Branding Cities for Tourism

Branding Cities for Tourism INTRODUCTION In the times that we live in, everything from products, services, people, to places are branded. This is no more an interesting marketing technique, instead the need of the hour today. While there are some critiques of the concept, Place Branding is becoming a well accepted theoretical development by marketing gurus in the world. The days where the big cities used to compete with one another for placing headquarters of multi-national companies are gone. To a great extent, this paradigm shift can be attributed to technological advances and lowering of regulations across the world. Therefore, cities can now carve their own niche for a separate value proposition they have on offer. A great deal of research has been conducted on the concept of city branding; some of the identified requirements for city branding are leadership, strategy and creativity. It is important to admit that a city is widely different from a product, yet has its set of similarities. The greatest point of distinction is that a city is a single product, which can be multi-sold. Therefore, it is imperative that a city defines its target segments clearly. In broad terms, the customers for a city are people who live there, i.e. a citys inhabitants, people who create job there (the creative class) and people who stay there (contribute to the city through tourism). A city cannot function without its people, who form the stakeholders for the city. A city branding exercise to a great deal is driven by the concept of leadership. Leadership includes a citys citizens, government authorities, private and public companies, institutions, etc. The key to city branding is that there is no hierarchy in the organizational structure for a citys leadership board. They all are equal partners, who take strategic decisions together, implement it as a group and therefore, enjoy the benefits or bear the risks equally. In order for a city to be a good brand, the city should have distinctive, differentiated characteristics, which can be easily identified by the target group. A city branding exercise requires a city to have certain basic characteristics, without which branding cannot be successful (Winfield-Pfefferkorn, August 2005): The city must offer attractive employment opportunities The purchasing power of the citizens should be reasonable It should provide reasonable living conditions The public transport system should be in place Education and recreational facilities should be present Branding, if executed well has the capability to infuse life into the city. It has a direct bearing on the work of urban and economic planners for the city. The key is to identify the promise of a value that a city has, i.e. what is it that the city offers which can keep the businesses, institutions and residents attracted and interested in the city (Gelder Roberts, Branding Bring Life to a City, 2006). In case of city branding, the role of branding is not just strategic or visionary in nature. The value of the brand is built at every point of contact with the consumer through the experiences that the consumer has at that point. Therefore, relying only on the physical characteristics of the place is not enough. It is each experience which defines the image of the city in the consumers mind (Baker, 2007) Therefore, the process of city branding is interesting albeit very complex in nature. There are no one-size-fits-all phenomena for city branding. Each citys stakeholders need to think individually about their city and identify the differentiating characteristics, the strengths and weaknesses and the areas which need work to execute a meaningful, strategic city branding process. LITERATURE REVIEW DECIPHERING: CITY BRANDING In the competitive age today, almost nothing has a strategic competitive advantage. Therefore, the cities as well are competing with one another for attention, tourism, talent, events, investment etc. (Sicco van Gelder, June, 2008). The author points out the days where the big cities used to compete with one another for placing headquarters of multi-national companies are gone. To a great extent, this paradigm shift can be attributed to technological advances and lowering of regulations across the world. Therefore, cities can now carve their own niche for a separate value proposition they have on offer. At this point, the author points out that the traditional methods of advertising with CNN or pepping up the proposal in terms of commercial, industrial or cultural spaces is no more enough to lure consumers onshore. This is the onset of requirement of a ‘branding strategy for a city. He urges the reader to think about how a value proposition needs to be devised from analyzing which aspect of the city can be used to differentiate itself. He further explains, the three main heads with are required for branding of cities: Leadership Strategy Creativity Leadership The author has identified ‘Leadership as the most crucial component of any city branding exercise and how if leadership is taken into consideration, strategy and creativity can be built around it. The first step to leadership is identifying who are the stakeholders of the city, who would work as partners in the a combined unified goal of re-structuring the city, because unless all the stake holders are on the same page, a restructuring, branding or any such activity can be successfully implemented. In addition to this, it is important to realize that unlike a company, in case of a city all the shareholders are equally responsible for a city branding exercise forming a hybrid type of organization. â€Å"What is required is a partnership where all of the key stakeholders regard each other as equals, regardless of their power or resources, where their individual contributions are valued because, without them, the city will not realize its full potential.† Another important characteristic of leadership is that the leadership should be shared in nature, because a partnership can be created but an effective execution requires the participants to take care of their own agendas along with a collective decision making. â€Å"Shared leadership in a brand partnership requires a far greater degree of common understanding and joint thinking than traditional forms of leadership in the public and private sectors.† All the partners should be keen, eager and willing to work together. A city branding exercise is a collective wisdom which is driven by team work. The author points out that there may be various conflicts of interest, opinions, timing issues, etc. However, the stakeholders need to work together irrespective. At this point the author introduces the concept of a ‘Brand Management Organization, where he illustrates that the role of a Brand Organization is to devise a clear cut branding strategy for the city, i.e. policy changes, re-look at the concerned areas, investment, city attraction strategies, etc. Thus, in the area of brand management as a whole, a city branding provides the following lessons, according to the author: The partnership of the stakeholders is an on-going process. Their work cannot be skewed towards anyone and it doesnt end once a strategy formulation is over. The partnership is not an elitist society; newer members need to be added from time to time. The partnership needs to evolve as time changes. The partnership needs to take timely reviews of the brand strategy and be fluid in making the necessary amendments from time to time. The partnership cannot work in a silo. It needs to motivate the citizens of the city to work together with the brand strategy Strategy There are three forms of strategy which exist: Business Strategy, Brand Strategy and Marketing Strategy (Gelder, The new imperatives for global branding: Strategy, Creativity and Leadership, January, 2005). The author further illustrates that the business strategy is an overall phenomenon, which further dictates the branding strategy. The branding strategy further dictates what differentiates the brand (in this case, a city) from others, what is its unique value proposition, believable, and likeable. Based on these strategies, the promotion design, pricing, delivery, etc. can be decided. To execute the branding strategies, the marketing strategy is devised. The marketing strategy according to the author is translating the brand proposition as value for the stakeholders. As Illustrated earlier all of it revolves around leadership. The author insists that