Executive Summary

ITC is one of India's foremost private sector companies with a market capitalisation of US $ 45 billion and a turnover of US $ 7 billion. ITC is rated among the World's Best Big Companies, Asia's 'Fab 50' and the World's Most Reputable Companies by Forbes magazine and among India's Most Valuable Companies by Business Today. ITC ranks among India's '10 Most Valuable (Company) Brands', in a study conducted by Brand Finance and published by the Economic Times. ITC also ranks among Asia's 50 best performing companies compiled by Business Week.

Objective of the study

ITC's Core Values are aimed at developing a customer-focused and will deliver what they need in terms of value, quality and satisfaction.

ITC believes mainly on Touching your life Everyday.

ITC has tried to analyze how help to overcome stress among the ITC executives resulting in a positive impact on the organization.

Meaning Of StressStress is a physical, mental and emotional response to a challenging event not the event itself. Often referred to as the fight-or-flight response, the stress response occurs automatically when you feel threatened. Stress, whether positive or negative, is a normal part of everyone's life. Negative stress, however, diminishes your quality of life.Stress management comprises a wide range of approaches to help you better deal with stress and adversity. Stress management might include problem-solving, prioritization and time management. Another approach includes enhancing skills to withstand adverse situations by improving emotional flexibility, finding greater meaning in life, increasing the sense of control and cultivating optimism. A third approach is to practice relaxing techniques, such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation, tai chi, exercise and prayer. Improving personal relationships is an important component of stress management.Stress management can help you lead a more balanced, healthier life. When channeled positively, stress can lead to growth, action and change.Stress may be defined as a state of imbalance arising due to excessive psychological and or physiological demands on a persons. Dr. Hans Selye, one of the leading authorities on the concept of stress, described stress as the rate of all wear & tear caused by life .

Sources Of Stress1. Lack of TrustEvery relationship requires some degree of trust, the capacity to depend on each others words or actions. It take time to build trust, but it can be destroyed in a moment. Lack of trust in each other can be the cause of conflict in the organisations.2. Different Set of Values- People in an organisation have different set of values. For instance, some people values. For instances, some people value honesty & integrity, whereas, others may not. Due to difference in set of values, there can be conflicts in the organisation. 3. Personality Clashes-There are personality differences. Not everyone thinks, feel, looks, or act alike. Some may be too aggressive, whereas, others may be quite assertive. Some may be too differences in personality can be a cause of among people in the organisation. Although personality difference can cause conflict, yet the can be utilized for the advantage of an organisation. Employees need to accept, respect, & learn how to use these difference when they arise.4. Threat to Status-Status is important to many individuals in an organisation. When there is a threat to ones status, then that person would make every possible efforts to maintain & preserve it. Conflict may arise between the defensive person & the one who had created a threat to status.5. Differences in Perception-People views or think differently. This may be due to their past experiences & expectations. Since their perception are real to them, they fail to understand that others hold contrasting perception of the same thing or event. As a result, conflicts occurs between the two persons having different perception of the same event or object.6. Competition-Conflicts may arise as a group or people compete with each other for reward or resources. For example, one department may like to obtain more funds for its activities , as compared to other departments, as it may feel that it activities are more important in the organisation. This may lead to conflict in the organisation.7. Problem of multiple roles-When a person has to perform multiple roles, it can cause an interpersonal conflicts. This is because; the person may try to give more importance to one role as compared to other role. In such an instance, there can be intrapersonal conflict.

8. Organisational Change-In order to keep pace with changing technology, social, cultural & political environment, organisation are expected to change themselves. A change in an organisation is likely to create conflicts as regards gaol setting, resource allocation, etc.

