Performance and Rewards Management Samples for Students †MyAssignme

Question: Discuss about the Performance and Rewards Management. Answer: Summary of what was done As part of the weeks work, I learnt various issues based on determining the structure of a remuneration and performance system, with regards to person and job consideration. It also focuses on determining the structure of a remuneration and performance system, with regards to external considerations, including legislation. The reflection also explores the benefits, recognition schemes, as well as individual rewards. In my view, the areas identified forms that major part of performance and rewards systems in an organization. Basically, rewards systems comprise of systems such as monetary payments and working conditions that employees, seem to receive as part of their jobs. New Learning I learnt about the structure of remuneration and performance system that emphasize on person and job considerations. Essentially, organizations usually deploy skilled based pay or competency-based pay. Basically, a skilled based pay refers to employee compensation system whereby workers are rewarded with additional pay in exchange of their skills, competencies, or expertise. It is an acquired and observable skill and expertise that an individual has to be able to perform a particular task. I learnt that in the skill-based systems, workers will be eligible for additional pay after showing their skills, knowledge, and the competencies, which will be rewarded by the system (Boyett Boyett 2004, p. 4). Therefore, I agree with the view that designing a skill based pay cannot be achieved by imitating another system. However, much can be learned by exploring what has been achieved by other organizations and a better understanding of the variables and principles that are fundamental in the design of a skill based pay system. The main reason why organizations implement the skill based system is to promote learning. However, it should be noted that it is not the only approach that is available to compensate workers, but the best approach to promote organizational learning. Therefore, skill based pay differs from other employee pay systems, because it focuses on the skills and differences in a system of rates of pay, especially for all categories of workers. A such, it is person based pay which rewards a person on merit, and the pay progression is directly linked to individual skills and competencies. I leant that to design a skilled based pay, the system should be underpinned for various opportunities that are available to employees for training, which is very important for an organization. Thus, when introducing a skilled based pay, there are several steps that must be followed with several issues to be addressed (Canavan 2008, p. 22). The most important step is to ensure that the skills requirement is available. In addition, resources must also be available for the system to succeed. Further, individual jobs should be categorized in families on the basis of the similarity in the skills needs. In addition, the skills in each family should be able to perform the jobs that should be analyzed. Further, a process should be developed to describe, certify, and value the skills, and price them. The process should be assessed, accredited, and eventually reward workers for their skills. The other fundamental aspect I learnt is what consider when designing a skill based pay system is its implementation. Therefore, when designing a specific implementation plan, it is necessary to involve communication will all stakeholders and focus on the implementation plan. However, the main benefit of the system is that it increases the average hourly rates. On the other hand, the skilled based system results into lower labor costs. Therefore, it is very critical for businesses to consider adopting the skilled based system and whether better results will be more likely. The other approach that is used by organizations to reward employees is the competency based pay. Basically, firms prefer to use the competency based pay approach based on the skills, as well as experiences in the workplace (Adams 2010, p. 17. It is a structure that is deployed to motivate workers to get inspired, and develop on their skills and competencies and also to apply them, based on the job position or title (Homan 2009, p. 290). It is an important pay structure because the motivated get promotions from their current positions. However, it is necessary to note that the employees are not paid based on the virtue of the positions they hold in the organization, but rather because of their competency. Thus, a competency base structure can be developed for any organizational level, or a specific job role or function or for the entire organization. However, when an organization is going to reward workers for a particular competency, then it must have a measure of such employee comp etencies (Suff 2011, p. 2). Thus, there are several factors that have t be taken into consideration when an organization seeks to fully integrate a competency based pay. It is necessary to have employee performance appraisal process and manager should be trained and be ready to measure the