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Abstract

Media has opened new dimensions in learning. Now education is no longer a constraint for anyone. Media has brought education to the doorstep of each and every individual. All forms of media- the newspaper, radio, television and the internet are equally important in imparting education. As the technology is progressing, the different educational modules are being channeled through certain community access centers like community radio system, televisions, internet, community multi-media centers etc. Media literacy or education does not only mean to be entertained by media but to learn something from it. As a major part of the learning process is concentrated on children, media plays a significant role to satisfy their intellectual curiosity. Children often learn important things through the media, which change their perspective to life. Moreover, radio has now started to enter into the educational sector commonly known as Community Radio System, which indirectly forms the part of e-learning process. Computer-based education has transformed the traditional offerings of distance learning. This medium of education converts the traditional static resources into interactive and interesting online modules for the learners. The primary motive of the Interactive Learning Modules is to create modular interactive learning materials for the development of education and to demonstrate their effectiveness in university curricula as well as industrial training programs. Interactive Learning Modules, which is another form of media, serves the purpose of both the technical and management corporate trainee people along with the people with learning disabilities. The main aim of this article is to focus on the positive effects of media on learning and how different forms of media have contributed to the development of mankind.

Media and learning: New dimensions

Author: Bipasha Chowdhury

Introduction:

Media is everywhere; it has become a part of our daily life. The media plays a dominant role in the learning process. Its impact is vast in shaping the life of an individual. Media has the potential to shape personalities, change the way we perceive and understand the world and our immediate reality. Though we know that all good things have both good and bad effects, likewise, media too have some positive and negative effects. Moreover, we have seen that a large number of people depend on the internet to collect information, read news, listen to music and download movies, play games and also for work. Newspaper, Radio, Television and the internet- all form part of the media and are important in imparting education. Media offers culture, sports, information, entertainment, current affairs and education. Sometimes the impact of media is very high. For example, children love to watch the superheroes and sometimes try to copy their actions while playing. On the other hand, the impact may not be so vast or immediate. It happens gradually as children see and hear certain messages repeatedly. Some of the devastating advertisements include: Fighting and unnecessary quarrel, cigarettes and alcohol being shown as the symbol of heroism, style and attractive, but not deadly and unhealthy. Moreover, violation of laws is shown as a means to gain justice and sexual action with no negative results, such as disease or unintended pregnancy. In recent years, the impact of media on teaching and learning has increased tremendously. New opportunities are being provided to give a techno-touch to the traditional educational process and system. As the society is becoming media-savvy day by day, the educational modules are being channeled through certain community access centers like community radio system, televisions, internet, community multi-media centers etc.

Media and Children:

Media Literacy: “the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and communicate information in a variety of formats.” —David Considine

The role of media in imparting education is increasingly on the rise. Media surrounds us and is present in everything. This phenomenon has made learning easier and interesting for children. Television, radio, and computers are gradually entering classrooms and changing the way of learning. With the onset of new technologies and the emerging trends in the global economy, the present day education is changing. Therefore, there is a need to educate ourselves with the emerging wave of technology. It is well known that by learning to read and write, we can be called literate. Similarly, in the 21st century, by gaining knowledge about the different aspects of media, we can also be called media literate, although there are both positive and negative sides of it. Therefore, as we are adopting the good from it, the bad should be avoided. The negative messages could be avoided by developing the skills of questioning, evaluating and analyzing them. This can be called media literacy or media education.

Media literacy or education does not mean to know about media but to learn something from it. Moreover, we find the subjects that we learn in our curricula are also found in media. They may be related to arts, science, different languages, social sciences and health. It also helps to develop critical thinking skills. The students can get a vast exposure to the pop-cultural references. They can get statistics and data from the news, which can be the basis for math and science learning. The teachers can also incorporate media analysis whenever the Internet, television or video are used in the classroom.

