Strategic Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Strategic Management - Research Paper Example It would represent hoe differentiation has helped in the achievement of success and attainment of customer loyalty worldwide. The study would also reflect the value chain analysis of the organization where it would be mentioning the primary activities and the secondary activities performed. The value chain analysis is an important part while planning for the business strategies as it helps in determination of the activities that are taking place in the business operations. Google does not provide only physical products to its customers. Thus the value chain analysis of the corporation is slightly different. The study would be concluding with discussions of the entire study. The SWOT Analysis, PESTEL Analysis and Porter’s five forces analysis would be mentioned in the appendices. Introduction Today, Google is the most renowned web search engine server. It searches higher than 22 billion pages and makes use of a unique algorithm which helps in receiving the targeted result of th e searched queries. It offers a large number of useful features, high technology based databases, various shortcuts and other services. Googling is to know the way in which Google thinks and search accordingly. It helps in searching in such manner which would work best for the user’s needs. Thus, it includes recognizing the procedure of exploiting Google’s strengths. It also includes knowing the procedure of accessing or using special databases and other features of Google. It is basically one spider program which helps in finding pages on public web followed by building databases from those web pages. Wordnet describes the spider as the computer program which prowls the internet in search of publicly accessible resources which could be added to the database. The similar search box in the home page of Google helps the users by providing them different ways of searching database by means of terms or symbols that would act as the search limiters. The unique page rank sys tem of Google helps in deciding that how the results would be organized for the purpose of display. Company Background Google Inc., is one of the American multinational corporation which is specialized in internet related products and services. It includes searching, cloud computing, different types of online advertising technologies and other software related programs. The organization derives its maximum profits from the AdWords (Google, 2013a). The company was established in the year 1998. It was followed by an initial public offering on 19th August 2004. The mission statement includes organizing the information all over the world and making it easily accessible and meaningful. The unofficial slogan of the organization is ‘Don’t be evil’ (Google, 2013b). After the establishment, Google has seen a rapid growth in terms of partnership, acquisition and chain of the product offerings. The online productivity software of the organization includes one official suite (Google Drive), email (Gmail) and the social networking website (i.e. Google+). The desktop products include various applications for editing or organizing photos, web browsing and various other features such as instant messaging. The organization leads in the development of the ‘Android Cellular Operating System’

Cone Health Organizational Chart and Structure Essay Example for Free

Cone Health Organizational Chart and Structure Essay The classical theory consists of organizational design that subdivides work and specifies tasks. The classical theory allows the different departments to run with efficiency by giving staff members different task to perform. The classical theory is composed of four elements: division and specialization of labor, chain of command, organizational structure, and span of command. Division and specialization of labor reduces the workload of the employee that will increase proficiency throughout the organization. The chain of command is authority, power, and responsibility delegated from high levels of authority to the lower levels. Organizational structures are how the departments are arranged and how command is maintained and how communication is achieved through a formal system. The span of control is how many employees a manager can effectively manage. (Sullivan, 2012).†¨ The structure of this organization provides for an environment for client centered care by offering services of acute care with different levels of care such as emergency services, med-surgical units, intermediate care unit, intensive care and labor and delivery. Each division is managed by a specific leader, such as the manager, who reports to the chief of nursing. The managers are more in contact with staff and have direct communication with staff members as well as patients in the hospital. This personal level of communication allows for managers effectively to communicate the importance of the mission of the hospital, which is to exceed expectations and provide quality health care to all at all times. With this mission in mind, it can lead to a close relationship with client care. The use of information systems is the way to communicate throughout the hospital to staff members. There are two charting systems used in the organization and an assignment board system in each department. The first one is Emergency Data Management, which is used in the emergency department, and the second is the Meditech, used in the other departments in the hospital. All information systems are visible to all nursing staff but cannot be edited interdepartmentally. Verbal communication method can be in the form of informing peers concerning the level of care already delivered to a patient and expecting others to follow through. We are expected to formally inform each other of what need to be done concerning our patient via the Emergency Data Management and Meditech. The GroupWise E-mail system is used by staff for internal communication and exchange purposes, and it can be accessed both in the hospital and at home via the internal intranet. Information from different departments comes to staff via e-mail, and all are encouraged to check their email daily. Staff members are also provided with a physical mailbox, with their names on it where everyone is provided with departmental information. Decision-making regarding policy change may be done by departmental basis, but must be approved by the chief nursing executive. For example, the standard of work was change in the triage process, but before management implemented the change, it had to be approved by the chief nurse executive, and he or she will decide based on the Nurse Practice Act. Restructuring of nurse leadership is currently in progress to allow nurses to have more input on leadership and its decision making pattern in organizations. The chief nurse executive reports to the regional vice-president of nursing, whereas all directors of each nursing department reports to the chief nurse executive. The organizational structure has its strength and weakness. One weakness that exists in this structure is the lack of communication between departments. Strength in this structure is that the chief-nursing executive is not left to make all decisions on his or her own because they have the help of managers and directors of the different departments. These informal structures of the organization is constantly at test as staff do frequently communicate with each other about what is expected in the plan of care to achieve an efficient client centered care. The charge nurse writing on the assignment board the activity of plan of care into the system as per each department to allocate patients to nurses and the staff nurse reports uses formal communication in the day-to-day operations of the organization the activity of plan of care into the system as per each department. For example there are formal meetings daily with the house supervisor, the managers, and leaders of the department to discuss bed availability in the hospital. Issues of power and control exist between the different floors and the emergency department. There is always competition for staffing resources, and if there is a float pool nurse on call, the charge nurses have to show who has a greater need for the float pool nurse leading to charge nurses to compete for the nurse.†¨ St. Luke’s Hospital is located in a lower middle-class neighborhood and caters to all ages. The hospital caters socially to the infants and pediatric patients. It has recently expanded the acute-stroke and short-stay unit also known as an observation unit. There are patients of different ethnicities while there are many patients who do not speak English; the use of the language phone has come into use quite often. The language phone removes language barriers between the patient and the health care provider and allows the patient to receive proper care. A lot of patients in the community have stated they come to our hospital because they have read in magazines that we are a great hospital.†¨ Generational differences that influence organizational culture are on the rise in the work environment. There are a great number of new younger nurses coming out of nursing schools, which means new ideas. The older nurses sometimes have problems accepting new nurses because they seem to want to change things. Some of the older nurses feel they are being pushed out of the nursing field by the new nurses and feel they are being forced to retire.†¨ In this paper there has been a discussion of organizational structure and functions, creation of client-centered care, information systems, power issues within the organization as well as decision making abilities. There have been discussions about social and cultural influences and how they integrate into delivery of care in the organization, and finally how generational differences influence organizational culture of the workplace as it shapes the future. It will be appropriate to expect more input into decision making culture via a developed formal and informal system to increase the input from the first responder group-the staff nurses and certified nursing assistants. References Sullivan, E. J. (2012). Effective leadership and management in nursing (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Assessment of Into the Wild Essays -- essays papers

Assessment of Into the Wild Although precisely on target in his assessment of Chris McCandless being "in touch with the bare-bones essence of nature", Gordon Young's preceding description of Chris should be rephrased: A profoundly Un-American figure, uncompromising in his approach and thoroughly optimistic about the future. For Chris McCandless did not set out to show or prove his American character. Neither does he approve or want to exemplify a true modern American character, because true American character does not seek solitude, preferring "the saddle to the streetcar", or "the star-sprinkled sky to a roof", or, especially, "the obscure and difficult trail, leading into the unknown, to any paved highway and the deep place of the wild to the discontent bred by cities", as states Everett Ruess. In fact, in today's world of never-ending comforts and conveniences, nature and "getting away" means setting up a tent in the backyard, or driving our RV to a campground, plugging in the heat, the television, and the cell phone and drinking a beer. Yes, Chris McCandless exemplified what it is to be unconventional, untraditional, nature-loving. What's more important, Chris showed us a particular degree of freedom, what true liberty is about--the freedom not only of the individual, but the freedom of something much higher than that--the freedom of the mind. Freedom from societal restraints of always having to be someone, playing some role. More than anyone, so far, Chris ...

