Family Vacations to Disneyland

After packing four adults and one child into a small car and traveling for two days we finally reached our destination. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the front entrance of Disneyland; finally my childhood dream had come true. I was overjoyed with emotions that I was able to not only fulfill a dream of my own, but provide a vacation for my kid that he would never forget. After getting through the front gates it seems like your day flies by without you even noticing.There’s so much to do and so little time in a day to get through all the exciting rides. I was just as sad as my kid when we had to leave the park when closing hours came. With our stuffed animals, Mickey ears, and cotton candy in hand we left the park glad that we had one more day to come back to enjoy the fun. Many years ago a vacation such as this might not have been as feasible as it is now for the average American family. Theme parks including Disneyland have for a long time served as a cultural symbol f or our country that thrives off being entertained.Families need places where they can go that everyone can have a good time and not have to worry about work or school. With as many resources available now, there has become more opportunities for families to provide vacations to theme parks such as Disneyland. The term theme park didn’t catch on until the beginning of Disneyland. Before then places like Coney Island were where families could go to get cheap thrills. Disneyland may not have been the first theme park but it certainly brought new ideas that no one had done before.The combination of development of audio-animatronics, themed sections of the park, shopping and food made for a place with mass appeal. Having been famous in film certainly helped in the popularity of the park as well. The first place that a lot of people might think about for a family vacation is Disneyland. Besides Disneyland being a fun place for a vacation, it has also been seen as an American staple for a dream family vacation. It’s a place specially made for people of all ages to truly enjoy themselves.Going on a family vacation not only can be fun and relaxing but provide for time to build and strengthen bonds, create everlasting memories, and create chances to learn new things. Even in times where money can be tight, by researching your possibilities and providing ample time for planning, vacations don't always end up breaking the bank. Bigger family vacations, such as Disneyland, need ample time to save up money for and can't just be planned over a couple of weeks. With all the resources that we have now compared to what there used to be, it helps for planning.There are all kinds of travel websites that have packaged deals for hotels, flights, and rental cars. Along with added packages for trips like Disneyland that provide park tickets and discounts. It seems like in today's busy world that family time isn't held as important as it once was and can be easily pushed aside. More and more parents have to work longer hours or weekends to make ends meet. Also the rate of single parents has increased dramatically over the last couple decades, which can cause a struggle for having quality time together.Even though my family and I all have hectic schedules we have always found spending time together to be extremely important. Whether that be playing board games, going on walks, or even reading a book. It not only keeps us close but also helps instill good values for our kids to pass down. This is one of the reasons why my husband and I wanted to take a vacation to Disneyland. We wanted to provide a vacation that would give us time to not have to worry about schedules or homework and be able to just relax and have fun.Another reason why I hold strong values on family time is because I didn't come from a family that had any. I've seen how not spending time can impact you as a kid on up into adulthood. American families now spend more time apart from ea ch other than together. This causes families to grow apart; parents have a hard time relating to their own kids and even struggle to know how to talk to them. Though coming from a family that did struggle so much with connecting has made me really cherish every moment that I spend with my own family.Disneyland has been a symbol of American culture for over 50 years and will continue to be for years to come. Being a country that loves our entertainment, theme parks will continue to trend in popularity. With better technology over the years family vacations to places such as Disneyland have become easier for families to access. Hopefully over time more and more families will understand the importance of spending time together and going on vacations. Making everlasting memories together is something that can never be taken away and will hopefully be passed on for generations to come.

Challenges of teaching and learning in inner city

Every kid deserves the right to an instruction that will help them to accomplish accomplishments and makings used throughout their lives. For many old ages now, this has been a cardinal purpose across Englands Government system, foregrounding the demand for a alteration in the quality and handiness of services, back uping all kids in the procedure of get the better ofing possible obstructions, enabling them to carry through their possible. â€Å" All kids deserve this sort of good start in life, irrespective of where they live, where they go to school, or their household background. † ( DCSF 2009 p.2 ) For many kids, school provides an array of rich and rewarding experiences, leting them the chance to boom in their acquisition and win to their possible. This nevertheless does non happen for all kids, with old grounds foregrounding that pupils from poorer backgrounds achieve less than their equals. Nevertheless, turn toing this issue has become a cardinal mission among Government leaders, school senior direction and instructors, taking to interrupt the nexus between disadvantage and low educational accomplishment. To ease these ambitious purposes, the Government implemented through the Children ‘s Act ( 2004 ) , a legislative programme that would use a reform within the Education system. Every Child Matters: Change for kids ( 2004 ) outlined a national model that would set up programmes of alteration, edifice services around the demands of all kids and immature people, taking to maximize chance and minimise hazard. Through five cardinal results: being healthy, remaining safe, basking and accomplishing, doing a positive part and accomplishing economic well being, the aspiration for the national model was to contract the spread between kids ‘s attainment degrees and purpose to advance positive good being in childhood and subsequently life. The primary focal point was to sketch a national model for alteration, designed to better and incorporate services, working together more efficaciously to run into the demands of kids and immature people. The results for the bringing of concerted services were to guarantee that all kids and immature people be safeguarded from injury, have better chances to develop and make their possible and receive effectual support, where necessary, from targeted services. Furthermore, parents and carers would hold better entree to services they require, having advice and support where necessary. The Every Child Matters ( 2004 ) model set out a vision for a individualized and high quality, integrated service, available for all to entree. In order to interrupt the nexus between disadvantage and low accomplishment, and have every kid successfully attain the five specific results, those that work closely with kids and immature people need to understand the effects of deprived upbringings and what barriers they can show. The causes behind hapless upbringings are diverse and varied, but must be noted that money may non be the exclusive ground. Poor lodging and unequal diet are important factors ; nevertheless, cultural barriers to larning can besides hold a dramatic affect on kids, particularly for those that live in disadvantaged communities, preponderantly within the interior metropolis. Parental sentiments of the value of schooling act as a cardinal factor as low aspirations and agnosticism about instruction can act upon kids ‘s beliefs. The impact of this can go more evident when kids start go toing full clip schooling, as the scope of their educational experiences can change dramatically. Some kids, from more advantaged places, may hold had entree to a greater assortment of educational experiences such as books, visits to interesting topographic points like museums and theaters, every bit good as the wider universe, advancing acquisition at an early phase. Unfortunately, nevertheless, other parents may non hold the money, resources, accomplishments or assurance to supply their kids with such experiences, perchance impacting their acquisition development. The significance of this is huge, act uponing a kid ‘s future educational experiences unless tackled at an early age. In the study Interrupting the nexus between disadvantage and low attainment: Everyone ‘s concern ( 2009 ) , it is expressed that ; â€Å" When kids start school already behind their equals, this can set up a go oning rhythm of under – public presentation. They find it difficult to maintain up and so may larn more easy, hence falling even further buttocks. † ( DCSF 2009 p.18 ) Interrupting this rhythm of under accomplishment requires Government, schools and wellness attention bureaus to seek to advance ways to battle the effects of poorness as kids from disadvantaged backgrounds can be at increased hazard of being unable to entree the course of study, and lose assurance in their ability to win. Within the Enjoy and achieve result of Every Child Matters ( 2004 ) , it is outlined that kids should be ready for their school experience, and attend and bask their acquisition through active engagement. Children should play an active function in accomplishing national instruction criterions, fostering this with their personal and societal development. Previous research has shown that it is paramount that instructor ‘s identify those who are falling behind early on through appraisal, conveying about a individualized attack to learning and larning. Harmonizing to Gilbert ( 2006 ) , personalisation should be a cardinal characteristic of instruction, later raisi ng the outlooks for students, guaranting the intended results match their outlooks. As it is believed that students from disadvantaged groups within our society are least likely to accomplish good, the Every Child Matters ( 2004 ) docket emphasises the importance of every kid, irrespective of their societal background, holding an impregnable instruction: â€Å" Children and immature people learn and thrive when they are healthy, safeguarded from injury and engaged. The grounds shows clearly that educational accomplishment is the most effectual manner to better results for hapless kids and interrupt the rhythm of want. † ( DCSF 2004 p.8 ) This farther physiques upon Gilbert ‘s ( 2006 ) accent of individualized instruction and acquisition, as cut downing the persistent and unacceptable spreads in mean attainment, between different societal groups, requires focus upon what indispensable cognition and accomplishments kids require in order to boom in our changing universe. This lays farther accent on the importance of instructors geting cardinal qualities in order to help all kids, irrespective of their background, on both an educational and societal degree. Although an outstanding pedagogical attack to instruction is cardinal, instructors must chiefly understand why some kids fail to entree instruction and make their possible. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds, frequently populating within an interior metropolis environment, could see an array of barriers to their acquisition, encouraging schools and local governments to implement and follow schemes to turn to them. Within Interrupting the nexus between disad vantage and low attainment ( 2009 ) it was expressed that the effects of disadvantage can be cumulative and relentless, typically taking to hapless students doing slower advancement, frequently attributed to assorted factors. As antecedently outlined, spreads within kids ‘s cognitive ability, before the age of five, could put the foundations for low accomplishment, farther stressing the demand of multi bureau cooperation. The Every Child Matters ( 2004 ) , model emphasises the impression that supplying support for households is imperative, advancing the benefits of early acquisition experiences and the importance of the place acquisition environment. Lack of parental support could take down kids ‘s aspirations, act uponing their behavior and attending at school, therefore making personal barriers to get the better of. Reacting to this, harmonizing to Balls ( 2009 ) , requires schools and instructors to work closely with parents and households, using cardinal behavior and absence policies. With add-on to these societal barriers, kids from deprived upbringings are frequently more likely to be recognised as holding Particular Educational Needs ( SEN ) . Balls ( 2010 ) expressed that the designation of Particular Educational Needs ( SEN ) should non be confused with the belief of underperformance or non meeting possible. Through actively turn toing particular educational proviso, instructors should convey about individualized instruction and acquisition attacks, implementing appropriate intercessions where necessary. This farther builds upon a old Government study, Quality Standards for Special Educational Needs ( SEN ) support and Outreach services ( 2008 ) . The criterions outlined aimed to steer the development of proviso and support, helping local governments and others in finding appropriate resources and rating procedures. Furthermore, the study highlighted how choice Special Educational Needs proviso can lend straight to the five Every Child Mat ters ( 2004 ) results. Understanding the societal and educational barriers that kids populating within the interior metropolis can see allows instructors to, as the Every Child Matters ( 2004 ) docket highlighted, support students wider good – being, and take a individualized attack to larning. One important undertaking that aimed to convey about alterations to battle the disadvantage and low attainment nexus was that of The Extra Mile: How schools win in raising aspirations in disadvantaged communities ( 2008 ) . The undertaking aspired to research in item the barriers that kids from deprived communities face, seeking ways to better their opportunities to win at school. The focal point of the undertaking was non entirely on kids from utmost poorness, but more on kids whose households have been hapless for coevalss, frequently populating within communities with high offense degrees and low skilled, ill paying occupations. The impact of this generational poorness can foster construct upon kids Ã¢â‚¬Ë œs barriers to larning and influence accomplishment at school, as parental cynicism about the importance of instruction, can be made more evident: â€Å" Parents may hold had bad experiences of their ain at school, and this rubs off on their kids. Sometimes, the emphasiss of their state of affairs are reflected in the behavior of their kids, who come to school troubled and wary, and non mentally prepared for larning. † ( DCSF 2008 p.3 ) With the purpose of raising aspirations for all kids, the undertaking leaders investigated, through sing first-class schools within disadvantaged countries of England, the features that instructors and school administrations require so to convey about alteration within instruction. Research showed that dynamic leaders bring a committedness, thrust and finding, actuating staff and making a ‘can bash ‘ ethos across the school. Furthermore, the schools visited aimed to guarantee that staff and students have an array of chances to turn and come on, bring forthing quality schoolroom experiences, orienting the course of study to the demands of their students intake. This builds upon the Every Child Matters ( 2004 ) docket, emphasizing the importance of individualized instruction and acquisition, easing all kids, irrespective of their background or start in life. Furthermore, through following a individualized teaching method, instructors can help kids to achieve their possible, constructing formidable foundations for future acquisition. Pedagogy and Personalisation ( 2007 ) highlighted that ; â€Å" Personalised acquisition agencies that kids and immature people, whatever their starting point, are able to carry through their possible as scholars. † ( ibid 2007 p.7 ) For all instructors, it is imperative that they engage their students in larning through a positive and motivative ethos ; nevertheless, within the interior metropolis environment it is apparent how this encouraging attack to learning and larning can significantly contract the attainment spreads between kids. Balls ( 2009 ) expressed that the success of this really much relies upon a cardinal scheme that would advance equality and inclusion within every school. Through developing a universal system, Balls ( 2009 ) aimed for all schools and instructors to put high aspirations for kids ‘s accomplishments, orienting larning experiences to specific demands and guaranting that every kid has person within the school that can back up their development. This specific result builds upon a antecedently implemented scheme intended to advance first-class instruction and acquisition within the interior metropolis. Excellence in Cities ( 2001 ) identified the benefits of single support for k ids, presenting Learning Mentors to better chances for deprived students. Working aboard learning staff and within the school ‘s pastoral support system, larning wise mans help kids to acquire the most out of their school experience, working with parents to enable them to foster back up their kid. Teaching, as a profession, is one of the most demanding occupations ; physically, emotionally and intellectually, nevertheless learning within the interior metropolis environment, can convey about farther challenges for both established and developing instructors. Meeting the demands of interior metropolis kids requires difficult work and dedication, constructing upon established partnerships to convey about alteration. Quality acquisition experiences are imperative ; nevertheless, within the interior metropolis these experiences can alter kids ‘s future chances. Interrupting the low attainment and disadvantage nexus, through understanding barriers to acquisition, requires instructors to guarantee that all kids have the chances to boom and develop, obtaining the Every Child Matters ( 2004 ) , outcomes, and lay the foundations for future acquisition.

