S high influence
Finance and - - - 30 70 100
oIT
-
u HR - - 25 75 100
r Production -
- 5 45 50 100
c Export and
- - - 60 40 100
e logistics
-
: MSG - 10 70 20 100
P -
Total - 3 46 51 100
Source:Primary data
The table shows that among all the departments majority of the
employees experience either low level of stress or they are not
influenced by the interference of trade unions.
Table 12-Response to Interference of trade unions based on categories (in
percentage)
Views
Level Total
Very high High Medium Low No
influence
Top Level - - 30 70 - 100
Middle - - - 60 40 100
Level
Lower - - - 22.5 77.5 100
Level
Total - - 10 50.83 39.17 100
Source: Primary data
The table shows that among the top level 70% experience low
level of stress.
Among the middle level 60% experience low level of stress.
Majority of the lower level employees are not influenced by the
interference of trade unions.
Conclusion:
So, in general considering both the analysis based on department
and category majority of the employees are experiencing either low level of
stress or are not stressed by the interference of trade unions.
Coordination of departments
Coordination between departments at the work place is vital for all
organizations to meet profit maximization objectives. Coordination between
departments at the work place ensures that the interests of the
employees are aligned with company’s short and long run interests. A
good relationship with other departments will help you conduct your job
responsibilities with
less effort. Maintaining a harmonious relationship within departments
will reap benefits.
Table 13-Response to Coordination of departments based on departments
(in percentage)
Views
Department Total
Very No
High Medium Low
high influence
Finance and IT 15 45 35 5 - 100
20
HR 55 25 - - 100
20
Production 65 15 - - 100
Export and
30 55 15 - - 100
logistics
10
MSG 60 25 5 - 100
19
Total 56 23 2 -- 100
Views
Very No
Department High Medium Low Total
high influence
Finance and - - 20 60 20 100
IT
-
HR - 35 55 10 100
-
Production 10 40 50 - 100
Export and
- 5 30 60 5 100
logistics
5
MSG 15 65 15 - 100
Total 6 38 48 7 100
1
Views
Department Total
Very No
High Medium Low
high influence
Finance and IT 5 25 60 10 - 100
10
HR 30 60 - - 100
Production - 35 55 10 - 100
Export and
15 70 15 - - 100
logistics
-
MSG 30 55 15 - 100
6
Total 38 49 7 - 100
Source: Primary data
The table shows that among the Finance, IT, HR, Production and
MSG departments majority of the employees’ experience medium level
of stress. 70% of the employees in export and logistics department
experience high level of stress
Table.20-Response to Flow of communication based on categories (in
percentage)
Views
Level Very High Medium Low No Total
high influence
Top Level - - 70 30 - 100
Middle 12 58 30 - - 100
Level
Lower - 22.5 67.5 10 - 100
Level
Total 4 26.83 55.83 13.33 - 100
Handling Chemicals
Handling of chemicals can cause stress to a greater extent.
Employees should take specific protective measures while handling stress
as it can cause a great deal of discomfort to them. They should be aware
about the proper handling techniques.
TTable.21-Response to handling chemicals based on departments (in
percentage)
Views
Department Total
No
Very high High Medium Low
influence
Finance and - - - - 100 100
IT
-
HR - - - 100 100
5
Production 65 25 5 - 100
Export and
- - - 10 90 100
logistics
-
MSG - - 15 85 100
1
Total 13 5 6 75 100
S
Source: Primary data
The table shows that among the Finance, IT, HR, Export, Logistics
and MSG departments majority of employees’ are not influenced by
handling of chemicals.
Among the employees of production department 65% experience high level
of stress
Table 4.22-Response to handling chemicals based on categories (in
percentage)
Views
Level Total
Very high High Medium Low No
influence
Top Level - - - - 100 100
Middle - - - 4 96 100
Level
Lower 2.5 32.5 12.5 10 42.5 100
Level
Total 0.83 10.83 4.17 4.67 79.5 100
Source: Primary data
The table shows that among the top level no one is influenced by
handling of chemicals.
Among the middle level majority of the employees are not influenced.
42.5% of the lower level employees are not stressed and 32.5%
experience high level of stress.