The impact of media is vast on children and even on the adults. The intellectual curiosity of a child is satisfied by media literacy. At present, in order to exist in the competitive market, there is always a need to equip oneself with better knowledge and analytical skill. Apart from books, television also helps to improve the Intelligent Quotient and General Knowledge of every section of the society, particularly the children. Media education skills develop the children’s thinking and analyzing power, which in turn, inspires them to make queries and think about the media messages they watch, hear and read. As a child tries to critically analyze the things he reads, likewise he tries to do the same with sounds, actions, moving pictures etc. There are numerous benefits of media on children. The first and foremost effect of media is definitely the accumulation of General knowledge, different dialects and cultures. Television boosts the social awareness of a child to a great extent. Sports channels develop the logical mindset of a child. Cartoon channels keep the children happy. News channels increase the vocabulary of the children and inform them about the positive and negative impacts on the society. It increases the concentration and retention power of a child, which benefits their studies to a great extent.

There are also negative effects of media on children. Children often learn certain things, which change their perspective towards life. For example, if they watch violent scenes on TV, their nature tends to be the same. There are many incidents where children try to imitate the super heroes and it results in death. Studies often get hampered and lapse of concentration occurs due to excessive watching of television. The advertisements shown in the media often captures the mood of the individuals. Generally, girls are very vulnerable and sensitive about their physical image. When an adolescent girl watches the ads that show unless we buy a product or carry the style statement or wash our hair with a specific shampoo and look smart like a slim model, we don’t get respect in the society or get a job. These messages attack our self-esteem and create a negative impact on a child. Two Studies conducted by the South Australia’s Flinders University have revealed that “television advertising featuring idealised thinness negatively affected both the mood and the body image of adolescent girls, with those in the 13 – 15 year age gro
up being more affected”.

On the whole, media has made a tremendous impact on children. Compared to the positive impact, the negative impact is too negligible. The craze of media is such that no one can escape its vibe-be it the adult or youth.

Effect of Community Radio on Education:

Radio has now started to enter into the education sector with the name of Community Radio System. The term Community Radio signifies radio broadcasting with the objective of serving the community by involving members of the community in the broadcast of their programmes. It will help the students to hone their public speaking skills. Though the concept of teaching through radio or television is quite new, but some media or production companies have come forward with such kind of proposals.

Certain questions may crop up about the validity of the relation between radio and learning. The readers may also ask whether the community radio is performing any tasks of e-Learning. If learning is universal and ‘e’ is used for ‘electronic’, then why can’t the verbal knowledge spread through electronic media like community radio as a part of ‘e-Learning’? The advantage of a community radio is that any listener within the range of five to ten kilometers can tune in the radio channel. Community radio is helpful enough for people of the poor and developing countries and even for people living in rural areas without basic amenities like electricity, satellite television, internet etc.

In India, the non-commercial organizations were not allowed to run radio stations. The private organizations with good financial background like Radio Mirchi, Red FM, Big FM, Radio city and educational institutions only get broadcasting licenses. This distinction is little reduced with the Cabinet decision. This move has triggered modest celebrations among a number of community radio, NGOs and broadcast professionals. A number of broadcasting organizations have moved forward to introduce community radio in schools and colleges. With the introduction of this technology, quite a few civil society organizations have come forward to broadcast their educative radio programming over AIR.

Webel Mediatronics, a profit making company, engaged in the development, manufacturing and in the areas of Studio and Broadcasting Systems, Industrial Electronics, Information Technology Applications and various systems for the disabled has come up with the idea of introducing radio in schools. It has already given offers to two schools-Heritage school and GD Birla Center for Education. If the offer is accepted, Webel feels, the radio system can make teenagers conversant with public speaking. According to Gautam Burman, Chief Executive Officer of Webel Mediatronics, “Schools feel that perfection in public speaking can only be achieved through practice. The community radio system will give students the opportunity to develop their communication skills and expand their knowledge base”.

