Project on personnel management

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SUMMER TRAINING & PROJECT REPORT

ONRECRUITMENT & SELECTION PATTERN

FOR EMPLOYEES AT AMERICAN EXPRESS

INDIA PVT. LIMITED

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of

Degree of Master of Business Administration (MBA)



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PREFACE

It gives me immense pleasure to present this concise Project Report to BV-IMR in

partial fulfillment for the award of Post Graduate Degree in BusinessManagement (PGDBM). I carried out a summer project work and wrote on the

topic of ³Recruitment and Selection pattern for employees at American Express

India Private Limited´ give clear picture of operation of AMER ICAN EXPRESS

INDIA PR IVATE LIMITED as a successful global financiers and financial

services in India as well as many developed and developing countries across the

globe having its headquarters at New York City. Founded in 1850, it is one of the

30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best known

for its credit card, charge card, and traveler'scheque businesses. Amex cards

account for approximately 24% of the total dollar volume of credit card

transactions in the US, the highest of any card issuer and above all it is popular

and familiar for its customer friendly attitude.

The purpose of this study is to apprise readers¶ fraternity of business management

stream to know how corporate conglomerates in the sector of financial services in

general and AMER ICAN EXPRESS in particular actually carry out their unique

HR related functions in more fascinated and transparent while giving weightage

for merits of budding professionals and how they chalk out their marketing

strategies to retain talented skills and remain customer friendly for achieving

success by accomplishing their goals despite utter competition among their

competitors.

Before presenting this project, at the outset I must say I have learned many

broader concepts relating to Human Resource Management ± methods to retain

talented heads and Sales and Marketing skills followed by corporates financial

services theoretically. These concepts are only in the books, but I was delighted

when I entered AMER ICAN EXPRESS offices New Delhi to have the first hand

experience on actual practice followed in HRD department, and Sales ± Finance

service Credit card division Travelers¶ Cheque business - Marketing department



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and its constant struggle to forge ahead as successful global ± regional and

country financial service despite its competitors who are also leading in the Indian

corporate financial service barons. Through this in-depth report I am sharing my

experience with all has to how the AMER ICAN EXPRESS employees¶ are fully

satisfied with their job profiles and how their sales and marketing strategies have

made them to be pioneers in their sphere of business with sole motto to be remain

customer-friendly.

Globalization and Liberalization and its aftermath, many economies all over the

world have witnessed rapid changes in business horizons, and the financial

services sector is not exception to this notion where business emerged not only as

commercial entity but it has become economical and customer friendly.

Simplified procedure for extending financial assistance to needy people in more

systematic and transparent manner and extending card facilities to its valued

reputed clients in their business have become buzzword and need of the present

society.

The two major aspects of present management education are theoretical approach

and practical approach. Of these two, practical approach serves as the key of

management course and is of vital importance in present scenario. It serves as a

tool in shaping a future manager from amongst student fraternity of management

to get an exposure on how the actual practice of HR related issues along with

sales and marketing strategy that will steer the business entity and in this Report

on AMER ICAN EXPRESS how its service has been viewed by society and how

it is reaching to new heights.



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CONTENTS

Topic Page no.

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Overview of American Express

1.2 Formation of the Company

1.3 Historical Background

1.4 Mission & Vision of the Company

1.5 Products offered by the Company

1.6 Functions of the Company

1.7 Amex Guiding Principles

1.8 Company Values

1.9 Competition Information

1.10 SWOT Analysis of the Company

1.11 Porters Five Forces Model of Competition

11

12-13

13

14

15-16

17-18

18-19

20-21

22-23

23-24

25-28

28-32

2.0 Objective 34

3.0 Research Methodology

3.1 Data Collection

3.2 Objective and Scope of the Project

3.3 Managerial Usefulness of the Study

3.4 Type of Research and Research Design Used3.5 Overview of Data Collection Techniques

3.6 Limitations to the Study

3.7 Conclusion

35

36

37-38

38-39

39-41

42-50

51-55

56



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4.0 Literature Survey

4.1 Meaning of Human Resource Management

4.2 Functions of Human Resource Management

4.3 Importance of Human Resource Management

4.4 Scope of HRM at Organizational Level

4.5 Human Resource Development

4.6 Staffing

4.7 Current Issues

4.8 Company History and Development

57

58

59-61

62

63

65

68-79

79-83

83-85

5.0 Data Analysis

5.1 Data Collection

5.2 Data Interpretation

86

87-97

98-103

Findings 104

Conclusion 105

Suggestions 106

Bibliography 107

Annexure 108-112



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INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

Human Resource is a basic need of any work to be done. HR according to

ARTHURLEWIS is that ³there are great differences in development between



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countries which seem to have roughly equal resources, so it is necessary to

enquire into the difference in human behaviors´

The project report is all about recruitment and selection process that is an

important part of any organization.

Recruitment highlights each applicant¶s skills, talents and experience. Their

selectioninvolves developing a list of qualified candidates, defining a selection

strategy,identifying qualified candidates, thoroughly evaluating qualified

candidates and selectingthe most qualified candidate.

It is said if right person is appointed at right place the half work has been done.

In

thisproject I have tried to cover all the important point that should be kept in mind

whilerecruitment and selection process and have conducted a research study

through aquestionnaire that I got it filled with all the sales managers of

AMER ICAN EXPRESS INDIA PVT. LTD. and tried to find out which methods

and various other information related torecruitment and selection and tries to

come to a conclusion at what time mostly the manpower planning is don¶t , what

the various method used for recruiting the candidates and on what basic the

selections is done.

American Express India has a well-articulated equal opportunity policy, which

lays strong emphasison hiring of individuals irrespective of age, race, caste or

gender. As a best practice inrecruitment.

CHAPTER I

About the Company

1.1 Overview of American Express



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The company is one of the world's largest travel agencies, but it is better known

for its charge cards and revolving credit cards. And yes, the company still issues

traveler's checks and publishes such magazines as Food & Wine and Travel +

Leisure through its American Express Publishing unit. Its travel agency

operations have thousands of locations worldwide, and its Travelers Cheque

Group is the world's largest issuer of traveler's checks. But the company's charge

and credit cards are its bread and butter; American Express has some 88 million

cards in circulation worldwide.

American Express Company is a global travel, financial, and network services

provider. It is renowned for its service excellence, strong brand equity and long-

term customer loyalty.American Express is a leader in delivering high quality

services to its customers through integrated call centers. This document describes

how American Express achieves top performance in its three major service

centers.

American Express Company, sometimes known as "AmEx" or "Amex", is a

diversified global financial services company headquartered in New York City.

Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial

Average. The company is best known for its credit card, charge card, and

traveler'scheque businesses. Amex cards account for approximately 24% of the

total dollar volume of credit card transactions in the US, the highest of any card

issuer.



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BusinessWeek and Interbrand ranked American Express as the 22nd most valuable

brand in the world, estimating the brand to be worth US$14.97 billion.Fortune

listed Amex as one of the top 30 Most Admired Companies in the World.

The company's mascot, adopted in 1958, is a Roman gladiator whose image

appears on the company's travelers' cheques and credit cards.

Company Profile

1.2 Formation of the Company

Origins



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Soon after gold was discovered in early 1848 at Sutter's Mill near Coloma,

California, financiers and entrepreneurs from all over North America and the

world flocked to California, drawn by the promise of huge profits. Vermont native

Henry Wells and New Yorker William G. Fargo watched the California boom

economy with keen interest. Before either Wells or Fargo could pursue

opportunities offered in the West, however, they had business to attend to in the

East.

American Express Co. receipt, New York, NYAug. 6, 1853

Wells, founder of Wells and Company, and Fargo, a partner in Livingston, Fargo

and Company, were major figures in the young and fiercely competitive express

industry. In 1849 a new rival, John Butterfield, founder of Butterfield, Wasson &

Company, entered the express business. Butterfield, Wells, and Fargo soon

realized that their competition was destructive and wasteful, and in 1850 they

decided to join forces to form the American Express Company.

Soon after the new company was formed, Wells, the first president of American

Express, and Fargo, its vice-president, proposed expanding their business to

California. Fearing that American Express's most powerful rival, Adams and

Company (later renamed Adams Express Company), would acquire a monopoly

in the West, the majority of the American Express Company's directors balked.Undaunted, Wells and Fargo decided to start their own business while continuing

to fulfill their responsibilities as officers and directors of American Express.



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1.3 Historical Background

More than a century and a half after its founding, American Express has become a

global financial services powerhouse and one of this nation's most recognizable

brands around the world.

American Express started out in 1850 as a freight and valuables

deliverservice for the rapidly expanding nation. The fledgling U.S. Postal

Service was unreliable at the time and only allowed shipment of letter-

sized envelopes. This provided a business opening for the company to ship larger

parcels and valuable items such as jewelry, cash, stock certificates and other

merchandise.

The company took a turn when it began to realize more profit from a sector of its

customer base that included banks and other financial institutions. Banks placed a

high value on American Express' secure and reliable delivery service for

interbank transfers and drafts made between eastern cities and the growing

western territories. American Express then began focusing its efforts on this

sector and used its connections to eventually enter the financial services arena.

In the late 1890s, American Express decided to compete with the banks they

serviced, by issuing money orders. This line of business took off rapidly and

allowed the company to expand into Europe, where the American Express brand

name became associated with security, capital and dependability. Soon thereafter,

the company had major offices in London, Paris, Antwerp, Zurich and Berlin.

The beginning of World War I forced American Express into the travel services

businesses. More than 150,000 Americans were stranded in Europe in 1914 at the

outbreak of the Great War. These citizens flocked to the offices of American

Express seeking funds after other European banks refused to honor their

American letters of credit. American Express honored these letters of credit in

full, which allowed American citizens to fund their passages back home.



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In 1922, American Express jumped into the travel services business by providing

luxury steamship travel around the world, along with most other related services

for passengers. Its traveler's check business meshed well with this well-heeled

crowd of luxury globe-hoppers. The traveler's check business fueled the growth of

the company over the next several decades, based on the upfront fees and in how

firm invested the float income.

In the 1950s, American Express issued its first credit card, which caught on

quickly in the booming postwar economy. In 1966, the company issued its first

gold card, in an effort to cater to the upper echelon of business travel. Its platinum

card debuted in the 1990s

American Express continues to be a powerful global brand through the present

day with an array of consumer products ranging from the Blue Card to the ultra

exclusive Black Card, which isn't publicly advertised, but issued by invitation

only to the wealthy and famous).

1.4 Mission of the Company

To be the most respected brand in the world.

Vision of the Company

To win the hearts, minds, and wallets of our customers by providing extraordinary

customer service.



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Each day, American Express makes it easier, safer and more

rewarding for consumers and businesses to purchase the things

they need

and for merchants to sell their goods and services. An engine of

commerce, American Express provides innovative payment, travel and expense

management solutions for individuals and businesses of all sizes. Most of all, we

help our customers realize their dreams and aspirations through industry-leading

benefits, access to unique experiences, business-building insights, and global

customer care. We enable our customers to do more and achieve more.

At American Express, We:

y are the world's largest card issuer by purchase volume

y process millions of transactions daily as the premium network for high-

spending card members



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y help small business owners succeed by delivering purchasing power,

flexibility and financial control

y provide commercial payment tools and expertise that help companies

control their spending and save billions of dollars

y offer marketing and information management insights that help merchants

build their businesses

y are customer loyalty experts with industry-leading rewards programs and

platforms

y operate the world¶s largest travel network serving consumers and

businesses

y are recognized as the most innovative company in our industries

y are dedicated to serving our customers, 24/7, around the world

A Unique Service Company

American Express is the only company with a strong, global presence across the

entire payments chain.

We are the world¶s largest card issuer, the premium network for high-spending

card members, a processor of millions of transactions daily, and a partner thatprovides business-building services to a worldwide merchant base.

Having this horizontal scale across payments gives us diverse opportunities to

grow our business and drive innovation in the marketplace. It¶s also a gateway to

a broader array of services that further differentiate American Express.

Our direct relationships with many millions of consumers, businesses and

merchants worldwide -- combined with our leading-edge marketing, informationmanagement and rewards capabilities -- enable us to offer an array of valuable

services that enrich lives, build business success, encourage financial

responsibility, and create communities of people with common interests.



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This is what makes American Express a unique, and uniquely powerful, services

company.

1.5 Products offered by the Company:

More Products & Services:

Gift Cards:



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1.6Functions of American Express:

As one of the world's leading service brands, American Express offers a broad

array of products and services to individual and business clients around the world.

We are, among other things, one of the world's largest travel agencies and a

global payments company that processes millions of transactions daily.

