Innovative Products vs. Functional Products How Innovation in Small Business Can Make a Difference

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To generate creative business ideas, breakthrough innovators must be fiercely tested and wisely deployed.- – Jeffrey Cohn, Jon Katzenbach and Gus Vlak (2009)

Companies who -play it safe- in a product/production focused market can lose opportunities for innovative product development. For example, many small businesses involved in creating technology products have to choose between supporting functional or developing innovative products. Functional products can be best described as products that satisfy basic needs. Innovative products are typically cutting edge, highly improved or revolutionizing in nature. To ensure future success and revenue, managers or key decision-makers within an organization choose to remain loyal and focused on functional products. Although this may seem like a safe idea, disruptive change in the technology industry can swiftly eliminate the need for some of these types of products. Instead, small companies who seek to claim a stake in the highly competitive technology market must devote the time and energy to produce innovative products. In fact, the innovative products are often the disruptive catalysts that change an industry and create solid products for a company’s future. In a research article by Cotterman, Fusfeld, Henderson, Leder, Loweth and Metoyer (2009), companies with high internal approval for innovation in product development have higher rates of information retention, clearer performance indicators and a speedy development process. (pp. 16 )

Furthermore, innovators within company ranks must be recognized, fostered and groomed as integral pieces of a company’s success. Otherwise, companies will rest on their previous laurels and depend on success from aging products and technology. Cohn, Katzenbach and Vlak (2009) go further to recommend four steps companies should heed when seeking innovation in their products and companies. First, innovators should be given flexibility in the workplace, access to resources and managerial support. Second, mentorship programs should be made available to further develop innovative spirit among employees. Third, peer networks need to be established to help innovators cope with the pressure to perform and to bounce ideas off fellow employees. Fourth and lastly, place the innovators in the place where they can make to most difference in the company, the middle. In the middle, innovators are directly between front line operations and executive decision-making. (pp. 5-7) Innovative products are consistently being sought by ambitious businesses. A proven method to develop products is to foster, develop and implement innovation in employees. Companies will build their customer bases on functional products and continue to keep and grow customers throughout the future with innovative ones.

References

Sethi, R., & Sethi, A. (2009). Can Quality-Oriented Firms Develop Innovative New Products?. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 26(2), 206-221. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5885.2009.00346.x

Cotterman, R., Fusfeld, A., Henderson, P., Leder, J., Loweth, C., & Metoyer, A. (2009). ALIGNING MARKETING AND TECHNOLOGY TO DRIVE INNOVATION. Research Technology Management, 52(5), 14-20. Retrieved from EBSCOhost

Cohn, J., Katzenbach, J., & Vlak, G. (2008). finding and Grooming Breakthrough Innovators. Harvard Business Review, 86(12), 62-69. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Aquilano, N.J., Chase, R.B., Jacobs, F.R. (12Ed.). (2009). Operations & Supply Management. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Posted in: Innovation \ Tagged: , , ,

How Bruce Kovner Started With Only $3,000 And Ended Up Making $11 Billion Trading Forex

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Bruce Kovner was a NYC Taxi Cab Driver who didn’t have money to trade forex. So in 1977, he borrowed $3,000 on his credit card and started his journey trading forex and futures. He eventually made $11 Billion.

Many people don’t know his name. But he is a legend of forex trading who started with no money and ended up making a true fortune. This is a lesson to all those who procastinate and think that trading forex requires a lot of money. What this story shows is that anyone with determination can start trading forex with no money and end up making a fortune. Now, don’t take me wrong! This does not mean that you and me can repeat the success story of Bruce Kovner. What it means is that if we want we can also make a mini fortune something like a few million dollars in the next few years trading forex.

Forex is a huge market. Everyday something like $3 trillion get transacted in the global forex market. You too can take part in this global forex trading game and if you are really good at it claim your share.

How do you play a game? With determination and will power to win the game. This is exactly how you should also play the forex trading game.

Now, as shown by Bruce Kovner, you don’t need a lot of capital to play this game of currency trading. You can start with only a few hundred dollars and over time compound that small amount into a huge fortune.

However, what you need is the right methods and the right forex trading strategies. This requires determination, effort and learning on your part. But one thing is clear money is not important in starting forex trading.

What is more important is your mind, your discipline and your determination in winning the forex trading game. Trading is all about discipline and right strategies.