Female managers at Nagel

One of the most important issues concerning the workforce at Nagel Partners is its gender demographic. The proportion of male to female employees is approximately even at the lower levels. However, the number of female role models available to these women employees is disproportionately low, amounting to only about 10% at the executive levels. Nagel Partners’ executives have expressed concern about the profitability of training more female employees to fill managerial and executive positions, and this concern is justified. However, it would prove very beneficial to this firm to embark on such a training scheme, since many women do tend to give out their best performance under situations that are generally different from those that male leaders and managers are able create. One of the major divisions in leadership type is between task-oriented (production-oriented) and relationship-oriented (employee-oriented) leaders. While a task-oriented leader tends to focus on the accomplishment of production goals, relationship-oriented leaders are foremost concerned with the well-being of their subordinates (Lewitz & Bem, 1983). However, once the task has been accomplished, the task-oriented leader is usually better able to focus on relationships. The opposite is true for relationship-oriented leaders, who are able to facilitate the optimal completion of tasks once it has been established that needs of subordinates (or of the group) have been met (1983). In a firm like Nagel Partners, which focuses on a predominantly task oriented job (accounting), task orientation is a necessity. However, considering that employees are human beings, a holistic look at management would warrant the inclusion of a more relationship-based orientation. The type of leader that a woman will prove to be (whether task- or relationship-oriented) may have an impact on her performance as a manager. Though this cannot be considered true in all instances, women have generally been perceived as being more relationship-oriented than men (â€Å"Masculine and Feminine,† 2005). This has also been seen by many as having the ability to affect productivity as a manager in a task-oriented firm. However, in a firm with such a large population of valuable women workers as Nagel Partners, it can be seen that women do have the capability to perform tasks well. Furthermore, it has been stated by several leadership researchers that leaders who are relationship oriented lead divisions that perform as well as those of leaders who are task-oriented (2005). One of the keys behind this is the fact that relationship-oriented leaders are capable of creating an atmosphere in which tasks can be performed at optimal levels (2005). Since women generally have a natural proclivity toward being relationship oriented (â€Å"Masculine and Feminine,† 2005), then the need for such a leader might be considered to be very large at Nagel Partners. Females workers trained to occupy leadership positions are likely to have a positive effect on the productivity of their female subordinates, as they have a natural inclination toward creating the atmosphere in which these persons can produce their best work. Training would, however, likely be necessary in an effort to increase these female managers’ tendency toward the more task-oriented goals of giving directions to and setting standards for employees. The ability for employees to identify with those in leadership positions is also an important component in a manager’s power or influence with employees. The large proportion of women on the payroll at Nagel Partners would allow for increased identification, were more women to be trained and placed in managerial and executive positions. Despite this fact, it has also been shown that many females have trouble subordinating men (Lewitz & Bem, 1983). Some women may have an innate problem with this, while others might come across male employees who are reluctant to behave subordinately toward a female manager. Since as many men as women work at Nagel Partners, training is necessary to improve prospective female managers’ ability to relate well to both sexes. This is an especially good idea since it has been shown that training has the ability to transform less assertive women by increasing their assertiveness in given situations. Women were able to increase the efficacy of their performance in mixed-sex groups as a result of such intervention (1983). Therefore, training women to become managers in this firm would prove beneficial. One possible challenge to be faced by increasing the number of female managers is that in the workforce culture of the United States, masculinity as a leadership type seems to be generally given a higher value. First of all, this operates under the assumption that achievement and assertiveness are masculine traits. While this is not always the case, when training female leaders, considerations should be made regarding methods of enhancing (or, if need be, instilling) those attributes. The fact that these women will be leading other women makes any inherent femininity traits an invaluable leadership tool. However, the fact that these women would also be leading men makes it necessary that those who do not already possess masculinity traits be trained in that area. All these factors would make the training of female managers very beneficial to Nagel Partners. References â€Å"The ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ sides of leadership and culture: perception vs. reality.† (2005).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Leadership and Change. October. U. of Penn. Retrieved on February 23, 2007 from Lewittes, H. J. & S. L. Bem. (1983). â€Å"Training women to be more assertive in mixed-sex task-  Ã‚   oriented discussions.† Behavioral Science. 9(5), 581-596.   