leadership is the key to the three types of strategy, which has direct implications on a successful implementation on the workforce. Creativity Creativity as the name suggests is about ideas (Gelder, The new imperatives for global branding: Strategy, Creativity and Leadership, January, 2005). Creativity according to the author can be of two types: Thinking of existing scenarios in a different manner or coming up with completely new ideas. Creativity forms an inherent component of the entire strategy design. The author explains through the ideas of Jeff Mauzy and Richard A. Harriman, who introduce the concept of systemic creativity, which is further argued by Nicholas Ind and Cameron Watt that creativity is the fluidity within the organization which breaks down barriers. The author illustrates that creativity is not restricted to the mere ideation process, but should be embedded in every aspect of a strategy. â€Å"Creativity is not the same as innovation, which may be termed ‘applied creativity. Creativity is also not the same as improvement, which may be termed ‘routine creativity. However, both innovation and improvement require pure creativity to function† To conclude, the author insists that one without the other is pointless. For a successful execution of a branding process, they all need to work in tandem with one another. WHY BRAND PLACES? Kotler explains how place branding and marketing results in the overall growth of the place and value for the involved stake holders. The equation is quite simple actually, branding a place leads to attraction for the place, which leads to varied benefits as described by the flow chart below: However, it isnt a completely upward graph. In fact, its a growth and decline cycle (Kotler, Place Growth Dynamics, 1999). While the attractiveness of a place brings new industries, job opportunities and betters quality of life, it has its own set of implications. When more and more external industries and people come into a city it leads to increase in usage of a citys resource, which further leads to depletion, increase in costs, etc. which in turn leads to increase in taxes for the community. In addition to this, the author states that there are external damaging effects as well which are defined as ‘process coincidences. Some examples of process coincidences are air pollution, increased crime rate, etc. Therefore, the learning from this is that a city should be branded to gain attractiveness, which is seen directly proportional to a citys prosperity. However, the implications of such a step should be taken into account and contingency plans should be devised by the involved stakeholders and authorities in the citys branding exercise. WHAT IS A BRAND? An Oxford dictionary definition: Brand (noun): a trade mark, goods of a particular make: a mark of identification made with a hot iron, the iron used for this: a piece of burning or charred wood, (verb): to mark with a hot iron, or to label with a trade mark. Varied definitions of brand exist across definitions and disciplines. However, there lies a common line of thought which implies that in its passive form a brand is an object by which an impression is formed, and hence branding is the process of forming this impression (Blackett, April 2004). This book attempts to illustrate how branding has evolved in both active and passive manner. â€Å"The word brand comes from the Old Norse brandr, meaning to burn, and from these origins made its way into Anglo-Saxon.† This process was undertaken to differentiate ones cattle from another. It was also realized that the farmers who took care of their cattle, hence provided much better quality were preferred and came to be identified with the marks on the cattle. The author goes on to explain how brands have come a long way since that era. He provides examples of the Mediterranean age, Ancient Rome, the British Museum, such as: potters marks, roman eagle, flags, to explain the concept further. The true arriving of brands took place during the industrial revolution, when the trading between countries became possible. In fact some of the brands during that time are some of the biggest brands even today: Singer sewing-machines, Coca-Cola soft drinks, Bass beer, American Express, Prudential Insurance, etc. Ever since, the 2nd world war, the world has seen real explosion in the world of brands (Blackett, April 2004). Elements of a Brand Brands are supposed to have some inherent features which are distinctive. Brands are intrinsically striking and that their role is to create an indelible impression (Blackett, April 2004). Intrinsically Striking: According to the author a brand is distinctive through a combination of factors such as, name, letters, numbers, a symbol, a signature, a shape, a slogan, a color, a particular typeface. He also adds that the name is the most important part of a brand, as it provides a universal language interface. However, the name can never be enough; it has to be complemented by other symbols, signs, logo, tagline, etc. which then derive the brands overall philosophy. It is the repetition of these across consumers senses which make a brand what it is. There are obviously exceptions to this rule. However, the exceptions usually only work when a brand enjoys a cult status and has a huge following of loyalists that the changes in the logo, tagline, or even the name do not affect a consumers perceptions about the brand and they continue to relate to it Creating an Indelible Impression: This is the age of high competition and high variety, the author notes. Therefore, the need to differentiate oneself from another becomes of primary importance. Since the consumer is flooded with choice, the brand needs to create an impression which is long lasting and captivating for a consumer to sit up and notice. The brand needs to function in a manner such that it creates a route map in the consumers mind making it an obvious choice amongst the clutter. This loosely translated implies that the consumer neednt be aware about the industry, i.e. the brand just needs to offer a value proposition interesting enough for the consumer to pick it above others. The author also adds that the successful brands are those, which create equity for the consumer, meets the expectations of the consumer and keep the promise they have made (Blackett, April 2004). Brands as Business Assets and Explosion of Branding Blackett further explains that this age expects brands to be assets to a company. Brands, with their ability to secure income, can be classed as productive assets (Blackett, April 2004) in exactly the same way as any other, more traditional assets of a business (plant, equipment, cash, investments and so on). Needless to say that the brands which result in high earnings for the business have direct implications on the overall performance of the business and also results in positive shareholder value for the stakeholders. As the world is moving further, more and more corporations are fighting for the same space. Also, it has moved beyond products. In this age, products are branded, corporations are branded, and literally everything is branded. Guideline for good brand management The author explains that if a brand wants to be truly successful, there are certain guru mantras which need to be incorporated in all brands across categories: Protection of the Brand: This essentially means patenting or trade-marking a brand and its complementing characteristics, such as, logo, name, colors, etc. Honoring the Stakeholders: Each brand should identify who are the stakeholders and work in an efficient manner for all of them, whether its the employees, the consumers, the shareholders or partners. Treating the Brand as an Investment Tool and not Cost: Brand owners need to realize that unless branding is viewed as an investment which brings results, appropriate actions will never be taken and true profitability will never be achieved. Hence, the school of thought which treats branding activities as cost needs to be discarded. Exploiting the Financial Potential of a Brand: Branding these days goes beyond a companys premise. Therefore, it is important for the brand owners to look for and tap opportunities where a brands equity can be maximized. Some examples which the author provides are co-branding, licensing, franchising, training, etc. APPLYING BRAND SCIENCE TO CITIES: BRANDS VS. CONCEPT Brands have sometimes been subjected to a lot of criticism from an array of industries (Gelder, Brand