Let me give you another example of Richard Dennis. Richard Dennis is another trading legend famous for his Turtle Traders. Whatever, once upon a time, he was a small time trader. He started trading commodities with only $300. Guess, how much he made eventually in the next few years? He made $200 million plus. What these stories illustrate that all great traders had started small but they had the determination to succeed big. You too can follow in their footsteps. You don’t need money to trade forex, you only need determination and the right skills! Good Luck!

Posted in: Forex \ Tagged: , ,

Jump Starting a Small Business With Kickstarter

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If
your small business thinks it has the next great idea, but you need
some funding to get the project off the ground, Kickstarter might be for
you.

Kickstarter
is a crowd-funding website that lets entrepreneurs and business owners
showcase their next great product and convince customers to buy into it.
Of course, by essentially investing in the project, the customers, or
kickstarters, receive everything from a thank you from the inventor for
low contributions and the product itself for higher contributions.

Think of the television show Shark Tank, except the only investors you have to impress are actual customers.

Kickstarter
recently released some statistics showing how effective crowd-funding
on the site really is. To day, the New York-based company has received
pledges of $261 million off 60,786 projects. Of those 60,000+ projects,
44 percent have been successfully funded, meaning the entrepreneur
reached his or her goal going into the process.

“We’re big fans
of numbers here at Kickstarter and we’ve shared many Kickstarter stats
and trends on this blog,” co-founder Yancey Strickler wrote on the
company’s blog. “Those posts have typically been tied to milestones, but
we’ve always wanted a way to share our numbers consistently.”

The
site is now pledging more transparency to help the public understand
how effective of a tool it can be for small businesses and
entrepreneurs.

Projects on Kickstarter range from technology to
design to music endeavors. There are thousands currently on the site
waiting for support. If a project doesn’t meet its funding goal, all of
the money is returned to the investor.

Why
is Kickstarter a great solution for your small business? Well if you
have a project that you’ve been tooling around with that you think could
really hit it big, Kickstarter could be a great way to receive funding.
Kickstarter has a really strong online community. People that invest
have a sense of pride in not only putting their money into what they
feel is a great product, but also helping an entrepreneur along the way.

That
community feels compelled to tell their social networks about the
project, heightening the awareness even more. Kickstarter is essentially
a social network. Project creators send updates to their investors and
investors can easily communicate with the creator.

A perfect
example of Kickstarter’s success omes from entrepreneur Julia Hu, who
presented her invention – a vibrating wristband alarm clock – to a group
of Silicon Valley investors. After her presentation, the group was
stunned. “I mean, is this a company,” one of the investors said.
Determined to get this product off the ground, Hu went to Kickstarter
and nine months later, her product was retail-ready. It was impressive
enough to be carried in the Apple Store.

“I heard tons of ‘no’s,”
Hu told CNN Money. “The biggest challenge for a hardware company is,
unlike a software company, it takes so much more money and time to
validate a hypothesis. In terms of an investment decision, it’s just a
very different one.”

Hu added that Kickstarter is essentially a
large pre-order list for your product. If customers want it, they’re
going to get it and the business is going to truly gain some traction.

Posted in: Small Business \ Tagged: , , ,

m-249 Ibm Cognos Financial Performance Management Sales Mastery Test V1- Guidelines

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Upon realization the IBM Cognos academic content, you are qualified to take the IBM Cognos Financial Performance Management Sales Mastery Test vl to become an IBM Cognos Economical Performance Control Expert v1.

You are permitted two efforts to complete a sales mastery test. After 2 unsuccessful efforts, you must delay three months before taking check again.

Your sales training should not end here. IBM motivates you to expand the sales abilities by participating additional workshops, teleconferences, self-paced research, etc. Relate back to the Details Control benefits and sources site on IBM PartnerWorld.

Passing this test satisfies the Qualified Revenue Resources requirements for becoming a member of IBM Software ValueNet for Cognos as either a Value-Added Supplier or Remedy Company. It also number towards your PartnerWorld sales expertise requirements for Leading and Innovative regular membership levels.

Exam Objectives

Area 1 – Company Statistics (11%)

a.Learn how to position Company Analytics

Area 2 – Economical Performance Control providing (41%)

a.Learn the basic principles of the IBM Cognos FPM offering
b.Get advised on the key Business Preparing sales texting & positioning
c.Understand the key TM1 sales texting & positioning
d.Understand how to create powerful plans and costs that are possessed by the office of finance and offer real-time reviews to everyone engaged in the process

e.See how enterprise planning alternatives operated by IBM Cognos TM1 can eliminate the limitations to effective planning and interact with your entire company in collaborative decision-making
f.Connect business customers to the right financial information to drive more intelligent choices for better business outcomes

Area 3 – Successfully probability for Economical Performance Control sales (48%)

a.Learn about the Company Statistics message
b.Articulate the value of the FPM offering
c.Understand how to effectively probability for sales

This IBM Cognos Economical Performance Control Revenue Expertise Analyze v1 evaluation is an exercise test; this is the selection of the real concerns and also alternatives through this examination test. Where the opponent’s items offer a conventional 00M-249 teaching test to arrange you for what may appear in the real evaluation along with offer you a shock by this real test in regards to the evaluation concerns plus alternatives, information along with assures to arrange you for this evaluation.

