Avon in Global Markets Essay

1. Referring to this chapter and Chapter 9, evaluate Avons Strategic International Human Resources practices in globose markets regarding development of a global management cadre, HCNs, and figure of speeching companion associates and independent deterrent examples in host countries.Avon Strategic International Human Resources practices in global markets In this day and age the world is no longer bound by distance the gap between countries and cultures atomic number 18 shrinking. Most trading deliver attempt to take expediency of this and expand beyond the borders of their firesideland. The idea of world market sh be is lucrative to most demarcationes not to mention profitable. Such With the majuscule expansion and lucrative prospects, at that place is a strong expansion creates need for international human resource management. Human resource management is the whole function of advancement and selection of the employees, it has been perceived by many observers as a key ingredient and accounts for the success of companies on world markets.Sales forceIn international business, consumer companies cannot operate efficiently without having best and most well- trained gross revenue force (Deresky, 2010, p. 378). Hence by acquiring a local employees with proper skills and capable familys knowledge benefits the company in an aspect of better understanding of the surrounding environment and communication advantage of common language and for this reason, Avon has leased million local door to door representatives to advance their work force and to improve their international market.Recruitment and selectionIn addition, valuingValuing hands diversity and providing make up opportunity is important to the company (Deresky, 2010, p. 379). Qualities such as culture empathy, that isthe appreciation and respect of beliefs, values and behavior, inter individual(prenominal) skills, such as communication and the capacity to build trust, managerial, and decision making abilitiesparticularly under condition of isolation environment and causeer(a) crucial qualities including self-motivation, ethical standard, relationship building, organizations skills and so on are looked for. This strategy facilitates Avon to identify full potential of the recruits and their competencies.Female CEOAvon is a company which caters to women and is ranrun by women. Having a female in charge serves a fundamental advantage since she can better understand the target customers and their c all told for. This, hence helps Avon to well implement and execute their goals successfully. Before Andrea Jung took over as CEO the company was struggling with miserable revenues and high debts. Once Andrea Jung took charge, she has implemented several efficient policies in both US offices and hostile offices that helped to boost up the companys revenue and got unblock ofeliminated the debt problems the company was facing. This has allowed the company to retain its reputat ion and increase its sales network and all while continuinge to grow into new markets such as India and China.GoodwillAvons dedication to charity has been a part of companys policy for more than than 125 years. This builds a close relationship between and the company and the society in which it functions. Not to mention brings a It also provides greatvery good publicity and a set up for numerous PR campaigns. Avons institution helps provide funds for cancer researches, for scholarships and other charitable programs. In addition to workforce diversity and minority recruitment, the company supports various programs in womens empowerment.leaders programsLike other companies, Avon runs leadership programs on the job training seminars on a regular basis. (Deresky, 2010, p. 378). This provides employees with the tools, knowledge and the faculty to impact and inspire their followers and thereby sharpen their skills and knowledge in the effective manner. The programs help in strengtheni ng the area of weaknessesand provide accountability and clear vision.2. Describe how Avons business copy has changed in light of demographic and social changes in the United States and abroad. What role has IHRM played in the companys global expansion?Avon has had to adapt its business model due to demographic and social shifts. In the United States, for example, resources beat become less differentiated and the biggest way for a company to gain a competitive advantage is with a well-developed workforce. Technological advancements earn also created the need for Avon to have an online platform in order to efficiently manage their workforce. Changes abroad have also impacted Avon. For instance, new emerging markets such as India, Russia and China have created new opportunities for the company. However, these countries must(prenominal) be analyzed to understand how to establish a workforce as well as the social and demographic factors that can affect their human resource practices (iei.e. the social role of women restrictions on certain business practices).In the global market, Avon hires and trains the new local workforce in its door-to-door selling model and adapts their distribution strategies to the local needs by including mail, phone, fax, retail outlets, and sack up sites for working women and to accommodate other cultural and logistical practices. Human resource management plays a huge role in dealing with knowing who to recruit for the global workforce, what qualifications can be expected, how to best motivate them and what levels of productivity can be expected from them once integrated into the companys network. The role of IHRM for Avon in global expansion include 1) Training in both virtual and magazine-based seminar 2) Adapting and adjusting the operation to local industrial relations arrangings.3. Since 70 pct of Avons revenues are generated outside the United States, what recommendations would you provide to the company regarding dealing wi th a culturally diverse workforce and a multicultural grocery store in the coming years?Avon is already on the right track in dealing with a multiculturalmarketplace. It currently maintains 5.8 million independent representatives and approximately 42,500 associates in over a hundred countries (Deresky, 2010, p. 378). Avon has a strong brand that is well known internationally. This helps the company attract top-notch employees that truly want to work for Avon. Although many would see Avons culturally diverse workforce as a challenge it is actually one of Avons greatest