Psychological Interventions in Patients with Cancer

Psychological Interventions in Patients with Cancer Introduction Patients with cancer may experience comorbid conditions such as anxiety and depression, and symptoms including fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Anxiety and depression are both very common and it has been estimated that 16–25% of newly diagnosed cancer patients experience either depression or depressed mood (DSM-IV criteria) (Sellick 1999). Studies in women with breast cancer have shown that up to 30% develop psychological morbidity (either anxiety or depressive disorder) within one year of diagnosis (Bleiker 2000; Maguire 2000). Cancer-related symptoms are also very common. As many as 70–80% of all cancer patients receiving chemotherapy experience nausea and vomiting (Lindley et al. 1989; Morrow 1992) and 78% of patients are estimated to be affected by fatigue (Ashbury et al. 1998), in particular those with advanced cancer and those receiving radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment (Ahlberg et al. 2003; Jacobsen et al. 2007), where symptoms may persist even after treatment has finished (Servaes et al. 2002). The use of psychological interventions can be beneficial in the management of cancer-related conditions and symptoms and may result in improved quality of life and better long-term outcomes (Devine and Westlakes 1995). Psychological interventions may be classified into four groups (which also include broader psychosocial interventions) as described below (Fawzy et al.1995; Greer 2002; Edwards et al. 2004): Cognitive behavioural interventions involve the identification and correction of those thoughts, feelings and behaviours that may be involved in the development and/or maintenance of cancer-related symptoms or conditions (Jacobsen 1998). Individual psychotherapy interventions involve one-to-one interaction between patient and therapist, aimed at reducing feelings of distress and increasing the patient’s morale, self-esteem and ability to cope (Fawzy et al. 1995) Educational interventions provide patients with information about cancer, ways of coping with the disease and what resources are available to help them, with the aim of reducing commonly experienced feelings such as inadequacy, confusion, helplessness and loss of control (Fawzy et al. 1995). Group interventions may be either patient led or led by healthcare professionals and serve to provide social support for cancer patients (Leszcz and Goodwin 1998). One intervention within this category, supportive-expressive group therapy, involves building bonds, expressing emotions, improving the relationship between patient and healthcare professional and improving coping skills (Edwards et al. 2004). It is also important to consider the effectiveness of other interventions, such as the use of complementary therapies, which may be used alongside psychological interventions to achieve a greater improvement in cancer-related conditions and symptoms than those obtained using psychological interventions alone. This paper reports the process and findings of a literature review performed to identify and evaluate published literature on psychological interventions in patients with cancer, and other interventions that may also be effective in achieving improved psychological outcomes, together with a discussion of how the evidence gathered may guide informed decision-making on best clinical practice. Data sources and search strategy Electronic searches were performed on the Medline, CINAHL and PsychINFO databases for English language articles published between 1998 and 2008. Search terms included cancer AND intervention OR cancer AND therapy plus education OR patient education OR educational OR cognitive behavioural OR cognitive OR psychotherapy OR psychological OR supportive-expressive OR supportive OR group psychotherapy. For each trial, the quality of both the trial itself and the report in the published literature were assessed. Literature review Main results Well-designed, single or multicentre, randomised controlled trials involving large study samples were selected for inclusion, together with systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Only UK published literature was originally planned for inclusion; however, due to the limited number of high quality, well-designed studies identified, searches were performed again to identify suitable non-UK articles. Summary of studies selected Cognitive behavioural interventions One randomised controlled trial and one systematic review were identified from the UK-published articles found during the electronic searches. The randomised controlled study by Moynihan et al. investigated the use of adjuvant psychological therapy in 73 men with newly diagnosed, non-suicidal men with testicular cancer (Moynihan et al. 1998). This is a cognitive behavioural treatment programme designed specifically for patients with cancer. The therapist was a mental health nurse with experience of caring for testicular patients and who was trained in adjuvant psychological therapy techniques. Outcome measures included validated self-completed questionnaires such as the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the mental adjustment to cancer scale and the psychosocial adjustment to illness scale. The treatment group showed a minimal reduction in anxiety after 2 months and when adjustment for histology, stage of disease and type of treatment was made, the observed effect was not signifi cant. No between group differences in depression scores were observed after 2 months. After 1 year, control patients actually achieved better anxiety and depression scores than those in the treatment group. This study therefore concluded that there was no benefit from the use of adjuvant psychological therapy in men with testicular cancer. The systematic review performed by Richardson et al. evaluated the use of hypnosis for nausea and vomiting in patients with various types of cancer (Richardson et al. 2006). Study participants were children in 5 of the 6 randomised controlled studies selected. Meta-analyses demonstrated a large effect size of hypnosis compared with standard treatment, and this effect was at least as large as that achieved with cognitive-behavioural therapy. Limitations of this review were that the sample sizes of the studies included were small, and some of the studies were poorly described in the published literature. As the majority of the studies were conducted in children, further research is needed in adults to confirm these findings. A number of non-UK published studies evaluating the use of cognitive-behavioural training in patients with cancer were also identified. A randomised controlled study conducted by Korstjens et al. investigated the effects of physical plus cognitive-behavioural training compared with physical training alone on quality of life in 147 patients with various cancers who had completed treatment (Korstjens et al. 2008). Quality of life was measured using the RAND-36. After 12 weeks, there were no differences between groups in quality of life. It can therefore be concluded that adding cognitive-behavioural training had no added benefit on cancer survivors’ quality of life compared with physical training alone. Individual psychotherapeutic interventions Fenlon et al. conducted a randomised controlled trial to investigate the effect of relaxation training in reducing the incidence of hot flushes 150 women with primary breast cancer (Fenlon et al. 2008). Study participants in the treatment group received a single relaxation training session in conjunction with the use of practice tapes. Outcome measures included a patient diary and validated measures of anxiety and quality of life. After 1 month, the incidence and severity of hot flushes were significantly reduced (p Educational interventions A randomised controlled trial by Ream et al. evaluated an educational support intervention (i.e. investigator-designed information pack) for fatigue in 103 chemotherapy-naà ¯ve cancer patients. Additional psychological support was also provided by nurses. After 3 months, the intervention group reported significantly less fatigue, lower levels of anxiety, depression and distress, and better adaptive coping (all p Jones et al. carried out a randomised trial to investigate whether different types of educational information could increase interaction between the patient and others, thereby improving emotional support and psychological well-being (Jones et al. 2006). A total of 325 patients with breast or prostate cancer who were about to begin radiotherapy participated in the study. Patients were given either a general information booklet on cancer or else a booklet containing personalised information. Outcome measures included the use of Likert scales to score answers to questions on anxiety and depression (non-validated) and Helgeson’s social support questionnaire. Results showed no differences between groups in anxiety or depression scores but patients who received personalised information reported that they were more likely to show their booklet to others and believe it helped in discussions. These findings suggest that this type of intervention may have the potential to improve emoti onal well-being by increasing the levels of support patients receive from others. A systematic review conducted by Smith et al. evaluated the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction as supportive therapy (Smith et al. 2005). This is a highly-structured psycho-educational, skill-based therapy that combines mindfulness meditation with hatha yoga. Two randomised controlled and four uncontrolled trials were selected which used self-reported outcome measures for mood, stress, anxiety and quality of life. Study findings showed improvements in mood and sleep quality and reductions in stress in patients following the use of this intervention. However, the studies included in this review largely involved small sample sizes and may therefore be underpowered. Furthermore, the quality of the written study manuscripts was variable; for example, some contained limited descriptions of the randomisation process and a lack of methods on sampling and participant recruitment. While these results are encouraging and suggest that mindfulness-based stress reduction may be e ffective as a self-administered intervention for cancer patients, further research conducted through well-designed, randomised controlled trials is needed to confirm these preliminary findings. Group psychological interventions A non-UK published study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of hospital psychosocial support groups on emotional distress and quality of life in 108 women with breast cancer (Schou et al. 2007). Outcome measures involved the use of the validated Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the EORTC quality of life questionnaire. After 12 months, the prevalence of anxiety was significantly lower among group participants than in non-participants (19% vs 34%; p=0.04). These findings suggest that psychosocial support appears to have a long-term benefit on anxiety although the effects of this intervention on depression and quality of life were inconclusive in this study. Another non-UK published randomised controlled trial has been conducted to investigate the effect of supportive-expressive group therapy compared with educational materials on distress in 125 women with metastatic breast cancer (Classen et al. 2001). Participants were offered either one year of weekly group therapy plus educational materials or educational materials only. Outcome measures included the Profile of Mood States (POMS) to assess mood disturbance and Impact of Event Scale (IES) to assess change over time in trauma symptoms. Patients who received weekly therapy showed a significantly greater decline in traumatic stress symptoms than those in the control group but no between group differences in mood disturbance were observed. It can be concluded that supportive-expressive group therapy may offer some benefit in reducing distress in women with metastatic breast cancer. Complementary/alternative interventions Wilkinson et al. conducted a multicentre randomised controlled trial to investigate the effectiveness of aromatherapy massage in the management of anxiety and depression in 288 patients with cancer diagnosed with clinical anxiety and/or depression (Wilkinson et al. 2007). Patients were randomised to receive either a course of aromatherapy massage plus usual supportive care or supportive care only. Outcome measures included the validated State Subscale of the State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale. At 6 weeks post-randomisation, patients who received aromatherapy massage showed a significant improvement in clinical anxiety and/or depression compared with those receiving standard care only (p=0.001) but this effect was not sustained at 10 weeks post-randomisation (p=0.10) Patients receiving the aromatherapy intervention also recorded a greater improvement in self-reported anxiety at both 6 and 10 weeks than those in the control group (p=0.04). These results suggest that although aromatherapy massage may not confer long-term benefits to patients with cancer, short-term benefitsmmay be seen. Strengths and weaknesses of this literature review As previously stated, one of the major limitations of this review was that the original searches only included UK-published articles. As a lack of good quality published research was identified, further searches were conducted to identify suitable non-UK articles to include in the review. Although a number of studies were selected that recruited participants with various types of cancer, several studies involved patients with only breast cancer and only one study was conducted in men only. It may therefore be argued that the scope of this review was too narrow. One of the systematic reviews which were included (Richardson et al. 2007) involved small studies which were sometimes poorly designed or poorly written up. The findings of this systematic review should therefore be treated with caution until supported with data from randomised controlled trials. The strengths of this review are that well-designed randomised controlled trials were included, with sample sizes large enough for adequate power. The reports of these trials were generally good quality and comprehensively written with a logical flow. The aims and/or objectives were clearly stated, and descriptions of study design, participant recruitment and selection, and the randomisation process were included. Many of the outcome measures used were validated instruments, a description of all measures was included and appropriate