Conclusion:
So, in general considering both the analysis based on department
and category majority of the employees are not stressed by the
handling of chemicals.
Basic amenities
Workplace amenities are facilities provided for the welfare or personal
hygiene needs of employees. They include toilets, rest rooms, shelter sheds,
seating, dining rooms, change rooms, drinking water, lockers and washing
facilities. The provision of workplace amenities can help minimise illnesses
and diseases, which may result from the absence of appropriate hygiene and
welfare facilities.
Views
Department Total
Very No
High Medium Low
high influence
Finance and IT - - 65 25 10 100
-
HR - 55 40 5 100
-
Production 20 55 25 - 100
Export and
- 10 40 50 - 100
logistics
S
-
MSG 10 35 55 - 100
-
Total 8 50 39 3 100
Views
Department Total
Very No
High Medium Low
high influence
Finance and IT - - 45 40 15 100
-
HR - - 60 40 100
-
Production - 55 40 5 100
Export and
- 5 50 35 10 100
logistics
-
MSG 10 20 60 10 100
-
Total 3 34 47 16 100
Views
Very No
Department High Medium Low Total
high influence
Finance and IT - 5 60 35 - 100
HR 45 40 15 - 100
-
20
Production 60 15 5 - 100
Export and
- 30 40 30 - 100
logistics
25
MSG 60 15 - - 100
9
Total 40 34 17 - 100
The table shows that among the top level 50% experience medium level
of stress due to technology up gradation.
Among the middle level 50% experience high level of stress.
32.5% of the lower level employees experience high level of stress.
Conclusion:
So, in general considering both the analysis based on department
and category majority of the employees are either experiencing high or
medium level of stress due to technology up gradation.
Findings are:
Rules and regulations are causing high level of stress to
employees of export and logistics departments and medium
level of stress to employees of all categories.
Targets fixed are causing medium level of stress to all the
departments and categories.
The compensation for work causes medium level of stress to
employees of all departments and categories except the HR
department and to the top level.
Recognition at work causes high level of stress to employees of
production and MSG departments and to the lower level
employees.
Employees of all the departments and categories (except top
level) experience high level of stress due to coordination of
departments.
Attitude of administrative staff causes medium level of stress to
the MSG department and among the middle level employees.
Employees of all the departments and categories experience
medium level of stress due to relationship with co workers.
Employees of export and logistics department and middle level
are highly stressed due to flow of communication.
Handling of chemicals causes high level of stress among the
employees of production department.
Majority of employees of the production department and lower
level are highly stressed due to workplace cleanliness.
Basic amenities cause medium level of stress to all the
departments and categories.
The HR, Production and MSG departments are highly stressed due
to technology up gradation. Employees of middle level and
lower level are also highly stressed due to technology up
gradation.
The data was analyzed to determine the stressors and suggest
measures to control and reduce stress in the workplace. So, as per my
study the variables that are significant in causing some stress to the
employees are-
1. Rules and Regulations
2. Targets Fixed
3. Compensation for work
4. Recognition at work
5. Coordination of departments
6. Relationship with co workers
7. Flow of communication
8. Workplace cleanliness
CONCLUSION
A man's life today faces all sorts of challenges and obstacles
that hamper his normal functioning and most of the time his pressure is
too hard
to handle. When we are expected to meet the changing demands, we
undergo stress. Stress, depression and hypertension have now become
extremely common among all industries. This is gradually transforming
into a major health concern in India and especially during the times of
economic depression when job security is doubtful, these concerns
increase drastically. The organization and its employees are very healthy
when work life balance is at its best and the employees are satisfied with
the working conditions and take part in business development. The
employer- employee relation is strengthened by paving way for natural
understanding and better human relations.
After completing the study and analyzing the personal and
organizational factors in Terumo Penpol Ltd, I have come to the
conclusion that employees are slightly stressed as per the various
parameters set out by in the questionnaire.
A healthy organization is sure to win over their competitors
easily in the market segment and improve their productivity, sales and
profitability in the years to come. They may continue their Research and
Development activities and dwell at length in their innovative
approaches so that their market share will grow. The level of customer
service is very good. The organization has to take care of the
employees who have expressed their dissatisfaction, counsel them in
the right direction so that they also rank in line with the other majority
group.