Innovation Organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Innovation Organisation - Essay Example Various tables and figures have been employed in order to justify the objectives of this research, and to provide evidence of the company’s operational excellence. Present day business environment is very dynamic in nature which keeps on changing frequently with the changing market conditions at domestic and international level. Organisations existing in the present day business environment have sufficiently understood this fact and perform their market analysis and research activities to identify the changes. It is very essential for present day organisations to get adapted to the changes and maintain their business operations. To attain the level of flexibility required for adapting to the changes organisations develop innovative approaches to modify their business structure and systems as per the changes. This report discusses the theories of innovation and its real application in present day organisations. Irrespective of industry type every organisation is required to identify the changes and resist them. This report has considered the construction industry and its performance in the international market. BAM Construct UK Ltd. is one of t he leading construction companies in UK and is a part of the European construction enterprise. The study has considered the company BAM Construct UK Ltd. as its sample organisation for analyzing the innovative practices performed within present day organisations. The study emphasizes various innovative approaches which are practiced in the sample organisation and also provides with suggestions on improving their innovation practices in regards to their product development activities. Organisations come up with innovative products which are developed as per the changing demands of the customers’. Organisations are required to update their product range at regular intervals which help them in gaining

Gaonic Society and Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Gaonic Society and Culture - Research Paper Example The first â€Å"Gaon of Sura† was Mar Rab who took the charge in 609 and the last was Samuel ben Hofni who died in 1034. The last â€Å"Gaon of Pumbedita† was Hezekiah Gaon who was agonized and he died in 10401. During the â€Å"Golden Age† of Arabs Jews were prominent in the society and their religious and cultural practices and economic living flourished. After 681, the Jews were severely victimized by â€Å"Christian Visigoths† and therefore they invited the Muslim Arabs mainly the â€Å"Berber† conquerors. These conquerors successfully removed the â€Å"Christian Visigoths† and brought an end to their tyranny, providing the Jews their religious autonomy2. Thereafter a period of tolerance began as Jews devoted themselves in studying the sciences, commerce and industry to augment the prosperity of the country. They engaged themselves in translating Arabic texts into Roman and Greek and Hebrew texts into Arabic. The involvement of the Jews w as also found in several other disciplines such as â€Å"botany, geography, medicine, mathematics, poetry and philosophy.3† During this time Jewish ideas blossomed leading to partial Jewish autonomy. Again insecurity of the Jews developed around 976 and the situation further deteriorated in 1090 with the attack of â€Å"Almoravids†, a Muslim protestant sect from Morocco. Under their rule Islamic belief was imposed on the Jews. The famous educational bodies of the Jews were closed. Then by 1085 there was invasion by the Christian forces. Jewish community was still prominent. Some scholars such as Maimonides, born in 1135, were well-known figures in Judaism. Jewish existence still continued until they were powerfully debarred or converted by the â€Å"Christian Monarchs†4 The purpose of this paper is to show that the uniqueness of the gaons could be attributed to their piety and practices apart from their scholarly talents and achievements which reflect discipline , integrity and wisdom. The Gaons, their practice and religion During the Islamic period, due to the absence of corporate groups, the commercialized and crafted guild of the European variety was not restricted to those members having majority belief in Islamic culture. There was significant resemblance among the Muslim and Jewish practices. This encouraged flexible interactions between the Jews and Muslims in economic activities and led the Jewish to adopt liberal attitude towards the Muslims. They preferred to in developing business contracts and settling disputes in the Muslim religious courts as opposed to early Talmudic prohibition. According to one of the Babylonian Geonim this practice was implicitly recognized by the Jewish judiciary on account of mutual faith. â€Å"Ashkenazic rabbis† persisted on stringent observance of Talmudic controls. Therefore the Geonim and later halakhic authorities in the â€Å"medieval Arab world† objected on Jews relevance to Muslim courts and emphasized on continual Talmudic ban. The Gaon after considering many contradictory biblical verses exhibits that they do not include abrogation. Islamic religious expressions were used in â€Å"Judaeo- Arabic† writing of the Jewish scholars. Saadya Gaon, the first great â€Å"rabbinic† who wrote in Arabic referred deliberately to the â€Å"Torah†. His Arabic translation of the Bible reflected an integration of â€Å"Arabic-Islamic† culture. The considerable resemblance between the Jewish and Islamic law, the corresponding operation of both of their legal systems and their sharing of linguistic discourse across

The differences and similarities between the democrat party and the Essay

The differences and similarities between the democrat party and the republican party - Essay Example An ideological debate causes a more emotive response in individuals than does any other. The 9-11 attacks, abortion, the war in Iraq, the loss of civil liberties, global warming, evolution, health care, gay marriage, stem cell research and many other politically motivating subjects ignite emotional ideological battles. The terms conservative and liberal usually are attached to one’s stance on social issues. Liberals historically have proved to be very conservative regarding fiscal, Constitutional and foreign relations matters. Conservatives align themselves with the socially conservative religious faction of society. Of course, both ideologies share much in common, the want for peace and prosperity, the love of country and family for example. However, the differences are sharp, extensive and have existed in this country since the Rebels and Loyalists took separate sides of the political fence. The tenets of Liberalism proclaim a strong conviction in democracy and belief that the constitutional authority of the people will limit a powerful, expansive government. Liberal legislative leadership, partly through necessity, has instigated steady governmental growth well beyond where the architects of the constitution and most citizens would favor. Conservatives are against the government regulating corporations but are very much for legislation that regulates the private conduct of individuals and for advancing their religious agenda regardless of the damage to civil rights and liberties or the scientific or constitutional evidence that is contrary to their opinion. Abortion, stem cells, teaching evolution and gay marriage are preeminent examples of current ideological debates between conservatives and liberals. Those of a conservative ideology are against legalizing abortion. They believe it to be murder and are crusading to save babies’ lives. However, conservatives are also against funding prenatal care

