Recruitment and Selection the Hofstede Model free essay sample

Employees are sent to international assignments for one or more reasons: 1. to fill positions for which host country employees are judged to be unsuitable 2. for reasons of management development; and 3. for reasons of organisational development Sometimes the first involves the intention of the organisation to maximise management control and coordination. The second is often cited in terms of giving the manager international experience before promotion within the firm in the home country. The third is more diffuse, involving a general internationalisation of the organisation and building of networks of relationships across countries and cultures. Sending an employee to another country to manage an organisation’s operations has become a complicated process, typically requiring sophisticated understanding and complicated procedures. For the organisation, and for the individual manager, the stakes can be surprisingly high. Why this should be so, and what companies are reported as doing about it in the quest to optimise performance, warrants examination. We will write a custom essay sample on Recruitment and Selection the Hofstede Model or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Learning objectives After studying this module, you should: †¢ be able to understand the dimensions of expatriate assignment success and failure, and their consequences for expatriate selection †¢ be able to use this knowledge as a basis for understanding expatriate selection Selecting the expatriate On the whole, the replacement of expatriates with host country nationals (HCNs) has been seen as a positive trend In the short run it is easier to train and promote host and third country nationals than it is to select high potential candidates and expend the resources necessary to give them the attitudes and cultural skills they need to function effectively abroad (Kobrin 1988). Research has recently suggested that the high failure rate of expatriates on international assignment, and the subsequent difficulties and financial expense of repatriating these managers, has made the alternative of employing host-country managers more attractive to multinational companies. A 1983 survey by Kobrin (1988) reported that 80 percent of U. S. firms employed a local national as head of a majority of country operations (Kobrin 1988). The Asian currency crisis of 1998 accelerated the move by many companies employing expatriates to establish policies for the preferential hiring of host-country nationals over expatriates, wherever possible. For example, some Sheraton hotels in Asia (especially in Malaysia) have a notional limit of two expatriates per property. The reason given is that expatriates are too expensive to appoint. A further argument cited by some host countries is that expatriates deny their own people the essential jobs and training they need, and some critics have suggested that ‘the expatriate’ is still seen in certain countries as a historical throw-back to the privileged and frequently racist elite of colonial times. If there is a strong feeling of nationalism in the host country, having home country nationals as managers can make the subsidiary seem very foreign indeed (Ball McCulloch 1996). In spite of all the reasons to the contrary, the evidence is that many companies still prefer to expatriate their own home-country managers to run their international operations, at least in the early stages of the operations. One reason commonly given is that the parent company prefers to have someone in the job that it knows and who knows the headquarters way of doing things, in addition to having someone who is demonstrably skilled and knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the job. Another reason given relates to the perceived need for the development of managers from the parent company, through international assignments. There is every indication that a detailed examination of the trends in this area of International HRM practice is required. Expatriate ‘failure’ As business becomes globalised, many more Australian companies than ever before are sending staff to overseas postings. The evidence from American and European studies indicates that this is both expensive and risky (Bartlett et. al 1990; Black et. l 1991; Brewster Larsen 1992). The magnitude of the problem being faced by many international organisations can be grasped from the number of expatriate assignments judged to have failed (Shilling 1993). With national variations, it has been estimated that twenty to fifty percent of personnel sent abroad return prematurely from their overseas assignment (Distefano Lane 1992). Further, as many as 50 percent of expatriates who do not return pre maturely function at a low level of effectiveness (Black Mendenhall 1990). These are presumably the result of selection errors, or of ineffective management policies and/or practices. Such failure is usually described in the research literature as ‘expatriate retention failure’, in terms of high levels of early returns of expatriates, either through recalls by companies or through the manager’s voluntary early departure from the assignment, and in terms of ineffective or suboptimal performance of expatriates (Baker Ivancevich 1971; Black et. al 1991; Copeland Griggs 1985; Misa Fabricatore 1979; Tung 1982; Nicholson et. l 1990). There seems to be general consensus that human resource managers in organisations with expatriate staff have a responsibility to determine what causes failure, and what expatriate needs might be provided for in order to optimally support the expatriate on assignment. Expatriates ‘fail’ in their