ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First of all, we are thankful to Almighty Allah, who has given us the strength and determination to carry out this research. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Associate Prof. Hannya Abid our teacher, for his valuable guidance, constructive comments and continuous encouragement through out the research. Special thanks are also extended to Mr. Mir Ibrahim-Ur-Rehman (CEO, GEO), Mr. Shaheen Raza (Regional Sales Manager, GEO), Mr. Salar (HR Head, GEO), Mr. Shadaat Tayyab (Corporate Head, GEO) and Mr. Saqib Sa qib Noor Ahmed (Associate HR Manager, GEO), for their assistance in data collection. Also thanks to all of our group members Mr. Ali Asgher, Mr. Asad, Mr. Fazal Hameed, Mr. Furqan Ahmed, Miss Sania We all put our efforts together in the form of an excellent group with coordination and high spirits. Sincere thanks are also extended to all those who have helped us to complete our project.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
History of GEO GEO Television Network Introducing GEO TV Mission Statement Vision Statement Basic Objective Value Statement Company Logo (PLANNING) GOALS & STRATEGIES
Short Term Goals Long Term Goals Strategic Planning Operational Planning Growth Strategy Crisis Management SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats
CORPORATE PROFILE
Nature of Business Target Market Type of Ownership Financial Financial Resources Revenues Channels Market Share Competitors Production Capacity External Environment LEADING
Leadership Style Internal Environment Internal Communication Level of Informality Internal Culture Motivation ORGANIZING
Level of Management/Designation Management/Designation Organization Structure Span of Control Organizational Chart Decision making Style Leading Designation
Departmentalization of GEO i. Functional Departmentalization ii. Geographical Departmentalization Departments/Divisions Human Resource Management of .GEO CONTROLING
Achievements and Awards Conclusion References
INTRODUCING GEO TV GEO TV was established in May 2002. Test transmission started on 14th August 2002 on the PAS 10 digital satellite. Regular transmission started on 1st October 2002. Geo TV is the first South Asian Urdu language channel to provide content comparable with excellent television broadcasters. Geo is the fastest growing TV Channel in Pakistan with ratings exceeding all satellite delivered TV channels in the market. Geo has the widest distribution on cable systems in Pakistan with 100% carriage within 90 days of launch. It launched the first interactive infotainment programs in Pakistan, engaging and empowering the viewer. Consistently scoops all rival broadcasters on major news events. Besides seven bureaus in Pakistan, a robust international network feeds live content from New York, Washington and London. Intelligent Media Consultant has given formal multi-disciplinary training to 500 members of GEO staff including all producers, reporters, writers, camerapersons and editors. Its member team comprising of CNN, BBC producers, cinematographers, editors and presenters were split in Dubai and Karachi for 5 months to complete the training
GEO TELEVISION NETWORK G EO started its test transmission on 14 August 2002.
³The National association of Broadcasters (USA). World¶s largest association o broadcasters has honored GEO with the ³Award for Quality´ declaring it an international standard television channel.´ To build a reputable identity in a cluster of different channels in just a period of four years was not an easy task. Geo is known for its unique entertainment, hot talk shows, truth revealing news a nd informative programs.
MISSION STATEMENT GEO informs and entertains while celebrating cultures and prompting dialogue in the spirit of "live and let live"
VISION STATEMENT ³GEO will be the voice of freedom from the Asian subcontinent. It will highlight the issues of concern and the cultural richness of its people through information, discussion and entertainment. GEO will propagate transparency of responsibility that will ensure its position as the most credible and meaningful source of information, through quality programming based on issues. GEO will provide entertainment audiences can relate to thereby creating viewer loyalty and response. GEO will forge an alliance amongst its three stakeholders - viewers, advertisers and shareholders to maximize viewer ownership. GEO will invest in human resources as it recognizes it to be the foundation upon which the GEO future will be built. It is this very foundation that will allow GEO to attain and sustain a leadership position, thus fulfilling the promise associated with its creation.´
COMPANY LOGO
All companies must have a pictogram, or single visual statement t hat represents the entir idea behind that symbol. GEO¶s Logotype enjoys the same reputation with our audience, stakeholders and employees. Representing the true strength of the channel, which is unbiased, accurate and timely 24hour news in µUrdu language¶. The Geo logo represents many aspects of its business in true colors. The Orange represents ³DAY¶ and Blue represents µNIGHT¶. The Urdu alphabet µJeem¶ cutting through from the TV Screen in a sharp angle connote the µGLOBE¶ and the overall
formation of the composite represents µEYE ON WORLD AFFAIRS 24 HOURS A DAY¶. An animated spot, µPeela-Neela¶ was specifically aimed at unveiling the µDesign Rationale¶ of the logo to the audience. The logo has been warmly received by the Pakistani audience and in a short span of time has come to represent Quality Broadcas with great production and content values.