All of our operations worldwide are categorized under these four umbrella

organizations:

� Cards

� Travel

� Business Services

� Corporate/Enterprise Functions



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Cards:

Exceeding the customer's expectations is a top priority for American Express, and

we have millions of business clients and card members worldwide. Our card

businesses include:

y Consumer Card Services Group

y Customer Service International

y Global Commercial Card

y International Consumer Card

y Global Prepaid Services

y Service Delivery Network

Travel:


we have millions of business clients and card members worldwide. Our travel

businesses include:

y Consumer Travel Network

y Global Travel Services

Business Services:


we have millions of business clients and card members worldwide. Our business

services groups include:

y Global Merchant Services

y Global Network Services

y International Small Business Services

y OPEN from American Express



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Corporate Functions:

The Corporate Functions at American Express work across multiple lines of

business to make sure the right strategies, personnel and technologies are in place

to ensure the Company's continued growth and success. Our Corporate Functions

include:

y American Express Interactive

y Corporation Affairs and Communications

y Finance

y Global Advertising and Brand ManagementHuman Resources

y Legal

y Publishing

y Risk, Information, and Banking

y Strategic Planning Group

y Technologies

1.7 AMERICAN EXPRESS GUIDING PRINCIPLES



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At American Express, service has been a hallmark of our company throughout its

160-year history. This service ethos comes to life every time we help a customer ±

whether with a simple, everyday request or in an emergency situation. We show

the same care and commitment to service in our communities.

Today's leaders navigate a world that is undergoing continuous change. As the

landscape changes, so do the tools leaders need to harness that change and

improve organizational and individual performance. We appreciate the impact

that talented leaders can have on business and society as a whole and we dedicate

significant resources to attract, develop and retain talented employees



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Cultural heritage forms our individual, local and national identities. It shapesrelationships with our neighbors and with other communities around the world. At

American Express, we believe that respect for and celebration of our diverse

cultural heritage promotes human understanding and economic development in an

increasingly interdependent world.

At American Express, we believe that serving our communities is not only

integral to running a business successfully, it is part of our individual

responsibilities as citizens of the world. The mission of our Corporate Social

Responsibility program is to bring to life the American Express value of good

corporate citizenship by supporting diverse communities in ways that enhance the

company's reputation with employees, customers, business partners and other

stakeholders. We do this by supporting visionary nonprofit organizations that are:

y Preserving and enriching our diverse cultural heritage

y Developing new leaders for tomorrow



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y Encouraging community service where our employees and customers live

and work

COMPANY CEO ± Mr. Ken Chenault

A heritage built on service and sustained by innovation.American Express is a

global services company, providing access to products, insights and experiences

that enrich lives and build business success.

Distinct, from our brand to our business model.It's hard to put a label on the Blue

Box because American Express is unique. No other company is built like us.

1.8 Company Values

Our Blue Box Values reflect who we are and what we stand for and clearly state our

commitment to customers, quality, people, integrity, teamwork and good citizenship.

Customer Commitment

We develop relationships that make a positive difference in our customers' lives.

Quality



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We provide outstanding products and unsurpassed service that, together, deliver premium

value to our customers.

Integrity

We uphold the highest standards of integrity in all of our actions.

Teamwork

We work together, across boundaries, to meet the needs of our customers and to help the

company win

Respect for People

We value our people, encourage their development and reward their performance.

Good Citizenship

We are good citizens in the communities in which we live and work.

A Will to Win

We exhibit a strong will to win in the marketplace and in every aspect of our business.

Personal Accountability

We are personally accountable for delivering on our commitments.

1.9 Competition Information:

Demand for banking services is closely tied to economic activity and the level

ofinterest rates. The profitability of individual banks depends on marketing

skills,efficient operations, and good risk management. Large economies of scale

exist in some segments of the industry, which has encouraged industry

consolidation. Smaller banks can compete successfully in segments where customer



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service or knowledge of the local market is more important. Many banks and thrifts

aggressively offered adjustable rate and subprime mortgages during the housing

boom of the early 2000s only to find themselves saddled with loan defaults and

extensive losses when the housing bubble burst. Deep exposure to subprime

mortgages and mortgage-backed securities caused bank failures, government

takeovers, and involuntary mergers. Although the financial climate has improved,

slow demand for loans and increased government regulation may result in a long

recovery period for the banking industry.

The lucrative fees AmEx charges merchants are under attack, and it has been slow

to sign up U.S. banks to issue its cards. What's more, rivals Visa International and

Master Card International are fast encroaching on its high-end turf. In a July 12

report, UBS card analyst Eric E. Wasserstrom said he expects the aggressive

marketing of Visa's Signature card, aimed at upmarket customers, to slow AmEx's

earnings growth. Adds Duncan MacDonald, former general counsel for Citibank

cards: "AmEx has to be scared for a bunch of reasons."

Top American Express Company Competitors

Companies Location

Discover Financial Services Riverwoods, IL

Master Card Incorporated Purchase, NY

Visa Inc. Foster City, CA

Who are American Express Company's



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Competitors?

From refining your strategy to uncovering new

opportunities, solid information about a company¶s

competitors can be critical. Hoover¶s subscribers have

access to a complete analysis of American Express

Company's main competitors with details in key

categories.

Competitor on file Charlotte, NC

Competitor on file McLean, VA

Competitor on file New York, NY

Competitor on file Bellevue, WA

Competitor on file London, United Kingdom



Competitor on file San Jose, CA

1.10Swot Analysis of American Express

The American Express Company-SWOT Analysis company profile is the

essential source for top-level company data and information. American Express

Company-SWOT Analysis examines the company¶s key business structure and

operations, history and products, and provides summary analysis of its key

revenue lines and strategy.

American Express (Amex or ¶the company) is a leading global provider of travel

related global provider of travel related service, payment services, financial

advisory, payment services, financial advisory services and banking service.Amex

operates primarily in North America and Europe and in the Asia Pacific region;

its products are offered in about 200 countries. It is headquartered in New York



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City, New Your and employs 58,300 people. The company recorded total net

revenues of $24,523 million in the financial year (FY) ended December 2009, a

decrease of 13.5% over FY2008. The operating profit was $2,841 million in

FY2009, a decrease of20.7% over FY2008. The net profit was$2,130 million in

FY2009, a decrease of21.1% over FY2008.

Strengths

American Express Company - SWOT Analysis company profile is the essential

source for top-level company data and information. American Express Company -

SWOT Analysis examines the company%u2019s key business structure and

operations, history and products, and provides summary analysis of its key

revenue lines and strategy.

American Express (Amex or 'the company') is a leading global provider of travel

related services, payment services, financial advisory services and banking

services. Amex operates primarily in North America and Europe and in the Asia

Pacific region; its products are offered in about 200 countries. It is headquartered

in New York City, New York and employs 66,000 people. The company recorded

total net revenues of $28,365 million in the financial year ended December 2008,an increase of 2.9% over 2007. The operating profit was $3,581 million in 2008, a

decrease of 37.1% over 2007. The net profit was $2,699 million in 2008, a

decrease of 32.7% over 2007.

Opportunities

Expand into point-of-sale debit card services

y Global expansion, particularly in China

y Financial services product expansion

y Divestment of AEB and AEIDC



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Weaknesses

y Lack of point-of-sale debit card services.

y Declining Traveler's check business

y High interest coverage ratio increasing the company's risk profile

y Lack of merchant acceptance

y Higher merchant fees passed on to consumer

Threats

y Interchange fees associated with legislative rulings in Europey Heavy competition from other financial institutions

y Financial turmoil in capital markets

The history of American Express is a vivid example of the invisible hand of the

market steering the direction of a company. Starting as a freight forwarder, the

founders learned quickly that it was much more profitable to transport small

parcels for banks rather then larger freight. The innovation that they showed when

they introduced money orders and travelers cheques is the very embodiment of

the definition of business purpose. They created customers.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

1. Diversity. The company has added different products and services over

the years. This diversity has made it able to spread financial risk over

different channels.



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2. Innovation. The company history is a study in innovation. It has

pioneered many of the financial products we take for granted today, and

consistently found ways to improve delivery of its services.

Weaknesses

1. Credit and financial businesses are at the mercy of the credit market as well as

consumer confidence. If consumer spending is off, as it is right now, and credit is tight

profits will be down.

2. Size. The credit crunch has caused American Express to take measures to limit their

default rate and minimize losses. As one of the largest credit card companies, they

receive a great deal of attention in the press. This could end up hurting their corporate

image many years after the economic crisis has passed.

Opportunities

1. American Express remains a relatively stable financial service company in comparison

to some of its counterparts. This could be a tremendous plus for them when the economy

begins to recover and customers have fewer choices in the industry.

2. Taking steps to limit risk, and becoming a leaner company could help the company to

become even stronger.

Threats

1. Tighter regulations and government intervention could make the financial servicesindustry much less profitable in the future.

2. As the US economy begins to affect the global economy, American Express may finditself a victim of anger and backlash around the world.



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1.11Porter's Five Forces Model of Competition

Assessing the Balance of Power in a Business Situation

The Porter's 5 Forces tool is a simple but powerful tool for understanding wherepower lies in a business situation. This is useful, because it helps you understand

both the strength of your current competitive position, and the strength of a

position you're considering moving into.

With a clear understanding of where power lies, you can take fair advantage of a

situation of strength, improve a situation of weakness, and avoid taking wrong

steps. This makes it an important part of your planning toolkit.

Conventionally, the tool is used to identify whether new products, services or

businesses have the potential to be profitable. However it can be very illuminating

when used to understand the balance of power in other situations too.

Understanding the Tool:

Five Forces Analysis assumes that there are five important forces that determine

competitive power in a business situation. These are:

1. Supplier Power: Here you assess how easy it is for suppliers to drive up

prices. This is driven by the number of suppliers of each key input, the

uniqueness of their product or service, their strength and control over you,

the cost of switching from one to another, and so on. The fewer the

supplier choices you have, and the more you need suppliers' help, the

more powerful your suppliers are.

2. Buyer Power: Here you ask yourself how easy it is for buyers to drive

prices down. Again, this is driven by the number of buyers, the importance

of each individual buyer to your business, the cost to them of switching

from your products and services to those of someone else, and so on. If



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you deal with few, powerful buyers, then they are often able to dictate

terms to you.

3. Competitive Rivalry: What is important here is the number and

capability of your competitors. If you have many competitors, and they

offer equally attractive products and services, then you'll most likely have

little power in the situation, because suppliers and buyers will go

elsewhere if they don't get a good deal from you. On the other hand, if no-

one else can do what you do, then you can often have tremendous

strength.

4. Threat of Substitution: This is affected by the ability of your customers

to find a different way of doing what you do ± for example, if you supply

a unique software product that automates an important process, people

may substitute by doing the process manually or by outsourcing it. If

substitution is easy and substitution is viable, then this weakens your

power.

5. Threat of New Entry: Power is also affected by the ability of people to

enter your market. If it costs little in time or money to enter your market

and compete effectively, if there are few economies of scale in place, or if

you have little protection for your key technologies, then new competitors

can quickly enter your market and weaken your position. If you have

strong and durable barriers to entry, then you can preserve a favorable

position and take fair advantage of it.

These forces can be neatly brought together in a diagram like the one below:



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Using the Tool:

Brainstorm the relevant factors for your market or situation, and then check

against the factors listed for the force in the diagram above.

Then, mark the key factors on the diagram, and summarize the size and scale of

the force on the diagram. An easy way of doing this is to use, for example, a

single "+" sign for a force moderately in your favor, or "--" for a force strongly

against you (you can see this in the example below).



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Then look at the situation you find using this analysis and think through how it

affects you. Bear in mind that few situations are perfect; however looking at

things in this way helps you think through what you could change to increase your

power with respect to each force. What¶s more, if you find yourself in a

structurally weak position, this tool helps you think about what you can do to

move into a stronger one.

This tool was created by HarvardBusinessSchool professor, Michael

Porter, to analyze the attractiveness and likely-profitability of an

industry. Since publication, it has become one of the most important

business strategy tools. The classic article which introduces it is

"How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy" in Harvard Business

Review 57, March - April 1979, pages 86-93.

Example:

Martin Johnson is deciding whether to switch career and become a farmer - he's

always loved the countryside, and wants to switch to a career where he's his own

boss. He creates the following Five Forces Analysis as he thinks the situation

through:



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This worries him:

y The threat of new entry is quite high: if anyone looks as if they¶re

making a sustained profit, new competitors can come into the industry

easily, reducing profits.

y Competitive rivalry is extremely high: if someone raises prices, they¶ll

be quickly undercut. Intense competition puts strong downward pressure

on prices.

y Buyer Power is strong, again implying strong downward pressure on

prices.

y There is some threat of substitution.



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Unless he is able to find some way of changing this situation, this looks like a

very tough industry to survive in. Maybe he'll need to specialize in a sector of the

market that's protected from some of these forces, or find a related business that's

in a stronger position.

Key points:

Porter's Five Forces Analysis is an important tool for assessing the potential for

profitability in an industry. With a little adaptation, it is also useful as a way of

assessing the balance of power in more general situations.

