The Current and Future use of Internet Technologies for LLOYDS TSB Essay

The Current and Future use of Internet Technologies for LLOYDS TSB Bank - Essay Example The first ATM put up by City Bank of New York heralded the era where technology graduated from being a superficial accessory to being an integral part of the entire banking process. The present form of online banking finds its roots in the pioneering initiative launched by four of the major banks of New York, Citibank, Chemical Bank, Chase Manhattan and Manufacturers Hanover bank. These banks simultaneously, yet individually, offered home banking services that allowed bank customer to maintain records as well as carry out transactions without leaving the comforts of their home (Mary J.C., 1997) Internet Banking received a major boost with the rapid development and penetration of banking activities conducted over the internet. Activities like money transfer and securities trading can be done through internet banking. It’s a virtual bank in itself which is often an extension of its brick and mortar model. With expanding information technology it is wise for the banks to adopt and leverage it, for expansion of business and better and faster delivery of services to the customer. Some of the benefits of internet banking are:Â   Internet banking is being used both in B2B (business to business) and retail banking. There are also some banks which only have a virtual presence, for example Nexity Bank. Generally bigger banks tend to offer internet banking. This is because smaller banks often find the cost of the service unprofitable before they expand to a certain scale (Gup B.E., 2003) Lloyds TSB is the largest retail bank in UK serving over 30 million customers. Being one of the largest banks in UK and the world, it has taken to internet technology in a big way and offers an array of services to its customers over the internet. Some of the internet banking services offered by TSB are like payment of bills, management of direct debit and standing orders, online application for savings account– over draft –

Public Police and Private Security Essay Example for Free

Public Police and Private Security Essay Abstract         Public police and private security agencies will hardly find a compromise. Public police votes for limitation of private security rights. Private security becomes more popular with the increasing criminalization of the society. In reality, the objectives of public police and private security significantly differ.       The increasing popularity of private security agencies has raised substantial concern among the public police officers. The objectives of public police and private security differ, but public police agencies fear that private security will bury traditional policing standards, and will replace the major policies objectives and responsibilities.          In the general structure of public policing responsibilities, private security guards traditionally fulfill â€Å"supporting roles†. By hiring contractors, some federal agencies save up to 50 percent of their traditional expenditures. â€Å"One firm provides security for six major public transit systems around the country, transports prisoners, maintains booking and security for a juvenile assessment center, and supplies security for court houses in 40 states† (Youngs, 2004). Although private security agencies possess full range of policing equipment, personnel, and opportunities, such agencies are permanently restricted from fully participating in public policing. Potentially, private security and public policing could have similar objectives, but public policing remains purely a state structure. Public police agencies use private security firms to concentrate on their major tasks. In many aspects, these strategies remind outsourcing principles, which are often employed business. In Ontario, private security was given some freedom â€Å"to observe, report, and deter [†¦] elsewhere private security companies are offering quasi-police services in low-income housing projects† (Harman, 2000). Although private security and public policing could effectively combine their efforts, and work for the decrease of criminalization in the country, public policing insists on the fact that public police and private security cannot follow the same objectives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Public policing continues fulfilling its â€Å"traditional crime-fighting duties. Private security carry out their mission of protecting their companies or clients’ people, property, and information, while at the same time serving the homeland security objectives† (COPS, 2004). Private security and public policing are still too far from joining their efforts and objectives for the benefit of criminal situation in society. References COPS. (2004). Private security / Public policing. Harman, A. (2000). Private security use debated. Law Order, 48 (6), pp. 125-126. Youngs, A. (2004). The future of public / private partnerships. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 73 (1), pp. 7-12.