SUGGESTIONS
After analyzing various factors relating to the cause of stress in
the organization, it is observed that there is still scope for further
improvement in the functions of the company. Keeping this view in
mind, the following suggestions are made so that the employees of the
organization feel satisfied in their present work which may motivate them
to contribute more and make them high performers.
The management must try to bring in some changes in the workload
and targets to be achieved.
The management should try to provide better counselling and
employee assistance programmes.
Try to provide some motivational factors to employees to increase their
performance.
Try to bring improvement in the flow of control and coordination of
departments for better performance.
The organization must try to provide an environment for creating good
relationships with co-workers.
Try to bring changes in the existing recreational facilities provided by
the company.
The organization should try to provide training to reinforce stress
management.
REFERENCES
Brewer C.Kristine. The stress management Handbook, A practical Guide to Reducing
Stress in Every Aspect of Your Life, National Press Publication, Shawnee
Mission,Kannsas,(1995)
John R Dew. Go with the flow: Stress and the quality professional. Quality Press,
(1998). Aswathappa,K.Organisational behaviour text,cases & Games, Himalaya
Publishing
House,(2008)
CHANGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY IN ERP
IMPLEMENTATION
Manju.K.G, Associate Professor,CAMS
& Mithun M, S4 MBA Student CAMS
ABSTRACT
Change Management is a planned approach to change within an organization. The objective is
to maximize the benefits for the organization and lower the potential risk associated with
any ERP solution changes. These changes are either reactive, which is caused by external
source, or proactive, which is a goal oriented change. The key process of change management
begins by measuring attitudinal changes as the process of ERP implementation begins, which
is not just recording how people feel about the changes anticipated in technology
implementation of the business processes that is primarily focused on the automation over a
period of time and how to manage the shift in their expectations. This requires a
communication as well as a training process. Implementing an ERP will bring in changes to the
way people work within the organization, processes will change and there may be job cuts and
rationalization of responsibilities within departments. All this will definitely evoke resistance
from the employees and this has to be managed effectively before, during and after the
implementation of the ERP package. A strong change management team needs to be involved
to approve, implement and track the changes in the organization, which includes the impact
and detailed structure associated with the life cycle of the ERP project.
Keywords: Change Management, ERP , Implementation, Customisation, Implementation
Strategy, ERP software.
INTRODUCTION
Change management is an approach to shifting/transitioning individuals, teams,
and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational
process aimed at helping change stakeholders to accept and embrace changes in
their business environment. Kotter defines change management as the utilization of
basic structures and tools to control any organizational change effort. Change
management's goal
is to maximize an organization's benefits and minimize the change impacts on workers
and avoid distractions. Change management is a way of preparing employees and
executives for the changes that come with ERP. Although ERP software will help make
your business more efficient by refining your processes and eliminating time-wasting
double data entry, it can still be scary for some employees to think about changing the
way they do their jobs. Change management is designed to help employees adjust to
the new system in a stress-free way, using training and management teams to
introduce new practices in small pieces, rather than in one enormous move. A huge
aspect of integrating any new ERP technologies is human-based. There are
psychological aspects of any change, such as resistance, that many people go through.
Any effective change management touches on all these aspects within an organization.
Top management has to lead the way in propagating the reasons for the
implementation and the business benefits that can be expected by implementing a new
ERP package.
Enterprise resource planning software requires full support from top management at
the time of implementation, selection, customization etc. During implementation,
organization may require to change some business processes to meet the software
standards, which are industry specific standards. Business process cannot be change
without top management support. It is quite necessary to change some of the business
process. It helps in implementation. If you are not willing to change any business
process, you may go for customization. But, customization is costly and not good for any
ERP. Little bit customization is ok, but too much customization will affect your ERP
project. It will increase your project duration, budget, and increase the risk of
implementation failure. It will be better to change some business process if possible,
rather than customizing. When an organization changes some of their business
processes, change management expert is required. People resist change. Change
management expert will guide how to change, and explain the benefits of changes to
the employees. ERP system helps in changing the process; it is designed and
developed by adopting best practices of specific industries.
Evershine is India’s largest Manufacturers and suppliers in Wirenetting and Allied products.