strengths. Avons diverse employees are already aware of the cultures with which they are conducting business because the employees share the same culture as the consumers.The employees understand what types of products their culture demands and which they do not. This helps to prevent excess supply or wasted trade efforts on products that are of no interest in certain markets. In addition, with Avons large focus on d oor-to-door selling their diverse workforce is extremely helpful because these employees are fluent in their native languages and will be able to excel in conversing with their potential customers in efforts to produce sales. As give tongue to in the case study, Avons 5.8 million independent representatives are self-managed Host Country Nationals who know the culture and the ways to do their business in their home turf (Deresky, 2010, p. 379). These representatives help to minimize the culture shock Avon employees would normally experience had they not had any previous experience dealing with a foreign clownish and were expected to conduct business there.Since Avon has employees and representatives hailing from the countries in which they are conducting business it makes the sales aspect much easier since there is minimal cultural disconnect between the consumer and the sales personnel. Therefore, my recommendation is that Avon endures its efforts to hire employees from various cultures especially in areas in which Avon currently conducts or plans to conduct business. However, hiring a diverse workforce can prove ticklish when poorly managed. Luckily, Avons managers realised that becoming aware of intercultural differences and getting the appropriate training play an important role in the development of a fecund sales force (Deresky, 2010, p. 377). Avon understands that their employees are the key to success because it is imperative that they maintain employee efficiency, productivity, and morale.The company is able to ensure this via the four areas of compensation, fringe benefits, professional development, and workforce environment. Employees greatly enjoy thesebenefits as well as working for Avon, which helps fuel, the companys outstanding performance. My recommendation is that Avon continues their pursuit of maintaining a diverse workforce. The company must ensure they are constantly training their employees in areas such as new product offerings, dealing with various cultures, and performing efficient sales. As Avon looks to continue its expansion they must ensure they understand each marketplace prior to moving in and beginning business. In order to expand their multicultural marketplace Avon must work to put together solid research teams that will be in charge of understanding and discovering all facets of a countrys economy and commonwealth. This will allow Avon to be well prepared and tardily determine which products will be sold in which countries based on the populations preferences.4. Avons future global expansion is contingent on hiring and retaining the best workforce and salespeople in global markets. What training and cross-cultural practices would you recommend to the company to deal with this area?In order for Avon to develop the best global workforce they must rate cultural sensitivity, motivation, ethical-standards, relationship building, and organizational skills (Deresky, 2010, p. 377). Avon can arrive a t the best global workforce by continuing to provide leadership programs and on-the-job training seminars on a regular basis. If Avon wants to continue expanding globally, they whitethorn consider continuing their global geographic (area) twist. This structure allows regional and local managers to address, and solve issues based on their knowledge of the local culture, government regulations, and business transactions (Deresky, 2014, p. 247).The benefits of this structure were evident in the case where Avons China General Manager, Ms. Jung, noticed the need to change their distribution strategies in order to adapt to local costumers needs (Deresky, 2010, p. 379). Ms. Jung also noticed the need for international representatives to gain faster online access to improve training (Deresky, 2010, p. 379). Avon has done a great job thus remote in hiring and retaining one of the best workforce and salespeople in the global market. A rising middle class in the emerging markets will help Av on filtrate people they have never reachedbefore. If Avon wants to continue their success, they must consider their cultural environment and continue evolving their training technicstechniques and engineering science.5. China is expected to be a study market for Avon. If you were to advise Avon, how would you develop a competitive IHR plan for the company?Starting with assessing Avons successes in the international realm, it should be noted that Avon approximates 70 percent of the companys revenues come from selling its products in international markets (Deresky, 2010, p. 376). A second important factor that would need to be considered for developing a competitive IHR plan for the company would be to ensure a brand identity existed or could be created in China if it was not present as of theat the age Avon was planning to venture into the country. A brand identity, as defined by Investopedia is how a business wants a brands name, communication style, logo and other visual elemen ts to be perceived by consumers (Brand Identity, 2014)). It would be obvious to state that Avon should begin to compare and contrast the brand identity of other major personal hygiene and makeup companies that have previously set up shop in China. Evaluating Estee Lauder and LOreal, for example could prove to provide fruitful study on which types of marketing and advertising campaigns may or may not work in global China.While major companies such as these have previously completed the leg work in customer recruiting, Avon could gain much advantagesmany advantages from reviewing these strategies and applying some to their market model within China. Avon would also need to like a shot define the knowledge and skill set models that managers and sales personnel would need to have in order to be successful in this major foreign market. Working in a country such as China will be much different in many cultural areas as compared to operating within America. Cultural sensitivity issues sh ould be highlighted, as well as motivational factors of what might energize customers to purchase Avons products. Perhaps time sensitivity issues could be a point of