The real examinations with endless availability in examinations aren’t just the less expensive treatment for complete without making use of the mind places, yet with just the much minimal sum of money you get access for anyone of the assessments from each qualifications source.
Early in the period, the 00M-249 examinations released its specific storage space family designed toward the SMB market.

Additionally, this released its particular Data Sector and the reduplication storage space programs for this period, in what this known as most essential hard drive based back-up enhancements in company record as well as new items, program upgrades, incorporation projects and also performance profits. You could find exercise documents that assist a candidate to get assurance along with frequent exercise. Fantastic programs also make sure the content is on the consistent base up to date and even is currently.

Posted in: Finance \ Tagged: , , ,

Hedge Fund Vs Mutual Fund, Understanding The Differences

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In 1949 Australian Alfred Jones was credited with the term “hedge fund”. Historically it derives its name from the use of hedging to manage risk while achieving superior returns. Today, a hedge fund is an un-regulated investment vehicle designated for sophisticated, also known as the “Accredited Investor”.

Mutual funds gained popularity in the 1980’s. Prior to this time, the problem of the small investor was in obtaining sufficient knowledge to make informed investment decisions, and so the average person avoided stock market investing. Instead money was held in traditional savings accounts or placed with a bank in a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (“GIC”) or Certificate of Deposit (“CD”).

What to do. The small investor was not able to obtain a professional money manager without $10 million or more to start. But what if he could pool his money with other small investors to reach this minimum threshold. And so the mutual fund was created to address these exact concerns.

The mutual fund concept was simple, allow the un-sophisticated investor access to the strategies of the professional money manager. This was done by pooling small sums of money, as little as $20.00 deposited monthly. In return, the fund company would use professional money managers using professional investment strategies to easily out perform traditional bank savings products.

The mutual fund investor had other problems. Because they did not understand the nature of the investments made for them, government regulators got involved to protect investor rights. And so mutual fund investing became regulated and soon took on a life of its own. Rules were set in place to govern what could be held within a mutual fund and how the investment strategies were marketed to the public. Even what could be invested and what should be avoided.

While much evolution has transpired since the early days of the 80’s. One thing is for certain, mutual fund investing is all about what it cannot do. While this article is not focused on these issues, there are some glaring examples the investor needs to know. In times of market un-certainty, the mutual fund cannot sell and move to cash for safety. The manager must remain fully invested at all times making the investor, in consultation with his Investment Advisor, responsible for proper asset allocation. The mutual fund also cannot employ risk management or hedging techniques because they are deemed too sophisticated for the small investor to understand. So to avoid investor complaints, these important strategies are discouraged by managers and outlawed by regulators.

In the end, all of the benefits started by the mutual fund industry to provide safety of capital have been regulated away from the interests of the small investor. In fact, these are the exact investors which need safety of capital most of all. Many market observers believe the industry has become over regulated and as such, do more harm than good.

To-date, the hedge fund industry has been able in all country jurisdictions to avoid nuisance government meddling. The recent wall street initiated financial melt down has proven that even a self regulated industry is not immune. It seems big company rights take precedence over investor rights. So some regulation may be forth coming. Historically, the hedge fund industry has been able to avoid regulation by offering its products only to the Accredited Investor. There is a strict agreed upon formula based on wealth accumulation. The premise being if you were smart enough to accumulate wealth, then you are smart enough to understand the sophisticated investments being recommended.

Typically hedge fund investors are in direct contrast to mutual fund investors and thus have different needs. The mutual fund investor has modest wealth and little investment knowledge. The hedge fund investor has significant wealth with greater investment understanding. Therefore one is regulated to protect the investor and the other is not.

The above description is not the only difference that separates the two. Hedge funds can employ a complex strategy of investment vehicles known only to the fund manager. Many hedge fund managers are protective of any proprietary trading formula which will provide an edge over their competition and disclosure of their trading style is not required.