It works by looking at the strength of five important forces that affect

competition:

y Supplier Power: The power of suppliers to drive up the prices of your

inputs.

y Buyer Power: The power of your customers to drive down your prices.

y Competitive Rivalry: The strength of competition in the industry.

y The Threat of Substitution: The extent to which different products andservices can be used in place of your own.

y The Threat of New Entry: The ease with which new competitors can

enter the market if they see that you are making good profits (and then

drive your prices down).

By thinking about how each force affects you, and by identifying the strength and

direction of each force, you can quickly assess the strength of your position and

your ability to make a sustained profit in the industry.

You can then look at how you can affect each of the forces to move the balance of

power more in your favor.



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OBJECTIVE



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2.1 OBJECTIVE

1. To study the recruitment and selection procedure followed in American

Express.

2. To study the various sources of recruitment followed in American

Express.

3. To learn what is the process of recruitment and selection that should be

followed.

4. To search or headhunt people whose skill fits into the company¶s values.



36

RESEAR CH

METHODOLOGY



37

CHAPTER II

Research Methodology

In everyday life human being has to face many problems viz. social, economical,

financial problems. These problems in life call for acceptable and effective

solutions and for this purpose, research is required and a methodology applied for

the solutions can be found out.

Research was carried out at American Express IndiaPvt .Ltd to find out the

³Recruitment and selection process´

3.1 DATA COLLECTION:

Primary Data:

Primary data was collected through survey method by distributing questionnaires

to branch manager and other sales manager. The questionnaires were carefully

designed by taking into account the parameters of my study.

Secondary Data:

Data was collected from books, magazines, web sites, going through the records

of the organisation, etc. It is the data which has been collected by individual or

someone else for the purpose of other than those of our particular research study.

Or in other words we can say that secondary data is the data used previously for

the analysis and the results are undertaken for the next process.

3.2 OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE OF THE PROJEC T:

The primary objective of the project is the Recruitment , Selection and Placement

of Personnel. It includes Recruitment Procedure to be adopted while selecting

suitable candidates for different profiles in the company. Different methods to test

the aptitude of the candidates for the desired position and placing them in

different processes based on their skills.



38

The project is based on testing tools to be be used while hiring candidates in the

company. For e.g. Brief Introduction, written aptitude tests, questionnaire's to

analyze the employee behavior, computer awareness and personal interview by

the HR Department.

Objective of the study:

The importance of well-defined objectives cannot be over emphasized. A

questionnaire that is written without a clear goal and purpose is inevitably going

to overlook important issues and waste participants' time by asking useless

questions. The questionnaire may lack a logical flow and thereby cause the

participant to lose interest.

Consequential, what useful data you may have collected could be further

compromised. The problems of a poorly defined questionnaire do not end here,

but continue on to the analysis stage. It is difficult to imagine identifying a

problem and its cause, let alone its solution, from responses to broad and

generalizing questions. In other words, how would it be possible to reach

insightful conclusions if one didn't actually know what they had been looking for

or planning to observe.

An objective such as "to identify points of user dissatisfaction with the interface

and how these negatively affect the software's performance" may sound clear and

to the point, but it is not. The questionnaire designer must clarify what is meant

by user dissatisfaction. Is this dissatisfaction with the learning of the software, the

power of the software, of the ease of learning the software? Is it important for the

users to learn the software quickly if they learn it well? What is meant by the

software's performance?

How accurate must the measurements be? All of these issues must be narrowed

and focused before a single question is formulated. A good rule of thumb is that if



39

you are finding it difficult to write the questions, then you haven't spent enough

time defining the objectives of the questionnaire. Go back and do this step again.

The questions should follow quite naturally from the objectives.

Scope of the Study:

Questionnaires are an inexpensive way to gather data from a potentially large

number of respondents. Often they are the only feasible way to reach a number of

reviewers large enough to allow statistically analysis of the results. A well-

designed questionnaire that is used effectively can gather information on both the

overall performance of the test system as well as information on specific

components of the system. If the questionnaire includes demographic questions

on the participants, they can be used to correlate performance and satisfaction

with the test system among different groups of users.

It is important to remember that a questionnaire should be viewed as a multi-stage

process beginning with definition of the aspects to be examined and ending with

interpretation of the results. Every step needs to be designed carefully because the

final results are only as good as the weakest link in the questionnaire process.

Although questionnaires may be cheap to administer compared to other data

collection methods, they are every bit as expensive in terms of design time and

interpretation.

3.3 MANAGERIAL USEFULLNESS OF STUDY

Questionnaires are quite flexible in what they can measure, however they are not

equally suited to measuring all types of data. We can classify data in two ways,

Subjective vs. Objective and Quantitative vs. Qualitative.

When a questionnaire is administered, the researchers control over the

environment will be somewhat limited. This is why questionnaires are



40

inexpensive to administer. This loss of control means the validity of the results are

more reliant on the honesty of the respondent. Consequently, it is more difficult to

claim complete objectivity with questionnaire data then with results of a tightly

controlled lab test.

For example, if a group of participants are asked on a questionnaire how long it

took them to learn a particular function on a piece of software, it is likely that they

will be biased towards themselves and answer, on average, with a lower than

actual time. A more objective usability test of the same function with a similar

group of participants may return a significantly higher learning time. More

elaborate questionnaire design or administration may provide slightly better

objective data, but the cost of such a questionnaire can be much higher and offsettheir economic advantage. In general, questionnaires are better suited to gathering

reliable subjective measures, such as user satisfaction, of the system or interface

in question.

Questions may be designed to gather either qualitative or quantitative data. By

their very nature, quantitative questions are more exact then qualitative. For

example, the word "easy" and "difficult" can mean radically different things to

different people. Any question must be carefully crafted, but in particular

questions that assess a qualitative measure must be phrased to avoid ambiguity.

Qualitative questions may also require more thought on the part of the participant

and may cause them to become bored with the questionnaire sooner. In general,

we can say that questionnaires can measure both qualitative and quantitative data

well, but that qualitative questions require more care in design, administration,

and interpretation.

3.4 Type of Research and Research Design Used:

The Steps used in the Survey Project were :



41

1. Establishing Goals

The first step in any survey is deciding what you want to learn. The goals of the

project determine whom you will survey and what you will ask them.If your

goals are unclear, the results will probably be unclear. Some typical goals include

learning more about:

y The potential market for a new product or service

y Ratings of current products or services

y Employee attitudes

y Customer/patient satisfaction levels

y Reader/viewer/listener opinions

y Association member opinions

y Opinions about political candidates or issues

y Corporate images

These sample goals represent general areas. The more specific you can make your

goals, the easier it will be to get usable answers.

1. Selecting Your Sample

There are two main components in determining whom you will interview. The

first is deciding what kind of people to interview. Researchers often call this

group the target population. If you conduct an employee attitude survey or an

association membership survey, the population is obvious. If you are trying to

determine the likely success of a product, the target population may be less

obvious. Correctly determining the target population is critical. If you do not

interview the right kinds of people, you will not successfully meet your goals.

The next thing to decide is how many people you need to interview. Statisticians

know that a small, representative sample will reflect the group from which it is

drawn. The larger the sample, the more precisely it reflects the target group.



42

However, the rate of improvement in the precision decreases as your sample size

increases. For example, to increase a sample from 250 to 1,000 only doubles the

precision. You must make a decision about your sample size based on factors

such as: time available, budget and necessary degree of precision.

The Survey System (and this Web site) includes a sample size calculator that can

help you decide on the sample size (jump to the calculator page for a general

discussion of sample size considerations).

1.Avoiding a Biased Sample

A biased sample will produce biased results. Totally excluding all bias is almost

impossible; however, if you recognize bias exists you can intuitively discount

some of the answers. The following list shows some examples of biased samples.

The consequences of a source of bias depend on the nature of the survey. For

example, a survey for a product aimed at retirees will not be as biased by daytime



43

interviews as will a general public opinion survey. A survey about Internet

products can safely ignore people who do not use the Internet.

1Quotas

A Quota is a sample size for a sub-group. It is sometimes useful to establish

quotas to ensure that your sample accurately reflects relevant sub-groups in your

target population. For example, men and women have somewhat different

opinions in many areas. If you want your survey to accurately reflect the general

population's opinions, you will want to ensure that the percentage of men and

women in your sample reflect their percentages of the general population.

If you are interviewing users of a particular type of product, you probably want to

ensure that users of the different current brands are represented in proportions that

approximate the current market share. Alternatively, you may want to ensure that

you have enough users of each brand to be able to analyze the users of each brand

as a separate group. If you are doing telephone or Web page interviewing, The

Survey System's optional Sample Management or Internet Module can help you

enforce quotas. They let you create automatically enforced quotas and/or monitor

your sample during interviewing sessions.

1. Interviewing Methods

Once you have decided on your sample you must decide on your method of data

collection. Each method has advantages and disadvantages.

Personal Interviews

An interview is called personal when the Interviewer asks the questions face-to-

face with the Interviewee. Personal interviews can take place in the home, at a

shopping mall, on the street, outside a movie theater or polling place, and so on.



44

Advantages

y The ability to let the Interviewee see, feel and/or taste a product.

y The ability to find the target population. For example, you can find people

who have seen a film much more easily outside a theater in which it is

playing than by calling phone numbers at random.

y Longer interviews are sometimes tolerated. Particularly with in-home

interviews that have been arranged in advance. People may be willing to

talk longer face-to-face than to someone on the phone.

Disadvantages

y Personal interviews usually cost more per interview than other methods.

This is particularly true of in-home interviews, where travel time is a

major factor.

y Each mall has its own characteristics. It draws its clientele from a specific

geographic area surrounding it, and its shop profile also influences the

type of client. These characteristics may differ from the target population

and create a non-representative sample.

3.5 OVERVIEW OF DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES

Data-collection techniques allow us to systematically collect information about

our objects of study (people, objects, phenomena) and about the settings in which

they occur.

In the collection of data we have to be systematic. If data are collected

haphazardly, it will be difficult to answer our research questions in a conclusive

way.



45

Example:

During a nutrition survey three different weighing scales were used in three

villages. The researchers did not record which scales were used in which village.

After completion of the survey it was discovered that the scales were not

standardized and indicated different weights when weighing the same child. It

was therefore impossible to conclude in which village malnutrition was most

prevalent.

Various data collection techniques can be used such as:

y Using available information

y Observing

y Interviewing (face-to-face)

y Administering written questionnaires

y Focus group discussions

y Projective techniques, mapping, scaling

3.5.1Using available information

Usually there is a large amount of data that has already been collected by others,

although it may not necessarily have been analyzed or published. Locating these

sources and retrieving the information is a good starting point in any data

collection effort.

For example, analysis of the information routinely collected by health facilities

can be very useful for identifying problems in certain interventions or in flows of

drug supply, or for identifying increases in the incidence of certain diseases.

Analysis of health information system data, census data, unpublished reports and

publications in archives and libraries or in offices at the various levels of health



46

and health-related services, may be a study in itself. Usually, however, it forms

part of a study in which other data collection techniques are also used.

The use of key informants is another important technique to gain access to

available information. Key informants could be knowledgeable community

leaders or health staff at various levels and one or two informative members of the

target group (e.g., adolescents on their sexual behaviour). They can be involved in

various stages of the research, from the statement of the problem to analysis of the

data and development of recommendations. Other sources of available data are

newspapers and published case histories, e.g., patients suffering from serious

diseases, or their relatives, telling their experiences and how they cope.*

In order to retrieve the data from available sources, the researcher will have to

design an instrument such as a checklist or compilation sheet. In designing such

instruments, it is important to inspect the layout of the source documents from

which the data is to be extracted. For health information system (HIS) data, for

example, the data compilation sheet should be designed in such a way that the

items of data can be transferred in the order in which the items appear in the

source document. This will save time and reduce error.

The advantage of using existing data is that collection is inexpensive. However, it

is sometimes difficult to gain access to the records or reports required, and the

data may not always be complete and precise enough, or too disorganized.

3.5.2 Observing

OBSERVATION is a technique that involves systematically selecting, watching

and recording behavior and characteristics of living beings, objects or phenomena.



47

Observation of human behavior is a much-used data collection technique. It can

be undertaken in different ways:

y Participant observation: The observer takes part in the situation he or

she observes.

(For example, a doctor hospitalized with a broken hip, who now observes

hospital procedures µfrom within¶.)

y Non-participant observation: The observer watches the situation, openly

or concealed, but does not participate.

Observations can be open (e.g., µshadowing¶ a health worker with his/her permission during routine activities) or concealed (e.g., µmystery clients¶ trying to

obtain antibiotics without medical prescription). They may serve different

purposes. Observations can give additional, more accurate information on

behavior of people than interviews or questionnaires.

They can also check on the information collected through interviews especially on

sensitive topics such as alcohol or drug use, or stigmatizing diseases. For

example, whether community members share drinks or food with patients

suffering from feared diseases (leprosy, TB, AIDS) are essential observations in a

study on stigma.

Observations of human behavior can form part of any type of study, but as they

are time consuming they are most often used in small-scale studies.