statistical analyses were used to analyse the data. Implications for clinical practice Previous research and systematic reviews have reported conflicting findings on whether psychological interventions for patients with cancer are beneficial or not (Greer 2002; Edwards et al. 2004). The current review also presents conflicting data on the benefits of psychological interventions in cancer patients. Two of the studies selected presented evidence that cognitive behavioural interventions provide no added benefit to cancer patients. Interestingly, a systematic review concluded that hypnosis may be beneficial but many of the studies were conducted in children so whether these findings are also observed in adults requires further investigation. Individual psychotherapeutic interventions such as relaxation training may be beneficial for breast cancer patients in reducing distress although no improvement in anxiety or quality of life was observed. The effectiveness of these types of interventions in men and in patients with other types of cancer requires further research. Educational interventions and group psychological interventions produced the best outcomes of all the psychological interventions evaluated. In particular, the use of educational booklets and information packs, either used alone or in conjunction with psychological support, may result in improvements in psychological and emotional well-being in patients with cancer. Again, further research is needed to determine whether these types of interventions are beneficial in patients with all types of cancer. Psychosocial support groups and supportive-expressive group therapy have both been shown to be beneficial in women with breast cancer, particularly in reducing anxiety and distress. Further evidence is needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of these interventions in men. Complementary and/or alternative treatments such as aromatherapy may play a role as adjuvant therapies and can be beneficial in the short-term management of anxiety and depression in cancer patients. Conclusions This review has provided evidence that certain psychological interventions such as educational and group interventions may provide some benefit to cancer patients in the management of cancer-related conditions and symptoms including anxiety, depression, fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Both short- and long-term improvements in quality of life and emotional well-being may be achievable using these interventions but further research is needed to provide the evidence to guide best practice. Psychological and psychiatric support services are currently unable to meet demand from oncology services and the oncology nurse is ideally placed to play a key role in the provision of psychological care and support for cancer patients, either directly or as part of a multidisciplinary team. For example, educational interventions such as information leaflets can be developed and provided to patients by the oncology nurse, who would also able to lead group therapy sessions. It is essential that the nurse has sufficient knowledge of the most appropriate psychological intervention to use for patients and the skill and expertise to implement this effectively to ensure a successful outcome. Bibliography Ahlberg, K., Ekman, T., Gaston-Johannson, F., Mock, V. 2003, ’Assessment and management of cancer-related fatigue in adults’, Lancet, vol. 362, pp. 640–50. Ashbury, F.D., Findlay, H., Reynolds, B., McKerracher, K. A., ‘A Canadian survey of cancer patients’ experiences: are their needs being met? Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 298–306. Bleiker, E. M., Pouwer, F., van der Ploeg, H. M., Leer, J. W., Ader, H. J. 2000, ‘Psychological distress 2 years after diagnosis of breast cancer: frequency and prediction’, Patient Education and Counselling, vol. 40, pp. 209–17. Classen, C., Butler, L. D., Koopman, C., Miller, E., DiMiceli, Giese-Davis, J., Fobair, P., Carlson, R. W., Kraemer, H. C., Spiegel, D. 2001, ‘Supportive-expressive group therapy and distress in patients with metastatic breast cancer’, Archives of General Psychiatry, vol. 58, pp. 494–501. Devine, E. C. Westlakes, S. K. 1995, ‘The effects of psychoeducational care provided to adults with cancer: met-analysis of 116 studies’, Oncology Nursing Forum, vol. 22, vol. 9, pp. 1369–81. Edwards, A. G. K., Hulbert-Williams, N., Neal, R. D. 2008, ‘Psychological interventions for women with metastatic breast cancer’, The Cochrane Library, issue 2, CD004253. Fawzy, F., Fawzy, N., Arndt, L., Pasnau, R. 1995, ‘Critical review of psychosocial interventions in cancer care’, Archives of General Psychiatry, vol. 52, pp. 691–9. Fenlon, D. R., Corner, J. L., Haviland, J. S. 2008, ‘A randomized controlled trial of relaxation training to reduce hot flashes in women with primary breast cancer’, Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 397–405. Greer, S. 2002, ‘Psychological intervention. The gap between research and practice’, Acta Oncol, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 238–43. Jacobsen, P. Hann, D. 1998, Cognitive-behaviour interventions. In: Psycho-oncology, Holland, J. (ed), Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 717–29. Jacobsen, P. B., Donovan, K. A., Vadaparampil, S. T., Small, B. J. 2007, ‘Systematic review and meta-analysis of psychological and activity-based interventions for cancer-related fatigue’, Health Psychology, vol. 26, no. 6, pp. 660–7. Jones, R. B., Pearson, J., Cawsey, A. J., Bental, D., Barrett, A., White, J., White, C. A., Gilmour, W. H. 2006, ‘Effect of different forms of information produced for cancer patients on their use of the information, social support, and anxiety: randomised trial’, British Medical Journal, vol. 342, pp. 942–8. Korstjens, I., May, A. M., van Weert, E., Mesters, I., Tan, F., Ros, W. J., Hockstra-Weebers, J. E., van der Schrans, C. P., van den Borne, B, ‘Quality of life after self-management cancer rehabilitation: a randomized controlled trial comparing physical and cognitive-behavioural training versus physical training’, Psychosomatic Medicine, vol. 70, no. 4, pp. 422–9. Leszcz, M. Goodwin, P. 1998, ‘The rationale and foundations of group psychotherapy for women with metastatic breast cancer’, International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, vol. 48, no. 2, pp. 245–69. Maguire, P. 2000, ‘Psychological aspects. In: ABC of Breast Diseases, Dixon, M. (eds), BMJ Books, London, pp. 85–9. Moynihan, C., Bliss, J. M., Davidson, J., Burchell, L., Horwich, A. 1998, ‘Evaluation of adjuvant psychological therapy in patients with testicular cancer’, British Medical Journal, vol. 316, pp. 429–35. Ream, E., Richardson, A., Alexander-Dann, C. 2006, ‘Supportive intervention for fatigue in patients undergoing chemotherapy: a randomised controlled trial’, Journal of Pain Symptom Management, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 148–61. Richardson, J., Smith, J. E., McCall, G., Richardson, A., Pilkington, K., Kirsch, I. 2007, ‘Hypnosis for nausea and vomiting in cancer chemotherapy: a systematic review of the research evidence’, European Journal of Cancer Care, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 402–12. Schou, I., Ekeberg, O., Karesen, R., Sorensen, E. 2007, ‘Psychosocial intervention as a component of routine breast cancer care – who participates and does it help?’, Psycho-oncology, E-pub ahead of print. Sellick, S. Crooks, D. 1999, ‘Depression and cancer: an appraisal of the literature for prevalence, detection, and practice guideline development’, Psycho-oncology, vol, 8, pp. 315–33. Servaes, P., Verhagen, C., Bleijenberg, G. 2002, ‘Fatigue in cancer patients during and after treatment: prevalence, correlates and interventions’, European Journal of Cancer, vol. 38, pp. 27–43. Smith, J. F., Richardson, J., Hoffman, C., Pilkington, K. 2005, ‘Mindfulness-based stress reduction as supportive therapy in cancer care: systematic review’, Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 315–27. Wilkinson, S. M., Love, S. B., Westcombe, A. M., Gambles, M. A., Burgess, C. C., Cargill, A., Young, T., Maher, E. J., Ramirez, A. J. 2007, ‘Effectiveness of aromatherapy massage in the management of anxiety and depression in patients with cancer: a multicenter, randomized controlled trial’, Journal of Clinical Oncology, vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 532–9. Table 1. Summary of main UK published studies selected

Explain What Aristotle Meant by the Final Cause. 25 Marks

Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher and empiricist, he believed in sense experience, as well as student to Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. Aristotle understood that the world around us is transient, impermanent. He believed that everything can be explained with his four causes and in order for humanity to understand the world we needed to use them. The four causes are Aristotle’s way of explaining the existence of an object, with the ‘final cause’ being the most important aspect of his theory as it gave the best explanation of an object.The final cause is the theory that all objects have an ultimate purpose for their existence, an important part of what it is. The route to the final cause is as follows, the first cause is the material cause, it refers to the matter of an object, it’s substance and room for change, so the material cause of a chair would be plastic and metal. The next cause is the efficient cause, this is what caused it, the agent that brought it about, for a chair this would be the manufacturer.Then there is the formal cause, the characteristics of an object, therefore the formal cause of a chair would be curved plastic seat with metal legs. Finally Aristotle stated the final cause, the purpose of something, it’s ultimate reasoning, and the chair’s purpose would be to allow someone to sit on it. Aristotle suggested that humans had the greatest potential of all things as part of their telos is to understand the world, learning the form and purpose of everything in the world. In addition, Aristotle brings in the concept of actuality and potentiality into his argument.Aristotle believed everything has potential and when it reached it’s potential end becomes something different it reaches it’s actuality. This then applies to the concept of the final cause, if everything has a purpose and, in the case of animate objects, realises it’s purpose, it will inspire itself to rea ch it’s potential and fulfill it’s function. Therefore the final cause was not only meant as an explanation that everything had a purpose, but an aspiration to create the thought that everything needs to accomplish it’s purpose and reach it’s potential.Where humans are concerned the final cause questions the telos of humanity. If humanity has not yet understood and realised it’s true purpose then how is it going to reach it’s full potential, according the Bible, humanity’s purpose is to follow the teachings of God and reach goodness yet science teaches us our purpose is survival. With these conflicting views it shows that Aristotle’s final cause can lead to many interpretations. The philosopher also said that when the purpose of an object is fully realised then full perfection is reached and it has achieved goodness, it has reached eudamonia.This means that the final cause is the ultimate cause, the cause of causes. As he was a student of Plato his concepts tend to link well to Plato’s, and in this case the idea that the purpose of an object is to reach perfection ties in with Plato’s theory of Forms and the Form of the good, with both philosophers acknowledging that everything has potentiality. Plato’s theory of Forms stated that there were two worlds, the world of appearances in which we live, and the world of Forms, and it is in this world of Forms where the all perfect Forms and Form of the good resides.Plato believed the Form of good is the perfect Form, it is eternal and all Forms in the world of appearances aim to achieve perfection and the Form of good. Aristotle acknowledged that all things in our universe are always trying to achieve perfection but he disagreed in the sense that these forms, that Plato said resided in another world, were what we see around us and substance and matter are what forms are made of.This links to the meaning of the final Cause as both Aristotle an d Plato believe and agree that everything in the physical world is striving to achieve perfection and this is it’s purpose, an example of this is of how technology is constantly advancing, each product progressing to achieve it’s purpose in new ways. Aristotle also understood that everything physical is transient, therefore if something was to move then another thing must have caused it to move.With the final cause he tried to figure out for what purpose was the movement was caused, and what was the actual cause of movement, when does potential become actual. Because if everything has a purpose and function, then this purpose and function had to be thought out and caused by something else, and this is what led Aristotle to the theory of the Prime Mover, with it’s purpose being the creator of the universe.Therefore the final cause also means the existence of God, it was another concept Aristotle used to not only explain the key factors of an object, but the objec t’s cause. If everything has a purpose then it must have a cause, and with Aristotle creating the idea of a Prime Mover, disregarding the theory of infinite regression, the only logical explanation for the cause of the universe is a God. Aristotle claimed the Prime Mover is eternal, actual and perfect, and only God could fit these characteristics.The final cause also ‘proves’ the existence of God as within the Bible it states that God has given humanity a purpose, and through the final cause we realise this purpose it true and therefore there must be a God or Prime Mover who caused this purpose. In conclusion there are many possible things that Aristotle meant by the final cause. It could be an explanation for each object and why it was created by ‘God’, but it could just as easily be an inspirational concept for humanity, by making sure we achieved our purpose by doing good and reaching our potential.Although the world is currently dominated by scie nce and it is seen as the only acceptable explanation and justification for everything’s purpose, the final cause offers deeper insights into everything’s purpose, especially humanity’s. Therefore I believe what Aristotle mainly meant by the final cause was just simple the explanation that everything had a purpose and that if humanity realised it’s true purpose and interpreted it as they would, then we would reach Eudamonia and full goodness.