BASIC OBJECTIVE Like all for-profit organizations, GEO¶s basic objective is also revenue generation.
VALUE STATEMENTS
We are a team.
We respect each other.
We encourage self-development.
We hold high expectations.
We embrace change.
We value our Viewers.
We provide exceptional service that leaves an impression.
We support our community.
Consistent entertainment service and production quality.
PLANNING AND GOALS SHORT TERM GOAL: In HR Department the short term goals of GEO TV is to hire new qualified employees in their Islamabad branch and salary services are also short terms goal of GEO.
LONG TERM GOAL: When asked about the long-term goal we were told that it is highly confidential and only known to the Upper level management, e.g. C.E.O.
PLANS STRATEGIC PLANS: The plans that are applied to entire organization, establish the organization¶s overal goals, and seek to position the organization in terms of its environment are called strategic plans. GEO is following the strategic plans consistently.
OPERATIONAL PLANS: Geo has a network, which handles all the business units in each department. Its like an Octopus, the head is the Network and each tentacle is a business unit. They evaluate the goals set by the management as to how close they are to achieving their objectives, an how much they have achieved. If Geo has not achieved its required goals they tak feedback and change their operational plans accordingly. The BOD or ³Top management´ is responsible for such type of decisions.
GROWTH STRATEGY GEO¶s strategy is to make the HRM department strong and competent as HRM department is the base of the organization. They do so by providing training to the newly hired employees. This will benefit GEO and increase the growth of the channel.
CRISIS MANAGEMENT They have set a whole team for the management of crises. In this team, GEO has experts in all fields. When a certain department faces any problem, the head of that department informs the team about it and they team finds a solution to the problem and terminates it. Unfortunately, however because it is impossible to forecast the future precisely, no organization can ever be perfectly prepared for every eventuality.
SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTHS: New ideas and concept with fast execution has become a tra demark of GEO -- 'Fastest Firsts'.
First to bring the 'Breaking News' concept in Pakistan.
Unbiased, accurate and timely 24-hour news in µUrdu language¶.
Most competitive work team.
Goodwill as the largest media group in the country.
Here is a look at just some of them:
FOR EXAMPLE:
First to give election results -- 7 hours before the nearest competitor. (Election 2002 special transmission and coverage).
First to use videophones in Iraq and Afghanistan and remote regions of Pakista for live coverage.
First to start political satire in Pakistan depicting current and past heads of stat (Hum Sub Umeed Say Hain).
The first to produce joint India-Pak ventures like "Gaye Gi Duniya Geet Meray", "Faslay" and "Lakhon Mein Teen".
First to have live link-up with USA & UK.
WEAKNESSES:
It is a newly established company so it is still under the learning process.
Because Pakistan has no institute that provides formal education on this field they are required to have all employees trained from foreign institutions.
Lack of innovation in the entertainment scene.
OPPORTUNITIES:
Growing awareness about GEO of the people. They are attracted towards entertainment.
Increase in viewer-ship
Improvement of Pakistan¶s terms with India. It increases cultural activities.
THREATS:
Fear of competition:
Especially in entertainment because of new channels.
Employee turnover :
Geo¶s employee turnover is under 5%
New channels attract GEO qualified and trained employees by offering them 3 times the salary they earn at GEO. They also offer different fields of jobs. Thes demands are difficult to meet for GEO.
CORPORATE PROFILE NATURE OF BUSINESS It is an International Electronic Media service providing News and Entertainment services.
TARGET MARKET Geo plans to target the Masses. Geo is based in Dubai and is broadcasted for South Asian viewers of M.E, Europe, Canada, North America and UK. Besides, of burros in Pakistan a robust network feeds regularly live content from N ew York, Los angles and London.
TYPE OF OWNERSHIP It is a Private limited Company and has 100% internal shares(family shares only). This is part of the Jang Group of Companies, the biggest and strongest group in media of the Private Sector.
FINANCIAL RESOURCES It is basically a family business they have no external shares.
REVENUES Its revenues are generated only through sale of commercial airtime. (Advertising on the channel).So far Geo has not reached even its break-even point and have not earned any profits yet.