versus Concept in Area Development, July, 2008). Due to association of brands with advertising and marketing phenomenon various industries and professionals find it difficult to accept ‘branding, while are willing to apply ‘concept to their line of thinking. The author attempts to compare and contrast ‘Concept and ‘Brands. According to him, while the two are often used interchangeably, the key difference between the two is the applicability period. He says that while a ‘concept is a unique idea for a specific target group, it usually has an end date. A brand on the other hand, is a promise of value that must be kept for different audiences simultaneously, such as residents, visitors, businesses, investors and institutions. Essentially, brands are not short term; they form the underlying philosophy which is applicable across segments and time periods. Also, while a concepts value proposition decreases with time, in case of a brand, it increases with time. However, he suggests that there is no reason why the two should not complement each other. Particularly, in the area development, place branding process, the two should truly work in tandem with one another. If used in conjunction, the two result in benefits for both. The author further illustrates with an example: A concept such as a designer hotel, a slow food restaurant, an organic market, shared facilities for creative start-ups, an ecological district, a culture institution or a factory outlet centre, etc. can help realize the brand. BRANDING OF CITIES SENSE OR NONSENSE? With Nations, Cities, Places and Areas realizing the perils of branding themselves, branding of places is becoming a popular phenomenon, particularly in European areas. The question is whether the laws and rules of branding can be imitated for places, especially with the restricted flexibility a place offers in comparison to a product or service (Riezebos, 2007). The author attempts to solve this issue by focusing on Brand Architecture, Positioning and Organizational Structure of a City Brand. Place branding as defined by the author is a concept of umbrella branding which a term used for branding different geographical locations. He also distinguishes between city branding and city marketing, the principle difference being that marketing uses the consumer preferences as a guiding principle, while branding defines the vision which the company plans to achieve (Riezebos, 2007). In this journal, the author focuses on the term ‘city branding to disseminate the applicability of the concept as a genuine principle. Using examples of New York, Barcelona and Rotterdam, the author derives Brand Architecture, Positioning and Organization Structure in the following ways (Riezebos, 2007): Brand Architecture: From which level, i.e. country, region, city, borough or area of operations should one communicate from and for which target group? He adds that the first step to create brand architecture is identifying the target group, which in the case of a city is living, working and staying. o People who come under the ‘living category constitute of people who live there currently and people who might live there. o People who come under the ‘working category are not the people who come to a city to work, instead constitute of entrepreneurs who create new employment opportunities. o People, who come under the ‘staying category, are essentially the spin off effect it has for the inhabitants by tourists who visit, when they pay for things for their stay food, accommodation, etc. In terms of relevance for devising a brand plan for a city, the idea is to keep in mind the relevance of the offerings and value proposition for each of the target groups. He also adds that while devising the proposition for each target group, the brand architecture needs to be kept in mind. Failing to do so, will result in each level of the city (neighborhood, borough, etc.) provide their own set of offerings to the target group, which may not be in synch with the citys overall value proposition. As a result, the consumer will be confused and hence, inconsistency will not be able to form a brand for the city. Positioning: How should the brand of a city stand out? o Unlike in the case of products, service, etc. a city usually holds their own set of experiences for the consumer. Therefore, the positioning needs to be in sync with the delivery capabilities of the city, otherwise, the citys value proposition will fall flat. He also adds that positioning need not be of a positive tone, i.e. a negative city cannot present itself as a positive city. However, this does not imply that negative cities cannot brand themselves. A city can use its negative properties to brand itself as well. An example is the way Texas used its mosquitoes plague problem by starting the annual mosquitos festival. The author adds that a city should include the two key aspects in its branding: 1. Distinct positioning and differentiating factors 2. Targeted institution of sales activities such that sales activities are tied to certain activities with the city Organization Structure: What is a good structure for the management of a city? o Since there are a number of parties which influence the management of a city, all the involved parties need to work in the below defined structure: According to this structure, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) occupies the most central position (Riezebos, 2007). CMO or the Project Organization takes care of all the marketing, sales and promotional activities of all the target groups. The CMO then reports its activities to the relevant authorities or the City Brand Board (CBB). Usually the CBB consists of researchers, experts on branding and communication, appointed on a revolving term basis. The CBB then reports to the Supervisory Board, which usually includes the Mayor, certain CEOs or heads of companies and institutions. According to the author, this type of an organization structure has the following advantages: 1. Centralization of Brand Related Activities 2. Clear Separation of Execution, Strategy and Top Ranking Ambassadors He insists that these three points should be the guiding principle for drafting a branding plan for any city. COMMUNICATION MODEL FOR CITY BRANDING In a city branding exercise, there are certain types of communications which drive the image of a city (Kavaratizis, 2004). The author implies through this model that the primary target of a city is its inhabitants, and that the beginning and the end point of a city branding is the same, i.e. a citys image. Needless to say that a city always has an image, irrespective of any marketing/branding efforts dedicated to it. He identifies three main methods of communication, in terms of primary, secondary and tertiary: Primary Communication for City Branding: The primary communication revolves around the communicative effects taken by the city, which are defined by 4 types of actions: o Landscape: Essentially the outer appearance of the city, its design, architectural pieces, places of art, etc. o Infrastructure: Essentially the accessibility of the city, i.e. roads, transport facilities, conference halls, etc. o Organization: Essentially the marketing efforts of the citys authorities and how they involve the inhabitants in the decision making process o Behavior: Essentially the services available and provided in the city, events and investment patterns of the city Secondary Communication for City Branding: The secondary communication is the planned and intended communication by the city authorities, in forms of both ATL[1] and BTL[2]. It revolves around what content is being communicated and what is the communication capability of the city authorities Tertiary Communication for City Branding: The tertiary communication is derived from word-of-mouth advertising usually created by media, competing cities, visitors, etc. The author reflects that while the first two forms of communications are largely positive in nature as they are controlled and are of top-down structure. However, it is the third form of communication (Kavaratizis, 2004), which leads to maximum brand salience, making the inhabitants of the city as the chief marketers for the city. LEVELS OF PLACE MARKETING According to Philip Kotler, there are various levels to place marketing, which is a combination of target markets, marketing factors and planning groups. Target markets comprise of the certain chosen segments and the customers to whom the marketing messages