Kfc strategic brand managemnt Essay

The fast food industry in Malaysia is saturated with players such as McDonalds, KFC, Wendy’s, Chili’s, Nandos and the like. The industry is relatively large in terms of the participating brands in fast food business. Fast food business is categorised according to the food served as well as their facilities and locations. There are restaurants selling specifically burgers, pizzas or only chicken, Mexican cuisine and many others. According the location, some restaurants are drive-ins whereas others provide in house catering as well as off premises catering.The market of the fast food business is stratified, but all in all inclusive of all groups of the society. As observed in many restaurants, they provide meals even for children, hence allowing all ages to enjoy their meals from the restaurants. Fast food business enjoys a high level of prominence in Malaysia as the trend of home cooking is currently on the fade, and the intertwinement of a busy life, promotes the fast foods as the reliable and available sources of food during breakfast, lunch and dinners. Moreover, the eating habits of Malaysians give a good breeding ground for the fast food industry to flourish as people are fond of food and eateries have become places where business deals are concluded as well as assignments completed, for instance Starbucks. As per this year, it is projected that the sales of this industry will jump up according with the increase of tourism as it is the proclaimed year of tourism; this will eventually see, the increment in revenues collected by the fast food restaurants as the tourists will add up to the current population in Malaysia. 1.2COMPANY OVERV IEW This study focuses on the brand of KFC or otherwise as known as Kentucky Fried Chicken. This is an international brand that hosts a large number of franchisees all over the world. KFC started in USA, and slowly infiltrated the rest of the world with its premier tasting chicken. In Malaysia, this brand started its operations in 1973; it has sustained a healthy growth over the years with many outlets being opened all around. With the introduction of ‘Meals on Wheels’, customers are able to be delivered food upon orders made through the internet or by the phone. The fast food business is very competitive as there is a stiff competition in securing market. The plenty number of fast food makes the competition even higher and harder, moreover,  it is not easy for newer businesses to penetrate especially if such a business does not do so with innovation. KFC has enjoyed recognition and surely it is a major brand. However with all the fame, KFC struggles with loyalty from customers. Customer loyalty is the tendency of customers having a strong purchase relationship with the business. Loyal customers are those who maintain purchases with the particular brand regardless of any changes. Customer loyalty can be expresses in two ways; either as a behaviour or the number of times that a customer comes back to purchase from the same brand. The increase of competition may be attributed as one of the causes that lead the decrease of loyalty. This is because the market is flooded with any options which a customer may be able to choose from. Moreover, innovative strategies and more value added service to purchases tend to decrease loyalty. The perception of service value is an important factor that builds or destroys loyalty. It has been an area where many brands have been concentrating on in order to keep in phase with the on-going competition. KFC has attempted to revise its menu and incorporate new stuff that will make its brand more adorable to customers. Initially, KFC has been centred on its 11 spiced recipe of chicken. The core product I KFC is its fried chicken; over time, the brand has added burgers, pokkits, rice and potatoes to its menu so as to improve the menu by diversifying what they offer. 1.3BRAND A brand is termed as an identification of a particular product or service that is specifically different from other product. The study of brand equity and its management produces loyalty from customers that is highly associated with satisfaction. Brand equity that takes a customer centered approach enables the easy creation and maintenance of loyalty. Brand equity, as explained by Keller consists of brand salience, performance, imagery, judgement, feeling and brand resonance. Keller portrayed the composition of brand equity in a form of a pyramid where brand salience forms the base and brand resonance is at the apex of the pyramid. 1.4SALIENCE This is at the base of the pyramid, and in fact it is the foundation of a brand. This depicts the extent that a customer considers your brand during purchase. It deals with the situation whether your brand is recognisable or  even well thought of by customers. for the success of any brand, there is a need of having a strong salience amongst customers, as this wil affect the chances of your brand being sold or even adored by customers. KFC fares reasonably well with salience, as its products carry much recognition as well as they is generally accepted by the market. This is evident by the fact the chicken meals served there as it is distinguished for only selling amazingly tasting chicken. Brand salience consists of brand awareness and brand associations. Brand awareness is defined as the extent to which a product is recognised and recalled. Brand associations are the connotations that surround the product. As explained above, salience forms the base of brand management that eventua lly leads to loyalty and satisfaction. If at all a company lacks or has minimal salience, it is highly likely that it shall face much challenges to sustain its existence. 1.5PERFORMANCE Performance is on the second tier of the brand equity pyramid. After the establishment of the brand identity in the salient base of the pyramid, next is the performance and imagery. To further mark a distinction of a product from another, there is a need to highlight or show how the product performs, albeit its functions or in what way does it satisfy the need and desires of customers. Brand performance highlights its relevancy, value and service of the product. In terms of KFC, the performance is at the capacity of a meals restaurant where each meal is value added to allow the customers to enjoy partaking their meals. However, in the performance of the service, many flaws are identified in KFC that may amount to the decline in loyalty. Apart from the rich flavours of the food as expected, the service given is usually below expectation. There are usually long queues in the outlets as well as the level of tideness and cleanliness is a debatable issue. These factors give a low percepti on of the service given, hence a potential obstacle to customer loyalty. 1.6IMAGERY This term encompasses the image and personality of a brand. The image of the brand is what the brand projects or portrays to the customers whereas brand personality reflect on the values and visions that a product embraces. Actually, brand imagery is all about the definition of a brand. This is important as it describes the features and peculiarities tat are unique to  the brand alone. KFC attempts to project itself as a restaurant where a family can always have reliable means. On top of that, it has identified itself to be selling halal food; of which it is an added advantage with regards with the high number of population in the country consuming only halal foods. More so, it has identified itself as children-friendly by providing kiddies meal as well as areas where kids can host their birthday parties. In general, I has established itself to be a casual dining area where individuals can enjoy their meals in a relaxed manner. 1.7JUDGEMENTS These refer to the some of the responses from customers towards the products. This covers judgements in terms of action as well as spoken word on the product. Furtherly, judgements of the brand acts as a feedback mechanism to the brand by showing whether the customers as the sole market for the product are by any chance impressed with the products. KFC has been able to gather positive comments over te quality of service and the items on the menu, but there has been a slump in the feedback that has been received. Customers judge it as being an innovative compared to the other restaurants. This has pushed KFC to revise its menu items and introduce some tangible changes to the products, for instance the introduction of Zinger burger Reloaded, and in a bid to diversify their menu items, the introduction of more fish based meals in the menu. 1.8FEELINGS Feelings towards the brand work hand in hand with the judgements over the brand. This is more likely the satisfaction meter of a product amidst its customers. It addresses the potential feelings that are harboured by the customers to the product and the service altogether. The issue is whether it makes the customers feel all the positive feelings and emotions towards it. KFC is positively thought of by many customers as the meal is quite special in a way. Together with the corporate social responsibility program it has embarked on; the one of building homes for the homeless, the society does not repel it as it is a positive act. In addition to that, the number of employment it creates, alone, allows people to develop a positive outlook to it. 1.9RESONANCE Brand resonance is at the topmost part of the pyramid. It reflects the  relationship between the product and the customer. It expresses the level of attachment that a customer has to the product. More so, it points out the level of engagement the product yields on a customer. Brand resonance is measured in terms of its activity and intensity. The depth and extent of this engagement between the product and the customer result as the product of the salience, performance as well as the judgement and feelings bore by the customers to the brand. KFC seeks to maintain a high level of attachment of customers. However, it should be noted that, loyalty has a foundation in keeping the customers satisfied. The approval of the customer, in terms of the feedback from the customers help in the building of better channels where loyalty is groomed. 10.0RECOMMENDATIONS IMPROVEMENTS IN THE QUALITY OF SERVICE OFFERED. There is always room for improvement in terms of the services rendered by the company. The reluctance to improvements is costly. This is evident from the fact that retaining a customer is less costly compared to the conversion and recruiting new customers. With such knowledge, it is essential that operational activities are constantly under review as well as scrutinised for their performance. The review of feedback is necessary as it generally maps out the perception of the service by customers. Such improvements can be in the form of fast service provision as well as more levels of hygiene in the outlets. TRAINING OF STAFF in order to increase the responsive nature of the brand, there is a need to continuously train the staff of the company so that the product and services offered are distinguished from their high levels of credibility and performance; this is interpreted as good perception of the brand by the customers. KFC should implement the time to time checks and training to the employees to make sure the customers are attended to with utmost importance. BRAND MARKETING To improve on the loyalty of customers, it is suggested to reinforce the  marketing strategies undertaken by the company. Market strategies are based on the 4 Ps are Product, Price, Product and Promotion. An effective marketing mix will enable the brand to be positioned in an advantageous place. For the case of KFC, the brand manager may opt on placing more promotions and refining the product in order to better suit the wants of the customers. the marketing of the brand should aim at establishing satisfaction on the side of the customers so that loyalty can be promoted. INTRODUCTION OF DISCOUNT CARDS This suggestion directs to the introduction of cards or coupons that will offer discount upon purchase of the products. It may be a way of marketing, but it actually serves both purposes; marketing and loyalty in customers. These cards or coupon act like a link between the customers and the brand since the customers may view it as more economical sound to utilise the coupons or cards to purchase the same brand. In other sense, these cards give a sense of relation, making it fussy for customers to switch brands as they will consider this as the switching cost. FOCUS ON A REPEAT BUSINESS With the market competition set so high, it is crucial for a brand that seeks to maintain customer loyalty to gear the operational philosophy towards generating an atmosphere that encourage repeated purchases. The brand manager should focus every aspect of the brand to achieve this goal. This will help to maintain loyalty in customers as repeated transactions are highly encouraged. This can be in the form of giveaways, or free products when a certain number of purchases re made. For instance, KFC may offer free meal on the fifth visit to the restaurant. This helps in locking the customers in the restaurant. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT There is a need of assessment of the performance of the outlets in order to be able to raise the bar of standards higher, keeping in mind that satisfaction is key to customer loyalty. This assessment can be carried out by considering the comments of the customers s well as by assessing whether the key performance indicators are achieved in due time and thoroughly. In the scene of KFC, this is possible through the crosscheck and assessment of the outlets by putting a comments box where customers are free to leave comments with regards to the service they got. TEAMING UP WITH TRENDS The society at present is flooded with trends. This can be in the form of personalities, games or even movies. The teaming up with whatever is trending in the society puts the brand in a position where it hammers a competitive advantage over the market. For instance, McDonald’s is assured with loyalty from customers by the contract it as with te upcoming FIFA World Cup. KFC should follow suit with the sponsoring of a great event, and thus, it will also secure a great deal of allegiance from customers. CONCLUSION Customer loyalty is an advantage for a business because of two main things. First, loyalty asures increased revenues and sales and secondly, loyalty gives a prestigious feeling. Any flourishing business desires to be known by the population as well as attaining profits from the service rendered. KFC is a brand that is mature in the market hence, it has experienced times and times of revenues, however loyalty is slumping. The time is right for KFC to re-invent itself, not only on what meals they sell, but a wole change that will rejuvenate the business. This sort of changes aims to be innovative and strategic, and will target the operations of KFC as a brand. KFC should strive to have the competitiveness that is market wothy. References Garvin,D(1988),Managing quality: the strategic and competitive edge, Free Press, New York. Jacoby, J. & Chestnut, RW (1978), Brand Loyalty: Measurement and Management, John Wiley, New York. Loverlock, C. & Wirtz, J. (2004), Service Marketing, 5th edition, Pearson Education International, New York. Boulding, W. et al., (1993), â€Å"A dynamic process model of service quality: form expectations to behavioral intentions†, Journal of Marketing Research, Dyer, W., (2003) The Family: The Missing Variable in Organizational Research, Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, 27(4). Australian Oxford Dictionary, (2004), available at http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195517965.001.0001/m-en_au-msdict-00001-0051392 accessed on 12 April 2014 Huse, M. (2000) Boards of Directors in SMEs: A Review and Research Agenda, Entrepreneurship & Regional

Overview Of The Firstbank Nigeria Plc - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 31 Words: 9342 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? FIRSTBANK Nigeria Plc is one of the oldest financial institutions and indeed the largest retail lender in Nigeria, its the 1st bank to be established in West Africa. The bank was incorporated in Liverpool as a Limited Liability company in March 1894 with the name Bank of British West Africa. The bank was listed on the Nigerian Stock exchange (NSE) in March 1971 after which it acquired its name First Bank of Nigeria in 1979. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Overview Of The Firstbank Nigeria Plc" essay for you Create order Following the CBN induced industry-wide consolidation in 2005 the bank acquired its merchant banking subsidiary, FBN Merchant Banker ltd and MBC intl Bank Plc. FirstBank maintains a subsidiary in United Kingdom which has a branch in Paris, the bank also has representative offices in South Africa, China and Dubai through which it offers offshore financial services. Presently the Banks assets are in excess of N100billion. 1.2 THE NATURE AND SIZE FIRSTBANK as a leading commercial bank has the largest network of branches in the country, over the years the bank has continually reviewed its organizational structure and corporate identity in line with changing financial environment. Known for its uniqueness for being dependably dynamic and stability, 1st Bank has made for its self a name, a brand goodwill associated with fidelity and safety of funds. Being a key player in the nations financial-banking sector, Firstbank delivers a wide range of financial services to its numerous customers; the bank is well known for innovative changes in technological device and service delivery. Being the first bank to introduce a Biometric ATM i.e. an ATM machine that uses both pin no selection and finger prints to identify transaction buttresses this point. The bank through its acquired subsidiaries also provide other financial services and they include, insurance policies, housing schemes, asset portfolio management. 1.3 PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FIRSTBANK offers a wide range of wholesale, retail and consumer banking products and services in ensuring that it keeps true to its name as the 1st bank of choice in the country,. Our products include: Æ’Ëœ CONSUMER BANKING: Generic Savings Account, Current Account, First Premium Term Deposit, First Savings Plus Account, First Hifi (Children) Account, First Current Plus Current Account(with zero COT), FIRST Current Business Account, First Dom Account, First Instant Savings Account. All accounts have the flexibility of over the counter withdrawals given the new CBN policy, ATM cards, Dividend warrants lodgment and access to E-Banking services. . Æ’Ëœ WHOLESALE BANKING: The services and products therein are further divided into ASSET PRODUCTS: They include- Term loans, Overdraft, Oil and Gas contract finance(OGCF), Bankers Acceptance, Commercial Papers, Bills Discounting, Project Finance, Equipment Leasing etc, INTERNATIONAL TRADE FINACE: Includes but not limited to- Import finance, Export Finance, Clean lineconfirmation, Letters of Credit, Bills for Collection, Forex Trading Invisible RemittancesPayment for Services. Æ’Ëœ E- BANKING: First Online which allows you to transact business online at the comfort or your home or offices. First Alert-Instant notification on your account First Mobile-Access to your account through you phone, it includes buying of airtime and payment of utility bills. First Pay and First Collect-effect payment and several collection to and from your merchants. FIRST CARDS : Debit and Credit cards which include- MasterCard, FirstBank Naira MasterCard, First Cash Card, Visa Card (Gold, Classic and Infinite), Visa Credit Card. Notice that all cards issued by the bank comes with FIRSTBANK brand name- FIRST FIGURE 1C:UsersDanielDesktopCYNTHIAFirstBank MasterCard.jpg C:UsersDanielDesktopCYNTHIAVISA_GOLD2.gif C:UsersDanielDesktopCYNTHIAFirstCash Card.jpg Æ’Ëœ MONEY TRANSFER: FIRSTBANK offers funds transfer services locally and internationally through mediums like- First Domestic Transfer, Western Union, Money Gram and RIA. Æ’Ëœ OTHER SERVICES: Other services rendered by the bank includes- Agricultural Financing, FIRST Diaspora banking services for Nigerians in Diaspora and Bills Payment for prompt settlement of utility bills(e.g. PHCN, Water and DSTV) 1.4 VISION, MISSION AND ESSENCE Vision: To be the clear leader and Nigerias bank of first choice Mission: To remain true to our name by providing the best financial services possible Essence: The DNA of the FirstBank brand lies in its strength, size and dependability, typified by its brand icon, the African Elephant. Our brand essence is therefore Dependably Dynamic which is a holistic representation of our past, present and the future of FirstBank. 1.5 CORE VALUES The core values of FirstBank are coined in an acronym for quick recall and living by the guiding principle TELL SPIC Team Work Everyday a better way, the team spirit is embedded in our culture as the best possible way to work. Ethics The good will of the bank is to be maintained as you deal with both internal and external customers, ensuring that the client leaves your office satisfied. Loyalty the essence of brand name and its very existence evolves in loyalty to our customers, Firstbank has been in existence for generations and loyalty to our customers is what makes us tick. Superior Performance To strengthen the banks brand, leverage and upscale the customers experience through delivery of excellent services. Professionalism To revolutionize the Banks operations in line with the dynamics of the operating environment while ensuring that we provide the best financial services unmatched. Integrity Adopt high ethical values to guide the conduct of all bankin g business and transactions in conformity with all relevant regulatory requirements. Customer Centricity The customer is the king and the reason we are in business, their demands should be met in line with banks policy 1.6 OUR BRAND PILLARS LEADERSHIP Our statusability as truly the 1st and No1 SAFETYSECURITY- Security of fundsInvestments, job security, Integrity. ENTERPRISE Resourcefulness, Tenacity SERVICE EXCELLENCE Efficiency, Performance focused, Reliability, Accessibility 2.0 PLANNING This chapter focuses on goal setting, study plan, expected difficulties to be encountered in data collection and plan to overcome these challenges. 2.1 OBJECTIVE OF THE ORGANISATIONAL ANALYSIS The objective of the organizational analysis is to specifically examine the current state of the Banks operational and structural framework, analyse the functional units and the interface relations and also recommend ways of improving the interface relations. 2.2 GOAL SETTING Goals setting involves establishing specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-framed (S.M.A.R.T ) target by an individual or organization. Goal focuses attention towards goal-relevant activities, revealing the objectives and strategies in which the goals can be met. Figure 1 below is the structured project plan for the organisational analysis. Activity Timeline 20-Jun-12 22-Jun-12 24-Jun-12 26-Jun-12 28-Jun-12 30-Jun-12 2-July-12 4-July-12 8-July-12 10-July-12 12-July-12 14-July-12 16-July-12 18-July-12 22-July-12 Review of BSN course material Data Gathering Data compilation Report writing Draft Report Review Sub-set meeting Review Update report Draft submission to set adviser Correction and final submission Figure 2: Project Plan 2.3 PROJECT PLAN Reviewing of the BSN course materials and EBSCO database to understand theory on organisational structures, data collection method and research report writing style. The internet (Google search and Wikipedia) comes in very handy in enhancing project plan. The objective of the data collection stage of the project is to gather relevant and accurate information, to obtain the participation and co-operation of the appropriate target population and to facilitate the collection and analysis of data. The targeted populations are staff of the functional units, staff of hub branches, heads of the functional units (department) and some strategic business units and staff of Human Capital Management- Head Office. The medium to achieve this includes- Informal Interviews, telephone survey, one-on-one chats with some members of the targeted population e.g. the heads of departments and staff of the Human Capital management because of their exigent duties. All perceived sensitive questions wo uld be handled through interviews (which are not formal) and not written questionnaires. The FirstBank Intranet and internet website will be used extensively to gather information on functional units and organizational structure while personal visits to the Head Office and hub branches will be utilized to objectively gather information on functions of various departments, interface relations and recommendations for improvement of the interface relations. Data compilation stage will include analyzing data collected and reviewing information from subset meetings and research report writing. Report writing stage would involve applying the reviewed data gained from the various materials and extraction of relevant information from FIRSTBANK intranet and periodic publications. Data structuring and report preparation will also be done at this stage. Reviewed responses from telephone calls and outcomes of informal interviews Discussed challenges with Set Advisor at subset mee ting and via phone calls. Update and revised document with necessary corrections. 