PRODUCTS It is not actually a manufacturing business rather a service business that generates cable TV channels namely:
Geo News
Geo TV(entertainment)
Geo UK(infotainment)
Geo USA
GEO ME
GEO Canada
GEO SUPER
GEO EUOROPE
GEO JAPAN
AAG TV
EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT Geo is the only independent and liberal channel with the unique honor of consistently breaking news. Geo is a liberal channel it has no restriction from the Government of Pakistan because its transmissions are telecasted from Dubai, which is a free zone. The Government of Pakistan can influence GEO about the News and programs they air but GEO is not bound to report to the Government. However, they cannot ignore and go against the Government as they operate within Pakistan as well. They Government have the right to jeopardize GEO¶s operations. Despite the liberty GEO enjoys it cannot ignore the cultural ethical values of the society that is why GEO has a Quality Control Department Specifically working on censoring each program and News before it can be aired on TV. They are bound to follow the rules of the censor board. The technological environment includes all the ways by which it creates value for the constituents. In case of a catastrophe in the environment GEO network is affected in two ways. It is positively affected when viewers depend on Geo News to give them Live Coverage on the situation like wise, it is negatively affected at the same time when the demand for the
entertainment channels lessen because people are grieved by the chaos. This way Geo entertainment loses viewer ship.
LEADING Leadership Style: Geo follows a purely and highly democratic leadership style. The democratic leadership style is also called the participative style as it encourages employees to be a part of the decision making. The democratic manager keeps his or her employees informed about everything that affects their work and shares decision making and problem solving responsibilities. This style requires the leader to be a coach who has the final say, but gathers information from staff members before making a decision. GEO invites employees to share their input to make decisions. Democratic leadership can produce high quality and high quantity work for long periods of time. Many employees like the trust they receive and respond with cooperation, team spirit, and high morale. Typically the democratic leader: Develops plans to help employees evaluate their own performance
--
--Allows employees to establish goals . --Encourages employees to grow on the job and be promoted --Recognizes and encourages achievement
.
INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS Geo firmly believes in the use and influence of Internal Communications to create a working environment that is based on the hallmark of professionalism and on the concept of µservice above self¶. The idea is to create a relationship between the organization and its people, encourage excellence, and inculcate a spirit of achievement. As an organization that lays great emphasis on Human Resource, its training and development, inevitably it realizes the meaningful contribution of its team that has worked passionately to make the channel grow and achieve unprecedented r esults.
Geo¶s HR Department plans and executes cohesive and integrated communication designed specifically for its people to share the sense of pride and joy in Brand Stewardship. This of course is in addition to numerous events and occasions that it holds to allow social, cultural and sporting activities as one big team. Managers interact with their employees and communicate with everyone on an open forum culture. Managers communicate on the phone and over the internet the head office in based in Karachi.
LEVEL OF INFORMALITY Geo organization is very informal and partially formal. They follow an ³Open door Policy´. Formal conversations are less because GEO believes in Teamwork and working in a friendly environment. Despite a friendly atmosphere, no such incident has occurred yet in which different kinds of rumors has spread. Everyone has the right to give ideas and opinions regarding improvement such as new technology, innovation etc.
INTERNAL CULTURE
There is a code of conduct that all employees have to follow strictly. For example:
They have a No-Smoking environment however, they have specified a zone for smoking only.
Every employee has to display the GEO Identity Badge.
All employees should conduct the display of Discipline strictly because of too much interaction with the other departments.
There is no formal dress code except for certain levels such as, the Heads of the Departments.
Eatables are not allowed everywhere in the office except in the Café.
Employees mush reach and leave the office in time at the 10-7 office timings.
MOTIVATING THE EMPLOYEES
Some of Geo¶s tools of Motivation for employee welfare are:
Performance based incentives.
Annual evaluation of the employee¶s performance is discussed with t he employee.
There is and Idea Box in the reception room available to employees and even visitors. All ideas are implemented and the generator of the idea is rewarded with a prize. The C.E.O of the company is heading this campaign himself.
Success Story. A success story of the month in each department is mentioned for employees who have gone that extra mile in achieving their objective. Their stories are discussed; the committee reviews t hem and selects the best one. The winner of the best success story is rewarded with a dinner for two prizes.
ORGANIZING
MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE & STYLE Geo
consists
of
1600
plus
employees
LEVELS OF MANAGEMENT/DESIGNATIONS TOP MANAGERS
Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O)
Chief Operating Officer (C.O.O)
Managing Director GEO News
Managing Director GEO ENTERTAINMENT
President
MIDDLE MANAGERS
Directors
Director News
Content Head (Production)
Regional Heads
Bureau Chief News
Senior Executive Producer Entertainment:
General Managers
FIRST LINE MANAGERS
Managers
Associate Managers
around
the
world.
ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE Geo consists of multiple layers of management and thus forms a Tall Organizational Structure. Information whether upward or downward must pass through so many organizational layers.
