Methodology - using Hofstede's VSM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Methodology - using Hofstede's VSM - Essay Example There are a number of different studies conducted on similar topic which have been discussed in the literature review. The research strategy cannot be exploratoryYin (2003). On the other hand causal studies are usually used when a cause and effect relationship has to be identified. This means that the changing of one variable should show an effect in other variables, that is the relationship between dependent and independent variable. This study does not establish a cause and effect relationship but only identifies a set of variables relevant to a culture. The research strategies used to identify variables is the correlation study. This study aims at establishing a quantitative evidence for the existence of a set of variables. Therefore in agreement with the research objectives, the research strategy is correlation. The type of research approach being used is directly dependent on the type of research strategy being used. A research usually carried out by using the approach of induction or deduction and in some rare cases a combination of both methods Sekram (2006). The two approaches of research are therefore directly related to types of strategies. The process of deduction is used when enough evidence is available on a research topic. The availability of evidence is a critical in deductive reasoning. This is because deductive reasoning starts from the general to the specific. This can also be described as a top down approach. Thus it leads down to a hypothesis which is than tested. Inductive reasoning on the other hand has a totally different approach. Inductive reasoning starts from the very specific and moves up to the general. Therefore the research is begun by observation of specific phenomenon and observes patterns which can finally be used to establish some general theories or conclusio ns. Therefore we can say that deduction is conclusive in nature Sekram (2006). That means that it is usually used to reach a conclusion. This is

The Cuban Missile Crisis Essay Example for Free

The Cuban Missile Crisis Essay The Cuban Missile Crisis on October 14, 1962, marked one of the highpoints of the Kennedy administration.   The scandal caused widespread panic and indignation to the American people due to the surrounding environmental factors brought about by the cold war.   It revolved around the building of Russian bases on Cuban soil and the staging of nuclear weapons from these said structures.   One such depiction of this event is the movie Thirteen Days which is a most ample goldmine of organizational communications beautifully recreated on the silver screen. The crisis is viewed from the eyes of one Kenny O’Donnell, a Special Assistant to the President, who begs, barters and steals the information he needs to keep his friend and superior abreast of the volatile situation while not selling out his own ethics in the process.   This film depicts an excellent display of organizational communications in one of the most important and influential social groups during a time of trial and tribulation which brings out the best and worst in people. Organizational communications stems from the fact that large companies need to coordinate efficiently in order to achieve the goals set out.   For example, if a firm with 10,000 employees had to go to the president for each of their issues with work, he or she would never be able to do the tasks set out on the institution of the company.   The president’s plate would always be full and it would keep piling up with the new problems which spring up during operations.   The key to solving this problem is delegation.   The leader gets people he can trust to get the job done and specifies which fields to focus on.   This paper will show examples as based on the movie Thirteen Days and will provide an example in today’s modern setting. Communications can be defined as the meaningful interaction of people exchanging knowledge.   Good communications in business is the flow of information from the lowest employee to the person with the highest position in order to achieve objectives and vice versa.   The head can address the company as a whole but not all the information from each worker goes straight to the top otherwise there would be an information overload. Information gathering techniques can be in the form of feedback or focused group discussions.   The movie showed this as a U2 spy plane flying over Cuba taking reconnaissance photos as part of America’s regular monitoring of the region. In the film, when Russian rockets are discovered in Cuba, the information is sent up the pipeline because it was deemed important enough.   If the intelligence was about how the Russian prime minister drank his tea or whether he lights a cigar the proper way, it would be filed under miscellaneous information which would be pulled up only when the need arose.   The CIA analysts forwarded the pictures and interpretations to their section chiefs who make the decision whether the buck stops with them or not who then forwards it to the Director of the CIA who makes the call if it should be sent up the chain of command.   This signifies efficient leader-member exchanges. To find a solution, both cognitive and affective conflicts often come into play.   Cognitive conflict focuses attention on assumptions that may underlie a particular issue and which are often ignored.1   It was done by Adlai Stevenson, ambassador to the United Nations, when he voiced an option to the president which all of them as advisors were thinking but would not voice out since it would be political suicide.   This type of conflict allows the decision makers to weigh all their options before coming to a decision.   Affective conflict on the other hand deals with input which is detrimental to the solution process.   It lowers effectiveness with the input of distrust and controversy. The joint chiefs of the military acted as such towards the president since he would not give permission to execute the action they deemed to be the â€Å"only† option.   Even when the generals knew that the commander-in-chief would never agree with them, they tried to box him in by aggravating the situation.   For example, they ordered a low level intelligence gathering mission which would attract an armed response from the Russians.   JFK could not hinder them without a valid reason but he did work around them by getting in contact with the pilot who was flying the mission and asking him to not do anything or report instances which would force America to a nuclear war. The contradiction to this crisis was that the US stationed Jupiter missiles in Turkey near the Soviet border.   If this had not been done, they could have prevented the predicament they were in.   There was also a lot of bargaining going on from the president asking his advisors for other options to the ultimate solution which was the compromise reached by both superpowers to end the escalating conflict. In my opinion this movie is a goldmine of organizational communications reference.   It concretely depicts what to do and what not to do when decisions need to be made during â€Å"crunch time†.   It might not characterize every scenario but with a little stretch of the imagination, we can get and expound new ideas which we can utilize in our daily operations. We can learn a lot from this movie and apply it to any organization especially an engineering services firm.   As an example let’s use the solid waste disposal department and that the dump trucks did not come on time.   The men loading the trucks or the foreman even notices this and decides to kick it to upper management since the whole timetable for the project was delayed.   Now the manager has to decide where to get the trucks.   He or she could either, call another company then penalize the contractors with the cost of hiring another firm plus damages and never work with them again or be lenient with the firm and just deduct the penalty from what was supposed to be paid out for the usage of the vehicles. Advisors are called in to weigh options before a decision can be made.   Now if the trucks were delayed within an allowable amount of time, this information can be sent up the ladder depending on the foreman’s judgment.   If it is still within his scope of responsibility, he can give a warning to the trucking company that tardiness would not be tolerated or send it to one of the manager’s advisors or his corresponding supervisor. The chain of command ideally should work this way to achieve goals but other factors come into play.   In some cases the information does not go to the right person or nothing is being done.   We may not have the perfect structure for organizational communications but we can strive and learn from past errors in order to make decisions which the organization can count every time. References: 1 http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/1650/htmlcognitiveconflict.html last checked 08 March 2008

