Effect of Cultural Differences in Global Marketplace

Effect of Cultural Differences in Global Marketplace Abstract This paper proposes a study on the threat the new entrants in global markets encounter mainly about the trouble arising from cross-cultural differences. This proposal investigates some of the applicable background work on the topic and sets some of the aims, objectives and research methodology that help for the better understanding of the topic. The main emphasis in this research is focus on the cross-cultural threats most businesses face during their plans to enter into the international markets. The expanding of business operations into external markets is very important in this competitive world. But this expansion into international markets is associated with high degree of risk. This research considers two countries Europe, Middle East and North America and the mode of internationalization are the Export business. Background: Business who enter new markets face many problems and this threats faced by new entrants is faced from many years. This is extensively considered in the literature but unlike nuances from this topic can be analysed. If there is risk connected to the reality that a business enters a new international market, huge levels of uncertainty could be associated when business go into new markets in different countries, this due to the existence of cultural aspects may weaken the achievement of the new business. In a situation in which Globalisation plays a most important role in home economies, the focus of going into new international markets is an additional and more pertinent. Apart from this in some of the industries the national market is not sufficient to cover up every aspect of the production of the business, and consequently, there is a need for such business to enter into new markets, for example, find the financial support for growth and development. Thus, the entry in international markets in this perspective may not be a choice but relatively it is an obligation. Business decisions are extremely surrounded in a sociological framework where culture plays an important role. To that degree, the significant threat of entering international markets can be differences in the culture that may weaken the progression of entering the new market of the achievement of the international project. For every business to decision of entering into a new international market requires huge resources, more often than not there are resources that require to be assigned to the decision of global entry, and that managers need to execute to the procedure of entry. But large investments into the new ventures in international markets does not in reality give success to the firm, the crucial lies only if the business enters the new markets before its competitors as these cultural aspects of the new markets can hinder performance in the beginning and to understand the culture, manage peoples preferences and to be successful requires a long-term process (Mascarenhas 1998). Moreover, the study also demonstrates that new entrants typically require placing smaller amount of capital in the procedure of entering the new market, and consequently this plan can be pursued by business with few resources if they are initial entrants. There are quite a lot of patterns that business can choose when entering in new trade places, and the pattern or the procedure the business adopt during entry may describes the success of the decision. In addition to this the pattern of entry also has an significant impact on the consequence of the new project. This framework identifies three underlying constructs that influence the entry mode decision. These constructs are linked to considerations that have been previously discussed in the literature. It is argued that a businesss choice of entry mode depends on the strategic relationship the business envisages between operations in different countries. A particular entry decision cannot be viewed in isolation. It must be considered in relation to the overall strategic posture of the business. Further, the paper argues that different variables often suggest different entry modes, and that resolving these differences involves accepting trade-offs. Hill et al. (2006: p. 117) Different types of entry refer to the procedure the business decides to enter the market. There are different types of expanding its business globally like Export its good to the new markets international also is a form of international business, these Exports may be Direct or Indirect, business can even start its global business through Contracts like licensing and franchising; and Foreign Direct Investment this includes funding of business in other countries either as a whole or a part of the business (Armstrong and Sweeney 1994). There is also a significant feature that the business needs when going globally, learning. The importance of organizational learning for a companys survival and effective performance has been emphasized in the literature (Barkema and Vermeulen, 1998; Barlett and Ghoshal, 1987a, 1987b; Hitt, Hoskisson and Ireland, 1994; Huber, 1991). According to Zahra et al. (2000) New ventures competing in international markets, for instance, draw from multiple knowledge bases in their different business operations and learn new skills that augment current capabilities. This viewpoint serves to emphasize the reality that later the primary experiences in terms of new ventures in international markets, helps gives the business an opportunity to learn, and with the help of this knowledge which the business gains in the process of learning can help them to be confident and which in turn helps them to reduce the level of risk associated with international business. Yet, a key problem the new entrants fac e is the distance of culture among the countries. Within each of the management disciplines there is a Significant literature which assumes that each nation has a distinctive, influential, and describable culture it shapes everything' (Hickson and Pugh, 1995: 90) A very important aspect of the process of internationalization is the distance between certain cultures. This issue is very central to the international Business literature, as it can be conbusinessed by Sousa and Bradley (2006: p. 49) Cultural distance and psychic distance are two factors that are widely used in the international business literature. A large number of studies use both concepts interchangeably with no clear distinction between them. The authors propose a new model to assess cultural distance and psychic distance separately. Through the use of survey data of more than 300 managers, this article shows that both concepts are conceptually different and that psychic distance is determined by cultural distance and the individual values of the managers. Hofstede is a pioneer in explaining the cultural distances among the countries with his work cultural consequences in 1984. He worked on the employees of IBM in different countries and identified four cultural dimensions, even though the scope of his research is limited as there no IBM offices in some countries, but his work is widely accepted in the study of national cultural differences among countries . The existence of cultural problems can be to some extent eliminated by adopting a evolutionary process by business during the process of entry into international markets. Hashai and Almor (2004: p. 465) demonstrate this gradual process of entering the market that can be used as an argument in favour of the actual difficulties in entering international markets, since three levels of entry are referred. Results show [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] the following internationalization sequence over time: (1) exports are employed initially in order to serve customers in psychically close international markets; (2) subsequently, greenfield marketing subsidiaries are established in these markets; (3) finally, businesss engage in mergers and acquisitions, create subsidiaries that incorporate several value-adding activities and penetrate psychically distant international markets. Hofstede (1989), states that the main risk in internationalization is: signifying that in spite of the existence of a few cultural gaps, which may not be very troublesome or are even opposite, differences among two cultures in terms of uncertainty avoidance can turn into a possible foundation of problems for business who are looking for international markets due to the linked gap in acceptance of the level of risk, formalization, and the approximating. This viewpoint is very significant, and it can be linked with the resource- based