Roles, Responsibilities, and Boundaries as a Teacher

Part 1 Part A (1 & 2) – Roles, responsibilities and boundaries As a Training Consultant (TC) and teacher my main role and responsibilities are to educate and deliver effective training and impart my skills and knowledge in my specialist area which is Childcare. This is needed to support the learner either directly or indirectly and to maintain an inclusive, fair/just and motivating learning environment. I understand that as a teacher I am primarily responsible for the health and safety also the moral and physical welfare of my students/learners.I am also responsible for teaching students with Special Educational Needs. I provide Training to Learners within their workplace which can be either in a nursery, a school, Residential Care setting/Children's home or any setting that looks after and educates children. The qualifications I deliver are Certificate (level 2), Diploma (level 3) Children's and Young People's workforce alongside Functional skills; Maths. English and ICT at l evels 1 and 2, and Employment Rights and Responsibilities (ERR).This I deliver both in the workplace and in the classroom. I am employed in a full teaching role. I am required to perform all aspects of the teaching and learning cycle as outlined in the â€Å"Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector†0 As the teacher I am responsible for following company policies and procedures and for attending promotional events, for example: A Career day at local school . This would be to show our potential students the benefit of taking up training with our company.Whilst attending these kind of events I will need to have an up to date and sound knowledge of my specialist subject and at all times follow the Institute for Learning (IFL) code of professional practice as this may be my first contact with potential learners/students. When delivering the Qualifications I use the teaching and learning cycle which is made up of the following five sections; identifying needs, planning tr aining, facilitating learning, assessment, quality assurance and evaluation. This would also help me to judge the abilities of my students and would be helpful for my own self evaluation. 1.Identifying needs: this will start with the initial face to face contact with potential learners/students which is considered the most important as this will create the very first steps of building a bond with the learner/student. This will be a major step in understanding their needs and recognising their potential. Each learner is different due to different previous experiences. To identify their educational background and level I would form a discussion on what previous knowledge they already have and would facilitate communication in such a way that all learners are encouraged to participate in the discussion.Whilst the process of identifying needs is taking place, there are some boundaries that may affect the process. The lack of information regarding learners' requirements can make the proc ess of assessment very difficult because I do not know the background knowledge of the student before starting an initial assessment and this can have negative effects on the process of assessment. Students/ learners may be mature student. Therefore there may be funding constraints. Nursery managers have to adhere to Ofsted’s ratio requirements so staffing arrangement can be stretched having an affect on visit lengths and times.There are many boundaries to teaching. Liaising with other professionals. When liaising with other professionals I will need to remain professional at all times. I frequently liaise with other teachers within our organisation this will include one of our functional skills teachers. She knows her specialist subject well. When needing expert advice on delivery or assessments relating to functional skills I would ask her. This is to ensure that I have to correct information to pass on to my learner, so I do not put them at a disadvantage.I have to deal wi th eternal professionals such as Learning Links this is a agency that deals with young adults who have had a difficultly finding a job for variius reasons such as acholoca, drug abuse. Part B – Legislation and Codes of Practice The legislation that impacts my teaching are the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 this Act provides a frame work for all employers and employees outlining their roles and responsibilities to ensure everyone's safety. Equality Act 2010 is a discrimination law that protects people from unfair treatment and creates a fairer and more equal society.Data Protection Act 1998 is a law to protect people's personal information. It is important that I demonstrate that my standards of teaching constantly meet or exceed all Approved Codes of Practice (ACOP) set out by my employers or other professional bodies if compliance is ever called into question. The codes of practice I follow are: Institute for learning (IFL) mentioned above and Early Years and Childcare c ode of practice. A professional code for child carers, providing advice for professionals carrying out their duties and responsibilities within their working role.Firstly, in accordance with Professional practice, members should ensure that no action that they take will be detrimental to the Child's welfare, safety or will hinder the child development. Secondly, members should aim to maintain the highest possible standards of performance, to aim to improve their knowledge, skills and competencies by taking advantage of training. 3As Institute of learning (IFL) points out specific behaviour expected from the member for the benefit of learners, employers, the profession and the wider community. They are as follows: Integrity, Respect, Care, Practice, Disclosure and Responsibility.This is what all members should adhere to, to ensure that good quality teaching is carried out. Thirdly, members should constantly evaluate and reappraise their own methods, policies and practices and keep up to date with current developments in light of changing needs and circumstances. Lastly, member should be aware of the need for confidentiality within their professional practice. Part C – Equality, Diversity and Ways to Promote Inclusion The Department for education and skills have a handout called The learning Journey this is a vital tool for all assessors.This clearly shows the process to follow when meeting with the learner/student for the first time. I need to acquire as much information as possible to identify any support needs of the learners. During the discussion, as a teacher I encourage learners to seek initial and further learning and to use services within the organisation. This is called Signposting. This is when I will direct the learner on where to find additional information, guidance and advice or learning resources. Another service within the organisation is Referral.This is when I will direct them to an outside agency depending on the kind of support they require. If they have mental health issues I would direct them to Children and adolescence mental health service, Portsmouth if they are 18 years of age and under and Health recovery, Solent, Portsmouth, if they are 18 years of age and older If they had alcohol, drug or gambling problems I would refer them to Addction within this organisation they have a specialist team to counsel, support both the individual and those closest to them. Once the learner/ tudent has the correct information and agrees with the referral I would either make the appointment or I would give the learners/ students details to the agency. I would then contact the agency to ensure everything is in order. I would then record details and ensure the learner knows what arrangements have been made. I must not discriminate against a learner and must provide every opportunity for every learner that learning will be achieved. To be able to do this properly I need to have prior knowledge of my students through the init ial assessment process.Facilitate Learning: Within the initial meeting I would then make sure that the learners are on the right programme, checking their eligibility for funding, giving advice, guidance and appropriate information, keep records of discussions and agreements, maintain confidentiality and undertake a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check, if required. Being a Teacher is extremely rewarding. The quality of learning the advice and guidance on the programme they wish to undertake is very important.What is also necessary is supporting the students' individual needs, applying and adapting my teaching methods to suit the students' preferred learning styles, level of skill and abilities. In doing this, I would be motivating my students to progress and achieve their desired qualifications. Part D – Core skills Functional Skills consist of Math’s, English and ICT. They provide the foundation of knowledge and skills to enable the learner to function at the required level, confidently and independently in everyday life.For example, they help us recognise good deals when making purchases, in writing a CV or application letter, or when using the internet for emails and online banking. Functional Skills qualifications can be achieved at Entry level, Level 1 or Level 2. Some learners may already have achieved at school but it is still important that the teacher embeds the elements of Functional Skills into the subject. It is important to embed Functional skills into everyday work life. Maths is embedded into everyday tasks such as working out ratios, room measurements and nursery fees.English is embedded into everyday during training sessions and work – based tasks. ICT skills include using computers, using email for communication and word processing. It is important that a teacher has competence of their Functional Skills. If handouts were produced with spelling mistakes or the teacher could not operate a computer, it would cause the learn ers to lose confidence in the teacher and lack of credibility. Part E – Environment I need to create a safe, non-threatening, good atmosphere at all times.To quote from Teaching and Teacher education hand-out from PTLLS course3 â€Å"having a safe, supportive environment provides a foundation for maintaining the productive relationships†. I agree with this statement as I frequently come across this situation with my learners, especially in childcare. If there is not a suitable environment for teaching and giving feedback then the learner remains in the formal stage and will not move into the informal stage where most of the learning takes place. Therefore, this would mean I have failed to empower and motivate the learner.With this in mind 5Maslow's hierarchy of needs clearly states â€Å"that we must satisfy each need in turn starting at the bottom and working our way up† Please see Maslow's triangle below. If the physical, emotional and wellbeing needs are not met then the higher order needs are not considered. So as a Teacher it is important to meet these needs in the first or second meeting and throughout out the length of the programme. I will make sure the learner’s needs are met when planning the initial meeting. Therefore at the same time make sure all parties involved i. managers, supervisors and mentors are made aware and that they agree with the length of meeting and the meeting place for both the learner and I. Part F – Ground rules Ground rules need to be set to establish boundaries for students starting a course, knowing some basics about what is expected during the length of study. In all teaching and training sessions ground rules are necessary to ensure that all learners have the same expectations on how to behave. The ground rules can be established by talking through behavior expectations of the learner and myself.By involving the learner they are more than likely to take ownership and empower the students. Ground Rules that can be : Such as punctuality, mobile phones of or on silent, confidentiality and most of all respect. Parts G and H, Effective Feedback, Engaging and Motivating Learners For every individual there is a variable driving force. Not all students are naturally motivated. Some need to be challenged, inspired and stimulated to learn and see a task through to the end. Not all learners are motivated by the same things some students are motivated by the approval of others or self challenge.To encourage students to become self-motivated, independent learners, as a teacher I can do the following: Give frequent, early,positive and constructive feedback that supports students' beliefs that they can do well. Support learners that need it, keeping in mind their attention span limits and discuss and set together SMART targets. Furthermore, whilst demonstrating all the above and showing respect for the learners/student individuality will in itself be a motivator to learn. Within th e assessment plan you will be making an Assessment decision along with feedback: When giving feedback all learners will need to now how well they are getting on and what they have achieved. I always use the praise sandwich feedback method. This is Praise- Corrective feedback – Praise. This method ‘softens' the impact of the corrective feedback. The key to give effective feedback is to give feedback straight away and to do so with respect, understanding and action. 9As it states in PTLLS handout â€Å"Giving and Receiving Feedback† ‘Feedback is an important communication tool that can improve the way we work with one another. ‘ My organisation requires me to write down feedback on my assessment plans and on formal reviews.Task 3, Part 2 Part A Principles of assessment Initial Assessments are used to check the learners/students Literacy, language and numeracy skills to determine the level at which the learner/student is at and if they have any prior nee ds that need to be addressed before and during the programme. Diagnostics give a more thorough indication of the level and also the specific aspects for development as well as strengths. Identifying learning styles as a part of the initial assessment will help me determine the learning approaches to use and effectively complete the learners Individual Learning Plan (ILP).This is the students' timetable for learning and resources required. There are two well-known types of learning styles questionnaires that are commonly used with in our organisation. They are Visual Audio and Kinaesthetic (VAK) and Multiple Intelligences test. To begin with Fleming (2005) stated â€Å"that people can be grouped into four styles of learning: 6Visual, Aural, Read/write and Kinaesthetic (VARK). Not all learners fall into one style they can be the mixture of the four. In the second place Honey and Mumford (1992) suggests that learners are a mixture of the fours styles: Activist: Love challenges and are enthusiastic, enjoy dealing with new problems Pragmatist: They apply what they have learned to practical situation and enjoy the logical reason for doing something. Theorist: prefer to read lots of material first liking things that have been tried and tested. Reflector: like to think things in depth and then try something then reflect on the activity again. All information gathered from the initial assessment will help complete the ILP.Knowing your learners/students learning styles will help you adapt your teaching to suit their needs and in turn motivate them. Assessment activity: There are various types of assessment methods used both formal and informal . Formal assessment methods include assignments, case studies, essays, exams, multiple choice questions, observations, professional discussions, projects, tests and witness testimonies. Informal assessment methods include; discussions, gapped hangouts, journal diaries, peer assessments, puzzles and crosswords, self assessments, q uestions – oral and written, quizzes, role play and worksheets.I have to choose assessment methods accordingly depending on the student prior attainment and level of programme they are studying. Observation is a good way of assessing the learner within the workplace to assess learners' competence, attitudes and skills. This can then be followed up with oral questioning to confirm why they did or dealt with a certain situation in a particular way, checking their knowledge and understanding and encouraging them to reflect on their practice. If the observation was within a group situation then peer and self-assessment could also be used in conjunction with the observation.By using these methods the student are acquiring listening, observing and questioning skills. . Parts B and D – Creating Assessment Opportunities and Involving Learners in the Assessment Process Planning Training: My role is to plan what will be taught and when. This is a two- way process between me and my student. After completing the initial assessment I progress forward onto Assessment planning. This type of assessment is formative – reviewing progress throughout the programme until the end or when the learner leaves. I will plan what we are going to do so the student knows what is expected of them.If the students are working on assignments then I would need to set targets for completion. Moreover, if students are going to be assessed at work, either by an observation or simulation, then I would need to consider who, what, when, where, why and how to ensure we are both aware of the requirements. When planning I will need to ensure that all assessments are valid, authentic, reliable, current, and sufficient (VARCS). If I do not consider these aspects when planning then I will not know what I am assessing is necessary, credible, fair and relevant.The ILP is a personalised, flexible map to guide the learners journey. Within the ILP there will be results of the initial, and d iagnostic, assessment and learning styles. This will also include learner’s targets, timescales, details of resources and details of how and where the learning will take place. The ILP is a working document and should be used as an aid for both learners and students to record, negotiate and plan, review, assess and reflect on the learning experiences throughout their programme. Summative ssessment ——————————– Part C – Strengths and Limitations of Assessment Methods Assessment: There is a large variety of assessment methods available for assessing learners’ achievements. These include: observation, oral and written questioning, product evidence, discussions, witness testimony, recognising prior learning; skills tests, written assignments and case studies. Choosing the most appropriate assessment methods is vitally important to help and support and maintain motivation.Direct Observation: Allows the assessor to see the candidate in action and may be able to cover several aspects of the qualification during a single session (Holistic) the observation can take place within the learner’s normal working hours so there is minimal disruption as they are able to continue to do their job while being assessed. This should be planned in advance to suit both the learners and the assessor. This will also have to be arranged with the manager. The observation will have to be recorded in some way such as hand written, typed or recorded on DVR.Learners may â€Å"perform† differently as they are being watched. After the observation it is good practice to ask oral questions to clarify the reasons behind the actions. Questioning can take a number of forms. They can be delivered orally or in written form. Oral questions may suit learners with dyslexia or poor literacy skills. Workbooks can be produced to cover all knowledge questions for mandatory and optional units. After Observation the learner can be asked to explain why they did something; this gives them an opportunity to expand on things like procedures, policies or legislation.Part E Peer and self-assessment I use self – assessment on a regular basis as this promotes students involvement and responsibility and encourages reflection which is an integral part of the role as a childcare practitioner. However there are also limitations depending on the students as some students may lack confidence in their own ability and they may think that they have achieved more than they actually have Peer and self-assessment could also be used in conjunction with an observation. To make this a reliable assessment method he student will have to fully understand the assessment criteria and how to be fair and objective. There are many advantages and disadvantage of peer assessment. Students are focused on the criteria and this will empower each student to take ownership of their own learning and understan ding. A disadvantage is that student might be friends with their peers therefore being subjective rather than objective. Part F – Keeping Records of Assessments Quality and Evaluation: Record keeping. Is a part of quality assurance and is a process that has to be followed.This proves that the qualifications are being delivered and assessed fairly, consistently and accurately. This is in line with the Ofsted requirements. Within our organisation we use a variety of methods to maintain quality assurance. Our policies and procedures are revised yearly in order to test their current effectiveness and legality. If they need to be changed due to changes in legislation then this would be actioned immediately. The TC will be observed at regular intervals and scored using the Ofsted grading process.Staff Continuous Professional Development (CPD) records are kept up to date. Standardisation of practice takes place this is when will compare and conform procedures. Learner retention is m onitored along with complaints and appeals. During the course learner and employers surveys are completed. Quality Assurance is necessary to evaluate and Maintain high teaching standards. On all visits I will need to complete an assessment plan, records must be up to date, accurate, legible and factual.This is similar to a written contract between me and my learner but this can be reviewed and changed at any time. All assessment plan will be shared with my manager and mentor to confirm progress and to point out any areas of development needed for the learner to progress. Both the learner their manager will sign and be given a copy Word Count References Anne Gravells (2012), Preparing to Teach in the Life long sector: London,SAGE. 11. 1. Handout from Pttls course Teaching and Learning. 2. Handout from Pttls course Insitute For Learning. . Handout form Pttls course Teaching and teacher education. 4. Handout from Pttls course, The Learning Journer. 5. Handout from Pttls course, Maslow Hierarchy of needs. 6. Handout from Pttls courser VAK testing. 7. Anne Gravells (2012), Preparing to Teach in the Life long sector: London,SAGE. 32. 8. Anne Gravells (2012), Preparing to Teach in the Life long sector:London,SAGE. 112. 9. Handout from Pttls course giving and recieving feedback, Bibliography Anne Gravells (2012), Preparing to Teach in the Life long sector,: London,SAGE.