assignments for reasons which may have at least as much to do with personal adjustment difficulties, and with the personal difficulties of the spouse and family in particular, as with deficiencies in technical competence. Such specifically job-related expertise aside, the logical question concerns what can be done about enhancing personal adjustment through selection, preparation and support. Expatriate adjustment Organisations have an obvious vested interest in assisting their expatriates to adjust to their environments as quickly and effectively as possible. Much can be learned from studies of personal relocation, of which expatriation is a special case. These are proposed as among the factors which may be important for the adjustment of the expatriate. A six-month sideways transfer, alone, to an unknown, less developed, and distant country where language, customs, and climate are arduous, is likely to be a very different experience from a sojourn in a pleasant country with similar language and customs, accompanied by one’s spouse and children. Expatriate couples and families There is now strong research literature in regard to dual-career couples, defined as ‘two people in a marital or other significant relationship, where both partners display a high degree of commitment to their respective work roles’ (Pierce Delahaye 1996, p. 905). The ‘morbidity’ for dual career couples and families related to international relocation is reputedly high (Hamill 1989). Coyle’s Australian study reported that 52 percent of spouses suffered increased physical symptoms of stress after moving, and 28 percent reported a decline in health (Coyle 1988). Worries about ‘loss of social contacts’ and ‘problems with family property’ figured importantly in relocations, along with ‘problems of spousal employment’ and ‘worries about children’s educational needs’ (Munton Forster 1990, pp. 75–81). Additional complications arise in the case of the children in expatriate families; teenagers with strong peer-dependence may simply refuse to relocate. Children of expatriates are often expected to be less involved with friends, and they tend to spend their leisure time alone (Brett 1982). They are also required to develop the skills of making and unmaking social friendships quickly and without undue stress. With the expatriate working long hours and often away from the home, the spouse and family may see little of him or her. The spouse is thus forced to deal with domestic crises alone, usually in a strange land and culture, and perhaps battling with a foreign language. The nature of the expatriate experience depends on many different variables, one of which is the way in which the manager and his or her family approach it. While the stories of distress and failure are dramatic, there are many expatriates who return from assignments they rate as highly successful, not only in terms of business criteria, but in terms of enriching their family lives and general education, to an extent that any negative aspects are more than compensated for (Stokols Shumaker 1982, pp. 149–171). ‘I’d go back tomorrow’ is a common response from repatriates. ‘The threat and challenge of people who are different’ The inability of expatriate managers to adjust to the host culture’s social and business environment is costly in terms of management performance and the productivity in the overseas operation (Hogan Goodson 1990). Just how successfully an expatriate adjusts to ‘the threat and challenge of people who are different’ (Jenkins 1975) is determined by a multivariate process. The need for a comprehensive consideration was pointed to by Mendenhall and Oddou (1985), in terms of four dimensions of the adjustment process in which the ability to adapt is proposed as strongly influential in the outcome of an international assignment: . The Self-oriented dimension: This is the degree to which the expatriate expresses concern for self-preservation, and is characterised by reinforcement substitution (the ability of the expatriate to substitute other reinforcements as interests in the new culture), stress reduction (the ability to cope in a foreign culture without experiencing d isturbing stress), and technical competence (the mastery of the core competencies of the job to which the expatriate is assigned). 2. The Others-oriented dimension: This identifies the expatriate’s abilities to interact effectively with host-country nationals, and is composed of the factors of relationship development (being able to form appropriate relationships with host-country nationals) and willingness to communicate (including the ability of the expatriate to communicate in the host-country’s language). Well-adjusted expatriates are likely to collect ‘conversational currency’ (anecdotes, jokes, local phrases, sporting terms, etc. which can be used to indicate a desire to understand and relate with host-country nationals. 3. The Perceptual dimension: This includes the expatriate’s ability to perceive and understand why persons from other cultures think, feel and behave as they do, and not to impose one’s own values on assessments of situations. 