ORGANIZATION CHART When asked about its organizational chart we were told that it has a very complicated and wide hierarchy organizational chart, which is 3 meters long and is available on a 64 mb visual file, which is kept in the Karachi H.Q. An organizational chart of the Lahore bureau is:
CHART
C.E.O
C.O.O
Channel President
M.D News
M.D Entertainment
Content Head
Production Head
Director News
Bureau Officers
DECISION MAKING STYLE It is highly decentralized but also partially centralized. Making a new decision is ³highly centralized´ only the C.E.O has the authority to implement any decision at any time without reporting to anyone. In case of hiring the person to hire is ³centralized´ that is, if there is a designation/post to be made or filled this is up to the upper level managers to decide if it should be implemented or not. Whereas the selection of the candidate for that specific post is ³ Decentralized´ . The HR department has the authority to select the required candidate.
LEADING DESIGNATION
The C.E.O Mir Ibrahim-Ur-Rehman is in charge of the Content Production and transmission.
The C.O.O Zaheer-U-Din Khan is in charge of all operational departments (Marketing, sales, finance etc.).
President Imran Aslam is responsible for Content portion of GEO.
MD. News Azhar Abbas is responsible for GEO News.
MD. Entertainment Yousaf Baig Mirza is responsible for GEO Entertainment.
Senior Executive Production Tariq Jamil is in charge for production operations in Lahore.
Bureau Chief News Khawar Naeem Hashmi is in charge of the News sector in Lahore.
The President and C.O.O will report to the C.E.O. Managing Director of News and Managing Director of Entertainment reports to the President. Director News reports t o MD News and Content Head of Production reports to MD Entertainment. The News and Entertainment departments have separate levels of hierarchy but they operate from the same office. Further hierarchy is extended to ea ch bureau/regional office.
DEPARTMENTALIZATION: Geo is a highly organized and departmentalized firm. The control and coordination is narrowed and made easier, so top managers can see more easily how the various departments are performing. This allows GEO to treat the department as a profit centre. The Marketing department is mainly the ³Profit center´ of GEO. They calculate the profits of Geo and use that information in making decisions about advertising and promotional events, commercial airtime allocation etc.
DEPARTMENTALIZATION OF GEO Geo has its own specific way of classifying and grouping work activities. It is classified according to:
1) Functional Departmentalization 2) Geographic Departmentalization
FUNCTIONAL DEPARTMENTALIZATION 1. Geo has developed departments according to a groups functional activities such as t he 2. Geo News Department 3. Entertainment Department 4. Infotainment Department 5. Product Development Department 6. Archiving Department 7. Children¶s Division 8. Human Resources Department 9. Geo Operations Department 10. Technical Department 11. Finance Department 12. Marketing Department 13. Sales Department 14. Creative Department 15. Music Programming Department 16. Research Department 17. Geo Talent Department 18. Events Department 19. Sports Programming Department 20. Scripting Department 21. Game Shows Department 22. Fashion Design Department 23. IT Department 24. Transmission Department 25. Communications Department
GEOGRAPHIC DEPARTMENTALIZATION The functional departments of GEO are further sub-divided into geographical departments in order to carry out the operations and activities of different cities, regions and districts. To keep themselves up to date with the latest news and events across the nat ion and globe.
OFFICES HEAD OFFICE: Karachi
BUREAU/REGIONAL OFFICES 1. Lahore 2. Islamabad 3. Peshawar 4. Quetta 5. Multan Besides that there are also out station reporters of Geo who work individually and has no office for example: Sailkot Gujranwala and almost in all districts.
EARTH STATION: Dubai .This is the station where all tra nsmission and telecast of programs is undertaken.
INTERNATIONAL OPERATION OFFICE: United Kingdom and the United States of America.
DEPARTMENTS/DIVISIONS: GEO NEWS DEPARTMENT GEO News is now a part of our lives. This is where news is broken, processed, analyzed, and disseminated. GEO news just doesn¶t happen. It needs dedicated, committed men and women who want to make a difference ± GEO News is different because it makes a difference! Producing, Editing, Anchoring, Reporting and Footage all take place under this department.
ENTERTAINMENT DEPARTMENT Enter the world of glamour, creativity, and visually striking images. Enter GEO Entertainment. We have career options for producers, associate producers, script writers, production designers, art directors, fashion designers; make up artists, music composers, location locators, talent hunters, concepts writers and more. So if you have a script, an idea struggling to find shape, think you can act, believe you have the organizational skills and aesthetics to become a producer, nourish an ambition to be part of the wonderful world of show biz, walk into the spotlight.