This community radio can also help to organize counseling sessions, prior to any board or entrance examinations. Moreover, this kind of radio will help students to revise their classroom teaching, which they may forget. The health and hygiene issues can be addressed; lifestyle problems can also be solved though these programmes and even an awareness campaign by experts on HIV/AIDS can be transmitted. CRS can also help to notify parents about important announcements of schools. Burman added that “Often after exams, students seek informations in scholarships and admissions in other universities or courses. All such queries can be clarified through community radio. Eminent educationists can be invited to the studio to deliver lectures. Radio browsing will soon become popular among Gen Y”. Any listener within the range of five to ten kilometers can tune into the radio channel of the schools. It can also familiarize the local students with the similar syllabus of the other schools. There are schools that have allocated a budget of Rs.1 crore for students’ development programmes in the next few years by incorporating Radio programmes.

The impact of community radio is massive and its impact is felt on every section of the society. With the passage of time everyone has learnt to acknowledge its positive impact on individuals.

Effects of Media Boom on distance education:

Distance education is often defined as “institution-based, formal education where the learning group is separate, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors” (Schlosser and Simonson, 2002).

The original distance education by correspondence has been upgraded by twenty-first century technology. Distance education has vastly benefited from the media boom with telecasts and broadcasts limiting the dependence on the written word. In the past, distance education was primarily delivered through mail and was called correspondence courses. The medium of instruction was mainly through books, paper documents and other printed materials. Contrary to classroom learning, instructions provided by professors or teachers were delivered in print to the learners who didn’t have the opportunity to have interactive classes. Queries and notes were interchanged between teachers and students and vice versa. But now the trend is fully replaced by colourful computer-based graphic resources. Computer-based education has changed the traditional offerings of correspondence education. This medium of education converts the traditional static resources into interactive and interesting online modules for the learners. Moreover, online-learning retains most of the characteristics of the classical form of distance learning, while offering more sophisticated learning materials at a much reduced rate.

At present, the concept of distance education with the help of media has gained wide popularity. The media boom with telecasts and broadcasts has to a large extent limited the dependence on the written word. Moreover, with the emergence of the Internet as a global media, the concept of distance learning has been revolutionized. From the age old days, distance learning was mainly provided through correspondence. But the introduction of the internet has changed the concept of distance learning to a great extent. At present, distance learning programmes are increasingly being delivered through computer technologies but the traditional media is not totally obsolete as it helps in effective learning. We can define quality online education as a people-oriented, instructor-led activity, where the level of communication should be comparable with on-campus education. Due to the connectivity of the internet, distance education is often called online learning because the Internet-connected computers bring the teacher and learner face to face, which substitutes/replaces classroom learning. Moreover, the Internet has also facilitated the students to study online from any location and at any convenient time.

There are numerous factors which have contributed to the increasing popularity of the distance education through media. With the introduction of online learning in universities, distance learning has gained immense importance. Online learning has assumed the role of an important media for imparting distance education. It also went to the extent of providing quality online courses which have become almost comparable to the traditional classroom learning. Now students can get access to a broad spectrum of disciplines from any location. With the mingling of online learning and distance education, education is no longer a constraint for any class of the society.

Distance education can also be termed as Interactive Telecommunications system. Interactive telecommunications systems broadly mean that the instructors and the learners use a variety of technological resources while teaching and learning from a distance. Now-a-days, many universities have come up with the idea of transferring its on-campus learning into online
learning.

Now-a-days, we see an excessive use of media in education. Media has made its presence felt everywhere, be it by television, radio or computers, the most popular medium of imparting education. Unlike the past, education and examination is no longer monotonous. With the introduction of media, education has assumed a different role. Now-a-days, we can see that before the board exams or any competitive exams, different medias like television, radio etc. come out with different education-related programmes to help students to deal with their study materials. These media channels rope in different intellectuals, professors and teachers of different institutions to guide the students with their valuable suggestions and give them necessary moral boost to cope up with their burden of studies.