Brief Review of Amistad essays

Brief Review of Amistad essays The story of Amistad began in the early 1800s when a group of enslaved men, women and children are captured and put aboard a slave ship, the Tecora. While, on the Tecora they endured brutality, sickness, and death. After a horrific journey to Cuba, they were sold as Cuban born slaves and then put on a ship by the name of La Amistad. While aboard Amistad a man by the man of Cinque manages to unshackle himself and his companions. Once freed they organize a revolt and reclaim the ship only sparing two men by the name of Jose Ruiz and Don Pedro Montez, Cinque orders them to set sail into the Rising Sun back to Africa little does Cinque know that the Spaniards would secretly change course. After more than six weeks at sea, the Amistad arrives off the coast of Long Island. A surveying brig notices the Amistad and seizes the ship. The slaves are taken to New Haven and imprisoned. Ownership issues of the Africans soon reach Queen Isabella of Spain, President Martin Van Buren, and a few other interested parties, all battling for the Africans. Lawyer, Robert Baldwin finds interest in the case and decides to fight to free the Africans alongside Lewis Tappan, Abolitionist leader. As the legal battle begins, Baldwin argues that the Africans were illegally bought to America and that they should be set free, Van Buren thought differently and decides to change the judge hoping for the case to be ruled in his favor. Fortunately for Cinque the new judge ruled that they were born in Africa and were to be set free and returned to their homes in Africa. The judge also ruled that Ruiz and Montez were to be arrested for slave trading. Again President Van Buren interferes and orders an immediate appeal, and the case went to Supreme Court. At this point it is clear to Baldwin that he is going to need additional help; he decides to write a letter to President John Quincy Adams to help on their behalf. John Quincy Ad...

Automotive Engineering

Automotive Engineering Automobiles are vastly increasing their efficiency and safety while retaining the fun. They go farther, last longer and have more advanced features for the driver. Even foreign companies are putting the pedal to the metal and are coming out with new models mainly focusing on fuel whether it is gas, electric, ethanol, or vegetables. Cars are being accommodated for the every day soccer mom or the younger speed craving youth driving America today, there may be a category for a mid-life crisis in there.Automotive engineers design, test and develop vehicles or components from concept stage all the way to the production and are involved in improving the Automobile in response to customer feedback once on the market. Specializing in areas like aerodynamics, alternative fuels, chassis, electronics, emissions, manufacturing, materials, rapid prototyping, vehicle and pedestrian safety or supply chain management. They use both traditional methods and state-of-the-art technology to engineer vehi cles to increasingly high standards.TYPEONEAlso they use design intuition to appeal to the every day soccer mom or the speed craving mid-life crisis man.They are not directly involved in concept development or manufacture, but they will work with stylists and production engineers to make sure that the whole process is efficient and planned well.Typical work activities of an automotive engineer consist of working on the development of land-based vehicles and their activities are either, design new products or revising existing ones, research and development, finding solutions to engineering problems, or production of new cars.Most graduates start with a formal training program that lasts about 12-24 months, which is a series of placements in different departments in the company. During this time the graduate gains a general knowledge into other areas of the company and can build up a bunch of contacts. At the end of the...

Write for Any Magazine

Write for Any Magazine Write-what-you-know has its purpose. Why bother gaining experience or studying anything new if you cant use it? Why become an expert? As a freelancer, if you limit your writing to only what you know, you become stale after a period of time. I profess that you can write about for almost any magazine. Here are three tricks to picking up a magazine and determining a pitch for the editor: 1) Interview an expert in a magazines field. You may not know squat about the subject matter of a magazine, but if you interview someone who does, you have the makings of a great profile piece. Sure, you need to read up on the individual so you dont sound completely naive, but youll learn soon enough that most experts thrive on explaining what they do. Ask a few pertinent, intelligent questions, and theyll take off like a rocket, feeding you all the information you need for a beautiful piece for magazines you never thought youd ever qualify to write for. 2) Study press releases. That means study ALL press releases. Go to prweb.com/ or prnewswire.com/ and read whats new. Not only will you find experts quoted who you can contact for item 1) above, but you can learn about new findings, studies, revelations, inventions, and happenings that make for great features. Whats fantastic about these releases is that they list names and contact information for the people who know the most about the topic matter. Right there in oneplace, you have the facts you need to outline a great feature. 3) Pitch something evergreen. A subject like How to make the most of a conference can apply to magazines for fishermen, golfers, doctors, teachers, writers, accountants, landscapers, or anyone who attends a professional conference. How to hire a great employee from a mediocre pool of applicants. How to make your website sticky and appealing.   How New Years resolutions really do work. Travel deals you never see in the ads. The list goes on and on about how to take a very general, how-to-live-better piece and apply it to most topics. So, take those three simple concepts, and unless the magazines require you have an advanced degree in the subject matter, you have an open door to endless material for all those magazines you see in Writers Market . . . and FundsforWriters.

The Academy Expansion Programme And The Newly Implemented Free School Essay

The Academy Expansion Programme And The Newly Implemented Free School Programme - Essay Example This report declares that school in British cities that experience overt poverty and social deprivation are likely to register significant lower examination success rates compared to schools in wealthy areas. Various government institutions and other related non-government often gather statistical data regarding nature schools in different cities. The kind of data gathered often include pupil teacher ratios, exclusions, number of pupils eligible for free school meals, unauthorized absenteeism and average class size and the figures normally vary in different social contexts. For instance, data from British inner city school often record a high percentage of the number of pupils eligible for free school meals. This essay makes a conclusion that schools in inner city areas have been found to be one of the most challenging areas for teachers. A number of reasons have been indentified to explain why schools in British inner cities are challenging and records below average examination pass rate. According to the Chief Inspector for Schools David Bell issues for inner city schools revolves around high pupils’ turnover, lack of adequate investment, difficulty in recruiting staff and low confidence from the immediate community. For instance, majority of teachers work in inner cities for limited period and then leave for less difficult working environments. There is no doubt that the trend of poor academic performance recorded year after year in disadvantaged areas particularly inner city areas has been a major policy issue in England for policy makers. For instance by the late 1990 at least 500 schools in both British and Wales inner cities were considered failing schools owing to their in ability to meet acceptable nation academic performance. Data gathered in 2001 indicated that paltry a fifth of pupils in disadvantaged areas on average could achieve five GCSE passes at grades A*-C compared with 50% nationally. In fact schools are currently being forced to turn into academies as in the cases of Downhills Primary in Tottenham, north London, and in the London borough of Haringey (Harrison, 2012). Poor performance is a long established patter in inner city schools taking into consideration that poverty presents a barrier to children education because they are caught up in a major interplay between learning and dealing with the tough social and economic problems. There is a strong link between education attainment and poverty in the sense that a more socially disadvantaged the community served by a school the higher the probability of the school appearing to be underperformer. Another major problem with inner city schools is the fact they perform poorly in inspections b y OFSTED (Lupton, R 2004: 1). An OFSTED inspection, which is often carried out at least once every four years on all school and those with unsatisfactory performance are described as having â€Å"a serious weakness†. Such schools with unsatisfactory performance are often put into a special measure to assess if they are â€Å"failing or are likely to fail in providing pupils with acceptable standards of education.† Despite strong evidence, demonstrate that broader social policies will contribute significantly in reducing the attainment gap between the pupils in inner cities and high-end