INFOTAINMENT DEPARTMENT This is where information meets entertainment and shows are created that are exciting to watch while being provocative and thoughtful. The Geo Infotainment Department is on the look out for concept writers, scriptwriters, producers, associate producers, and researchers.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT GEO has created a unique space for creative people who understand market forces. In Product Development, concepts originate are polished and tested against stringent market research, and are placed in time zones that are viewer specific. Product Development at GEO is concerned with the enhancement of our brand. It oversees the evolution of the brand and treats each program as a product that needs to be polished, marketed, positioned, and enhanced. Product Development creates concepts for promoting our products and develops media plans and ca mpaign strategies that place our programs at the very centre of our audience¶s attention. For those marketers who want to unleash the creative urges in their hearts, this is the place to be. Un-knot that tie, roll up your sleeves, cut out the power dressing and enter a world that is changing and moving 24/7.
CHILDREN¶S DIVISION GEO has treated children seriously. We believe the child has a lot to tell us. His curious, imaginative mind has inspired us to produce programs like µDekho Suno Samjho¶ and
µBachey Man Kay Sachay¶. A child¶s genius constantly amazes us. If you feel that you understand children and know what they want, this is your playground. GEO Children¶s Division needs scripts, concepts, fresh young talent, performers, hosts, and producers who have refused to grow up and still have a child lurking in their hearts.
HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT The Human Resources Department remains a crucial element in the overall composition of the GEO setup. It is the Power House that fuels the GEO Factory with the best of the best, through attraction, recruitment, selection, optimum compensation, welfare, diversified benefits, grievance handling, training & development, formulation of policies and procedures, encompassed with an ever vibrant HR Strategy aligned with the corporate vision and mission of GEO TV. Serving as the vital link that generates identity, self-perception, confidence, vitality, motivation, communication and continual enhancement of overall net worth of every individual functioning as a profoundly valued component of TEAM GEO. HR at GEO is one of the many exceptional brands that exist to nourish your experience at GEO TV.
GEO OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT Organized, analytical and resourceful. Working well with people with a balance of regular responsibilities and new project-based work. Keeping up with trends online to work in the fast-paced GEO environment. Handling stress, skills to organize, project-oriented, and selfstarting. Ability to successfully manage strict deadlines and multiple projects. Troubleshooting, loads and loads of common sense, and thinking from a broader perspective and command on the English language. Belief in systems and providing support to department leadership and all divisions. This is all under the GEO operations department.
TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT Creativity needs to be disseminated. This is where the engineers, technicians, maintenance engineers, light and sound engineers, transmission staff comes in. They are the people who
keep the studios operational and bring those stunning visuals to your screens from the most difficult terrain and venues.
FINANCE DEPARTMENT Television is a business. In the back room, sit people who are number crunchers, planners, forecasters, financial analysts, budget monitors, and trend spotters. They understand the industry and with constant research make sure that projections are met and budgets and time lines are respected.
MARKETING DEPARTMENT Every program, time slot, and viewer is an opportunity that needs to be explored, marketed, promoted and valued. Marketing is the department that not only maximizes the value of geo programming but also helps develop it by soliciting feedback form the industry and creating specific creative solutions for clients and brands. If you think you understand how to maximize the potential of an idea, and can create solutions and packages for brands and clients, this is the most dynamic team in media for you.
SALES DEPARTMENT Sales or $ales, is where the money is at! This fast-paced department brings in the rupees that enable us to produce the content that our viewers depend on. True believers of GEO, armed by the content in hand, and the philosophy in mind, go out everyday in to the fast changing and unpredictable market and maximize the value of the channel. At the front line are the foot soldiers of GEO who sell space around our programs and fill the advertising needs of the channel. These are the true dream merchants.
CREATIVE DEPARTMENT GEO is always on the look out for those men and women who tell stories visually, who paint our palette blue and orange, who understand moods and emotions. We need people who have strong aesthetics, who like to break the rules of visual grammar, who can telescope saga in a 30 second graphic and animation ad. These are our window dressers who are concerned with the look and feel of the channel. They illuminate our screens, design our sets and promote our programs wielding all the creative tools at their command. They hold the magic wand.
MUSIC PROGRAMMING DEPARTMENT GEO is in a consistent state of evolution and in this fortitude TEAM GEO is diversifying more into avenues that play the beat of our nation¶s youth. At GEO Music we have envisioned with providing generation Y! With a platform to project their true potential in front of the world at large. Presently, GEO Music is in the process of evaluating and redefining what the music market has to offer in terms of quality music standards. GEO Music is probing the rudimentary talent of our nation scoping it, to find diamonds in the rough conscious nurturing these music fanatics of tomorrow, providing them with the right podium to illuminate their expertise in today¶s global community
RESEARCH DEPARTMENT GEO-TV carries out research in various mediums on components like advertising, market intelligence, television viewer ship and masses¶ penetration of those mediums. These are the basic components, their roots captivates not only the micro changes but also the macro variations on the spectrum of information and entertainment.