viewpoint. In order to spend in global markets, business requires also investing in their information and adjustment to the host countries culture. However, as a consequence of the internationalisation process, business are expected to obtain awareness regarding global sites, organizational features and other country specific information (Barkema et al., 1996) as there should be more open to communication with fresh cultures. Ultimately, as an instance of threats of entry into international markets, there are five factors which are identified with the export of goods among the countries. From the analysis of the prior experiential literature, five common export threats have been identified. The prior among them are the non-exporting business tends to recognize obstacles in a different way from export trade. They put additional importance on factors inhibiting the commencement of export actions, while exporting trade stress operational, practical and market associated troubles. Next, the character, as well as the level complexity of export impediments varies not only among export stages, but also between businesses at the equal stage of export growth process. Next, the outside environmental aspects widespread in every nation mainly control perceived export problems. Next, industry-specific aspects are often accountable for variations in the supposed level of export threats across industry. Lastly, the level of the industry frequently determines the characteristics and pressure on export threats, with minor business feeling their inhibiting impact more powerfully. Smit h et al. (2006: p. 54-55) Aims The main aim of this piece of research is to find out the processes which national business adapt while entering into new international markets and to calculate the degree of which cross-cultural characteristics of the host country can contribute to the decision making. Therefore, in this research it will be required to find a connection between the cultural distance of the two countries and the power of their global business. In other expression, one can aim to study whether: are the firms more expected to invest in nations that are culturally closer? As a result, the intention of this research is to estimate the degree to which the cultural distance plays an significant part on the choice of participating in the economy of a certain country. To that extent, this research is evaluating, finally, if the cultural closeness of certain countries is a feature of magnetism by business for a venture. In order to find out the part of cultural closeness, one will calculate the cultural threats business encounter in going into global markets. The centre of this research is businesses who are the first time entrants into the new international markets. For that motive the problem of cultural distance is understood so closely. This is also based that business going into new markets with a little experience in global ventures are less affected by the risk when entering into a new global market. The basic theory in this research is that cultural distance plays a significant role for the first time entrants when compared to other business. In order to believe in this objective, a viewpoint on the resources that are necessary to enter a global venture will be the base for the explanations sought after. The main hypothesis is that, venturing into new markets where there is a high degree of cultural distance embodies high degree of risk and, consequently, huge investments is required to understand and bridge a gap between these cultural distance among countries. Research Methods: Data As the main focus of the research is to find out the relation between the cultural differences among nations and course of internationalisation of the company, different sources of statistics and information will be used. In order to know the relation we need to under the cultural differences among the countries, as this will enable the research with better understand of the concept. To get this information, Hofstede (1984) work is used to get the information on cultural distance. The model developed by Hofstede (2001) provides a set of variables that permit the relationship of cultures with respect to various business approaches. The study of cultural consequences of Hofstede is performed using data gathered from IBM workforce in different countries around the world. In spite of being a good method for understanding the cultural distance among countries, the model itself has some draw backs, as the staff of IBM are not only influenced by the national cultural but also are influenced by the organizational culture and hence this study may not reveal the pure information on the national culture, as the employees are also inclined by IBM policies and procedures. But however the framework depicts the cultural difference among the countries in five dimensions: They are The first among them is the power distance: this depicts the distance between individual of different ranks. The next is Individualism this reflects the extent to which an individual relies on a group or collective approach to issues, or the extent to which the individuals takes individuals initiative to solve problems. Uncertainty avoidance, which reflects on peoples attitudes on ambiguity in a society or country. The third is Masculinity, the gender differences, in more masculinity, results in assertiveness, competitiveness and need to achieve results; low masculinity suggests co-operation and more caring approaches. Lastly, the fifth dimension which is the result of the work of Hofstede, with the Chinese cultural connection group (1987) which resulted in another dimension called the Long term orientation, more Asian culture prefer long term bond and oppose short term contracts. The subsequent resource of information is associated with the exports. Information will be collected from the World Trade Organization (2008) and contain data about the selected countries for the research, North America, Middle East and Europe. Ultimately, the information required is different sources of information about the flows of foreign direct investment among each pair of groups of countries. The data for this dataset will be gathered for each pair of countries in isolation and thus different sources will be used. To understand the proximity of the relationship among the pair of countries can be understood from the information gathered about the cultural distance with the help of Hofstede framework. This understanding of the closeness of the culture will help to answer the question whether business are only ready to trade with those countries which are narrow in terms of cultural distance. The methods used for analysing are: In order to assess the level to which the aspect of cultural distance plays a significant part on the business decision on the new ventures with certain nation, can be analyzed with the help of analysis of the pair of countries from the selected parts of the world. This examination will integrate assess of the comparative distance of the two countries, and an evaluation of the relative influence of the exports and of Foreign Direct Investment in the total exports and Foreign Direct Investment of each country. The information will provide a chance to spotlight on the connection between the cultural distance and the actual international link of business in the two groups of countries, with numerical techniques. This examination will be complimented with relative details of the culture of the both the countries. 5. Expected Outcome It is expected that countries with similarities in terms of culture verify higher levels of international trade, not only in terms of exports, but also in what regards to international trade. The theory on the resources applied in the participation of a new joint venture can also provide a contribution in this respect. Countries with higher similarities may embody a lower risk of investment and therefore, businesss will be seeking to invest firstly in countries in which they know what to expect. However, it is also certain that after having invested in a number of countries to which cultural similarities are found, a business may be seeking to expand to other countries, culturally more distant. This may be due to two reasons: the first one is related to the need of expansion, and once all countries to which cultural proximity is found already have the presence of the business; the second one is related to the international experience and the confidence of investment the business has gained in the countries it has invested previously, and is now ready to take a step further and to operate at a higher risk.