The most important advantage of online distance education is to earn a degree from one’s home or workplace. In traditional distance learning, interaction is limited to a certain point and feedback from the other side is often delayed because of slow postal systems. It has helped a large number of people to pursue education, who don’t even have the time to enroll for regular courses. Moreover, it is usually easier and less competitive to obtain admission for the online courses. Moreover, in case of online distance courses, learning is more fun and interactive. It is also flexible. It is possible to incorporate charts, maps, graphs, moving images, slides, video clippings and even audio recordings with the course material. It helps to understand the entire syllabus without the help of a teacher. The students are able to interact with their peers through online class projects, e-mails and also with the help of online conferencing. This interaction with the help of media using e-mail, conference calls and chat makes learning easier and entertaining. It substitutes the face-to-face experiences of traditional learning. The availability of online libraries with their huge collection of books has also made the learning process easier and worthwhile. Speaking about the economic side of online distance learning, it is seen that most of the time, the expense of a regular course is much higher than the online courses. The media-related online distance learning is relatively economical than the traditional class-room learning. Nevertheless, keeping in mind its positive effects on individuals, these computer-based distance education continues to grow.

Role of Interactive Learning Module in Education:

Interactive Learning module is another form of online distance education. The main idea of interactive learning is to provide educational guide through on-line education. In this module, support learning is available on a 24/7 clock and delivered from class-room to anywhere and at anytime. The Interactive Learning module generally engages the learner and the teacher in effective instructional communication without disturbing the interaction. Interactive learning modules developed by corporate media companies are becoming increasingly popular. Now-a-days, the Interactive Learning Module materials are used in management courses, undergraduate and graduate engineering courses, as well as technical and management corporate training programs. The prime aim of the Interactive Learning Modules is to create modular interactive learning materials for the development of education and to demonstrate their effectiveness in university curricula as well as industrial training programs. Thus, the acquaintance of knowledge is maximized through the advent of Interactive Learning Module.

Now-a-days, we have seen that interactive learning modules developed by different corporate media companies are becoming increasingly popular. Witnessing the importance of Internet, innumerable training players are offering their training online. These modules are helpful to provide value-added services and equip professionals to work in a dynamic and competitive environment. Interactive design tools help the learners to explore the activities of product development and emphasize on the integration of design, manufacturing and marketing concepts. Moreover, interactive learning provides solutions for evaluating and monitoring of the learner’s progress.

Like most of the media houses, ZEE has also come up with the concept of online education, which they named as ZEE Interactive Learning Systems (ZILS). ZILS generally provides its online courses through a Learning Management System. According to Rajendra Raju, executive vice president, corporate services of ZEE Interactive Learning Systems, “this offering not only facilitates in Synchronous and Asynchronous learning but also provides Customized Training Solutions based on individual needs and access to rich resources and expert support”. Apart from ZEE, another company which came forward for making faster its training market is Xansa Websity (formerly known as IIS Websity). It planned to focus on the corporate IT training market through its Learning Management System called the ‘Quality Learning System’ (QLS). Apart from ZEE and Xansa, Oracle also thought of introducing an e-learning methodology for its existing and future courses through the Oracle Learning Network (OLN). According to SV Krishna, head-Asia Pacific division, Oracle OU, “The purpose is to disseminate information anytime, anywhere and help in providing to those who are really in need of it. On OLN, one is learning from Oracle and with Oracle. The corporates can choose their specialized module, rather than undertaking the whole course. And the whole offering becomes more customized”.

Interactive Learning Modules are designed not only for the technical and management corporate trainee people but also for the people with learning disabilities. With the advent of technology, physical barriers are no longer a constraint for leading a normal life. Technology can abate any learning disabilities. It can also make learning accessible for the people with disabilities. Interactive Learning Modules are particularly helpful to people with learning disabilities.

With the transformation of a new era, we have seen that the concept of E-learning, supported by the web-based learning environments. This could help people with learning disabilities or social difficulties to adjust with normal contemporary life and knowledge-based curricula. Till now, the society and the media have not thought about the impact of computers on the lives of the disabled in general and the visually-challenged in specific. Special schools were built for their education. But the federal ‘Individuals with Disabilities Education Act’ (IDEA) made it mandatory for the schools to educate children with disabilities in general classrooms.

