Herta Company: Product Improvement Analysis and Plan

Herta Company: Product Improvement Analysis and Plan Report Title: A Study of a soy and wheat steak by the brand Herta in France    Summary The question of meat consumption is raised in almost every country in Europe. People are starting to reduce their meat consumption for various reasons such as its price, ethics, health or environment. Hence, the industry has to adapt and create an answer to that new demand. Some brands like Herta, a traditional cold meat brand company has created a new Vegetal range. The aim of this report is to study a soy and wheat steak from the brand Herta in France. First, the report will focus on an overall market situation of a product involving desk research of the current market situation and a focus group to evaluate the perceived quality of the product. The second part of the report will suggest a plan for product improvement, presenting variations that could be done to improve the product and its sales. In order to do that, a small survey was done to understand better the needs and the worries of the population who can potentially buy such a type of product. 2.1 What is Herta? The product of the Brand Herta is a soy and wheat steak. It belongs to a range of products called Le Bon Và ©gà ©tal, meaning The Good Vegetal. Herta is an industrial brand owned by Nestlà ©. It is famous for its pre-cooked Frankfurter, which is a seasoned smoked sausage made of beef and pork. Herta is currently the number one Frankfurter-brand throughout Europe, but not only that. Herta has an awareness rate of 96% and a penetration rate of 83% in France, and is the first brand of cold meats and has been the first brand overall in France for 3 years according to the Kantar World panel. Its position on the market has always been one of simplicity, and it has insisted a lot on this with its slogan The taste of simple things since 2012. Herta does the majority of its activity on the cold meat market with 60% of its sales in volume. It also sells fresh deli products. Recently, the brand announced an innovation which has broken with its usual business portfolio : the range Le Bon Và ©gà ©tal. According to Sophie Van Eeckhaute, brand manager at Herta, this new product is the latest strong undertaking of the company. Usually the market is only owned by specialists, but Herta wants to democratize the vegetal protein. While this product seems unusual for the brand, she highlights that Nestlà © is not new in this field since it owns Krupa, a product facility for production of such products. Le Bon Và ©gà ©tarien has more than 10 different recipes elaborated with vegetal proteins and each product is sold for around 2,75 â‚ ¬ with a weight of 150 to 200g. With this new product, Herta is aiming at flexitarians (30% of the population in France) who try to reduce their meat consumption, but also to vegetarians, who dont eat meat (2%) and vegans, who dont eat product from animals (0,5%). Herta wants to attract 30% of the vegetarian catering market of supermarkets. It is aiming at families who want to eat healthily and who want to reduce their consumption of animal proteins according to Catherine Petilon, marketing director at Herta. In Nestlà ©s opinion, the offer of fresh deli products doesnt fit with the needs of the French consumers. The consumers dont really know the brands which are positioned on the market of vegetal protein foods such as Sojasun, Cà ©rà ©al and Carrefour Veggie. The marketing director is convinced that Herta has a role to play on this market thanks to its notoriety. Indeed, the brand bets on its proximity to the meat market to erase the concern of a part of consumers to eat vegetal meat. (Prodimarques, 2016) 2.2 What does the product consist of? All the products from the range Le bon Và ©gà ©tal come with the European Label V with the mention vegetarian or vegan. However, it doesnt say anything about the presence or absence of GMO soy despite the fact that Herta assures that they only use non GMO soy. Focusing on the Soy and wheat steak: Figure 1 Picture of Hertas product Here is the list of ingredients: Soy proteins and rehydrated wheat proteins, water, vegetal oils, onions, corn starch, stabilizers E461, E407; salt, maltodextrin, yeast extract, aroma, onion powders, garlic powders, malt extract, caramel, spices, acidifier: E330. May contains eggs, sesame, celery and mustard. Table 1 Nutrition value of the soy and wheat steak by Herta Typical value For 100g Per portion (75g) % of recommended daily allowances Energy 158 kcal 119 kcal 6% Proteins 16g 12g 24% Fat (total) Saturated fatS 6g 0,7 4,5g 0,5g 6% 3% Carbohydrates 8g 6g 2% FibreS 4g 3g Salt 1,5 1,1g 19% (Source: OpenFoodFacts, 2016) 2.3 What is the situation of the market? The brand wants to establish itself in the niche of Vegetal meats which has a penetration rate, of 8,4% with only 4 purchases per year. But the sales are increasing by 10% each. Herta estimates that the sales are going to be multiplied by two within 2 years. In Germany, this market already represents 140 million of euros, while it is still only 28 million in France. The fresh deli products belonging to the vegetarian category like soya steaks have seen their sales increased by 11.9 % in mass retail in 2015 to reach 15.42 billion euros, according to IRI. Soy based products account for 2/3 of the sales. Over the same period, the overall fresh deli product market has also seen an augmentation of 5,6 % of its sale revenue. However, the average price of a vegetarian product decreased by 0.5% to 14,13 euros per kilo, while the average price of fresh products increased by 1,8% to 10,49 euros. 