Sacrament Of Reconciliation

Sacrament Of Reconciliation So lets define the difference between apology, forgiveness and reconciliation. The following definition is from the Webster Dictionary. Apology is a formal justification, defense, excuse; an admission of error accompanied by an expression of regret. It implies an attempt to avoid or remove blame or censure. Steve Cornell posted on the web a really great insight into the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. Here he summarizes a key distinction: Its possible to forgive someone without offering immediate reconciliation. Its possible for forgiveness to occur in the context of ones relationship with God apart from contact with his/her offender. But reconciliation is focused on restoring broken relationships. And where trust is deeply broken, restoration is a process-sometimes, a lengthy one. So why the importance of distinguishing the difference? Steve continues to explain why recognizing the difference is important: The process of reconciliation depends on the attitude of the offender, the depth of the betrayal, and the pattern of offense. When an offended party works toward reconciliation, the first and most important step is the confirmation of genuine repentance on the part of the offender (Luke 17:3). So another word that can be used for reconciliation is Transformation. So when we sin we separate ourselves from Gods love or put a barrier between God and ourselves. We have deliberately, by our own free will, performed an act of disobedience against God. We can apologize to God, but it does not hold the person accountable to change or transformation of oneself. But if we ask for forgiveness resulting in reconciliation, we then are asked by God for a commitment to change in which a transformation takes place of ones lifestyle. The sacrament of reconciliation can also be used as a sacrament of healing. A healing of not only our spiritual self but also our emotional and psychological being. Sin leaves ugly scars on a person. These scars can be emotional and psychological which can have physical effects. A person can go to a physician and be healed from the physical aspect but if the scars go deeper into the spiritual being of a person then one is not completely healed. A good example are women who have had an abortion. No term can adequately express the heartbreak that abortion causes, but for the purposes of identification we will call it Post-Abortion Trauma. Common feelings associated with Post-Abortion Trauma include guilt, grief, anger and regret. These feelings frequently manifest themselves through anti-social, self-destructive, and other abnormal behaviors. Many who suffer from Post-Abortion Trauma experience flashbacks, nightmares, and varying degrees of depression. The woman who holds a Christian w orldview is very likely to begin, at some point after her abortion, to feel like a second-class citizen in Gods economy, even though she may know this to be incompatible with Scripture. She usually will either turn away from the church completely or try to prove herself by being good long enough until God will finally forgive her. Many post-abortive women, as we have already described, are secretly convinced that their transgressions are literally in a class by themselves, beyond the reach of Gods forgiveness. The more important task, then is to accept on an emotional level what they may already know on an intellectual level: that Gods forgiveness is already available, and that they must decide to reach out and grasp it firmly. There are three important aspects to this firm grasp on forgiveness: (1) knowing Who ultimately has paid the debt, (2) allowing intimacy with God to be restored and (3) understanding the difference between punishment and consequences. The Bible clearly teaches that God has made provision for the forgiveness of wrongdoing. But the post-abortive woman often has a very difficult time believing that forgiveness is available for her selfish and catastrophic choice. Thus, in apparent contradiction to (or ignorance of) her own theology, she cannot accept Gods forgiveness. Instead, she continues to live in a compartmentalized state in which her head knowledge and her heart knowledge do not match. Like the person described in the Matthew 18 parable, she has been told of her Lords forgiveness; but her guilty emotions still demand that she pay her debt herself. Restoring intimacy is the second aspect of forgiveness, and it is perhaps best understood in the parent-child relationship. When a child chooses to do something wrong, a healthy, loving parent needs only to know that the child is genuinely sorry for her actions for reconciliation and intimacy to be restored. In the same way, God only needs for us to verbalize our responsibility and sorrow for our action in order to restore intimacy with Him. Finally, the third aspect of forgiveness has to do with understanding the difference between punishment and consequences, which are all too easily confused. For the post-abortive woman. a consequence might be infertility. It is tempting for her to interpret this as a sign of Gods continued judgment and rejection. Instead, she needs to understand Gods care for her, and His limitless capacity to redeem the fallout from unwise choices in a fallen world. God, as a loving parent, is as grieved as we are about the losses brought on by our choices. But living with the consequences of our choices is a key part of the uncoerced relationship God desires to have with us. The sacrament of confession unveils us and humbles us before God. Confession removes barriers of sin so that the love from the Father can be completely received by us and then we in turn are strengthened to return that beautiful unconditional love back to the Father and share it with others around us, particularly our spouse. Christ conquered the death of sin at the cross- He became sin itself, died and defeated it through the resurrection. Ironically, it is through Christ, that our sin brings us to new life. The more we reveal of ourselves, the more we are forgiven- where there is much forgiveness