The Interactive Learning Guide for the disabled, coupled with the application of technology in education provides better understanding of theories, their applications and identification of alternate solutions for them. This advanced type of learning for the disabled has helped them to get over their weaknesses and start a new life afresh with better knowledge as their strength. A teacher, principal, specialist or a paraprofessional can help a child with learning disability to achieve full potential by helping them to adapt the online interactive education guide. Therefore, education is no longer restricted to the normal persons, but it has crossed the barriers and enlightened the life of every individual irrespective of their disability.

From the above inferences, we can rightly conclude that the effect of media is vast on the life of each and every individual. With the on-going development of information and technology in the society, media has given particular attention to the need of education and cultural diversity and promoted media consciousness among individuals. Media has entered in every sections of our daily life- be it in education, news, entertainment, culture, sports, etc. Last but not the least, media has opened a new dimension and gave a new meaning to education. Education has be
come more entertaining like never before.

Microsoft is one of the wealthiest and most successful companies in the world. Even more important, from a human resource perspective, is the fact that Microsoft is an employee-driven organization. While other organizations base their success on better manufacturing techniques, or better technology, Microsoft’s success is based on the effectiveness of their employees. Essentially, Microsoft value their staff and realize the importance of their staff. This focus on employees may, in the future, expand to all organizations. Microsoft then, is worth studying as an example of best practice in human resource management.

This study will focus on Microsoft’s employee management methods including how they recruit and how they retain their staff. By looking at how Microsoft operate, there is opportunity for other organizations to consider how they manage their employees and to consider whether their staff are also valued.

Firstly, the study will present information on the human resource practices at Microsoft. Secondly, the study will analyse these practices with a view to showing why they are effective.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AT MICROSOFT

Recruitment and Selection – In the Beginning

Bill Gates is the driving force for Microsoft and from the beginning of the company he believed in recruiting extremely intelligent staff, favoring intelligence over experience, “his preference for hiring extremely intelligent, not necessarily experienced, new college graduates dated from Microsoft’s start-up days, when he and cofounder Paul Allen recruited the brightest people they knew from school – their ‘smart friends’” (Bartlett 1).

From the beginning Gates realized that his employees were his greatest assets, shown by his quotes including “it’s the effectiveness of our developers that determines our success” and “take our 20 best people away, and I will tell you that Microsoft will become an unimportant company” (Bartlett 2).

Microsoft’s recruitment strategies reflect their philosophy. They sought the smartest and the most driven people and did so aggressively, as Steve Ballmer says “whenever you meet a kick-ass guy, get him” (Bartlett 2).

The recruitment strategies in the beginning included sourcing people from the elite educational facilities such as Harvard, Yale, MIT, Carnegie-Melon and Stanford. Microsoft recruiters would visit these universities “in search of the most brilliant, driven students” (Bartlett 2). Experience was not required and it was in fact, preferred that new employees had no experience.

Once selected, these students had to undergo a thorough selection process. The first stage was an interview “by at least 3, and sometimes up to 10, Microsoft employees” (Bartlett 2).

These interviews were designed not to test knowledge, but to test “thought processes, problem-solving abilities, and work habits” (Bartlett 2). Technical interviews are described as being focused mainly on problem-solving, with interviewers posing problem scenarios. To test the composure of the candidate and also their creative problem-solving skills, unexpected questions were also included. Two examples of these questions given are “how many times does the person use the word ‘the’ in a day” and “describe the perfect TV remote control” (Bartlett 2).

After the interview, interviewers would e-mail their decision on the interviewee with the words ‘Hire’ or ‘No Hire’ and comments on the problem area, the future interviewers would then use these comments to further investigate whatever issues there were with the interviewee (Bartlett 3). This interviewing process was essentially a ‘make or break’ one, where interviewees were pushed to their limits, if they thrived and survived this meant they would also thrive and survive in the Microsoft working environment.

After this series of interviews, if the majority of interviewers were favorable the interviewee would finally meet with their manager and this manager would make a final hire/no hire decision. The very last step is an interview by someone outside the hiring group, this person is independent and so unbiased in their opinion. This person is meant as a final check that the person is a good Microsoft person and also to prevent managers from hiring the wrong people because they have a need to fill a certain position (Bartlett 3).