Project innovation management--Samsung Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project innovation management--Samsung - Essay Example The innovative strategy of this company has come to rely on external scientific expertise as a means of ensuring that only the latest and the most viable ideas are taken into consideration and developed into products. In this way, Samsung has been able to pursue a strategy that is consistent with its innovative goals. Samsung has over the years come to develop an environment which is extremely receptive of the market forces. This environment has been developed in such a way that the company always remains conscious of the swift changes that are taking place in the business environment and instituting changes accordingly (Michell, 2010). The ability to foster change in such a large company has become enshrined in the company’s culture through it motto â€Å"Work Hard, Think Hard and Build Trust.† The result of Samsung’s putting into consideration the need for constant change has been that it has had to develop an environment where its employees are receptive to change. The Work Smart part of its motto seems to foster this new type of receptiveness because it suggests to employees that they have to ensure that they are conscious of the business environment and should be ready to make changes accordingly in order to cater for market demand. It further suggests that employees need to constantly be ready for any possible changes that might be implemented in order to increase efficiency. The Think Hard aspect of Samsung’s motto suggests that innovation has become a part of its corporate culture and it is this that has ensured the company’s success in recent years as a leader in the electronics market (Kim, 2011). Not only is innovation among its employees encouraged, but it has also become the basis upon which Samsung has been able to compete with its major rivals in the market, especially Apple. Think Hard suggests that the company has come to put

Medicine administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Medicine administration - Essay Example He needs to be in school, not at home taking care of a terminally ill patient. Michael lacks the skills needed to take care of a patient suffering from Parkinson’s disease. He is also too young to cope with the challenges that come with taking care of a person suffering from this disease (Tuite, 2009). The work might be emotionally draining and Michael might not know how to handle this. He has not been trained to deal with medical conditions; therefore, he might not know how to handle his mother’s medication (Chemecky, Infortuna and Macklin, 2006). Sometimes, it is hard to administer drugs to persons suffering from Parkinson’s disease, and since Michael is not a trained medicine administrator, he might not know what to do in this situation. Michael should not be allowed to administer drugs to his mother by himself. Since his mother’s condition is very serious, she needs advanced level medications which can only be administered by a professional, which Mich ael is not. According to the law, only simple drugs such as paracetamols can be administered at home. There are age restrictions for drug administration at home. For some medications, the age limit can be anywhere from 13 years (Tuite, 2009).

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPRs) AND AWARENESS ON DIGITAL Research Paper

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPRs) AND AWARENESS ON DIGITAL PROTECTION IN DIGITAL LEARNING - Research Paper Example 25). Under the 1976 U.S. copyright law, the owner of copyrighted materials were given the legal right to control the reproduction of their own works and creation, the display of their digital materials, and the distribution of their professional works and masterpieces (Ulius, 2003, p. 62). Demand for digital learning is increasing. By personally seeking permission from the copyright owner(s) before using their published works and ideas, educators and students should respect the existing law behind digital protection. This study will focus on examining the significance of intellectual property rights (IPR) and public awareness of digital protection on digital learning at Botswana College of Open and Distance Learning (BOCODOL). By incorporating the three approaches including the qualitative (interpretive / subjective), quantitative (objective / realism) and critical (analytical / critical / normative) in the research design, whether or not the students at BOCODOL are prone on violating the intellectual property rights of the writers and digital publishers will be The main purpose of this paper is to examine how the combination of qualitative, quantitative and critical approaches in research methods could strengthen the reliability and accuracy of the research study results. To satisfy the use of the quantitative research approach, the research design for this study will make use of research survey approach. For the qualitative and critical approaches, the significance of research interview and the use of a combine quantitative and qualitative research will be tackled in details respectively. Aside from discussing the statement of the problem and research questions for each of the three major research approaches, the conceptual framework of qualitative, quantitative and critical research methods will be thoroughly examined by going through the in-depth analysis and

Pyschology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pyschology - Essay Example It emphasises on the importance of evolutionary origins as reasons for our behavioural and anthropological responses. There might not even be a difference between reason and instinct as early philosophers like Aquinas and Hume set out to prove. May be just maybe the terms are interchangeable. He goes on to explain how the phenomena of linking biology with psychology revists the five basic principles of psychology. 3. " your conscious experience can mislead you into thinking that our circuitry is simpler that it really is. Most problems that you experience as easy to solve are very difficult to solve -- they require very complicated neural circuitry" The author believes that these five principles are the " tools for thinking about psychology, which can be applied to any topic: sex and sexuality, how and why people cooperate, whether people are rational, how babies see the world, conformity, aggression, hearing, vision, sleeping, eating, hypnosis, schizophrenia and on and on." This for him this links many areas of study into one ,i.e. the study of evolutionary psychology. The author tries to bring in the views of Darwin who believed a lot in the evolutional psychology of mankind. He agrees with Darwin's views on "adaptation driven by natural selection" and "common descent". He also cites Dawkins and Williams in their support for the idea that "natural selection is the only component of the evolutionary process that can introduce complex functional organization in to a species' phenotype". He goes on to say that our "selections" for reproduction are natural and we are programmed to choose the best looking mate out there for procre ation. 4. Did the author address any contrary evidence or the opinions/work of others that run counter the author(s) claims He refers to the works of Aquinas and Hume saying that the position before the theory of Darwin came out was that there was a " a common view among philosophers and scientists that the human mind resembles a blank slate, virtually free of content until written on by the hand of experience." He quotes Aquinas as saying "there is

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPRs) AND AWARENESS ON DIGITAL Research Paper

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPRs) AND AWARENESS ON DIGITAL PROTECTION IN DIGITAL LEARNING - Research Paper Example 25). Under the 1976 U.S. copyright law, the owner of copyrighted materials were given the legal right to control the reproduction of their own works and creation, the display of their digital materials, and the distribution of their professional works and masterpieces (Ulius, 2003, p. 62). Demand for digital learning is increasing. By personally seeking permission from the copyright owner(s) before using their published works and ideas, educators and students should respect the existing law behind digital protection. This study will focus on examining the significance of intellectual property rights (IPR) and public awareness of digital protection on digital learning at Botswana College of Open and Distance Learning (BOCODOL). By incorporating the three approaches including the qualitative (interpretive / subjective), quantitative (objective / realism) and critical (analytical / critical / normative) in the research design, whether or not the students at BOCODOL are prone on violating the intellectual property rights of the writers and digital publishers will be The main purpose of this paper is to examine how the combination of qualitative, quantitative and critical approaches in research methods could strengthen the reliability and accuracy of the research study results. To satisfy the use of the quantitative research approach, the research design for this study will make use of research survey approach. For the qualitative and critical approaches, the significance of research interview and the use of a combine quantitative and qualitative research will be tackled in details respectively. Aside from discussing the statement of the problem and research questions for each of the three major research approaches, the conceptual framework of qualitative, quantitative and critical research methods will be thoroughly examined by going through the in-depth analysis and

PI Darren Aronofsky 1998 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PI Darren Aronofsky 1998 - Essay Example This paper will discuss question number one of the instructions stated that is a central theme that suggests looking at the ‘face of God’ can only be done by verbalizing a string of numbers. A central theme in the film which discusses the face of God is the theme of Kabbalah. Kabbalah refers to an esoteric discipline, method or school of thought (Huntley 1). Sean Gullette, in Pi, acts as Maximillian Cohen. He is a paranoid mathematician looking for a number to unchain the patterns set up in nature. Max uses his homemade PC named "Euclid" to investigate these arithmetical patterns. The 216-letter phrase of God sought by the actors of the film refers to as the Explicit Name or the Shem ha-Meforash (Huntley 1). The name comes from the book Exodus 14:19-21. Each of these three bible verses is composed of 72 letters in traditional Hebrew. According to the film, if a person writes these verses in boustrophedon form, then the person gets 72 columns of 3 letter names of God (Huntley 1). Boustrophedon form means that one verse is above the other, the first from right to left. Then the second verse is from left to right and the third is from right to left. The nature of the Divine, according to Pi, prompted kabbalists to foresee two aspects of God. The first aspect is that God is totally unknowable, transcendent, limitless and simple. The second aspect is that God’s manifestation revealed his persona of which He creates and aids mankind (Huntley 1). The film speaks of the first as Ein/Ayn Sof, which means that God that literary has no limits. Of the unfriendly Ein Sof, nothing can be understood. The second feature of Divine emanations, nevertheless, are available to human awareness, vigorously interacting throughout physical and spiritual existence, reveal God immanently, and are tied up in the life of humans (Huntley 1).  