How Pathos is Used in Advertizing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How Pathos is Used in Advertizing - Essay Example Pathos are good at intriguing feelings and can play on factors such as fear, sadness, joy, humor and desires among others. One way to evaluate whether an advertisement put forth and one which uses pathos is effective is to establish whether t evokes a strong emotion for what it is intended. If it fails to, then the campaign itself may be a failure. The art, pictures, language, voice, pitch and words used, whether visible, audible or both help elicit a desired emotion and convince the customer to make a buying decision in favor of it. The existence of internet technologies today makes it possible for Mc Donald’s to diversify their marketing strategy to various individuals across the world. While certain videos may be expensive to air through the TV broadcasting system internet space is explored to appeal the consumer’s desire for the food products from the chain. On YouTube, the Mc Donald’s advertisement of a smoky Texan burger leaves the consumer in a great desire to taste it. It first shows two men seated on a cab, one leaning while the other one stretches on the bonnet and leans back on the windscreen; what is interesting here is how they seem to enjoy the Texan burger, taking one bite after another. One of the men describes its contents and size as a â€Å"big ol’ angus beef patty, big squeeze of smoky BBQ sauce and big bacon† and moves on to squeeze the full burger, which makes the sauce content to spill slowly on the sides (McDonald’s Australia). Just the content of the burger, how the two men are enjoying themselves and squeezing of the burger induces a feeling of the taste, which leaves the person watching with ad salivating and would desire to have it. As if not enough the advert uses an aspect of urgency which is common in pathos. It states, â€Å"Try a smoky Texan before it makes tracks† and by the end of the 14 seconds, the advert leaves an impact such that it influences consumer’s buying decision

MBA Admission essays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

MBA Admission essays - Essay Example Many students plagiarize and are caught. The truth is that in order to provide depth of research, a writer will need to combine primary and secondary sources. In the sciences, for example, raw data is important, but how that data has been interpreted by others, over the years, is also very significant. You need to cite that work and not merely present it as your own. It is important to use academic libraries, online databases such as ProQuest, and Google Books and Scholar, in order to find these sources and put them into action. Beware collecting or holding on to irrelevant information, which is sometimes a temptation. It is easy to get sidetracked and create a â€Å"bulge†Ã¢â‚¬â€a part or paragraph of the essay that has no real connection with the thesis. It is also easy to forget where your work starts and where someone else s begins. That is how a lot of plagiarism begins. You copy a lot of quotes into your paper hoping to use them and cite them properly, but over the week s you begin to forget what work is yours and what work is not. There are many examples of this happening to students (Richardson). An article by Sue McGowan and Margaret Lightbody provides a lot of useful information about plagiarism and its consequences. The authors of this paper are deeply concerned about it. They suggest that instead of threatening to punish students who plagiarize work, a more effective approach is to educate them about the affects and consequences of plagiarism. The authors describe an experiment to help educate accounting students. The study asked students a number of important questions relating to plagiarism. For example, when is it necessary to cite references. What does it mean to paraphrase? What are the potential punishments or disciplinary actions for performing an act of plagiarism? The authors concluded that providing students with an incentive to put references in their work is a good way to avoid acts of

Strategic Brand Management REPORT on Dove in the UK Essay

Strategic Brand Management REPORT on Dove in the UK - Essay Example The Customer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) framework has been intended to assist management during the process of brand-building. According to this model, building strong brands entails four steps, including: (1) ascertaining the proper brand identity, in terms of depth and breadth brand awareness, (2) crafting suitable brand meaning through unique, favorable, and strong brand associations, (3) obtaining positive and accessible brand reactions, and (4) fashioning brand relationships with clients which are characterized by passionate and active loyalty. Achieving the four steps, further involves the establishment of six brand-structuring blocks— brand salience, imagery, judgments, feelings, and resonance. The CBBE model offers a yardstick through which brands can evaluate their progress in their brand-crafting efforts plus acting as a steer for marketing research programs. This report seeks to expound the concept of strategic brand management with special reference to the personal nurturing brand â€Å"Dove† and the â€Å"Real Beauty Campaign† (Keller 2007). Corporate entity Dove is owned by a conglomerate company known as Unilever – one of the world’s largest corporations dealing with FMCG. ... The most well-known brands in terms of earnings include thirteen â‚ ¬1billion brands: Knorr, Axe/Lynx, Becel/ Flora, Lipton, Hellmann's, Omo, Lux, Surf, Dove, Blue Sunsilk, Band/Rama, Rexona as well as Heartbrand ice creams (Jakobsen 2010). The brands are marketed under the corporation vision of bringing vitality to peoples’ lives. Unilever aims at improving the lives of people in a sustainable manner by investing in worldwide community initiatives including, carbon dioxide gas reduction, lessening water pollution, and promoting sustainable practices throughout Unilever’s supply chain. In regard to this, Unilever spend about â‚ ¬91 million on society projects globally in the year 2008. The company also boasts of approximately 270 manufacturing plants across the six continents in the world. All these strive to register better performance with regards to issues of safety, efficiency, quality as well as environmental impacts (Simon 2000, pp. 79). Dove and the Campaig n for Real Beauty This report focuses on the Dove brand and the Real Beauty campaign which was at first unveiled in 2004 and still subsists today. Even though the Dove brand has been present in the market since 1950s, it was not until the already mentioned campaign got launched that the brand achieved a strong standing in the minds of customers (Aaker & Keller 1990). The study for the campaign was founded upon quantitative data that had been collected from a global survey of about 3,200 women picked from ten countries including: Argentina, Canada, Brazil, France, Japan, Italy, Netherlands, the UK, Portugal, and the US. The findings validated Dove’s hypothesis which stated that the definition of the term beauty was both limiting and unattainable, by putting more

Liverpool Old Cathedral as a magnificent architecture Assignment

Liverpool Old Cathedral as a magnificent architecture - Assignment Example The focus in this paper is on Liverpool Old Cathedral. The single tower structure was not the original design proposed by Giles Gilbert Scott who was the winner of the design competition organised by the authorities of Liverpool for the cathedral. Scott family was a family of architects. He was barely twenty two years old when he submitted the original design for the cathedral which had twin towers and not a single tower as it is now being seen with. As the architect was an articled student and it was his first commission at such young age, the management decided to appoint Bodley who was a senior architect and one of the judges of the competition of which Scott was the winner. However the joint commission theory left Scott frustrated to a large extent. The work had begun in the year 1904 and Bodley had several other commitments going on at the same time as well. Bodley was not able to give undivided attention to the construction of the cathedral which created problems for Scott. Sco tt decided to give up on the commission and resign form the job when in the year 1907, Bodley’s sudden death forced him to stay on. Scott was now single in charge of the project and although management doubted his decisions several times never thought of appointing a co-architect. They trusted Scott and his vision of the cathedral. In the year 1910, Scott presented the committee his revised plan of architecture which consisted of single tower unlike the original design. The committee was shocked initially and asked Scott to present more detailed plans. Upon his presentation the changes were agreed upon and the work commenced. The most unusual feature of the history of cathedral’s construction is that it has witnessed 74 years of British history, which includes the golden era and the two world wars. It also witnessed bombing of previously constructed part and needless to say in the times of labour scarcity had tough times to reconstruct the cathedral. It was only assura nce from the royal family as well as the authorities that the construction continued and eventually got completed. This is the fifth longest cathedral of the world and second largest cathedral of England. Features of Liverpool Old Cathedral The common features of any cathedral construction comprise: 1. Chapter House – Which is also the office of dean and chapter where decisions regarding running of the cathedral are taken. 2. Cloisters – Cloisters are rectangular pathways which surround the central garden or greenery. This is used by the occupants

Gulf Cooperation Council Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gulf Cooperation Council - Essay Example Gulf Cooperation Council was started in 1981 by the leaders of the state of Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia (Rashid, 21). The purpose of the council was to promote and enhance close ties among the member states and by formulating strategies to ensure that non-GCC countries would not intimidate its members or attack them. As a result, the council engages in integration courses including peace campaigns in its member’s countries (23). The council intentions are more visible in its political activities including the diplomatic campaign to reduce tension between Oman and Yemen and to a whole range of efforts and initiatives to bring peace in Qatar, Yemen, Iraq, Iran as well as Oman. The council also helps in protection of the fundamental freedom of the citizens of its member states and stresses on the importance of GCC countries to take all the necessary measures to protect the citizens from their states. The GCC purpose towards Yemen is mainly on its deep concern for the Yemen situation and its continued condemns of the violence experienced in Yemen (Rashid 45)