Social Networking Relationships

Social Networking Relationships Social Networking Relation 1.0 Introduction â€Å"Social networking is really recommendation between people about the things that they are interested in and they like†¦ this has stimulated people’s attention in terms of the importance of public relation. The people who are going on these sites didn’t want to be monetised, they didn’t want to be advertised to, so again editorial communication is so powerful, they would rather be communities that can exchange views that are untarnished.† Sir Martin Sorrell Social media is a global phenomenon in which old demographics no longer apply. Conversations happen at the click of a button. New communities are born every day and brands need to be involved; in the first instance to listen, and then to participate. Social media is booming. Every day new statistics, white papers and articles appear discussing its continued growth. Independent market analyst Datamonitor (2008) has revealed how quickly the number of people participating in online social networking is growing: the United Kingdom currently leads Europe, in terms of membership, and is expected to reach 27 million users a threefold increase on todays figures by 2012 (www.datamonitor.com). â€Å"Social networking sites are the reality television of the Internet,† said Jon Gibs (Senior Director of Media, Nielsen//NetRatings). â€Å"The content is relatively inexpensive for publishers to produce, and social networking is not a fad that will disappear. If anything, it will become more ingrained in mainstream sites, just as reality TV programming has become ubiquitous in network programming,† Gibs continued (www.acnielsen.com). â€Å"However, again like reality programming, the concept of ‘reality’ alone, or in this case ‘social networking,’ is not enough. In this competitive marketplace, sites also have to provide consumers with distinct content they can identify with.† A new survey reveals that almost 50 percent of attorneys are members of online social networks and over 40 percent of attorneys believe professional networking has the potential to change the business and practice of law over the next five years. â€Å"Online professional networking is a growing area of importance in the legal industry,† said Ralph Calistri, Chief Executive Officer of Martindale Hubbell and senior vice president of Global Client Development at LexisNexis. â€Å"As we develop a global network for the legal community through Martindale-Hubbell, objective research such as this survey by Leader Networks serves as an important way for us to listen to clients and guide our efforts.† Table: United States: Top 10 Social Networking Sites (March 2008) Source: AC Nielsen The Internet has broadened the area of word of mouth influences from interpersonal communication among acquaintances to online communication to general public (e.g. posting reviews). Harrison-Walker (2001) defined word of mouth as â€Å"informal person-to-person communication between a perceived non-commercial communicator and a receiver regarding a brand, a product, an organization, or a service.† Marketing practitioners try to encourage such â€Å"informal† communication in a positive manner, and several approaches such as â€Å"viral marketing† (Wilson 2000) and â€Å"buzz marketing† (Rosen 2000) have been developed. Facebook was created in February 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, a student at Harvard University. According to Zuckerberg, â€Å"The idea for the website was motivated by a social need at Harvard to be able to identify people in other residential houses† (Moyle, 2004). Today Facebook has more than 7.5 million registered members at over 2,000 U.S. colleges and is the seventh-most-popular site on the entire Web with respect to total page views (Cassidy, 2006). Social networking sites are online spaces that allow individuals to present themselves, articulate their social networks, and establish or maintain connections with others. These sites can be oriented towards work-related contexts (e.g. LinkedIn.com), romantic relationship initiation, or connecting those with shared interests such as music or politics (e.g. MySpace.com). Users may use the sites’ communication tools to interact with those they know from offline contexts, such as school, or they may use the sites to meet new people. The way in which these sites allow for new connections to be made between individuals has resulted in proposed legislation which would bar libraries and schools to block minors’ access to social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook (McCullagh, 2006). MySpace in particular has generated public concern due to its large member base 78 million registered accounts according to one source (Wright, 2006) many of whom are teenagers. There is little academic work examining online social networks. A 2005 survey of academic community members found that 90% of the undergraduates participated in a social network community, primarily Facebook, MySpace, and Friendster, and that many of them disclosed personal information such as email address (Stutzman, 2006). In her ethnographic work examining self-presentation and social connections among Friendster users, boyd (2004) notes that users have a variety of motivations for using the site, including connecting with old friends, meeting new acquaintances, dating, and furthering professional networks. In one of the few pieces to examine this new breed of online fora, Donath and boyd (2004) point out that one of the chief hallmarks of these sites is that links between individuals are mutual, public, unnuanced and decontextualized. In the sites that Donath and boyd examine, public displays of connections serve to warrant, or signal the reliability of, one’s identity claims. Social networking sites are distinguished from the first wave of virtual community sites in that they allow for both maintenance of existing social ties and formation of new connections. A hallmark of the early research on computer-mediated communication and virtual communities in particular is the assumption that individuals using these systems would be connecting with those outside their pre-existing social group or location, liberating individuals to form communities around shared interests, as opposed to shared geography (Wellman et al., 1996). However, some online community researchers have explored how online communities present opportunities for people in a common offline community to extend their interaction. Such a theme is articulated by Wellman et al. (1996), who note that â€Å"Although CSSNs [computer supported social networks] do transcend time and space, not all ties are either totally on-line or off-line. Much on-line contact is between people who see each other in person and live locally† (p.222). 1.1 Research Question This research studies the importance of social networking sites and aims to identify how motivations for using social networking sites influence the degree of interaction and the generation of word-of-mouth. Next, in order to study use patterns of social networking sites between users in United Kingdom and to explore the relationship between the degree of interaction and the generation of word-of-mouth, the following questions are generated. Why / how often do people use social networking sites? Are social networking sites users generating word-of-mouth? If so, what makes users generate word-of-mouth? Do the motivations of using social networking sites influence on the degree of interaction or on the generation of word-of-mouth? H1 Exploring the relationship between the purpose of using social networking sites and the degree of users’ interaction H2 Exploring the relationship between the purpose of using social networking sites and the generation of word-of-mouth H3 Exploring the relationship between the degree of users’ interaction and the generation of word-of-mouth in social networking sites Main Research Question: How effective are motivations for using social networking sites influencing degree of interaction and word of mouth in United Kingdom? At the same time, the growing importance of word-of-mouth on social networking sites is understood and discussed by both marketing practitioners and academics, and online word-of-mouth communication is considered as a new marketing tool (Kozinets, 1999; Croteau, 2006; Peattie, 2007; McKinsey Quarterly, 2007). Due to the similar characteristics between social networking sites and word-of-mouth communication, namely, relationship and interaction among people, a number of researchers tried to find out the connection between online communities and word-of-mouth, then, came up with various ways to measure word-of-mouth in the virtual world (Kozinets, 2002; Godes et al, 2005; Dwyer, 2007). In addition, after their introduction, social networking sites brought in a new organisational framework for online communities. According to Boyd and Ellison (2008), early online communities were constructed as ‘communities of interest’, but social networking sites these days are constructed as personal. In other words, social networking sites are centred around people rather than topics or ‘topical hierarchies’. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 General Overview The study of personal influence and the idea that there are certain people who are especially influential over others has fascinated researchers, practitioners, and the general public for more than 60 years. Variously named in academic and popular circles, these people have been called opinion leaders (Katz Lazarsfeld, 1955), early adopters (Rogers, 1962/2003), influential (Weimann, 1994), and Influential Americans ® (Keller Berry, 2003), while the process of personal influence has been linked to, or synonymous with, various phenomena such as compliance gaining (strategic attempts to seek compliance from others in interpersonal settings; Wilson, 2002), the diffusion of innovations (how ideas spread in a culture; Rogers, 1962/2003), buzz (contagious word-of-mouth commentary about products, services, brands, and ideas; Walker, 2004), and tipping points (the point at which an idea, behavior, or product â€Å"tips,† crossing a threshold from being a minor phenomenon to a wild epidemic; Gladwell, 2000). Numerous organizations, for-profit and not-for-profit, in an assortment of industries (consumer products, fashion, health care, law, higher education, etc.) have sought to capitalize on a renewed awareness and interest in the influential role that informal conversation and relational networks play internally to an organization (e.g., in terms of sharing knowledge within and across organizational units; Cross Parker, 2004; May Zorn, 2002) and especially to external audiences (e.g., in the case of viral and buzz marketing). Thus, although the power of stimulating word-of-mouth and relational networks has been known for some time (Arndt, 1967; Whyte, 1954), a more recent phenomenon is when certain firms seek to consciously engineer buzz in relational networks (Balter Butman, 2005; Dye, 2000; Godin, 2001; Ozcan, 2004; Rosen, 2000;Walker, 2004). For example, some firms (such as Big Fat Inc.) pay people to go out and talk up a brand, either in face-toface or online settings, where the fact that they are employed by a marketing agency is not disclosed (a form of â€Å"undercover† marketing). Other firms (such as BzzAgent, Inc.) actively recruit volunteers who willingly participate in a campaign by going out and buzzing the product or service (oftentimes in exchange for points that can be redeemed for prizes or the knowledge that they are the first among their peers to have access to a new product) and then report back to the buzz marketing company their own and others’ feedback about the product (the company then compiles and analyzes these various reports from the field and presents them to the client). Still others (e.g., Proctor Gamble’s Tremor program) form an extensive network of carefully selected teenagers to create buzz among peers for their clients’ brands and products (Wells, 2004). These distinct kinds of organizational marketing practices have raised a number of ethical concerns, some more than others. In addition to whether or not the institutional identity of the agent is disclosed, whether or not the person buzzing the brand is doing so for some form of compensation, and whether or not agents involve minors younger than age 13 (Wells, 2004), a significant concern is that through buzz marketing marketers are better able to infiltrate everyday conversations and relationships (Walker, 2004), which might be regarded as further instantiation of corporate colonization of the lifeworld (Deetz, 1992). With traditional forms of marketing and advertising efforts, consumer audiences can â€Å"tune out† or â€Å"turn off† the advertising. However, what happens when the marketing is your friend or family member, in online and offline conversations? Is society increasingly falling prey to the â€Å"commercialization of chit-chat?†(Walker, 2004). Although these concerns are not new— for example, marketing to known others has been well-documented and critiqued in terms of Tupperware parties (Frenzen Davis, 1990; Taylor, 1978) and multilevel marketing companies (Biggart, 1989; Carl, 2004; Fitzpatrick Reynolds, 1997)—the fact that increasing numbers of well-known, mainstream organizations seek to amplify buzz in social networks has elevated the concern (Vranica, 2005). 