Major medical condition Essay Example for Free

Major medical condition Essay Virtual communities are a good example of how social exploration is impacted by ICT (and impacts) human interaction. A virtual community is an Internet-based medium where persons can ‘post’ thoughts, ideas, and opinions they would like to share with others. People experience a connection and social interaction through the virtual management of information in a digital medium. The virtual community allows information to be gain an open diversity that promotes the broadening of â€Å"horizons in terms of connecting with people of different backgrounds† (Ward p 101 1999). Citizens of the virtual community are not geographically secluded to their local culture, and therefore the management of information across the virtual community â€Å"seems to add to the interest and depth of the community† (Ward p 101 1999). ICT convergence allows for the Internet to be used for communication in multiple manners. The Internet is the medium where internet telephony, phone text message or SMS, online chat or IM, email, podcast, blog, and so forth take place. There is not another medium for transfer of digital information, but there are multiple and convergent methods (cell phone, computer, PDA) to utilize in the transfer. Internet telephony is one example of ICT convergence that has changes the manner in which society communicates. This refers to technology that enables routing of voice conversations over the Internet or any other IP network. The voice data flows over a general-purpose packet-switched network, instead of the traditional dedicated, circuit-switched voice transmission lines. The home computer or mobile laptop can function as a home based telephone, which allows for multiple social connections to be made. Phone text messages, instant messages, online chat and Short Message Service (SMS) are computer programs that enable two-way typing to connect users to each other. Available on digital networks these allow text messages of written characters to be sent and received via the network message centre to the mobile phone, or from the Internet. If the digital device is powered off or out of range, messages are stored in the network and are delivered at later. This increases the opportunity of social connectivity to overcome the concern of time and place, as messages can now be written and received instantly rather than left on a traditional answering machine, and accessed instantly or at a later time. Society places a profound monetary value on information communication technology. People pay for cellular phone access and satellite television. People purchase subscriptions to access the Internet for the ability to make medical, financial, housing, and even education decisions via digital communication. In 2005, 21 million Americans used the Internet to gain career education (Horrigan and Rainie p 4 2006). 17 million Americans used the Internet to help another person with a major medical condition, where 7 million used the Internet to help themselves deal with a major medical condition (Horrigan and Rainie p 4 2006). Another 17 million used the Internet to choose a college, where 16 million Americans used the Internet to purchase a car, and to make a major financial investment (Horrigan and Rainie p 4 2006). 10 million Americans used the Internet to find housing, and 8 million used the Internet to change jobs (Horrigan and Rainie p 4 2006). Podcasts are a form of digital broadcasting that allows the user to publish audio and video files to the Internet for users to download at anytime. This increases the ability to access media related information. A blog and email are written information that is sent instantly to a destination web site, forum, or individual person. Email is mail or text composed and transmitted on a computer network. A blog is basically a web-based journal that are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog in much the same manner as email, simply by typing the message and pressing send. Another significant example of using information communication technology to achieve a desired goal is the blogging community. Blogging is the act of creating and sharing a blog. A blog is written communication published on the Internet. Blogging has changed the manner in which writers achieve their publishing goals of sharing personal information and stories (Lenhart and Fox p 2 2006). There are about 12 million bloggers in America (persons who maintain a blog). 54% of bloggers â€Å"say they have never published their writing or media creations anywhere else† (Lenhart and Fox p 2 2006). Statistically speaking, that is six million Americans who have utilized a blog by managing information to reach desired writing and publishing goals.