competencies. In addition, the staff should be made aware of the requirements and show them, with regards to their performance appraisals. Notably, competency based systems are determined by performance indicators, and should be quantified through employee interviews or surveys. The system is beneficial because it enables employees to develop their skills on the basis of their experiences and competencies. However, the drawback is that the system is not easy to manage, especially the expectations of the employees. Personal Reflection This is an important area on employee rewards system is remuneration, governance, and the gender executive pay gap in organizations. Thus, the week five discussion focuses on the regulated remuneration cycle, key aspects of the regulatory framework. It also focused on the gender pay gap, relevant legislation to deal with pay inequity, as well as the key findings from the 2016 workplace gender equality agency. Basically, remuneration practice is the actual practice of companies and individual executives in relation to remuneration. It comprise of setting the organizational remuneration policy, writing the remuneration contract, execution of the contract, as well as the final termination of the contract. Basically, remuneration policies are very critical to the delivery of an organizations business strategy and to motivate and mobilize staff to achieve the valued organizational goals. Remuneration plays a fundamental role in increasing the demand for skilled labor. Further remuneration policies used by organizations, are perceived to have a sustained competitive advantage as it makes key employees to keep working in their workplaces, hence reducing employment costs (Amabile 2005, p. 128). I understood that a remuneration disclosure is conducted annually through a remuneration report together with adhoc disclosures that are related ro the remuneration such as company loans. On the other hand, engagement remuneration is that which occurs between the company and the shareholders in remuneration. On the other hand, voting on remuneration refers to the annual advisory vote on organizations remuneration report combined with all kinds of remuneration, as well as related resolutions (Altonji Rebecca 2014, p. 3147). However, with regards to all aspects of remuneration, it is a fundamental aspect, that is used to define employees standards of living. It involves the salaries, benefits, as well as other perks, that are used by organizations to govern the decisions that individuals make (Andrews George 2009, p. 500). In my view, remuneration is important to employees, since it is considered as one of the significant costs they face. Further, remunerations are a major considerat ion for employees to run an effective organization. I also learnt that the key aspects of the organizations remuneration framework. In essence, there are four activities that are involved in the remuneration cycle. These comprise of the remuneration practice, engagement, and voting (Barber Terrance 2008, p. 267). Apparently, it is necessary to understand that each of these activities is regulated to some extent. In addition, there are specific rules that are used in the regulation of the activities and to facilitate the rules. However, there are certain rules that are mandatory whereas others are considered to be voluntary with different consequences attached to them. In order to engage in the best organizational practices, there are certain regulations that govern corporations, which seeks to regulate key aspects of executive remuneration. As such, the main aim of the regulations is to provide disclosure to the executive compensation through listed firms, which form part of the financial reporting process (Barnard 2010, p. 14). In a ddition, it is also necessary to note that the legislation may also specify the duties of the executives, which may be owed to them in common law and equity. The other interesting part discussed during the course is leadership in the private sector (Ledford 2008). As a matter of fact, women represent a higher percentage of degree qualified workers. I understood that the current trends show that women represent a very small percentage of the MBA graduated. However, the number of female CEO;s in the private sector is relatively small. As a matter of fact, top women CEOs is an area that has received very little attention, because the areas has been understudied (Barney 2009, p. 1234). As a matter of fact, women participation in the seniormanagement positions may have a downside, because they tend to be less effective or simply dislike the competitive environments, such as those that are most likely found in the executive suite of many organizations. Some researchers also believe that diversity may also contribute to the diversity of opinion as a result of political or social pressure (Barney 2006, p. 100). In my view, in a competitive and efficient labor market environment, it is important to ensure that the right individuals always get the right position, which suggests that the participation of women in executive jobs would not have any observable effect. As such, this has been attributed to the gender pay gap, which is usually