2.2 Word of mouth Word-of-mouth has grown in popularity over the past several years as a marketing and research medium (BzzAgent, 2005). Marketers seeking to find new methods for reaching customers and communicating with them have wondered if word-of-mouth could provide a potential solution to the dwindling return of traditional marketing platforms. Since the beginning of organized marketing programs, marketers viewed word-of-mouth as an incredibly valuable, yet uncontrollable, result of effective marketing practices. Many marketers have implemented plans to fool word of mouth into occurring, seeding the marketplace with shills (paid actors talking up products and services). They found the results effective but extremely risky, since consumers didn’t like being deceived. In recent years, a number of companies have formed, seeking to harness the power of authentic word of mouth (BzzAgent, 2005). By organizing real consumers, they train them to share their honest opinions more effectively. Defining word of mouth can be tricky, especially in light of the Internet and recent emergence of buzz marketing firms. According to Buttle’s (1998) review of marketing research, Arndt (1967) discussed word of mouth as face-to-face communication about a brand, product, or service between people who are perceived as not having connections to a commercial entity. Bone’s (1992) definition is similar though she noted that word of mouth could be a group phenomenon: â€Å"An exchange of comments, thoughts, and ideas among two or more individuals in which none of the individuals represent a marketing source† (p. 579). Stern (1994) distinguished word of mouth from advertising in that word of mouth is face-to-face, interactive, ephemeral, spontaneous, and does not include such features as clever turns of phrases or jingles. Buttle (1998), however, found these definitions unsatisfactory because (a) Word of mouth can include talk about an organization (in addition to a brand, product, or service), (b) it can be electronically mediated (such as cell phone, chat rooms, e-mail, Web sites, â€Å"tell-a-friend† hyperlinks, etc.), and (c) more and more companies may offer incentives or rewards for consumers to spread word of mouth or make referrals (e.g., to refer friends and family members for a company’s services). Buttle concluded that currently the only distinguishing feature of word of mouth may be that â€Å"word of mouth is uttered by sources that are assumed by receivers to be independent of corporate influence† (p. 243). In contrast to traditional word of mouth marketing research, research on buzz marketing is still in its infancy. Verlegh, Verkerk, Tuk, and Smidts (2004) mentioned, but did not study, buzz marketers in their experimental research on whether or not financial incentives used when stimulating customer referrals alter the meaning of the situation such that consumers would perceive the word of mouth episode to be â€Å"persuasive† rather than just friendly, peer advice. Thomas (2004) represented an early conceptual piece on buzz marketing where it was defined as the â€Å"amplification of initial marketing efforts by third parties through their passive or active influence† (p. 64). An early empirical study that applied insights from existing word of mouth and social network research from a firm’s perspective was conducted by Godes and Mayzlin (2004). Abundant research demonstrates that word of mouth (WOM) is one of the most influential channels of communication in the marketplace. The reasons for WOMs power are evident: word of mouth is seen as more credible than marketer initiated communications because it is perceived as having passed through the unbiased filter of people like me. At a time of declining trust in institutions, research shows that its influence is growing stronger. In a recent national survey (Harris Interactive, 2006a), U.S. consumers were asked which information sources they find useful when deciding which products to buy in four common product categories. WOM and recommendations from friends/family/people at work/school were by far the most influential sources for fast food, cold medicine, and breakfast cereal. For personal computers, a highly technical category, we saw a strong reliance on expert advice in the form of product reviews and websites, followed by WOM as the next most useful. The consumer marketplace in which any enterprise operates is a complex, dynamic system. A study found that disinterested, ill-prepared and unwelcoming salespeople lead to more lost business and bad word-of-mouth than any other management challenge in retailing. There are a variety of different triggers for having a bad shopping experience, including things like parking or how well the store is organized. Some of those things retailers can do something about and some of them they cant. But frankly, a very important part of the retail experience is the interaction with the sales associate, says Wharton marketing professor Stephen J. Hoch, director of the Baker Initiative. In a telephone survey of 1,000 shoppers who were asked about their most recent retail experience, 33% reported they had been unable to find a salesperson to help them. Many of these shoppers were so annoyed by this one problem that they said they would not return to the store. According to the Wharton analysis, sales associates who are missing in action cost American retailers six percent of their customers. Add to that the 25% of consumers reporting they were ignored outright by sales associates no greeting, no smile, not even eye contact (Arndt, 1967; Aaker et al, 1996; Reingen and Kernan, 1986). This lack of engagement turned off three percent of customers to the point where they said they would permanently stay way from the store in which they encountered this behaviour. Hoch remains puzzled by sales associates who retreat from potential customers. You would think that if these sales associates are spending the whole day interacting with people, they would be a lot happier in their own life if they were friendly. Instead, they pull into their shell (Brown and Reingen, 1987). Whats wrong with saying, Hi, how are you doing?' According to Paula Courtney, president of the Verde Group, survey respondents were not frustrated by sales associates who seemed overworked or outmanned by shoppers. Its the conscious ignoring that irritates them, she says. Customers would walk into a store and the store representative would see them and continue to put items on the shelf or watch the cash register or do administrative work absolutely ignoring the fact that an actual person was in the store (Cox, 1963, cited in Brown at el, 2007). In the above example, the degree of interaction was bad with consumers at a particular retail outlet. This provided bad word of mouth and hampered long term sustainability for the retailer. In other words, this forms the central part of the dissertation that degree of interaction and word of mouth are slightly interrelated. 2.3 Motives of Social networking British anthropologist Robin Dunbar estimates that humans can only maintain stable relationships with around 150 people. That number refers to significant relationships like those in a family or tribe and other purposeful groups. Yet in todays over-informed digital business world, where bloated data moves at the speed of thought, its not who you know that really counts, but who knows you (Kozinets, 1999; Boyd and Ellison, 2008). Professional online social networking tools are invaluable in creating personal brand equity and raising awareness about who you are, especially beyond your 150 closest friends (BBC News, 2005). Online social networking software enables you to find quality people who may not be familiar with you, or with your organization, and creates an opportunity to connect with them and sell them on your opportunities (Boyd and Ellison, 2008). They may be unfamiliar with your company or business, or may not have even been looking for something. Because you already know someone who knows them, you can feel more comfortable that they are a quality prospect or at least can do some checking around (Boyd and Ellison, 2008). Also, because of that mutual connection, you can more easily overcome cumbersome barriers and begin a relationship with a little more trust and warmth than with a total stranger. Like Six degrees of Kevin Bacon, social networking sheds light on the contacts you never knew you had. For example, you can contact people in your network to: Rekindle old connections Maximize value in your weak connections Build business relationships with clients or hiring managers Find and meet prospective job-seekers Grow a referral network Heighten your corporate and personal brand Make new connections and grow your sphere of influence Open doors to future career opportunities, increased pay, or promotions Increase visibility, which improves influence and effectiveness internally with your organization as well as externally Social networking also helps you find new leads for networking into companies to: Educate yourself and ask questions about other organizations Conduct competitive intelligence on companies, industries, or individuals Make fewer cold calls and better prepare for them Leverage contacts you already have With the help of existing literature, Ridings and Gefen (2004) categorised four reasons to join online communities: ‘information exchange’, ‘social support exchange’, ‘friendship, and ‘recreation’. Firstly, people choose to use online communities to access and exchange information. By using online communities, people can access a huge amount of information generated by other users since online community providers offer effective systems or technologies in order to make their users easily exchange, create, request and search information (Hagel and Armstrong, 1997). The second reason why users participate in online communities is to obtain the social support. Wellman et al (1996) suggested that online communities give emotional support and sociability to their users by giving ‘a sense of belonging’. For instance, Mickelson (1997) gave examples of online communities which focus on recovering social problems such as alcohol and drug addicts in order to explain why the social support can be the motivation of using online communities. Thirdly, people join online communities to manage relationships. To seek friendship or to generate social capital, which can be defined as the resources gathered through the relationships among people (Coleman, 1988), online community users interact with other users with the aim of establishing and continuing relationships. For example, offline social capital can be generated by means of online tools, especially using social networking sites when people want to expand or keep up their offline relationships. Lastly, recreation is another reason why people experience online communities. In conclusion, how word-of-mouth affects consumer behaviour can be described by those three factors; tie strength, homophily, and source credibility. As mentioned above, Brown et al (2007) and other researchers (Silverman, 1997; Money et al, 1998; Bansal and Voyer, 2000) explored the nature of word-of-mouth in online communities. Finally, the summary of the research above is compared by Brown et al (2007) as the following Table 1. Table 1: A Comparison between offline and online social network constructs Offline Online Tie Strength Definition The intensity of a social relation between pairs of individuals The intensity of an interactive and personalised relationship between an individual and a website Homophily Definition The degree to which pairs of individuals are similar in terms of certain attributes The congruence between a user’s psychological attributes and website content Source Credibility Definition Perceived competence of the individual source providing information Perceived competence of the website and its membership Source: Brown et al, 2007, pp. 10 Table 1 Bottom line: It could be seen that different internet users have diverse motives to enter social networking sites. Fulfilment of motives can enhance positive word of mouth and higher degree of interaction of a particular website. As per previous academic literature there have been negligible cases that internet users have entered social networking with out motivations. This forms the foundation of dissertation. 3.0 Research Model 3.1 Research approach The research strategy we intend to adopt is a combination of multi-methods, of deductive, inductive and exploratory. Quantitative data will be collected throughout the life cycle of the project, from secondary sources: journals, databases, past dissertations, newspapers and magazine articles etc. We propose to use the following secondary databases to conduct quantitative data research: Emerald Full text Emerald Reviews Emerald Abstracts Swet Wise Reuters Business Insight Regional Business News Questia Media Primary research will be conducted, using a closed questionnaire designed to predict average behaviour of children in general (Saunders et al. 2003). The inductive approach takes to account interpretivism or social considerations, which enables to establish the intentions of the respondents more clearly. Saunders et al (2003) says that data collected using open-ended questions allows individuals more flexibility in answering, which may confirm a hypothesis or other wise. The limitation or disadvantage of this approach is that it is subjective and can only be applied to a limited sample of participants (Saunders et el. 2003). Exploratory research will be conducted on a pilot group consisting of young internet users (mainly with Orkut profiles) within the age group 15-20 who will participate in a discussion on the following; the influence of motivations for using social networking sites on degree of interaction and word of mouth in United Kingdom. 3.2 Research Design A research design is a program that guides the investigator in the process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting observations. According to Nachmias Nachmias (1987) it is logical model of proof that allows the researcher to draw inferences concerning causal relationships among the variables under investigation. Consequently, the appropriate research design will depend on the problem to be investigated (Churchill, 1991), the purpose of the research, the research questions, and the state of the knowledge existing prior to the research plan (Eisenhardt, 1989). Research methods and data collection, form an elementary part of the research design. Typically, the research methods and the data collection techniques are functions of the purpose of the research design. The purpose of the research may be organized into three groups based on what the researcher is trying to accomplish: explore a new topic, describe social phenomena or explain why something occurs. The three basic types of research designs are: Exploratory (Case Studies), Descriptive and Casual. 3.2.1 Case Study The case study approach is the most widely used in management fraternity. A Case study is the collection and presentation of detailed information about a particular participant or small group, frequently including the accounts of subjects themselves. It’s a form of qualitative descriptive research and it deals intensely at an individual or small participant pool, drawing conclusions only about that participant or group and only in that specific context. This research design is not used to focus on topics such as discovery of a universal, general