Evershine is one of India’s largest chain of stores in the distribution of wire nettings and allied
products has a record of over 20 years in delivering extremely high quality products with an
unmatched customer service. It has evolved into one stop shop for all wire netting related
range of products and one can endear to get the products of their choice at the best possible
prices. The product portfolio comprises of over 100 products ranging from different types 0f
wires (GI,PVC) to meshes (Welded Mesh, Chicken Mesh, Mosquito Mesh) all marketed
under the ‘Shine Star Brand’. As far as the organization is concerned, implementing ERP is an
important task in order to gain a competitive advantage over the competitors and manage the
inventory better. This Study has been conducted at various branches of Evershine Wire
Products (P) Ltd. Evershine is the fore runner in the wire netting industry with more than 14
branches around India. The Study is targeted at the employees working in various branches of
Evershine. The aim of the Study is to identify the different change management strategies. It
also gives us an idea about the level of reluctance or acceptance of the employees working in
different branches. Scope of this Study includes:
An ERP implementation entails changes in business processes and reporting
structure. Addressing this paradigm move is a process that the organization has to go
through. This will help in achieving the acceptability of the ERP users.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Change Management Strategy is defined as activities, processes, and methodologies that
support employee understanding and organizational shifts during the implementation of
ERP systems and reengineering initiatives.
Change management is a primary concern of many organizations involved in ERP
project implementation. It is very important to adopt the right strategic changes.
Adel Aladwani Model
Aladwani suggested very effective and popular change management strategies, that
the marketing concepts and strategies are adaptable to the ERP implementation
context. Moreover, this strategies is integrated, process-oriented conceptual
framework which is consisting of three phases : Knowledge Formulation, Strategy
Implementation, and Status Evaluation to overcome users’ resistance to change, top
management has to study the
structure and needs of the users and the causes of potential resistance among them
in the first phase (knowledge formulation), also must deal with the situation by using
the appropriate strategies and techniques in order to introduce ERP successfully; this is
done in the second phase (strategy implementation ), and finally status of change
management efforts in the third phase (status evaluation).
Prosci’s Model
Prosci’s model for organizational change management process. It consist of three
main phases: Preparing for change, Managing change , and Reinforcing change. The first
phase in Prosci's methodology is aimed at getting ready. It answers the question: "how
much change management is needed for this specific project?" The first phase
provides the situational awareness that is critical for effective change management.
The second phase of Prosci's process is focused on creating the plans that are
integrated into the project activities - what people typically think of when they talk
about change management. The third phase of Prosci's process helps project teams
create specific action plans for ensuring that the change is sustained. In this phase,
project teams develop measures and mechanisms to see if the change has taken
hold
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The following are the Objectives of this Study:
To find out various changes required in the organisation
To find out the expected level of the organisation
To assess the various change management strategies adopted by the organisation
To find out the level of acceptance or reluctance from the part of the employees
RESEARCH DESIGN
The Research Methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It may be
understood as a science of studying how research is done. This includes study of various steps
that are generally adopted by a researcher in studying her research problem along with logic
behind her.
Type of Research Design
Research Design is an arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a
manner that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in procedure. It
constitutes the blueprint for collection, measurement and analysis of data. The Research plan
calls for gathering of secondary & primary data based on analysis, which was undertaken.
Descriptive type of research design has been used. It is the type of research that focuses on
providing accurate description of the problem.
A Research comprises of statement of problem, purpose of Study, location, type of data
required, source of data, time frame, sampling design, techniques of data collection, data
analysis etc. descriptive research design is used in this Study.
Data Collection Method
Collection of data is the most important stage in the research process. If any mistake occurs in
the collection of data, it will affect the entire Study. Hence at most care was exercised in the
process of collection of data.
The Study is descriptive, empirical and analytical in nature. It is descriptive with regard to the
theoretical concepts, and regarding the analysis and interpretation of data collected. Data was
collected from both primary and secondary.
Data collection from Primary Source
Primary Data are those which are collected for the first time for the particular purpose and
thus original in character. Primary data was collected from direct interviews and questionnaire
schedule. A questionnaire was exclusively designed to find out the preference and satisfaction
of customer.