Observations can also be made on objects. For example, the presence or absence

of a latrine and its state of cleanliness may be observed. Here observation would

be the major research technique.



48

If observations are made using a defined scale they may be called measurements.

Measurements usually require additional tools. For example, in nutritional

surveillance we measure weight and height by using weighing scales and a

measuring board. We use thermometers for measuring body temperature.

3.5.3Interviewing

An INTERVIEW is a data-collection technique that involves oral questioning of

respondents, either individually or as a group.

Answers to the questions posed during an interview can be recorded by writingthem down (either during the interview itself or immediately after the interview)

or by tape-recording the responses, or by a combination of both.

Interviews can be conducted with varying degrees of flexibility. The two

extremes, high and low degree of flexibility, are described below:

� High degree of flexibility:

For example:

When studying sensitive issues such as teenage pregnancy and abortions, the

investigator may use a list of topics rather than fixed questions. These may, e.g.,

include how teenagers started sexual intercourse, the responsibility girls and their

partners take to prevent pregnancy (if at all), and the actions they take in the event

of unwanted pregnancies.

The investigator should have an additional list of topics ready when the

respondent falls silent, (e.g., when asked about abortion methods used, who made

the decision and who paid). The sequence of topics should be determined by the



49

flow of discussion. It is often possible to come back to a topic discussed earlier in

a later stage of the interview.

The unstructured or loosely structured method of asking questions can be used for

interviewing individuals as well as groups of key informants.

A flexible method of interviewing is useful if a researcher has as yet little

understanding of the problem or situation he is investigating, or if the topic is

sensitive. It is frequently applied in exploratory studies. The instrument used may

be called an interview guide or interview schedule.

� Low degree of flexibility:

Less flexible methods of interviewing are useful when the researcher is relatively

knowledgeable about expected answers or when the number of respondents being

interviewed is relatively large. Then questionnaires may be used with a fixed list

of questions in a standard sequence, which have mainly fixed or pre-categorized

answers.

For example:

After a number of observations on the (hygienic) behavior of women drawing

water at a well and some key informant interviews on the use and maintenance of

the wells, one may conduct a larger survey on water use and satisfaction with the

quantity and quality of the water.

Though in principle one may speak of loosely structured questionnaires, in

practice the term questionnaire appears to be so hooked to tools with pre-

categorised answers that we have decided to use the term interview guide for

loosely structured tools. However, in reality there is often a mixture of open and

pre-categorized answers. In that case we will still use the term questionnaire.



50

3.5.4 Administering written questionnaires

A WR ITTEN QUEST

IONNA

IRE (also referred to as self-administered

questionnaire) is a data collection tool in which written questions are presented

that are to be answered by the respondents in written form.

A written questionnaire can be administered in different ways, such as by:

y Sending questionnaires by mail with clear instructions on how to answer

the questions and asking for mailed responses;

y Gathering all or part of the respondents in one place at one time, givingoral or written instructions, and letting the respondents fill out the

questionnaires; or

y Hand-delivering questionnaires to respondents and collecting them later.

The questions can be either open-ended or closed (with pre-categorized answers).

3.5.5 Focus group discussions (FGD)

A focus group discussion allows a group of 8 - 12 informants to freely discuss a

certain subject with the guidance of a facilitator or reporter.

3.5.6 Projective techniques

When a researcher uses projective techniques, she asks an informant to react to

some kind of visual or verbal stimulus.



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For example: An informant may be provided with a rough outline of the body

and be asked to draw her or his perception of the conception or onset of an illness.

Another example of a projective technique is the presentation of a hypothetical

question or an incomplete sentence or case/study to an informant (µstory with a

gap¶). A researcher may ask the informant to complete in writing sentences such

as:

² If I were to discover that my neighbor had TB, I would. . .;

² If my wife were to propose that I use condoms, I would. . .

Or she may ask the informant: Suppose your child suffered from diarrhoea, whatwould you do?

Such techniques can easily be combined with semi-structured interviews or

written questionnaires. They are also very useful in FGDs to get people¶s opinion

on sensitive issues.

3.5.7 Mapping and scaling

Mapping is a valuable technique for visually displaying relationships and

resources.

In a water supply project, for example, mapping is invaluable. It can be used to

present the placement of wells, distance of the homes from the wells, other water

systems, etc. It gives researchers a good overview of the physical situation and

may help to highlight relationships hitherto unrecognized.

Mapping a community is also very useful and often indispensable as a pre-stage

to sampling.



52

Scaling is a technique that allows researchers through their respondents to

categories certain variables that they would not be able to rank themselves.

For example, they may ask their informant(s) to bring certain types of herbal

medicine and ask them to arrange these into piles according to their usefulness.

The informants would then be asked to explain the logic of their ranking.

Mapping and scaling may be used as participatory techniques in rapid appraisals

or situation analyses. In a separate volume on participatory action research, more

such techniques will be presented. (Also see the literature list at end of this

module.)

Rapid appraisal techniques and participatory research are approaches often used

in health systems research.

Differentiation between data collection techniques and data

collection tools

To avoid confusion in the use of terms, the following table points out the

distinction between techniques and tools applied in data collection.



53

Data collection techniques and tools



54

Advantages and disadvantages of various data collection

techniques



55

II. IMPORTANCE OF COMBINING DIFFERENT DATA COLLECTION

TECHNIQUES

When discussing different data collection techniques and their advantages and

disadvantages, it becomes clear that they can complement each other. A skilful

use of a combination of different techniques can reduce the chance of bias (see

below) and will give a more comprehensive understanding of the topic under

study.

Researchers often use a combination of flexible and less flexible research

techniques.

Flexible techniques, such as

y loosely structured interviews using open-ended questions,

y focus group discussions, and

y participant observation

are also called QUALITATIVE research techniques. They produce qualitative

data that is often recorded in narrative form.

QUALITATIVE RESEAR CH TECHNIQUES involve the identification and

exploration of a number of often mutually related variables that give INSIGHT in

human behavior (motivations, opinions, attitudes), in the nature and causes of

certain problems and in the consequences of the problems for those affected.

µWhy¶, µWhat¶ and µHow¶ are important questions.

Structured questionnaires that enable the researcher to quantify pre- or post-

categorized answers to questions are an example of QUANTITATIVE research

techniques. The answers to questions can be counted and expressed numerically.



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QUANTITATIVE RESEAR CH TECHNIQUES are used to QUANTIFY the size,

distribution, and association of certain variables in a study population. µHow

many?¶ µHow often?¶ and µHow significant?¶ are important questions.

Both qualitative and quantitative research techniques are often used within a

single study.

For example:

It has been observed in country X that children between 1 and 2-1/2 years, who

have already started to eat independently, have unsatisfactory food intake once

they fall ill. A study could be designed to address this problem, containing the

following stages:

y Focus group discussions (FGDs) with 2 to 5 groups of mothers or in-depth

interviews with 10 - 20 mothers, to find out whether they change the

feeding practices for childrenin this age group when they suffer from

(various) illnesses and how mothers deal with children who have no

appetite when they are sick (exploratory study);

y A cross-sectional survey, testing the relevant findings of the exploratory

study on a larger scale; and

y FGDs with women in the study area to discuss findings and possible

questions arising from the survey and to develop possible solutions for

problems detected.

In this example, the first, qualitative part of the study would be used to focus the

survey on the most relevant issues (mothers¶ feeding behaviors and reasons for

these behaviors) and to help phrase the questions in an optimal way in order to

obtain the information that is needed.

The second, quantitative part of the study would be used to find out what

proportion of the mothers follow various practices and the reasons for their



57

behaviors and whether certain categories of children (e.g., the younger ones or

children from specific socio-economic categories) are more at risk than others.

The third, qualitative part of the study would provide feedback on the major

findings of the survey. Do the conclusions make sense to women in the study

area? Have certain aspects been overlooked when interpreting the data? What

remedial action is feasible to improve practices related to feeding sick children?

It is also common to collect qualitative and quantitative data in a single

questionnaire. Researchers collecting both types of data have to take care that

they:

y do not include too many open-ended questions in large-scale surveys,

making data analysis more complicated; and

y do not use inappropriate statistical tests on quantitative data generated by

small-scale studies.



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3.6 Limitations to the Study

BIAS IN INFORMATION COLLECTION

BIAS in information collection is a distortion in the collected data so that it does

not represent reality.

Possible sources of bias during data collection:

3.6.1Defective instruments, such as:

y Questionnaires with:

² fixed or closed questions on topics about which little is known (often

asking the µwrong things¶);

² open-ended questions without guidelines on how to ask (or to answer)

them;

² vaguely phrased questions;

² µleading questions¶ that cause the respondent to believe one answer would be preferred over another; or

² questions placed in an illogical order.

y Weighing scales or other measuring equipment that are not standardized

(see section 1).

These sources of bias can be prevented by carefully planning the data collection

process and by pre-testing the data collection tools.



59

3.6.2 Observer bias:

Observer bias can easily occur when conducting observations or utilizing loosely

structured group- or individual interviews. There is a risk that the data collector

will only see or hear things in which (s)he is interested or will miss information

that is critical to the research.

Observation protocols and guidelines for conducting loosely structured

interviews should be prepared, and training and practice should be provided to

data collectors in using both these tools. Moreover it is highly recommended that

data collectors work in pairs when using flexible research techniques and discuss

and interpret the data immediately after collecting it. Another possibility -

commonly used by anthropologists - is using a tape recorder and transcribing the

tape word by word.

3.6.3 Effect of the interview on the informant:

This is a possible factor in all interview situations. The informant may mistrust

the intention of the interview and dodge certain questions or give misleading

answers. For example: in a survey on alcoholism you ask school children: µDoesyour father sometimes get drunk?¶ Many will probably deny that he does, even if

it is true. Such bias can be reduced by adequately introducing the purpose of the

study to informants, by phrasing questions on sensitive issues in a positive way,

by taking sufficient time for the interview, and by assuring informants that the

data collected will be confidential (see Module 10B).

It is also important to be careful in the selection of interviewers. In a study

soliciting the reasons for the low utilisation of local health services, for example,

one should not ask health workers from the health centres concerned to interview

the population. Their use as interviewers would certainly influence the results of

the study.



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3.6.4 Information bias:

Sometimes the information itself has weaknesses. Medical records may have

many blanks or be unreadable. This tells something about the quality of the data

and has to be recorded. For example, in a TB defaulter study the percentage of

defaulters with an incomplete or missing address should be calculated.

Another common information bias is due to gaps in people¶s memory; this is

called memory or recall bias. A mother may not remember all details of her

child¶s last diarrhoea episode and of the treatment she gave two or three months

afterwards. For such common diseases it is advisable to limit the period of recall,

asking, for example, µHas your child had diarrhoea over the past two weeks?¶

Note:

All these potential biases will threaten the validity and reliability of your study.

By being aware of them it is possible, to a certain extent, to prevent them. If the

researcher does not fully succeed, it is important to report honestly in what ways

the data may be biased.

3.6.6 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

As we develop our data collection techniques, we need to consider whether our

research procedures are likely to cause any physical or emotional harm. Harm

may be caused, for example, by:

y violating informants¶ right to privacy by posing sensitive questions or by

gaining access to records which may contain personal data;

y observing the behaviour of informants without their being aware

(concealed observation should therefore always be crosschecked or

discussed with other researchers with respect to ethical admissibility);



61

y allowing personal information to be made public which informants would

want to be kept private, and

y failing to observe/respect certain cultural values, traditions or taboos

valued by your informants.

Several methods for dealing with these issues may be recommended:

y obtaining informed consent before the study or the interview begins;

y not exploring sensitive issues before a good relationship has been

established with the informant;

y ensuring the confidentiality of the data obtained; and

y learning enough about the culture of informants to ensure it is respected

during the data collection process.

If sensitive questions are asked, for example, about family planning or sexual

practices, or about opinions of patients on the health services provided, it may be

advisable to omit names and addresses from the questionnaires.

Other General Tips:

In personal interviews it is vital for the Interviewer to have empathy with the

Interviewee. In general, Interviewers should try to "blend" with respondents in

terms of race, language, sex, age, etc. Choose your Interviewers according to the

likely respondents.

Leave your demographic questions (age, gender, income, education, etc.) until the

end of the questionnaire. By then the interviewer should have built a rapport with

the interviewee that will allow honest responses to such personal questions. Mail

and Internet questionnaires should do the same, although the rapport must be builtby good question design, rather than personality. Exceptions to this rule are any

demographic questions that qualify someone to be included in the survey. For



62

example, many researchers limit some surveys to people in certain age groups.

These questions must come near the beginning.

Do not have an interviewer ask a respondent's gender, unless they really have no

idea. Have the interviewer fill in the answer themselves.

Paper questionnaires requiring text answers, should always leave sufficient space

for handwritten answers. Lines should be about half-an-inch (one cm.) apart. The

number of lines you should have depends on the question. Three to five lines are

average.

Leave a space at the end of a questionnaire entitled "Other Comments."