training for managers and sales representatives as well. Questions such as how much time should be spent on hard to convince a customer to purchase products or when is a good time of day to try and sell to customers should be analyzed as well.? each of theseissues should be strategized and should be provided as in-depth training to employees and managers alike before deploying teams of representatives into the streets of China. It will be equally important, when developing a competitive IHR plan to ensure employees are consistently referring back to Avons five values and principles, which include trust, respect, belief, humility, and integrity (Deresky, 2010, p. 377). Having the ability to reach back to these core values and principles, sales representatives will espouse by remembering the values and traditions that h elped to make Avon successful in other countries.6. What is the role of IT in Avons markets, in particular in developing areas? What are the implications for training its representatives?The new nurture technology internet and email have practically eliminated the physical cost of communications (Karlgaard, 2004). Business activities and marketing activities cannot be realized without the use of training technology, marketing managers cannot make smell decisions, and marketing strategies cannot be designed and cannot be oriented business policies. Therefore in the modern enterprises all important managerial positions must be connected to computer networks and use information technology. The evolution of e-marketing has enabled Avon to include all its marketing activities online and has enabled them to contact their customers quickly and easily in order to meet their needs, wishes and requirements. This has helped Avon to maintain a long relationship with their customers, and ful fill their needs, and increase their loyalty toward the products of the organization.Furthermore, the availability of a great amount of information with in short period of time can be obtained at an instant through the use of information technology. In business, information is the most uncommon commodity in the market. A pPlethora of information can be acquired through electronic and communication media by using computers, information technology and information systemthrough information systems. Hence it is very resourceful to enterprises and therefore Avon is as well taking an advantage to gather the necessary data on the market about customers, their needs and habits and process data in to information. Consequently, usage of information. Information technology also helps Avonto lower down their costs, proper time managementimprove efficiency, producing produce quality products, and advancing advance the companys innovation. This is contributed all is due to the consumer informati on collected that provides the knowledge on consumer behavior that which helps the company reducing reduce uncertainties for marketing decision making and thereby assist in price settings, promotions, selection of target market as well as sales channels.The biggest strength of iInformation tTechnology is the ability to grow fast inquickly grow in developing markets. Avon use utilizes information technology for its training practices to its employeesemployee training programs. Instead of gathering all every representative in the office, Avon can upload training seminars videos online so that the employees can carry out training while they are home. The companys distribution strategies may have to be adopted to the local needs because of working women or other cultural and logistical considerations and include mail, phone, fax, retail outlets, and Web sites (Deresky, 2010, p. 379). Therefore, UsageThe usage of technology in marketing has enabled Avon to grow rapidly and has led to mar keting development through networks. It has it as well also enabled rapid and efficient communication, transfer of information over distance, creation of virtual organizations, shipment of goods, and direct payment via internet and so onas well as many others.All these element of new form of business that e-business have been easily adopted due to the actions of the company activities surrounding and marketing conditions in order to meet better customers needs and requirements. It is now inwrought method for Avon to control its operations. In conclusion, the iInformation tTechnology strengths of Avon allows Avon the company to have communication and information access on the fly anywhere in the world at a low cost. The IT infrastructure also allows the Avon team to quickly train the local Salesforce sales force and process orders with very low cool down. The implication of training representative in development areas, such strategy allows to bring Avons products straight to the co nsumer. The new representatives help Avon to organize orders, distribute orders, promote products and therefore create a strongstrong brand name recognition worldwide.7. What do you think are Avons prospects in India, given that the per capita spending on beauty there is only $1, compared to between $100 and $200 in developed markets?Avons prospects in India look to be positive. India is one of the largest growing markets besides China, and they have a very large population when compared to other major counties such as Japan, United Kingdom, South Korea, Australia, Hong Kong, and capital of Singapore. With the huge population in India, there are more than 370 million women between the ages of 15-64, which indicates a high customer base (Deresky, 2010, p. 379). The population in India is also growing at about a 1.3% each year. When compared to Singapores per capita spending, India has bright prospects despite their low per capita spending because of their. This is due to their huge p opulation. Another reason India looks like a positive prospect is due to the untapped market, which can drive long-term growth. The company launched new anti-aging products aiming to reach 93% of the countrys population by 2015. The Avon also planplans to launch personal salad dressing products for men, which is another untapped market.ReferencesBrand Identity. (2014). Retrieved from Investopedia http//www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brand-identity.asp Deresky, H. (2010). International Management Managing Across Borders and Cultures, Text and Cases (7th ed.). Prentice Hall. Karlgaard, R. (2004, November 19). Peter Drucker On Leadership. Retrieved from Forbes http//www.forbes.com/2004/11/19/cz_rk_1119drucker.html