Organizational Learning Essay Example for Free

Organizational Learning Essay 1. 0 Introduction The title of this journal is Organizational Learning Practices in the Project Management Environment. The author is Timothy G. Kotnour from University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA. This journal focuses on understanding how project managers continuously improve their project quality and performance by building knowledge through learning. Beside that, for the project organization to learn, organizational members must create, share and apply knowledge. The organizations members will create new knowledge for learning experiences. Learning-by-doing occurs when a problem solver associates plans and actions to accomplish positive results and avoid negative results (Anzai, 1987). While, the plan-duty-study-act (PDSA) cycle, is used to represent the learning process in a project environment. There have two learning cycle in this journal which is Inter-project learning cycle and Intra-project learning cycle. Inter-project learning is the combining and sharing of lessons learned across projects to apply and develop new knowledge. Tools to support inter-project learning include information technology tools and employee groups aimed at sharing knowledge across the organization provides a detailed example of an online system for recognizing, documenting, validating and making available lessons learned for an organization. While, intra-project learning is the creation and sharing of knowledge within a project. Intra-project learning focuses on tasks within a single project and supports the delivery of a successful project by identifying problems and solving them during the project. Learning take place when a project team members discuss approaches for completing a task or overcoming problems. The intra-learning occurs throughout routine reporting cycle such as weekly or monthly status and review meetings, project deliverables or major occurrences in the project. 2. 0 Research Methodology Framework The research methodology involves a lessons learned oriented survey was completely by 43 project managers who were attending a chapter meeting of the Project Management Institute. The survey used to lesson learned terminology because it is more familiar to project managers than organization learning. The survey contained four question sets. The first set asked project manager their background in project management. The second set focused on how project managers produce lessons learned which is including when, what about, how know, what to produce a lesson learned about and what is included in a lesson learned. While, the third set asked respondent to describe, using five-point Likert scale ( 5 = strongly agree, 4 = agree, 3 = not sure, 2 = disagree, 1 = strongly disagree ), which is the degree to which they practice project management learning practices. Next the fourth set asked respondent to describe using a five-point Likert scale the degree to which their organization is achieving the learning outcomes. Factor analysis was performed on the third and fourth data sets. There are five general steps to factor analysis which is assessing applicability of the factor analysis process, determining the number of factors through factor extraction, grouping the variables into factors according to factor loading, producing weighted factor scores and lastly each factors reliability was computed using Cronbach’s alpha 3. 0 Framework, Independent Variable (IV) and Dependent Variable (DV) The learning framework offer an implications for a project manager to use in focusing the learning activities of a project team which is first, the opportunity for learning is an inherent part of the project management process. The project management process parallels the learning process. The steps in the process provide the foundation for learning. In a discussion with a project manager, most of the them viewed producing lessons learned as a valuable and important exercises. However, they felt that they did not have time to complete a formal lesson learned and viewed the learning as a separate activity. This situation showed that, there has a weak relationship between IV and DV. Second, the use of lessons learned can be conducted throughout a project life-cycle, not just at the end of the project. Using the intra-learning cycle, lesson learned can be produced for each cycle in a project to carry on learning to the next cycle and to the next project. And the lastly is the learning process can break down at any stage of the intra- or inter-learning PDSA cycle. For example, the break down can happened in the learning process if there have not using the project management process and tools in a systematic fashion on the model of intra- and inter-project learning. Other than that, the learning process also can fail in the â€Å"plan† step by not reviewing past plans and lessons learned to apply to the current project. In the â€Å"do† step, learning can break down as a result of the project team not following the plan or collecting data on the performance and changes to the plans. While learning also can fail in the â€Å"study† step by not analysing project performance with project tools and not competing lesson learned. Finally, in the act â€Å"step†, learning process can fail because there have no sharing with or incorporating lessons learned into the next project. 4. 0 Result of the Journal The results of survey analysis in this journal are divided into two areas. First, hypothesis testing is completed and second descriptive analysis is completed on how project managers produce lesson learned. Table III contains the result of regression analysis for hypothesis testing. [pic] 4. 1 Project Performance As shown in Table III, project management performance is positively associated with project knowledge. Having knowledge about what could be wrong, ways to ensure success and ways to avoid problems supports the organization in delivering better products and services and managing projects better regarding plan a project and meet cost, schedule and performance requirements. 4. 2 Project Management. As shown in Table III, intra- and inter-project learning practices are directly associated with project knowledge. Producing lesson learned is hypothesized to support the intra- and inter-project learning activities by providing a mechanism to reflect on the project and sharing the knowledge across the project. 4. 3 Learning Practices. Based on Table III, producing a lesson learned is related to inter-project learning. The important factor to increase inter-project learning is not just to produce a lessons learned but to conduct multiple activities for producing lesson learned. 4. 4 Learning Support According on Table III, learning support is needed for each of the learning activities such as inter, intra and lesson learned. Collecting data about the set of steps on a project supports intra-project learning by providing the data and information to compare against the plan and identify mistakes. Being willing to openly and honestly address the mistakes helps drive the learning for intra-project learning and produce lessons learned which can be shared across the organization through inter-project learning. 5. 0 Suggestion/Recommendation There have some recommendation for organizational practices in the project management environment. Project organizations are faced with continuously improving the quality and performance of their products and services to compete in the competitive environment. To learning such an integrated in the project management environments from project experiences to improve knowledge and performance, there must have provide a learning framework which defines the learning processes in a project management environmental. Beside that, analysing the survey result of practicing project manager’s perception on learning outcomes and practices. Other than that, by integrating and sharing the experiences and learning across project, the organizational will have a greater knowledge. While, project team members must need support for learning to enable them to learn from experiences. Next, for developed organizational practices in the project management environment, the factor analysis and reliability results for the project management learning practices should be provided. This included how project manager share knowledge from one project to next, how project managers create knowledge during a project and the action project managers take to support the learning process. There also recommend to provides the factor analysis and reliability results for the learning outcomes. There have 2 factors for learning outcome which is the increased knowledge by sharing lessons learned across projects and how to learning process helps the organization improve in managing a project and delivering products and services. 6. 0 Conclusions As a conclusion, project organization should focus on building knowledge because increased knowledge is associated with increased project performance. To support knowledge building the organization must focus on the learning both and between projects. However, the learning process needs to support by using management tools to plan and monitor results. There also needs to be supported with an environment which allows team members to admit mistakes and openly discuss solutions to problems. All of this needs to be completed to lead to project management success. 7. 0 References Kotnour, T. G. , Orr, C., Spaulding, J. and Guidi, J. (1997), Determining the benefit of knowledge management activities, 1997 International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, October 12-15, pp. 94-9. Anzai, Y. (1987), Doing, understanding, and learning in problem solving, in Klahr, D. , Langley, P. and Neches, R (Eds), Production System Models of Learning and Development, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 55-98. Argyris, C. and Schon, D. A. (1978), Organizational Learning: A Theory of Action Perspective,Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA. Abdullah, H. S. Research Method Guide. Gido, C. Effective Project Management, 5th Edition.