GEO TALENT DEPARTMENT GEO Talent is astounding new initiative by GEO TV. Scouting for talented, hosts, anchors, vocalists, actors, and people pertinent to performing arts whose potentials can be nourished by the expertise of GEO Talent Department.
EVENTS DEPARTMENT Events are all about teamwork and clockwork. Time is of essence and execution is everything. This genre of programming needs organized people who know what needs to be done and when. Never short of excitement and danger, must the event go on! Most of the time events, whether musical or magical, are live. One wrong move can lead to many embarrassing shots on the screen. Lich and orchestra, an event has many pieces that have to be sung synchronized and in turn. If you like working as part of a high energy team and are interested in music, sports, magic and everything in between.
SPORTS DEPARTMENT Sports are a new genre of programming that has also not been explored much in Pakistan. From Cricket to Polo and everything in between.
GAME SHOWS DEPARTMENT Game Shows are a fast and upcoming genre for GEO. Game Shows are also a live genre mostly and full of audience participation. This programming genre ties action as well as puzzles and reality, all rolled into one. From selecting participants to making interesting formats and producing the most entertaining and diverse content platforms for audiences and viewers, Game Shows are an excitement new development in local television.
IT DEPARTMENT Information Technology is the lifeline of the organization supporting all the functions without any interruption catering for all software needs and MIS requirements 24/7.
FASHION DESIGN DEPARTMENT The anchors, presenters, hosts, and entertainers are the faces of the channel. They need to look attractive, presentable, friendly, and inspirational. Our Fashi on Design Department gives us our look. The department is there to groom fresh talent, conduct make over, and give them outfits that are striking and tele-genic.
TRANSMISSION DEPARTMENT GEO has a highly equipped and modern Transmission Department, which remains awake when others are fall asleep.
HRM OF GEO Diverse cultural backgrounds and multi-ethnic origins add up to create a strong resource base at GEO. Each member makes a valuable contribution while overall functioning as a team. Committed to doing more for their country, GEO people remain dedicated and passionate about their work. GEO people are focused on broadening horizons and meeting new challenges. Creative and multi-talented, these fine individuals take pride in shaping the future of Pakistan.
We spoke to some concerned managers of GEO to find out more about GEO's recruitment and human resource management initiatives. Imran Aslam, President of GEO TV, believes, "a sense of purpose can be instilled when an employee, not only clearly knows the vision of a company, but is included in making that vision. When an employee knows that he or she deserves to be a part of the organization, and most importantly is empowered to i mplement that vision, the culture of success appears." Mir Ibrahim Rahman, CEO of GEO, went on to explain how some of the above has been possible at GEO. "One of the things we try to c ontinuously remind ourselves is how lucky we is to be a part of a media industry. Where our product and hard work is not only a source of livelihood, but also a source of well being for the people who rely on us. This is a very important realization that aligns our goals, sense of responsibility and job satisfaction." GEO's vision of promoting dialogue, unbiased news and issue-based entertainment was always very clear and can be found in its mission statement, vision statement and across many corporate communications. "But none of us had done anything like GEO before and w e almost had to instill a culture of dialogue and interaction not only on the channel but off air as well. We did this by continuous involvement, discussion and consensus in almost everything we did. It did become taxing at times but it's the GEO way," says Mir Ibrahim Rahman. Azhar Abbas, Director News, explained further, "I remember how policy was actually being drafted and made right then and there during our training exercises by the people we were training. That's the kind of spirit which excited people because we all became aware that together we were making something." GEO went through a very comprehensive recruitment exercise. "I believe it was the largest and one of the most successful launch recruitment drives in the country," claims Zaheeruddin Khan, Chief Operating Officer of GEO. "Receiving over 60,000 applications! That was a crucial time period when we had to go through each and every letter and email which were seen by all the senior managers collectively, going through bags and bags of envelopes and applications every night." We asked Abdur Rauf, Director Infotainment, what was the target market for the campaign. "GEO was looking for passionate people. If you had gone through some of the ads that were placed, one can notice that the invitation was for everyone and anyone who was interested in