Competitors Of Tui Based On Market Share Tourism Essay

Competitors Of Tui Based On Market Share Tourism Essay The task of the following assignment is taking a strategic fit for a package holiday company. A package holiday company is defined as one that offers minimum of travel and accommodation in a single package. One company that operates internationally and offers minimum package of travel and accommodation is TUI Travel. TUI is the worlds leading international leisure travel company operating in four different sectors (tuitravelplc.com) The main competitors of TUI based on Market share are: Carlson Wagonlit Travel Thomas Cook plc. Travelport Ltd Vision Statement Our vision is Making Travel Experiences Special (tuitravelplc.com) TASK A: Market Environment Analysis In order to analyse the market environment proper analytical tools should be chosen: PESTLE Analysis for Macro Environment Porters five forces for Micro Environment PESTLE Analysis Political Factors Changes in the taxation policy of the government in UK, such as increase in VAT percentage by 2.5% may have a negative impact on inbound tourism in UK as the prices of commodities will rise. Also, 24% Britishers claim that increase in VAT will also lead to expensive staycations (Casal 2011) Unstable Political environment can seriously impact the tourism industry of a nation as the travelers fear for their safety and tend to avoid that nation. Such as recent Political uprising in mid east has lead to 50% cancellations in Arab nations (Zablit 2011). Security and safety concerns have major impact on tourism industry. Terrorist attacks of 9/11 in US led to 10% fall in demand for travel and tourism (Bennett and Barry n.d.). Such attacks also raise a question on national security of the country and dampen the tourists confidence. Economic Factors Recession: UKs plan to emerge out of recession may just be stretched further as the recent political uprisings in Middle East and disaster struck Japan may have prolong effects on the world economy, affecting the tourism industry as well. In measures to keep household budgets low, families are looking into more of domestic shore holidays, also stated as staycations. In year 2009 there was a decrease by 14% in overseas holidays in UK, whereas the domestic shore market rose by 5% (Mintel Report 2010). Currency Fluctuations: In the year 2008 there was resistance amongst the US visitors for the UK due to strong Pound. Against the dollar, Pound was at two-year low. (Ashby 2008) Looking at the table 1, which shows Dollar strengthening against the pound in the recent years, may attract tourists from US. Furthermore, strengthening of Euro and Dollar can be stated as a cause for escalated interest in staycations and a concern for outbound tourism from UK. Table 1: Currency Prices for last 5 years, with base currency being Pound ( £) (Source: XE.com) Fuel Prices: Year Euro Dollar 2006 69 p 57p 2007 68p 51p 2008 76p 49p 2009 92p 71p 2010 90p 66p The Oil prices rose to $120 per barrel in February 2011 due to political uprising in Middle East and have left airlines worried. International Airlines Group has decided to cut back by flying less often. IAGs CEO said if the fuel prices do not recede the ultimate effect would be on fares (Milmo 2011). This would lead to increase in packaged holidays prices. Social Factors: Demographics: Mintel report 2009 suggests that the decline in average households is projected to continue whereas 5% growth in 1-3 person households. It states about 48% of 1 member family went on a holiday as compared to 68% of marries, 60% of three person and 70% of four households. (Mintel Report 2010) Table2: Showing % change in households in UK. (Source: Mintel Report 2010) By 2031 it is projected that the single households (mainly people over 55) will comprise of 18% of the total households in UK. Therefore it would be a major market for the package operators (Communities 2009) Health concerns. 2004 2009 2014 % Change % Change M M M 2004-09 2009-14 One-person households 7.6 8.35 8.8 9.9 5.4 2 person 8.96 9.54 10.02 6.5 5 3 person 3.95 3.97 4.15 0.5 4.5 4 person 3.3 3.31 3.33 0.3 0.6 5+ person 1.67 1.65 1.64 -1.2 -0.6 Total households 25.48 26.81 27.93 5.2 4.2 Continued concerns over health and hygiene are seen amongst UK residents. The outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in year 2001 led to 16% fall in visitor expenditure in UK leading to negative images of Britain as a holiday destination (Pasty 2003). But, with the upcoming Olympics 2012 and Royal Wedding in 2011 will lead to high volume of tourists visiting UK. Ageing Population. As per the National statistics organization (2010) there were one in five people of retirement age in the UK. As the population is ageing there will be an extra cost for the companies who offer pension schemes to their employees so that their staff lives longer (Oxford University Press 2007). Technological Factors Internet: In UK there were 20 million Internet subscribers out of 27 million households. High Level of Internet penetration is a key contributing factor to online travel retailors performing better. Online sales of travel retail product represented 34% of the total sales. This also has led to fierce competition amongst the players as the customers are looking for cheap vacation packages, third most important factor when selecting holiday package (Euromonitor) Better Technology: Latest technology advancements in sectors such as engineering, airline industry, transport, infrastructure etc. such as coming of luxury passenger planes such as Airbus A380 and Boeings 787, Eurostar via Eurotunnel have made