Sometimes respondents offer casual remarks that are worth their weight in gold

and cover some area you did not think of, but which respondents consider critical.

Many products have a wide range of secondary uses that the manufacturer knows

nothing about but which could provide a valuable source of extra sales if

approached properly. In one third world market, a major factor in the sale of

candles was the ability to use the spent wax as floor polish - but the manufacturer

only discovered this by a chance remark.

Always consider the layout of your questionnaire. This is especially important on

paper, computer direct and Internet surveys. You want to make it attractive, easy

to understand and easy to complete. If you are creating a paper survey, you also

want to make it easy for your data entry personnel.

Try to keep your answer spaces in a straight line, either horizontally or vertically.

A single answer choice on each line is best. Eye tracking studies show the best

place to use for answer spaces is the right hand edge of the page. It is much easier

for a field worker or respondent to follow a logical flow across or down a page.

Using the right edge is also easiest for data entry.



63

The Survey System lets you create a Questionnaire Form with the answer choices

in two columns. Creating the form that way can save a lot of paper or screen

space, but you should recognize doing so makes the questionnaire a little harder to

complete. It also slows the data entry process when working with paper

questionnaires.

Questions and answer choice grids, as in the second of the following examples,

are popular with many researchers. They can look attractive and save paper, or

computer screen space. They also can avoid a long series of very repetitive

question and answer choice lists. Unfortunately, they also are a bit harder than the

repeated lists for some people to understand. As always, consider whom you are

studying when you create your questionnaire.

Look at the following layouts and decide which you would prefer to use:

An alternative layout is:



64

The second example shows the answer choices in neat columns and has more

space between the lines. It is easier to read. The numbers in the second example

will also speed data entry, if you are using a paper questionnaire.

Surveys are a mixture of science and art, and a good researcher will save their

cost many times over by knowing how to ask the correct questions.



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3.7 Conclusion

Questionnaire design is a long process that demands careful attention. A

questionnaire is a powerful evaluation tool and should not be taken lightly.

Design begins with an understanding of the capabilities of a questionnaire and

how they can help your research. If it is determined that a questionnaire is to be

used, the greatest care goes into the planning of the objectives. Questionnaires are

like any scientific experiment. One does not collect data and then see if they

found something interesting. One forms a hypothesis and an experiment that will

help prove or disprove the hypothesis.

Questionnaires are versatile, allowing the collection of both subjective and

objective data through the use of open or closed format questions. Modern

computers have only made the task of collecting and extracting valuable material

more efficient. However, a questionnaire is only as good as the questions it

contains. There are many guidelines that must be met before you questionnaire

can be considered a sound research tool. The majority deal with making the

questionnaire understandable and free of bias. Mindful review and testing is

necessary to weed out minor mistakes that can cause great changes in meaning

and interpretation. When these guidelines are followed, the questionnaire

becomes a powerful and economic evaluation tool.



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CHAPTER 3

Conceptual Discussions

on

Literature Survey



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4.1 Meaning of HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Human Resource plays a crucial role in the development process of the modern

economics. ARTHUR LEWIS observed

³There are great differences in development between countries which seem to

have roughly equal resources, so it is necessary to enquire into the difference in

human behaviors´

Human resource management is the management of employees skill, knowledge

abilities, talent, aptitude, creativity, ability etc. different terms are used for

denoting Human Resource Management. They are labour management, labour

administration, labour management relationship, employee±employer

relationship, industrial relationship, human capital management, human assent

management etc. Though these terms can be used differently widely, the basic

nature of distinction lies in the scope or coverage and evolutionary stage. In

simple sense, human resource management means employing people, developing

their resources, utilizing, maintaining and compensating their services in tunewith the job and organizational requirements.



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4.2 Functions of Human Resource Management

(i)Administration:

Strategic planning, organizational evaluation, CountyBoard relations, policy

recommendations, supervision of department staff

(ii)Benefits:

Health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, retirement

benefits, vacation, sick leave, paid holidays, section 125 plan, donor program,

educational incentive, uniform allowance, and others.

(iii)Compensation:

Salary and benefit surveys, job evaluation, job descriptions evaluation, job

descriptions

(iv) Employee relations:

Disciplinary processes, incident investigations, complaint/grievance procedures,

labor-management relations.

(v)Employee services:

Enrollment in benefits, employee discounts for recreational spots, resolution of

enrollment or claim problems, employee newsletter. Educational assistance,

employee

service awards



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(vi)Fiscal:

Staffing budgets, departmental budget, accounts payable, insurance receivables,

insurance fund management, total package costing. Insurance receivables,

insurance fundmanagement, total package costing.

(vii)Health and safety:

Employee assistance, workers compensation claims, drug testing, safety

compliance and training.

(viii)Leaves of Absence:

State and/or Federal Family and Medical Leave rights, County approved leaves of

absence, rights upon return to work, light duty assignments for temporary periods

(ix)Payroll Administration:

Computer-based or manual evaluation systems, supervisory training, compliance

with timeliness standards.

(x) Performance appraisal:

Employee files, litigation files, payroll records, safety records and other

administrative files.

(xi) Record-keeping:

Job posting, advertising, testing administration, employment interviews,

background investigations, post-offer employment testing.



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(xii) Recruitment:

Recruitment is defined as a process to discover the sources of manpower to meet

the requirement of the staffing schedule and to employ effective measures fir meet

the requirement of the staffing schedule and to employ to employ effective

measures for attracting the manpower in adequate numbers to facilitate effective

selection of an effective workforce.

(xiii) Selection:

After identifying the sources of human resources, searching for prospectiveemployees and stimulation helps too apply for jobs in an organization, the

management has toperform the function of selecting the right man at right job and

at the right time.

(xiv) Separations and terminations:

Rights upon termination of employment, severance benefits, unemployment

compensation, exit interviews.

(xv) Training and development:

County-wide needs assessment, development of supervisory and management

skills,employee training and workshops. Benefits orientation for new and

transferring employees, Supervisory newsletter.

(xvi) Salary and benefits:

Salary/wage plans, employee benefits



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4.3 Importance of Human Resource Management

1: Attract highly qualified and competent people2: Ensure that the selected candidate stays longer with the company.3: Make sure that there is match between cost and benefit.

4: Helps the organization to create more culturally diverse workforce

Whereas, the poor quality of selection means extra cost on training and

supervision. Further inmore , when recruitment fails to meet organizational needs

for talent, atypically response is to raise entry level pay scales . This can distort

traditional wages and salary relationship in organization, resulting in unavoidable

consequences. Thus theeffectiveness of the recruitment process can play a major

role in determining the resources that must be expended on other HR activates

and their ultimate success.



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4.4 Scope of HRM at Organizational Level



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4.5 Human Resource Development

This department looks after the needs and Requirement the present employees.

This Department includes number of function which are as follows:

1. Training and Development±it includes technical, soft skills and process

related to training.2. Process and policies±it contains all the rule and regulations that need to be

followed by the employees.

3. Appraisal and increment- it is in the formal feedback to the employees

about their performance and the conduct of work

4. Induction-involves the information to the new employees about the

company, job, departments etc

5. Motivational activities and entertainment- involves motivating the

employees to improve their productivity.

6. Roles and responsibilities-that every individual employee needs to fulfill.

7. Key Result Area (KRA)±it is the measurement quantifiable of output for

the roles of responsibilities.



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8. Employee separation-includes resignation and dismissal.

9. Joining formalities- take place when a new employee joins the company.

10. Computerization

11. Helpdesk

12. Employee verification-take place at the time of joining of the new

employee.

13. Surveys

14. Project trainees

15. Counselling and grievance handling-both are different as counselling is

basically helping out in personal problems whereas, grievances Handling

involves the handling of complains that the employees has towards the

management.

y All the above head are included in the human resource development and

involves the

over all development of individual employees which in turn increases the

overall profit of the company.

About HR

Operating Principles

No matter what job titles we hold or what part of the business were in or where we are in

the world, these principles should guide the work of all American Express employees:

y We must offer a superior value proposition to all of our customer groups. With

every product and service we offer, we must provide the best value of any

competitor in the marketplace for the price we charge²whether were servicing

carmembers, travel or banking clients, merchants and other business, partners, or



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any other American Express customer.

y We must have best-in-class economics. In other words, we must be focused on

doing business as efficiently possible so that we continually generate savings to

invest in our future growth.

y We must support the American Express brand. Any business action we take must

be in step with the core tenets of our brand -- world-class service, personal

recognition -- and our inherent company values.

2010 Priorities

Our 2010 mantra is to:

y Drive Growth

y Drive Efficiency, and

y Deliver Superior Service

These priorities are a fundamental change from last year. They focus more on growth

rather than on responding to crisis conditions around us. They reflect our improved

position from a year ago, but they also recognize that growth will not come easily in an

environment shaped by a still weak economy and increased regulation.

There's another very important point to understand about these priorities. Absolutely

everyone in the organization, no matter their job title or level, has contributions to make

in driving growth, driving efficiency and delivering superior service.



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4.6 STAFFING

Staffing Philosophy:

Creating peak performance by putting the right people in the right jobs is a critical

staffing goal.

y To ensure that we hire the best available talent, we want to:

y Involve you, the hiring manager, in each step of the process Enable you to

make key decisions quickly, and

y Have HR professionals available to offer professional advice

Employee Recruitment Process Overview

(I) Manpower Requisition Form

(II) Recruitment Plan

(III) Budget

(IV) Sourcing

(V) Selection Process

(VI) Joining

(VII) Post Recruitment Data Updating

RECRUITMENT

Recruitment is ³hiring´ of employees from outside. Recruitment has been

regarded as the most important function of the HR department , because unless

the right type of people are hired, even the best plans, organization chart and

control system would not do much good.

Each of these three priorities is critical and affects the others. For instance, if we don't

manage our expenses carefully and free up funds to invest in our future, we will hurt our

ability to grow. If we don't deliver superior service, we will lose customers and the

revenues they bring. That¶s why we have to deliver on all of these priorities

simultaneously.



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Recruitment is the discovering of potential applicant for actual or anticipated

organizational vacancies. Accordingly the purpose of recruitment is to locate

sources of manpower to meet the job requirements and job specification.

It is defined as a process to discover the sources of manpower to meet the

requirements of staffing schedule and to apply effective measures for attracting

the manpower to

adequate number to facilitate effective selection of an effective workforce

Yoder points out that recruitment is a process to discover the sources of

manpower to meet the requirement of the staffing schedule and to employee

effective measures to attracting that manpower in adequate number to facilitate

effective selection of an effective workforce.

Edwin B Flippo defines recruitment as the process of searching for prospective

employees and stimulating them to apply for the jobs in the organization.

³It is the process of finding and attracting capable applicants for employment. The

process begins when new recruits are sought and ends when their application aresubmitted. The result is a pool of applicants from which new employees are

selected.´

Methods of Recruitment

Dunn and Stephens summaries the possible recruiting methods into three

categories, namely :

1: Direct method

2: Indirect method



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3: Third party method

DIRECT METHOD

The direct method includes sending of the recruiters to different educational and

professional institutions, employees contact with public, and mannered exhibits.

One of the widely used methods is sending the recruiters to different colleges and

technical schools. This is mainly done with the cooperation of the placement

office of the college. Sometimes, firms directly solicit information form the

concerned professors about student with an outstanding records.

Other direct methods include sending recruiters to conventions and seminars,

setting up exhibits at fairs, and using mobile offices to go the desired centers.

INDIRECT METHOD

Indirect method involves mainly advertising in newspapers, on the radios, in trade

and professional journals, technical magazines and brochures.

Advertisements in newspapers and or trade journals and magazines are the most

frequently used methods. Senior post is largely filled with such methods.

Advertising is a very useful for recruiting blue color and hourly worker, as well as

scientific, professional, and technical employees.

Local newspaper can be good sources of blue collar workers, clerical employees,

and lower level administrative employees.

The main point is that the higher the position in the organization the more

dispersed advertisement is likely to be. The search for the top executive mightinclude advertisement in a national periodical, whereas the advertisement of the

blue color jobs usually confine to the daily newspaper.



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According to the Advertisement tactic and strategy in personnel Recruitment,

three main points need to be borne in the mind before an advertisement in

inserted.

First, to visualize the type of applicants one is trying to recruit.

Second, to write out a list of advantages the company offers, or why should the

reader join the company.

Third, to decide where to run the advertisement, not only in which area, but also

in which newspaper having a local, state or a nation- wide circulation.

THIRD PARTY

These include the use of commercial or private employment agencies, state

agencies, and placement offices of schools colleges and professional associations

recruiting firms, management consulting firms, indoctrination seminars for

college professors, and friends and relatives.

Private employment agencies are the most widely used sources. They charge a

small fee from the applicant. They specialize in specific occupation; general

office help, salesmen, technical workers, accountant, computer staff, engineers

and executives.

State or public employment agencies are also known as the employment or labour

exchanges, are the main agencies for the public employment. Employers inform

them of their personnel requirement, while job seekers get information for them

about the type of job are referred by the employer.