An Analysis of Emily Dickinsons Poem, Because I Could Not Stop for Dea

In the poem â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death† by Emily Dickinson refers to death as a gentlemen who unexpectedly visits Dickinson to take her on a journey â€Å"towards eternity† (I. 24). It is very ironic that she considers death as a gentleman, but as we all know it is the total opposite. On the second stanza they both start the slow and peaceful journey. â€Å"We slowly drove, he knew no haste† (I. 5). We can see the tranquility of the scene in which they are. Dickinson here understands the seriousness of the situation in which she is, and she forgets about everything. â€Å"And I put away my labor and my leisure too, For his civility† She describes her struggle in life with the word â€Å"labor†, the word â€Å"leisure† as her freedom (I.6) and deaths kindness as â€Å"civility† (I.8)Stanza number three narrates her story from her childhood as â€Å"children strove† (I.9) followed by â€Å"the fields of Grazing grain† (I.11) and ending with â€Å"the setting sun† (I.12) This stanza talks and explains about how we all go through our life stages. The fourth stanza demonstrates how uncertain she is about her life. O...

Motorcycle Safety Essay

Motorcycles don’t posses many safety features that protect their rider. A car contains seat belts, airbags, four wheels for stability, and more; these are important features that help reduce accident and fatality rates. These issues only add to the main problem which is the drivers themselves, I am talking about both motorcycle rider and automobile driver. These two figures represent the majority of those on the streets, they are either inexperienced drivers or to comfortable with their driving habits and lack the attention needed to avoid situations that can arise quickly. Motorcycle safety is something not only riders need to be taught but other motorists as well; educating the population can not only reduce accidents but save lives. â€Å"Motorcycle rider deaths were nearly 30 times more than drivers of other vehicles† (D. O. T 7). Figures like this present an insight into the continuing problem represented by motorcycles. â€Å"Motorcycle accidents continue to be a growing problem as of 2008 5,290 were killed as a result of motorcycle accidents which is an increase of %2 over 2007† (Motorcycle Safety Foundation 4). Though the issue continues to grow, there is much to be done to put down the problem and save lives. The main issue is from the start, riders need much more rigorous training. Today you only take a computer or written test for a permit, which states you’re not allowed to ride at night or on the interstate but still allows you to ride during the day by yourself. You could get one of these permits with no riding experience what so ever, this is completely unacceptable for our society. Then to obtain your license you do a course test on your bike, where you weave through some cones and make a u turn and that’s it you can ride when ever where ever. â€Å"Adding injury to insult, helmet laws vary by state some don’t require one period some after 18 and so on† (Snyder 1). In Arizona after your 18th birthday coupled with the little safety experience the rider may have if any, one can ride around no helmet no experience. Three-fourths of motorcycle accidents involved collision with another vehicle. The majority of accidents involve both parties colliding in some fashion. In two-thirds of accidents the driver of the other vehicle violated the motorcycle right-of-way and caused the accident. This points out that in the 66% of accidents that occur it’s the automobiles fault for impeding the motorcycles path of travel. This only proves the motorists should be required to achieve the same level of knowledge on motorcycle safety as the riders themselves should be. These types of situations could have been avoided had there been mandated requirements for some type of instruction and coaching on the subject of safety when it comes to handling the presence of a motorcycle. I’m trying to show that the main cause of accidents are such minor mistakes that a simple class that addresses these issue might help prevent at least one accident from occurring. The issue is not a complicated one, people don’t pay attention and accidents happen. The worst of all the situations is when both parties are attempting to pass through an intersection. Intersections are the most likely place for the motorcycle accident, with the other vehicle violating the motorcycle right of way, and often violating traffic controls. It most often happens when the automobile is making a left turn at the intersection and as the motorcycle is coming through the auto fails yield to the oncoming rider forcing the motorcycle to T bone the car. This is the top reported design of most accident scenes nationwide, and this is something so simple to avoid for if these drivers had been involved actively in a motorcycle safety course they would know about this fact and how important it is to apply a little more attention when dealing with intersections. This is not only important to the driver of a car but the rider of the bike would also know this fact and adhere to it so when approaching every intersection the rider would exercise extreme caution to avoid injury. During these courses teachers can take the opportunity to stress the importance of safety equipment and clothing, this includes everything from head to toe. All safety equipment is important but it’s widely agreed the most important is the helmet. Unhelmeted motorists are 29 percent less likely to survive a crash and 40 percent more likely to die from a head. It’s suggested that a rider purchase a full-face helmet, one that completely covers the rider’s entire face and head There is activity among city officials to try and spread the word about safety; the city’s Transportation Department will work with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to blanket automobile and motorcycle drivers with safety pamphlets. It’s this kind of action that is needed to start a bigger campaign on the growing issue, though it is a start tougher legislation is needed to help mandate courses for all motorists in an effort to reduce the increase in accidents as well as fatality rates among riders. It is belief that through educating the driving population we can make serious cuts in the accident and fatality rates. The drivers of cars and trucks are the main target for they hold the majority share of causing accidents with motorcycles, the safety of both parties needs to addressed for they both need education on how to keep the road ways safe because if one life is saved it’s a victory. For my sources I used lot of research and data from the Motorcycle safety foundation and the D. O. T along with other various groups that are involved in motorcycle safety and I also got some of my material from 3 different Arizona Republic articles that addressed motorcycles and safety.