2.4 DIFFICULTIES TO BE ENCOUNTERED IN DATA COLLECTION Questionnaires could not be used because of the banks policy on bulk mails or questionnaires related to work and business environment hence adequate data collection seemed impossible. Network challenges when accessing both the internet and the Banks intranet. Time constraint and the busy schedule of visited staff will also be a limitation. Insufficient time due to researchers official duties. 2.5 PLAN TO OVERCOME THESE DIFFICULTIES All perceived sensitive questions would be handled through interviews and not written questionnaires. Extra hours to be dedicated for accessing the Banks intranet while a substitute internet modem was purchased to curb congestion or delays on web hosts. Personal interviews will be conducted for staff with busy schedule, telephone calls and communication chat applications were also utilized for other staff Ensure proper time management. 3.0 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE AND CULTURE This chapter focuses on the theories of organisational structure and organisational culture. 3.1 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE Organisations exist to achieve goals; these goals are broken down into tasks as the basis for jobs. The term organisational structure therefore refers to the formal configuration between individuals and groups regarding the allocation of tasks, responsibilities, and authority within the organization (Galbraith, 1987; Greenberg, 2011). Said differently, The framework, typically hierarchical, within which an organization arranges its lines of authority and communications, and allocates rights and duties. Organizational structure determines the manner and extent to which roles, power, and responsibilities are delegated, controlled, and coordinated, and how information flows between levels of management. (Business Dictionary-Google). The structure of the organization can be defined simply as the sum total of ways in which its labour is divided into distinct tasks and the its coordination is achieved among these tasks /(Mintzberg 1983a) Very early organizational structures wer e often based either on product or function (Oliveira Takahashi, 2012). Others moved beyond these early approaches and examined the relationship between organizational strategy and structure (Brickley, Smith, Zimmerman, Willett, 2002). This approach began with the landmark work of Alfred Chandler (1962, 2003), who traced the historical development of some companies, He concluded from his study that an organizations strategy tends to influence its structure. He suggests that strategy indirectly determines such variables as the organizations tasks technology, and environments, and each of these influences the structure of the organization. More recently, social scientists have augmented Chandlers thesis by contending that an organizations strategy determines its environment, technology, and tasks. These variables, coupled with growth rates and power distribution, affect organisational structure. The Organisational structure as argued by Alfred Chandler can be seen in FIRSTBANK structure which was changed recently to suit the Banks intended strategy. The Bank in Oct 2010 had embarked on a re-structuring of its entire operational system and workforce, we can therefore deduce that Strategy determines organizational structure. A critical review of Mintzberg definition shows that it is not against the aforementioned, the design of every superstructure ends up as a compromise between the objective factors of work flow, process and scale interdependency, and the subjective factors of personality and social need. Organisations may be conceived on paper, but they must function with flesh-and-blood human beings. (Mintzberg, 1983). Hence for a critical analysis of FirstBank OA, the Mintzberg theory will be adopted. 3.1.1 ORGANISATIONAL CONFIGURATION Mintzberg claims that organisations are composed of five basic elements, or groups of individuals, any of which may predominate in an organisation. The design parameters determine individual positions (examples will be shown using FirstBank configuration) Operating Core: Staff or employees who perform the basic work related to an organisations product or service e.g.- Tellers, Customer Service Officer, Foreign Operations Staff Strategic Apex: Top-Management responsible for running an entire organisation. The Executive Directors and Executive Vice President of the bank sit at the Strategic Apex Middle Line: Managers who stand in a direct line relationship between the strategic apex and the operating core. They include the Group Heads, RegionalArea Office Managers. Techno structure: Organisational specialists responsible for standardising various aspects of an organisations activities eg- Internal Control and Audit, Compliance, Credit Risk Management(CRM) AND MANCO Support Staff: Individuals who provide support to an organisation outside its operating workflow.(I.T support, Security personnels) Mintzberg identified five organisational configurations, they however depend some contingency factors which include Age of the organization, Size Technical System, Environment and Power factors: Æ’Ëœ Simple Structure is characterized by loose division of labor, relies on direct supervision and finds its key part at the strategic apex Æ’Ëœ Machine Bureaucracy which relies on standardisation of work process, relatively centralized power for decision making; with its key part in the techno structure where the planners of the organisation reside. Professional Bureaucracy which deals with standardisation of skills and has the operating core as its key part. Divisionalised form -each division has its own structure, it centers on standardisation of outputs. Autonomous units are created to deal with entir e product lines, allowing top management to focus on large-scale, strategic decision. The middle line is key part of the organisation. Adhocracy, a highly informal, strong presence of mutual adjustment, organic organisation in which specialists work in teams, coordinating with each other on various projects. FIRSTBANKS structure like most large corporations is characterized by the divisionalised form of Mintzbergs configuration as various divisions (departments) are created by their product lines or end products. The techno structure is located at Head Office to provide services to all divisions; support staffs are located within each division like we have the IT support for each area and marketing assistants who are support staff assigned to each branch. Most of the operational activities are conducted by the middle line managers, department heads or unit heads and they all operate with some form of independence and centralization within their units. They coordinate the ou tput, acting between the strategic apex and the operating core. They also oversee the activities of the operating core and are expected to report back to strategic apex. The typical operational structure in a FIRSTBANK branch is divided into two divisions- i. The Operations Unit who are in charge of the everyday running of branch and attending to customers demand. The head of this unit is called The Branch Operations Manager. ii. The Retail or marketing unit who are in charge of increasing the market size and credit portfolio of the branch. The Business Manager heads this unit of the branch. Each of these units runs independently of each other with separate reporting lines even though they are situated in the same complex ant they form part of the whole group. Given the Banks ever evolving strategy in line with changes in market dynamics and technological advancement, the structure design is determined by the strategic planning and corporate transformation unit throug h the HCM department, stating unit and individual key responsibilities and the reporting lines. The final structure is then approved by the strategic apex and the statutory regulatory authority (Central Bank of Nigeria). Usually the bank makes the policies available on its local INTRANET and other periodic publications or circulars as organisational changes are initiated. 3.1.2 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE EFFECTIVENESS EFFICIENCY Effectiveness of a system is about doing the right things. Its about producing the intended or expected result, In measuring organisational effectiveness, the relevant question would be: is the organisational system doing the right thing for its survival?, is it focusing its drive on opportunities to produce revenue? Is it producing the output it needs if it is to survive? Efficiency of a system, on the other hand is about the inputs the system uses in order to produce outputs that is doing things right, accomplishing your tasks with a minimum of time and resource, It centers on performance and cost reduction. To thoroughly examine organizational success, both measures should be considered because productivity is a function of inputs to outputs which is the theme of efficiency and effectiveness. Efficiency should always be the servant of effectiveness.(BSN Phase 1, module IX, p 575) Looking at the Banks history and evolutions, one can boldly say that FIRSTBANK has achieved some level of efficiency and effectiveness. The total assets of the Bank as at Dec 2011 as published equals N,2463,543, total equity was N373,572 while the total Customer Deposits was N1,783,777,(figures are in millions).however there is room and need for improvement, the Bank lacks behind in mobilization of current account deposits and booking of credit facilities. These lapses deny the bank of some benefits which include increase in customer base and collection of float income from these deposits. The FIRST Instant savings account was introduced by the Bank to bridge this gap on deposit mobilization, this product however has not recorded much success because of the strict requirements, the deployment of FINACLE 10 Banking solution which is scheduled to kick off this year July is an Efficiency measure in order to reduce turnaround time, this I believe is coming rather too late. The strategic Apex of the Bank needs to review these points afore mentioned and reach a favorable con clusion so that the Bank can edge forward. 3.1.3 DESIGN PARAMETERS Mintzberg identified nine design parameters. By using these parameters the organisational designer can influence the way individuals are positioned in the organisation and the way groups or departments are formed. The design parameters are Job specialisation; Behavior formation; Training and indoctrination; Unit grouping; size; Planning and control systems; Liaison devices; Vertical and horizontal decentralization. The design parameters predominant in FIRSTBANK are: Job Specialisation: In FIRSTBANK, all job titles are specified, the roles to be performed, the job description, key competences and reporting lines are well explained for staff to understand. Job Specification for each job title is easily accessible on the intranet, it is the banks believe that job specialization increases employee productivity. Æ’Ëœ Training and indoctrination: In order to carry out task, employees need to possess particular skills and knowledge.(BSN Phase 1 Course Notes, pg 58 4). In FirstBank its a trend to continuously train staff on a need to know and improvement basis, this exercise forms part of appraisal marks to be awarded during year end performance rating. The heads of branches or departments recommend staff for training if a knowledge gap or improvement need is identified. Educational and career advancement is also encouraged. The Human Capital Management Development anchors this aspect of the bank. Given the ever increasing need for the aforementioned, the Bank has rebranded its HCMD training arm to be called FIRST ACADEMY. The essence is to inculcate the banks values, ensuring that their staffs are well grounded and ever ahead of industry trends. Indoctrination are done upon recruitment of staff be it new or experienced hirees in order to imbibe the banks culture and values into them. The unit grouping is an important design parameter in FIRSTBANK because it creates a system of supervision in which there is a reporting line, departmental , unit or group head for all strategic units of the bank, this encourages standardization of outputs. Firstbank adopts functional grouping Vertical decentralisation: Mintzberg (1983a, p.99) defines vertical decentralisation as the dispersal of formal power down the chain of line authority. FISTBANK adopts limited vertical decentralization. Heads of departments/units are delegated the power to control most of the decisions concerning their line units and such decisions are cascaded down to their subordinates, however they have their reporting lines and various limits. 