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Schools and colleges offer opportunities for recruiting their student. They operate

placement services where complete biodata and other particular of the student are

available.

Professional organization or recruiting firms maintain complete information

records about employed executive. These firms maintain complete information

records about employed executives. These firms are looked upon as the ³head

hunters´, ³raiders´, and ³pirates´ by organization which loose their personnel

through their efforts.

Evaluation of the recruitment method

The following are the evaluation of the recruitment method

1: Number of initial enquires received which resulted in completed application

forms

2: Number of candidates recruited.

3:Number of candidates retained in the organization after six months.

4: Number of candidates at various stages of the recruitment and selection

process, especially those short listed.

Objective of recruitment

1: To attract with multi dimensional skills and experience that suite the present

and future organization strategies.

2: To induct outsider with new perspective to lead the company.

3: To infuse fresh blood at all levels of organization.



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4: To develop an organizational culture that attracts competent people to the

company.

5: To search or headhunt people whose skill fit the companys values.

6: To seek out non-conventional development grounds of talent

7: To devise methodology for assessing psychological traits.

8: To search for talent globally not just with in the company.

9: To design entry pay that competes on quality but not on quantum.

10: To anticipate and find people for position that doesn¶t exists yet.

Recruitment represents the first contact that a company makes with potential

employees.

It is through recruitment that many individuals come to know about the company

and eventually decide whether they wish to work for it.

The recruitment process should inform qualified individuals about the job so that

applicant can make comparison with their qualification and interest.

Factors affecting Recruitment

There are two types of factors that affect the Recruitment of candidates for the

company.



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1: Internal factors: These includes

- Companys pay package

- Quality of work life

- Organizational culture

- Companys size

- Companys product

- Growth rate of the company

- Role of trade unions

- Cost of recruitment

2: External factors: These include

- Supply and demand factors

- Employment rate

- Labour market condition

- Political, legal and government factors

- Information system

Recruitment Process

The actual steps involved in recruitment follow a well defined path:

Application shortlist: In this step, we shortlist the resume received from various

sources based on the suitability for the requirement.

Preliminary Assessment: The short listed candidates go through a preliminary

round of interviews. This interview lays more emphasis on functional



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competencies. To have more data on the functional skills, the candidates may be

given a business case for analysis and presentation

(This is done for certain positions only).

Final interview: Here the candidates who successfully clear the first round of

interview go through another round of interview with one or more of the

functional heads.

Medical Evaluation:Candidates who are selected by Colgate are asked to

undergo a medical test.



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Evaluation of recruitment process

The following are the evaluation of the recruitment process:

1: Return rate of application sent out.

2: Number of suitable candidates for selection.

3: Retention and performance of the candidate selection.4: Cost of recruitment

5: Time lapsed data.

6: Comments on image projected.



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SELECTION

Selection is a negative process and involves the elimination of candidates who do

not have the required skills and qualification for the job proposed. Also it is a

process of differentiating between applicants in order to identify and hire those

with greater likelihood of success in job.

The objective of selection decision is to choose the individual who can most

successfully perform the job from the pool of qualified candidates. It is the system

of function and devise adopted in a given company to ascertain whether thecandidate¶s specifications are matched with the job specifications and recruitment

or not.

Selection process or activities typically follow a standard patter, beginning with

an initial screening interview and concluding with final employment decision.

The traditional selection process includes: preliminary screening interview,

completion of application form, employment test, comprehensive interview,

background investigation, physical examination and final employment decision to

hire.

Organization for selection

Until recently the basic hiring process was performed in a rather unplanned

manner in many organizations. In some companies, each department screened and

hired its own employees. Many mangers insisted on screening their own

employees as they thought no one else could do that as efficiently as they

themselves.



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But now selection is centralized and handled by the Human Resource Department.

This type of arrangement is also preferred due to some of these advantages:

- It is easier for the application because they can send their applications to a single

centralized department.

- It facilitates contact with applicants because issues pertaining to employment

can be cleared through one central location.

- It helps operating managers to concentrate on their operating responsibilities.

This is especially helpful during the chief hiring period.

- It can provide for better selection because hiring is done by specialist trained in

staffing techniques.

- The applicant is better assured of consideration for a greater variety of jobs.

- Hiring cost is cut because duplication of efforts is reduced.

- With increased governmental regulation on selection process, it is important that

people who know about these rules handle a major part of the selection process.

Ideally, a selection process involves mutually decision making. The organization

decides whether or not to make a job offer and how attractive the job offer should

be.

BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE SELECTION



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The main objective of selection process is to hire people having competence and

commitment towards the given job profile. But due to some reason the main

purpose of effectively selecting candidates is defeated. These reasons are:

1: Perception or the Halo effect: Many a times the interviewer selects a

candidate according to the perception he has or he made up while talking or

looking at the individual. This way he does not see through the caliber or the

efficiency of the individual and many times it leads to the selection of the wrong

candidates.

2: Fairness: During the selection process the interviewer does not select theindividual on the basis of his knowledge and hence the right type of the

candidates is not selected.

3: Pressure: The people from the HR department and also have a lot of pressure

from the top management and from other top class people for selecting the

candidates they want. This ways the purpose of effective selection process of

effective selection process is defeated as they have to select that individual

whether or not he is capable of the job. that is being offered.

ESSENTIAL OF SELECTION PROCEDURE

- Someone should have the authority to select.



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- There must be sufficient number of applicants from whom the required number

of employees to be selected.

- There must be some standards of personnel with which a prospective employee

may be compared.

FACTORS EFFECTING SELECTION DECISION

Includes:

- Profile matching

- Organization and social environment

- Multi correlations

- Successive hurdles

4.7 Current Issues: News (Press Releases)

Ken Chenault: Justice Department's Lawsuit is a Bad Deal for Consumers

NEW YORK, October 8, 2010 --

In a Washington Post op-ed, American Express Company Chairman and Chief

Executive Officer Kenneth I. Chenault outlines the reasons why the company

believes that the recently announced U.S. Department of Justice's civil antitrust

case "does nothing for consumers" and "will eventually lead to less competition,

not more." Full text of the article appears below.

Why Amex is fighting Justice's bad deal for credit card holders

By Kenneth I. Chenault. The Waqshington Post, Friday,October8, 2010.

This week, the Justice Department sued Visa, Master Card and my company,

American Express, alleging that our rules prevent consumers from getting a lower



90

price when they shop. Visa and Master Card quickly settled and agreed to follow a

complex set of remedies developed by government attorneys. We chose to fight.

Let me explain why.

The government remedy does nothing for consumers. And, whatever its intention,

the Justice Department is heading down a path that eventually leads to less

competition, not more.

Merchants accept plastic because they know many customers often want to use

credit, charge or debit cards at the checkout counter. Card acceptance brings

higher sales, prevents fraud or counterfeiting, and protects against losses when a

customer doesn't pay his or her bill. In return, merchants agree to welcome cards

at the point of sale and to pay a fee, which is typically between 2 and 3 percent of

the purchase price.

Perversely, the government's remedy would allow merchants that sign a contract

and post decals to show which credit cards they accept to then ignore thecontract's ban on discrimination by pressuring their customers to use a different

card when they pay.

In theory, you might be offered a small discount for putting up with the

inconvenience. But this will not lead to lower prices overall for consumers.

Merchant associations, even those that support the Justice Department, won't

commit to lower prices. Nothing in the government's lawsuit requires them to do

so. As it is, merchants are already allowed to offer a discount or incentive to

customers who pay by cash, checks or debit cards. Very few do.



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The net result of this "bait and switch" is an unhappy customer who was pushed

to use a backup card that didn't provide the customer service, buyer protection,

benefits or rewards that he or she prefers. Only in Washington could that be called

a consumer benefit.

Antitrust laws were designed to promote competition. But in this case, the

government lawyers who enforce those laws are doing just the opposite by

offering a solution that favors the two dominant networks. Here's how.

Earlier court rulings found that Visa and Master Card have market power that

allows them to unfairly dominate the payment industry. Given the sheer size of

their customer base, most merchants do business with them because they have to.

Only a small percentage of their card holders also carry an American Express or

Discover product.

By contrast, American Express is a network of choice and the smallest in terms of

merchant acceptance. Merchants don't have to do business with us, but those that

do appreciate our overall service and value, including more business from higher-

spending customers who carry our cards. In return, we require that they not

discriminate against our card. Unlike the dominant networks, virtually all

American Express customers carry another card in their wallet. American Express

customers don't have to use our card, but they choose to do so. Their choice

recognizes the superior value and service we provide.

Compare the two different business models, and you'll see the flaw in the



92

government's thinking. It is difficult to steer Visa or Master Card holders to

American Express because those consumers don't carry our card. By contrast, it's

possible to pressure our customers toward one of the backup products they carry

deeper in their wallet.

If the government is allowed to do away with the protections we build into our

merchant contracts, the net result would be more business for the two dominant

networks.

Visa and Master Card already control 70 percent of the market. When dominant

parties gain even more market share, no one will be able to negotiate freely or fairly with them. The inevitable result would be higher costs for merchants and

less value for consumers. That's the real cost of government intervention.

The Justice Department is supporting bad policy and disguising it with vague

promises of consumer benefit. We think their case is weak and we intend to fight

it.

It's never easy to take on a long, costly battle with the government, but what's at

stake are some important issues: consumer choice, free market competition and

the ability to deliver superior products and services to our customers. This is a

fight worth fighting.

The writer is chair man and chief executive officer of American Express Co.

ARTICLES ABOUT THE AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY

IN THE Year 2010



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The Mundane Credit Card Gets a Modern Makeover

By TARA SIEGEL BERNARD

Cards will soon have lights and buttons that allow users to choose to pay for items

with reward points or credit.

A version of this article appeared in print on October 22, 2010, on page B1 of the

New York edition.

Profit Climbs 71% at American Express

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Spending on American Express cards rose 14 percent in the quarter, bolstering

earnings, but remained below levels reached before the recession.

October 22, 2010

U.S. Proposes Settlement With Master Card and Visa

By ANDREW MARTIN

The Justice Department has a proposed deal with two of three companies it sued

for anticompetitive practices.

A version of this article appeared in print on October 5, 2010, on page B1 of the

New York edition.



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Some C.E.O.¶s Strike Gold in Stock Options

By NELSON D. SCHWARTZ

The market¶s climb has had a multiplier effect on the value of stock options that

some C.E.O.¶s received early last year.

A version of this article appeared in print on April 4, 2010, on page BU 1 of the

New York edition.

Top Pay List For Bankers: Fresh Names

By ER IC DASH

Some of highest-paid financial executives in America work far from Wall Street

at companies that have largely avoided outcry over return of hefty paydays; John

G Stumpf of Wells Fargo, who was paid $18.7 million in cash and stock for 2009,

tops list; Stumpf is making twice as much as Lloyd C Blankfein, his counterpart

at Goldman Sachs, who has become symbol of new period of Wall Street riches;

big names on Wall Street usually take home far more than bankers like Stumpf,

whose bank's biggest bus...

February 11, 2010

Credit Cards and Reluctant Regulators

By GRETCHEN MORGENSON

If credit card issuers try to find ways around new rules on fees, how well would a

federal agency enforce them?

A version of this article appeared in print on January 17, 2010, on page BU1 of

the New York edition.



95

Press Releases for American Express Company from the Last 90

Days:

American Express OPEN Recognizes Business Owners for Government

Contracting Success with Victory in Procurement (VIP) Awards

November 6, 2010 - Business Wire

American Express Appoints Toby Eduardo Redshaw as Executive Vice President

and Chief Information Officer

November 5, 2010 - Business Wire

American Express and SAP Join Forces to Launch Integrated Payment Solution

October 18, 2010 - PR Newswire

4.8 Company History and Development:

From its beginnings as an express company forwarding freight and valuables

across the American frontier, American Express has developed into a company

that creates and sells global payment and financial products around the world.

Today, American Express is a global travel, financial and network services

provider and one of the world¶s most widely recognized brands. While theproducts and services of American Express are constantly evolving, its

commitment to the highest quality products and superior levels of customer

support remains unchanged.

� 1850: American Express is established as a freight forwarding

company.



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� 1858: Headquarters building completed at 61 Hudson Street, New

York, the largest privately-owned building in the city.

� 1891: American Express invents the Travelers Cheque.

� 1895: First exclusive American Express overseas office: 6 Rue

Halevy, Paris.

� 1915: Travel Department started.

� 1919: The American Express Company, Inc., now known as

American Express Bank, incorporated in Connecticut, USA.

� 1958: American Express Personal Card introduced.

� 1966: ³Executive Credit´ Card introduced (became the Gold Card).

� 1975: Blue Box logo introduced.

� 1984: IDS acquired from Alleghany Corporation for approx.

US$727 million (Re-branded as American Express Financial

Advisors in 1995).

Platinum Card introduced.