2.4 What is the situation of the product on the market? At the moment, there is no study available about the sales of the product and the sales of competitors. The market is still relatively new in France, and the company is not ready to reveal its sales figures. 2.5 Overall situation of the society Over the last years, significant changes have occurred in French food consumption habits. French people tend to eat more at home and in less time (according to euromonitor). But french people also spend less time cooking and want to eat more healthily at the same time. However, these differences of consumption also depend on criteria such as age. Hence, young adults (18-34) consume more processed foods than older people. They also use more delivery services and eat out more often. Besides, the generation born between 1977 and 1986 spends 8 times more money on processed food than the generation from 1920-1930 at the same age. This food consumption is the result of new aspirations which can be ethical, ecological, etc. This generation has to deal with the contradictions of the recommendations of nutrition from professionals and the pressure of the marketing of the government and of the food-business (Study from Agrimer: national French establishment of agricultural products, 2012). Therefore, 56% of the French say that they eat less meat compared to previous years. For 46% of interviewed people, this is because meat is too expensive. 35% say that industrial breeding doesnt respect animal welfare and 31% that meat is not good for health. Then, 26% quote the food scandals and 19% the respect of the environment. Among this panel, 61% eat meat at least once a day and 9% eat meat less than once a week. Now, 30% of French people are qualified as flexitarian. According to Terra eco (a specialized magazine), 26% of French people would be ready to become vegetarian. 1/2 French people occasionally consume vegetarian products and 1/5 vegan products. 1/5 declares themselves to be neo vegetarian. Nevertheless, 2/5 never have a meal without meat or fish. The profile of the typical vegan consumer is female, young and from a higher Socio-Professional Category. Above all, they look for healthy balanced and natural foods, which also respect the animal welfare, and also mistrust the food-industry. However, neo vegetarians prefer organic shops and brands. They also buy more in small local shops, sometimes up to twice as much as in supermarkets. (according to a report from arcane research). 2.6 Who are the main competitors? What are the main differences? To better understand the market, it is important to understand who the other competitors are. There are two different types of competitors: the ones from specialized shops, whose products have created the market, and the others which are sold in the same conditions as Hertas products and are more direct competitors. La Vie Claire: La Vie Claire is a chain of organic food stores. Products from La Vie Claire are only sold within their shops. They sell a very wide range of products which can substitute meat. Figure 2 Picture of La Vie Claires product Table 2 Nutrition value of the soy steak by La Vie Claire Characteristics Benefits Disadvantages Medium price: 3.50 â‚ ¬ for 180g Large range of product Only available in La Vie Claires shops Positioning: Specialized Food From real soy grains Too much fat: 22g against 6g in Hertas product From Organic Agriculture Not enough proteins: 11,6g against 16g in Hertas product The product can be seen Only 270 shops minimalistic Packaging (Source: La Vie Claire, 2016) La Vie Claire is not a direct competitor since their productS cant be found next to Hertas. However, indirectly it will challenge X Hertas brand and attract a part of the vegetarian and vegan consumers. The product benefits from the very good image of the brand which is seen as more trustworthy in this field, and whICH is specialized in this type of product. That is the reason why the product can be a little more expensive (2.91â‚ ¬ per 150g). Nevertheless, the visibility of the product is far smaller than Hertas and the product seems to have some nutritional issues since it cant really be a substitute for meat since there are not enough proteins in it, and that it contains also far too much fat. Grill vegetal by Cà ©rà ©al: Figure 3 Picture of Cereals product Table 3 Nutrition value of the soy and wheat steak by Grill Vegetal Characteristics Benefits Disadvantages Medium price: 3.07 â‚ ¬ for 180g Large range of product: 7 Rehydrated soy and wheat Positioning: Specialized Food A little more fat and mostly unsaturated: 8,5g against 6g in Hertas product Unknown by most consumers 6,1g of Fibers Only sold in specialized shops The product can be seen minimalistic Packaging Looks more like meat by the aspect and the packaging Made in France Specifies the absence of additives such as food colourings and preservatives. Good amount of proteins : 17g against 16g in Hertas product (Source: Grill Vegetal, 2016) Just like La Vie Claire, Grill Vegetal by Cà ©rà ©al is only sold in specialized shops. However, it is overall a good product with a lots of advantages such as its nutritional aspect, its place of production, and the price is even lower than Hertas (2,56 â‚ ¬ per 150g). The product seems to respond well to the consumers demand on all highlighted points by consumers. It also looks like meat and has a decent amount of proteins even if it is still less important than meat. Nevertheless, the rather poor visibility of the product may hold back its consumption. Sojasun: Figure 4 Picture of Sojasuns product Table 4 Nutrition value of the soy steak by Sojasun Characteristics Benefits Disadvantages Medium price: 3.50 â‚ ¬ for 200g Large range of products: 11 (7 steaks) Rehydrated soy Positioning: Supermarkets A little more fat and mostly