McDonalds Corporation in India

McDonalds Corporation in India Organization; McDonalds is the worlds leading fast food chain with 31,000 local restaurants in 118 different countries and collectively serving more than 58 million people (www.aboutmcdonalds.com). Due to globalization and internationalization, the corporation established joint ventures, and later franchises, which enabled them to spread into other countries, like India. This turned McDonalds into a multi-billion dollar enterprise (McDonalds Annual Report 2008). Founded in 1937 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald, the fast food chain began as a drive-in restaurant in California (Vignali 2001). In 1954, Ray Croc saw an opportunity in the fast food market and initiated a deal with the brothers, giving him rights to franchise McDonalds in America (Vignali 2001). By 1965, there were over 700 McDonalds restaurants in the country and in 1967, the corporation went global by opening restaurants in Canada and Puerto Rico (www.aboutmcdonalds.com). Since then, an average of 4.2 new McDonalds restaurants is opened daily around the world (Hill 2009), one of which included Indias first McDonalds in Mumbai in 1996 (www.mcdonaldsindia.com). The American fast food chain is the focus of this report because of its increasing international presence in the world. The literature review covers an overview of the strategies and models that will help better understand McDonalds move into the Indian market. The discussion and analysis section will focus on McDonalds in particular and the challenges and competition the corporation faced in this new foreign market. Lastly, the report will conclude with recommendations on how and what McDonalds can do to better their performance in India. Literature Review Globalization refers to the growing interdependent relationships among people from different cultures and nations as physical and psychological walls collapse, barriers to the movement of trade, capital and people are blurred and modern technology is integrated (Daniels et. al. 2009; Hill 2009). This indicates the two main factors that drive globalization are the decline in barriers to the free flow of goods, services and capital, and the change in technology (Daniels et. al. 2009). Internationalization involves customizing business strategies depending on cultural, regional and national differences (Vignali 2001). Since the 20th century, more corporations have become global to create value for their organizations and to achieve competitive advantage. This was followed by the development of multinational enterprises or corporations (Daniels et. al. 2009). According to Vignali (2001), globalization involves marketing standardized products the same way everywhere, thus viewing the world as a single entity (Vignali 2001). However, the reality is that nations, cultures and people vary around the world. Corporations need more than just globalization to succeed in the international market. According to Taylor (see Vignali 2001), companies should think global, act local (Vignali 2001, p.98) by combining internationalization and globalization elements to create a competitive advantage. Entry Modes Determining the appropriate entry mode for a corporation is a complex task. Hill, Hwang and Kim (1990) state that different entry modes have different levels of control over foreign operations, in terms of managing operational and strategic decision-making. Some of the common entry modes used by global corporations are franchising and joint ventures (Hill 2009). Franchising is when a company, or franchisor, sells intangible property, like a trademark, to the franchisee with the stipulation that the franchisee abides the by the rules and conditions specified in the franchising contract (Hill 2009). The rules as to how franchisees operate a restaurant extends to control over the menu, cooking methods, staffing policies, and design and location. This is a common strategy approached by many fast food chains. By franchising to local people, the delivery and interpretation of something foreign is translated by the local people, in terms of both product and service (Vignali 2001), and the costs of running the business is cheaper. However, franchising may inhibit a corporation taking profits out of one country to support competitive attacks in another country (Hill 2009). Also, the quality of the brand in the foreign country may not be the same or up to par as the quality of the brand of products in the corporations native country, which is ultimately bad for business (Hill 2009). Joint venture is sharing ownership between two or more companies and the percentage of ownership varies from 50% to more or less (Daniels et. al. 2009). It has similar advantages as franchising but can have more problems, such as lack of control of technology (Hill 2009). When choosing the market it is important to consider long-term economic benefits including the market size, the present wealth of consumers in the market, and the future wealth of the consumers, which depends on the economic growth rate (Hill 2009). Hill (2009) argues the product value in the foreign market is another deciding factor. This depends on if the product is suitable to the market and the local competition. As they turn global, organizations are transformed in terms of their strategies, operations, management, marketing, and human and material resources and services (Daniels et. al. 2009). This is because foreign markets have different physical, social and competitive factors from the domestic market, and this affects the objectives and the strategy of the corporation (Daniels et. al. 2009). IR Model Companies that operate internationally face two forces: pressures for global integration and pressures for local responsiveness (Daniels et. al. 2009). In their research paper, Doz and Prahalad (1984) explain economic, technological and competitive conditions push global integration, whereas diversity in customer needs, distribution channels, media and trade barriers between countries push responsiveness. Research shows that the higher the pressure for global integration, the greater the need to maximize efficiency through standardization (Daniels et. al 2009). Customers accept standardized products and this reduces costs for the corporation (Daniels et. al 2009). But, international corporations are under pressure to adapt their operations to the local market conditions and local customer demands, as well as adhere to the policies mandated by host-country governments, which varies around the world (Daniels et. al. 2009).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The integration-responsiveness model, shown in figure 1, was initially developed by Prahalad and Doz in 1987 and then developed further by Bartlett and Ghoshal in 1989. It shows the interaction between global integration and local responsiveness (Daniels et. al. 2009). The IR model presents four strategies to guide how international corporations will enter and compete in the foreign market: international strategy, multidomestic strategy, global strategy and transnational strategy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  International strategy is adopted by corporations when they want to influence their core competencies by expanding into foreign markets. Secondly, a multidomestic corporation is locally responsive (Daniels et. al. 2009, p.475) as it allows each of its operations in foreign countries to act independently. The subsidiaries have the freedom to respond to the preferences of their local customers when designing, making and marketing products (Daniels et. al. 2009). A global strategy maximizes integration and it pushes a company to make a standardized product for a global market, such as shampoo. Lastly, transnational strategy differentiates capabilities and contributions from country to country allowing companies to learn from them. It endorses an integrated framework of technology, financial resources, creative ideas, and people (Daniels et. al. 2009). Culture   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hofstede, a key researcher in the subject, defines culture as the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another (see Hill 2009, p.89). Banerjee (2008) adds it is a set of values, ideas, artefacts, and other meaningful symbols that shape our attitudes and actions. Globalization has given rise to a new concept of no-border (Banerjee 2008, p.368) world. Cultures merge, change and evolve as people move around the world; this has increased rapidly due to improved technology, the birth of the internet and expanding networks of interpersonal and mass communications (Craig and Douglas 2006). As mentioned earlier in this report, corporations become international to create value and gain competitive advantage. One means of doing this is by promoting cultural diversity (Daniels et. al. 2009) as people from diverse backgrounds and experiences are brought together. When divergent cultures come in contact, cultural collision takes place. In adjacent to this theory of cultural collision, Craig, Douglas and Bennett (2009) introduce Americanization, a type of internationalization, which refers to the spread of American culture through US corporations. Establishing a global platform allows individuals and organizations to interact with each other, regardless of time, space and language. Globalization leads to plenty of opportunities, but it has also gives rise to challenges. Mayo (see Rawwas 2000) found that first-time exporters often fail as they try to expand internationally is because they were unable to understand cultural differences and foreign business practices. Rawwas (2000) concludes that an enhanced sensitivity to cultural variables is needed (p.203) for understanding the needs of international customers and making the necessary decisions to meet them. Discussion and Analysis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McDonalds has been operating in India since 1996 and has a total of 160 restaurants nationwide (www.mcdonaldsindia.com). Its strategy is to achieve best value by offering the best quality, while prices are kept reasonable (www.mcdonaldsindia.com). McDonalds success is attributed to its commitment to deliver quality, service, cleanliness and value to customers, increasing the number of outlets to improve convenience, and finally, its investment in supplier development, training and people (www.mcdonaldsindia.com). Entry Modes The growth of the emerging Indian market is attributed to the resurgence in manufacturing sector, growth in service sector, and bigger foreign investments (Sharma and Srinivasan 2008), as well as technological changes, GDP growth, and increase in literacy and income levels (Dana and Vignali 1998). Sharma and Srinivasan (2008) list Indias infrastructure, its economic development, market size, present and future wealth of consumers, and consumer culture as the main attraction for foreign investors. Hill (2009) and other researchers specify Indias large and relatively prosperous middle class of around 100 million (Harding 2000) was a main attraction for McDonalds. In addition, Sharma and Srinivasan (2008) state the expectation of India to be one of the top three economies in the world by 2050, along with China and USA also presented ample opportunities for the American corporation. It was a major risk on McDonalds part as India is the only country where the fast food giant does not include beef in its product, McDonalds primary raw material (Harding 2000). In conjunction with Sharma and Srinivasan, Morrison and Beck (2000) add that the costs and risks associated with doing business in India are lower because it is an economically advanced and politically stable democratic (Hill 2009, p.489) nation and it is cheaper for McDonalds to use local raw materials (Morrison and Beck 2000). Prior to its entry into India, the corporation was involved with local suppliers to ensure they were able to generate the right quality and quantity of raw materials required for production. These included potato farms in Gujarat, Trikaya Agriculture for lettuce, Dyanmix Dairy for cheese, and Vista Processed Foods for chicken and vegetables (www.mcdonaldsindia.com). McDonalds also developed a cold chain network, which keeps raw materials fresh as they are moved from the farms to the restaurants at the lowest possible costs. This unique network benefits the local farmers, while at the same time, gives customers high quality food products that are fresh and of great value (www.mcdonaldsindia.com). Goyal and Singh (2007) insist that although traditionally, Indians prefer home-cooked meals, there has been a shift in the food consumption patterns due to westernization. Indians were more receptive to international food and eating out at restaurants (Goyal and Singh 2007). According to worldwatch.org (see Goyal and Singh 2007, p.184), Indias fast food industry is growing by 40% each year. Prior to the entry of international fast food outlets, Goyal and Singh (2007) reveal that Nirulas was a popular domestic fast food provider. The British Wimpys was the first international fast food chain to enter the Indian market in 1984 and were an instant success. Except for Wimpys and later KFC, India was not home to many fast food outlets in the mid-1990s, and the McDonalds Corporation felt they could give something extra to the Indian customers (Goyal and Singh 2007). McDonalds entry into India was initially done through joint-venture companies: M.D. Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt. Ltd. heads up the restaurants in west and south India, while those in the north and east are managed by Connaught Plaza Restaurant Pvt. Ltd. (www.mcdonaldsindia.com). However, this is unlike Vignali (2001) and Hill (2009) who indicate that McDonalds growth and international success is attributed to using the franchising strategy (Hill 2009, p.498). McDonalds allows local firms in India to use its brand name as long as they stick to the franchising contract. They also organize the supply chain for its franchisees and provide management training and financial assistance (Hill 2009). As mentioned in the literature review, maintaining the expected quality of McDonalds products throughout its outlets in India is a challenge (Hill 2009). One way in which they handle this is by establishing a master franchisee (Hill 2009, p.498). This is where the joint venture McDonalds has established with the two local firms is crucial. The managers of the firms, who have been trained at McDonalds Hamburger University in America, head up the two master franchisee and oversee the operations in all McDonalds outlets in India (www.mcdonaldsindia.com; Hill 2009). It can be argued that the American fast food giant initially entered the Indian market through joint-ventures, but then later spread all over the country through franchises. Hill (2009) continues that, through joint ventures and franchising, McDonalds benefits from the local partners knowledge of the countrys competitive conditions, culture, and language, and the corporation is also relieved of the costs and risks of opening in the foreign market on their own; instead, the franchisee assumes all the responsibilities. By using this strategy, McDonalds was able to expand rapidly at a relatively low cost and risk (Hill 2009). IR Model McDonalds adopted the international strategy through franchising to push their core competencies in the Indian market and to customize their products and services to the local customer demands (Hill 2009). This way the corporation relies on local subsidiaries in India to stick to the regulations of running McDonalds and ensure the standardizing of its products and services (Daniels et. al. 2009). However, the Indian market is culturally diverse, so complete standardization within an international scale is impossible. Dana and Vignali (1998) argue that standardization is cheaper, but success is often a function of being able to adapt to an environment (p.50). McDonalds standardizes as much as possible to reduce costs, but they are aware of cultural differences and have adopted the concept of think global, act local (Vignali 2001, p.99). According to Hill (2009), international strategy provides the subsidiaries with some freedom, but the primary control resides with managers at the headquarters in America. Multidomestic strategy, on the other hand, allows McDonalds in India to act independently from its counterparts in America. The Indian subsidiaries are granted the authority to design, make and market new products that directly respond to the local customers preferences (Hill 2009). McDonalds does not use beef because the cow is worshipped by the local Hindu population. In fact, possession of beef could result in five years jail time (Dana and Vignali 1998). Thus, the corporation completely removed beef from all its products, as well as pork for the Muslims (Harding 2001). Instead of the ever-popular Big Macs found in the west, McDonalds in India serves Maharaja Macs made from mutton, spicy vegetarian rice patties (Morrison and Beck 2000), chicken burgers, vegetarian McAloo Tikki burgers, containing potatoes, and vegetarian pizza puffs all designed to draw in the Indian middle-class (Harding 2001; Vignali 2001). Customers in India have different preferences due to cultural and religious differences, so McDonalds is required to modify and adapt their products and services as according to the local demand. Therefore, as indicated in figure 2, McDonalds strategy is positioned between the international and multidomestic quadrant. Culture Craig, Douglas and Bennett (2009) state in their article that as that the opening on McDonalds in India is a reflection of the American culture spreading. The Indian public have mixed feelings about the companys presence in the country. Usually, the younger generation, particularly, the college-going crowd and high school students from the middle-class enjoy the new taste. However, many of them argue that McDonalds food is badexpensiveun-Indian (Harding 2001). Food ingredients are not the only things McDonalds had to modify. They learned the hard way to be aware of the religious belief and value of Hindus, Jains, Muslims and Christians in the country and adapt to each. Dana and Vignali (1998) recount an incident in the late 1990s that arose when McDonalds printed two million bags illustrating the flags of 24 competitors of a football championship. The problem was that the Saudi Arabias flag contained the religious words: There is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is his prophet (Dana and Vignali 1998, p.50). This angered the large Hindu population in the country and caused a scandal, affecting McDonalds reputation. Competition McDonalds key competitor is KFC, another American fast food giant. KFC entered the Indian market a year before McDonalds and there were problems from the start. The corporation would fatten its chicken on maize, but this was also a source of nutrition for the poor in India. They were getting less and less maize and could not even afford to eat at KFC (Dana and Vignali 1998). The Karnataka Farmers Association went on riots to demonstrate their protest and anger at the corporation, and it eventually culminated with KFC losing their permit in the southern state (Dana and Vignali 1998). KFC restaurants in India are limited and many of them have faced issues, such as unsanitary conditions (Dana and Vignali 1998, p.51).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another competitor in India for McDonalds is the British fast food chain, Wimpys (Dana 1999). They are the only international fast food conglomerate who has been in India the longest. Their growth has been slowed down over the years due to the number of international fast food chains entering India, but they frequently expand and reinvent their menus with Indian dishes to attract Indian customers (Goyal and Singh 2007). Although McDonalds has done comparatively better than KFC in India, the former faced plenty of challenges too. In the following section, recommendations are given on how McDonalds can improve their performance in subcontinent. Recommendations and Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Early 2000, McDonalds faced a lot of problems and the local population were dissatisfied with the corporations presence in the country. The problems stemmed from the corporations lack of understanding about cultural and religious beliefs in India. This shows a sign of lack of faith and lack of trust, particularly after rumours of beef fat in cooking oil used by the French McDonalds (Harding 2001) set of angry protests in India. Delhis managing director for McDonalds insists the outlets in India do not use beef extracts, but since the McDonalds empire was built on beef products, some Indians find it hard to believe that the local outlets do not use beef extracts (Harding 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is a delicate situation and a hard problem to solve when religion and cultural beliefs are involved. The best thing McDonalds can do to keep business flowing in India is by building up consumer trust in the Indian market. By establishing a strategic alliance between domestic competitors, like Nirulas, customers might be influenced into eating at McDonalds (Hill 2009). This collaboration would encourage McDonalds to develop more Indian-friendly products, like curries, that fit the tastes of the local demand, and it might present the American corporation in a more favourable light. McDonalds is a popular fast food chain found all over the world. Entering into the Indian market was a brave move and it set new challenges for the corporation due to cultural, religious and ethical differences in the country. McDonalds are still facing problems, but for the most part they have managed to attract a part of the Indian population, fascinated by this western culture. In conclusion, despite the blurring of the physical boundaries between India and America, cultural factors still affect Indian customers buying habits (Banerjee 2008) and McDonalds need to focus on gaining the trust of their local customers, or they will be unsuccessful like their fellow-American competitors, KFC. References BANERJEE, Saikat, 2008. Dimensions of Indian culture, core cultural values, and marketing implications: An analysis. Cross Cultural Management : An International Journal, 15(4), pp.367-378. DANA, Leo Paul, 1999. Nirulas small business. British Food Journal, 101(5/6), pp.500-504. DANA, Leo and VIGNALI, Claudio, 1998. Introductory cases. British Food Journal, 100(2), pp.49-57. DANIELS, John D., RADEBAUGH, Lee H., and SULLIVAN, Daniel P., 2009. International Business: Environments and Operations. 12th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. DOZ, Yves and PRAHALAD, C.K., 1984. Patterns of strategic control within multinational corporations. Journal of International Business Studies, 15(2), pp.55-72. CRAIG, Samuel C. and DOUGLAS, Susan P., 2006. Beyond national culture: implications of cultural dynamics for consumer research. International Marketing Review, 23(3), pp.322-342. CRAIG, Samuel C., DOUGLAS, Susan P., and BENNETT, Aronte, 2009. Contextual and cultural factors underlying Americanization. International Marketing Review, 26(1), pp.90-109. GOYAL, Anita and SINGH, N.P., 2007. Consumer perception about fast food in India: an exploratory study. British Food Journal, 109(2), pp.182-195. HARDING, Luke, 2000. Give me a Big Mac but hold the beef [online], available at The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2000/dec/28/globalisation.lukeharding [accessed on 1/02/2010]. HARDING, Luke, 2001. Indian McAnger [online], available at The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/may/07/globalisation.lukeharding [accessed on 1/02/2010]. HILL, Charles W. L., 2009. International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. HILL, Charles, W.L., HWANG, Peter, and KIM, Chan W., 1990. An eclectic theory of the choice of international entry mode. Strategic Management Journal, 11(2), pp.117-128. McDonalds Corporation USA, 2010. About McDonalds [online], available at http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com [accessed on 25/01/2010]. McDonalds Corporation India, 2009. About McDonalds [online], available at http://www.mcdonaldsindia.com/aboutus.html [accessed on 26/01/2010]. McDonalds Corporation, 2008. McDonalds 2008 Annual Report [online], available at www.aboutmcdonalds.com [accessed on 29/01/2010]. MORRISON, Allen and BECK, John, 2000. Taking trouble: the key to effective global attention. Strategy Leadership, 28(2), pp.26-32. SHARMA, Somesh Kumar and SRINIVASAN, R., 2008. Perceptions of foreign players for effective positioning in India. Management Decision, 46(10), pp.1465-1481. RAWWAS, Mohammad Y.A., 2001. Culture, personality and morality: A typology international consumers ethical beliefs. International Marketing Review, 18(2), pp.188-209. VIGNALI, Claudio, 2001. McDonalds: think global, act local the marketing mix. British Food Journal, 103(2), pp.97-111.