3.2 ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE Culture refers to the underlying values, beliefs and codes of practice that makes an organisation what It is. The customs of an organisation, the self image of its members, the things that make it different from others are its culture. Culture is symbolic; Culture is unifying and refers to the processes that bind the organization together. Culture is rooted deep in unconscious sources but is represented in superficial practices and behavior codes. Deal and Kennedy (1982) argue that culture is the single most important factor accounting for success or failure in organizations. They identified four key dimensions of culture: Values the beliefs that lie at the heart of the corporate culture. Heroes the people who embody values. Rites and rituals routines of interaction that have strong symbolic qualities. The culture network the informal communication system or hidden hierarchy of power in the organization. Peters and Waterman (1982) suggest a psychological th eory of the link between organizational culture and business performance. Culture can be looked upon as a reward of work; we sacrifice much to the organization and culture is a form of return on effort. Schein (1992) says that organisational culture is developed over time as people in the organisation learn to deal successfully with problems of external adaptation and internal integration. It becomes the common language and the common background. Employee values are measured against organizational values to predict employee intentions to stay, and predict turnover. This is done through instrument like Organizational Culture Profile (OCP) to measure employee commitment (OReilly, ChatmanCaldwell 1991). However Daniel Denisons model (1990) asserts that organizational culture can be described by four general dimensions: Mission Strategic Direction and Intent, Goals and Objectives and Vision Adaptability Creating Change, Customer Focus and Organizational Learning Involve ment Empowerment, Team Orientation and Capability Development Consistency Core Values, Agreement, Coordination/Integration Denisons model also allows cultures to be described broadly as externally or internally focused as well as flexible versus stable. The model has been typically used to diagnose cultural problems in organizations. 3.2.1 FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE ORGANISATIONS CULTURE (FIRSTBANK) According to Schein (1992), the two main reasons why cultures develop in organizations is due to external adaptation and internal integration. External adaptation reflects an evolutionary approach to organizational culture and suggests that cultures develop and persist because they help an organization to survive and flourish. If the culture is valuable, then it holds the potential for generating sustained competitive advantages. Additionally, internal integration is an important function since social structures are required for organizations to exist. Organizational practices are learned through socialization at the workplace. Work environments reinforce culture on a daily basis by encouraging employees to exercise cultural values. Organisational culture is shaped by multiple factors, including the following: External environment Industry Size and nature of the organizations workforce Technologies the organization uses The organizations history and ownership The external environment to FirstBank includes the ever emerging competitors, the realization of this pushes the Banks management is forge ahead and be innovative. The increasing number of banks offering same products that Firstbank had exclusivity to buttress this point, exceptional service delivery and brand value/positioning are the keys to have an edge over others. Other aspects of FirstBanks external environment include the legal or statutory regulations which the Bank must conform with, the political, socio-economic dynamics of Nigeria. The workforce of the bank is considerably large in comparism to other banks being the bank with the largest number of branch network and emerging diaspora banking through its subsidiaries. Prior to the rebranding of the Banks workforce, 1stBank had a culture of mostly old staff and few young staff, in 2008 the bank retrenched over 900 staff especially those who had spent over 25 years in service, the management immediately embarked on recruit ment of new and experienced hirees who were relatively young, in addition to this, salaries were increased to suit the modern banker status. A new culture in that aspect had been achieved as 1stbankers were no longer distinguished by long suits and old staff. 3.2.2 FIRSTBANK CULTURE FIRSTBANK possesses a strong culture which is continually being improved. In the light of Daniel Denisons model of culture dimensions, FirstBanks mission strategic direction, goals and objectives, are clearly understood by members of staff. The Bank strives to make its staff live by its core values and this has so far helped the bank in terms of durability and goodwill. For the importance of the afore mentioned, FirstBank carries periodic mystery shopping exercise and branch spot checks to ensure that we live what we preach, hence staff are enjoined to move with the train. FirstBank adapts quickly to industry changes and are quick to identify a market opportunity hence they are most often the fore most bank for some products or innovations in the banking industry. Its the bank policy for staff to stick to a particular dress code, have the banks premises painted in a particular way and colour, have a products and services delivered to customers with the brand name FIRST and a uni que way of service delivery. All this distinguishes the Bank and a Firstbanker from every other bank or person. The Elephant is also a historic symbol of FirstBanks culture which represents stability and strength, like Peters and Waterman (1982) suggests, the strong culture of the bank has positively enhanced its good will and market share, however things can get better. There exist an area of improvement in the Banks culture as it is normally being discussed within its members that staff are not been sufficiently motivated, the slow promotion process is a major aspect of this. A review of the Banks choice to downsize its work force recently by way of retiring (and firing) staff (although with mouth watering incentives) buttresses this point. Firing on the base of culture Usually pointed as a source of creating family like environment, the notion of corporate culture is also used for firing, with this practice started from shoe company Zappos, which granted its fired employ ees with huge compensations afterwards.(Google- Wikipedia .As the corporate culture may mean almost everything, firing on the base of culture means the employer does not accept and desire to be inclusive for the culture of the employee and thus the employee does not fit in corporate culture, although this may fall in the ground of discrimination, there is still not law or case law resolving or addressing the question making this practice possible and available for businesses for now. Firing on corporate culture is a recent practice, from 2008. 3.2.3 CULTURAL TYPES Handy (1985) identified four(4) types of organizational culture and they include: Power culture: Entrepreneurial in nature, central control, quick to response, built on trust flexible. Role culture: Roles are more important than persons, functional, rule and procedure driven Task Culture: Cross functional, based on jobs and projects, networked, coordinationcombination of jobs around tasks. Person Culture: People are the central focus, controls are only possible where members agree. FIRSTBANK adopts the role culture, this is because the roles are seen before the persons behind it, and the workforce is also driven by rule (policies) and procedure. 3.2.4 THE PROCESSUAL APPROACH The processual approach is a translation model in which movements of ideas or objects reside in the sense making of people who are the active mediators of change. It consists of three main elements namely Politics (political activities within and without the organisation), The Context and The Substance of change. Alvesson, in his work proposes that there is a general movement towards dynamic and process based approaches. Although there is a variety and debate within such approaches, there is support for more processual approach that views creativity, innovation and change as an ongoing dynamic rather than a final end state. From this perspective, there can never be a simple magic bullet fir company success, as the context in which these processes are managed are themselves open to continual change. 3.2.5 MULTIPLE-METHOD APPROACH TO ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE (MAOC) Organisations are facing increasing pressures and competitiveness. Corporate restructuring, downsizing and reengineering are usual responses of organizations. The change is often made with explicit objectives of cost reduction and improved efficiency and effectiveness. Changes can go in different directions, they are either initiated at a top management level from where it is supposed to trickle down to other levels or it can be initiated at small work units from which it spreads to other units or departments. Change should essentially be bottom up if it is to be any success.(BSN Phase 1,Module X). When implementing changes, different styles might be used. Bate(1990) and Kirkbridge(1993) distinguish a hard approach from a soft approach. The hard approach simply boils down to coercive change strategies identified by Chin and Benne (1969) while the soft approach is like a normative educational strategy and a rational strategy. A combination of these approaches gives birth to th e following approaches which can be adopted by an organization: Æ’Ëœ Conciliative approach: Soft style, bottom up direction. This approach is characterized by consultation, flexibility, collaboration, and participation of teams since small changes are regarded as acceptable . It is useful when the changes to be carried through are not drastic. The opponents of this approach argue that it is slow and expensive. Æ’Ëœ Aggressive approach: Hard style, top down direction. It involves coerciveness, is inflexible, authoritative and radical. It is useful in crisis situations and as such is the last resort for organizations that want to ward off their impending downfall. Æ’Ëœ Indoctrinative approach: Soft style, top down direction. This involves training, socialisation and education. It is much more subtle than the aggressive approach as it uses indoctrination as its key in enhancing participation Æ’ËÅ “ Corrosive approach: Hard style, bottom up direction. This involves task orientation, work unit and structure. This method is fairly flexible and not too time consuming however its draw back could entail indecisiveness and thus create serious control problems. FIRSTBANK usually adopts the indoctrinative approach for its cultural change, this is because wide spread consultations are normally made, test runs conducted and feedback collated before the deployment of any major change. Staff are regularly encouraged to air their views on managerial issues most times with additional incentives to encourage participation 4.0 ANALYSIS OF THE FUNCTIONAL UNITS AND THE INTERFACE RELATIONS This chapter focuses on how the functional units are structured, the interface relation with the researchers functional unit and recommendations for improvement of the interface relation. Recommendations for improvement were based on the views of the sample data collected. FIRSTBANK operate a divisionalised form of structure, all units and divisions have unit heads who report directly to the group head and then unto the board, each unit is differentiated by their product or process function. The researchers functional unit is CreditTreasury Department of Coker branch, a division of operations group in FirstBank. The operations department has the responsibility of attending to external customer needs and performance of conventional banking practices (which include account opening, cash deposit and withdrawals, cheque requisition) through branch networks and departments, central clearing processes, e-business operations, foreign operations, domiciliary transfers and branch proc essing and cheque management. This group of the bank interfaces directly with both external and internal customers. The operations department uses FINACLE 7 banking application to carry out its activities on real time basis. This application enhances immediate reflections of posting on all branch networks in the country thereby making sure the customers need are met promptly. As a staff under the operations unit of Coker branch, the researchers functions include- Fixed deposit bookings, renewals, terminations and roll- over options. Treasury bill booking, termination and roll over options. Bankers confirmation and guarantees. Domiciliary account openings, closure, cash deposits and withdrawals. Foreign transfers and foreign exchange transactions. Maintenance of the credit portfolio of the branch etc. The researcher unit interfaces with other departments under the branch, other operational departments and other divisions of the bank. this is because most se rvices that are rendered under this unit is for already made customers of the bank who most have dealt directly or indirectly with other departments within the branch or the bank. As the credittreasury unit, inputs are derived from other units of the bank feedback is normally directed to the Branch Operations Manager as the head of the branch or to the Head Operations as the group head. The Credittreasury unit asides from Finacle 7 Banking application also utilizes the FINNONE application which is normally used to book, manage and terminate various term loans and credit facilities with regards to the credit policies of the bank. C:UsersDanielDesktopCYNTHIAPresentation2 JPEG.jpg Figure 4: FIRSTBANK organogram 4.1 HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT The Human Resource Management is about managing your Human resources that is your people, in a way that makes them perform in the best possible way. The human resource function guides and directs managers in managing people. 