are directed at. Marketing factors are essentially the attraction of the place, its infrastructure, the people, its perceived image the quality of life enjoyed by the inhabitants. The planning group is the number of stakeholders who decide and implement the process of place marketing (Kotler, Levels of Place Marketing, 2002). The author further adds that creation of a marketing process creates certain value for the consumer which involves creation of appropriate infrastructure for satisfaction of citizens and visitors, constant need for existing and new attractions which keep businesses and visitors interested, clear communication of its benefits and distinction, generation of support from citizens, government authorities, companies, and institutions. ELEMENTS OF A PLACE MARKETING PROCESS The process of place marketing usually begins with the strategic analysis of a place, which involves its strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats (Ashworth Voogd, 1994). The author points out that in case of place marketing, the elements involved need to be treated differently than marketing of products and services. He explains that each element can be sold separately or as a bundled product in case of place marketing. In addition to this a place is a single entity; however, it can be sold over and over again. The producers of a place product can be many, and the consumers are free to choose the products use for varied purposes. The price of a place product is indirect and non-monetary. The marketing of a place is not restricted to traditional advertising and promotion. A place can improve its liveability, visibility and investibility to market itself (Ashworth Voogd, 1994). There are four main characteristics of a place, which differentiate it from others; place as a character, as a fixed environment, as a service provider and as entertainment and recreation (Rainisto, Success Factors of Place Marketing: A study of place marketing practices in Nor thern Europe and the United States, 2003/2004). It is important to understand that the process of place marketing is a cyclical process, which goes on to infinity (MatloviÄ ovà ¡, 2007) as explained in the model below: According to the author, the process of place marketing begins with acceptance of the marketing concept for the city, which is developed into a vision and a long term plan, at this stage of the process the greatest driving factor is ‘Motivation. â€Å"The initiator must be able to persuade the relevant place opinion leaders about the importance of marketing for the place in question and have them as participants-multiplicators in the suggested process†. The next step is creation of a Marketing information system, where the information available in secondary sources and primary sources is analyzed, which helps develop the profile of the place based on Identity, brand and image of place (MatloviÄ ovà ¡, 2007), as the author explains through the diagram below: The author explains that creation of a place profile is dependent on the semantic differential between the current image and derived image of the city, which can be concluded through a ‘public perceptions survey. Once the profile of a place a created, one needs to conduct a detailed SWOT analysis of the place. The author explains that the SWOT analysis of a place needs to focus on three main areas, which are delimitation of the place, analysis of internal factors of the place (natural environment, demography, economy, infrastructure and business environment) and analysis of external factors (microenvironment and macroenvironment). The combination of a marketing information system, the difference between the current image of the place and the desired image of the place and finally a detailed SWOT analysis helps in formation of a strategy for further marketing of the place. Once, these three steps are covered, a key enabler for further progess is the segmentation of the market, which completes the sub-process called ‘Situation Analysis. At this point, the ‘Goals are decided for the process of place marketing, targeting also takes place at this stage. Based on the goals, a ‘Strategy is Designed, which involves positioning of the city, devising the marketing mix, scheduling inspections, zeroing in on the marketing budget, and inking the overall marketing plan. The author has developed a model for a clear segmentation of a city, as explained below: The author explains through Kotlers suggested methodology for segmentation, and points out that there is not unique way to segment, which becomes even more difficult in the case of a city due to the heterogeneity attached to the single product. He uses the classification of segmentation criterion and applies it to the city: Geographic, Demographics, Psychographics, and Behavioral. â€Å"A successful strategy will result from a detailed and systematic analysis that will respond the two fundamental questions: where is the place situated? and how did it get there? The following comparison of the whole spectrum of data and information will reveal the trends that have to be taken into account in setting the marketing goal. The essence of the conception and strategic stage could be summarized in the two questions: where does the place want to get in future? and how can it be achieved?† (MatloviÄ ovà ¡, 2007) After a clear segmentation, this can be of two types, concentrated and differentiated. The key is that a city needs to decide which of the two segmentation strategies it goes with. In plain terms, this means that if the city chooses a concentrated segmentation strategy, it focuses on a micro segment and devises a value proposition for that segment. However, since a city has the capability to be multi-sold, the city can be marketed to a bunch of segments wi

Illusion of Love in Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay

Illusion of Love in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream The play A Midsummer Night's Dream is centered around themes that are seemingly apparent and clear: those of true love, false love, love's blindness and the inconstancy of love. However, this pattern of the themes of love dissipate to reveal that these themes are only apparent to the reader who wants them to exist. We want Lysander and Hermia to be in love; we want Demetrius to love Helena as she loves him, but the question arises as to whether these lovers are actually in love. Is Shakespeare providing us with a wholesome tale of true love or is he conveying something more raw, more provocative than that? When taking a closer look at this play, one sees a recurring pattern and another common theme - that of lust and sexuality. The love theme in this play is but an illusion, the reality is that this play is centered around sex and desire. A common focus in A Midsummer Night's Dream is that of eyes and sight. The words "eye," "sight," and "see" occur a total of one hundred seventeen times throughout the play (Berry). One may suggest that this eye imagery conveys the theme of love more strongly as "love is blind" or that love enters through the eyes (Vaughn, 73). However, the eyes are based on the physical world; love is not based on sight alone. The physicality of Shakespeare's use of sight is a direct consequence of lust. One does not love with their eyes, one loves with one's heart and mind; one desires with one's eyes. Similarly, the physicality of the play is also maintained through the constant profession of physical beauty. Helena laments that she wishes she looked like Hermia: O, teach me how you look, and with what art, You sway the motion of Demetr... ...xual undertones and reminds us that often lust and sexual attraction are interpreted as true love and, as humans, we often comply with this illusion of true love and happiness rather than face the realization of the inconstancy sexual attraction. Bibliography Benet, Sula. "May Day." Encyclopedia Americana: Deluxe Library Edition. 1992. Berry, Ralph. Shakespeare's Comedies. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1972. Fredal, James. "Herm Choppers, the Adonia, and Rhetorical Action in Ancient Greece." Online posting. National Council of Teachers of English. 28 Feb. 2003 http://www.ncte.org/pdfs/subscribers-only/ce/0645-may02/CE0645Herm.pdf Greenblatt et al., ed. "A Midsumer Night's Dream."The Norton Shakespeare: Comedies. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 1997. Vaughn, Jack A. Shakespeare's Comedies. New York: Frederick Uncar Publishing Co., 1980.