cross border travel easier and swifter than ever. Legal Factors Emissions Trading Scheme: This scheme was presented in the year 2003 for EU in-order to curb carbon emission. In 2008 amendments were made to this scheme, including the aviation activities as well. It means the aircraft operators will be subject to a cap and will have to pay allowance to cover their emissions. This could have an upward impact on the prices of holiday packages (Euro Monitor). Open Skies Agreement: Signed between EU and US in the mid 2008 allowing and airline from the EU or the US to any place between EU and US. (Euro Monitor) This allows the customers to fly with their choice of airline and thus can help reduce costs because of competition amongst the operators. Environmental Factors Ethical Consumerism The Ethical Purchasing Index states that the ethical purchasing has grown phenomenally with total market valued at  £30million. Eco Holidays, Fair trade holidays have experienced exceptional growth due to the rasing concern regarding the environment amongst the people (Mintel Report 2005). Green Initiatives: In todays world it is impossible for the travel and tourism industry to ignore the growing concerns over environment. In a survey in year 2002, 85% of the people said it is important their vacation does not hamper the environment. Due to this fact the package operators are aligning themselves to become environment friendly (Euro Monitor). Such as Thomas cook has now started to highlight about their services meeting responsible tourism criteria (Mintel Report 2005) Porters Five forces: Competitive Rivalry The four major players in the market (Thomson, MyTravel, First-Choice and Thomas Cook) have, for number of years, jostled each other for bigger market share and profits have proved to be volatile (Evans et al, 2003). The major package holiday players target different segments in the market such as, offering luxury vacations, adventure vacations etc. with some uniqueness as well. Package operators such as Thomson introduced their own low cost airline- Thomson fly and dynamic packaging where customers can book their accommodation and flights separately (Lueck 2005) The level of customer services affect when choosing a company, if one offers better customer service than others it helps in retaining customers. Therefore there is intense rivalry in the industry Threat of New Entrants: The total expenditure on holidays is expected to rise by nearly 22% in 2014 from 2004(Mintel report, 2010) making the tourism industry attractive one because of the market size. Yet, high level of capital investment required targeting larger audience and the need to differentiate acts as a barrier to entry. And to add, top 10 companies control 70% of the market. This reduces the price retaliation and keeps the economies of scale high. Findings from Mintel report (2010) states Brand awareness plays an important role in package holiday industry and thus can act as a barrier. Therefore threat of new entrant is low. Threat from Substitutes: Holidays can have direct as well indirect substitutes, such as instead of spending couple of pounds on a weeks vacation people might spend same amount of money on buying a car or towards house extension. Therefore threat from substitutes if moderate. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Supplier can have high negotiation power over the companies having small market share, but in a market where 4 major players control over 50% of the market there is threat of backward integration. Therefore the bargaining power of the suppliers is low Bargaining Power of buyers: Customers today have the option to book their holidays over the Internet they eye to fetch cheap deals. Regards to this the customers have more choices. But, due to low level of differentiation and lesser substitutes make the bargaining power moderate. Critical Success Factor New Destinations: As per the Mintel report (2010) visiting a new destination has seen highest growth in terms of percentage, 12%. Places that have hot weather, beaches, landscapes, cultural heritage are a major hit amongst various demographics. Therefore in order to have larger market share it is important for the package operators to continuously look to update their offering of destinations. It is important for the tour operators to offer short and medium haul holidays destinations and domestic places for vacations, as it is the growing market as per the current statistics. (Mintel Report 2010) Convenience: In todays technologically advanced world where most of the population is the subscriber to Internet, it is important for travel agents to offer the customers with online booking facility. In UK itself out of 27 million households 20 millions are the Internet subscribers (Euro Monitor). Mintel report (2010) states there was nearly 20% growth in online booking, way more than any other method of booking holidays. Also, a company should be easily searched over the Internet. Therefore the companies should optimize their websites to reach larger audience. Brand Value: It is important to persuade customer to buy package holidays. Here, brand comes into the picture. The recent volcanic eruption helped the package operators build on their brand image and capitalizing on what could happen if independent holidays are booked. Green initiatives: The growing concerns for the environment amongst the customers (see Environmental factors in PEST) have made travel operators take stock of the growing concern. Thomas cook has now started to highlight in their brochure that their services meet the responsible tourism criteria. (Euro Monitor)