media and television. You didn't have to have any experience or professional qualification because we were willing to train you." There was actually quite a grueling process one had to go through to be hired by GEO. Rumor had it that at least 3 directors had to meet you and on an average, you had to go through at least 5 rounds of interviews. "Though we gave everyone a fair chance based on merit, you were not spared in the interview itself. Some of us were more grueling than others, but on the whole we probably seemed like a scary bunch," said Raheel Rao, Director Entertainment, pointing towards Abdur Rauf. Women, minorities and regions were given special attention so that Pakistan was properly represented in the employee base as well. GEO has more women working in reporting and production than any other channel. "We knew we had to have ingredients which not only represented Pakistan in our own company but also have individuals who we were targeting. Women reporters had a special women recruitment committee which tried to meet the parents of all women recruits in order to make them feel comfortable about GEO's culture and specific job requirements," said Beena Sarwar, reporter/producer who was heading the committee at the time. GEO ended up initially interviewing over 6,000 people from whom they selected approximately 600 of the brightest, most passionate and professional staff ever gathered before for the television medium in the country. That is a selectivity rate of .01%, unheard of even in a multinational. Mr salar, the Human Resource Manager stated, "that the massive intern programme of GEO is a result of its belief that its enormous infrastructure should be utilised for the development and grooming of Pakistani youth into real media professionals." "What's great was that after we had selected and chosen the best and the brightest we professionally trained them as well!" explained Hamid Mir, Bureau Chief of GEO News, Islamabad. There were over 16 foreign broadcast reporters, camera operators, editors, producers who trained everyone in everything related to TV. This multi-tasking approach, though expensive and tiring, made the individuals better team players and more aware of how the system works. Technical training was conducted by BBC Technology, consulting arm of
BBC, which has conducted similar projects elsewhere in the world with SKY Network, ABC and Dubai TV. Intelligent Media Consultants (IMC), an Atlanta based media consultancy with a proven record of launching over 10 new channels in the past 6 years, provided hands on training for GEO TV personnel. IMC has an impressive client base including Aaj Tak (India) and CNN Espanol as well as CNN Turk. Both continue to advise GEO on operational issues and provide support in camera operation, editing, production and training for reporting of news. "In fact," explained Mir Ibrahim Rahman, "many people thought we were wasting money doing all this training. We did it because giving fancy equipment and being surrounded by state-of-the-art technology was not enough. Those material things are run by people at the end of the day. In addition, the people must feel empowered. It's a great feeling for a twenty something MA Journalism graduate from Sahiwal to be able to say that BBC and CNN producers taught him how to produce and edit a n 'OC/VO sot' with a 'piece-to-camera'!" Responsibilities of HR Dept. Job Analysis Recruitment and Selection. Training and Development. Performance Appraisal. Remuneration & Benefits. Employee Welfare (safety and health, incentives, motivation etc. )
When any post is vacant, GM HR Mr. Salar sends the request to the HR Department for the vacant post. HR department determines two things Job Description. Job Specification.
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION Firstly, Advertisements are given in the Geo website and if necessary on print a lso. GEO is one of the most progressive organizations in the country. It believes in complete transparency and objectivity in its hiring process. All members of TEAMGEO are selected on their merit and qualification. The organization is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on any basis. The company has one of the best environments for women employees, and it actively encourages women seeking employment. Members of TEAMGEO come from a diverse background, and are expected to be progressive, open-minded, professional and hardworking. It is not essential to be academically strong, but a strong work ethic is essential. Excellent communication skills are required, this includes being able to use basic computer applications. An interest in reading and writing is always an advantage. When we asked about the job rotation process, their HR manger told us that there is job placement in our company, which is similar to job rotation .
INTERNAL RECRUITMENT In GEO, vacant posts are also filled internally to provide an opportunity for the workers already working in the organization.
EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT In GEO, fresh or experienced candidates are also preferred and hired.
SELECTION CRITERIA The selection is entirely base on merit, which confirms to selection criteria without any bias towards, gender, religion, race, color, nationality, age, and according to the procedures laid down in the HRD policies.
SELECTION PROCEDURE Filling out application forms. Application screening.(short listing) Tests. (Written and Practical) Interview. Final selection. Orientation Training AN IMPARTIAL & OBJECTIVE interview process is one of the most progressive trends at GEO. All short listed candidates will be called in for an interview. They will be given a minimum 48-hour notice before the date, time and place of interview via email and telephone. Each candidate will be interviewed by at least three different persons ensuring the integrity and fairness of the selection process. There is a written test for certain jobs. The selection process may take 30 days from initial interviews to the final selection.
ORIENTATION Orientation program is held when new employees joins the company. They give an opportunity to the all-new employees that they hire to rotate in the factory departments daily so the employees must know in which environment and in which circumstances they had to work.
TRAINING Once they are hired Geo provides them with foreign training usually from CNN and BBC However, the training is an ongoing process apart from the off job training. For this purpose, they are attached with a senior to supervise them.