Performance management system at TCS Essay

The performance management process involves all levels in an organization. Strategic goals set by the organization filter through the organization and affect the goals and activities of each employee. In addition, the performance management process gathers and updates current employee data to maintain the human resource information system (HRIS). The HRIS contains a skill bank of employee information that enables the HR department to determine if the organization has the right mix of skills and people to achieve the organization’s goals in an ever-changing world. This information is used in all areas of HR decision-making. Effective performance management requires ongoing communication between supervisors and staff. The assessment and review part of the process provides the opportunity for documentation and formal communication. It’s the time for the supervisor and the employee to set developmental goals that reinforce the organization’s strategic plan and, if th ere are areas of problem performance, action plans for improvement. There should be discussion of the employee’s career progress and plans made for training and long-term career growth. Many supervisors see the appraisal process as a motivation tool to improve employee performance. The employee’s main objective is to obtain feedback from the supervisor on his or her work performance. Ideally, employees receive feedback at all times and not just through the review process. The employee will also expect organizational support in his or her career growth.  Together, the employee and the supervisor should identify areas for improvement and set goals for training and skill development. Anything the supervisor can do to enhance the employee’s skills will benefit both the employee and the organization. If the organization links performance appraisal to compensation, most employees will expect a raise as a result of a positive review. Though supervisors generally conduct the review, they may not have a say in the amount of compensation awarded because compensation is normally determined by organizational policy. This can be particularly problematic for supervisors who want to motivate employees through the appraisal process but find the organizationâ₠¬â„¢s compensation to be a de-motivator when increases are not as much as employees would like. For this reason, many supervisors prefer that compensation increases are not linked to the performance appraisal process. Difference between Performance management and performance appraisal Performance Management Performance Appraisal Performance management is a goal-oriented system to ensure that organizational processes exist to maximize the productivity of employees, teams and, ultimately, the organization. A performance appraisal is a formal system of review and evaluation of individual or team performance. Performance management is an ongoing organizational process that is conducted to maximize the productivity of employees with the overall intention of improving the organization’s effectiveness. The performance appraisal is a periodic event to reflect and evaluate past performance with the intent to identify strengths and weaknesses of an employee’s performance and to identify developmental goals. It is strategic in nature and involves every person and all HR processes in the organization. All are directly tied to achieving the organization’s goals. A performance appraisal is just one part of a performance management system. The Importance of Performance Management The employees are an integral and indispensable part of running a business smoothly and efficiently. That’s why, keeping in mind the crucial role of the employees, a recent trend known as Performance Management has come into practice. Using performance management, we can ensure that our employees not only fulfil their responsibilities, but do so to the best of their abilities and up to your expectations. Performance management allows us to tap the full potential of our staff. It can be described as a comprehensive process starting from monitoring and developing the desired traits to rating their progress and rewarding them for their achievements. I. Involve Employees in the Planning Stage The making of plans alone will not help us to run our business successfully. We must also focus on the appropriate ways to get business tasks done. One way of doing this efficiently is to involve our employees in the planning process. This will not only boost their morale and confidence, but also help us avoid any communication gaps in the process. Additionally, it will also help in providing them with a clear picture of what we expect from them and what they need to accomplish. II. Monitoring the Progress of Our Employees Just as revision of business plans is sometimes necessary for the success of our business, measuring the performance of every employee is also important. This ensures that tasks are efficiently completed on time and on or under budget. It also points out to you any shortcomings of either our staff or business plans, and helps us to take the appropriate corrective actions. III. Ensuring All Around Development of Employees Performance management gives us the tools to install the desired qualities in our employees in order to get the job done. Development is not limited to only individuals in our workplace, but also addresses the performance of the team as a whole. All around employee development not only ensures the  personal and professional growth of our employees, but also the expansion and improvement of our business. IV. Evaluation of Individual Performance Evaluating and rating the performance of our employees on an individual basis is essential. This gives them a clear picture of where they presently stand, areas that they need to work on and what they are good at. This way, they can focus more on their weaknesses and work to strengthen those areas. We should make it company policy to issue performance reviews while providing your employees with the feedback that they need to perform better at their jobs. V. Rewarding Our Employees Rewarding and appreciating our employees’ efforts ensures that the level of their performance and consequently the performance of our business is not compromised. It ensures optimum productivity, Performance and maximum profitability. Rewarding our staff for a job well done not only enhance their performance but also serves as a tool to keep them motivated. Therefore, performance management is an effective system that allows us to achieve the financial goals of our small business. Methods of Performance Appraisal There are a variety of appraisal methods available to organizations. The method selected by the organization should fit well with the organization’s goals and be appropriate to the job being appraised. Some organizations use different methods for different positions. Regardless of the system used, regular communication and feedback from managers are more important than the method used. Graphic rating scale A graphic rating scale is the most commonly used appraisal system. Evaluators record their judgments on a scale that includes about 5–7 categories. Categories are defined by adjectives such as outstanding, meets expectations or needs improvement. This method is popular because it is easy to administer and can be quantified, if desired, by adding a numeric value to each description. Ranking method In the ranking method, the evaluator places employees from a particular group in the order of overall performance, starting with the top performer–who is rated the highest–and moving down to the poorest performer in the group who receives the lowest ranking. Paired comparison is a variation of the ranking method in which the performance of each employee is compared with every other employee. The comparison is often based on a single criterion, such as overall performance. The employee who receives the greatest number of favorable comparisons is ranked the highest. This can be difficult to administer if your work group consists of a large number of employees. Forced distribution method The forced distribution method requires the evaluator to assign individuals to a limited number of categories, much like a normal frequency distribution curve. A few individuals will get very high ratings and a few will get very low ratings, with the majority averaging in the center of the curve. Generally, those with very low ratings are subject to termination. As with the ranking method, this system requires the evaluator to place some employees at the bottom, even if their performance is