Effects of StressThe stress can have effect on the individual, the group, organisation & even family members. The degree of effect depend upon: Duration- the length of period of stress Strength- the degree of stress Individual Characteristics-physical and psychological features to cope up with stress.Some individuals can cope with temporary stress because of their internal resilience, or capacity to handle short term tensions. Resilient individual often achieve a balanced way of life and set realistic goals.Normally, prolonged exposure to stressful situation produces serious physical, psychological & behavioural effects. The effects of stress are briefly explained as follows:1. Effect on Physical health-Medical evidence suggests & supports a link between stress & physical health. For instance there is direct link between stress & heart disease. Stress also give rise to negative effect like high blood pressure, ulcers, skin disease, headache. Medical experts believe more than 50% health illness are due to stress.2. Psychological Health-High level of stress has an adverse effect on employees attitude & behaviour. Exposure to stress is followed by anger, anxiety, tension, neverousness, boredom. It affects self confidence, lowers, self-esteem, lack in concentration & reduces job satisfaction.3. Alcoholism & Drug Addiction-Many people resort to alcoholism & drugs to escape from the ill effect of high level stress. Alcoholism, drug addiction and smoking are certainly not good sign for health point of view. Further it is likely to affect career prospects, promotion of an addicted employee.4. Burnout-It may be defined as a syndrome of emotional, physical & mental exhaustion resulting from prolonged exposure to intense stress.5. Trauma-Trauma is sever type of stress. Trauma may be due natural disaster, organisational crisis, dramatic employee abuse by the employer, or personal job loss. The types of trauma include- workplace trauma, layoff, survivors sickness, workplace violence, and post traumatic stress disordera. Workplace Trauma- It occurs because of the following reasons: Harassment at work Discrimination Job insecurity Wrongful termination Perceived incapacity to meet or set targets. Sudden loss of job affecting employees self-esteem.b. Layoff survivors Sickness-This kind of trauma is experienced by the employees who have remained in the organisation after mass downswing. However their felling of job insecurity remains. The employee have the fellings of uncertainty, anger, guilty & distrust.c. Workplace Violence- This may be witnessed, sometimes, as troubled employees take dramatic & harmful physical actions against co workers, managers or company property. This violent act includes : Unprovoked Fights Destruction of properties Use of weapon etcd. Post Traumatic Stress disorder- The victims of post traumatic disorder are employees who: Witness violence Receive injury from it , or Live under the fear of repeated future violence.6. Effect on Organisational Behaviour- Stress, which affects an employees physical 7 mental health

MANAGEMENT OF STRESSThere are several approaches or measures to minimise the stress .The stress coping strategies can be broadly divide into two groups:(I)Individual Strategies(II)Origanisational Strategies1.INDIVIDUAL STRATEGIES:-An individual experiencing stressful situation can take the following steps to either minimise or eliminate the side effects of intense stress:1.Physical Exercise :An employee suffering from stress must resort to physical fitness exercises. For this purpose,exercises such as walking ,jogging,swimming, etc ., etc can help to combat stress.Regulasr exercise can also help to reduce certain diseases such as heart problems.

2.Meditation:An employee suffering from stress may also resort to mediation . Meditation helps to develop the power of concentration .It helps to overcome the problem of neurological problems. It can also reduce physical strain on the mind . This is because; the mind has control over the matter-i.e.,body.

3.Relaxation Training:It is a technique that teaches different methods for replacing of tension by relaxing or releasing tension. One of the relaxation techniques involves listening to soft music.People can also relaqx with the help of meditation and mental exercises.

4.Time Management: There should be proper time management so as to avoid work overload. Proper time management can reduce the stress caused due to work overload .It is true that if one can manage time effectively, he or she can achieve much more than otherwise .To manage time management one has to: Prepare a day wise list of activities. Give priority to urgent and important work. Delegate routine and repetitive work. Handle the most demanding work, when one is fresh or more productive.

5.Social Support:Emotional support from family members, friends, co-workers, supervisors and others is very useful to soften the effects of stress.

6.Behavioural Self-Control:This strategy involves the individuals attempt to control the stressful situation instead of allowing the situation to control him. A person can avoid a situation that will put him under stress.

7.Biofeedback:In this method , a stress victim, under the medical guidance learns to influence symptoms of stress such as headache or increased blood pressure . Likewise , psychological treatment can also be provided to reduce stress.

8.Networking:It means forming close association with trusted friends or co-workers who are good listeners and confidence builders.

9.Personal Well Being:Some preventive steps can also be taken to minimise the effects of stressors. These are:- An appropriate philosophy of life Time management Self-assessment Breathing regulations Nutrition management Developing hobbiesII.ORGANISATIONAL STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING STRESS:Management can take several measures to minimise or eliminate organisational level stressors .A detailed description of various measures at organisational level to manage stress is given below:1.Changes in the Organisational Structure:It includes steps establishing proper means of communications, clear cut definition of authority making rules that are flexible , and resolving the conflict between line and staff people.