Food Scarcity in Djibouti

Food Scarcity in Djibouti Djibouti is a small arid country in Eastern Africa. It has extremely important and convenient transshipment facilities at the mouth of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Its terrestrial neighbors are Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. Maritime neighbor is Yemen. Djibouti has a convenient geographical position in means of trade. Its capital and main port Addis Ababa transports about 60 percent of Ethiopian export goods. Djibouti has a lot of problems. Its climate is arid. There are few fertile lands in Djibouti. Neighboring Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia impose additional tension in the region. Conflicts between Somalia and Eritrea adversely affect Djibouti. Bilateral ties between Djibouti and Eritrea were suspended in the period of 1998-2000. Such instability harms Djibouti and aggravates its economic lagging. Djibouti’s population comprises two main ethnical groups: Muslim tribe Issai with Somalian origin and Afars with Ethiopian origin. Scarcity of food and water are the most severe problems in Djibouti. There is also lack of expertise in dealing with these problems (Zoungrana, 2013). High unemployment and high food prices exacerbate the situation. The local government is seemed to be unable to improve the situation. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET) reports, that Djiboutis urban centers like Balbala, Radiska, and Baulaos suffer food insecurity. Moreover, rural areas encounter food insecurity, too. Imed Khanfir, a programme adviser with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) reports, that about 42,600 people are severely food insecure with 24,300 others moderately food insecure in Djibouti. An overall population is 774,389 citizens by 2012. USAID provide Djibouti with food aid for 150,000 or one-fourth of the overall Djibouti’s population. Unstable economic situation is aggravated by the instant threat of the civil war between the tribes of Issais and Afars. Thus, the leader of ethnic groups dealt to share positions in the government. When the president is Issais’ representative, the prime minister must be of Afars’ origin. The Cabinet of Ministers positions also ought to be distributed among Issais and Afars. In 1990s Issais managed to usurp the whole government. This fact caused Afars’ outrage and provoked a civil war in Djibouti. Another Djibouti’s problem is an undemocratic and authoritarian tendency. Djibouti’s president Ismail Omar Guelleh has already served two terms as a president of the country, but 2010 Constitutional amendment allowed him to be reelected for the third term. Nevertheless, international community and U.S. are seemed to tolerate such situation because of the Guelleh’s agreement to erect US military base and anti-terrorist center in Djibouti. U.S. military base brought stability in the region, but did not eliminate all problems and threats. On the one hand, Djibouti was severely affected by the drought which hit the region in 2011. The number of drought influenced people rose from 120,000 in 2010 to 206,000 in 2011. Drought impact was aggravated by a large influx of refugees fleeing the conflict and drought in Somalia and other neighboring countries. This adds enormously to the burden on the already overstretched social service system. Another huge problem in Djibouti is its government inability to respond quickly the situation due to the elections. Every election makes government stagger and implement different initiatives very slowly. Electoral process makes government inactive and unable to solve the urgent needs of its people. Every new election causes a wholesale reorganization of the government, which initiates a set of new government initiatives which also had the effect of decreasing the government responsiveness. On the other hand, GDP growth remained relatively sufficient though it dropped short of expectations in 2011. The average GDP growth in period of 2005-2010 was around 5%. After five years of growth, economy slowed to 4.6% growth in 2011 against a predicted rate of 5.1%. The main guarantees for growth were foreign direct investment (FDI), mainly from Gulf Cooperation Council countries, into projects located around the port and construction and in the tourism sector. Concerning per capita income, the growth of the economy reached 1263 USD in 2010, qualifying Djibouti for middle income country (MIC) status under international classification. Military presence of France, the USA and Japan guarantee Djibouti’s economy additional significant revenue. Population growth is estimated at 2.18 percent every year. Djibouti Human Development Index was 0.430 in 2011, ranking the country 165 out of 187 countries. In 2010, life expectancy was 58 years, while mean years of school education was 3.8. UN still possesses no data concerning the scales of poverty in Djibouti in 2013. According to the period of the past five years, the situation did not improve, but deteriorated further in 2013. The overall amount of people living below the national poverty line more than doubled between 2002 and 2009 while the rate of people living below the nationwide extreme poverty line increased similarly over the same period. It is obvious that the economic growth of the recent past has not yet affected the poverty reduction for the large part of the population. The Government is seemed to neglect all the possibilities in expanding the humanitarian assistance taking into account the military presence in the country. New middle income country status has closed access to many grant and concessionary lending. MIC status is very unstable according to a huge amount of people living below extreme poverty line. There are no new international NGOs established operations since 2011 despite the drought emergency. The government should take more care about involving international NGO. As a result, Djibouti’s government keeps relying on UN support for technical assistance in key strategic spheres related to poverty alleviation. UN help the Djibouti’s government to accumulate resources from donors to address humanitarian needs of the most unprotected groups, influenced by the recurrent droughts. As a result, Djiboutian households keep experiencing strong food related economic pressures. The average cost of the basic food basket in 2011 remained well above the average cost for the previous five years. In 2011, the drought emergency that hit the region of Djibouti, Somalia and Ethiopia further aggravated the uneasy situation of the most vulnerable segments of the population, particularly those residing in the rural areas. The drought provoked the continued accumulation of livestock losses (close to 80 percent of the cattle in some areas) with a similar influence on the livelihoods of the nomadic population. Rural dwellers keep migrating to the urban areas swelling urban unemployment (60%) and poverty (42.1% extreme poverty). As a result, the UN Country Team had to devote an increased amount of time to accumulate resources to support humanitarian interventions in 2011. Furthermore, the drought and worsening insecurity in South Somalia kept provoking increases in the number of refugees infiltrating Djibouti. The quantity of refugees in the Ali Addeh camp rose from 12,000 to more than 14,000 over the course of 2010 and to 19,500 refugees at the end of 2011, a significant increase for a country of 818,159 people. In addition, the influx of migrants from Ethiopia, rushing towards Djibouti City, in seek of employment, and Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia) via the Bab el-Mandeb Straits also continued, and reached spectacular figures at certain points in the year. The civil war threat follows Djibouti since 1991. Afars’ minority struggled with Issa-dominated government. The conflict ended by signing a peace agreement in 1999 and electing a new president. Thus, recurrent influx of new refugees and immigrants from the neighboring countries reignites the conflict time after time. Peace agreement did not eliminate local violence. Ethiopian military operation in Somalia affected Djibouti negatively. Population was divided in their support of the belligerents. Djibouti has a significant number of people infected by HIV/AIDS. About 1 percent of the population lives with HIV (approximately 7,700 citizens [6,200-9,400]). The most vulnerable group is children, born by HIV/AIDS infected mothers. The UN Refugee Agency prescribes the main objectives and targets for 2014 for Djibouti. Among the main goals is refusal in refoulement and access to the refugee camps in Djibouti. Every month there are up to 400 new refugees in Djibouti from southern Somalia. About 2,700 refugees from Ethiopia and Eritrea also seek for asylum in Djibouti. The UN bodies provide regular trainings for Djibouti’s staff in order to help boarder guards and law-enforcement officials. All refugee children must be provided with birth certificates. Djibouti’s government with the UN Refugee Agency assistance ought to provide basic needs and essential services to the refugees. Basic needs include sanitation and hygiene conditions. The Holl-Holl and Ali-Addeh camps were provided with about 2,000 family latrines and 200 garbage pits. At least once a month UN employees conduct hygiene-awareness campaigns and camp clean-ups. Sanitation interventions must be frequent in order to protect refugees from he alth hazards. Djibouti’s problems are seemed to make vicious circle. On the one hand, arid climate and absence of oil deposits complicate enormously the economic growth in Djibouti. Regional instability, civil war, excessive immigrants’ influx aggravate the situation. The government has no financial resources to instigate industrial development let alone the environment protection issues. 40 percent of citizens live below the extreme poverty line. 1 percent is infected by AIDS/HIV. Djibouti’s GDP grows, but the positive result is erased by the loans’ repayments. . Djibouti imports almost 90 percent of its food and 100 percent of its fuel, which makes it even more vulnerable to the droughts and food prices on the world market. The country is seemed to be hostage of its own climate and lack of mineral resources and oil. Budget income grows due to transshipment and port fees, Djibouti’s monopoly to export goods from Ethiopia by railroads to the port Addis Ababa. Another positive factor is a military presence of France, the USA and Japan. Military bases pay taxes to the state budget and help fighting terrorism in the region. International Monetary Fund praises Djibouti for almost 5 percent GDP growth per annum. Nevertheless, the aforementioned factors burden the economy and oblige to raise taxes. International humanitarian assistance is still insufficient for the overall welfare in Djibouti. IMF recommends the government of Djibouti to implement reforms in the public sector and avoid unnecessary budget expenditures.   Works cited â€Å"United Nations Development Group† .http://www.undg.org/unct.cfm?module=CoordinationProfilepage=CountryCountryID=DJIfuseaction=UN%20Country%20Coordination%20Profile%20for%20Djibouti The World Factbook.Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 29 Dec. 2013. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dj.html>. The Vital Port of Djibouti Receives International Aid Read more: Djibouti: Geography, History, Politics, and More | Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/country/djibouti.html?pageno=2 Zoungrana, S. Food insecurity looms in Djibouti. 15 07 2013. Web. 29 Dec. 2013. http://www.irinnews.org/report/98408/food-insecurity-looms-in-djibouti>. Resident Coordinator Annual Report 2011 for Djibouti. n.d. n. page. Web. 1 Jan. 2014. http://www.undg.org/rcar2011.cfm?fuseaction=RCARctyIDC=DJIP=1625>. â€Å"Djibouti: Fifth Review Under the Extended Credit Facility – IMF.† 19 May. 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2012/cr12197.pdf â€Å"2013 UNHCR country operations profile – Djibouti.† Retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/page?page=49e483836