Analysis of “Fight” by Laurel Blossom Essay

Complete opposite attract, just like a magnet. However at times, it may not always work out for the best. In â€Å"Fight† by poet Laurel Blossom, the contrast between the narrator and her lover seems to have affected her decision to either strive through their relationship in order to make it work or opt out. The narrator immediately tells readers â€Å"That is the difference between me and [him]†, helping readers understand from the start that they these lovers have their differences, as do most people in relationships do. However the narrator goes on to list their differences throughout the entire poem. She talks of how he â€Å"pack[s] an umbrella, #30 goo/And a red flannel shirt.† and later discusses their differences in hobbies, weather, natural state of temperature, and material preference when it comes to clothing. However the narrator bluntly states â€Å" That’s not what I do.† as if she’s trying to reinforce the idea and emphasize it so that readers can understand that they are complete opposite of one another. In the third stanza she uses repetition to add stress on â€Å"Florida† which could possibly mean that she’s trying to give readers the feel of her environment and setting of the poem. It’s a reasonable possibility considering the fact that in the next stanza, readers get a list of activities usually done in sunny and pleasant weather which Florida is known for. Once again the compare and contrast pattern is seen again as she critically states â€Å"[He] dig[s] in the garden. I swim in the pool/I like to wear cotton. [He] like[s] to wear wool.† in order to sincerely persuade her lover, since she addresses him directly within it, that they are too different for one another. In the last stanza the narrator finally comes to a conclusion after her rant of contrasting her and her lovers lifestyles. Apparently â€Å"[He] wants[s] to get married. [She] wants to be free†, which shocks readers, especially when the narrator blatantly tells her lover, who originally was the one she was talking to, that even though he doesn’t seem to mind â€Å"that is the difference between you and me†. The way that the narrator formed her poem, makes this line the strongest one and gives readers this feeling that she wants to end  whatever is going on between them. Her constant repetition within the poem that they are completely different and the constant contrasting between lifestyles, adds emphasis to her decision to end what they had since she wants to be â€Å"free†.

Definition and Examples of Dysphemisms in English

Definition and Examples of Dysphemisms in English Dysphemism is the substitution of a more offensive or disparaging word or phrase for one considered less offensive, such as the use of the slang term shrink for psychiatrist. Dysphemism is the opposite of euphemism. Adjective: dysphemistic. Though often meant to shock or offend, dysphemisms may also serve as in-group markers to signal closeness. Linguist  Geoffrey Hughes points out that [a]lthough  this linguistic mode has been  established for centuries and the term dysphemism was first recorded in 1884, it has only recently acquired even a specialist currency,  being  unlisted in many general dictionaries and reference books (An Encyclopedia of Swearing, 2006). See Examples and Observations  below. Also, see: CacophemismConnotations and DenotationsCursingHow to Flatter an Audience With Euphemisms, Dysphemisms, and DistinctioPejorative LanguagePropagandaSwear Word EtymologyFrom the Greek, a non word Examples and Observations When applied to people, animal names are usually dysphemisms: coot, old bat, pig, chicken, snake, skunk, and bitch, for example.Euphemisms and Dysphemisms for DeathThere is virtually no aspect of human experience free from dysphemism. . . .Death generates such typical  euphemisms as to pass away, to pass on, to depart this life, go to ones Maker, and so on. Parallel dysphemisms would be to snuff it, to croak, and to push up daisies, since these allude graphically and cruelly to the physical aspect of death, down to breathing ones last, the death rattle, and being reincorporated into the cycle of nature.(Geoffrey Hughes,  An Encyclopedia of Swearing. Routledge, 2006)Dysphemisms and Stylistic DiscordSpeakers resort to dysphemism to talk about people and things that frustrate and annoy them, that they disapprove of and wish to disparage, humiliate and degrade. Curses, name-calling and any sort of derogatory comment directed towards others in order to insult or to wound them are all examples of dysphemism. Exclamatory swear words that release frustration or anger are dysphemisms. Like euphemism, dysphemism interacts with style and has the potential to produce stylistic discord; if someone at a formal dinner party were to publicly announce Im off for a piss, rather than saying Excuse me for a moment, the effect would be dysphemistic.(Keith Allan and Kate Burridge, Forbidden Words: Taboo and the Censoring of Language. Cambridge University Press, 2006) Gratuity and TipI used to think gratuity was a euphemism for tip until I discovered that I had got it the wrong way round, and that tip was a dysphemism for gratuity. . . . Gratuity is much older than tip, and originally meant a gift made to anyone, including an equal.(Nicholas Bagnall, Words. The Independent, December  3, 1995)Dysphemisms and SlangWhen we think of euphemisms, we think of words that are substituted because their connotations are less distressing than the words they replace. In slang you frequently have the opposite phenomenon, dysphemism, where a relatively neutral word is replaced with a harsher, more offensive one. Such as calling a cemetery a boneyard. Referring to electrocution as taking the hot seat would be another. . . . Even more dysphemistic would be to fry.(Interview with J. E. Lighter, American Heritage, October  2003)Dysphemisms in ContextA jocular approach to death is only dysphemistic if the Hearer can be expected to regard it as offensive. For inst ance, if a doctor were to inform close family that their loved one has pegged out during the night, it would normally be inappropriate, insensitive, and unprofessional (i.e., dysphemistic). Yet given another context with quite a different set of interlocutors, the same expression could just as well be described as cheerfully euphemistic.(Keith Allan and Kate Burridge, Euphemism and Dysphemism. Oxford University Press, 1991) Pronunciation: DIS-fuh-miz-im Also Known As: cacophemism

Free Essays on 1950s

Politics:During the fifties and what was the post WWII period in America, the face of the nation changed greatly under the presidency of Truman and Eisenhower. When WWII ended, Americans were left in the hands of Harry Truman. Truman, known as an aggressive Cold War fighter, led Americans against the rise of Communism. During Truman’s time in office the United States would join South Korea in the war against North Korea. Truman would also order the Atomic Energy Committee to develop the hydrogen bomb. You could say Truman went out with a bang as he fired General Douglas MacArthur and sent more U.S. troops to a war that would end with nothing accomplished but dead bodies. General Dwight D. Eisenhower would later step in as president in 1953. As the United States President, Eisenhower or Ike, as the world liked to call him, brought a rush of optimism and better days. Ike did the best job possible to heal the political wounds created during the Truman era. Culture:It was a wonderful time to be alive. After the grim years of the depression the fifties brought a wave of happiness and good times. Girls could be found playing hopscotch, jacks, jumping rope or trying their skill at the hula hoop. Boys played cowboys and Indians. The poodle skirt and pony tail were the usual attire for the girls. The guys on the other hand showed their attitudes with blue jeans worn like James Dean. As far as music wentElvis Presley rocked the fifties with his music hits and good looks. Marilyn Monroe was a premier sex symbol of the decade. The new excitement of this decade brought expansion and created new jobs as Americans began spending money on luxuries and other things besides their basic needs.... Free Essays on 1950s Free Essays on 1950s Politics: During the fifties and what was the post WWII period in America, the face of the nation changed greatly under the presidency of Truman and Eisenhower. When WWII ended, Americans were left in the hands of Harry Truman. Truman, known as an aggressive Cold War fighter, led Americans against the rise of Communism. During Truman’s time in office the United States would join South Korea in the war against North Korea. Truman would also order the Atomic Energy Committee to develop the hydrogen bomb. You could say Truman went out with a bang as he fired General Douglas MacArthur and sent more U.S. troops to a war that would end with nothing accomplished but dead bodies. General Dwight D. Eisenhower would later step in as president in 1953. As the United States President, Eisenhower or Ike, as the world liked to call him, brought a rush of optimism and better days. Ike did the best job possible to heal the political wounds created during the Truman era. Culture: It was a wonderful time to be alive. After the grim years of the depression the fifties brought a wave of happiness and good times. Girls could be found playing hopscotch, jacks, jumping rope or trying their skill at the hula hoop. Boys played cowboys and Indians. The poodle skirt and pony tail were the usual attire for the girls. The guys on the other hand showed their attitudes with blue jeans worn like James Dean. As far as music wentElvis Presley rocked the fifties with his music hits and good looks. Marilyn Monroe was a premier sex symbol of the decade. The new excitement of this decade brought expansion and created new jobs as Americans began spending money on luxuries and other things besides their basic needs....

Career Plan After Graduation From Northumbria University Essay

Career Plan After Graduation From Northumbria University - Essay Example I am currently a second year student at Northumbria University and am studying for a degree in Business with Human Resource Management. I am aiming at setting up my own business with the help of my family in the next ten years after graduating from this particular university. I made a decision with my family that I must first study for a tertiary qualification abroad so that I can gain knowledge as well as experience in running and operating a small business given that each family member going to be part of the business venture has decided to study about a particular subject connected to it. Some of the family members are studying about accounting and finance but I have decided to pursue my studies in human resources management so that I can become a Human Resources Manager in the future when we open our family business venture in Saudi Arabia. After completing my BA degree in Human Resources Management, I am planning to study for my Masters degree in the same career which will be approximately one year and after that I intend to go back to my home country where I can work as an HR manager in a government controlled organisation called the Saudi British Bank in order to gain more experience through converting theoretical knowledge I will gain from my studies into practice. This will help me to build our own family business since I will have a wealth of knowledge in this particular field which I have long dreamed of. It is my strong conviction that the experience and knowledge I will gain within the next ten years will be very important in establishing a strong business venture which can also be a source of employment to other people given that the problem of unemployment is also noticeable in my own country. Essentials of career development According to the World Book Encyclopedia (2008), a career is

The Theory of Static Trade-off Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Theory of Static Trade-off - Case Study Example This theory of static trade-off presumes that subsequent to expense, debt benefits may be received. Benefits of utilizing debt includes that a challenge of free cashflow gets minimized and as well payments of interest may be deducted from taxation. As a result, a taxation gain from debts may be received. Furthermore, the bigger the rate of taxation, the greater will be the motivation to borrow. Such theory of static trade-off has for a long period subjugated the thinking concerning the capital structure; conversely it contains a few drawbacks. Maybe the major disadvantage involves that numerous huge, financially complex as well as highly productive companies make small utilization of debts within their funding. That’s contrary to the theory of static-trade-off that presumes that those companies employ comparatively mainly debt. The idea underlying the theory of static trade-off involves that those companies experience small threat of becoming insolvent and hue high tax benefit s exist from the taxation shield that is expected.The likely existence of this theory of static trade-off within the decisions of capital structure in Diageo firms will further be explained by employing frequently employed company specific factors. The logic underlying a negative association connecting the debt-free taxation shield as well as the ratio of debt and capital involves taxation reductions on such as depreciation as well as taxation credits get presumed as alternatives in favor of tax gains expected from debt funding.