Data collection from Secondary Source
This is the method in which data is collected through some other external sources. Secondary
data can be defined as the data collected by someone else for some other purposes. Major
sources of secondary data for my Study is from,
Company Brochures
Annual Reports
Company journal
Internet
Sampling Technique
Sample design is definite plan for obtaining a sample from a given population. It refers to a
procedure, adopted by a researcher for selecting items for a sample. In this Study, the
branches are located far away from the head office. So all the employees of Head Office and
Coimbatore are the samples.
Sample: A sample of 40 employees from Head Office and Coimbatore branch of Evershine
Wire Products (P) Ltd. is taken
Reason: As the organisation is changing to a new system and there is a need for a change in
the job profile and reporting pattern in the organisation.
The population is defined in keeping with the objectives of the Study. Sometimes, the entire
population will be sufficiently small, and the researcher can include the entire population in
the Study. This type of research is called a census Study because data is gathered on every
member of the population.
Usually, the population is too large for the researcher to attempt to survey all of its members.
A small, but carefully chosen sample can be used to represent the population. The sample
reflects the characteristics of the population from which it is drawn.
Sampling Methods are classified as either probability or non probability. In probability
samples, each member of the population has a known non-zero probability of being selected.
Probability methods include random sampling, systematic sampling, and stratified sampling.
In non-probability sampling, members selected from the population were based on non-
random manner.
These include convenience sampling, judgment sampling, quota sampling, and snowball
sampling. The advantage of probability sampling is that sampling error can be calculated.
Sampling error is the degree to which a sample might differ from the population. When
inferring to the population, results are reported plus or minus the sampling error. In non-
probability sampling, the degree to which the sample differs from the population remains
unknown.
Scaling Technique
Scaling emerged from the social sciences in an attempt to measure or order attributes with
respect to quantitative attributes or traits. Scaling provides a mechanism for measuring
abstract concepts.
Scales, usually of approval or agreement were used in questionnaire. The respondent is asked
to say whether, for example, they 'Strongly agree', 'Agree', ‘Neutral’, 'Disagree', or 'Strongly
disagree' in some statement. Here I used non-comparative scaling technique.
5 point Arbitrary Scale:
Respondents were requested to indicate the level of satisfaction or the level of effectiveness
and the level of agreement or disagreement on a five-point scale for all questions.
Data Analysis Tools and Techniques
Analysis of data is a process of inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and modelling data with
the goal of highlighting useful information, suggesting conclusions, and supporting decision-
making.
Data analysis has multiple facets and approaches, encompassing diverse techniques under a
variety of names, in different business, science, and social science domains.
In order to extract meaningful information from the data collected, the data is analyzed using
statistical tools. The statistical tools used are percentage analysis.
Percentage analysis is the method to represent raw streams of data as a percentage (a part in
100 - percent) for better understanding of collected data. The collected data is also represented
in table format.
To motivate the employees towards the change implemented.
To study the change management strategies adopted by the management.
Increased job satisfaction.
Increased productivity and creativity.
DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION
Data analysis is considered to be important step and heart of the research in research work.
After collection of data with the help of relevant tools and techniques, the next logical step, is
to analyze and interpret data with a view to arriving at empirical solution to the problem. The
data analysis for the present research was done quantitatively with the help of both descriptive
statistics and inferential statistics.
STATISTICAL TOOLS USED
Percentage Analysis.
Net Weighted Average Analysis.
PERCENTAGE ANALYSIS
It refers to a special kind of ratio. Percentage is used in making comparison between two or
more series of data; percentages are used to determine relationship between the series if data
finding the relative differences becomes easier through percentage.
It is expressed as,
Percentage (%) = No. of respondents x 100
Total no. of respondents
4.1.8. Do you require training to cope up with the changes being implemented?
Table 4.1.8 Classification based on the level of satisfaction of requirement of training to
cope up with the changes being implemented
Level of Satisfaction Number Percentage
Strongly Agree 15 37.50
Agree 17 42.50
Neutral 5 12.50
Disagree 3 7.50
Strongly Disagree 0 0
Total 40 100
(Source: Primary Data)
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that from the 40 samples taken, 80% of the employees are
of the opinion that they need training to cope up with changes being implemented, 7.50% of
the employees do not need training and 12.50% of the employees have no opinion.