How Coca Cola Selects and Compensates Expatriates

How Coca Cola Selects and Compensates Expatriates Abstract International human resource management has become one of the most controversial issues in the world today, and as a result of the complexity of international management it is essential to have the right person at the right position. The aim of this paper is to identify how Coca Cola Select Compensate its expatriates. Start from brief idea about the Coca Cola background, Selection process, Factors influencing the Expatriates selection, Role of expatriates, Training and development, and compensation.when looking at selection process it was found that Coca Cola considers the technical ability and previous performance are selection central. This paper also discusses the previous and recent approaches Coca Cola for international compensation. Introduction Country boundaries no longer exist when it comes to international trade (Ashamalla 1993).In such a active Global competition, international experience has become a requirement rather than an option and forced many business to recognize that they must consider management from a different perspective. IHRM is an important component of firms global strategy and is often recognized as an influencing factor of success or failure of international business (Deresky, 2003). Phatak, Bhagat and Kashlak (2005) state that IHRM involves developing human resource capabilities to meet the diverse needs of multinational and global corporations. Ensuring high-quality management is critical due to the complexity of managing international operations (Deresky, 2003). Furthermore, in the competitive global economy, human resources are not as easy to duplicate as factors of production, and can therefore provide the source of competitive advantage (Phatak et al., 2005). When looking at global assignments Black et al. (1999) have presented five basic dimensions of people management: recruit/select; train; appraise; reward and; develop. These dimensions build upon one another and develop into a management process (ibid). First, when it comes to recruiting and selecting, managers need to identify, recruit and appropriately position individuals within the organization. Phatak et al. (2005) suggest that it is a key process when corporations wish to bring new employees into their networks. Deresky (2003) indicates the importance of having the right people at the right place and at the right time by describing it as a key factor of success in international operations. Company background The Coca Cola Company is the worlds largest beverage company. It is no.1 brand according to fortune 2009 survey. The company operates a franchised distribution system dating from 1889. The Coca Cola Company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Its major markets consist of USA, Brittan, Europe, Middle East, Asia, Russia and North America. It has activities in 200 countries, about 3000 branches, and 55,000 employees across the world. Over 200 expatriates are assigned for international positions every year, as region managers. Most of the expatriates are sent from USA and Britain, and most often sent to Middle East, Asia and Russia. Expatriates Selection process Expatriate selection process starts when they need to fill abroad position due to lack of local talent and/or management experience working in a multinational.Selection process is not defined with rules at Coca Cola. Every international assignment requires different criteria. Usually, familiarity within the exact area of international assignments is recommended but not for all times a prerequisite. Moreover, Coca Cola has lately changed their way when selecting expatriates. It used to concern of sending executives as expatriates, while at the present it has the concern of sending high potentials younger employee. Coca Cola usually considered the recommendation and suggestions of candidates expatriates. Significant sides of the candidate improve his chance to be selected, and can also raise the issues for instance, losing some employee within the department or whether it can give advantage in the future. Coca Cola does not focus on developing repatriation training programs for the expatriates. However, the expatriates informed that at the end of assignment they will return home and they will have their job back, which gives expatriates secure feeling once they leave the international assignment Factors influencing the Expatriates selection (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) shows some of the issues HR managers will take into consideration when selecting expatriates for international assignments. Source: Dowling Welch 2004 Coca Cola look at several vital criteria when selecting candidates for international assignments. Expatriates should aware of Coca Colas values, additionally the ability to deliver their knowledge and expertise, and gather further knowledge as they are overseas. Expatriates are employee where Coca Cola have faiths in them, and believed to be exceptional performer within the company. In general, selected expatriates are employees who hit the expectations when dealing with everyday difficulties and critical jobs. Besides they are motivated employee with a capability to figure things from a strategic standpoint. Expatriates required some abilities such as, technical and managerial skills, in order to complete the requested task when selected for international assignments The technical ability consider a significant factor when selecting expatriate candidates according to (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004). (Harris and Brewster 1999) confirm that technical skill of expatriates is a vital criterion to be taken into consideration and in real assignment consider significant. The evaluation of expatriates candidates technical ability is based on previous job performance, On the other hand, past performance in some cases does not play major role when work out with particular difficulties in a new host country new culture and environment (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004). At Coca Cola the technical ability has significant weight when decide who to select for international assignment. However, expatriates with extensive international knowledge are sent to achieve more specific knowledge and expertise, whereas expatriates with general expertise are sent to achieve more international knowledge. According to (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) cross-cultural suitability is important attribute and has to be considered when assessing expatriates candidates as they will work in different or unfamiliar environments. The cross cultural suitability of expatriate candidates is evaluated at Coca Cola but not measured as a significant selection factor. (Ashamalla 1993) highlights the cultural understanding, and the importance for expatriates to value and respect diverse characteristic and features of other cultures. Moreover, (Hutchings 2002) emphasize the importance to tolerate the differences in race, beliefs and cultures, including the norms and values.(Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) state that it is hard to assess the cultural suitability because it is difficult to determine exactly what the aspects that should be comprised. Listen Read phonetically (Avril and Magnini 2007) agrees that family has strong influence on the expatriates success in international assignment. However a few global organization focus on the family aspect and not to consider family as disadvantage aspect when selecting expatriates candidates (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004). As a result of incapability to integrate into a new culture, families can experience feeling of loneliness. Furthermore, Coca Cola does not consider the as disadvantage part when assessing expatriate candidates. Once the decision made then they consider the family for any further training or advice. The partners job, kids disruption in education and the looking after old parents are issues of family pressure (Johnsson and Lennbro 2008). Country and cultural requirements is considered when selecting expatriates for international assignments at Coca Cola. First of all, the host government may stop expatriate for many reasons, such as visa issues, no available candidates can fill the position from the host country, and legislations (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004).Moreover, some international assignments at rural area or war-zone mean hard living conditions (Johnsson and Lennbro 2008). (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) highlight the language skills of expatriates and assert to be measured as an additional factor when selecting expatriate. According to (Avril and Magnini 2007) expatriates who have language skills will be more effective, gain the respect and trust of their colleagues, and more easily establish partnerships and solid working relationships with local nationals that will, in turn, generate good will for the organization and positively impact the bottom line. (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) find out that the consequences of language skills changes according to the type of assignment. Characters and skills of the expatriate are important aspect to consider. Coca Cola states that some of the preferred attributes are personal liability, enthusiasm to build up his experience and develop the organization, ability to be criticized, and be self-confident. The interpersonal talents of expatriate are not a spoken criterion, but if the expatriate do not have the ability to work with people, then they will not be chosen. Finally, Coca Cola highlighted the individuals motivation. The people who select expatriates review their explanations to select them for international assignment, and as staffs apply for international assignment, take into consideration that they are to some extent motivated. Expatriates Roles According to (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) , there are many reason for transferring employees for international assignments as expatriates linked to the intended purpose of the expatriate. Roles of expatriates are listed as the following Source: Dowling Welch 2004 The Figure provides a general idea of the expatriates roles, and how these roles shape by home and host country. First of all, Coca Cola using expatriates as agents of direct control, where expatriates roles are to make sure subsidiary commitment through direct administration and management (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004). Moreover, expatriates also used to manage personal and cultural matters in the host country as stated by (Harzing 2001). Knowledge can be shared cross international assignments. as a result, Coca Cola use overseas agents of socialization, which is likely helps the integration of corporate values and beliefs (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004). It is a means of informal and non-direct control.(Harzing 2001) label the expatriates as bumblebees since expatriates help in the transfer of a common culture of companies. This formulates and creates more decentralized organization. In addition, Coca Cola can use expatriates as agents to build and enhance the network between the host and home branches (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004). Internationally, strengthen the links between individuals is significance way of implementation of informal control. It is also a way to transfer ideas and efficiency. According to (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004), one of the expatriates role is to increase the organization borders . Expatriates would have an exceptional ability to gather information on the market, and enhance the representation of the company in the host country. (Collings, Scullion et al. 2007) state that there is more than one reason of using expatriates for international assignments. First, if there are no appropriate managers available at the host country for a specific project or function, then the employment of expatriates could be used to guarantee the desired value of work. In addition, using of expatriates gives the chance for managerial development. (Collings, Scullion et al. 2007) indicates expatriates will build and developed their competences throughout the international assignment and motivate the organization for using expatriates and help achieving the organizational development. International Training Development Source: Dowling Welch 2004 International training and development is another aspect of IHRM. Training intends to develop employee skills and behavior, whereas development objective is to increase abilities in relation to some potential position, generally a managerial skills (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004). According to (Shen 2005) expatriates need a set of context-specific abilities, for instance industry-specific knowledge, and a central part of certain skills, such as cultural sensitivity, ability to handle responsibility, ability to develop subordinates and ability to exhibit and demonstrate. These skills are measured as vital international competencies at Coca Cola and all can be developed through effective international training and management development. Moreover, pre-departure training will help expatriate success more than failure (Katz and Seifer 1996). Coca Cola focus on human resources development by concentrated on the education and training of its employees as an important part of their development. Coca Cola allegedly spent millions every year for training its employees. On the other hand, Coca Cola undertook a cost cutting drive, and started looking for methods to train its staff effectively at lower Costs. After significant investigation and researches, Coca Cola In 2007, launched Coca Cola University (CCU) a virtual, global university for all learning and capability-building activities across the Company. E-Learning was used to train Coca Cola newly recruited managers and expatriates. Four types of training for international assignments (Baumgarten 1995). pre-departure training for expatriates: Once expatriates selected for international assignment, they will receive language training and an orientation to the host country culture. Family will be included in orientation training sessions. These training sessions will provide expatriates and their family with information related housing, schools, shopping, and health care facilities in the host country. During the training expatriates will have full discussion with the organisation about how the international assignment would fit into their profession strategy and what future position they would have when return to home country. Listen Read phonetically On-site training for expatriates: At the host country the expatriate will receive additional onsite training to familiarize the expatriate with the local working procedures and work environment. These formal programs will deliver orientation about the host country customs and cultures. Repatriation: Expatriates and their family will adapt the host country norms and culture especially in long-term assignment. Usually they will experience high level of stress and cultural shock when return to the home country as a result of changes that have taken place since their leaving. Expatriates have to assume what ability they want to build up and the sort of jobs that might be offered in the home country with those new skills. As the expatriate a broad, many changes at the home country company could happen such as colleagues or managers may leave. Therefore expatriates should maintain contact with company. Otherwise expatriates will have re-entry shock because of new employees, a new passion, and a new culture that may have changes. Training for (HCNs) and (TCNs): To ensure the understanding of corporate strategy and culture, training will be provided to HCNs and TCNs. All employees from team leaders upwards are given an annual skills assessment and development plan. The Company also inÂÂ ­vests in formal training. During 2008, emÂÂ ­ployees received on average more than 16 hours of formal training each. An additional valuable means in expatriate pre-departure training is an initial visit to the host country. These visits often give the expatriates and their family a clearer idea about the new environment in which they will be living. Sometimes expatriate will refuse the international assignment based on the initial visit. According to (Coopers 1997) study shows that 53% of organizations which offer initial visits to their employees and spouses to the host country, of those 13% refused the international assignment. On the other hand, since the expenses and costs for an expatriate failure are so high it is valuable to know of the refusal earlier to the actual assignment Performance Management Source: Dowling Welch 2004 Coca Cola manages its performance management system through 4 Stages during an Annual Business Cycle and has multiple Objectives. Some of these include Objectives leading to Significant Accomplishments, Breakthrough Objectives, and Business Plan Achievement objectives. Furthermore, Coca Cola has an extensive training and development programs for the employees to focus on the day-to-day needs of the employees and to adapt new culture difficulties and differences. Competency framework encompasses thought leadership, people leadership and results leadership that Coca Cola uses to manage and assess its workforce. A point ranking scale is used to define a system in an organized systematic form to avoid ambiguity and bias when conducting performance appraisal and rating to compensate employees based on performance and competencies as identified in the appraisal process. According to (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) when expatriate agree to have the job for international assignment, they will look forward to having financial benefits from doing that assignment. Therefore organisation should take compensation packages into its consideration because it has major affects at the expatriates when making decision. Expatriates successes will have big advantage for the organisation especially in this competitive market. (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) points out two approaches to develop international compensation: Firstly, the Going Rate Approach Going Rate approach is straightforward and easy to understand which make the compensation package parallel to the host country nationals. In this approach the base salary is linked to the salary structure of the home country. It is based on local market rates. This compensation approach has some disadvantage especially when expatriates return to home country. When going rate is different in the host country, there might be some pay cut. Secondly, the Balance Sheet Approach Balance sheet approach delivers a compensation package to balance an expatriate managers purchasing power between host country and home country. In other words, since expatriate assigned to an international position by using balance sheet approach expatriates will not be affected by spending power. The negative side of the balance sheet can be its cost and unfairness between expatriate managers and local national managers, and even among expatriates who come from different countries. Components Coca Cola takes into consideration when it comes to an International Compensation: Base Salary Extra pay the expatriate receives for working outside his or her country of origin which encourage to accept foreign postings Allowances (Housing allowances, Cost-of-living allowances, Education allowances, Relocation allowances, Parent country wages everywhere ,Wean expatriates from allowances ,Pay based on local or regional markets ,Global pay systems) Tax differentials Coca Cola pays the expatriates income tax in the host country when a host country has a reciprocal tax treaty with the expatriates home country. Benefits Coca Cola ensure that their expatriates receive the same level of medical and pension benefits abroad that they received at home The new host country environment and difficult to function efficiently are core problems for the majority of expatriates (Harris and Brewster 1999) Pre-departure training is essential for improving expatriates culture knowledge and cross-culture adjustment (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004).On the other hand, many cross-culture training is not sufficient or incomplete. Since its hard to assess the efficiency of such training (Waxin, Katsioloudes et al. 2007). According to (Sims and Schraeder 2005) Healthcare is another significant aspect when it comes to compensation package. Many international organizations would have different health care insurance company between home and host country. Coca Cola rewarding system for employee is excellent to retain, motivate and influence employees towards organizational goals with their best potential utilization. Coca Cola uses Self Assessment tools for staff to assess themselves on top accomplishments in the previous year. Analysis Operating as agents of direct control is usually not the role of expatriates at Coca Cola , which is not consistent with (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) believed as they remark that expatriates are often used to control and monitor local operations. Another role of expatriates according to (Dowling, Welch et al. 2004) is agents of socialization, where expatriates are likely to share business values and beliefs so as to build some informal control.