there is much love and gratitude. Our anger dies, our bitterness dies, our resentment dies, our critical spirit dies, and our desire for revenge dies. We are now set free so that we ourselves may forgive and live a joyful, fulfilling marriage in and through the grace of Christ. It may be that at one time or another we have found the sacrament of Reconciliation a burden. Perhaps we even can remember an occasion when we said, I wish I didnt have to go to confession. But certainly in our saner moments we find Reconciliation a sacrament that we love, a sacrament we would not want to be without. Just think of all that the sacrament of Reconciliation does for us! First of all, if a person has cut himself off from God by a grave and deliberate act of disobedience against God (that is, by mortal sin), the sacrament of Reconciliation reunites the soul to God; sanctifying grace is restored to the soul. At the same time, the sin itself (or sins) is forgiven. Just as darkness disappears from a room when the light is turned on, so too must sin disappear from the soul with the coming of sanctifying grace. When received without any mortal sin on the soul, the sacrament of Reconciliation imparts to the soul an increase in sanctifying grace. This means that there is a deepening and strengthening of that divine-life-shared by which the soul is united to God. And always, any venial sins which the penitent may have committed and for which he is truly sorry are forgiven. These are the lesser and more common sins which do not cut us off from God but still hinder, like clouds across the sun, the full flow of his grace to the soul. It is a spiritual medicine which strengthens as well as heals. That is why a person intent upon leading a good life will make it a practice to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation often. Frequent confession is one of the best guarantees against falling into grave sin. It would be the height of stupidity to say, I dont need to go to confession because I havent committed any mortal sins. All these results of the sacrament of Reconciliation-restoration or increase of sanctifying grace, forgiveness of sins, remission of punishment, restoration of merit, grace to conquer temptation-all these are possibleonly because of the infinite merits of Jesus Christ, which the sacrament of Reconciliation applies to our souls. Jesus on the cross already has done our work for us. In the sacrament of Reconciliation we simply give God a chance to share with us the infinite merits of his Son. Your sins are forgiven. (Luke 5:20) t was many years and many struggles later that I realized that it is in the solitude of the confessional when I most live by the way (or power) of the cross. It is in the confessional that I become soulfully naked and surrender my sinful life to God. He then gifts me with new life (His Grace). It is through Gods grace that the possibilities for life become endless and exciting. Philippians 4:13 reads I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power. Realize the sacraments are living. God is actually present in the sacrament of reconciliation through His grace (the power of the Holy Spirit). God loves humility so when I completely reveal my weaknesses and failings to God in the sacrament of reconciliation, God gifts me with His grace and through His grace HE inwardly strengthens me against future sin and temptation. The Holy Spirit fills me with love, joy, peace, true happiness and a feeling of being content no matter what my life circumst ances may be. Ultimately, in the confessional, I am slowly being set free from the bondage of sin because in my deepening love for God I loose desire to sin.

The Laptop Computer :: Mobile Computing Portable

"Alan Kay has remarked that had Vannevar Bush enjoyed working in all-night coffee shops, he would have invented the portable computer." (Press, 1993, p.31) The laptop computer has had a tremendous impact in the areas of business, education, government, and personal use. The emergence of portable computing and the laptop computer can be traced to the introduction of the personal computer itself. In 1975, the MITS Altair 8800 was introduced. The Altair is recognized as being the first commercially successful personal computer and the launching point for the personal computer revolution (Sysop, n.d.). Almost simultaneously, the idea of portability (in particular for the business-person) became a major focus in the industry. This new desire for computing portability introduced a number of new challenges. Factors such as cost, weight, power source, screen & keyboard size, overall size, and included software presented great challenges to computer system designers. There is some debate regarding which machine holds claim to being the first portable computer, as portable was a relative term used quite liberally. The earliest portables, while heavy by today’s standards, shared the common characteristic of integrating a keyboard, memory, processor(s), display, and expandability potential into a single unit able to be transported. In 1975, about one month after the Altair’s debut, IBM introduced the 5100 – dubbed the IBM Portable PC. There were few personal computers available around this time, making the powerful 5100 very attractive as a complete portable system (Sysop, n.d.). At almost 60 pounds and a cost of $9,000-$20,000 however, it was attractive to a small audience. It was designed specifically for professional and scientific problem-solvers. Several years later saw the introduction of what most historians refer to as the first truly portable computer, the Osborne 1 (Bellis, 2005). Released in 1981, the Osborne 1 weighed about 24 pounds and sold for $1795. While the unit itself was still rather bulky, it contained a fold-out keyboard, 5 inch monitor, and two floppy disk drives. Its biggest value however, was the $1500 worth of software that came with it. Unlike the IBM 5100, the Osborne 1 optionally ran on battery packs, enabling true portability. Advances in technology sa w the decrease in size of portable computers, as well as an increase in computing power.