� 1986: Corporate Headquarters moved to World Financial Center,

New York.

� 1987: Optima Card introduced.

� 1995: ExpressNet, American Express¶ first interactive on-line

service is introduced.

� 1996: BancoCredito de Nacional, of Sao Paulo, Brazil becomes first

bank in the world to issue an American Express-branded

credit card.

� 1999: Euro Travelers Cheque is introduced.

The Centurion Card is introduced, designed for a select group

of American Express¶ best customers in the United



97

Kingdomand the United States.

American Express launches Blue, a new credit card designed

to expand the company¶s revolving credit business and attract

new customers in the U.S. by combining financial, shopping

and security benefits.

American Express is truly a global company, employing over 84,000

people worldwide, and offering products and services in more than 200

countries.

American Express is the world¶s largest single card issuer, based on

purchase volume generated by our nearly 55 million cards worldwide.

The Cards are currently issued in 43 currencies (including cards issued

by banks and other qualified institutions). American Express is the

number one global charge card issuer, the number one airline card issuer

based on number of partners and the number one Cards Reward Program

based on enrollees. We also are the number one corporate card issuer inthe U.S. and in 22 of the top 25 markets around the world. The company

has more than 1700 travel service locations in over 130 countries serving

customers¶ travel needs.

American Express Bank operates primarily outside the United States,

with 77 offices in 40 countries. American Express Financial Advisors

has 179 field offices (located in all 50 states in United States), in

addition to other corporate offices in Albany, New York, Green Bay,

Wisconsin, London, Singapore and Tokyo.

One of American Express¶ truly unique assets is its local market



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knowledge and global presence. In markets around the world, the

company contributes to local economic development through the

introduction of new products and services, marketing skills,

technological know-how and people development. The company¶s local

capabilities are backed by the strength of an extensive global network.

Wherever American Express operates, the company is committed to

working closely with local business partners. These partnerships not

only benefit local businesses and American Express in terms of business

development, they also bring consumers a wider choice of products and

services.

In all of the markets in which we operate we take our role as a corporate

citizen seriously and are active participants in community and

philanthropic projects. Grants are made under three program themes that

reflect our company values and complement our business priorities:

community service, cultural heritage and economic independence.

All over the world, American Express maintains its ongoing

commitment to the development of valuable products, the highestquality service, and deepest levels of customer support.



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Chapter 4:



100

DATA

ANALYSIS

5.1 Data Collection

The Objectives of the Project was Recruitment, Selection and Placement of

Personnel in American Express.

The data for the desired candidates for a suitable profile was collected through

Questionnaires.



101

The steps required to design and administer a questionnaire include:

1. Defining the Objectives of the survey

2. Determining the Sampling Group

3. Writing the Questionnaire

4. Administering the Questionnaire

5. Interpretation of the Results

This document will concentrate on how to formulate objectives and write the

questionnaire.

Before these steps are examined in detail, it is good to consider what

questionnaires are good at measuring and when it is appropriate to use

questionnaires.

1. Establish the goals of the project - What you want to learn

2. Determine your sample - Whom you will interview

3. Choose interviewing methodology - How you will interview

4. Create your questionnaire - What you will ask

5. Pre-test the questionnaire, if practical - Test the questions

6. Conduct interviews and enter data - Ask the questions

7. Analyze the data - Produce the reports

Data Collection Methods Used

(I) Telephone Surveys

Surveying by telephone is the most popular interviewing method in the USA. This

is made possible by nearly universal coverage (96% of homes have a telephone).



102

Advantages

y People can usually be contacted faster over the telephone than with other

methods. If the Interviewers are using CATI (computer-assisted telephone

interviewing), the results can be available minutes after completing the

last interview.

y You can dial random telephone numbers when you do not have the actual

telephone numbers of potential respondents.

y CATI software, such as The Survey System, makes complex

questionnaires practical by offering many logic options. It can

automatically skip questions, perform calculations and modify questions

based on the answers to earlier questions. It can check the logicalconsistency of answers and can present questions or answers choices in a

random order (the last two are sometimes important for reasons described

later).

y Skilled interviewers can often elicit longer or more complete answers than

people will give on their own to mail, email surveys (though some people

will give longer answers to Web page surveys). Interviewers can also ask

for clarification of unclear responses.

y Some software, such as The Survey System, can combine survey answers

with pre-existing information you have about the people being

interviewed.

Disadvantages

y Many telemarketers have given legitimate research a bad name by

claiming to be doing research when they start a sales call. Consequently,

many people are reluctant to answer phone interviews and use their



103

answering machines to screen calls. Since over half of the homes in the

USA have answering machines, this problem is getting worse.

y The growing number of working women often means that no one is home

during the day. This limits calling time to a "window" of about 6-9 p.m.

(when you can be sure to interrupt dinner or a favorite TV program).

y You cannot show or sample products by phone.

(II) Mail Surveys

Advantages

y Mail surveys are among the least expensive.

y This is the only kind of survey you can do if you have the names and

addresses of the target population, but not their telephone numbers.

y The questionnaire can include pictures - something that is not possible

over the phone.

y Mail surveys allow the respondent to answer at their leisure, rather than at

the often inconvenient moment they are contacted for a phone or personal

interview. For this reason, they are not considered as intrusive as other

kinds of interviews.

Disadvantages

y Time! Mail surveys take longer than other kinds. You will need to wait

several weeks after mailing out questionnaires before you can be sure that

you have gotten most of the responses.

y In populations of lower educational and literacy levels, response rates to

mail surveys are often too small to be useful. This, in effect, eliminates

many immigrant populations that form substantial markets in many areas.

Even in well-educated populations, response rates vary from as low as 3%

up to 90%. As a rule of thumb, the best response levels are achieved from



104

highly-educated people and people with a particular interest in the subject

(which, depending on your target population, could lead to a biased

sample).

One way of improving response rates to mail surveys is to mail a postcard telling

your sample to watch for a questionnaire in the next week or two. Another is to

follow up a questionnaire mailing after a couple of weeks with a card asking

people to return the questionnaire. The downside is that this doubles or triples

your mailing cost. If you have purchased a mailing list from a supplier, you may

also have to pay a second (and third) use fee - you often cannot buy the list once

and re-use it.

Another way to increase responses to mail surveys is to use an incentive. One

possibility is to send a dollar bill (or more) along with the survey (or offer to

donate the dollar to a charity specified by the respondent). If you do so, be sure to

say that the dollar is a way of saying "thanks," rather than payment for their time.

Many people will consider their time worth more than a dollar. Another

possibility is to include the people who return completed surveys in a drawing for

a prize. A third is to offer a copy of the (non-confidential) result highlights to

those who complete the questionnaire. Any of these techniques will increase the

response rates.

Remember that if you want a sample of 1,000 people, and you estimate a 10%

response level, you need to mail 10,000 questionnaires. You may want to check

with your local post office about bulk mail rates - you can save on postage using

this mailing method. However, most researchers do not use bulk mail, because

many people associate "bulk" with "junk" and will throw it out without opening

the envelope, lowering your response rate. Also bulk mail moves slowly,

increasing the time needed to complete your project.

(III) Computer Direct Interviews



105

These are interviews in which the Interviewees enter their own answers directly

into a computer. They can be used at malls, trade shows, offices, and so on. The

Survey System's optional Interviewing Module and Interview Stations can easily

create computer-direct interviews. Some researchers set up a Web page survey for

this purpose.

Advantages

y The virtual elimination of data entry and editing costs.

y You will get more accurate answers to sensitive questions. Recent studies

of potential blood donors have shown respondents were more likely to

reveal HIV-related risk factors to a computer screen than to either human

interviewers or paper questionnaires. The National Institute of Justice has

also found that computer-aided surveys among drug users get better results

than personal interviews. Employees are also more often willing to give

more honest answers to a computer than to a person or paper

questionnaire.

y The elimination of interviewer bias. Different interviewers can ask

questions in different ways, leading to different results. The computer asks

the questions the same way every time.

y Ensuring skip patterns are accurately followed. The Survey System can

ensure people are not asked questions they should skip based on their

earlier answers. These automatic skips are more accurate than relying on

an Interviewer reading a paper questionnaire.

y Response rates are usually higher. Computer-aided interviewing is still

novel enough that some people will answer a computer interview when

they would not have completed another kind of interview.

Disadvantages



106

y The Interviewees must have access to a computer or one must be provided

for them.

y As with mail surveys, computer direct interviews may have serious

response rate problems in populations of lower educational and literacy

levels. This method may grow in importance as computer use increases.

(IV) Email Surveys

Email surveys are both very economical and very fast. More people have email

than have full Internet access. This makes email a better choice than a Web page

survey for some populations. On the other hand, email surveys are limited to

simple questionnaires, whereas Web page surveys can include complex logic.

Advantages

y Speed. An email questionnaire can gather several thousand responses

within a day or two.

y There is practically no cost involved once the set up has been completed.

y You can attach pictures and sound files.

y The novelty element of an email survey often stimulates higher response

levels than ordinary ³snail´ mail surveys.

Disadvantages

y You must possess (or purchase) a list of email addresses.

y Some people will respond several times or pass questionnaires along to

friends to answer. Many programs have no check to eliminate people

responding multiple times to bias the results. The Survey System¶s Email



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Module will only accept one reply from each address sent the

questionnaire. It eliminates duplicate and pass along questionnaires and

checks to ensure that respondents have not ignored instructions (e.g.,

giving 2 answers to a question requesting only one).

y Many people dislike unsolicited email even more than unsolicited regular

mail. You may want to send email questionnaires only to people who

expect to get email from you.

y You cannot use email surveys to generalize findings to the whole

populations. People who have email are different from those who do not,

even when matched on demographic characteristics, such as age and

gender.

y Email surveys cannot automatically skip questions or randomize question

or answer choice order or use other automatic techniques that can enhance

surveys the way Web page surveys can.

Many email programs are limited to plain ASCII text questionnaires and cannot

show pictures. Email questionnaires from The Survey System can attach graphic

or sound files. Although use of email is growing very rapidly, it is not universal -

and is even less so outside the USA (three-quarters of the world's email traffic

takes place within the USA). Many ³average´ citizens still do not possess email

facilities, especially older people and those in lower income and education

groups. So email surveys do not reflect the population as a whole. At this stage

they are probably best used in a corporate environment where email is common or

when most members of the target population are known to have email.

(V) Internet/Intranet (Web Page) Surveys

Web surveys are rapidly gaining popularity. They have major speed, cost, and

flexibility advantages, but also significant sampling limitations. These limitations

make software selection especially important and restrict the groups you can

study using this technique.



108

Advantages

y Web page surveys are extremely fast. A questionnaire posted on a popular

Web site can gather several thousand responses within a few hours. Many

people who will respond to an email invitation to take a Web survey will

do so the first day, and most will do so within a few days.

y There is practically no cost involved once the set up has been completed.

Large samples do not cost more than smaller ones (except for any cost to

acquire the sample).

y You can show pictures. Some Web survey software can also show video

and play sound.

y Web page questionnaires can use complex question skipping logic,randomizations and other features not possible with paper questionnaires

or most email surveys. These features can assure better data.

y Web page questionnaires can use colors, fonts and other formatting

options not possible in most email surveys.

y A significant number of people will give more honest answers to questions

about sensitive topics, such as drug use or sex, when giving their answers

to a computer, instead of to a person or on paper.

y On average, people give longer answers to open-ended questions on Web

page questionnaires than they do on other kinds of self-administered

surveys.

y Some Web survey software, such as The Survey System, can combine the

survey answers with pre-existing information you have about individuals

taking a survey.

Disadvantages

y Current use of the Internet is far from universal. Internet surveys do not

reflect the population as a whole. This is true even if a sample of Internet





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Office OMR (available from CRS). Other software can scan questionnaires and

produce ASCII Files that can be read into The Survey System.

Advantages

y Scanning can be the fastest method of data entry for paper questionnaires.

y Scanning is more accurate than a person in reading a properly completed

questionnaire.

Disadvantages

y Scanning is best-suited to "check the box" type surveys and bar codes.

Scanning programs have various methods to deal with text responses, but

all require additional data entry time.

y Scanning is less forgiving (accurate) than a person in reading a poorly

marked questionnaire. Requires investment in additional hardware to do

the actual scanning.

Summary of Survey Methods

Your choice of survey method will depend on several factors. These include:



111

Questionnaire Design

General Considerations

The first rule is to design the questionnaire to fit the medium. Phone interviews

cannot show pictures. People responding to mail or Web surveys cannot easily

ask ³What exactly do you mean by that?´ if they do not understand a question.

Intimate, personal questions are sometimes best handled by mail or computer,

where anonymity is most assured.

K ISS - keep it short and simple. If you present a 20-page questionnaire most

potential respondents will give up in horror before even starting. Ask yourself

what you will do with the information from each question. If you cannot give

yourself a satisfactory answer, leave it out. Avoid the temptation to add a few

more questions just because you are doing a questionnaire anyway. If necessary,

place your questions into three groups: must know, useful to know and nice to

know. Discard the last group, unless the previous two groups are very short.