Paul Ehrlich :: essays research papers fc

I. A World To Change Everyone on this earth has to be grateful to Paul Ehrlich because he made so many advances in medical research. Our life expectancy rate would still be around forty years if Ehrlich hadn’t been interested in chemistry and biology as a young boy. If Ehrlich hadn’t combined so many different chemicals, he would have never combined the chemical known as number 606. Ehrlich helped Emil von Behring find an antitoxin for diphtheria. Diphtheria is a disease that particularly affects children and sometimes leads to death. In 1894, mothers no longer had to worry about their child dying of diphtheria because of Ehrlich’s help in the discovery of the antitoxin for the deadly disease. Another discovery Ehrlich made was of a dye called trypan red. Trypan red helped destroy cells that caused sleeping sickness. His research of antibodies and understanding how the antibodies attack harmful substances that enter the body has made him the "founder" of modern chemotherapy. Ehrlich is best known for his work on curing syphilis. Syphilis is an infectious disease transmitted by sexual contact or kissing. Ehrlich named the compound that cured syphilis "salvarsan". This was a very effective way to cure syphilis. II. Background A. Family Paul Ehrlich was born on March 14, 1854 in Strehlen, Silesia. Ehrlich was born in to a middle-class, Jewish family. He was the only son and fourth child of Ismar and Rosa Ehrlich. His father owned a small distillery. Ehrlich had an Orthodox Jewish upbringing in a time when being a Jew was controversial. B. Childhood When Ehrlich was six years old he started his schooling at the local primary school. At age ten, he boarded with a professor’s family in Breslau and went to St. Maria Magdalena Humanistic Gymnasium. Ehrlich was often at the top of his class and his best subjects were math and Latin. C. Advanced Education and Training Ehrlich took an introductory course in natural sciences at Breslau University in 1872. He then went to Strasbourg for three semesters. In 1874, Ehrlich returned to Breslau where he completed his medical degree studies. In 1877, he passed the state medical examination. In 1878 he received his medical degree. III. Research and Development A. Discussion of the Area of Biology Most of Ehrlich’s discoveries had something to do with the immune system. The immune system is a body system that is responsible for destroying disease-causing cells. When Ehrlich was still in school, he was staining white blood cells to see their different characteristics with his work on antibodies, he is knows as the "founder" of modern chemotherapy.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Essay -- Movies Papers

One of the more popular movies of the 1960s was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid , which featured Paul Newman and Robert Redford as the two titled Western outlaws. The film portrays the careers of Butch and Sundance, and how they were forced by the law to leave the Wild West for South America. In the last scene of the movie, the two bandits are shown surrounded by a bunch of South American soldiers after a robbery-gone-bad. Facing capture and extradition to the United States, the two badmen charge out of their hiding place, guns firing away. The film stops there, giving the impression that the two outlaws died in a blaze of glory with their boots on. However, did the real Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid meet their end in some one-sided shootout in South America? Members of both men’s families, as well as some historians, believe that the two men survived the shootout and later returned to the United States. A number of men have claimed to be the notorious outlaws , the most credible being a machine-shop owner by the name of William Phillips who said he was really Butch Cassidy. Based on the available information, the debate could go either way. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid both came from respectable families that were trying to make a living on the wild American frontier of the nineteenth century. Butch, born Robert LeRoy Parker, was actually the grandson of one of the original bishops of the Mormon Church (Editors 91). However, early on in his life, Robert turned to crime. He started out small, rustling cattle and stealing horses (Meadows and Buck 22). Robert Parker picked up his alias from his short career as a butcher. The name Cassidy came from Mike Cassidy, the con who taught Parker ... ...n all likelihood, though, no smoking gun will ever be found that says that the two men did indeed die in Bolivia. Butch and Sundance probably would have liked it that way. Works Cited Editors of Time-Life Books. The Gunfighters. Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1974. Horan, James D. The Outlaws. New York: Crown Publishers, 1977. Johnston, Dorothy M. Western Badmen. New York: Ballantine Books, 1973. Meadows, Anne and Daniel Buck. â€Å"Running Down A Legend.† Americas. (Nov.-Dec 1990) : 21-27. Infotrac Expanded Academic ASAP. Patterson, Richard. Butch Cassidy: A Biography. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1998. Stewart, Gail B. Where Lies Butch Cassidy? New York: Crestwood House, 1992. â€Å"Wanted-Butch and Sundance.† Clyde Snow. NOVA. PBS. WUNK-TV, Greenville, N .C., October 12, 1993.

Native Americans vs. European Colonists Essay -- religious beliefs, e

The European colonists and the Native Americans of North America had very different views on nearly everything they encountered in their lives. Living in vastly different cultures lead both groups to have two extremely different outlooks on four main topics; religious beliefs, the environment, social relations, and slavery, differences which the colonists used to their advantage when conquering the peoples of the New World. The colonists, by saying that the Native Americans were primitive and savage because of their differing and seemingly illogical attitudes, were able to do things that they could never have done to people they believed to be equals. Whether this was a conscious or subconscious method on the part of the Europeans remains hotly debated, but the fact remains that by pointing out the differences of the two main cultures as a negative denoting European superiority, the colonists were able to take the Native American lands and goods without much remorse. When this country began, there were few European colonists with the modern perspective of tolerance towards different cultures. Hardly anyone sought to learn about the Indian culture, very few adopted it as their own, and the majorities were often fearful and anxious toward their new neighbors. These four main differences in religious beliefs, the environment, social relations, and slavery, were what sparked the ill treatment towards the Native Americans, an atrocious treatment that would continue for the next three hundred years in America. Religious beliefs were very important to the first European Colonists who came to America. In Europe during the 1600’s, religion was something that decided a lot of things in a person’s life; what part o... ...iogrosso "The Joy of Sects" and Books on Spirituality and World Religion, Religion Discussion Weblog, Editorial Consultation, Spiritual Direction. Web. 4 Mar. 2011. . Popick, Jacqui. "Native American Women, Past, Present and Future." Lethbridge Undergraduate Research Journal 1.1 (2006). Web. 3 Mar. 2011. . Pritzker, Barry. A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000. Print. Roe, Melissa A. "Indentured Servants." EH.Net | Economic History Services. Lafayette College. Web. 4 Mar. 2011. . Taylor, Alan. American Colonies: The Settling of North America. London: Penguin, 2002. Print. Wiesner, Merry E. An Age of Voyages, 1350-1600. New York: Oxford UP, 2005. Print.