2.Working Environment:Appropriate measures can be taken to provide suitable working conditions and improve the quality of work life. Sufficient lighting and ventilation facilities , adequate safety and security measures , noise and pollution control, facilities for rest and recreation can be provided to reduce impact of stress.

3.Decentralisation of Authority:Steps should be taken to delegate authority at lower levels. This helps to reduce the involvement of seniors and increase the active participation of subordinates in decision making . This helps to reduces the magnitude of stress.

4.Changes in Nature of job:The problem of stress can also be solved by redesigning the nature of certain jobs. This can be done by-1.By expanding horizontally the scope of activities .i.e. through job enlargement.2.By providing more interesting and challenging work to employees.This can be done by job enrichment i.e. increasing the qualitive features of the job.3.By limiting unnecessary travel or relocations of jobs.4.By removing risky, unpleasant elements from working conditions.5.Proper recruitment and selection of employees.

6.Minimising work overload and underload.

5.Sabbaticals:Some organisations allow highly stressed employees to go on a long vacation or sabbatical leaves. This helps the employee to return stress- relieved and refreshed. Some sabbaticals provide:- Unpaid time off. Partially paid leave. Fully paid leave.

The employees when sent on paid leaves feel rewarded and valued by their employees. The organisation may benefit from cross- training that takes place among employers while one employee is on sabbatical. This allows organisational flexibility and raises employee competency and self-esteem

6.Reducing Burnout:To overcome the effects of burnout , organisation need to consider the following two issues:a) Jobs that lead to early burnout.b) Employees who exhibit some of the burnout symptoms.Management should take effective steps to change that part of the job leads to burnout. Also, management should provide proper training and counselling facilities to the employees who exhibit some of the burnout symptoms.

7.Removing Sources of Frustration:Frustration is undesirable both for the employee as well as the organisation . An attempt should be made to remove barriers and help the employees to reach their goals.

Management can take the following effective measures to deal with employee frustration:a) Proper facilities should be provided such as:- Canteen facilities. Adequate lighting. Machine repairs and maintenance, etc.b)Encourage team spirit among the employees.c) Proper organisational policies should be framed with respect to: Promotions Transfers Selection, etc.d)Proper training and counselling should be provided to the employees.

IMPACT OF STRESS ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE

Impact of stress can be positive or negative .Eustress is the term used to describe positive stress . It can act as a motivator for peak performance .Stress is asid to be negative when a person faces social, physical, organisational, and emotional problems. Distress is the term used to describe negative stress.IMPACT OF EUSTRESS:The following are the effects of eustress on employee performance:1.Innovation:Eustress facilitates innovation in the organisation .It enables employees to generate new ideas , new products , new processes, new techniques , etc. Innovation helps to gain competitive advantages in todays competitive business world.

2.Optimum Use of Resources:Eustress motivates the employees to perform better .Motivated employees work with application and dedication. The dedication on the part of motivated work force brings higher efficiency in the organisation.

3.Motivation:Eustress motivates the employees to perform better. Motivated employees Work with application and dedication. The dedication on the part of motivated work force brings higher efficiency in the organisation.

4.Reduction in Wastages:Eustress results in reduction of wastages in the organisation .Now-a-days , reduction in wastages is vital to any organisation .Reduction in wastages on the part of the employee generates higher productivity.

5.Reduction in Absenteeism:Eustress facilitates reduction in absenteeism of employees. Absenteeism takes place when employees remain absent without prior permission. Absenteeism creates several problems in the organisation.

6.Encourage Initiative:Eustress encourage the employees to show their initiative to come out with suggestions and actions that would not only help the organisation to grow and expand but also help the employees to fulfil their career aspirations.

7.Better Relations:Eustress enables to develop better relations among employees. There is a need to have good relations throughout the organisation.i.e. between various people and departments in the organisation . Good relations generate team work, which enhances employee performance.

8.Higher Efficiency:Eustress helps to generate higher efficiency among employees . Efficiency is the relation between returns and costs .The more the returns at the same costs or s lower cost, the greater is the employee efficiency.