The importance of hiring the right people is also shown in Microsoft’s ‘n minus 1’ strategy which means less people are employed than are required. This policy reinforces that hiring the right people is more important than hiring just to fill a position.

Recruitment and Selection – Later Stages

Microsoft retained the same basic principles as they expanded but had to change their methods when the number of new employees required could no longer be sourced only from universities.

The recruiting practices continued to be active rather than passive, with Microsoft ‘head hunting’ the best staff. These staff were found, monitored and recruited from other companies by over 300 recruiting experts, “once someone had been identified as ‘hard core’ – Microsoft’s euphemism for the kind of highly talented and driven people they sought – the pursuit was relentless, if subtle. Regular telephone calls at discreet intervals, conversations at industry conventions, invitations to formal dinners – recruiting team members employed every means possible to keep the lines of communication open” (Bartlett 9).

Microsoft also took advantage of breaking opportunities such as company layoffs, one example is with the AOL down size, “when we heard AOL was downsizing Netscape’s operations in the valley, we assembled a team to identify the best talent and go knocking on doors” (Bartlett 10).

Employee Satisfaction and Loyalty

Microsoft attempted to cater to the needs of its employees from the beginning. Recognizing that the majority of employees were just out of college, the Microsoft company operated like a campus. The former director of human resources describes this saying, “how do you make young kids who had never been away from home – or only as far as college – comfortable? We wanted to keep the atmosphere at work one they were somewhat familiar with, and also make sure it gave them a sense of social belonging” (Bartlett 4). This environment also included every employee having their own office they were free to decorate as they please and the provision of subsidized food and drink (Bartlett 4).

Employee satisfaction was also afforded by the opportunity for growth, “development also occurred by encouraging horizontal transfers, and employees were encouraged to develop themselves by switching jobs” (Bartlett 6).

It is noted that few employees leave the organization by dismissal, with the majority leaving voluntarily (Bartlett 10). Concern over high attrition rates in the 1990s led to surveys to find the cause of the problem and for changes to be implemented. One of the major changes was the requirement for top management to coach lower levels, assisting in their development by doing so. This became known as ‘turning over the keys’ (Bartlett 11). This is important because it allows people an opportunity to develop further. Also critical to the changes was a new focus on empowering people and of defining clear goals. These changes were all designed to increase employee satisfaction and commitment to the organization, while maintaining the same spirit the small company began with.

Employee Rewards

In the early days Gates was a firm believer that employee ownership was critical in raising motivation and employee retention, in lieu of high salaries he offered employees equity (Bartlett 7). Once listed on the stock exchange, this continued, with the company offering stock options to employees based on performance.

Critical to this is the link between individual performance and rewa
rd, with semi-annual performance reviews linked to pay increases, bonus awards and stock options (Bartlett 7). Performance goals employees were measured against were specific measurable ones, these performance objectives shortened to SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-based, and Time-bound (Bartlett 2). This formal review system also included more common evaluations by managers to ensure no unexpected deviations. The system also included the process of employees evaluating themselves, these self-evaluations then being sent to the manager who does their own evaluation. The employee and manager then meet to discuss the review (Bartlett 8).

Stock options awards are based on whether the employee is considered a long-term asset of the company and awarded on this basis. This is an important symbol of Microsoft’s commitment to retaining good employees.

ANALYSIS OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AT MICROSOFT

Recruitment and Selection

It is reported that companies must be aware of where they are going in the future and how the current configuration of human resources relates to this (Noe et al., Ch.5).

As we have seen, Microsoft employ different recruitment practices than many organizations based on their need for the very best people. Microsoft actively recruit suitable employs and focus on the right type of person rather than the right type of skill level. In ‘Human Resource Management: An Experiential Approach’ (Bernadin & Russell) human resources are described as an important source of competitive advantage. Microsoft use human resources for competitive advantage, basing their success on having the very best people in the industry and inspiring them to be the best. It is this that leads to Microsoft’s unique recruitment practices. Based on the importance placed on having the best people in the industry, their aggressive ‘head hunting’ techniques are justified.