Teatro Campensino :: Mexico Spanish Essays

Teatro Campensino Teatro Campensino can be described as an artistic outreach program with political ramifications, the actors are farm workers that find it necessary to spread their message throughout villages composed primarily of poor, Mexican farm workers. The group performs skits that attack "white-washed Mexicans", the Vietnam War, and racism. In "Los Vendidos", director and writer Luis Valdez tackles issues that have plagued Mexican- American history. In fact, by analyzing his play one can deduce several social stigmas and draw parallels to the actual history through the character skits in the play. Furthermore, in order to analyze this play one must delve into the setting, name, characters, and the social ramifications of their situations in order to fully incorporate the scope that this play affects. The name of the play itself has social and political ramifications, that is it reflects the Mexican situation throughout history. Furthermore, the literal meaning of the title is quite ambivilous, "venderse" means to sellout, to betray, or to give away. This can be applied to how Mexicans are treated by Americans and other Mexicans. For instance, Mexicans have been discriminated against for generations, ever since the Spanish conquest. They have been "repatriated" into Mexico during the 1930s, and they have never received the same political or social programs that Anglo- Americans have, such as schools. However, it has also become evident that Mexicans have discriminated against each other throughout the years for various reasons. One of the most prevalent was the schism in the Mexican community between the "American- born of Mexican Parents†¦", "†¦those born and raised in Mexico†¦", and "†¦the largest group were those born in the United States whose parental line age ran back to the original settlers and the early immigrants of the Southwest." (Morin qtd. in Vargas 305). The Old Mexicans, those that were living in the present day United States were somewhat assimilated and accepted by Anglo- Americans because they were a good source of labor. However, the migratory patterns of Mexican immigrants, legal and illegal, allowed the farm owners greater accessibility to a cheap labor force. In fact, the migrations sent the wage of a farmhand to the basement and the Old Mexicans resented this phenomenon. Another way in which this play explores the social and political history of the Mexican-American is through the analysis of the set. For instance, in the window "Honest Sanchos Used Mexicans" indicates that the stereotypical Mexicans "sold" in the store are accurate representations of all Mexicans.