Mutual funds are sold through an Investment Advisor who will make comparisons, explain and make recommendations for a balanced portfolio. Hedge fund investing can be more difficult. Firstly, there can be difficulty in locating a list of the availability of funds. There are however helpful data-bases for this. Then you must undertake your own due diligence to ascertain if it is the right asset mix for your overall portfolio.

Thirdly, you’ll need to have an understanding of the different investment strategies. Do you choose a value fund or a growth fund. CTA funds are out performing these days and what about a suitable bond fund. Does my fund employ hedging and should I invest in an off-shore fund to obtain the tax benefits.

There are certainly many things to think about when selecting the proper investment vehicle. Make your selection with intelligence and proper planning. Ask around and be inquisitive. Your level of investment knowledge and the time needed to devote to this topic will dictate which is best for you.

Posted in: Investment \ Tagged: , , ,

Plan Your Financial Future With A Sip Calculator

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Investing can be very confusing for someone who has zero understanding of the financial world and those who doesnt understand market fluctuations. There number of shares which area available in the market and selecting the ones which will earn profits, can be a little bit of a challenge.

This is why, a number of new investors view mutual funds as a better option. Here the funds of a number of investors are pooled together and invested keeping a financial goal in mind. A fund manager is in charge of deciding where the money should be invested. Hence, the investors do not have to worry too much about the same.

They can take comfort in the fact that a trained professional is looking after their finances and investing their funds in the right vehicles. But this requires capital, in order to make the initial investment. For people who do not have funds easily available, it would be best to choose a wealth creating medium.

With this in mind, the SIP is a good option. This translates to a Systematic Investment Plan. Here a certain amount of money is invested in mutual funds on periodic bases. The amount to be invested can be as low as five hundred Rupees.

When the agreement is set up, the investment amount, the frequency and the tenure of the plan is decided. Accordingly, the investor will have to deposit the decided sum of money with the asset management company, according to the clauses of the agreement.

This will then be invested into mutual funds. Maximum purchases are made when the value of the funds are low, in order to ensure maximum growth. In order to get an idea of how the fund will grow, it would be best to use the SIP calculators available of company websites.

There are a number of schemes available it is important to go through them all and to select one which meets the financial goal and will help in achieving it in as soon as possible. Once this is settled the different types SIP calculators can be used to determine how much you stand to earn.

The information to be entered includes the type of scheme, the amount to be paid in instalments, the frequency of the payments and the tenure of the scheme. Thus, returns will be calculated accordingly. The best part of this scheme is the fact that earnings are compounded and this goes a long way in the building up of capital.

This is a great way to start investing as it does not involve a large investment but rather regular affordable investments which can grow and prosper over time.

Posted in: Finance \ Tagged: ,

Deciding Between Manual Forex Scraping And Alternatives

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Forex scalping is a new type of technique in foreign exchange trading that allows investors to make a quick dollar with less risk than most foreign exchange investments. Although the idea sounds simple once defined, there are two main categories to delve into once the basics are down: automatic scalping and manual scalping.
Before we understand scalping in depth, we must look at how a foreign exchange market trade works. First, we make a conversion from one currency to another. Once the investment is made into another currency, the investor hopes that the currency gains in value over the first, and then trades back to enjoy a nice profit. Scalping is doing the same thing, but over a very short time frame. It results in less income than a long term investment would, but it is considered less risky as a result.
As technology has become a proper tool in investment strategy, it has also made its way to the foreign exchange market. Automatic foreign exchange scalping is when a computer program is able to make decisions on what to buy and sell based on different market criteria. This isn’t always a safe bet, as no one can actively predict market results with 100% success, but some programs may boast a high success rate.
Manual foreign exchange scalping is much safer if one knows what he or she is doing. Even with the right expertise, however, money can be lost with relative ease. The difference here is that all money lost will be as a result of the investor- and the blame won’t have to be put onto a computer program. This option is better for anyone who wants more control in where they put their finances.
Another thing to look out for in buying automatic foreign exchange scalping software is scams or other shady schemes. Several great programs exist, but they cost money to use- so be prepared to shell out some money for them. But be very careful on where you buy from, as buying from the wrong seller could mean purchasing a shoddy program or putting too much faith into it and losing a large sum of money.
The best bet of the investor is to ask other investors, friends, or family members of their experiences with automatic and manual scraping software. If nothing else, buying the software and looking at its readouts and making an educated decision based on them is always a great way to get the best of both worlds.
In Conclusion
Foreign exchange scraping software can make a big difference in one’s investment strategy. Just remember to exercise caution, and only invest money that can be lost without much related stress or problems.