MOTIVATION
When asked about which theories they are applying on employees we were told that they use almost all theories of motivation except for The Theory X. When asked from the employees about the Expectancy Theory and Equity Theory they stated that GEO definitely applied these theories on employees.
Some of Geo¶s tools of Motivation for employee welfare are:
Performance based incentives.
Annual evaluation of the employee¶s performance is discussed with t he employee.
There is and Idea Box in the reception room available to employees and even visitors. All ideas are implemented and the generator of the idea is rewarded with a prize. The C.E.O of the company is heading this campaign himself.
Annual Employee Functions.
Success story of the month. A success story of the month in each department is mentioned for employees who have gone that extra mile in achieving their objective. Their stories are discussed; the committee reviews them and selects the best one. The winner of the best success story is rewarded with a dinner for two prizes.
HRM POLICIES OF GEO
Gender Justice Policy
Sexual Harassment Policy
Discrimination Policy
CONTROLLING CONTROL PROCESS: HRM AND EMPLOYEE CONTROL PROCESS GEO has more polices than any other company and these policies are well communicated to the employees. All rules regulations, policies and procedures are mentioned in the employee handbook, which is kept highly confidential from the non-employees. GEO has a strong control on the policies and employee code of conduct and are very strict about them. GEO does not compromise on their polices and implement them strictly. GEO uses the 360 degrees appraisal in which subordinates evaluate their seniors. Each individual (subordinate) evaluates their boss¶s behaviour, leadership; attitudes etc. and they are free to give any
opinion or complaint against them. The committee then begins inquiries and strictly, Follows Company polices respectively. Subordinate¶s comments are very essential for the promotions of their seniors. Department-to-Department evaluation is also done in GEO in which one department evaluates the performance of another department.
FORMATION OF POLICIES: When Geo faces a problem in the implementation of old policies then the policy defining department reviews it and works them out to make necessary changes in the policies. Once a policy is changed or altered it is sent to the approval department after being approved by the approval department it is then lastly sent to the Upper level management. If the upper level management approves the new policy in order for its implementation it is updated on the website, notice boards and open forums. It is also circulated on hardcopies.
MARKET CONTROL PROCESS Geo uses the external market mechanism such as content based competition and relative market share that is, GEO has to keep up with the latest trends in the media market and follow those trends to maintain and set their standards. GEO has also proved itself to be a trendsetter in the market.
QUALITY CONTROL PROCESS There is a Quality Control team in GEO to monitor the quality and standard of all productions and content. First of all the script is approved by the department then the casting of the production is approved. A pilot is of the script is created as a sample and is previewed and is passed by the department. The final production is then sent to GEO¶s Censor board for approval. If the production is according to the standards set in the pilot it is passed and sent t o be aired on TV. Finally, GEO then takes feedback about the content from the public (viewers).
ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS EXCLUSIVITY OF GEO National association of Broadcasters (USA). World¶s largest association of broadcasters has honored GEO with the ³Award for Quality´ declaring it an international standard television channel.
Some international newspapers, magazines and news agencies have commented on the unique style of GEO and various have quoted it extensively. These include New York Times, Washington Times, Financial Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times. Francisco Chronicle, AP, AFP, Reuters, CNN, BBC, Khaleej Times, Gulf News, Times of India, The Hindu, Aaj Tak (India), Kyodo (Japan), Al Jazeera and other important television channels. Even the US State Department often quotes GEO. Geo has been described as the CNN and BBC of Pakistan due to its enormous news network within Pakistan and all over the world. New York Times, one of the most prominent newspapers of the world, has quoted that Geo changed the media scene of Pakistan. It is the most popular channel with the highest viewer ship in cities. Geo won a special award at the nouticaslo TV festival 2005. Geo has also been awarded best electronic mass media award 2004 by Pakistan adv. Association. Business week one of the top 3 magazines of the world while including the news of MSR in 25 stars of Asia wrote that ³Geo has become the most watched TV channel of Pakistan and its viewer ship is growing at the rate of 30% annually. According to Gallup, Geo is highly rated and the most watched satellite channel in Pakistan for its entertainment, news talk shows and flavored programs
CONCLUSION From this research, we conclude that: Geo is the only independent and liberal channel with the unique honor of consistently breaking news. Geo is an innovative concept that targets a new, growing market. ³We assume that the market will respond, and grow quickly in the next 5 years´ says, C.E.O Mir Ibrahim Rehman ³Our goals are to create a reputation of quality, consistency and security that will make us the leader of all new style channels. Geo is a fast growing network of channels that is making rapid awareness among the people. Geo¶s main problem is the growing number of private sector channels causing more competition. For this reason GEO must improve their strategy and competitive position.