caused by various factors. For instance, in most organizations, mentoring is considered to more critical for the female progressions compared especially in terms of building leadership and self confidence (Barney Edward 2005, p. 4). I support the view that women also still require to move more often to obtain promotion status but should have to wait for some considerable duration in order to be promoted. Therefore, in order to deal with the gender gap, it is necessary to focus on gender pay equity, which is a situation where both men and women receive equal pay based on their work. In real terms, the gender pay equity ensure that men and women performing the same tasks are paid equally. In my view, employee benefits focused on understanding the requirements the requirements for a sound plan. In my view employee benefits is becoming more important for organizations, especially with regards to compensation. However, based on many sources reviewed, many organizations differ significantly in what they include in their definition or employee benefits (Rosenbloom 2005, p. 11). For instance, some of the definitions focus on legally required benefits whereas others are voluntary (Mannion, 2004, p. 6). Nonetheless, the variations in the definition do not provide an organization with the best way to define employee benefits. In the lecture discussion, I observed that the underlying nature of employee benefits comprise of employee retention, satisfaction, and wellbeing. In addition, it also focuses on diversitymanagement and legal compliance, as well as employee engagement or commitment (United States United States 2008, p. 12). In general terms, employee benefits comprise of the monetary rewards, which are not paid directly to the employees, but may also comprise of other non-financial rewards, such as having an office with good furnishings (Beam MacFadden 2001, p. 7). However, the right combinations of employee benefits can enable a company to achieve its strategic objectives. Action to be Taken As a result of the lessons leant, I will be able to use my knowledge provides to provide better employee rewards and compensation, covering remuneration and employee benefits. I believe that when organizations put in place the best mechanisms and implement the most sound pay, remuneration, as well as employee benefits, they will be satisfied and in the long run contribute to the success of the organization. Learning Style I found that the issues leant in the course and the theories on performance and rewardsmanagement are vital to business and will do my best to implement them at the work place. In addition, I wish that the topic of performance and rewardsmanagement should be discussed both in class at organizational meeting. In general, this is a very interesting topic. References Adams K 2010, Re-thinking competency-based pay: ICL, Competency Emotional Intelligence Quarterly, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 16-19. Altonji, J G Rebecca M. B 2014, Race and Gender in the Labor Market, in Handbook of Labor Economics, Vol. 3c, Orley Ashenfelter and David Card (Eds), Amsterdam: North Holland, pp. 3143-3259. Amabile, T M 2005, A Model of Creativity and Innovation in Organizations, in Research in Organizational Behavior, Barry M. Staw and L. L. Cummings (Eds), JAI Press, pp. 123-167. Andrews, FM George F F 2009, Supervisory Practices and Innovation in Scientific Teams, Personnel Psychology, pp. 497-515. Barber, B M Terrance O, 2008Boys Will Be Boys: Gender, Overconfidence, and Common Stock Investment, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 116 (1), pp. 261- 292. Barnard, C I 2010, The Functions of the Executive, Harvard University Press, Cambridge. Barney, J 2009,Organizational Culture: Can It Be a Source of Sustained Competitive Advantage?, Academy of Management Review, 11 (3), pp. 656-665. Barney, J 2007 Strategic Factor Markets: Expectations, Luck, and Business Strategy, Management Science, 32 (10), pp. 1231-1241. Barney, J B Edward J Z 2005 Competitive Organizational Behavior: Towards an Organizationally-Based Theory of Competitive Advantage, Strategic Management Journal, 15, pp. 5-9. Barney, J, 2006, Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage, Journal of Management, 17 (1), pp. 99-120. Beam, B. T., MacFadden, J. J 2001,Employee benefits. Chicago, Ill: Real Estate Education Co. Boyett, J.H., Boyett, J.T. 2004, The Skills Based Pay Design Manual. Lincoln NE: ASJA Press. Canavan, J 2008, Overcoming the challenge of aligning skill?based pay levels to the external market. WorldatWork Journal, 17(1), 18?25. Homan G2009, Skills and competency-based pay, Strategic Reward Systems, Thorpe and Homan (eds), pp. 287-301 Ledford, G 2008, Factors Affecting the Long?term Success of Skill?based Pay. WorldatWork Journal, 17(1), 6?17. Mannion, L. P. 2004,Employee assistance programs: What works and what doesn't. Westport, Conn: Praeger. Rosenbloom, J. S 2005,The handbook of employee benefits: Design, funding, and administration. New York: McGraw-Hill. Suff P 2011, The new reward agenda, IRS Management Review 22, July. United States. United States 2008,Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2009. New York: Skyhorse Publishing.