Bar Code Man Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Bar Code Man - Assignment Example The Woodland and Silver barcode can be described as the â€Å"bull’s eye† symbol made up of a series of concentric circles. Barcode was first used commercially in 1966, however it was soon realized that would have to be some sort of industry standard set. By 1970, the Universal Grocery Products Identification Code (UGPIC) was written by a company called Logicon Inc. Since then the use of barcode has been adopted by many companies and institutions. Barcode man is an exploration of how software can reveal different patterns and variations contained within single textiles. Similarly shaped black and white woven motifs are printed in similar colors to turn them into red, yellow and blue textiles (Seideman 2011) Some of the influence of barcode man in the society today incudes revolutionizing the process of inventory control. And to date they are everywhere around us keeping track of product information and inventory levels. In addition, barcode has brought more transparency and accountability to the society hence limiting fraud especially in prisons and banks. Due to barcodes, hospitals are associated with significant increase in total medication accuracy rates hence ensuring safety. In my opinion, it is the ultimate experience of transformation that has excited us most as a human race. In the last decade, we have only witnessed a small part of what is possible. Specifically the barcode technology was the preserve of the few companies and organizations who could afford it. As the technological possibility of barcode envelopes in the society, it will instill in us a sense of belief, and faith that has traditionally been associated with religion such as the number 666 in the bible. Therefore I believe ‘barcode man’ has created a sense of security and promoted coherence to the society in

Park plaza county hall london Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Park plaza county hall london - Essay Example This has resulted to a rise in the level of customer satisfaction. Different scholars of the world have described the state of the UK hospitality market as ‘fast-changing’. This means that the particular hotels in this industry have to race to keep up with the pace. The fast changing nature of this industry has further been attributed to the technological advancements of the world. The different hotels have to therefore direct more of their resources and time to the emerging technology-based techniques and communication platforms such as social media to remain appealing to the evolving demographics of the world. Newer market segments continues to emerge in the hospitality industry in UK what has perpetrated the changes experienced in the market where most customers today are going for fast, better and more personalized services. London continues to be viewed as the ‘growth engine’ of the hotel sector in UK following the high number of hotel businesses located in the city. Hotel business in London is appealing following the fact that London it is a major tourist destination. Throughout the year, London experiences influx of visitors from all parts of the world. This has resulted in a boom in the hotel business in the city. The main objective of this market report is to evaluate the market operations of Park Plaza County Hall London hotel through use of specific market analysis tools; PESTEL analysis and market mix-7Ps and how the market operations impact the hotel business of Park Plaza County Hall London hotel. This market report was commissioned to specifically examine the role and contributions of marketing to the success of a business by looking into the operations of Park Plaza County Hall London hotel in the UK hospitality industry. It further offers specific recommendations that can adequately be integrated by the business to enhance its performance within this industry. According to Baines and Page (2010, p.

Lifestyle habit of obesity and the affects it has on the body's Research Paper

Lifestyle habit of obesity and the affects it has on the body's systems and functions - Research Paper Example According to World Health Organization databases, the population of people with obesity had doubled since 1980. This alarming rate calls for immediate action. Moreover, in 2008, around 200 million men and 350 women had obesity signs. Two thirds of the world population lives in countries where the condition kills due to the maladies that accompany obesity resulting to chronic illnesses. However, despite all these facts, obesity is a preventable upon creating awareness on the preventable methods (WHO, 2012). There are numerous causes of obesity. The core cause is the imbalance between the calories consumption and calories breakdown. The affected population exhibits an increase in the intake of high-energy foods rich in fats. A decrease in physical activity resulting to sedentary lifestyle is a factor of consideration. These factors arise due to sudden changes in developmental patterns and poor policies in the health and other governmental departments(P. T. James, Leach, Kalamara, & Shayeghi, 2001). A team consists of all cadre of professionals in the hospital, who ranges from nurses, dietician, pharmacists, physicians and psychologists is necessary to address this trend. The team works in unity in coming up with an effective community diagnosis about obesity. The selected team works hand in hand to establish the number of cases diagnosed to be obesity through physical examination and critical evaluation. The team evaluates the epidemiologic data after a quick survey. A final program development is finally mandatory to take control of these rising incidences Obesity has many implications to the body systems. It is the core cause of non-communicable disease related to cardiovascular system such as diabetes, atherosclerosis and stroke. In addition to that, it predisposes one to musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis, a painful and degenerative

Organizational Development in HRD Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Organizational Development in HRD - Assignment Example   However, the growth and expansion of the company to attract larger customers did not come without several challenges. First, the signing of A&P as a customer introduced increased operational costs, quality control problems customer management related issues and shrinking profit margins (McKenney, 1998). Secondly, the company was faced with the challenge of remaining competitive in the grocery wholesale market, while still serving the large customers, since it also needed to satisfy the small customers. Such challenges resulted in the hiring of new employees as well as coordination challenges for the company, which it is dealing with now. The current situation of C&S company is complex, since the holiday is almost approaching and there are bound to be many and large orders from the customers which are to be fulfilled, raising the question as to whether the company’s operations were sufficient to meet the rising demand that was certain to occur during the holiday season (McKenney, 1998). Nevertheless, from the time the concept of self-managed teams was introduced, the company has tried to address the biggest concerns of costs and quality, since the experimentation of the performance of employees as a team has proved to be capable of lowering costs, while also increasing accuracy in shipments and the quality of the shipments. The current situation of the company also has the volume of work at an all-time high (McKenney, 1998). The signing of a large customer, A&P, and the continued rising demands from the previous small customers, has increased the volume of work for the company greatly.

Park plaza county hall london Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Park plaza county hall london - Essay Example This has resulted to a rise in the level of customer satisfaction. Different scholars of the world have described the state of the UK hospitality market as ‘fast-changing’. This means that the particular hotels in this industry have to race to keep up with the pace. The fast changing nature of this industry has further been attributed to the technological advancements of the world. The different hotels have to therefore direct more of their resources and time to the emerging technology-based techniques and communication platforms such as social media to remain appealing to the evolving demographics of the world. Newer market segments continues to emerge in the hospitality industry in UK what has perpetrated the changes experienced in the market where most customers today are going for fast, better and more personalized services. London continues to be viewed as the ‘growth engine’ of the hotel sector in UK following the high number of hotel businesses located in the city. Hotel business in London is appealing following the fact that London it is a major tourist destination. Throughout the year, London experiences influx of visitors from all parts of the world. This has resulted in a boom in the hotel business in the city. The main objective of this market report is to evaluate the market operations of Park Plaza County Hall London hotel through use of specific market analysis tools; PESTEL analysis and market mix-7Ps and how the market operations impact the hotel business of Park Plaza County Hall London hotel. This market report was commissioned to specifically examine the role and contributions of marketing to the success of a business by looking into the operations of Park Plaza County Hall London hotel in the UK hospitality industry. It further offers specific recommendations that can adequately be integrated by the business to enhance its performance within this industry. According to Baines and Page (2010, p.

Organizational Development in HRD Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Organizational Development in HRD - Assignment Example   However, the growth and expansion of the company to attract larger customers did not come without several challenges. First, the signing of A&P as a customer introduced increased operational costs, quality control problems customer management related issues and shrinking profit margins (McKenney, 1998). Secondly, the company was faced with the challenge of remaining competitive in the grocery wholesale market, while still serving the large customers, since it also needed to satisfy the small customers. Such challenges resulted in the hiring of new employees as well as coordination challenges for the company, which it is dealing with now. The current situation of C&S company is complex, since the holiday is almost approaching and there are bound to be many and large orders from the customers which are to be fulfilled, raising the question as to whether the company’s operations were sufficient to meet the rising demand that was certain to occur during the holiday season (McKenney, 1998). Nevertheless, from the time the concept of self-managed teams was introduced, the company has tried to address the biggest concerns of costs and quality, since the experimentation of the performance of employees as a team has proved to be capable of lowering costs, while also increasing accuracy in shipments and the quality of the shipments. The current situation of the company also has the volume of work at an all-time high (McKenney, 1998). The signing of a large customer, A&P, and the continued rising demands from the previous small customers, has increased the volume of work for the company greatly.