Essay --

Change management Change is constant, integral part of our personal and professional lives. Change occurs in our world and beyond, at national and global level, in political and socio-economical areas, in management of organisations. As the contemporary world becomes more complicated and significantly interrelated, it forces companies to change their work strategies and become globally competitive (Jeritt, 2013). These pressures for change should be identified by management and immediately enact change management process to increase productivity and performance (Marked By Teachers, 2004). Achievement of such objectives is paramount for organisations; despite of challenges which may originate during implementation of changes (Content Writing, 2012). According to Techopedia (2013): ‘Organisational Change Management is a framework structured around the changing needs and capabilities of an organization. OCM is used to prepare, adopt and implement fundamental and radical organizational changes, including its culture, policies, procedures and physical environment, as well as employee roles, skills and responsibilities.’ Kotter (2009) defines change management as the utilization of basic structures and tools to control any organizational change effort. Today for implementation and monitoring changing process are known plenty of different models. It will be analyzed and evaluated most common models which are Lewin's Change Management Model, ADKAR model and Kotter's Eight Step Change Model. Each model provide particular approach with own advantages and disadvantages therefore it’s significantly important to clearly understand each of the three change management models (Cellars, 2007). Lewin's Change Management Model Kurt Lewin presente... ...tion. Organisational culture provides as opportunities as well as issues for companies. If culture combines with organization’s strategic and operating targets, it can stimulate improvement of performance and efficiency. At the same time dissimilarity of organisation culture and targets may lead for pernicious results (Katzenbach Center, 2013). Thus, organisational culture affects practically on all aspects of the company and it’s exceptional for every organisation and also one of the arduous objects to change (Business Dictionary, 2013. Hence, applying of culture within organisation include analysis of complex of features as beliefs, ideologies and values of company. According to Investopedia (2013) organisational culture define as: ‘The beliefs and behaviors that determine how a company's employees and management interact and handle outside business transactions’.