Trade Secrets Essays - Intellectual Property Law, Secrecy

Trade Secrets This country's economy thrives on its trade secrets and without them the economy would lack its competitive edge and economic value. The trade secret laws date back to Roman law which punished a person who forced another person to reveal secrets relating to his master's commercial affairs. The current trade secret laws evolved in England during the Industrial Revolution and the first reported trade secret case in the United States was Vickery versus Welch in 1837. In 1979 the National Conference of Commissioners of Uniform State Law imposed the Uniform Trade Secrets Act which has now been adopted by a majority of the states. In previous years these laws have been modified to meet the needs of our growing technological society by incorporating such things as the Invention and Nondisclosure Agreement and intellectual property laws. Trade secret laws protect a company's information that is not publicly known therefore allowing a competitive and economic edge over their competition. Intellectual property violations fall under the trade secret laws which are used to determine if a company or individual has compromised any information of another company or individual. The issue of ownership of intellectual property is not only a legal issue but also an ethical issue that engineers face in their careers. In the case of Vermont Microsystems, Inc. (VMI) versus Autodesk, Inc. the court determined that Autodesk violated the trade secret laws despite the warnings by VMI. In doing this they not only compromised themselves legally and economically but also ethically. Otto Berkes developed a Display List Driver while working for VMI. After completing that project he took a position at Autodesk in the fall of 1991. At that time the president of VMI sent a letter to Autodesk warning that Autodesk should be careful because Berkes was privy to VMI's trade secrets. However, in March of 1992, Berkes lobbied the management of Autodesk to include the display list driver in R12 windows. He then became directly involved in working on the specifications for a prototype of the display list driver. In designing this prototype he used two algorithms, the triangle shading algorithm and the BPS algorithm, that he had developed while working for VMI. Soon after, VMI learned Berkes was working on the development of the display list driver for Autodesk. VMI once again warned Autodesk, via a written notification, that they were at risk of trade secret violation. In October 1992, Autodesk and VMI met to attempt to resolve their differences. VMI offered to transfer all technology to Autodesk for 25.5 million dollars. After receiving VMI's proposal Autodesk considered proposals from other company's in order to replace the display list driver Berkes had developed. Autodesk rejected all proposals including the offer made by VMI and apparently for economic reasons decided to go ahead and ship their current version of the display list driver despite the ethical and legal ramifications. The issue the court had to determine was whether or not trade secret misappropriation occurred. It was VMI's responsibility to prove to the court that a trade secret misappropriation had occurred. In complying with these laws, VMI submitted evidence of eleven instances of trade secret misappropriation. The first instance was the issue of the overall architecture. The courts felt that VMI's next eight instances were incorporated into that of the first instance. In comparing Autodesk and VMI's architecture the variables, parameters, structures, and implementation of management functions of the two software programs were almost, if not, identical. The add-on software that Berkes designed, for both Autodesk and VMI, included the same functions and tools. Everything from the management of bounding boxes to the location of entities was identical. There were such similarities between the design of both company's products that the courts could not help but rule that Autodesk had violated the trade secret laws for the first instance. The last two instances of trade secret misappropriation were the triangle shading and BPS algorithms. The triangle shading algorithm was so close to that of VMI's that one expert witness reported that "the resemblance goes right down to the names of variables, names of macros, and even many of the comments. Another pronounced the algorithms ?identical'" (United State District Court for the District of Vermont 1996, 8). Concerning the BPS algorithm, Berkes filed a counterclaim against VMI, claiming that he was entitled to use BPS algorithm even if VMI has the same technology. He argued that he had developed the software on his own time and was therefore entitled to use it as he pleased. It can be argued that an employee has the right

A Jobless Recovery essays

A Jobless Recovery essays In present day America we live in comfort and trust in our nations government to do the right thing for us Americans. Sometimes those decisions must endure hardships to get through to the gold at the end of the rainbow. Since decisions made in office take a long time to come into effect, it is hard to pinpoint problems and where to deal with them when talking about income and jobs. Since the recession of 2000 the distribution of income has become quite uneven. This due to an ever increasing unemployment rate. Well as Americans we would demand something be done top help this. However it is not the sole purpose of the American Government to make sure that every person is employed. Jared Bernstein stated in his article The Jobless Recovery, that a stimulus is needed to correct these problems. Well the stimulus he is looking for cant come from some economic program or grant, but only from the people themselves. In America today the root of most of these problems lies within the people and their unwillingness to follow laws. A lot of government resources are being dished out to immigrant children whos mothers crossed over the border, birthed their children and bounced. Money that could be going to something usefull is being wasted. Another example of wasted Government expenditure is the welfare system. Unfortunately the system that was set up to help those who could not provide for themselves ad their families is now being used and abused. People know how to beat the system and find every loop hole known to man to squeeze every bit of money out of the Government as possible. Why is there a huge loss of jobs and large unemployment? Thank you for asking. It all comes down to the laziness of the American people. Most Americans who are physically able to work just milk off government disability programs and choose not to get a job. These programs pay a pretty penny for those who know how to...