death penalty :: essays research papers

When turning on the television, radio, or simply opening the local newspaper, one is bombarded with news of arrests, murders, homicides, and other such tragedies. There are many things that I don't agree with in today's society but, out of all the wrongdoing that takes place, I believe murder including the death penalty is the worst of them. I am strongly against the death penalty because it violates God's rules, costs the tax payers too much money, the possible "wrongly accused," and it is cruel and unusual punishment. How often do these concepts creep into the public's mind when it hears of our `fair, trusty' government taking away someone's breathing rights? I do not support having the death penalty because it violates religious beliefs. Many religions, such as my own, Catholicism, follow the rules that God sent to use through the Ten Commandments. One of the most important of those ten states, "Thou shall not kill." If you are executing an individual, that clearly violates this commandment. Murdering any person, no matter what the individual has been convicted of, is a mortal sin. Therefore, God will punish anyone who aids in executing people. I believe that religious beliefs, such as the Ten Commandments, are the corner stone for our law system. Executing someone should not be made an exception to God's rule. My next reason against the death penalty is that taxpayers waste too much of their money with the death penalty. The average death penalty case is appealed three times. This means that the taxpayers must pay for the same trial to be heard three times. This is a very expensive practice. Also, the average convicted murder spends 12 years on death row. If supporters of the death penalty are positive enough to kill the person for committing the crime, shouldn't the supporters be confident enough to execute them in a timely manner? Why spend the taxpayer's money keeping these inmates in jail for so long? Taxpayer's money should go to better society, not to accommodate the prisoners that are going to end up dead. There's always the chance of the innocent being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Doing Business Abroad Essay

Companies around the world are expanding in order to meet a larger market. However, this is no easy task even for people who have been doing business for decades for there is always this thing called cultural diversity. This thing is put into consideration not only of companies and managers that establish businesses in other countries but also of those who engage into joint ventures and alliances. Setting a company globally requires not only good managers but thorough study as well. A market research would be very helpful especially to determine the needs and wants of the people in the locality. A bunch of factors affect the preference of people like religion, beliefs and environment. Should the product be modified to fit the desires of the people? For instance, burgers with beef patty are modified in order to be accepted and sold in Hindu-dominated countries. There are also cross-cultural trainings for managers that would be sent abroad. These are usually conducted by business schools with the aim of providing global managers who have the ability to cope with different challenges that they may encounter, especially those that are brought about by diversity in culture. However, as much as these trainings would help, they are not yet enough to suffice for the thorough understanding and settlement of cultural differences that might yield success to a business that spread its wings. Problems still remain due to this cultural diversity. Even with the repute of English in conducting business globally, language remains a problem. Language, as defined in the Merriam Webster Dictionary, is words with their pronunciation and the methods of combining them to be used and understood by a community. Words are not enough. Pronunciation and accent are essential, and at this part is where problem usually occurs. As Edward Burman cited in his article entitled Managing Cultural Diversity in a Global World, linguistic confidence can be perceived as quasi-colonial arrogance and this may eventually lead to conflicts. Similarly, jokes and stories which are essential in building harmonious relationship among workers are affected, not just because of the way they were delivered but more importantly by the context that they were formulated. Some humorous acts might be insulting to others, which again might lead to discord. Another problem that may arise due to cultural diversity is the way the human resource personnel determines the appropriate candidate for a job. Whether be it an expatriate or a native of the location of the headquarter, the measure to the achievements of an applicant varies from the school where he acquired his degree and skill to the society where he belong. These qualities may not be well-reflected in his application forms or the result of his examination or interview. Although it may be known to the resource manager that different cultures respond differently to various situations, the challenge is still to determine the best person whose culture and skill perfectly fits the job. Also, developing the trust with people from other culture opens another difficulty especially if a company will merge or ally with a local company of other country. Research can be done to be able to identify possible reasons to trust but it remains a thorny job for the managers in the negotiation table. Everything will matter, from the physical appearance to the gestures. Aside from these problems cited by Edward Burman, the way to designate a manager to a place is something to be thoroughly thought of. According to an interview with Robert J. Freeman, Americans are a bit resistant to exotic destinations. The question then is how these Americans would be assigned to a location beyond his desire. Or since there are expatriates of more than sixty nationalities, which should be chosen and what type of compromise would the company give to convince the manager. Nevertheless, these problems can be addressed if global managers have several skills as discussed by Josephine Song in her article Transcending Borders. The first is technical skills. Aside from the field that he is expected to master in order to efficiently perform his task, he must also be able to utilize the means that globalization brings for the betterment of doing things. He must be able to maximize opportunities and resources that might be useful for the accomplishment of his job. Likewise, he must also have good communication skills which comprise not only of knowledge of words but their proper pronunciation and usage as well, most especially English which is the basic medium for conducting business globally. Communication is not only via speaking, but also via reading, writing or listening. More importantly, global managers must take caution in their words and actions so that misunderstandings would be avoided. They must also be innovative and resourceful to improve their businesses according to the locality. With increase in expatriates all over the globe, I think it would be unfair to say that they or the locals could better cope with the changes. They might have an advantage with regards to having dealt with different cultures already that they might not find it anymore difficult to relate with another set of people. Their presence in the top management could also bring global perspective. But, their knowledge of the culture of the country where the company is located might be very limited as compared to the locals. Yes, they may be able to learn and adapt but still, the culture instilled in them would always be a part of them and their decisions and reservations. I think, it would be better to have a mix of expatriate and local managers in a global business for as Burman concluded, management remains culture-bound, be it local or expatriate.