Posted in: Forex

Guide In Doing An Employment Background Check

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Conducting Texas Background Check through online searches is accessible and easy. Presently there are more than 6 Million people in the United States who are incarcerated in jails, penitentiaries. A huge part of these offenders are on probation or parole. A significant portion of these crimes are committed by repeat offenders from the state of Texas. There are a limited number of trusted sources which provide National Criminal Background Checks. They also provide comprehensive reports confirming misdemeanors, felonies, sex offenses, traffic violations, robberies, and much more. You have the right to protect yourself!

Are you searching for Texas public records for divorces, lawsuits, criminal records, credit reports, death records, birth records, marriage search and property records and people search services? You can access Texas bankruptcy courts, family law court, district court and federal cases with contact information and official websites to the court clerk. Some services are free and some can be obtained for a reasonable fee. Business and corporation searches are also obtainable with instant results. Need to know about death or birth records in Texas? There are online as well as offline instructions for ordering birth or death records. Be guided accordingly.

All the major cities in Texas are covered like Houston, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Pasadena, Arlington, Plano, Irving, Laredo, Amarillo, Brownsville, Garland, Lubbock, Grand Prairie, Beaumont, Waco, Carrollton, McAllen, Midland, Richardson, Odessa, Mesquite, Abilene, San Angelo, Killeen, Tyler, Denton, Lewisville, Longview, Corpus Christi, College Station, Wichita Falls, Baytown, Port Arthur, Harlingen, Galveston, The Woodlands, Bryan, Sugar Land, Round Rock, Victoria, North Richland Hills, San Antonio, Austin and as well as the smaller Texas cities are included plus all the relevant records are held in reserve. If it is in Texas then you will find all the relevant information that you are looking for.

Online service providers that offer statewide online searches on any queries related to confidential and public information are capable of supplying information from various sources both from the government and private sectors. Results on records about marriage, birth, death, bankruptcy files, court files and more, can be obtained online through trusted websites. Such databases are constantly updated and cross referenced to get relevant results.

Without a doubt, Texas is a huge place and it is a state that witnessed more than its fair share of crime. With almost a million separate crimes reported in the mid 2000s as well as more than a thousand murders, a citizen definitely needs background checks done right here and right now. No need to wait for the state agencies to get around some of the laws that limit the public’s right to gain access to information that has a huge potential to save people’s businesses and families from harm. Not when you gain access to relevant information as early as possible.

The truth is not so hard to find. Not everybody has the extra time to investigate and search for an individual’s full background history. Such an endeavor is no longer impossible to do nowadays. Find it with a click of your mouse, clicking the right buttons online, or searching for it properly. You don’t need to hire a private investigator, or pay someone to be a personal researcher just to collect all the necessary records to know a person’s history. You can also conduct your own Employment Background Check from trusted sources. Protect yourself and your business. Exercise your right to know the truth about your business candidates.

Posted in: Employment \ Tagged: , , ,

Career Objective Examples For Resumes How To Instantly Grab Any Employer’s Attention

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When writing your resume, one of the first things you have to consider is your career objective. Ive been there before and I know how challenging it can be to come up with something note-worthy. In this case, it doesnt hurt to look for outstanding career objective examples for resumes you can base on.

You might wonder why your resume needs to have an attractive career objective. How does a sentence or two affect the long list of achievements in your resume?

Well, for starters, the career objective is usually the first line your potential employers will see once they scan your resume. From that one line, they would most likely recognize which candidates have creativity and spunk; and which candidates are simply just like the rest.

Unless you want your resume to be stuck with the rest of the commoners stash, youd better take these career objective examples for resumes a little more seriously.

Example # 1: To use my graphic design skills in creating attention-grabbing graphics that sell.

Most career objective examples for resumes start out with to rather than I. In a way, this makes your career objective less about yourself, and more about the job and company youre applying for.

Remember, your potential employer is always asking Whats in it for me? So you better come up with benefits that speak directly to their mind and emotion.

If youre a fresh graduate, using to to begin your sentence is a safe choice.

Example # 2: Feature editor offering four years of experience in magazine story line-ups and special reports.

This second career objective example is mostly used by those have been there and done that. They now have the experience and the gall to state their position and what they specialize in.

If youre a reputable person or authority while attending college, and would like to use this particular objective form, you need only to replace Feature editor with something like Former Writers Club President or Cum Laude Graduate. Then show them how they could benefit from your academic know-how and experience.