4.1.9. Do you think the new system goes hand in hand with the company’s policy?
Table 4.1.9 Classification based on level satisfaction of that the new system goes hand in
hand with the company’s policy
Level of Satisfaction Number Percentage
Strongly Agree 15 37.50
Agree 15 37.50
Neutral 5 12.50
Disagree 5 12.50
Strongly Disagree 0 0
Total 40 100
(Source: Primary Data)
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that from the 40 samples taken, 75% of the employees are
of the opinion that the existing system will go hand in hand with the company’s policies,
12.50% of the employees think that the existing system will not go hand in hand with the
company’s policies.
4.1.10. Do you think the new system will help to reduce the existing work load?
Table 4.1.10 Classification based on level of satisfaction that the new system will help to
reduce the existing work load
Level of Satisfaction Number Percentage
Strongly Agree 25 62.50
Agree 10 25
Neutral 0 0
Disagree 4 10
Strongly Disagree 1 2.50
Total 40 100
(Source: Primary Data)
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that from the 40 samples taken, 87.50% of the employees
thinks the new system will reduce the work load, 13..50% of the employees thinks the new
system will not reduce the work load.
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree
10
0
Fig 4.1.10 Showing the level of satisfaction of employees
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that from the 40 samples taken, 92.50% of the employees
thinks the new system will increase the productivity of the organisation, 7.50% of the
employees thinks the new system will not increase the productivity.
4.1.12. Do you agree the new system will enhance the sales or turnover of the company?
Table 4.1.12 Classification based on the level of satisfaction that agree the new system
will enhance the sales or turnover of the company
Level of Satisfaction Number Percentage
Strongly Agree 10 25
Agree 12 30
Neutral 8 20
Disagree 10 25
Strongly Disagree 0 0
Total 40 100
(Source: Primary Data)
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that from the 40 samples taken, 55% of the employees
thinks the new system will increase the sales and turnover of the organisation, 25% of the
employees thinks the new system will not increase the sales and turnover of the organisation
and 20% of the employee have no opinion.
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
4.1.13. Do you think the new system will improve the organizational climate
and culture?
Table 4.1.13 Classification based on the level of satisfaction that think the new system
will improve the organizational climate and culture
Level of Satisfaction Number Percentage
Strongly Agree 10 25
Agree 12 30
Neutral 8 20
Disagree 8 20
Strongly Disagree 2 5
Total 40 100
(Source: Primary Data)
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that from the 40 samples taken, 55% of the employees
thinks the new system will improve the organisational climate and culture of the organisation,
25% of the employees thinks the new system will not improve the organisational climate and
culture of the organisation and 20% of the employee have no opinion.
4.1.14. Do you think the new system will provide you job security?
Table 4.1.14 Classification based on the level of satisfaction that new system will provide
you job security
Level of Satisfaction Number Percentage
Strongly Agree 5 12.50
Agree 12 30
Neutral 15 37.50
Disagree 5 12.50
Strongly Disagree 3 7.5
Total 40 100
(Source: Primary Data)
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that from the 40 samples taken, 42.50% of the employees
thinks the new system will provide the job security, 12.50% of the employees thinks the new
system will not provide them job security and 37.50% of the employee have no opinion.
4.1.15. Do you think the ERP system will enhance the competency of the organization?
Table 4.1.15 Classification based on the level satisfaction that the ERP system will
enhance the competency of the organization
Level of Satisfaction Number Percentage
Strongly Agree 2 5
Agree 15 37.50
Neutral 15 37.50
Disagree 8 20
Strongly Disagree 0 0
Total 40 100
(Source: Primary Data)
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that from the 40 samples taken, 42.50% of the employees
thinks the ERP system will enhance the competency of the organization, 20% of the
employees thinks the new system will not enhance the competency of the organization and
37.50% of the employee have no opinion.
4.1.16. Do you think the ERP system will help in improve inventory management
and material delivery?
Table 4.1.16 Classification based on the level of satisfaction that the ERP system will
help in improve inventory management and material delivery
Level of Satisfaction Number Percentage
Strongly Agree 10 25
Agree 12 30
Neutral 9 22.50
Disagree 8 20
Strongly Disagree 1 2.50
Total 40 100
(Source: Primary Data)
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that from the 40 samples taken, 55% of the employees
thinks the ERP system will improve inventory management and material delivery, 22.50% of
the employees thinks the new system will not improve inventory management and material
delivery and 20% of the employee have no opinion.