IMPACT OF DISTRESSThe employee performance may be highly hampered due to the presence of distress .Distress results in:1.Job dissatisfaction.2.Increase in accidents.3.Increase in employee turnover 4.Increase in absenteeism5.Poor relations with others in the organisation6.Lack of motivation7.Wastage of resources8.Inefficiency 9.Burnout10.Trauma

Introduction to ITC (Imperial Tobacco Company)

ITC Limited, is an Indias premier privates sector companies with a turnover of US $ 7 billion and a market capitalization of over US $ 33 Billion. The company is currently headed by YOGESH CHANDER DEVESHWAR. It employs over 29,000 people at more than 60 locations across India. ITC is rated among the World's Best Big Companies, Asia's 'Fab 50' and the World's Most Reputable Companies by Forbes magazine and among India's Most Valuable Companies by Business Today. ITC also ranks among Asia's 50 best performing companies compiled by Business Week. ITC Limited completes 100 years on 24th August, 2010.

About ITC

Incorporated on August 24, 1910 Ventured into packaged and branded food business with Kitchen Of India (KOI) in Aug, 2001 and launched Ashirwad brand in 2002. In June, 2003 entered into convenience food market with the launch of Ready to Eat Meals (RTEM) Positioning of ITC TOUCHING YOUR LIFE EVERYDAY

History ITC was formed on 24 August 1910 under the name of Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited,and the company wentpublicon 27 October 1954.The earlier decades of the company's activities centered mainly aroundtobacco products. In the 1970s, it diversified into non-tobacco businesses. In 1975, the company acquired a hotel inChennai, which was renamed the 'ITC-Welcomgroup Hotel Chola' (now renamed to MyFortune, Chennai). In 1985, ITC set up Surya Tobacco Co. inNepalas an Indo-Nepali andBritishjoint venture, with the shares divided between ITC,British American Tobaccoand various independent domestic shareholders in Nepal. In 2002, Surya Tobacco became a subsidiary of ITC and its name was changed to Surya Nepal Private Limited. In 2000, ITC launched theExpressionsrange of greeting cards,theWills Sportrange of casual wear,and a wholly owned information technology subsidiary,ITC InfotechIndia Limited. In 2001, ITC introduced theKitchens of Indiabrand ofready-to-eatgourmet Indian recipes. In 2002, ITC entered theconfectioneryand staples segmentsand acquired theBhadrachalamPaperboards Divisionand thesafety matchescompany WIMCO Limited. ITC entered the Agarbattis (incense sticks) business in 2003, selling its products under theMangaldeepbrand.ITC diversified into body care products in 2005. In 2010, ITC launched its handrolledcigar- Armenteros - in the Indian market. The company began online sales in 2014.

NEED FOR DIVERSIFICATION Core business of ITC is in the manufacture of cigarettes and tobacco. On domestic front, it realized that there was huge revenue potential for a launch of wider product range to the Indian consumer base. ITCs FMCG business has one of largest retail networks in the country(2 million retailers) Government ban on advertisements of cigarettes, high tax rates, decline for the demand of cigarettes. The company felt the to diversify from the early 1970 and started entering those business that provides good ROI and a potential for future expansion. Leads to concentrate to the other business opportunities.

Organisational Culture at ITC

ITC Individual Initiative: ILTD provides high freedom, less responsibility due to set procedures.

Direction: Organisational objectives are very well defined and practiced.

ManagementSupport:Highlysupportivemanagementtowardsemployees &their families.

Identity:Highdegreeofidentificationtowardstheorganisation,especiallyby workers.

Conflict Tolerance: ILTD offers high tolerance, newer divisions averse to conflicttolerance.

Risk Tolerance: Independence to employees in older divisions like ILTD, less in FMCG.

Integration: Due to interdependent products (in FMCG & ABD), high degree ofintegration.

Control: FMCG division exerts high degree of control due to highly competitive market.

Reward System: Employee performance highly valued for rewardallocation.

Communication Patterns: HighdegreeofformalityexistsinFMCGdivisions, lower in plants.