4.1.1 Analysis of the HCMD UNIT The Human Capital Management and Development (HCMD) as it is called in FirstBank sees the banks employees and workforce not just as a resource but also a capital in which it is a necessary tool for the banks business to excel. They perform the following activities as empowered by the management; Man power recruitment, selection, placement, induction and orientation, performance appraisal, career planning, promotions, transfer, discharges, retirement, training and development, rewards) RECRUITMENT, SELECTION AND PLACEMENT FIRSTBANK believes in hiring competent and efficient personnels to handle the affairs of bank, since these persons will be dealing directly or indirectly with the customer who they believe is the king, the very reason of our existence. Given vacant positions or needs to create one, the bank screens prospective candidates, conduct exams or interviews for them to shortlist to get the best possible persons for each jobs. Placement on the other hand is effected through promotion or transfer from within the organisation. Also when there has been a recruitment drive, and it has to be decide where the new employee with his needs and skills is most likely to match the organisations need then this too is called placement. STAFF INDUCTION AND OREINTATION Induction is a very important part of the employment process in Firstbank. however the extent of the induction process depends on the complexity of the job, and the employees experience When the employee has been selected and placed, he needs to be oriented and indoctrinated into our system. This program in our bank is called Basic Banking Pool Program where you as a new employee are assigned a mentor who will guide you through your pre-confirmation period and put you through issues that you may seek clarifications on. To the mentor you are regarded as a protÃÆ' ©gÃÆ' ©e. The BBP as it is called for short also entails a seven(7) day program in which most banking applications and workflows are taught however this is after the indoctrination program normally conducted by the bank for fresh graduates and this spans to 4 months. The process is conducted by the Learning and Development (LD) arm of HCMD which is now rebranded as FIRST ACADEMY. As part of induction process for new inductees, the Bank had introduced an action learning simulation for the staff; they were to be deployed to branches to learn branch departmental processes, during this period they were expected to work in every unit of the branch so as to understand various job functions and how these departments interface with each other. STAFF DEVELOPMENT The term training and development is used inter changeably. Training ensures that the person has the knowledge and skills to do his job. The method of training to be used should be related to the job to be done and the present level of skills of the employee. Upon completion of induction, employees are placed on a career plan which will be overseen by his mentor and immediate supervisor. Every staff has training and development as part of his score card appraisal hence it is necessary to periodically train the employee availing him of new dimensions in his job title, new job roles and ever changing market dynamics of the banking industry. Staff are encouraged to share the knowledge acquired in any training conducted by the bank, in-house training are also conducted in the branch or department level to as to ensure that everyone has a fair knowledge of products, services and functions. It is the policy of the Bank to invite for training any staff it deemed fit especially up on an envisaged knowledge gap or desired advancement, however in the real sense of it, employees are normally invited for training when your supervisor recommends you for one, in most cases in order to make you competent for a particular function which he desires or to make a back -up personnel for critical positions. Other cases could be for an employee to be trained on a new product launched by the bank so that he could in turn teach others. Performance Appraisal Performance appraisal is a structured and planned discussion between the manager and each individual employee about the persons performance over a period under review. In FirstBank, the main purpose of performance appraisal is to improve the employees performance in his current position and to prepare him for future responsibilities. The process start by allocating each employee to a supervisor which in most cases would be your direct line manager or immediate reporting line, the supervisor will in turn accept such employee as a subordinate and set performance indicator over a weighted average score. These performance indicators (P.I) are unique to a persons job functions. The application used to perform this is called PFMS(an abbreviation for Peoples First Management System).during appraisal, your supervisor is expected to award marks on the set P.I, he is also expected to allocate marks from range 1-5 to certain management questions in regards to the working efficiency of the employee. All these figures are added up and the staff total appraisal figure is derived. The uniqueness of this system is that your supervisor cannot independently appraise you because the appraisal cannot be forwarded to Human capital without your endorsement and approval, the allocated marks by the supervisor must be sent to the subordinate for approval or rejection before onward delivery to HCMD. These marks are normally used by the management in deciding credible staff to be promoted. The shortfall of the appraisal exercise in FirstBank is that it is very subjective in nature as most supervisors see it as a means to get back at subordinates who has issues with them. Most times the appraiser includes a line or two recommending that such staff should be promoted. According to management discretion, a PAY FOR PERFOMANCE (PFP)is usually paid based on some certain criteria which differs given each financial year. The PFP for 2011 financial year was paid to all core staff who scored 85 and above in the appraisal exercise. PERFORMANCE GRADE PERFORMANCE GRADE WEIGHTED AVERAGE COMMENTS 5 90-100 EXCEEDED SET ALL SET TARGET SHOULD BE GIVEN MORE RESPONSIBILITY 4 80-89 ACHIEVED ALL OBJECTIVES 3 70-79 ACHIEVED ESSENTIAL PART BUT THERE IS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT 2 60-69 DID NOT ACHIEVED ESSENTIAL PART, REPLACEMNT OR DEVELOPMENT IS ADVISED. 1 50-59 DID NOT ACHIEVE OBJECTIEVES 4.1.2 Interface Relation between HRM and ICT In order to book facilities for internal staff or staff of other organisations on approval list, the Human Capital Development must provide the staff loan history and loan credibility calculator, this shows if the staff is exposed to other facilities and indicates the borrowing power of the staff. In the case of other organisations staff seeking an advancement, the HCMD will get the afore mentioned through the HRM of that organisation. The employee who would be placed in Credittreasury table of any branch must be trained specially by HCMD. This is because the job function is perceived to be very critical and requires one with analytical mind and strong negotiating abilities. HCMD periodically trains the employees who work in this department, the CreditTreasury unit on the other hand attends to inquires of loan repayment schedule and outstanding of any staff as inquired by the HCMD. 4.1.3 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF INTERFACE RELATION Appraisals should be more objective in nature; there should also be room for feedback from subordinates of the appraiser. Loan requirements to be provided by HCMD should be received as fast as possible, possible work flows should be created in order to fast track the documents position at any given time. Training should be conducted regularly and not at the mercy or discretion of line managers. 4.2 ANALYSIS OF MARKETING AND STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Marketing is very fundamental in the success of on organisation. In FirstBank every staff is seen as a marketer because you are the first contact with the outside world and the customer relating with you sees you as the Banks representative. However for clear cut functions, the marketing function of the bank is handled by Product and Marketing units through the retail and corporate banking personnel. This is because products and services are classified for different clienteles. The strategic management of the bank lies with the Strategy unit who are under the CEOs directorate as the unit head report directly to the board. 4.2.1 Marketing mix The term marketing mix refers to the accumulation of marketing instruments that a specific organisation uses in order to meet its objectives within a certain market. With reference to FirstBank, marketing mix will point out those instruments and strategies the bank will employ in order to achieve its objectives. The core marketing mix consists of five kinds of marketing instruments: Product: A product is the packaging of a service which supplies a need of the buyer, it could be seen as anything that we can bring to a market to satisfy a need. The bank is not into sales of tangible products rather they are into rendering of various financial services. FirstBank has a pool of banking services it avails to its customers and it is their culture to be innovative by continuously improving upon these services rendered. When a particular need or market prospect is identified, the bank through its strategy team, product and marketing support team convert these need to a product which mos t times will be launched internally first before an external launch. Targets are then set for such new products with incentives or promotional items to enhance public awareness. Firstbank leverages on its brand name and goodwill when it comes to product launch success. Price: The price we choose has a certain influence in the goals which an organisation can have with a certain product, the influence may be a very good profit to the bank or increase in market share Firstbank determines its pricing factor by some given purposes which include: Survival, Current Profit Maximasation, Market Share Leadership, Maximum sales. The pricing of Fixed Deposit Account for example lies around 7-10% given different durations; this price is relatively low compared to that of other banks. This is because the management of the bank is some worth comfortable with its CASAA balances and hence feels that high interest should not be placed in the product. Pricing is also regulated by the re gulatory body (CBN), hence there is usually a range the bank can play around with. Place: This term refers to Distribution within the organisation; it entails the process that ensures the product reaches the consumer. FirstBank has the largest branch network in the industry. The management of the bank still identified a gap in distribution hence they came up with a distribution strategy called QUICK SERVICE POINT. This center is run in order to bring the bank closer to people, it is not run like a full fledged branch. Another distribution strategy is the opening of call centers with the brand name FIRST CONTACT, services rendered there can be accessed in the three major local languages of the country and in Pidgin English. A new sub unit was created April this year with the name Emerging Corporate Banking, they were saddled with the responsibility of reaching out to SMEs and corporations and selling the Banks products to them. Promotion: A good product, an attractive price and a good distribution channel are not enough if an organisation wants to be a frontline player in its line of business. The organisation must communicate with its present and future clients (BSN Phase 1, Module V pg 363). Customers must be aware of the existence of a particular product before they can buy into them. Advertisements, sales promotions, events sponsorship, branded T-shits(to be worn by staff),road shows, market storming, radio jingles and T,V adverts promotional items ang gifts are some of the strategy utilized by the bank to market its products. Personnel: The personnel that must sell and support the products for the organisation. Firstbank relies heavily on its staff to market or promote their products, everyone is a marketer is a common term used in the bank. The retail and corporate banking units has this function as their main task, and the units are defined because of the classification of products for different market segments. 