4.1.17. Do you think educating and communicating the employees are necessary
before introducing new strategies?
Table 4.1.17 Classification based on the level of satisfaction that educating and
communicating the employees are necessary before introducing new strategies
Level of Satisfaction Number Percentage
Strongly Agree 5 12.50
Agree 20 50
Neutral 5 12.50
Disagree 8 20
Strongly Disagree 2 5
Total 40 100
(Source: Primary Data)
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that from the 40 samples taken, 62.50% of the employees
thinks educating and communicating the employees are necessary before introducing new
strategies is required, 25% of the employees thinks educating and communicating the
employees are necessary before introducing new strategies is not required and 12.50% of the
employee have no opinion.
FINDINGS
On the basis of the data analysis it is find out that
1. The majority of the employees are females
2. Majority of the employees haven’t done graduation
3. Most of them are highly satisfied with the existing system followed in the organisation
4. Many of the employees are agree with the changes to be brought in the organisation
5. Most of the employees accept the ERP system but there is reluctance from some of the
employees
6. Many of the employees have the opinion that new system will help in theircareer growth
7. Majority of the employees accept the change in job profile due to ERP implementation
8. Most of the employees have agreed that training is needed
9. Most of the employees agree that the existing system goes hand in hand with the company’s
policies
10. Employees agree that new system will help to reduce the existing workload
11. Many of the respondents have the opinion that the new system will help in increasing the
productivity of the organisation
12. Many of the employees have the opinion that the new system will enhance the sales or
turnover of the company
13. It is find out that the new system will help in improving the organisational climate and
culture
14. Employees agrees that the new system will provide job security
15. Most of the employees agree that ERP system will enhance the competency of an
organisation
16. Majority of the employees agrees that ERP system helps in improve inventory
management and material delivery
17. Many of the employees have the opinion that educating and communicating the
employees before introducing strategies is necessary
SUGESTIONS
The following suggestions cam be derived from the above findings
1. The reluctance of employees has to be removed
2. The employees have to be give a clear idea about the changes to be brought in the
organisation
3. The opinion of the employees has to be taken in management process
4. Training the employees in order to cope up with the changes in inevitable
5. Employees have to be included in the change management team
6. The ERP system should be tested in parallel to the existing accounting or billing
software before implementing it completely
7. The change in job position must not affect the efficiency of the organisation
8. There should be a proper reporting route for the employees
9. The grievance handling system should be more efficient
10. There should be a good appraisal system to help the career growth
CONCLUSION
From the study conducted, it is clear that the company is doing a good job in managing the
changes brought in the organisation.
As there is a tight competition going on in the industry, the company should keep its strategies
and policies in an orderly manner so that the employees are always motivated, and by this the
company can assure employees have a high morale towards the company. Company should
watch on its strategic alliance or it should improve its policies in order to compete with its
competitors. A good stand in the market will ensure a higher motivation and morale towards
the company from the employees side.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books:
Alexis Leon, (2007) ‘Enterprise Resource Planning’, Tata Mc. Grow Hill publishing
company Ltd, New Delhi, 5th edition.
C.R Kothari, (2007) ‘Research Methodology’, New age international Pvt Ltd, 2nd
edition.
Robert Kreitner, (1984) ‘Organisational Behaviour’, Mc. Grow Hill International
edition, 8th edition.
Naveen Chand Jain, (2008) ‘Organisational Change and Intervention Strategies’,
AITBS Publishers, 1st edition.
Articles/Journals:
Lukman Susanto - 2003 ‘Change Management and ERP Implementation : Side-by-
side’
Zafar U. Ahmed, Imad Zbib, Sawaridass Arokiasamy,T. Ramayah and Lo May Chiun,
‘resistance to change and erp implementation success: The moderating role
of change management initiatives’
Internet:
www.evershinestar.com
www.eversshine.bz
www.wikipedia.com
www.changemanagement.com
www.citehr.com
www.mindtools.com
www.portal.acm.org