Analysis Essay

There are various static, such as active listening skills used by negotiators to hopefully reason with hostage takers and get them to surrender. In The 1972 Olympic Terrorist Attack. Negotiators wasted time and gave no positive results which led the terrorists to believe that negotiators didn't take hem seriously. In the end many people died and the terrorists won because Black September forced the Germans to release the three terrorists that were apprehended. â€Å"The Attica Prison Riot of 1971 alarmed and outraged society. The public outrage brought about long overdue prison reforms including changes to public policy and administration.The riot began on September 9, 1971 and ended on September 13, 1971 when state police stormed the prison and opened fire. † It is obvious that the prisoners at the Attica prison were determined to have their demands met or at least get their points across to the right officials, who would in turn make changes at the prison. The inmates wanted better living conditions, fair wages, better treatment, and religious freedom. One may believe that criminals should be treated like caged animals because they have omitted criminal offense, but in reality prisons are human and deserve to be treated as such (Adkins, 2011).What turned the riot into a disaster was the fact that Governor Nelson Rockefeller was unwilling to allow proper negotiations to defuse the situation. Instead, the Governor ordered an assault which took the lives of several prisoners and law enforcement officers. Nearly 40 people died at the command of one person, who refused to compromise with the Inmates. The negligence of Governor Nelson Rockefeller cost many people their lives and the loved ones of these people also suffered (Rosenberg, 2014).A trained negotiation's team should have been In place to negotiate with the Inmates for the safety of the employees who were taken hostage. There's a possibility that If the Governor was willing to pay attention to the I nmate's demands and assure them that some form a change may have been possible, then all of those people wouldn't have died In such a tragic manner during the riot. The Governor obviously had no regard for human life when he ordered law enforcement officers to take back the prison. The assault cost 8 the riot and the assault caught the attention of the Government and the public.Some of the demands of the prisoners may have been unreasonable, but the situation could've been handled a lot better than it was that day. â€Å"Black Septembers demands in the Munich attack: the release of more than 200 Palestinian guerrillas held in Israeli Jails, along with the release of German Red Army members Andrea Beaded and Laurie Inform, held in German prison. † The Germans failed at each attempt to use assault on the terrorists. There was either a leak in the plans to attack or the Germans lacked the knowledge needed to pull this off.The terrorist found out about the plans by watching telev ision and it mess that these terrorists outsmarted the Germans each time. The Germans knew that the demands of the terrorists were unreasonable and impossible, but there were no tactics used to save the lives of the hostages. Properly trained negotiators would not have allowed this particular crisis to go down the way that it did causing nine hostages to die. Trained negotiation's teams are now available to handle crisis situations in and outside of prisons and if things are done properly an event like the Attica Riot will continue to be a thing of the past.The crisis negotiator would be able to monomaniac with the hostage takers to get to the root of the problem, secure the hostages, and possibly end the crisis without fatalities. Prisons now act out crisis situations involving the taking of hostages in order to be prepared if a duplicate of the Attica Riot would somehow take place. The acting scene is a necessary part of training for Corrections Officers employed by the prisons. T he Germs used time which only delayed the killings of the hostages by the terrorists and at the end it shows that there was no way out for these innocent victims.

Muet

Extracurricular activities are a good chance for every student to improve himself/herself in many different ways. These activities are offered by educational establishments, but they are far more interesting than common lessons. In SMKPJ, the MUET drama festival had became one of the compulsory activities for all the Lower Six students. As one of the participants in MUET drama festival, I strongly agree that the MUET drama festival should be made as a yearly event for the Lower Six students. The MUET drama competition had contributed many benefits to the students. Drama competition is a tremendous way to build confidence.By overcoming innate fear of speaking in front of others, they are stepping outside of your comfort zone in a very healthy way. The skills you acquire translate to increased confidence in the their life as well as improved communication skills with others. If the ‘old one' suffered from doubt and anxiety, they will find it gradually replaced by a new self image . In this one they will see themselves standing tall, talking easily and communicating well. Besides that, the involvement in the group activity and interaction with other people develops students' socializing skills and they become more open with people.Putting themselves forward makes it easier for you to meet others. The increase in sociability which is a crucial ability for personal development and an important criteria for job interviews in their future. People's ability to make friends or to become a part of a group promotes self-confidence and creates a better atmosphere of liability among people. Moreover, the drama competition requires students to embody various characters with situations, personalities and life style which vastly different from the student's own.In order to portray the character realistically, students have to find ways to relate themselves with the character. This practice of putting themselves in someone else's shoes enhances students' ability to empathi ze with people in their personal lives and promotes compassion and tolerance for others. Furthermore, participating in drama competitions requires great reserves of imagination. The drama requires students to make creative choice, think of new ideas, and interpret familiar materials in new ways . It is a fun way of challenging students to think quickly, to act on impulse and to react to their surroundings.The consistent practice of using their imagination can translate into success at other art forms as well as creative problem solving skills. As Albert Einstein said,† imagination is more important than knowledge. † Last but not least, through drama, students learn different forms of communication which help in developing language and communication skill. They are encouraged to express themselves both verbally and through facial expressions and body language. It improves the voice projection, articulation of words, fluency with language and persuasive speech which is key to making them better and more effective communicators.Subsequently, the listening and observation skills are developed through the process of rehearsing, performing and even being an audience which other groups were performing. In conclusion, it is important that the MUET drama festival should be continued organized and make it as one of the traditions of SMKPJ. I hopes that not only the Form Six students but the whole school includes all the students and teachers should give their supports to the drama festival. Thus, the MUET drama festival can be held successfully every year.