4. The Cultural-toughness dimension: This refers to the cultural ‘distance’ between the host country and the expat riate’s home country; how ‘tough’ the host culture is will have an effect on how well the expatriate is able to adjust to it and succeed in the assignment. Expatriate adjustment problems thus have to do firstly with the expatriate, and what he or she brings to the international assignment, and secondly with the environment, and the various influences it has on the expatriate. How then are expatriates to be prepared for the environments they face? Indeed, what are the environments of international HRM? The ‘Hofstede model’ Dutch scholar Geert Hofstede defines cultures as ‘the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one category from another. ’   (Hofstede 1984) . Its main features are: 1. Culture is based on a system of values about how things ought to be 2. Culture is learned and not innate 3. Culture influences the behaviour of group members to act in predictable and uniform ways 4. Culture is particular to a group 5. Culture is both explicit and implicit. In short, ‘culture is a shared system of meanings that is coherent, orderly and makes sense; the mental map that guides our relationship to our surroundings and other people’ (Burns 1998, p. 6). 1. Power Distance—the extent to which the members of a society accept that power in institutions and organisations is distributed unequally. Larger inequalities would be acceptable in a high distance society, which would typically accord great authority to people with titles (e. g. , India, Philippines). Such societies have greater centralisation, tall organisation pyramids, and large wage differentials. The seller is subservient to the buyer, and there is less inclination to trust unknown foreigners. Trust is vital. In a lower power distance society, inequalities are played down; superiors have authority but are not revered (e. g. , Denmark; Australia is moderately low). Such societies show less centralisation, flatter organisation pyramids, more open communication, and fewer wage differentials. They also exhibit greater welfare orientation in their economies. 2. Uncertainty Avoidance—the degree to which the members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity, which leads them to support beliefs promising certainty and to maintain institutions protecting uniformity. Societies high in uncertainty avoidance are characterised by an increased level of anxiety in people (e. . , France, Japan), said to be manifested by nervousness, stress, and aggressiveness. Such societies have rules that seek to minimise deviate behaviour, rely on barriers in ambiguous situations, and are less given to risk-taking. Their members are said to put great value on job security, career pathing, retirement benefits, and health insurance, and prefer not to work abroad. In return they tend to be loyal and work best with clear instructions and tight contr ols from home country managers (Mead 1990). Belgium is an example, where workers expect six months notice and two years’ severance pay. Low uncertainty avoidance cultures (e. g. , Denmark, USA, Great Britain; Australia is just below average) have fewer written rules, less structuring of activities, great variability, and more generalists, with greater risk-taking. Managers in low uncertainty avoidance, entrepreneurial countries such as Singapore and Hong Kong are thus required to alter their behaviour accordingly, to cope with such cultural differences. 3. Individualism versus Collectivism—the preference for a loosely-knit social framework in society in which individuals are supposed to take care of themselves and their immediate families only, instead of forming cohesive groups for protection and support. Collectivist cultures place great value on harmonious relationships, and the company is likely to defend the employee’s interests (e. g. , Taiwan, Mexico, and Greece). Loyalty may be valued before efficiency, particularly loyalty to the family and to the work group. This loyalty to the family (as in China) or to the workgroup (as in Japan) is not altruistic, though, as it does not extend beyond the in-group. There is little generalised charity to others. Using individualised performance appraisal and motivation techniques as in some Western societies is not always effective, for obvious reasons. The employer-employee relationship is a moral one; there is an emphasis on obligations to the group, in regard to shame, harmony, and respect for opinions predetermined by the group. Patronage is common, as a reward for loyalty, and power-distance is usually high. By contrast, individualist cultures are more interested in maintaining an individual’s self-respect, and companies rely on individual employees to defend their own interests (e. g. , USA, Britain, and Australia). Such a dimension has clear relevance to managerial decision-making about how to motivate workers. The emphasis is on individual achievement and rights, and personal responsibility for actions. Intragroup competition is common. Tasks may be given higher priority than relationships, and there are few emotional attachments between management and workers. Employee loyalty to the organisation may be instrumental and self-serving. Individualism correlates with low power distance. 4. Masculinity versus Femininity—‘masculinity’ is used to describe the preference for achievement, heroism, assertiveness, and material success, as opposed to ‘femininity’, which is thought to imply a preference for relationships, modesty, caring for the weak, and for quality of life. In a masculine society, even the women prefer assertiveness (at least in men); in a feminine society, even the men prefer modesty. Countries found to be high on this scale (e. g. , Japan, Austria, Mexico, Italy; Australia is moderately high) have clearly defined sex roles, fewer women in qualified jobs, reward aggression and competition, and have organisations that interfere with individuals’ private lives. In masculine societies, leaders have great independence, and work is valued as a central life interest. Managers in such cultures usually emphasise merit-based reward practices in their efforts to gain higher organisational performance (Newman Nollen 1996).