College Athletes Should be Paid Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essa

College sports are big business. For many universities, the athletic program serves as a cash-generating machine. Exploited athletes generate millions of dollars for the NCAA and their schools, and never see a dime. In terms of profit, if all ties with the university were eliminated, an athletic program acting as its own separate entity could compete with some fortune 500 companies. So, why do the vital pieces of the machine, the players, fail to receive any compensation for their performance? The answer lies in the money-hungry NCAA and their practice of hoarding all the revenue. College athletes should receive payment for their play to make their college experience more bearable because they create huge profits and have no other way to earn money during the year. Most college athletes are not wealthy and among the many rules imposed for these privileged individuals, they are not permitted to carry jobs, receive money, rewards, or any type of kickbacks from any sources other than family. The NCAA does not allow their athletes to hold jobs because the job issue has ramifications on recruiting. The NCAA believes some schools would have an unfair recruiting advantage over other schools. That one school could offer a recruit a better job opportunity than another. There is an issue that jobs in different locations would pay athletes different salaries. Life wouldn't be so hard for many of the student-athletes if they were permitted to hold jobs. But the NCAA does not permit scholarship players to be employed during the school year. During the summer, these athletes are forced to train, practice, and compete in order to keep their roster position. This leaves little time to earn money. The lifestyle of... ...e that over the past 23 years, the NCAA's total revenues have increased almost 8,000 percent and the NCAA's $1.7 billion contract with CBS for rights to the NCAA Tournament is bigger than any single professional sports deal, with any network. The non-profit in this case pertains to the athletes. Though a college education is important, the goal of college is to prepare yourself for your future profession. Many college athletes plan to join the professional ranks after college. However, some are forced to leave college early or even forgo college altogether because of their need for money. With giving student-athletes a small salary, such as the $5.40 an hour national minimum wage, more athletes would not have to miss their chance of a college experience. These people are not greedy; they are looking out for themselves. And they could use a little help.

scarlet letter :: essays research papers

Summer Reading: The Scarlet Letter In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne symbolism is prevalent, understanding symbolism is necessary for understanding Hawthorne’s novels. The rosebush is a symbol in the novel. It is rendered through the characters of Hester and Pearl in how they are perceived by the people. Hester Prynne has been convicted of being an adulteress. She is put on a scaffold as a form of public humiliation and told to wear a Scarlet A on her breast to identify herself with shame. Hester stands on the scaffold for three hours. As she stands, she looks around at the crowd of people. Inside she is shameful but to the onlookers she appears proud. The rosebush also from a distance looks majestic and alive but as one gets closer, its thorns are revealed. Hester, like the rosebush, is very pretty and majestic but as one gets closer the Scarlet A of an adulteress is revealed. In the wild, rosebushes use their thorns to keep predators away. Hester and Pearl are like rosebushes because they try to keep people at a distance from them. As Pearl grows up she becomes a very pretty, young girl as her mother is. She is also faced with the reality that she was born out of wedlock. Pearl develops a rude, annoying personality because she has never had anyone that has wanted to be close to her because of her predestined status in the community. Before she has even grown up she is known as an inferior member of society. Her personality is her protection, just as thorns on a rosebush protect the flowers. Hester uses her Scarlet A to keep Hester from having anyone close to her. Her past has kept her from wanting anyone to try and pry into her business. She would rather people stay away from her and her family to prevent any more gossip or talk about her. However, by the novel's end, Hester has become a proto-feminist mother figure to the women of the community. The sham e attached to her scarlet letter is long gone. Women recognize that her punishment stemmed in part from the town fathers' sexism, and they come to Hester seeking shelter from the sexist forces under which they themselves suffer. Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hester is portrayed as an intelligent, capable, but not necessarily extraordinary, woman. A rosebush too, is portrayed as being strong yet beautiful plant.