Case study: Outback Goes International Essay

As a conglomerate, Outback must be able to overcome the complexity of expanding into international markets. The company’s commitment to continue its fast paced growth will require them to develop a strategy for expansion and operations in different global regions throughout the world. In developing a business strategy, Outback must create guidelines to ensure success in these new and diverse markets abroad. It is my view that Outback should implement a â€Å"Value Creation† strategy that focus on lowering cost and differentiating the product to achieve a competitive advantage. As a result, this will improve the profit making abilities of the company. This will allow the company to expand into many markets while creating value for its company. Outback’s distinctive competencies and its unique strengths will allow the company to succeed internationally. By pursuing this strategy, Outback is building on its existing resources and capabilities. International expansion will also formulate and build additional resources and capabilities for the company. Overview Chris Sullivan, Bob Basham, and Tim Gannon meet in the early 1970’s shortly after they graduated from college. In the 1980’s, Sullivan and Basham became successful Franchisees with seventeen Chili’s restaurants in Florida and Georgia, while Gannon played significant roles in several New Orleans restaurant chains. In 1987, Sullivan and Basham sold their franchises and Gannon quit his current position. The three entrepreneurs, each with more than twenty years experience in the restaurant industry used the proceeds from the sale of the franchises to start two Outback Steakhouse restaurants in 1988. The opening of the two Outback Steakhouse restaurants was positioned with an Australian theme associated with the adventurous outdoors. Early financing came from limited partnerships from family, friends and  associates. They did not anticipate extensive expansions or franchising. However, in 1990, friends approached the three entrepreneurs and asked for a franchise of the Outback Austrian theme. With the success of these franchises, they decided to expand and organized a joint venture with Carrabbas, leading them into the lucrative Italian dining segment of the restaurant industry. Additional opportunities with other individuals arose shortly. In just six years, Outback was voted the best steakhouse chain in the country. On top of that, in 1994 Outback was awarded Inc’s prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year award. By that time, Outback had 164 directly owned restaurants, 6 restaurants that operated through joint ventures and 44 franchised restaurants. At the rate the company was growing, Outback would near the U.S. market’s saturation within four to five years. In late 1994, the company acknowledged is ability to expand abroad by appointing Hugh Connerty as president of Outback International. As the company moves toward international expansion, they knew that a strategic plan is essential in order to assure Outback’s continuing success as it takes on the new and diverse markets abroad. Problem Definition Several critical problems arose as a result of the company’s anticipation of expansion. This event exposed the company to the complexity of moving into new and diverse markets abroad. Ability to Understand the Factors Affecting Companies’ Entry into International Markets: Connerty knew that it was impossible for Outback to expand around the world, buying property and understanding the laws and the culture in each and every country. He has learned that people are very different than Americans. U.S. restaurant chains have to take into account numerous considerations when determining which non-U.S. market to enter. Issues regarding infrastructure, demographics, income and trade laws are a few factors that can determine a company’s success or failure. The strategy created for a specific country cannot be used for another country. It is obvious that different countries have different beliefs, values and ways of  life. The product, promotional, positioning, and pricing strategies must be molded to adapt to the differences that exist in the new and diverse markets abroad. Cost of Expansion: The high cost of resources is a problem Outback will face with its international expansion. If Outback can establish a remedy to cut costs, they would be able to gain a substantial amount of profits. Outback has the highest food costs in the industry. Employment cost is also a factor that can be minimized. Store managers annual salary is $40,000 more than the industry average. These costs can be reduced and the proceeds can be reinvested in the target markets. Finding Partners to Expand Abroad: Connerty stated that the biggest decision the company will have to make is to select franchise partners. They will have to choose a person who has synergy with them, a person who thinks like them and who believes in the principles and beliefs of the company. The trust between Outback and the individual franchisees cannot be violated. The company must be able to franchise their international operations with company owned stores in the United States and franchises in the markets abroad, so that the strong support operations that exist in the U.S. exist abroad. Ability of Suppliers to Expand Abroad: It is Outback’s principle and belief, that a strong relationship with suppliers is essential. The company has never changed suppliers and has an undying commitment to them; they expect the same in return. Outback view their suppliers as partners in the company’s success and is committed to work with suppliers to develop and maintain long term relationships. The company is dedicated to obtaining the highest quality ingredients and supplies. The company’s chief chef will not tolerate less than the best. Suppliers must be able to prove that they can build plants abroad. Understanding Competitors Strategies in The International Markets: Competition affects the way companies govern and implement their decisions for their operations. Outback must examine casual dining chains with  operations abroad such as Applebee’s and T.G.I.Friday’s/Carlson Companies Inc. By examining these competitors, Outback can differentiate how their competitors’ domestic strategies differ from their international strategies. Other competitors include the top ten franchisers in the restaurant industry such as Burger King, McDonald’s, Domino’s, Hardee’s, International Dairy Queen, Inc., Little Caesar’s, KFC, Taco Bell, Subway and Wendy’s. In order for Outback to compete effectively and maximize their long-term profitability, it must be able to understand their competitors in these new and diverse markets abroad. Alternative Generation Decision Areas A business strategy that incorporates the tactics and policies for Outback’s international expansion must be developed so that Outback can compete effectively and maximize their long-term profitability. It is essential for Outback to obtain a competitive advantage to outperform their rivals and achieve targeted growth. The major decision areas that need to be addressed are: Research and Development, Market Research, Supply Management, Human Resource, and Partner Selection. Research and Development: In order to satisfy their customers, Outback must be able to address the multicultural food facts and dining customs that exist within each new territory. Outback should create a uniform Outback experience in every country, while at the same time learning the subtle differences inherent in each.  ·Option 1: Maintain current focus in research and development.  ·Option 2: Increase spending and focus on developing menus to fit each markets.  ·Option 3: Outsource the multicultural study project to an outsider.  ·Option 4: Decrease spending and imitate competitors. Market Research: Outback has realized the factors affecting international expansion. It must prepare a market research analysis of the markets abroad.  ·Option 1: Do nothing; just follow the competitors’ course. Expand into the markets that your competitor has entered  ·Option 2: Perform selective market research to determine safe markets to enter.  ·Option 3: Perform intensive market research to determine the perfect markets to enter. Supply Management: The company is dedicated to obtaining the highest quality ingredients and supplies. Outback wants their suppliers to expand with them. Otherwise, Outback must be able to develop supply channels abroad.  ·Option 1: Do nothing; stay with current supplier and ship in supplies.  ·Option 2: Find new suppliers in the new markets.  ·Option 3: Own their own supplies through vertical integration.  ·Option 4: Form a tighter relationship with the supplier and have them build plants abroad. Human Resources: Human Resources must ensure that the company has the right mix of people to perform its activities effectively. The employees must be adequately trained, motivate and compensated to perform their task.  ·Option 1: Continue to use the same aptitude tests, psychological profiles and interviews as the employee selection process.  ·Option 2: Simply hire employees who are willing to work.  ·Option 3: Hire employees who are not fully qualified but are willing to learn and grow with the company. Partner Selection: The biggest decision the company will have to make is in selecting partners. Finding the right franchise and joint venture partners to invest in is very crucial.  ·Option 1: Sustain current partners. Have them expand abroad.  ·Option 2: Conduct comprehensive research on potential alliance candidates.  ·Option 3: Franchise international operations with company own stores in the United States with franchises abroad. The decision areas, with their corresponding options, provide the basis for the alternatives that can be analyzed. StrategyResearch and DevelopmentMarket ResearchSupply ManagementHuman ResourcesPartner Selection Status QuoStatus QuoStatus QuoStatus QuoStatus Quo Increase SpendingSelective Market ResearchNew SuppliersStandard Employees Comprehensive Research OutsourceIntensive Market researchVertical IntegrationMotivated EmployeesPartner with Franchises Abroad Decrease and imitate competitors Have Supplier Build Plant Abroad Alternatives Four Strategic alternatives, or themes are defined in the following strategy table. StrategyResearch and DevelopmentMarket ResearchSupply ManagementHuman ResourcesPartner Selection Apply Domestic Strategies AbroadStatus QuoStatus QuoStatus QuoStatus QuoStatus Quo Redirect Investment Plans IncreaseSpendingStatus QuoStatus QuoStatus QuoComprehensive Research Get In The GameDecrease and imitate competitorsSelective Market ResearchNew SupplierStandard EmployeesComprehensive Research Value CreationIncrease Spending Intensive Market Research Have Supplier Build Plant AbroadStatus Quo Partner with Franchises Abroad 1.Apply Domestic Strategies Abroad: Avoid modifications of strategies that we already know is successful. Strengths  ·The company will save money by avoiding cost associated with developing and implementing new strategies.  ·The company will avoid the risks of developing new strategies that may fall short of expectations.  ·Avoid changes in the organizational structure and control system.  ·Dividends can be paid to the shareholders because the cost of expansion will be minimized. Weaknesses  ·Domestic strategies may not be applicable to the markets abroad.  ·Company’s inability to adapt to changing conditions will be observed.  ·Company’s inability to formulate strategies that build additional resources and capabilities will also be notice. 2.Redirect Investment Plans: Move away from the idea of international expansion and explore other means of investment. Strengths  ·Potentially least cost solution  ·Less impact on company’s operational structure.  ·The company can pursue other investments that are less complex, costly and risky. Weaknesses  ·Other investments may not be as rewarding.  ·Lost earnings due to potential profit loss from international opportunities.  ·Company’s inability to confront risk and challenges will be perceived negatively. 3.Get In The Game: Competitors have already established businesses abroad. It is time for Outback to gain entry and keep pace with to its competitors. Concentrate on only the most important aspects of international expansion. Focus on just getting their foot in the door as soon as possible. Strengths  ·Mid level cost solution.  ·The company’s immediate concerns will be addressed.  ·Expansion measures can be applied immediately.  ·Continuous development can occur. Weaknesses  ·Does not address long-term problems.  ·May overlook certain critical aspects.  ·May miss opportunity to maximize profit. 4. Value Creation: Create value for the company internationally by applying distinctive competencies abroad to lower the costs of activities in ways that leads to differentiation and premium pricing. Gain a competitive advantage by providing high quality dining at reasonable prices. Strengths  ·Creating value for the company will ultimately increase profits.  ·Value creation will create an improved company image for the shareholders and the investing public.  ·Improved efficiency in the company’s operations will in the long run decrease cost. Weaknesses  ·High cost solution.  ·Concentrating on value creation may lead the company to neglect other important factors that can affect expansion. Scenarios Scenario 1: Craze for a high protein diet: High protein, low-carbohydrate diets will become popular all over the world. The demand for steak will increase, in effect increasing the demand for Outback restaurants throughout the world. Probability: Medium Alt 1: Expansion strategy will be implemented promptly in the international markets Alt 2: Expansion will appear to be the right investment to pursue. Alt 3: Immediate expansions will begin. Alt 4: Shareholders will get value from their investment. Scenario 2: A disease is linked to the consumption of beef: A disturbing reports that links the consumption of beef to a disease provokes fears of consuming beef worldwide. The consumption of steak decreases and other meats are consumed as an alternative. Probability: Medium Alt 1: Plans of expansion may be terminated or prolonged. Alt 3: Redirecting investment plans will appear to be the best proposal. Alt 3: Immediate entry no longer appears to be practical. Alt 4: Would provide marketing advantages for Outback in the United States and globally. Recommendation Even though it’s the most difficult and time consuming, I recommend Outback  to implement Alternative 4, Value Creation. It is very important because the source of a competitive advantage is superior value creation. The shareholders will be pleased to know that as a result of creating value earnings will eventually increase. The shareholders will have more confidence in the company’s financial positions and future operations. Alternative 4 is preferable to the other strategies for the following reasons: Alternative 1: Domestic strategies may not be applicable to the requirements needed in the international markets. The company will lose out on the possibility of formulating strategies that build additional resources and capabilities of the organization. Alternative 2: Shows that the company is afraid to take risk. The company is trying to avoid risks but at the same time they are losing out on opportunities as well. Competitors will take advantage of this flaw and gain market shares from the company. Alternative 3: Even though this might be acceptable in the short term, many minor problems may arise in the long term. Other problems will evolve in the future and may actually cost the company a lot more than they had anticipated. Implementation The company has to take the following actions in order to affect the value creation strategy.  ·Intensive market research is necessary to determine the perfect markets to enter.  ·Increase spending on research and development to adapt the menus to the markets.  ·Franchise international operations with company own stores in the United States with franchises abroad so that the strong support operations that exist in the U.S. exist abroad.  ·Find ways to cut cost while increasing value without affecting quality.  ·Form tighter relationship with suppliers and have them build plants abroad to ensure quality ingredients. There are many challenges a company must face when deciding to expand into international markets. The implementation of this strategy will require a great deal of commitment from all the individuals throughout the company. The business strategy must align with the strategies of the company, business units and functional levels.