What is most crucial here is that Microsoft’s recruitment practices meet their human resource needs. It is an important sign of the focused approach of Microsoft, with their actions always leading towards their ultimate goals.

Some important factors to be considered in recruiting staff include that the recruiter should be from the same functional area and that candidates should not be deceived about the negative elements of a job (Noe et al., Ch.5). The interview process at Microsoft reflects this with the new employee being interviewed by the manager. The recruitment process also goes further than just informing the employee about the negative aspects, instead the recruitment process actually tests the employee on the negative aspects, putting them under the same type of pressure they would be put under on the job. This is an effective method, as it can be ascertained, that if the employee is successful in the selection process, they will be successful within the organization.

Employee Motivation

McNamara says that “the key to supporting the motivation of your employee is understanding what motivates each of them.” The important thing about Microsoft is that they employ people who specifically will be motivated by the environment they provide. They do not employ skilled people and expect them to be motivated, they employ intelligent and driven individuals and give them the environment and the opportunity to develop beyond their current level. The fit between employee and organization is important to motivation and this is what Microsoft ensures.

A recent study reported in the Journal of Applied Psychology reports that employees working on projects are more efficient when their goals relate to the overall team goals rather than individual goals (Kristof-Brown). Microsoft ensures that the goals of the organization are understood via its strong culture and by employees being clearly aware of what is required of them.

Motivation can be described as providing a work environment in which individual needs become satisfied through efforts that also serve organizational objectives (Schermerhorn 395). Microsoft achieves this by incorporating their goals into their human resource management programs. The people recruited and the systems within the organization all serve to motivate the type of people that Microsoft values.

Employee motivation can also be related to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. This theory has the top level of the needs theory as self-actualization needs, which is a persons need to be self-fulfilled. It is described that the way to achieve this is to “provide people with opportunities to grow, be creative, and acquire training for challenging assignments and advancement” (Daft 530). This is exactly what Microsoft provides for its staff and also exactly what it expects, for them to be the very best they can be. One employee of Microsoft describes this saying “the only way to achieve here is to push the envelope of what you can do. Every day try to do better. Work smarter. Work harder. Innovate more. People are focused 100% on performing their job as successfully as possible (Bartlett 5). The link can also be seen here between the type of people that are employed and what is expected. Microsoft hires the very best people, for these people to achieve self-actualization they need to be pushed harder than most and given greater opportunity to achieve than most.

Employee Loyalty and Satisfaction

We have seen that empowering employees is one of the new approaches being utilized by Microsoft. It is noted that empowering employees requires a culture that reflects this (Billsberry 292). In the Microsoft case we see that a change of culture is actually the reasoning behind the introduction of empowerment, suggesting that the change is considered and will be successful.

Employee loyalty and satisfaction is also assisted by Microsoft’s consideration of its employees. We saw that in the early days, the company largely consisted of young graduates and the company built a culture around the needs of this group of young graduates. This process has continued, with Microsoft always attempting to cater for the needs of its employees.

The latest attempt is by providing greater opportunity for younger employees, by having older employees coach them.

Three aspects of tasks that affect job satisfaction are job complexity, degree of physical strain and perceived value of the task (Noe et al., Ch.10). Microsoft manages this by providing the high complexity high achievers require and by ensuring the perceived value of the task is high. This high value is communicated via the high-achieving culture the company maintains.

This issue can also be looked at in terms of an employee’s role. There are three factors associated with roles: role ambiguity, role conflict and role overload (Noe et al., Ch.10). Role ambiguity is kept low by Microsoft because of the consistency in the culture and in what is required, role conflict is also kept low. Role overload is kept high, with employees pushed to their limits. In most organizations this would be a concern, but Microsoft’s awareness of this means that they specifically seek employees who will react well with role overload.

Employee Rewards

In ‘Ideas That Will Shape the Future of Management Practice’ (Bohl, Luthans, Hodgetts & Slocum) human resources is described as being the way of the future with it being argued that we will see a more mature articulation of the importance of people as a firm’s only sustainable competitive advantage. The change is described as giving high reward for high performance with the focus on a partnership.