Example # 3: Seeking an entry-level position in pharmaceutical management to utilize my communication skills and Degree in Pharmacy.

This last example shows how important it is to be specific about what you want and what you can offer.

However, you cant be overly specific, for it might only give your potential employers the impression that your skills are limited to a particular set or limited to operating specific programs only.

Knowing which of the various career objective examples for resumes to base your own ideas on, helps you stand out from the rest of the applicants. It gives others the impression that you know exactly what job you want and how your skills come into the picture.

Posted in: Career

Proving Race Discrimination In Employment

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Direct race discrimination is when an organisation (or an employee of the organisation) treats a person less favourably than someone else on racial grounds. Proving direct race discrimination is not trivial. The burden of proof is on the employee alleging the discrimination. The UK landmark case of Chagger v Abbey National plc & Hopkins of 2006, where the Employment Tribunal’s finding of race discrimination led (after Abbey National’s refusal to comply with the Tribunal’s order to re-instate Mr Chagger to remedy its wrongdoing) to the record 2.8 million compensation order, serves to illustrate the burden of proof in race discrimination. Abbey National (being re-branded as Santander from 2010 and being part of the Banco Santander Group) employed Balbinder Chagger as one of its two Trading Risk Controllers, both managed by Nigel Hopkins. Mr Chagger was of Indian origin. He earned approximately 100,000 per year. Abbey National dismissed him in 2006, apparently for reasons of redundancy. The redundancy pool of selection was he and the other Trading Risk Controller, a white female.

The employee alleging the race discrimination must prove that his employer, on the balance of probabilities, discriminated against him on racial grounds. On the balance of probabilities means that the alleger needs to prove that it is more likely than not that the employer treated him differently on the grounds of his race; the alleger does not need to prove with absolute certainty that the employer discriminated.

The alleger must prove that he was treated less favourably than someone else (preferably a real comparator, but it could also be a hypothetical comparator) on the grounds of race. This can often be very difficult because the employer will almost always deny that the alleged discrimination had anything to do with race.

Mr Chagger established a case based on facts suggesting there had been race discrimination. The Employment Tribunal found that Mr Chagger had been selected for redundancy and had been dismissed and that a real comparator (the other Trading Risk Controller) had not. The Tribunal noted that there was a difference in race, colour and ethnic origin between Mr Chagger and the comparator. The Tribunal noted the following: Mr Chagger’s selection for redundancy was grossly unfair; Mr Hopkins had predetermined that Mr Chagger would be the employee that would be selected for redundancy; Mr Hopkins had used the redundancy selection process as a means to remove Mr Chagger from his position; Mr Hopkins had reduced Mr Chagger’s redundancy scores on matters which no reasonable employer would have taken into account; Abbey National provided no Equal Opportunity training for any of the managers it assigned to hear and decide on Mr Chagger’s issues and complaints of race discrimination; Abbey National failed to answer Mr Chagger’s Race Relations Act Questionnaire; and Abbey National was in breach of the statutory Code of Practice on Racial Policy in Employment by failing to carry out monitoring, failing to take allegations of race discrimination seriously, and failing to investigate them promptly.

If the alleger can establish a case based on facts suggesting there has been race discrimination, then the burden of proof could shift to the employer to prove otherwise. The employer will then be burdened with the task of having to prove that it would have treated in a similar way someone else who was not of the same racial group as the alleger. If the employer does not have any non-discriminatory explanation, or if the Tribunal finds the explanation inadequate or unsatisfactory, then the Tribunal must infer discrimination on racial grounds.

The Tribunal was satisfied that, on the balance of probabilities, Abbey National and Mr Hopkins had discriminated against Mr Chagger on the grounds of race in respect of his dismissal. The Tribunal, therefore, passed the burden of proof to Abbey National and Mr Hopkins to show that there was no discrimination whatsoever in respect of Mr Chagger’s selection for redundancy and dismissal.

The employer will almost always deny that the alleged discrimination had anything to do with race. The explanation that Abbey National and Mr Hopkins put forward was that the selection for redundancy and dismissal was carried out fairly. The Tribunal rejected this explanation for the factors listed above. Abbey National then put forward an alternative explanation, that Mr Hopkins and Mr Chagger could not have had any reasonable working relationship (that is, the difference in treatment suffered by Mr Chagger was for a reason other than racial grounds). The Tribunal could not rely on this explanation; it was an explanation that Mr Hopkins himself did not accept.

Posted in: Employment \ Tagged: , , ,