Dash Diet Evaluation

Audrey Conn Special Diet Project 04/19/12 The Dash Diet 1. The diet I chose to follow is called the DASH diet. It stands for dietary approaches to stop hypertension (The Dash Diet Eating Plan, 2012). 2. The diet was created for people with hypertension. I followed the diet for three days. Normally I don’t think I would have had a problem following this diet because I tend to eat the same foods already but situational factors affected my outcome. The combination of work and finals didn’t give me adequate time to prepare meals.I tried my hardest to get the fruit, grains, and nuts/seeds/legumes servings in because those were the easiest to eat on the go. I followed that pretty well but I definitely didn’t get all of my vegetable, lean meat/poultry/fish, or dairy servings in. 3. The general purpose of this diet is to prevent and control hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. Besides lowering blood pressure this diet aims to improve insulin sensitivity, lowe r cholesterol, reduce the risk of; cancer, stroke, heart disease, kidney stones, and diabetes, and can also be used as a weight loss diet (The Dash Diet Eating Plan, 2012). . There are a few factors that could potentially make this diet difficult to follow. This diet calls for a lot of whole foods like fruit and vegetables and lean meat. Since this diet is specifically for hypertensive individuals processed foods are out of the question because they contain a large amount of sodium. This detail could pose a problem to those with a hectic lifestyle. Many people don’t have the time to cook or prepare fresh foods. And others simply don’t enjoy it. If a person isn’t willing to avoid the convenience of processed foods than they cannot follow this diet.This also poses a problem for those that are in the lower class. Fresh fruits and vegetables are more expensive than processed foods and some may not be able to afford it. Availability of the fruits and vegetables could be a problem as well. I didn’t have a problem finding them but someone that doesn’t live near a grocery might, or in an area that does not import out of season produce. Your education on nutrition might hinder your success with this diet. You need to know how to read nutrition labels, your calorie/nutritional needs, serving sizes for different foods, and food reparation. Luckily you can buy The DASH Diet Action Plan book on the website that has a lot of helpful information, advice, and recipes. 5. The first difference is that the Dash Diet categorizes food into 7 groups opposed to 5 on the food guide pyramid. The diet separates legumes and meat into 2 different groups. The food guide pyramid also took out a fats and sweets category whereas the Dash Diet still includes it. The fruit, vegetable and dairy food groups were all very similar in serving size. Grain consumption was a couple servings higher in the Dash Diet.Over all protein was also a little higher because the diet puts legumes/seeds/nuts into a separate group. 6. The Dash Diet focuses on low sodium consumption, or more precisely, the correct amount of sodium consumption. The typical eating pattern includes more sodium than our body needs. This diet also has a higher fiber content than most people usually consume. 7. This diet plan is made for long term use. It contains all the necessary vitamins and minerals that our body needs. As long as you switch up the variety in your foods you won’t be lacking or consuming excessive nutrients. 8.Trying to fit enough lean meat and dairy into my diet was the biggest change I had to make. On average I probably get only 2 to 4 servings of lean meat/fish/poultry a week. Tuna was the easiest way for me to get the servings in. My lack of extra time would make this diet hard for me to follow well. My schedule is always changing so preparing foods all the time would be a hassle. It is also more expensive to follow this diet than my typical eating ha bits. Money isn’t something I have a lot of. 9. If I had hypertension and was expected to follow this diet I don’t think the transition would be that difficult.However, the transition would be easier if I had a scheduled time every day or every week that gave me time to prepare food and meals in bulk to save time. 10. I think I’ll have a better understanding of what others go through when they have special diets. It can be a large inconvenience depending on your lifestyle. I’ll also have an appreciation for those that have special diets and actually follow them. I had issues with just three days. Works Cited The Dash Diet Eating Plan. (2012, April). Retrieved from The DASH Diet: http://dashdiet. org/

Integrative Case Study †Cafe Co

Edinburgh Napier University BA Hospitality and Service Management Introduction to Human Resource Management HRM08901 Assignment Submission (Part2) Integrative Case Study – Cafe Co Lecturer:Fiona Duncan Local Tutor:Pamela Poon Student Name:Yiu Chun Hei, Jonas Matriculation No. :40075274 Year and Class:BAHSM- 1B Entry:Diploma Date of Submission: 7 March 2011 Table of Contents Page No. 1. Introduction of two-day training course3 2. Overall aims and Specific learning objective4 3. Improvement after this training course5 4. Timetable of training course6 5.Training Methods in the training course10 6. Evaluation strategy of the course15 7. Conclusion of the training course17 8. Reflective statement18 9. Appendix20 10. List of References 21 Introduction of two-day training course In view of the problem of training with line managers, it is going to hold a two-days training course to conduct the new barista. Each day takes 9 hours, there are about 12-16 new barista will attend the trai ning. The training course includes the orientation of Cafe Co, Induction of customer service skills and equipment operation skills. The reason that hold the raining course is saving time for training in daily workload, assists to train the basic skills with line manager and let the new barista experience the workplace Next chapter, it will explain the overall aims and objectives of the training course. Word count: 97 Overall aims and Specific learning objective The overall aim of the training course are new barista should be able to make five different types of coffee by making a standard taste coffee with using coffee maker via the two-day training course. Upon the completion of the training course, new barista should be able to achieve five goals. Understand the rules and history of Cafe Co * Build up team spirit * Learn a standard Cafe Co’s customer service skills * Learn characteristics of five common coffee beans in Cafe Co * Correctly use coffee maker to make a standard coffee In next chapter, it will discuss functions of training course for Cafe Co. Word count: 108 Improvement after this training course First, understanding the history, mission and vision of Cafe Co can establish loyalty, explain clear direction to new barista and drive them to have same target. Also, it can boost morale and create positive atmosphere in work place.Second, after training course, new barista already had basic skills in serving customer and making coffee. There is enough training support to line manager; it can reduce the time for training new employees. Line managers