Free Essays on Bring Things Home

The Colonizer and the Colonized The colonial system that emerged from the Imperialist expansions of the European powers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries seemed, to Europeans, to be a undeniable fact. The status quo could be maintained, and the hegemony of the white industrialized nations would be maintained. Yet by the twentieth century, the system began to crumble; an example of this collapse is presented in Pontecorvo's Battle of Algiers. This film represents the final hours of the colonial system, being destroyed by the revolt of the colonized as predicted by Albert Memmi's The Colonizer and the Colonized. But the end of the colonial system does not mitigate the damage done by the years of European rule. The Algerians, unable to assimilate, turn to revolution and violence which the French are only too willing to return. Thus the vicious cycle of mutual degradation and hate predicted by Memmi continues. Memmi concludes that there are two options available for a colony: assimilation or rebellion. The former is impossible because of the colonizer will not allow the destruction the abject colonized population, so the situation that all too often occurs, as in Battle of Algiers, is the latter. Yet Pontecorvo presents the unattainable choice between assimilation and rebellion. As the three women are preparing to bomb civilian targets in the heart of European Algiers, they dye their hair, remove their veils, and create as far as possible the illusion of being ``white.'' Memmi claims that ``the first ambition of the colonized is to become equal to that splendid [European] and to resemble him to the point of disappearing in him'' (Memmi 120). While the terrorists are successful in creating the illusions of being European, they are not assimilated. The French work against them to prevent integration into French culture - the checkpoints consciously remind them of their place, making their usurped identity more of a cr... Free Essays on Bring Things Home Free Essays on Bring Things Home The Colonizer and the Colonized The colonial system that emerged from the Imperialist expansions of the European powers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries seemed, to Europeans, to be a undeniable fact. The status quo could be maintained, and the hegemony of the white industrialized nations would be maintained. Yet by the twentieth century, the system began to crumble; an example of this collapse is presented in Pontecorvo's Battle of Algiers. This film represents the final hours of the colonial system, being destroyed by the revolt of the colonized as predicted by Albert Memmi's The Colonizer and the Colonized. But the end of the colonial system does not mitigate the damage done by the years of European rule. The Algerians, unable to assimilate, turn to revolution and violence which the French are only too willing to return. Thus the vicious cycle of mutual degradation and hate predicted by Memmi continues. Memmi concludes that there are two options available for a colony: assimilation or rebellion. The former is impossible because of the colonizer will not allow the destruction the abject colonized population, so the situation that all too often occurs, as in Battle of Algiers, is the latter. Yet Pontecorvo presents the unattainable choice between assimilation and rebellion. As the three women are preparing to bomb civilian targets in the heart of European Algiers, they dye their hair, remove their veils, and create as far as possible the illusion of being ``white.'' Memmi claims that ``the first ambition of the colonized is to become equal to that splendid [European] and to resemble him to the point of disappearing in him'' (Memmi 120). While the terrorists are successful in creating the illusions of being European, they are not assimilated. The French work against them to prevent integration into French culture - the checkpoints consciously remind them of their place, making their usurped identity more of a cr...

The Quest for Universal Plot Types

The Quest for Universal Plot Types The Quest for Universal Plot Types The Quest for Universal Plot Types By Michael For centuries, writers and critics have tried to put stories into basic categories. Novelist Kurt Vonnegut described eight of them: Man in Hole, Boy Meets Girl, From Bad to Worse, Which Way is Up?, Creation Story, Old Testament, New Testament, and Cinderella. He argued that stories have beautiful shapes which can be drawn on graph paper or fed into computers, rising and falling emotionally over time on a horizontal B-E axis (Beginning/End) and a vertical G-I axis (Good Fortune/Ill Fortune). Vonnegut explained his theory many times and you can watch his explanations online, both the short version and the long version. Six Basic Story Shapes Inspired by Vonneguts ideas, researchers at the the University of Vermonts Computational Story Laboratory and others used various tools, including one they call the Hedonometer. Based on what Vonnegut called emotional arc, this online tool compares each part of a story by tracking what kind of words dominate it: either words such as awful punishment poor blame afraid cried hate or else happy father garden faith home great laugh. Graphing the shapes of 1,327 books from Project Gutenberg, they found six basic plots. Rags to Riches (rise): A poor boy owns nothing but a cat, but it eventually makes him a rich man and Lord Mayor of London (Dick Whittington). SV1 or Mode 1, core emotional arc 1 Examples: The Importance of Being Earnest, The Jungle Book, The Call of the Wild, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus Tragedy, or Riches to Rags (fall): The kings advisor hopes to gain power by having his rival executed, but his conspiracy fails and he himself is executed by the king (Haman). -SV1 or Mode 1 negative, core emotional arc 2 Examples: The Picture of Dorian Gray, Beowulf, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Heart of Darkness, The Time