Biography of Hannah Höch, Co-Founder of Berlin Dada

Biography of Hannah Hà ¶ch, Co-Founder of Berlin Dada Hannah Hà ¶ch Facts Known for:  co-founder of Berlin Dada, an avant-garde art movementOccupation:  artist, the painter, especially noted for her photomontage workDates:  November 1, 1889 – May 31, 1978Also known as Joanne Hà ¶ch, Johanne Hà ¶ch Biography Hannah Hà ¶ch was born Johanne or Joanne Hà ¶ch in Gotha. She had to leave school at 15 to take care of a sister and was not able to resume her studies until she was 22. She studied glass design in Berlin from 1912 to 1914 at the Kunstgewerbeschule. World War I interrupted her studies, temporarily, but in 1915 she began studying graphic design at the Staatliche Kunstgewerbemuseum while working for a publisher. She worked as a pattern designer and writer on womens handicrafts from 1916 to 1926. In 1915 she began an affair and artistic partnership with Raoul Hausmann, a Viennese artist, which lasted until 1922. Through Hausmann, she became part of the Berlin Club Dada, the German group of Dadaists, an artistic movement dating from about 1916.  Other members besides Hà ¶ch and Hausmann were Hans Richter, George Grosz, Wieland Herzfelde, Johannes Baader, and John Heartfield.  She was the only woman in the group. Hannah Hà ¶ch and Dadaism She was also involved, after the first World War, with political radicalism, though Hà ¶ch herself expressed herself less politically than many of the others in the group.  The Dadaist sociopolitical commentary was often satirical. Hà ¶ch’s work is known for more subtle explorations of culture, especially gender and portrayals of the â€Å"new woman,† a phrase describing that era’s economically and sexually liberated women.   In the 1920s Hà ¶ch began a series of photomontages including images of women and of ethnographic objects from museums.  Photomontages combine images from popular publications, collage techniques, painting, and photography.  Ã‚  Nine of her works were in the 1920 First International Dada Fair. She began exhibiting more frequently starting in the late 1920s. One of her most famous works was Cut With the Kitchen Knife Dada Through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch of Germany,  portraying German politicians in contrast with (male) Dadaist artists. From 1926 to 1929 Hà ¶ch lived and worked in Holland. She lived for some years in a lesbian relationship with Dutch poet Til Brugman, in the Hague first and then from 1929 to 1935 in Berlin.  Images about same-sex love appear in some of her artwork of those years. Hà ¶ch spent the years of the Third Reich in Germany, forbidden from exhibiting because the regime considered Dadaist work â€Å"degenerate.†Ã‚  She tried to remain quiet and in the background, living in seclusion in Berlin. She married the much-younger businessman and pianist Kurt Matthies in 1938, divorcing in 1944. Though her work was not acclaimed after the war as it had been before the rise of the Third Reich, Hà ¶ch continued to produce her photomontages and to exhibit them internationally from 1945 until her death. In her work, she used photos, other paper objects, pieces of machines and various other objects to produce images, usually quite large. A 1976 retrospective was displayed at the Musà ©e dArt Moderne de la Ville de Paris and the Nationalgalerie Berlin. More Information About Hannah Hà ¶ch Categories: artist, photomontage, DadaistOrganizational Affiliations: Dadaism, Berlin Club DadaPlaces: Berlin, Germany, HollandPeriod: 20th century Print Bibliography Hannah Hà ¶ch. The Photomontages of Hannah Hoch. Compiled by Peter Boswell.