acceptable, and some at the top, even if performance may actually be less than outstanding. The system makes the erroneous assumption that there must be some outstanding workers and some poor workers, even when that may not be the case. Forced distribution is unpopular among managers because many believe it destroys teamwork and fosters cutthroat competition among employees. Critical incident method The critical incident method requires the evaluator to maintain records of employees’ favorable and unfavorable performances. These critical incidents become the basis for evaluation. The incident log must be maintained over the entire evaluation period to eliminate the problem of just evaluating an employee’s most recent Performance. Essay method In the essay method, the evaluator writes a brief narrative of the employee’s performance. The major criticism of this method is that it is very  subjective because the evaluation criteria left entirely to the discretion of the evaluator and the results are dependent on the writing skills of the evaluator. It can be difficult to compare the results of employee evaluations that use the essay method because there are no common criteria used for evaluation. BARS–behaviorally anchored rating scale BARS is a behaviorally anchored rating scale that combines elements of a traditional rating scale and a critical incident method. Various performance levels are described on a scale, and the evaluator compares the employee’s performance to the levels described. The descriptions provided reduce the amount of judgment required of the evaluator and rely on the evaluator’s observations of the employee’s work behavior. MBO–management by objectives Management by objectives, or MBO, is a results-based system that relies on the manager and the employee to jointly agree on objectives, the attainment of which becomes the basis of evaluation for the next appraisal period. TCS- Tata Consultancy Service About The Company Tata consultancy services limited (TCS) is the world-leading information technology consulting, services, and business process outsourcing organization that envisioned and pioneered the adoption of flexible global and pioneered the adoption of the flexible global business practices that today enable companies to operate more efficiently and produce more value. They are part of one of Asia’s largest conglomerates- the TATA Group- which, with its interests in Energy, Telecommunications, Financial Services, Chemicals, provides us with a grounded understanding of specific business challenges facing global companies. The role of HR assumes unthinkable proportions and is subject to mammoth challenges. With this sensitive breed of IT professionals, how has TCS grown to and sustained at the number one position is a question which market watchers have asked themselves a thousand times. There is but one answer- passion for excellence in the workforce practices. TCS has developed an unbreakable bond with sound HR  practices in an environment that defines traditional roles and responsibilities. The TCS-HR group operates with technical experts to create a synergy which is enviable. The role of HR, which is that of a facilitator. So whether it is recruitment or even career development, HR is the catalyst which initiates and institutionalizes processes. To manage all the functions for over 14000 employees is a difficult task but the smoothness of operations is intriguing. The HR structure, which allows flexibility and empowerment, is the solution. Performance Appraisal Criteria at TCS Objective Data relating to performance assessment of employees are recorded, stored and used for different purposes: MAIN PURPOSE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL General Applications Specific purposes Developmental Uses Identification of individual needs Performance feedback Determining Transfers and job assignments Identification of individual strengths and development needs. Administrative Uses Salary Promotion Retention or termination Recognition of individual performance Lay-offs Identification of poor performers Organizational Maintenance/ Objectives HR planning Determining organization training needs Evaluation of organizational gal achievement Information for goal identification Evaluation of HR systems Reinforcement of organizational development needs Documentation Criteria for validation research Documentation for HR decisions Helping to meet legal requirements Performance Appraisal and Competitive Advantages in TCS The objectives of performance appraisal, point out the purpose which such an exercise seeks to meet. What needs emphasis is that performance evaluation contributes to TCS’s competitive strength. Besides encouraging high levels of performance, the evaluation system helps identify employees with potential, reward performance equitable and determine employee’s need for training. Specifically, performance appraisal has helped the TCS gain competitive edge in the following ways: Improving performance Making correct decisions Ensuring legal compliance Minimizing dissatisfaction and turnover Values and behaviour Strategy and behaviour TCS conducts two appraisals: 1. At the end of the year 2. At the end of a project Appraisals are based on Balanced Scorecard, which tracks the achievement of employees on the basis of targets at four levels: Based on their individual achievements, employees are rated on a scale of one to five (five = â€Å"superstar†). If employees get a low rating (less than two) in two consecutive appraisals, the warning flags go up. â€Å"If the poor performer continues getting low scores then the exit option may be considered. Over the years TCS has found the pattern that leads to the maximum decline in performance. If employees work for more than two years on  the same project, typically either their performance dips or they leave the organisation. To avoid that, TCS shuffles its employees between projects every 18 months or so. â€Å"Performance drops if motivation drops† the employee satisfaction depends upon the fact whether his performance is being appreciated and recognized. TCS’s performance management system has metamorphosed into one that emphasizes objectivity and a system that mandates performance evaluation against pre-determined criteria. What Deserve special mention is the active participation of the senior management in the determination of guidelines for the Performance Appraisal Process. The process ensure buy in of the employees since the guidelines for the rating system and its conversion into money terms is not unilaterally decided by HR but is a consensus of a cross functional team with representation from all levels. TCS’s performance appraisal system is supported by an online system called the Human Resource management system an Oracle Developer 2000 based tool. An employee’s performance history at the click of a button and this accurately maintained for 14000 employees. Right from his entry, an employee in TCS get formal performance feedback once every 2 months till such time that he is confirmed after which the performance feedback is provided twice every year on a formal basis. TCS however widely encourages informal feedback discussions between Project leader & Team Members and this concept have found an overwhelming appeal among the people. Recognition at TCS Guaranteed high motivation levels at TCS through competitive compensation packages, stimulating job content, outstanding development opportunities, and not the least, an innovative recognition mechanism. The various ways in which TCS recognizes its people are listed below: Project milestone parties — to encourage efficient execution of projects. Recognition of star performers / high fliers — to recognize outstanding talent. Nomination to covet training programmes — to encourage self-development. Best project award — to promote a spirit of internal competition across work groups and to foster teamwork. Best PIP award — to encourage innovation and continuous improvement. Best auditor award — to acknowledge participation in critical support roles Spot awards — to ensure  real-time recognition of employees. Recommendations for new technology assignments / key positions — to ensure career progression and development of employees’ full potential. Performance-based annual increments — to recognize high performers Early confirmations for new employees — to reward high-performing new employees Long-service awards à ¢â‚¬â€ to build organisational loyalty EVA-based increments — to ensure performance-based salaries. On-the-spot recognition —to guarantee immediate recognition of good performance.