just need to give time to let new employees to gain experience and share their experience. Third, some line managers are not interest in training. The training course can provide basic skills to handle daily workload and save time in training. In chapter 4, the timetable of training course will be outline. Word count: 123Timetable of training course The training course will divide to two days, first d ay will talk about Cafe Co history and policy and second day will teach the practice in daily life. It will take about nine hours per day include one hours lunch time. Training course will hold on 24th-25th in April in one of the branch. There will be a barista and a supervisor which both have three years experience working in Cafe Co responsible for trainers and speakers in the course. Beside the standard skills, they can also share their own technique with the new barista.There is a standard dress code in the course. All attendants must wear the standard Cafe Co barista suit, black trouser and shoes. Beside the suit, trouser and shoes should bring by the attendants. And here is the Time Table. Day 1 Time| Contents| Methods | Resources| Purpose| 9:00- 9:30am| Welcome and Briefing| Lecture| Computer Projector| Welcoming and show the purpose of the training course| 9:30- 10:00am| Ice-Breaking| Games| Paper Pens| Let new barista recognize each other and build up teamwork| 10:00- 11:00 pm| History of Cafe Co| Lecture| ComputerProjectorMicrophone| -Show the organization’s history -Understand the culture and background of Cafe Co| 11:00-12:30pm| Policy of Cafe Co| Lecture| Employees Handbook Microphone| -Show the value of Cafe Co-List out strategic of Cafe Co -Clear the Mission and Vision of Cafe Co| 12:30-1:30pm| Lunch| | | | 1:30- 2:30pm| Knowing working place| Familiarization Tour| Map| -Show the working place and equipment -Familiarize the working place| 2:30- 3:30pm| Employee Compensation| Lecture| Computer Projector Microphone| -Show rest day and holidays in Cafe Co-Arrange of duty meal -Show incentive and Benefits of employees| 3:30- :30pm| Safety and Health policy| Training Video, Lecture| ComputerProjector Microphone| -Mention the safety guide in working place -Explain the important of Safety and Health in Cafe Co -Typhoon and rainstorm emergencies measure -Provide methods of managing stress at work-Show accident may happen working place| 4:30-5:30pm | Rules and Discipline | Lecture| ComputerProjector Microphone| -Mention rules in attendance -Explain rules and procedures in Cafe Co-List out discipline example -introduce disciplinary action procedures| 5:30- 6:00pm| Conclusion| Discussion| Paper Pens| -Recap the main point that the new barista learn |Day 2 Time| Contents| Methods| Recourse| Purpose| 9:00- 9:15am| Briefing| Lecture| Microphone| Point out Daily goals and expectation| 9:15- 10:30am| Standard customer services| Lecture Training Video| Microphone Computer Projector| -Training standard welcome speech -Table setting training -Understand barista’s responsibility| 10:30- 12:00pm| Products in Cafe Co| Lecture Discussion| Microphone Computer Projector| -Recognize products in Cafe Co-Understand menu and facilities -know characteristic of each coffee| 12:00- 1:00pm| Lunch| | | | 1:00- 3:00pm| Make Coffee| Demonstration Lecture| Coffee MakingCoffee Bean| -Show the procedures of making coffee -Share the skills of making coffee| 3:00- 3:15pm| Break| | | | 3:15- 5:15pm| Operation in Cafe Co| Role play| Working place and equipment | -Try to be a real barista-Try to make coffee -Experience the working place -Try to serve customer| 5:15- 6:00pm| Conclusion Evaluation| Discussion| Flip board Maker pen Evaluation form| -Refresh new barista memories -Conclude the knowledge learned -Collect data from new barista| In next chapter, it will discuss the training methods and how can the training method fulfill new barista with different learning style.Word Count: 530 Training Methods in the training course In this two-day training course, it used six methods to train the new barista. They are Lecture, Demonstration, Training video, Group discussion, Role Play and Games. Training method is an important part in training program; it links to content and purpose of the training. Using a correct training method can make a better training atmosphere and enhance the effectiveness of the training. Furthermore, there is another element that affects the effectiveness, which is the learning style of the new barista.By Honey and Mumford’s learning style (1992), learner can identify to 4 types, Reflector, Activists, Theorists and Pragmatists. Each type has their advantages and strength to learn in different training methods. Reflectors are usually stood back and observe at work, thinking what they can learn. They can produce analyses and reports without pressure. Activists are tends to involved in new experiences, problems and opportunities. They like to work in team and act first without consideration. They do not like preparation or reviewing. Theorists are like to adapt and integrate observation into complex and logically.They like solving problem step by step and think in logical ways. Pragmatists are like to try things out; they applied the job with concept. They usually have fewer patients in long process. Training method, games just involved in the ice breaking process. It is costly, need to spend time and without learning some really useful in work. But it stills an important part in the training course. Games place in the starting can drive new barista to having a positive emotion and relax atmosphere to finish the entire course. Between playing games, barista can build up teamwork and increase the interaction and communication.It is suitable for all learning style because it is not related to work but the relationship. Lecture is a passive training method, it is a talk without question and answer session, new barista just need to sit down and listen to the lecturer. All information is produce by the lecturer and no interaction between lecturer and trainers. Lecture is a single way transfer method but it still chosen to use in many sections that about theory and information. It is because those things can learn by experience and observation and no need to practice or abstraction.Using lecture to teach knowledge in a long period may cause new barista feel bored and lose their attraction. So that sometime may need to combine another method to balance like group discussion or training video. This method is suitable for Theorist to learn best because they can having time to understand the theory. Training video will not using separately in training, it looks like some assistance in training method. It is suitable in explain some technique and skills that cannot show by speech or words like customer service and safe & health guide in work place.Playing training video to new barista can attract their attention and stimulate them between the lectures. Using video as training can reinforce their memory, let the text knowledge become image, make them easier to remember the image, rules and process deeper in their mind. It is a good training method for Pragmatist because they learn best if shown a model and they can copy. Demonstration is an experiential training