Biography on elizabeth barrett browning Research Paper

Biography on elizabeth barrett browning - Research Paper Example In The Letters of Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1897), there is a chronological account of how her love for the Mr. Browning’s poems grew into their friendship, secret courtship and eventually marriage and elopement. These letters provide a kind of an impossible love for a determined couple complicated by illness and an unforgiving father. As such, she was disinherited for choosing to marry Mr. Browning without his father’s consent. Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850) is a collection of love poems which was inspired by the pure and true love of her husband. Although she had suffered a lot in life, her illness, the death of her mother and her closest brother, she expresses love in a very sentimental way especially in the poem How Do I Love Thee?. This poem has attracted a lot of relevance in poetic romance. She expresses spirituality in her testimonies about how much she loves her husband. This poem has surpassed her even after death as it is prevalently celebrated in modern weddings. Elizabeth’s father owned an enormous estate which was founded on slavery as workers were underpaid and worked under very poor conditions. However, Elizabeth was overtly opposed to human slavery and social injustices and spoke about the struggle of slaves in her poem, A Curse for a Nation from the collection Poems Before Congress

Academic freedom in the classroom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Academic freedom in the classroom - Essay Example They believe that the instructor’s profession has nothing to do with the social or political issues happening around them and they must strictly adhere to the academic syllabuses. On the other hand, some others believe that the learning of a student would not be perfect if he fail to learn from the surroundings. Students are living in the society and the basic aim of the education is to make the students capable of living a healthy social life and to make them good citizens. For that purpose it is necessary for them to learn about the present things happening around them as well. This paper discusses these two different views briefly. KEVIN BARRETT, a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, who has a one-semester contract to teach a course titled â€Å"Islam: Religion and Culture,† acknowledged on a radio talk show that he has shared with students his strong conviction that the destruction of the World Trade Center was an inside job perpetrated by the American government (Fish, 2006). It is evident that Mr. Barrett has expressed only his opinion about the trade centre destruction. It is a fact that sometimes such premature opinion by a professor would mislead the students. On the other hand, in order to analyze different dimensions of an issue and also to develop critical thinking, such opinions might be helpful. It should be remembered that the topic academic freedom has nothing to do with the content. ‘Critics charge that the professoriate is abusing the academic freedom in four ways: (1) â€Å"indoctrinate† rather than educate; (2) fail to present conflicting views on contentious subjects, thereby depriving students of educationally essential â€Å"diversity† or â€Å"balance†; (3) intolerant to students’ religious, political, or socioeconomic views, thereby creating a hostile atmosphere in the classroom; and (4) interject material, irrelevant to the subject of instruction’ (Report "Freedom in the classroom, 2007) It is a fact

Overview of Marketing and Branding Products of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Essay Example for Free

Overview of Marketing and Branding Products of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Essay The correct usage of these Lubricants of right quality ensures prolonged and trouble free vehicle operation, providing maximum benefits to the users of present day modern vehicles. Overview In line with the economic liberalisation in India, Lubricants was the first downstream Petroleum product to be totally deregulated with effect from 1991. Since then a large number of players National, MNCs as well as Global Players have entered the Indian Lubricants market. Despite operating in a totally competitive environment, BPCLs Lubricants SBU has been registering a growth in lubricant sales continuously over the past couple of years. In 2007-08, an overall growth of 10% has been registered, with a healthy turnover of Rs. 1680 crores (approx USD 350 million). In 1998, we re-launched our Lubricants in new attractive packs, mainly in Automotive category with three major brands depicting each segment- Mak for Diesel Engine oils, Automol for Petrol Engine oils and Glide for Two/Three wheelers(mainly 2T then). In the year 2003, we decided to go for Umbrella