Machine, Pygmalion Man in a Hole (fall then rise): Targeted by more powerful gangsters, members of an organized crime family are shot, assassinated, and exiled, but in the end, they make an offer that the other gangsters cant refuse (The Godfather). SV2, core emotional arc 3 Examples: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Through the Looking-Glass, The Prince and the Pauper, The Secret Garden Icarus (rise then fall): An inventor makes wings of wax and feathers and learns to fly with them, but his son rises too close to the sun and then falls. -SV2, core emotional arc 4 Examples: A Christmas Carol, Paradise Lost, Three Men in a Boat, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, The Pilgrim’s Progress (though some of those have happy endings) Cinderella (rise then fall then rise): A poor girl meets the prince at a ball, but she loses her slipper when fleeing at the stroke of midnight. Back home, serving her wicked stepmother again, a royal messenger asks her to try on the lost slipper, and when it fits, the prince marries her. SV3, core emotional arc 5 Examples: Treasure Island, King Solomon’s Mines, Love and Freindship (Jane Austen), The Merchant of Venice Oedipus (fall then rise then fall): An infant prince is found by shepherds on a mountainside, becomes a king, but ends his life as a blind wanderer. (I wont give away the whole story of Oedipus its complex). -SV3, core emotional arc 6 Examples: Frankenstein, A Study in Scarlet (Sherlock Holmes), The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Agatha Christie), The War of the Worlds, The Turn of the Screw, The Red Badge of Courage Lessons from Story Research Arcs have curves, not jagged lines. Events, circumstances, and cardboard people can change quickly, but real people change gradually. If a character changes suddenly and inexplicably, it isnt believable and it isnt satisfying. When a character is rescued by outside forces, we want him or her to be ready for it, if not to deserve it. We dont want it to happen too quickly or too lightly. We all have problems, so we relate to characters with problems like our own. Even ancient Greeks criticized the overuse of the deus ex machina effect, where just when we are dying to know how they are going to solve their problems, a god is lowered onto the stage with a crane to solve them all for them. The most successful plots may not be the most likable. Professor Ganna Pogrebna from the University of Birmingham determined that the most profitable films, such as The Godfather, have the man in a hole shape. But the most profitable films are not necessarily the most liked (most people dont like bloody murders), but rather the most discussed (as Michael Corleones family rises out a professional hole, he falls into a moral hole). More arcs may be more interesting. The Computational Story Laboratory researchers examined the number of downloads of each book to see which type of story was most popular. The winners included Icarus, â€Å"Cinderella,† and â€Å"Oedipus,† but one of the most downloaded types didnt even have a name: two sequential Man in a hole arcs (SV 4). Thats fall rise fall rise, a pattern that fits fewer books but more popular ones, such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Peter Pan, and Jane Austens Northanger Abbey. But successful books can be more complex than that: Jane Austens Persuasion has the shape of rise fall rise fall rise fall rise (SV7), as does Spenser’s The Faerie Queene. And when I look at Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on the Hedonometer, I see rise fall rise fall rise fall rise fall rise. In Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontà «, I see rise fall rise fall rise fall rise fall rise fall rise. It never rains all the time. Its called an emotional arc for a reason: sometimes its up, sometimes its down. The emotional tone gets pretty low near the end of Christopher Marlowes The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, when Faustus is dragged off to Hell. (I suspect the Hedonometers rise at the end is a false positive.) Yet the play includes comic scenes. Critics used to think they couldnt have been written by Marlowe, but now they think otherwise. Marlowe knew that no audience can stand unabated gloom. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Incorrect Pronunciations That You Should AvoidWhenever vs. When EverPeople vs. Persons

Is Preventing Further Global Warming a Social Responsibility Essay

Is Preventing Further Global Warming a Social Responsibility - Essay Example Scientists have estimated that by the beginning of the next century, temperatures of the earth would have increased by approximately 2.1 degrees Celsius. An increase of only one degree is highly detrimental to animal and plant existence. Therefore, if the dangers of global warming do not undergo immediate intervention, then plant and animal lives might face partial or absolute extinction in the near future (Leroux 15). Causes of global warming For vey many years the concept of causal in global warming evaded human understanding. Until the formation of the Intergovernmental Panel by the UN, little was understood. The panel later found out that the presence of heat trapping gases in the air was majorly responsible for causing global warming. In this regard, they classified the heat trapping gases that cause what they referred to as the greenhouse gas effect. These gases range from simple CO2, methane, Nitrous Oxide to water vapor. Further research revealed that the amount of these gase s in the atmosphere was directly proportional to the increase in atmospheric temperatures. Major sources of these greenhouse gases are human activity-based. The beginning of industrialization in the nineteenth century brought about changes in fuel consumption. Due to demand from industries in fuel, exploration and extraction of fossil fuel has dramatically increased. Despite refining, fossil fuel provides a large amount of CO2 emitted to the atmosphere. Smoke