method, it is also like training video, and it can be combined with the lecture program. It is suitable for reflectors and pragmatists to learn because both types like to observe and copy.It is place in the â€Å"Make Coffee† part; trainer will demonstrate how to make a standard coffee and new barista learn via explanation and guidance. Beside the demonstration, new barista can join the process to enhance impact of the training and trainers can explain skills and technique to new barista. Moreover, barista can ask question immediately to reduce misunderstanding of the demonstration. Role playing will use in the â€Å"Operation in Cafe Co† part, new barista need to act out their characters and simulate the daily operation in Cafe Co. t should prepare specially in some case and test new barista confront ability. The advantage of using this method is providing a face to face situation for testing; it can develop interactive skills and gives people insight into the way in which people behave and feel but it needs well prepare and enough support to run a role p lay. It is suitable for activists learning style; they are like to action and working with others in role playing. Discussion is a method that gives chances for audience to participate active learning, sharing their experience and feeling with others.Also, it can gather others’ opinions and points to provide a clear view. It provide interaction and communication time for new barista too. It will take part in â€Å"Conclusion† and â€Å"Products in Cafe Co† because this section needs times to conversation and discuss about what they learn, it can make them devote themselves in to the course. This training method is suitable for activists because they like to work with others and leading discussion. To drive this training course to success, it should also consider Kolb’s (1974) learning cycle, experience, observation, abstraction and practice.The training course’s design base on this and ensure the methods can follow these four elements, like it will hold classroom learning like lecture, discussion and videos for experience and observation. Abstraction and practice will reach by the role play in Cafe Co and demonstration of making coffee. All the training methods designed for the content of each part and it is the most suitable method to bring out a effective result after the course. In next chapter, it will discuss the evaluation of this training course. Word Count: 930 Evaluation strategy of the courseIn a fair and success evaluation, the design of the evaluation form and the atmosphere of the place are so important. A formal evaluation should hold unless twenty minutes, and the valuator should leave the evaluation place to ensure a fair evaluation. The evaluation should hold by another person that no relationship between the course. Also, the design of the form should be quantize in marks, clearly explain the rules like 1 is the best and 10 is the worst in marks. The question in the questionnaire should use close question at most, it can be easier to analyze the data and much more fair.The questionnaire should not record the evaluator’s name which can increase the truism if the evaluators are not identified. According to Kirkpatrick’s level of evaluation (1956), evaluation should be focus on 4 stages, Reaction, Learning, Behavioral and Results. Reaction and Learning are in formative level. Reaction measure the feeling about the content and method of the evaluation. Learning measure what learner learned from the course. Behavioral and Result are in the summative level. Behavioral evaluate the change of the trainers after training course and the applicant of the trainee.Result measures the effect the organization performance and productivity. Therefore, a successful evaluation should include four stages. Evaluation is not just focus on the reaction level but need to concern summative level. Beside questionnaire (appx. 1), interview, performance review and other aspects should consider to ev aluate the success of the training course. Word count: 245 Conclusion of the training course After this training course, new barista will able response the daily operation in Cafe Co, the relationship between barista should be closer and start to build up team work in workplace.Moreover, new barista should understand the policy, strategy, mission and vision of Cafe Co; they also need to understand the rules. They need to recognize their right, benefit, compensation in Cafe Co. Word Count: 63 Reflective statement After finish this assessment, I have learnt how to collect the useful information from internet and books. Before that, I usually finish my assessment with the tutorial notes and my own knowledge, because of the marks of Reference, it pushes me to borrow books and research in internet. Also, finishing this assessment can make me know more theories and knowledge in Human Resource.It makes me interest in this subject and drive me to read more books about human relationship in work place. It makes me know the psychology of employees and employers. In the working progress, the notes from the course really help me a lot. I applied it to my assignment, it clearly explain the theories with some basic words and showing the figures of some theory which can clear my mind. The thing that hindered me is the arrangement of my answer. Some question makes me confused and I don’t know how to arrange the answer’s sequence. The question cannot clearly explain what are they asking and I am confusing about what should I answer.It might affect the quality of the assignment. In briefly, I am satisfied for my submission. Because I can finish it in time and I really do it with my heart. But one thing that I can do better is the submission date. I always finish my assignment at last day of the submission. It is very danger if there are any accident in the network, I may be able to upload my assessment to the Turnitin System lately and cause my work decrease one g rade. So that, I decided I will finish and upload my work as soon as possible before the due date. Word Count: 238 Appendix Training Evaluation Form Title of course: New barista training courseDate of training: Marking standard (Disagree)12345(Agree) 1. The direction of the course is clear__ 2. It is easy to understand the content__ 3. The course is enjoyable__ 4. The course is useful__ 5. The course can make me interest in coffee__ 6. Enough support of the training course__ 7. Trainer is clearly teach the skills and technique__ Any others opinions: ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thank you for your opinions List of References Armstrong, M. 2009) Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 11th Edition, Kogan Page Bloisi, W. (2007) An Introduction to Human Resource Management, Mc Graw Hill Dessler, G. (2011 ) Human Resource Management, 12th Edition, Pearson Messmer, M. and Bogardus, A. (2007) Human Resource Management, Wiley Pathways Demonstration training method (2007) [Online] Available at: http://traininganddevelopment. naukrihub. com/methods-of-training/demonstrations. html [Accessed: 26th March, 2012] Evaluation Forms (2011) [Online] Available at: http://www. sampleforms. org/category/evaluation-forms [Accessed: 4th April, 2012]