China Unbalanced Write-up Essay

In 2001 China became a member of the World Trade Organization. China’s accession into this organization had many advantages and disadvantages for the country. Some of the advantages of being a member of the WTO for China was the strong increase in GDP growth rate which the country experienced as a result of the facilitation of trade and the increase in imports/exports. Some of the disadvantages of the membership to the WTO were the negative effects in health care, inequalities in income distribution, and inefficient pension funds. Prior to 2001 China had a robust economy which was growing at an astonishing rate. When China ascended into the WTO the country reformed the foreign trade policies which were the foundations of the economic success which the country had experienced. As a result of the reforms foreign enterprise was facilitated, there was more transparency of China’s laws, and free trade was promoted. Despite the growth that China experienced prior to 2001, during annual reviews of the country several human rights issues were exposed which could potentially erode the economy. China’s conformation to the standards which the WTO established would facilitate foreign relations and remedy these human rights issues. China’s membership in the WTO eased some of the restrictions on increased foreign trade regulations which made China more attractive to foreign investors. For foreign-invested firm’s distribution, retiling, and franchising had been significantly restricted prior to 2001. Under the WTO China promised full trading and distribution rights for foreign-invested firms. Tariffs were significantly lowered from 31% to less than 14% and China became committed to treating imported goods comparably to domestic goods in trading agreements. Transparency is a basic principal of the WTO and China’s legal system had to inculcate this principal into their system. Foreign firms had been easily manipulated by the Chinese government and there were several occurrences of theft of foreign intellectual property. The WTO required that China tighten up their legal frameworks and design their legal system to be more transparent for foreign firms which would improve foreign relations. The consequences of the reformed trade agreements were that exports grew by 27% annually and China’s economy grew substantially in subsequent years. The real GDP growth rate increased from 10%- 11% annually. China’s economy had steadily been growing since the late 1970’s as a result of the government’s economic strategies. The strategy which the government subscribed to was an export-led growth strategy. China strengthened its domestic markets and improved its relationships with countries to foster this export-led growth which attributed to the strong GDP growth rate in consecutive years since 1970. Productivity drastically increased in China as a result of the reallocation of capital and labor to more productive uses. There was also a migration of people from rural to coastal regions where there were more resources and opportunities for growth. The labor productivity in China outpaced every other country in the world and the country averaged a 9.5% annual productivity rate between 1997 and 2010. The export-led growth strategy and the increased labor productivity rate were some of the key elements which impacted the strong GDP growth rate. There were some domestic problems which China experienced as a result of the rapid growth in China. Some of these problems were the dismantling of the provisions of the â€Å"iron-rice bowl†. With the influx of private-owned enterprises as a result of the amended foreign relation policies many entities in the public sector ceased to exist or became defunct. There were many provisions which the public sector formerly offered such as adequate health care and robust pensions. Many of the hospitals which were still apart of the public sector operated as if they were privately owned and they catered to the demands of becoming profitable. The ramification of this to the Chinese population was that health care was no longer affordable and accessible to the masses. Many Chinese people were without adequate health care and the pensions which they once had were taken from them because most of the pensions were apart of programs implemented by the public sector which were no longer in existence. Despite the stellar GDP growth rate which China experienced the unemployment rate remained high in China throughout this prosperous economic period. The reason for this is that the majority of the jobs which were created were in the coastal regions. The implications of this are that those people who lived in-land did not have access to as many jobs. Many of the salaries of people who lived on the coast were significantly higher than those people who lived in-land. So there became an inequality of income distribution throughout China as a result of the increase in GDP growth as a result of foreign trade and investments in coastal regions.

Crash, and The Forest, The Trees, and The One Thing

The movie Crash tells the story of many seemingly unrelated people who are trying to live their lives in Los Angels, are actually intimately intertwined with each other. The article â€Å"The Forest, the Trees, and the One Thing† elaborates on the theme of interconnectivity by using the analogy of the individual trees, and how they come together to make a forest. Both the movie and the article show how people who are just trying to go about their dally lives affect others In more ways than we realize.The locksmith played by Michael Penn was the easiest to empathic with, because he was one of the only characters who was genuinely a nice person. The scene where he gives his daughter the invisible, impenetrable cloak was easy for most people to empathic with because he was being a good father by making his daughter feel safe. He is one of the most touching characters because even when the Iranian man is yelling at him and treating him badly, he tries to explain to him that the do or needs to be fixed, and not the lock that he keeps requesting.Sandra Bullock's racism visibly disturbs and Insults Michael Penn when he Is fixing her lock, because Sandra Is yelling at her husband that the man ‘†with the jail tattoos† is going to go give their eyes to one of his â€Å"homiest† so they can break in and steal from them. Michael does not say anything though, but he makes sure to leave all of the keys on the counter in front of her when he leaves to show her that she is wrong. Sandra Bullocks character Is a great example of how racial attitudes shape behavior.When Sandra and her husband are walking home from dinner, she Instantly grabs his arm when she sees two black men walking towards them. She Is racist so she immediately assumes that since they are black, they will try to rob them, which coincidentally is exactly what happens. This incident only serves to strengthen her already racist beliefs. When they get home, she is so paranoid that sh e makes her husband get their locks changed, and then wants the locks to be changed again in the morning because the locksmith has tattoos and is Latino.Her racist attitude towards others begins to show Its downfalls when she falls down the stairs at the end of the movie, and her own â€Å"friends† will not take her to the hospital because she is at the spa. Sandra then relies on her Mexican maid, who she regularly berates, to take her to the hospital and make sure she is taken care of. Sandra realizes that her aid is the only one who was there for her, and that her maid is her only real friend. Matt Dillon plays a bitter, racist cop who is teaching his rookie partner the ways of the force.The last thing that he says to his rookie partner Is ‘Walt until you've been on the Job a few more years. Walt until you've been doing It a little bit longer. † Dillon is implying that after a few years, Ryan Philippe will start to see the trends that eventually lead to more bla ck men being arrested than white men. This trend comes from racist cops who believe that black people are criminals, and it reinforces their life because they keep arresting black people. Dillon also blames the black supervisor at his fathers HOMO for not providing adequate treatment for his father.He thinks that she only has the Job because she Is black and he thinks that a more lady to get the Job. Ludicrous' character is a stereotypical black criminal in LA who has vowed to only steal from white people. When he hits an Asian man in the street, he wanted to Just leave him to die, but his friend made sure that they dropped him off at a hospital. In the beginning of the movie, he complains to his friend that everyone else thinks that hey have him figured out because he's black, especially when Sandra Bullock grabs her husband's arm. He then proceeds to steal Sander's car and prove that she was right to be scared.Ludicrous then breaks his one promise, to never steal from another blac k man, when he tries to carjack the Movie Director Cameron. After Cameron has the standoff with the police and he is let go with a warning, he drops off Ludicrous at a corner and tells him Mimi embarrass me. You embarrass yourself. † Ludicrous then commits what is probably the most morally correct act of his life by saving the updated Chinese people that he found in the back of a van that he had stolen. The last character that I am analyzing is Ryan Philippe, the rookie cop.When his partner Matt Dillon pulls over the black couple, he feels uneasy because he can see the racial motivation that his partner has for pulling him over. He is beginning to see â€Å"the real world† that is not sugar coated. When he requests to be moved to a solo car because he does not like how his partner is racist, the Chief tells him that he needs a better reason. He begins to realize that most people won't personally care about him, and that they only care about themselves. He is becoming aw are that it is a dog eat dog world, and he needs to learn in order to survive.The article â€Å"The Forest, the Trees, and the One Thing† and the movie Crash are both great examples of connectivity. In Crash, all of the characters affect each other in one way or another, and â€Å"The Forest, the Trees, and the One Thing† shows us, the readers, how we may affect more people than we think. The article tells us about the Forest, which is society, is made up of a multitude of trees, or individual people, and the One Thing that makes the Trees a Forest, is the One Thing, which is the interactions are connections between the Trees, between the individual people.This is also shown in the movie because of the many different interactions between all of the characters and how they unknowingly influence each other. The idea interactions and connectivity is expressed in â€Å"The Forest, the Trees, and the One Thing† is shown when the author says â€Å"The choices we make as individuals matter beyond our loves more than we can imagine†. The author also elaborates on the effects of racism in a society giving examples such as â€Å"When the subject of race and racism come up, white people often withdraw into silence as if paralyzed by guilt†.The character played by Ludicrous also expresses feeling similar to this when he talks to his friend about how everyone thinks that they know him and â€Å"type†. As humans we think of most things as a collection of parts that function together in order to do things that each part would be unable to do on its own. We think of families as individual people, the mother, father, daughter, son, sister, brother, and their relationships with each other is what makes them a family. If this is the way that we think of things and comprehend them, then we can think of society in that way as well, Just with more people, more trees.We begin to think about the relationships that we normally overlook, such a s the cashier at the Cutbacks that you make small talk with while you we realize how much of an impact we have on other people with Just these little interactions, we realize that all of us play a large role in the big family that we call society. In the forest, little trees can be protected from storms under the canopy of larger trees, or the larger tree can slowly kill the smaller trees by not letting enough sunlight through. Without realizing it, everyone influences everyone, and that, is the one thing that makes Just a bunch of trees, a forest.