As we have seen, Gates recognized the importance of his people from the beginning and this is reflected in the reward systems, that not only rewards for current achievement but rewards stocks to those that are seen as valuable future assets of the company. This can be seen as a prime example of the focus on a partnership, those that are seen as being valuable to the company, are rewarded with shares
that will increase in value even as that person assists in moving the company forward.

Important to the reward system is also the fact that there are two reward paths available, one for those following the technical path and one for those following the management path. The skills of employees can be divided into three areas: conceptual skills, human skills and technical skills. Typically, conceptual skills become more required and technical skills less required as one moves up the corporate ladder (Daft 15). Microsoft is a company valuing technical skills, due to the nature of its product. In most organizations, employees with conceptual skills would be rewarded by moving up the corporate ladder, while those with technical skills would not advance. Microsoft, however, offers two advancement path, allowing those with technical skills to advance as technical experts, just as those with conceptual skills advance as managers.

Reward systems are an important part of organizational culture, they communicate to employees what is valued by the organization (Robbins, Bergman & Stagg 84). By having these two reward systems, Microsoft effectively communicates that both sets of skills are valued. This is also an important sign of Microsoft’s consistency. They recruit people for technical ability and so not rewarding for it would be dissatisfying to employees.

As a business owner you want to be able to utilize your advertising spedning wisely and get the most return out of your marketing. With these marketing examples, maybe you will be able to lift your business to the next level by sparking some interest.

Rob Walker of Fast Company suggests user generated content. experts believe that the future of advertising belongs to the consumers. Experts who extol the benefits of co-creation suggest that brand owners must not only allow, but encourage consumers to participate in marketing their products. The motivating factors that cause amateurs to co-create appears to be co-promotion.

According to Brand Week, “the marketing strategy and advertising campaign for children`s television network Nickelodeon`s line of kid centered electronics, which is called Npower. The line includes digital cameras, Mp3 players, electronic alarm clocks, and compact disc players. According to research conducted by Nickelodeon young people are looking for more advanced electronics, and not just the toy version of them, which is why the marketing strategy is more sophisticated for the Npower line.”

So is coming up with new ideas and tricks the way to go? American car manufacturers think so. Nel Boudette of the Wall Street Journal reported on the “aggressive marketing tactics, including the creation of false companies which allow consumers to test drive American made vehicles from their homes, which Detroit, Michigan automobile manufacturers, including Ford Motor Corp, and General Motors Corp. are implementing in 2007 in an attempt to persuade import buyers to consider buying a n American made automobile.”

If you are online business, more interactivity with your clients and potential clients seems to be the experts way to go. Mike Shields of Media Week claims, “websites such as USAToday.com are making their sites more interactive by allowing readers to post their own comments online in order to engage their audience. Other websites that are participating in these engagement tactics include Forbes.com, TVGuide.com, and WashingtonPost.com. Many people support this marketing strategy, but some think it is too difficult to monitor the quantity of user comments that come in.” Jeri Clausing of Travel Weekly agrees with this assessment, saying, “the potential impact of the phenomenon called social media on the world of marketing.” Travel technology consultant Cindy Estis Green predicted “that travel companies will be affected by the evolution of the Internet into a huge conversational marketplace.” She adds that “social media will not only change the way Internet marketing is done, it will also change the way marketing is done.”

And believe it or not e-mail campaigns may still work. Joseph Curly, senior e-marketing coordinator at Nassau Educators Federal Credit Union, shared that his firm uses a practical, simple web site and advertises products within emails about financial information sent to clients. Make sure you only email those customers who have agreed to receive your corespondance, otherwise it will be looked at as spam, and that will creative a negative affect on your products, services and company character.

Many companies constantly change their marketing strategy to attract new customers, yet at the same time keeping the existing ones. Above are some great examples of that, that may fuel some inspiration to get your creative marketing spirit going.

By: Michael C. Podlesny