ITC Product

Stress Management of ITCYoga, Exercise SessionIn today's era of globalization where there is a lot of competition, innovation and change executives in all organizations cannot avoid tension, stress and anxiety in their day-to-day work. Only hardworking, disciplined, punctual and mentally alert executives can survive the work pressures and strike a balance between work life and personal life. They are exposed to stress and tension for long periods which may manifest in the form of many ailments like hypertension, high/low blood pressure, insomnia, depression, backaches, migraine, spondylitis, etc. This in turn results in overall decrease in the executives efficiency and productivity; consequently, there is a deterioration of human capital in the organization. Yoga is the answer for healing stress among working men and women. This all-in-one formula acts as a soothing agent for the burned-out Indian corporate and is fast growing on the popularity charts. It serves as reviver of mind, body and soul. The techniques of yoga comprise of physical postures (asanas), breath expansion and enhancement (pranayama), relaxation and meditation techniques (dhyaan), coupled with philosophy of simple and natural lifestyle management. It enhances energy of the person and develops positive attitude. It has been attested by many as a complete all-inone holistic formula for stress management. Thus, realizing the impact in many organizations when regular session of yoga is conducted, according to their employees requirements. In this paper the researcher has tried to analyze how yoga practices help to overcome stress among the ITC executives resulting in a positive impact on the organization.

Training & Development ProgramWe believe in facilitating continuous learning and leverage our state-of-the-art training facilities to enhance our employees competencies.Our training and development centre is named Epicenter. This Epicenter is where we sharpen our skill sets, foster innovation and encourage freedom of thought. It symbolizes our need to excel in every sphere of functioning through knowledge building and skill enhancement.This highly sophisticated centre is equipped with a range of advanced facilities such as: A 70-seater lecture theatre A 50-seater lecture theatre Two 20-seater classrooms synchronized with the main lecture theatre A 15-seater conference room with VoIP and video conferencing facilities. Each lecture theatre and classroom is equipped with state of the art audio visual systems Well stocked library with adequate titles and periodic magazine subscriptions

Fresher Employee TrainingTechnical training typically includes basic skills for new recruits such as programming language skills, OS principles, SE principles and specific technology expertise related to various technology areas. Along with technical training, we also provide a comprehensive certification program where employees can choose from a multitude of technology areas.Behavioural training includes soft skills development sessions for the employees. These workshops include training in leadership skills, customer delight, communication skills, time management, creativity and innovation, team building exercises etc.It is also very important that our employees have a domain understanding of the business areas we work in. In this regard, we focus on training programs leading to certification.We also have a robust e-learning platform titled PROP-EL for our growing and global workforce. Employees across the globe are able to access this system and undertake training in a variety of subjects at their own time and pace. They can also participate in assessments of their capabilities online.

Awards & recognitions

In 1994 and 1995, the ILTD Division in Chirala and Anaparti won the "Best of all"Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award ITC features on theForbes Global 2000rankings for 2012 at position 841.In the same rankings, the company's market value placed it as the 184th largest company in the world.Forbes has also included the company in Asia's Fab 50 Companies list. In 2013, ITC was ranked the third most admired company in India byFortune. In 2011, all of ITCs super premium luxury hotels were accorded LEED Platinum certification, making ITC Hotels the Greenest Luxury Hotel Chain in the World. In 2010, ITC was ranked 6th amongst global consumer goods companies in sustainable value creation during 2005-09, byBoston Consulting Group. It received the National Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India in 2007. In 2006, ITC's e-Choupal program won the Stockholm Challenge Award 2006 in the Economic Development category. This program enables over 3.5 million farmers to access crop-specific and customised information in their native village habitat and language. In 2014,The Brand Trust Report, published by Trust Research Advisory, a brand analytics company, ranked ITC in the 9th position among India's most trusted brands in the Diversified sector.

Conclusion In the era of globalization where there is a lot of competition, innovation and change executives in all organizations cannot avoid tension, stress and anxiety in their day-to-day work. Only hardworking, disciplined, punctual and mentally alert executives can survive the work pressures and strike a balance between work life and personal life.Itc help employees to manage stress by providing various facility like promotion to encourage employees, time to time training, provides yoga session ,etc. The researcher has tried to analyze how yoga practices help to overcome stress among the ITC executives resulting in a positive impact on the organization.

Bibliographywww.itcportal.comwww.itcinfotech.com

IndexSr.NoTopicPage No.

1.Executive Summary1

2.Objective Of Study2

3.Meaning of Stress3

4.Sources of Stress4

5.Effects of Stress6

6.Management of Stress8

7.Impact of Stress11

8.Impact of Distress12

9.Introduction to ITC13

10History of ITC14

11.Need for Diversification15

12.Organisational culture at ITC16

13.ITC Product 17

14. Stress Management at ITC Yoga, Exercise Session Training & Development Program Fresh Employee Training Awards & Recognitions18

15. Conclusion22

16.Bibliography23