4.2.2 SWOT ANALYSIS OF FIRSTBANK NIGERIA PLC STRENGTHS WEAKNESS Early market entry and domination High branch network Strong management team Strong organisational culture Strong Brand name and high customer base Slow decision making process Network challenges in simulation of banking applications Absence of strong internal control over banks operations. OPPORTUNITIES THREATS Leverage on cashless society policy of CBN Increase in diaspora banking activities and offshore business through acquisition of more foreign subsidiaries. Business Franchise with offshore banks so as to facilitate forex trading and grow income Possibility of diversifying into other sectors through acquisition of subsidiaries. Competition from other Commercial Banks Exchange rate fluctuations over FX trading Removal of exclusive rights for certain products Regulatory controls and tight governing policies 4.2.3 Analysis of the interface relation with Marketing and Strategy Unit The marketing/strategic unit actually creates the input for the credittreasury unit being the market created by their unit is being serviced in credittreasury unit. It implies that any product to be sold at this unit must be to an existing customer of the bank and not a new customer 4.2.4 Recommendations for improvements of the interface Relation The knowledge gap existing among the staff of Marketing/Strategic unit of how facilities or credit are actually booked is a major challenge. You cant sell what you dont know, hence on the job training is recommended for such unit in order to understand the dynamics of credits and treasury products. 4.3 OPERATION MANAGEMENT The Operations function of an organisation consists of all of those activities that produce what the organisation produces. It is the function that creates the value that its customers seek. It can be usefully thought of as using resources to transform input into the goods and services, which are consumed by customers. (BSN Phase 1, Module VI) C:UsersDanielDesktopCYNTHIAcynthia2223.jpg The operations unit in FIRSTBANK consists of the following: C:UsersDanielDesktopCYNTHIAcynthia222.jpg Foreign Operations: They handle all operational issues on foreign transactions ranging from forex trading, Letters of credit, bills for collection, Form M approvals, Shipping documents collection and RAR issuance through inspection agents, support services, biddings and transfer of forex transactions etc. these functions may be initiated at various branches but they must be consummated at Foreign operations unit situated at the head office of FirstBank. Domestic Operations: This operational group handle customers request on Treasury bill purchase and termination, cash management in branches (i.e. funding branches with cash to meet customers need or evacuation of cash when there is a surplus at branches), E-biz operations which handle production and issuance of all types of credit and debit cards that can be utilized within and outside the country. CENTRAL PROCESSING CENTER (CPC): Firstbank introduce a central processing center so t hat certain activities that are normally carried out at the branch level can be centralized in order to ensure credibility of process and decrease turnaround time. CPC handles admin services, retail liabilities ie booking of loans for retail classified customers and MIS reporting. BRANCH PROCESSING: They handle clearing activities which is the receipt, processing and transfer of other banks cheques through the CBN window. Printing and issuance of in house cheques for customers is also handled by this group in a centralized manner. regions: This where all branch networks fall under, the branch office report to area offices while the area office is managed by the regional office. Lagos regional office controls all branch operation staff in Lagos state. Other regions include South East, North East, North West, West and South South regions. The Operations Function in FirstBank contributes to increasing the banks competiveness based on its basic performance objectives which are excellent service delivery, reduced turnaround time (TAT). The operations group is the actual bedrock in the bank because in it lies all the processes and review in regards to customer request and interface, they are the ones that actually deliver the banks products to their customers. The operations function transforms most bank processes into finished goods that can be enjoyed by the customer. In the case where a customer may not likely come in contact with the operations staff, then the process may directly or indirectly be completed or imputed by the operations function. 4.3.2 Interface Relation between Operation unit and Credidttreasury Unit The Credittreasury unit in which the researcher works is actually a unit of Operations unit hence in this context the operations unit is regarded as a group while the other a unit. The researchers unit being a sub unit of operations carries out its functions through the supervision of the group. The job title, function are specified in order to ensure the smooth running of the bank. Worthy of note is the fact that departments or units do not work in isolation. In one way or the other the researchers unit interfaces with other units in the Operation group. As the credittreasury unit, all lox 4.3.3 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE INTERFACE RELATION Certain processes should be decentralized instead of being centralized, this is because even though the process was created to reduce TAT, it actually increased it since a certain process cannot start and finish in a unit. An example of this is in account opening process for a walk in customer. The account is opened with minimal information keyed into the customers file in the database but the process is not completed because the all documents in regards to such are collated and scanned to CPC which is the centralized unit for all the branch retail processes. They in turn now complete customers detail and conduct address verification which take days to achieve while the customer is deprived of access to his funds until the process is completed. This function should reside fully at the branch in order to shorten the process. 4.4 FINANCE The financial function is one of the functions of an enterprise that must be performed in a coordinated manner to realize the vision, mission and goals of the enterprise. The financial function refers primarily to the production factor capital and involves the flow of capital to and from the enterprise. In the execution of the Financial function, acquisition and acquisition possibilities (financing issues) and the employment and employment possibilities of capital (investment issues) are of particular interest. (BSN phase 1,Course notes module VII) The explanation above elaborates the core function of the finance department. The department is empowered to: Make financial analysis, planning and control Make investment decisions and management of assets Initiate financial decisions and management of liabilities Provide sundry financial services. This unit in FirstBank is headed by the Chief Financial Officer who is also a member the executive team and reports direct ly to the GMD/CEO being that they are empowered to carry out the above listed functions on behalf of the bank. This group handles Investor Relations, financial control, business performance monitoring and the internal control and reconciliation. On behalf of the bank it invests in interest yielding activities and also controls the expenses of the bank in regards to interest paid or collected on credits and facilities. Business Performance monitoring team of the Finance group heads the function of reviews of branch, area and regional performance in all key indicators. They however center on the income generation activities of the bank and how expenses are created through day to day running of service centers and interest payable on liabilities. The internal control arm of the group ensure compliance with regulatory/statutory laws in line with the banks policies, this is done by a Resident Internal Control Officer (RICO) who is an independent staff deployed to all branches and s ervice units. The Rico must authorize any loan facility or overdraft booking before it can be approved. They are seen as the eyes of the management in the branches. The objective of the Finance group is to ensure that there are no income leakages at any level, to detect report and escalate fraudulent activities, complete compliance with process policies. It is a popular phrase in FirstBank that The fear of Rico is the beginning of wisdom 4.4.1 Analysis of the Interface Relation with Finance Unit As earlier cited, no credit facility to be booked by the credittreasury unit will fly without the approval and endorsement of the Finance unit through the internal control division of the group. Fixed deposit bookings and renewals must be approved by the Rico and at intervals the activities carried out in the researchers unit is called-over by the Rico to ensure compliance. The Business Performance monitoring holds quarterly business meeting with operations as whole. The meeting records 4.4.2 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE INTERFACE RELATION The finance unit should understand that staffs are officers of the bank hence they are working for the common goal and interest of the bank. If this is imbibed in them, there will be better interface relations as against what was realized in the bank. Credit and loan interest rates should be left at the discretion of the CreditTreasury department or better still a particular range should be given to them so that they can play around the rates. This is because the researchers unit officers have negotiating and analytical abilities which is necessitated by their jobs and they understand market trends better, they are better informed of competitors activities as regards to interest rates than the Finance department. There is need for continuous training of the credittreasury unit staff in regards to the financial dealings, given ever dynamic and changing environment of the banking industry, continuous training is therefore essential for successful job simulation and better understa nding of any financial action initiated at the branch level. 5.0 CRITICAL DEVELOMENT SKILLS AND AREA OF IMPROVEMENT This chapter focuses on the analysis of the researchers management and leadership style, decision making and creativity, interpersonal skills and area of improvements. 5.1 MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP Management is working together with others or through others, in order to realise the goals of the company/organisation, while with leadership we mean every attempt to influence the behavior of another person or group, leadership is about guiding, developing and being a model for people in order for them to reach their goals.(BSN Phase 1Course Notes, module I Ch 3, p. 31).it is preferable for the modern day manager to be a leader because encourages the achievement of organisational goals, it also enhances the attainment of personal goals . A successful leader is one who achieves his managerial goals while influencing his subordinates to achieve theirs. The table below elaborates the researchers leadership style and areas of improvement. Preferred style Supporting Support style Coaching Style flexibility 19 Style effectiveness 32 Table 3: Leadership styles Weakness/Flaws of researchers Dominant Leadership Style-SUPPORTING The weakness of this dominant style is assumed high competence and considerable commitment of subordinates. The believes of this style include Staff can assume responsibility without directive Take initiative without instructions Staffs have acquired competence from previous jobs and have natural commitment and loyalty to the organisation. Plans on Improvement The plans to be executed include measures to develop the ability to patiently delegate, coach and direct, allowing people to learn from mistakes, supervise effectively, and hand over responsibility to them. The researcher should also diagnose the competence and commitment level of the staff and create a balance between them; he is to deploy situational responses for different personality without loosing cred