Start with an introduction or welcome message. In the case of mail or Web

questionnaires, this message can be in a cover page or on the questionnaire formitself. If you are sending emails that ask people to take a Web page survey, put

your main introduction or welcome message in the email. When practical, state

who you are and why you want the information in the survey. A good

introduction or welcome message will encourage people to complete your

questionnaire.

Allow a ³Don't Know´ or ³Not Applicable´ response to all questions, except to

those in which you are certain that all respondents will have a clear answer. In

most cases, these are wasted answers as far as the researcher is concerned, but are

necessary alternatives to avoid frustrated respondents. Sometimes ³Don't Know´

or ³Not Applicable´ will really represent some respondents' most honest answers



112

to some of your questions. Respondents who feel they are being coerced into

giving an answer they do not want to give often do not complete the

questionnaire. For example, many people will abandon a questionnaire that asks

them to specify their income, without offering a "decline to state" choice.

For the same reason, include ³Other´ or ³None´ whenever either of these is a

logically possible answer. When the answer choices are a list of possible opinions,

preferences, or behaviors, you should usually allow these answers.

On paper, computer direct and Internet surveys these four choices should appear

as appropriate. You may want to combine two or more of them into one choice, if

you have no interest in distinguishing between them. You will rarely want to

include ³Don't Know,´ ³Not Applicable,´ ³Other´ or ³None´ in a list of choices

being read over the telephone or in person, but you should allow the interviewer

the ability to accept them when given by respondents.

Question Types

Researchers use three basic types of questions: multiple choice, numeric open end

and text open end (sometimes called "verbatim"). Examples of each kind of question follow:



113

Rating Scales and Agreement Scales are two common types of questions that

some researchers treat as multiple choice questions and others treat as numeric

open end questions. Examples of these kinds of questions are:



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Question and Answer Choice Order

There are two broad issues to keep in mind when considering question and answer

choice order. One is how the question and answer choice order can encourage

people to complete your survey. The other issue is how the order of questions or

the order of answer choices could affect the results of your survey.

Ideally, the early questions in a survey should be easy and pleasant to answer.

These kinds of questions encourage people to continue the survey. In telephone or

personal interviews they help build rapport with the interviewer. Grouping

together questions on the same topic also makes the questionnaire easier to

answer.



115

Whenever possible leave difficult or sensitive questions until near the end of your

survey. Any rapport that has been built up will make it more likely people will

answer these questions. If people quit at that point anyway, at least they will have

answered most of your questions.

Answer choice order can make individual questions easier or more difficult to

answer. Whenever there is a logical or natural order to answer choices, use it.

Always present agree-disagree choices in that order. Presenting them in disagree-

agree order will seem odd. For the same reason, positive to negative and excellent

to poor scales should be presented in those orders. When using numeric rating

scales higher numbers should mean a more positive or more agreeing answer.

Question order can affect the results in two ways. One is that mentioning

something (an idea, an issue, a brand) in one question can make people think of it

while they answer a later question, when they might not have thought of it if it

had not been previously mentioned. In some cases you may be able to reduce this

problem by randomizing the order of related questions. Separating related

questions with unrelated ones can also reduce this problem, though neither

technique will eliminate it.

The other way question order can affect results is habituation. This problem

applies to a series of questions that all have the same answer choices. It means

that some people will usually start giving the same answer, without really

considering it, after being asked a series of similar questions. People tend to think

more when asked the earlier questions in the series and so give more accurate

answers to them.

If you are using telephone, computer direct or Internet interviewing, good

software can help with this problem. Software should allow you to present a series

of questions in a random order in each interview. This technique will not



116

eliminate habituation, but will ensure that it applies equally to all questions in a

series, not just to particular questions near the end of a series.

Another way to reduce this problem is to ask only a short series of similar

questions at a particular point in the questionnaire. Then ask one or more different

kinds of questions, and then another short series if needed.

A third way to reduce habituation is to change the ³positive´ answer. This applies

mainly to level-of-agreement questions. You can word some statements so that a

high level of agreement means satisfaction (e.g., ³My supervisor gives me

positive feedback´) and others so that a high level of agreement means

dissatisfaction (e.g., ³My supervisor usually ignores my suggestions´). This

technique forces the respondent to think more about each question. One negative

aspect of this technique is that you may have to modify some of the data after the

results are entered, because having the higher levels of agreement always mean a

positive (or negative) answer makes the analysis much easier. However, the few

minutes extra work may be a worthwhile price to pay to get more accurate data.

The order in which the answer choices are presented can also affect the answers

given. People tend to pick the choices nearest the start of a list when they read thelist themselves on paper or a computer screen. People tend to pick the most recent

answer when they hear a list of choices read to them.

As mentioned previously, sometimes answer choices have a natural order (e.g.,

Yes, followed by No; or Excellent - Good - Fair - Poor). If so, you should use that

order. At other times, questions have answers that are obvious to the person that is

answering them (e.g., ³Which brands of car do you own?´). In these cases, the

order in which the answer choices are presented is not likely to affect the answers

given. However, there are kinds of questions, particularly questions about

preference or recall or questions with relatively long answer choices that express

an idea or opinion, in which the answer choice order is more likely to affect which



117

choice is picked. If you are using telephone, computer direct, or Web page

interviewing, have your software present these kinds of answer choices in a

random order.

Preliminary test of the Questionnaire

The last step is to carry out preliminary testing of the questionnaire design is to

test a questionnaire with a small number of interviews before conducting your

main interviews. Ideally, you should test the survey on the same kinds of people

you will include in the main study. If that is not possible, at least have a few

people, other than the question writer, try the questionnaire. This kind of test run

can reveal unanticipated problems with question wording, instructions to skipquestions, etc. It can help you see if the interviewees understand your questions

and give useful answers.

If you change any questions after a preliminary test, you should not combine the

results from the preliminary test with the results of post-test interviews. The

Survey System will invariably provide you with mathematically correct answers

to your questions, but choosing sensible questions and administering surveys with

sensitivity and common sense will improve the quality of your results

dramatically.



118

5.2 DATA NTERPRETATION

QUESTION:

What are the sources for recruitment and selection?

About 73% of the managers say that they prefer both internal as well as external

source for recruitment and selection where as only 9% go for internal source and

18% go for external sources.



119

Question:

Which method do you mostly prefer for recruitment and selection preferred way

of recruitment?

About 65% of the mangers go for direct recruitment and selection and 32% go for

indirect and only 3 % go for third party recruitment way



120

Question:

When do you prefer to go for manpower planning?

Around 50% of the managers go for Quarterly manpower planning and 20 % do

not follow any pattern they donthave any fixed time where as 20% go for yearly.



121

Question:

What are the sources for external recruitment are preferred?

In American Express, 34% of managers go for campus interviews, 33% go for

data bank, 25% from the casual application that are received and only 8% go for

any placement agencies.



122

Question:

What form of interview did you prefer?

Most of the manager Prefer Personal interviews, 30% prefer to take telephonic

interviewswhere as only 20% go for video conferencing and rest 10% adopt some

other means ofinterviews



123

Question:

How do you rate the HR practices of the company?

50% of the managers feel that HR department is good where and 30%say thats

its very good where as 20% says its average and only 10% manager feel its bad



124

FINDINGS

In this blue chip corporate conglomerate American Express, most of theemployees have high opinion about the functioning pattern adopted and being

practiced. About 73% of the managers says that they prefer both internal as well

as external source for recruitment and selection.

About 65% of the mangers go for direct recruitment and selection and less

number for mangers prefer indirect or third party. Mostly the manpower planning

is done Quarterly and 20 % do not follow any pattern they don¶t have any fixed

time.

American Expressprefers to go for campus interviews and even casual application

that are received for recruitment but they hardly prefer placement agencies.

And most of the middle level and operative level managers prefers personal and

face to face interviews while 30% of them prefer telephonic interviews and 205 of

them opt for video conferencing interviews and remaining 10% of them some

other of interviews.

CONCLUSION



125

This part of the Report presents the summary of the study and survey was carried

out with total care and observation and microscopic study done in relation to the

Recruitment and Selection in American Express India Pvt. Ltd. The conclusion

drawn from this study and survey of the company reveals that the prevailing

practice being carried out by the company in regard to Recruitment and Selection

process are totally transparent and is not demoralizing the ambitions and level of

aspirations possessed by the new entrants are getting boosted further morale is

high compared to other flag ship companies.

But sad part of the story is that the recruitment and selection process under

practice at American Express to some extent is not done objectively and therefore

bias creep in often which will hampers the future career of the employees. That iswhy the search or headhunt of people should be of those whose skill fits into the

company¶s values, goals, vision and mission to some extent.

Despite this ugly part still most of the employees were satisfied with the

prevailing practice but feel suitable changes are required in accordance to

according to the needs and conditions of working situation with changing

scenario. However recruitment process has a great impact on the working of the

company as young ± smart and budding professionals with new idea in their mind

enters in the company.

Last but not least the company¶s selection process is no doubt commendable but

still company should strive for overall excellence and this will be accomplished

only if the company will switch over to new ideas, thoughts and conceptions that

are being practiced by other corporate conglomerates and strategic HR managerial

concepts should be brought in, modified and tailored according to the personnel¶s

psyche, and dynamics and job profiles so that main objective of selection of the

candidates could be achieved.

SUGGESTIONS



126

Manpower requirement for each department in the company is well identified

and well conceptualized with proper planned strategy well inadvance.

If the manpower requirement is high and the recruitment team of the HR

department alone cannot satisfy it, then attempt should be made for back sourcing

or outsourcing and take help from the placement agencies if the situation so arises

and is need of the hour.

Time management is very crucial but essential and as such it should not be

ignored at any level of the recruitment and selection process..

The recruitment and selection process should be carried out from the

company¶s side and if the workload will be high and HR department could not

meet the exigencies then they would take the assistance of outsourcing agencies

or through placement agencies as the end of the last resort. This extreme step is

applied or followed only when need arises and situation decries for the same..

The recruitment and selection procedure should not to lengthy and time

consuming which will hampers for the selection of talented and skilled personnel

who may or may not adhere to these encumbrance.

The candidates called for interview should be allotted proper and scheduled

timings and it should not overlap with each other.

BIBLOGRAPHY



127

y C.B Mamoria and S.V. Gankar (2004), Personal Management Text and

Cases. Himalaya Publication.

y K.Aswahthappa (2001),Human Resource and Personnel Management

y Human Resource Management, (2005), Dr.P.C. Pardeshi

y C.B. Gupta (2005)

y www.americanexpress.com

y www.google.com



128

ANNEXURE

Questionnaire

Name of the Organization: -American Express India Pvt. Ltd.



129

Name Of the HR Manager: RichaPathak

Workforce (No. of Employees): 2200

Nature Of work: Customer Service through different channels

Q1: When are the resources need and forecasted?

Quarterly

Monthly

Annually

Not fixed

Q2: How is the resource need forecasted?

«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

«««««««««««««««««««««. ««««««««««.

Q3: How do you rate the recruitment procedure?

Short

Average

Long

Very Long

Cant say

Q4: What is the process you follow for recruitment and selection? People explain

the same in brief?



130

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Q5: Which method do you mostly prefer from the following for recruitment and

selection?

Direct Method

Indirect Method

Third Party

Q6: What sources you prefer for recruitment and selection?

Internal sources

External sources

Both

Q7: What are the sources for internal sourcing among the following -:

Present permanent employees Present temporary employees

Retrenched / Retired / employees

Deceased / disabled / employees

Q8: What are the sources for external recruitment among the following

Campus interviews

Placement agencies

Private employment agencies

Public employment agencies

Professional associations



131

Data bank

Casual applicants

Other, if any please mention

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Q9: Which is the most successful method for recruitment?

«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

10: How many rounds of interviews are conducted?

1-3

3-5

More than 5

Q11: Are you satisfied with round of interviews conducted?

Yes

No

To some extent

Cant say

Q12: What form of interview did you prefer?

Personal Interview



132

Telephonic Interview

Video Conferencing

Any two (then tick those two)

All three

Q13: Are you satisfied with the interview process?

Yes

No

To some extent

Q14: If no then what is the reason? And suggest the measures to be taken for

improvement?

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

««««««««««««««««««««« ««««««««««

Q15: Are you satisfied with the present method being followed by the company

for recruitment and selection?

Yes

No

Q16: If no, what steps would you prefer, to make improvement?

«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««



133

««««««««««««««. ««««««««««««««««««

Q17: Are the aptitude test conducted

Yes

No

Till some extent

Cant say

Q18: If yes then it is for

Fresher

Executives

Other (specify)

«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

««««««« «««««««««««««««««««««««««..

19: Do you conduct any of these test?

Psychometric test

Medical test

Reference test check

Other (specify)

«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Q20: How do you rate the HR practices of the company?



134

Very Good

Good

Average

Bad



THE END

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