BUS IP1 Unit 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BUS IP1 Unit 5 - Essay Example This amount translates into US$ 13000. If on the other hand I choose to take the money to the US banks, then I will earn interest of (2/100*12500). This gives an interest of US$ 2500 for that particular year. The total amount that I would have will then be US$ 15000. The above calculations are based on the fact that Irish banks give 4% interest rate per a one year CD while the US banks give a 2% interest per a one year CD. If I choose to keep my winning and cash it into US dollars one year from today, the period during which the exchange rate changes from US$1 for â‚ ¬.80 Euro, to US$1 to â‚ ¬.85, then my overall winning will increase greatly. During that year the amount will have increased by 40 000 Euro and will be 1040000 Euro. This will then be translated into US$12235.294. Given this calculations, I would rather take my winning to USA than leave then in Ireland. Covered interest arbitrage refers to a trading strategy in which an investor takes advantage of the deference in interest rates between two countries. They use forward contract to shield themselves from risks that may arise as a result of exchange rate difference. An investor can choose to use forward premium to take advantage of forward premium in order to earn profit that is free from risk because of the discrepancies in the interest rates of the two countries involved (Madura, 2007). This condition is possible because the parity in interest rates is not always constant. Three economists Robert, Dunn and John have noted that in some cases financial markets gives data that proves not to be consistent with the parity in interest rates (Dunn et al., 2004). They further observed that instances where significant arbitrage profit of the covered interest appeared feasible was, in most cases as a result of assets having deferent risk perceptions, double taxation risks as well as cumbersome controls on foreign exchange. Purchasing power parity refers to the component of economic theories that determ ines the values of deferent currencies relative to each other (Frenkel et al., 1981). This is based on the assumption that one would require the same amount in one currency to buy another currency and proceed to buy a given amount of goods as to buying directly in the original currency. Under this assumption, the number of US dollars required to directly by a given quantity of goods would be the same if the dollars were first converted to Euros before buying the quantity of goods in question. The purchasing power parity concept enables investors to determine the exchange rate required to result into equivalence of the purchasing power between two currencies. In case of inflation in a country, the currency of that country depreciated in value. This means that the currency the currency has a lower value relative to other currency. As a result more of that currency can be converted into smaller number of other currencies. The purchasing power of that currency reduces with increasing in flation. In the year in which my lottery was invested the value of Euro reduced. This is an indication of inflation in Ireland. As I have noted, If I chose to keep my winning and cash it into US dollars one year from today, the period during which the exchange rate changes from US$1 for â‚ ¬.80 Euro, to US$1 to â‚ ¬.85, then my overall winning will reduce greatly. During that year the amount will have increased by 40 000 Euro and will be 1040000 Euro. This will then be translated into US$12235.294 as opposed to US$ 1300 when the

Using Educational Research as a Lean for the Wire Paper

Using Educational as a Lean for the Wire - Research Paper Example Using education research as a lean for the wire The articles talks about the different in relationship between families and students at various school studying levels. The factors, which regulate the relationship, are also extensively discussed and expounded in the article. The good relationship between schools, families, and the community is the core contributor to the students’ success in many parts of the world. International studies have proved the grave of the school parent relationship to the success of the student at all academic levels. However, as students grow older, the relationship between the school and the parent decline systematically. There are various reasons that facilitate the decline of the relationships between the families and the students.The complexity in the secondary school learning environment also confuses the parents on the areas to be involved. In The Wire, community and parents involvement are less valued in the early child life development. Students squarely rely on their teacher for guidance and counseling during their early school life. Nevertheless, at the advanced school age, the community involves itself fully in the student’s life. At this level, they are regarded as a potential investment in criminal activities. Therefore, the differences in the level of family involvement in the student life between the society discussed by the article and society in The Wire show how different societies value differently the lives of the children and youths. In reference to the article, there are various conditions that control and influence the families’ involvement in the teenagers’ education in high school. The family time and material resources, the nature of the parent teenager relationship, and the family take on the involvement are some of the factors responsible of the parents’ involvement in the student high school education (Simon 186). Additionally, the community way of living has a role in the parents’ involvement in school life. T he excising ties between communities and the teenagers’ determine the magnitude of the parent involvement in high school activities (Todd 17). In this area, the article fits The Wire. In the series, there are intimate relationships between the community and high school students. However, students at this level are negatively involved by the society for community’s self-gain. The similarity is decidedly essential in the contemporary world. In all societies, there is a need for mutual relationship between the teenagers, the families and society. Teenage age is a transitional period in human development and entails a lot of challenges which demand the support of the family and community. Teenagers require social, professional, and developmental guidance and counseling at this time, to necessitate positive development. Therefore, the barriers that disregard the families’Â  student involvement should be overcome for the benefit of the student and the entire society. However, the manner in which community and families are involved in the students life need to be controlled. The immoral relationship between the high school students and the community should be discouraged. Appropriate measures should be agreed upon to necessitate a controlled relationship. The article