from industries and fuel burning by locomotives are powerful source of carbon dioxide in the environment (Pumphrey 23). Other gases are highly harmful to the ozone layer that protects the earth from harmful emissions of light rays from the sun. Continual depletion of this protective blanket leads to exposure to these harmful radiations which in turn lead to increase of global temperatures. This has been identified as a hazardous effect caused by such gases as methane and other chlorofluorocarbons. Emissions of nitrous oxide inc rease the risk to global warming, 300 times more than carbon dioxide does. This shows the potential risk of continual increase of such industrial gases in the atmosphere. Debate in global warming Since its discovery, global warming has remained a debated issue in all its dimensions. Starting from its causes to how to curb it, there have been unclarities concerning the responsibilities involved. From the beginning of discovery of the concept, the responsibility was only pushed to governments. According to Leroux (98) statistics obtained in 2009 from different regions of the world indicated that awareness of the concept was still low. The question of responsibility has thus continually raised endless debates. With a general understanding that causing of global warming is largely done by industries, blame has only been shifted to industries. Responsibility has evaded direction. The general societies have thus remained unclear whether they should be involved or not. This is one major de bate that has rocked the human mind. Responsibility With increased rates of this disaster, there was need for a collaborative approach towards combating the dangers of the situation. Given that its effects will largely affect the causers and victims of increasing greenhouse gases in the

Research on ''Job stress'' and statistical analysis Paper

On ''Job stress'' and statistical analysis - Research Paper Example The finding revealed that a significant negative impact of Job 'Job stress'' and statistical analysiss satisfaction on the level of stress. A significant negative impact between the employment status and the job stress is also realized. Introduction Workplace life plays a vital role in an individuals’ social life. The dynamic nature of the work environment has forced people to engage in job related task leading to avandornment of the social life. The unsatisfactiry state of employees makes them to concentrate on aspect or tasks that will result to improvement of their output. On the other hand, the status of employment also pushes people to strain and get stress. For instance, individuals with greater levels of job stress may be unsatisfied with the kind of work he or she does and hence leadss to unhappiness at work place. Such issues triggers burned outs or frustration when such an individual encounter a snmall challenge. Such inccident impacts negatively on the organizations output leading to low profits. The goal of theis research id to find out individuals factors that implacts on the oevrall performace and one’s job satisfaction. The most appropriate group to interview is the workers in the teaching fields are they the most affected. Previsous studies showed that the gender of an employee contributes a lot to the level of stress that one gets at work place. Other factors such as job satisfaction also influence the empployees overall performance. Since most organization is striving to increase its employees’output, the employees tend to struggle to satisfy the company’s needs. The level of stress that an individual has depends greatly on the factors that cause it. Beehr and Newman (2012) define stress as a situation that compels an individual to stray from the normal state as a result of disturbed physiological condition. From this definition, it is crucial for us to emphasise on stress management at work place. It is found out t hat the state of most individuals in the teaching fraternity is innfluenced by demographic factors. Job related stress within workers is mostly affected by role management in the organization. The management of role in the organization can be a key factor which instills stress on workers. Role stress in this context refers to any organizational undertakin that has detrimental effects on the employee. There are roles of the management that stand out to conflict to the wishes of the employees (Beehr 2011). Work and family are disjoint; therefore the family status on an individual can greatly affect the workers’job life. The situation is two-way traffic; where the family life is the source of stress that manifest at work place or the job life being the source of stress that will be spilled to the family life. Connection between job satisfaction and job stress Many researchers have tried to find out the connection between job satisfaction and stress. Job stress and job satisfctio n are two critical aspects given concentration in the HRM research projects. Stamps & Piedmonte (2010), argued that a significatn connection between job stress and job satisfaction. Another reserch by Cooper, et al (2011) also revealized that the root cause of job stress is job disatisfaction. In addition, Fletcher (2010) found out that soneone can be stressed because he or she is not satisfied with the kind of work he does. Theoretical Framework and Hypotheses

Continetal drift theory Essays -- essays research papers fc