International Marketing Essay Example for Free

International Marketing Essay These are the factors which the business counterparts should look into seriously. Other thing that important for Secret Recipe before enter the new market in UAE, they also should concern about the Microenvironment. In this paper, we found some strength and opportunity of Secret Recipe such as good brand name as the strength and certification of â€Å"Halal† which Secret Recipe has can be the opportunity for them to enter the market, because UAE is a Muslim country so certification of â€Å"Halal† is very important if they want to enter UAE market. As a leading and largest cafe chain in Malaysia, with Halal certification awarded by Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM), Secret Recipe is committed to continue to adhere to the standards of preparation of all food and processing plant in the restaurant in accordance to the regulatory guidelines including HACCP and VHM guidelines. In a short period of thirteen years, Secret Recipe has experienced a rapid growth of over 250 cafes throughout the region. Now, Secret Recipe continuously strives to surpass its own accomplishments and to be recognized as a leader in the industry. . 1 BACKGROUND amp; SITUATION ANALYSIS Secret Recipe is a cafe chain which made up from different stakeholders. The stakeholders are Secret Recipe’s shareholders, customers, government, employees, activist, media and supplier. Secret Recipe has quite a lot of franchises in Asia market but only has one franchise in Middle East market which is Pakistan. In order to penetrate in-depth into Middle East mark et, Secret Recipe decided to open a new franchise in new Middle East country which will be in United Arab Emirates (UAE). In recent years, UAE has become one of the developed countries. It can be proved by its natural resources such as oil and gas. Other than that, service, tourism, trade have become their mainstay as well. However, to observe more about what factors has been influencing in their development, PEST analysis has been given. 2. 0 PEST ANALYSIS 2. 1 Political Factor By starting a new business in UAE, company should take extra precaution on the political issue of the country. The company needs to comply with trade rules which have been implemented by government. One of the rules is the company has to know exactly what kind of products or services that will be marketed. Besides that, there is an excess of politics that existed in the UAE; where government highly focused on their economy and political stability which also excites a lot of FDI in the country these can be seen from the pace of development that paralleled with the number of foreign workers in the country. 2. 2 Economic Factor UAE is a high income country where it economy is the world 33 largest according to the World Bank. Figure 1 Based on the figure 1, the GDP in UAE growth rapidly from year 1999 to 2008 but decline in year 2009 because of the world financial crisis but it recover rapidly from -2. 7% to 3. 2%. Figure 2 Based on the figure 2, the PPP of UAE also growth rapidly from year 1999 to 2010. As the GDP and PPP of UAE continually growth which may benefit to Secret Recipe because it show that the consumer tend to spend more. 2. 3 Social Factor The population of the UAE is about four million while the population growth rate is 3. 282%. While the primary language usage in the country is English, but there are some other languages which also can be used. In term of religion, the majority population in the UAE are Muslim, however in the recent time Christianity has grown in popularity paralleled with the number of foreigner in the country. It will be opportunity for Secret Recipe, because both of the home and host country have some similarities. So it will be easier for Secret Recipe to enter the market. 2. 4 Technology Factor In term of technology, UAE is technically advanced and it is vastly become one of the leaders in technological field. It can be seen from the internet users in UAE, there are a total of 78% (CIA, 2009) of population active in the internet network. Additionally, UAE owned many of state-of-the-art infrastructures and buildings like Burj al Arab which is known as the most luxurious hotel. 3. 0 MICRO ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS 3. 1 Strength and Opportunity Secret Recipe was established in 1997. These 14 years of experience provide a good benchmark in standard and a strong brand advantages. Secret recipe has a 14 years’ worth of good history and experience in its culinary adventure. They gain a lot of recognition through awards and achievement not only in Malaysia but overseas as well. These strengthen brand power significantly. Furthermore, the restaurant was certified â€Å"Halal† since it is first commence. So with such certification they have the upper hand of experience which mean they did not have to put much effort in adapting and expanding in countries like Indonesia or Pakistan, which practically means less money spend in adaptation and implementation in the Muslim environment like UAE. 3. 2 Weakness and Threat Although Secret Recipe got a lot overseas management experience, but it was the first time their enter UAE market where was quite different that others country because of the factor such as culture differences. Thus, it will be a challenge for Secret Recipe because they do not understand about the daily life culture. The competitors can be the most important threat for Secret Recipe, because the competitors firstly enter the market before Secret Recipe. It was definitely a threat for Secret Recipe because the competitors have more knowledge about the market in the UAE and they are more aware about the existing culture in the UAE. 4. 0 SELECTING TARGET MARKET (s) 4. 1 Market Segmentation The market segmentation will be based on demographic segmentation such as age and income where play a crucial role for a company. Although foods and beverages of Secret Recipe can be enjoy by every customer, different age and income customer would have different purchasing power and buying behavior. 4. 2 Target Market Table below shows variety of target markets. As a cafe and restaurant, the target market for Secret Recipe will be young marriage couple where able to consume with their own power and willing to try new product. Target Market| Typical Breakdown| Preferred Lifestyle| Teenager| * Age between 12-19 * Schooling students with no income| * Willing to spend * Willing to taste new product| Young Marriage Couple| * Age between 20-34 * Classified from medium to higher classes consumers| * More spending power * Stable disposable medium and above income * Willing to taste new product| Marriage Adults| * Age between 35-49 * Busy with work| * | | * | * Brand conscious and a bit brand loyalty| 4. 3 Market Positioning Secret Recipe has successfully built its branding and strengthened the consumer’s awareness through the promotion – â€Å"Every Bite Gives You More†. The below figures show the brand position of our main competitor – Gulnaz , Reem Al Bawadi and Bice. High perceived Quality and status Gulnaz Gulnaz Bice Bice Secret Recipe Secret Recipe Extensive personalized serviceExtensive service Reem Al Bawadi Reem Al Bawadi High priceLow price Low perceived Quality and status Basically, Secret Recipe promotes its product based on the consumers’ perceived quality product and services with an affordable price. 5. 0 MODE OF ENTRY We suggest using franchising to open Secret Recipe in UAE. Franchising itself is a continuing relationship in which a franchisor provides a licensed privilege to the franchisee to do (Adam amp; Armstrong 2008). The reason why we choose franchising is because by using franchising the owner (franchisor) of secret recipe will offers assistance in organizing, training for workers, merchandising, marketing and managing in return for a monetary consideration. It is an advantage that we would get when using franchising as a mode of entry. The benefits will we get it obviously will greatly assist us in running our business franchise in the UAE. For example the franchisee does not need to do training for workers, but the franchisor who will do it all for franchisee. It is because every franchisor already has a certain standard that is owned by them. But by using franchising as a mode of entry, it requires that as franchisee have to pay royalties to the franchisor with the initial agreement was made by them. 6. 0 MARKETING STRATEGIES (4Ps) Price: For pricing, we suggest Price-Adjustment Strategies to account for differences in consumer segments and situation. In Price-Adjustment Strategy there are 3 ways to do such as segmented pricing, psychological pricing, discount pricing. For these points we would prefer to use discount pricing. Because of this is the first Secret Recipe in the UAE, so by giving discount it will attract interest from the consumer. Promotion: Because of the Secret Recipe will open in UAE is the first Secret Recipe in this country, so we suggest to using pull strategy into the promotion strategy. In pull strategy they can use mass media advertising to attract interest from consumers. Because of this is the first Secret Recipe in UAE they just inform consumers about the new product to build primary demand. Place: We suggest franchising as the mode of entry to make Secret Recipe in UAE; it is because in UAE there is no Secret Recipe. But to open Secret Recipe in UAE, there are some things that certainly need to be noticed first before starting this business. The most important thing to note is that UAE is a country that has a majority Muslim population, so they must ensure the services that offer is lawful. Product: Secret Recipe is a service that fits in UAE; this is because Secret Recipe is a restaurant that does not use pork on the menu offered, so it can be consumed by Muslim people. Because of this is the first Secret Recipe in UAE, so this will provide something new for people in the UAE to enjoy it. 7. 0 CONCLUSION Secret Recipe is suitable for UAE citizen where most of the citizens are Muslim and Secret Recipe’s foods are â€Å"Halal†. From the PEST, SWOT and 4Ps factors that we analysed, by using franchising as the mode of entry, we believe that Secret Recipe have huge potential to be success in UAE. 8. 0 REFERENCES Agri-Food Trade Service 2010, The United Arab Emirates Consumer Behaviour, Attitudes and Perceptions Toward Food and Products, Agri-Food Trade Service, viewed on 12 November 2011, http://www. ats. agr. gc. ca/afr/5661-eng. htm#e BBC 2011, United Arab Emirates Profile, BBC, viewed on 12 October 2011, http://www. bbc. co. k/news/world-middle-east-14703998 Central Intelligence Agency 2009, Country Comparison and  Internet users, The World Factbook, viewed 17th November 2011, https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2153rank. html Foreign amp; Commonwealth Office 2011, Middle East and North Africa, Foreign amp; Commonwealth Office, viewed on 12 October 2011, http://www. fco. gov. uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/middle-east-north-africa/united-arab-emirates Franchise Direct 2011, Coffee Franchise Industry Research Business Report I, viewed 17th November 2011, http://www. ranchisedirect. com/coffeefranchises/coffeefranchiseindustryresearchbusinessreporti/74/220 Go Eat Out 2007-2011, Secret Recipe, Go Eat Out, viewed on 12 October 2011, http://www. goeatout. com. my/Restaurants/Promotions/Details/View/PID/32994/Secret-Recipe-Every-Bite-Gives-You-More. aspx Info franchise 2006, franchise in United Arab Emirates, viewed 17th November 2011, http://www. infofranchise. com/detail. cfm? IdNotizia=8136amp;IdSezione=18amp;strKey=com Qindexmundi, United Emirates Arab Population Growth Rate, Qindexmundi, viewed on 12 November 2011, http://www. indexmundi. om/united_arab_emirates/population_growth_rate. html Research and markets 2011, analyzing retail in the UAE, viewed 17th November 2011, http://www. researchandmarkets. com/reports/541162/analyzing_food_retail_in_the_uae Secret Recipe 2011, Secret Recipe Franchise, Secret Recipe, viewed on 12 October 2011, http://secretrecipe. com. my/? store=36amp;webpage=243 Slideshare 2011, UAE presentation, viewed 17th November 2011, http://www. slideshare. net/suranivikas/uae-presentation Themanagmentguru 2011, PEST Analysis of MICE industry in Middle East, viewed 17th November 2011, http://themanagmentguru. logspot. com/2011/01/pest-analysis-of-mice-industry-in. html Time Out Dubai 2011, Restaurant, Time out Dubai, viewed on 12 October 2011, http://www. timeoutdubai. com/restaurants/reviews/8114-reem-al-bawadi Uaeinteract 2011, Political System, viewed 17th November 2011, http://www. uaeinteract. com/government/political_system. asp UK Essays 2011, UAE Economy, viewed 17th November 2011, www. ukessays. com/essays/economics/uae-economy. php Wikistreetfood 2009, Franchise: Secret Recipe, viewed 17th November 2011, http://www. wi kistreetfood. com/Franchise:Secret_Recipe . 0 APPENDICES Social Factor Actual Expenditure (US$) and Projected Growth (%) in the U. A. E by Product Type Source: Euromonitor, 2010 Figure 3 From the figure 3, we know that the spending behaviour of UAE nations based on product type. It shows that the UAE nations would like to spend a large amount of money in food and non-alcoholic beverages and it increase from year to year. So it will be the advantages for Secret Recipe to enter the market. Marketing Strategies People: People are one of the elements of service marketing mix. People define a service. In case of service marketing, people can make or break an organization. Thus many companies nowadays are involved into specially getting their staff trained in interpersonal skills and customer service with a focus towards customer satisfaction. Because we use Franchising as a mode of entry, so we do not have to think too much about it. Because by using Franchising, so the Franchisor that will do the recruitment of their workforce and provide job training in accordance with the standards held by the owner of the brand name of Secret Recipe (Franchisor). Process: Service process is the way in which a service is delivered to the end customer. A good service will make consumers feel good about what we offer to them. For process, it would be better if we can set up what the consumer want, so it will give an efficiency of time to the community in the UAE. Because UAE is a country that does not have long to rest, people in UAE really appreciate the time, so they will not waste time waiting for things. By providing a fast process, it will attract attention and interest of the community in the UAE. Physical Evidence: Physical Evidence is a very important element in Service Marketing Mix. This cannot deny, because everyone would want something that looks real is better than others. Secret Recipe is a restaurant, so we should have chairs, tables, and good food. But if only by having those things, its too general because this is a basic thing that a restaurant should have. To provide something more than our