Brand-MAK Lubricants, in subsequent years, branded all our industrial grades with MAK. Retail Channel Our core strength is our retail outlet network across the country, this comprises of about 7530 retail outlets. Our Lubes SBU have undertaken various initiatives in co-ordination with Retail Business to grow our sales volume through this channel. Initiatives undertaken by the SBU are setting up of Hero Honda City Works, Tata Authorised Service Station (TASS) and installation of Quick Oil Change Machines at retail outlets. Bazaar Channel With a network of 190 PLDs, 600 MAK Garages and MAK Mobile Vans established to improve reach and penetration in rural and unrepresented areas of MAK Brand, the SBU could reach to the last mile as far as the customers are concerned! We continue to improve our brand visibility across the network and there by increasing our market share across the segments. Industrial Channel Large number of prestigious customers has been added during the year to our already existing prestigious customer list. We are also suppliers of initial engine oil fill to TATA Motors, TVS, and Hero Honda etc. We also hold respectable share of Railway and Defence business. Infrastructure The Lube Plants at Wadilube (Mumbai), Budge Budge (Calcutta), Loni (Delhi) and Tondiarpet (Chennai) have organised themselves as close-knit teams to maximize levels of production and dispatch. The Plant at Wadilube is an ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 ;amp; OHSAS 18001:2007 certified Plant. As part of the ongoing improvements in packaging, the new series of packages developed entirely in-house have been introduced. Other initiatives To support the business initiatives, a major thrust has been given to improving BPCL’s product offering and increases its market presence. The new R;amp;D Center at Sewree, Mumbai, has developed a number of new products in the automotive and industrial categories. Towards higher visibility, substantial investments have been made in revitalising the brands through product quality and package improvements. The entire distribution system has been revamped with the formation of Supply Chain Management department to ensure that products are more conveniently available and distinctively visible in the market price. Exclusive branded Lube Shoppes have been opened all over the country to improve our reach, as well as many innovative amp; unconventional methods are being used to create brand awareness especially in the diesel oils segments. Another major initiative has been to reach the products to the rural population through the tie-up with ITC – e-choupal network which has spread the MAK brand across the country in rural areas also. Currently this network is available in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh and is likely to extend to other states also shortly. MAK also embarked on another thrust area of enrolling garages across the country in the network of â€Å"MAK Garages† there by providing standardized service across the network. This initiative not only rovides opportunity for the garages to enhance their business opportunity but also provides an assurance to the end customers that their vehicles are getting the right kind of lubricants. Brand Ambassador To promote MAK brand among the youth and improve the brand visibility, MAK signed up M. S. Dhoni as Brand ambassador in the year 2006. The rise of MAK brand in the minds of the consumers as well as market share coincided with the rise of Dhoni also, who today is the Youth icon of the year and also the Captain of the Indian team for all versions of the game – like MAK being the â€Å"Champion of All Engines†. BPCL is confident that it will continue to make substantial and sustained efforts with appropriate investments, synergies business between channels, improve quality and quantity standards, invest in Ramp;D for new product development and aggressively build the brands to result in maximising the value addition for both the business and its customers. Research and Development Vision To create a centre of technical excellence for Product amp; Application Development through pursuit of knowledge and fostering creativity / innovation to be a pacesetter and achieve cost leadership in petroleum industry. Introduction The Research amp; Development Centre at Sewree, Mumbai was established in 1983 and recognized by Department of Scientific amp; Industrial Research, MoSamp;T. The Ramp;D Centre has highly skilled and experienced Scientists amp; Engineers capable of developing various types of lubricant products, innovatively, using modern technology. It is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment / facilities for testing of lubricants, greases and fuels besides certain rig amp; performance tests required for developing new lubricants as well as upgrading the existing products on continuous basis.