Continental Drift, the theory that continents move slowly about the earth's surface, changing their positions relative to one another and to the poles of the earth. In the past the theory has been discussed but not generally accepted, most geologists believing the continents to be fixed in place and subject only to vertical movements, such as those observed during mountain uplift. In recent years, however, a sound body of evidence in support of a modified form of the drift theory has been found. Ideas are becoming precise and unified, with emphasis on a moving, evolving ocean floor. The new theory is called plate tectonics. Soon after the Atlantic Ocean had been mapped, about three hundred years ago, it was noticed that the opposite coasts had similar shapes, but it was not until the middle of the 19th century that accurate maps were published demonstrating that the two coasts could be fitted together quite closely. Some geologists then suggested that the fit of the coasts was not an accident--that the continents were once joined and had subsequently drifted apart. None of the suggestions were taken seriously.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1912, however, the German meteorologist Alfred Wegener investigated the fit of the Atlantic coasts more carefully than had his predecessors and grouped all the continents together into one great land mass, which he called Pangaea. He supposed that the mass began to break apart about 200 million years ago. He also showed that some geological features on the opposite coasts could have fitted together, and that there were many striking similarities between the fossil plants and reptiles on the opposite coasts, particularly the coasts of Africa and South America. If the continents were pushed together, the geological, fossil, and other lines of evidence would join together accurately in the way that lines of print on a torn newspaper would join when the paper was reassembled. Wegener also pointed out that ancient climatic zones seemed to have lain in different places from the present zones. He pointed out that where great ice sheets have melted in recent geological times in Scandinavia and North America, the land is rising as fast as a centimeter a year. This vertical uplift, he said, requires horizontal inflow of matter below and implies that flow and motion do take place within the earth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We... ...an isolated continent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although Wegener and Du Toit proposed that the primitive continents began to break up about 200 million years ago, there is much evidence that drift began long before then, and that continental blocks have slowly been moving about the earth's surface throughout much of geological time. It seems that before the continents drifted apart and opened up the Atlantic, they had drifted together and closed up an earlier ocean. Another place where continents seem to have bumped into each other and piled up mountains between them is the Himalayas, which may have been produced when the Indian Peninsula detached itself from Gondwanaland and gradually drifted into Asia Bibliography  Daley, Robert B. 1986 A study of a changing planet; CEBCO Publishing co. p.418  Bartolini, Annachiara and Larson, Roger L; 2001 Pacific microplate and the Pangea supercontinent in the Early to Middle Jurassic; Geology, Aug2001, Vol. 29 Issue 8, p735-39  Anderson, Don L 2001. Top-Down Tectonics; Science, 9/14/2001, Vol. 293 Issue 5537, p2016-18  http://www.geo.cornell.edu/geology/classes/Geo101/101week6_s01.html

Taco Bell Marketing

08 Fall Introduction Hong Kong is known as being a very multinational and diversified city not only in Asia but also in the world. Not only is Hong Kong a paradise from a financial perspective, but it is also a great country in terms of the standard of living. As Hong Kong has a very diversified culture and a mix of various ethnicities, there isn’t a lack of food options and results suggest that 1 to 4 Hong Kong respondents prefer to dine out and prefer to spend up to HKD$1500 a month.Which looking at the results creates the ideal opportunity in opening a relatively new fast food concept, which provides a different cuisine from the current trends in a fast food format into the Hong Kong market. Environmental Analysis SWOT Analysis Strengths| Weaknesses| 1. Established a huge brand awareness and loyalty. Tremendous amounts of consumer satisfaction. | 1. Local consumer tastes need to be adapted towards Mexican cuisine. | 2. High Quality products, at relatively reasonable prices. | 2. Property prices are relatively expensive, high operating costs. | 3.Quite new concept could create attention and buzz. | 3. Not a very health conscious menu could be unappealing to target users. | 4. Sole Mexican cuisine fast food concept chain. | | Opportunities | Threats| 1. Introduce Home/Office delivery services. | 1. Existing well established fast food chains, e. g. McDonalds, KFC, Subway, Cafe de Coral etc. | 2. Experiment with local needs/taste, incorporate local flavors and delicacies. | 2. May not be appreciated by the Hong Kong public. | 3. Possibility to develop drive through, to create ease of accessibility for consumers. 3. Existing Mexican restaurants that have established brand loyalty amongst Hong Kong customers. | 4. Establish chains where students and working people can easily access. E. g. office buildings, university campuses, shopping malls etc. | | PEST Analysis Political: The political condition in Hong Kong is relatively stable, hence introducing an Ame rican based fast food chain, wont have any impacts or create any problems from a political aspect. As Hong Kong isn’t facing any political distress or disturbances domestically or internationally. Economical:There are several economical impacts that will incur as Taco Bell starts its operations in Hong Kong. First of all, starting a new fast food chain would create domestic employment, as jobs will be opened up towards the local citizens. Furthermore everyone earning will then pay taxes that will result in an increase in government revenue as the company gradually starts to increase its operations within Hong Kong premises. Social: The social factor also goes on to play a huge role when establishing a new fast food chain, as this acts upon the consumers’ values and beliefs.Many people are known to be relatively health conscious, hence therefore an aspect that Taco Bell will have to consider is the quality and the healthiness of the food that will be served to the local consumers. If the quality