International Training And Development

International Training And Development It is widely documented that training and development are clearly linked with performance (Nikandrou, Apospori, Panayotopoulou, Stavrou Papalexandris, 2008). Training development of employees enables a multinational, (or any organisation for that matter) to build up its human resources (human capital) (Dowling, Festing Engle, 2008), which can include things such as knowledge, skills, and intellectual property etc. It is also suggested that CEOs with international experience perform better (Ng, Van Dyne Ang, 2009). As this presentation is based on international training and development, we will be relating the presentation to the training and development not only required by, but also that provided by expatriate employees in an organisation. I will begin this presentation by firstly refreshing your memory about the definitions of some of the key terms in this subject, which you should all be somewhat familiar with anyway. Define Expatriate Firstly I will define expatriate for you. An expatriate is an employee of an organisation, who is working and living in another country (Davidson Griffin, 2006). The term expatriate can include 3 types of employees (Dowling et al, 2008): Parent country nationals: those employees who are recruited from the country in which the organisations headquarters are based, yet are sent to another country by the organisation. Host country nationals: those employees who are recruited from the host country into which the organisation has expanded. Third country nationals: those employees whos nationality originates neither in the parent country in which the headquarters are based, nor the host country in which the organisation has expanded into. I will now move onto the definitions of training and development. Define Training Training aims to improve an employees current work skills behaviour (Dowling et al, 2008; Davidson Griffin, 2006). This enables them to grow in their current position in order to perform better in the role that they were hired for. Define Development Whereas development aims to increase an employees abilities in relation to some future position or job (Dowling, et al 2008; Davidson Griffin, 2006). Skills or knowledge may be identified as being necessary in a role that the company anticipates an employee to move into at a later date. Now that I have given you the definitions that will be used throughout this presentation, I just wanted to do a quick exercise to ensure that everyone understands the definitions that I have given. An Australian (Bob) is currently working in America for an Australian company. His manager has decided that his skills in the current position need to be improved. What type of expatriate is Bob, and is it training or development that is required? Answer: Bob is a parent-country national that requires training for his current role. An American (Jane) works in Africa for a French company. Her organisation wants to send her to Australia in the future and they require her to become accustomed with the Australian culture and way of life. Her professional duties will remain the same. What type of expatriate will Jane be once in Australia, and does she require training or development? Answer: Jane will be a third country national, and she will require development to be able to successfully continue her current role in a new country. Now that you all know the difference between training and development, and the different types of expats, I will move on to the role of expat training. The role of Expat Training As you can imagine, the successful training of an expat is crucial for the success of any international assignment, and even successful training programs cannot guarantee that newly learned knowledge and skills will be transferred to the workplace (Cheng Hampson). Effective expat training therefore plays a significant role in ensuring that the organisations international goals are accomplished (Dowling et al, 2008). Expat training may sometimes also include training of the expats family that will be making the international move along with the employee themselves. This can include not only the spouse or partner, but children as well. The aim is to ensure that everyone settles into the new country and environment smoothly, which will in turn give the expatriate employee the best chance at a successful international assignment (Dowling et al, 2008). Some of the key goals of providing expatriates and their families with training before they depart for the international assignment are: To prepare support imminent expatriate employees in international assignments Training can provide support to enable the expat to adjust to the new country and everything that comes along with it, increasing the likelihood of successful performance within the new country. Expats can be the trainees and also the trainers in international assignments. Therefore the more training that they themselves receive, the more likely that the expat is then able to successfully transfer this training on to any international colleagues that require it. For example, if an expats assignment is to introduce a new technology to an overseas branch, the better the training that the expat has received on the technology, the better the training that the expat will be able to provide. Pre-departure training can involve many aspects, which will depend upon the likelihood of difficulties arising in the host country. Issues and training techniques that may be covered can include: cultural awareness, preliminary visits, language instruction, and day-to-day issues. Many of these topics will be covered in greater depth by later speakers. Some multinational companies have even developed their own training schools eg: Motorola, McDonalds, Disney. This enables the training that the employees receive to be tailored to the direct requirements of their position and the organisation as a whole. It also ensures that all employees are getting the same training, which can increase standardisation across borders, improving the reputation of the business. In multinational organisations such as McDonalds this is a huge benefit as the employees are trained in the aspects of McDonalds that remain the same in every country, such as general service techniques, organisational values etc. Cultural Awareness Programs When an expatriate enters another country for the first, or even the 10th time, they can become extremely overwhelmed by the cultural differences between the host country and what they are used to at home (Dowling et al., 2008; Ng et al, 2009). There is also evidence showing that educating an expatriate about the cultural differences that they should expect to encounter in the host country will increase their job performance in the expat role, and decrease the chances of the posting failing (Cullen Parboteeah, 2008). This is equally true for the success or failure of the expats family adapting to the other culture. Being an effective leader in the expat role is another important reason why cultural education and training is imperative to the success of an expat posting (Ng et al., 2008). It is actually suggested that the development of global leader skills is one of the top 5 areas of expertise that affects the success of a multinational organisation (Ng et al., 2008). An effective leader in one country may be an ineffective leader in another country with a totally different culture (Cullen Parboteeah, 2008). For example, a female senior manager in a country with a highly masculine culture, such as Japan, would not be well accepted or respected. Whereas a female manager in Australia is much more widely accepted due to our more Feminine culture. This is true for many physical and personal traits that expats are inevitably going to possess. By being aware of these differences the expat is able to tailor their behaviour, and even physical appearance, to better suit that expected in the host count ry. The most effective way to educate a current or future expat on cross-cultural differences is to develop a sound and tailored cultural awareness program. This should be designed specifically for the culture of the country that the expat will be working in, and customized to meet any specific needs of the organisation, or the individual. The customisation process may include the development of specific strategies that will be more culturally effective for the expat to utilise in the chosen country, or the exploration of available and accepted leisure activities that would appeal to the expat in that country. The depth of the program will depend upon the level of cultural differences between the 2 countries (Dowling et al., 2008). Tableà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.As you can see in this table from your text book, the trends in providing cross-cultural training to potential expats and their families has been changing slightly over the yearsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.go through table Usually this cultural training and development is provided internally by the parent organisation, or off-site by an external company. The training may include creating awareness of cross-cultural differences and issues; acceptable behaviour in the host country; business practices such as power-distance levels and bribery; and language training. Therefore by training the expat on the cultural norms of the other country, their success will be much greater than if they were to simply approach the posting without such an opportunity. Preliminary Visits However providing cultural awareness training is not the only means implemented by organisations to get their employees ready for an international assignment. Another technique that may be used is to send the potential candidate (and perhaps their family as well, if they will be included in the final posting) on a preliminary visit to the host country. This will allow the employee and their family to assess whether they will be suited to living in this country, and they will be able to get a feel first hand of what it would be like to live there on a more permanent basis. The true challenges of living and working in some countries may not be recognised until being exposed to the environment itself. Therefore, another benefit of preliminary visits is that the visitors may identify additional issues that need to be included in the cultural training, that the organisation themselves had perhaps not realised. On the contrary, the potential expat may realise that they do not want to accept the position overseas, allowing the organisation to move on to a more suitable candidate for that particular overseas position. Sometimes a short-term international assignment may be in itself a preliminary visit for a potential long-term expatriate task. Ultimately, the organisation needs to decide whether the costs of sending the employee on a preliminary visit will outweigh the costs of having the assignment underperform, be prematurely terminated, or even the possibility of needing to send a replacement employee if the first one doesnt succeed or adapt (Dowling et al., 2008; Ng et al., 2009). I will now pass you on to Camille who will speak to you about language training. PERSON: Camille Language Training The role of English as the language of the business world English is the 3rd language the most spoken in the world (after Mandarin and Hindi). It is the official language in 53 countries and in some worldwide organisations such as the United Nation, the European Union, the NATO, NAFTA etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ You can see on the map the countries in dark blue are those where English is the official/national language, and those in light blue, where it is an official but not primary language. These data show us that one-fourth (1/4) of the worlds population can communicate to some degree in English: 400 million people speak English as a first language, 300 to 500 million as a fluent second language and 750 million as a foreign language. The largest English-speaking nation in the world, the United States, has only about 20 percent of the worlds English speakers. In Asia alone, an estimated 350 million people speak English, about the same as the combined English-speaking populations of Britain, the United States and Canada. However, some problems occur in the fact English is the world business language. Tungs report on 3000 corporations over 12 countries stated the following: Respondents from US, UK, Australia and Canada consider the language skills as unimportant. Respondents from Europe, Asia, and South America think that the knowledge of a foreign language is critical for success. The fact to disregard the importance of a foreign language may reflect a certain degree of ethnocentrism (=tendency to regard ones own group, culture, or nation as superior to others). Hall and Gudykunst study stated that the lower the level of ethnocentrism in an MNE, the more training it provides in cultural awareness and language training. There is no doubt that professional knowledge and experience is essential for entrepreneurs and managers. But reaching and staying at the top requires more than just being knowledgeable and experienced. One of the reasons why some entrepreneurs are successful may lie in the ability to communicate knowledge in a foreign language. Indeed, it is significant that employers realize the importance of learning (Business) English at the workplace. Over the years, research and needs analyses have produced a wide range of the language-using tasks an employee should be able to do through his job: the ability to communicate appropriately with superiors, colleagues and subordinates, and to representatives of other companies from abroad, the ability to assist an English-speaking (native or non-native) person when hosting business partners from abroad, To participate in the social life of the enterprise (e.g. sports and social clubs, etc.) when visiting business partners abroad. Host-country language skills and adjustment Sociocultural adjustment relates to the ability to fit in or effectively interact with members of the host culture. Notion of adjustment is based on cultural learning theory and highlights social behaviour and practical social skills underlying attitudinal factors. Paraphrasing the classical claim by Edward Hall that culture is communication (Hall, 1973, p. 97), the reverse is also true: communication is culture. Communicative ability permits cultural development through interaction with other individuals. Language becomes the means that promotes the development of culture. Language skills are very important for MNEs where English is not the first language: otherwise, there would be many translation issues. The ability to speak a foreign language can improve the expatriates effectiveness and negotiating ability. Its a real advantage. Tungs survey on 400 expatriates stated that the language skills are considered as a critical component in assignment performance: for the task performance for the cultural adjustment. Indeed, respondents of the survey said that the ability to speak the local language was as important as cultural awareness in their ability to adapt and perform on assignment. Actually it provides a real insertion in both social and professional lives. Knowledge of the corporate language Usually, the corporate language is English. Given its place in international business, quite often it becomes the common language within the multinationals. Thanks to the expatriates and their ability to speak the corporate language, communication conduits well between subsidiary and headquarters. An expatriate fluent in the parent-company language and the language of the host subsidiary can perform a gate-keeping role, whatever the formal position he may hold. Its a plus, very positive point: It gives added-power to his position. For international training assignments, expatriates are usually required to know the corporate language (cause these trainings would normally be conducted in the corporate language). An exception to this practice occurs in emerging markets, where the key new line managers may be trained in their own language: it is the case in the McDonalds Corp with its corporate training facility in Chicago. Since 1961, it has become the companys global centre of excellence for McDonalds operations training and leadership development. This is the first restaurant company to develop a global training centre in both the corporate and host country language. However, pre-departure training program often may need to include both the host country and corporate language. Now, Patricia is going to talk to you about the practical assistance PERSON: TRISH Practical Assistance Training HCN Another important component of effective pre-departure training programs is providing information that assists in the relocation of the expatriate.. Providing practical information makes sure the expatriate does not feel left behind during the adaptation process. If they were to be left to fend for themselves the expatriates and their family may have a negative response towards the host country culture, which can contribute to a perceived violation of the psychological contract. Therefore, the main objective of providing the expatriate and their family with practical assistance is to help relieve any anxiety or pressure that may exist and to help overcome any negative feelings that may occur towards the host country. It is now becoming regular practice that many multinational companies take advantage of relocation specialists that help the expatriate with accommodation, information about schools and possible employment for the spouse and children. As Camille has already mentioned, Language training is usually provided prior to departure, however further language training could be provided, particularly if such training was not possible before departure (Dowling Festing Engle, 2008). Another way of gaining information about the host country and its culture is from the people that are already working as expatriates in the area and whom are willing to help the spouse and family of the new expatriate to adapt (Webb Wright, 1996). Usually the company will organize practical orientation programs for the expatriate, their spouse and the expatriates family so that they can familiarise themselves with their new home prior to arriving (Dowling Welch, 2004). However providing practical assistance is jus t one of the many tasks that need to be done prior to departure. Not only is it important to ensure that expatriates are trained adequately, it is especially important when it comes to training others. Expatriates are often used for training because there is a lack of suitably trained staff in the host location. Therefore it is essential that expatriates are trained how to lead, motivate and develop employees, paying particular attention to the managerial training of Host Country National Third Country Nationals as well as having the ability to transfer their skills and knowledge in a culturally appropriate manner. But how are these expatriates prepared for this training role? Unfortunately there is little research on this topic. However it has been suggested by Dowling, Festing and Engle (2008) that multinationals could improve the quality and content offered to expatriates in their role of training HCNs as their replacements would be to better utilise the knowledge transfer process when expatriates are repatriated. In theory, all expatriates should be provided with adequate pre-departure training prior to their dispatch on an individual assignment. However, in practice, organisations often give priority to training their parent country nationals, while comparatively neglecting the training needs of their host country nationals who being transferred into parent country operations and third country nationals who being transferred to another subsidiary. This could lead to perceptions of inequity, especially in situations where third country nationals do not receive the same level of training as others who are working in the same foreign location. But why should multinational companies use and go on to train host country nationals and third country nationals. According to Dowling, Welch Schuler (1999) possible motives for MNCs to use HCNs, in particular, is that they can help to enhance a sense of corporate identity, help save on costs particularly when skills are needed and also to help facilitat e firm based training. The use of HCNs may also help in broadening the outlook for PCNs within the company From this it is clear that training for host country nationals and third country nationals is essential, as it helps facilitate an understanding about the corporate strategies, corporate culture and socialisation. This will help the MNC to achieve a competitive advantage, which is why it is important to ensure that knowledge and skills are distributed throughout the whole organisation. It is for that reason, that the main objective of international training should be to develop an understanding of cultural differences and an ability to work with host country nationals in order to facilitate management know-how transferred from the parent country. Before I pass you on to Helena who will talk about training for non-standard international assignments and the effectiveness of pre-departure training, wed like to take a quick break from our presentation and engage in a little activity weve created based on the topics weve covered so farà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ ACTIVITY PERSON: Helena Increasingly, multinational companies, faced with cost issues and rising staff immobility, are substituting or complementing traditional expatriate assignments with other types of international assignments. These so-called non-standard international assignments include: short-term, commuter, rotational, contractual and virtual assignments. The most popular form of non-standard assignments continues to be the short-term assignment. However, this important organizational activity has received limited attention compared to the burgeoning literature on traditional expatriate assignments. The Role of International Assignments in Managing Foreign Operations As mentioned above, it has long been recognized that international assignments play a critical role in the conduct of international business. For example, have been regarded as serving three purposes: filling a specific position or skills gap; for management development; and organizational development and for organizational development. What are Short-term International Assignments? Typically, the length of the assignment is a decisive factor in determining whether the assignment is defines short-term assignments as: longer than a business trip, yet than the typical expatriate assignment. Short-term international assignments are usually classified as assignments between one to twelve months. Results of studies relying on empirical data of company practices are in line with this definition. According to a survey 50% of member companies required the assignment to be at least 1-3 months in order for it to be categorized as a short-term assignment. Furthermore, 81% of member companies limited short-term assignments as being 6-12 months at the most. Implementing Short-term International Assignments (1) Recruitment and selection: It seemed to be a rule rather than an exception that formal selection is not conducted for short-term assignments. Commonly, short-term assignees work for specific international projects that demand certain skills and expertise. (2) Training and development: In connection with international assignments, training typically refers to country-specific and cross-cultural training. Generally speaking, interviewees reported that country-specific or cross-cultural training is not provided for employees leaving for short-term assignments but for the assignment country involves high cultural distance. (3) Compensation: two characteristic features of short-term international assignments lasting up to 6 months are: that salary payment remains in the home company; and that the companys travel policy forms the basis for compensating assignees. Accordingly, it is natural that the home country salary forms the basis for the assignment compensation. Depending on the situation, various additional elements can be added to the base salary. (4) Performance management: A formal performance management system is used oftentimes. Short-term assignees are treated as any employee in the company. If, for example, the system in use includes twice-a-year goal setting or evaluation discussions between the worker and the manager, this also applies to the assignees. (5) Repatriation: Unlike what has been reported for long-term international transfers, in most of the cases repatriation from short-term assignments was regarded as unproblematic by the interviewees. The effectiveness of pre- departure training The objective of pre- departure training is to assist the expatriate to adjust to the demands of living and working in a foreign location. Organizational social support: Organizational social support encompasses supervisory, co-workers and home country organization social support. Additionally, social support provide expatriates with information about what is acceptable and unacceptable in the new work context (Black et al, 1991). Intercultural training: In most multinational corporations, intercultural training programs are generally superficial, incomplete or nonexistent (Brewster, 1995).And intercultural training enhances expatriates intercultural adjustment. Besides, expatriates who had received cross cultural training had a better level of interaction adjustment and higher levels of skill development. Language training language is sufficiently important in its own right to warrant a more focused treatment (Welch et al., 2005). Indeed, the separation of language from cultural values has been beneficial in some respects because it has enabled researchers to demonstrate the strong, consistent influence of language on a wide range of issues in MNCs, such as intercultural communication, information flows, coordination, control, and structures, knowledge transfer, social identity, power and advancement, and power and language policy decisions. I will now pass you on to Alice who will discuss the Development of staff through international assignments and trends international training and development and finally conclude our presentation. PERSON: ALICE RYNNE. Developing staff through international assignments p150 Thanks Helena. Okay, so developing staff through international assignment. International assignments have long been recognised as a crucial factor in developing international knowledge. The expected outcomes of international assignments can be categorised into two main headings, namely management development and organisational development. Management development occurs through expatriates gaining experience and knowledge, which can aid in career progression. In terms of the multinational, the company benefits by encompassing a collection of experienced international operators, and for future development of the company, having a pool of candidates to draw from for later assignments if need be. International assignments also present the multinational with different avenues to accumulate knowledge, skills and abilities, all of which can be utilised, and in fact be the base of the companys future growth. This is labelled as organisational development. An individuals global outlook, acquired through international assignment, is another key benefit gained from expatriates adopting a broader view. As discussed by the other Alice, expatriates are mediators of the organisation and of socialisation, ultimately assisting in the transfer of new information and ability within the multinational. In terms of individual development, it is evident that international assignments are a type of developmental tool adopted by management that seeks to provide select employees with international opportunities. These opportunities are designed to enhance their abilities within the workplace through exposure to foreign environments, tasks and challenges. Expected financial gain to compensate individuals for the inconveniences of being transferred abroad continue to play an important role in encouraging employees to accept international assignments. In fact, in 2008, less than a quarter of multinational companies said they failed to provide expatriates with additional remuneration. However, in recent studies, it was found that 73 per cent of multinationals provide these financial premiums systematically for long-term assignments only, as compared to only 31 per cent of multinationals offering financial incentives for short-term assignments too. Aside from the cash incentives, the opportu nity for career enhancement and advancement plays a very important role motivating staff to accept international assignments. This trend is common for individuals in smaller populated and advanced economies, for example, Australia, Sweden, New Zealand and The Netherlands, where the local economy is not considered large enough to provide the required development and growth opportunities for future management. Moreover, it can also be attributed to the fact that international assignments also provide the opportunity for ongoing growth in revenue. In such a situation, the individual understands that international experience is frequently a requirement for furthering their development, and gives the individual higher credentials for future employability. International assignments also provide an individual with greater marketable skills such as strategic thinking, flexibility and negotiation ability, improved decision-making, greater confidence and authority, more maturity and better pe ople management skills, all of which are attractive qualities to future employers. Now moving away from individual development and along to the subtopic of developing international teams through international assignments, aside from individuals gaining management development skills, international placement can also be the training ground for the international cadre. The benefits of international teams, particularly related to networked organisations, are as follows: A mechanism for fostering advancements, organisational learning and the transfer of information, A means of breaking down boundaries (both functional and national), enhancing communication and data flows, A way of encouraging diverse inputs into judgements, problem solving and strategic evaluations, A way of developing global perspective, and; A way of developing shared values, thus assisting in the use of informal, normative control through socialisation. Research and development and international projects are common situations where teamwork is utilized. It is fair to deduce that international assignments have the potential to form significant team connections by exposing employees to numerous parts of the global organisation. In many cases, expatriates continue communication with these networks long after completion of their assignment. These predominately informal networks can later be activated for work situations, such as providing membership of project t