of food is compromised it could then impact the demand for the food and could hinder the company growth. Furthermore besides the food element, Taco Bell will also have to consider its Corporate Social Responsibility factors of treating their employees in an adequate manner and rewarding them with what they deserve, and also the environment factor and to maintain the clean environment Hong Kong stresses, nd to reduce waste and place heavy emphasis on packaging their food with recyclable and biodegradable materials. Technological: Technology is shown to be developing and rapidly changing all around the world. Hong Kong is known to be a very technology based country, where majority of the business is done all over technology, hence therefore there are some technological factors to which Taco Bell could adapt to in order to bring positive impacts to the chain. One method would be to adapt company websites on which the menu and other promotional services can be placed, in order to increase convenience for users.Besides websites we are currently living in the Smartphone eras, hence developing apps based on the website and possibly exploiting the opportunities of providing services on-the-go and the ability to deliver from the apps can definitely produce positive growth to the firm. Therefore seeking these technological methods can definitely increase the company value. Hong Kong Fast Food Industry Trends Marketing Analysis As Taco Bell enters the Hong Kong fast food industry, it will have to create immediate effects, due to the existing competitors that have already established themselves within the market.Franchises such as McDonalds and KFC, have established themselves as the pioneers of bring western food to Hong Kong in the late 70s and 80s. Which has triggered further foreign investors such as ‘Pizza Hut’ ‘Burger King’ to name a few. Alongside local entrepreneurs who have obtained a significant market share w ith ‘Cafe de Coral’, ‘Maxims’ and ‘Fairwood. ’ McDonalds and KFC are shown to have the top shares in the HK fast food industry at 22% and 14% respectively. Whereas the local franchises combined have only managed 10%.The rest is accumulated with the other foreign franchise chains, which each have market shares below the 10% mark. Which will not significantly impact Taco Bell. Besides fast food, bringing in a Tex-Mex cuisine won’t be something new to the Hong Kong public, as there are a few Mexican restaurants that provide similar products and caters to the public needs. However Taco Bell tends to hold competitive advantage with the fact that it has an established brand name and the ability to serve quick, good quality and reasonable food items which correlates with what the restaurants serve. Target MarketThe main target market of this fast food chain is mainly aimed at the working population, students and teenagers of Hong Kong. As the f act that it is a fast food chain, its main objective is to provide quick serviced food at reasonable prices, hence incorporating working and student budget people, rather then the high-end consumers of Hong Kong. Besides the financial element, the population who are keen on a different cuisine of food, targeting the diversified population of Hong Kong, and not only to one specific ethnicity but the citizens who are on a certain budget is the main target market.Marketing Mix Variables Price: It will also have to consider the budget levels of the chosen target market. As setting an optimal level would then result in a demand, whereas if the price is placed too high, it could hinder demand and if price the price is placed too low, although it may create a large demand, however operating costs might not be covered and could result in financial losses. Product: The product will be the standardized menu that has been set all around the world. This will include the food items which taco be ll is known to be most famous for.Although it will serve the standard types of food items, in order to suit the Hong Kong market it could also then explore the tastes and trends of the local population and their eating habits, which could be incorporated within the restaurant menu. Place: The perfect locations to reach out to their consumers, would be to open their branches within our minutes away from local university campuses, this would result in easy accessibility for the students who would be able to pick up and go, or have the option to eat within the restaurant premises.Besides catering to the students, to make it convenient for the working population of Hong Kong, the best locations would be opening stalls and restaurants within an office building premise or shopping malls which are placed around the commercial areas of Hong Kong, in order to create ease of accessibility to the working population of Hong Kong. Promotion:Methods such as advertising is a great opportunity, as Taco Bell is already a well established fast food chain, hence posting advertisements on local newspapers and magazines can immediately create effects as the reports show that 1 in 7 people in Hong Kong read some sort of newspaper or magazines on a daily basis. This method is the most appropriate in terms of creating brand awareness within Hong Kong. Furthermore, through the aid of promotional websites such as www. groupon. com. hk and www. beecrazy. com. hk that promote upcoming products, services and offers can definitely help reach out to their potential consumers and create demand.These methods can definitely bring positive results, once the promotion period starts. Conclusion To conclude by implementing the correct marketing mix methods and taking account of the various factors which was looked through in the PEST analysis, it can be drawn to conclusion that although Taco Bell will enter the market with relatively high competition, however due to the already well established br and name and the fact that its products tend to differ quite significantly in comparison to the leading competitors, it can gain from being diverse.