unsaturated: 8,5g against 6g in Hertas product The real product cant be seen at all 5.0g of Fibers As many proteins as Hertas (16g) Soy cultivated in France No GMO (Source: Sojasun, 2016) Sojasuns products are more direct competitors to Herta since they are also sold in supermarkets. The nutrition value of the steak is very similar to Hertas regarding the protein, fat or fibre amount. However, they have an important range of products and even have 7 different soy steaks. The strong points of the product are the absence of GMO and the origin of the soy. The price is even less expensive than Hertas with only 2,63 â‚ ¬ per 150g. Despite all its strength, the product may suffer from its brand not being as famous as Herta. Veggie by Carrefour: Figure 5 Picture of Carrefours product Table 5 Nutrition value of the soy steak by Veggie (Carrefour): Characteristics Benefits Disadvantages Medium price: 2.20 â‚ ¬ for 200g Large range of product: 16 Rehydrated soy Positioning: Carrefour Supermarkets A little more fat and mostly unsaturated: 8,8g against 6g in Hertas product The real product cant be seen at all 6,6g of Fibers The product can only be bought at Carrefour A little less protein than Hertas (14g). Does not communicate on the origin of the raw products (Source: Veggie, 2016) Veggie was created by Carrefour in 2015 to become a competitor to Sojasun. They chose to have a very low price in comparison to other similar products. As a consequence, the quality seems to be a little lower. However, the range of products is very large and Carrefour is of great renown in THE food business and distribution. Therefore, Veggie may become an important competitor to Herta despite being only sold in Carrefours supermarkets. 2.7 Perceived quality of the product: A focus group of 6 people have been conducted on the subject of Hertas new range, and more particularly the soy and wheat steak. The participants were all between 20 and 24 years old and were postgraduate students. This panel was selected because it was composed of 3 men and 3 women, and because more educated people tend to be the major consumers of this type of product according the studies. Among the panel, only 2 people had tried vegetal meat. They are not common users but said that they rather enjoyed the product. All of them said that they would buy the Hertas product. Half of them said spontaneously that they liked the packaging. They also agreed on the fact that green was a simple but good choice of colour since it seems more natural. However, none of them knew that Herta had made a new vegetal brand, and it was a bit hard for them to associate Herta with vegetal product. Still, what concerned them the most about the product was the vegan tag. They found it very restrictive in a way that in may repel them. When the benefits of the products were asked, half of them talked about gas emission. Also, the group was very divided concerning the question of animal and vegetal proteins. Some of them fought proteins from animal were better while other said the exact opposite, and some did not intervene. Regarding the drawbacks of the product, they highlighted that the soy production was done in Brazil and that is was not as good as pretended for the environment. Moreover, they associated the soy from Brazil with GMO soy. They also argue about the transformation process and the factory work carried out to get the product and said it was not good for the environment neither, and that the people working in this factories were probably not paid enough. Before the nutrition value topic could have been addressed, they asked for the tag to get a clear idea of what was inside the product. To do a comparison, they also asked for the tag of a real steak. They concluded that there were more proteins in mea t and less fat in vegan steak. Moreover, they pointed out the higher concentration in salt and carbohydrates in the Herta product. Concerning the price, the opinions were very mixed. Some would pay between 3 and 3.5 euros while others would only pay around 2 euros. Those who were ready to invest less money told that they would start by comparing the price with other competitors. To conclude on the session, one of the major issue with the product was the vegan writing which was considered as too extreme by the panel. It seems that people may not be ready to go from meat diet to vegan diet even if this not on regular basis. The psychological impact of the word on people could repel them from the product. Also, the image of the brand is really associated with meat in the mind of the consumers, it will be something to work on for Herta. Moreover, whereas everyone knew Herta very well, none of them knew the vegetal range of product. Hence, it seems that the communication around Le bon và ©gà ©tal could be improved. Nevertheless, the product looked appealing for everyone, even if they had restraints about the conception of the product. 2.8 Conclusion of part 1: Herta is clearly trying to anticipate the future trends. The brand understood that an important part of the future of fresh deli food relies on meat substitutes, and chose to be part of this new market rather than opposing itself to the new ways of consuming. Being one on of the first on the market could also help Herta which is now an old French brand and need to show innovation to keep a dynamic image in the eye of the consumer. The major issue for them is to succeed to support the maximum of consumers to this changing without losing them on the path. However, other brands such as Veggie may be fierce competitors for the future, not to mention the other brands already positioned in the market. 3.1 A lack in terms of nutrition value The first thing that could be a problem for the future of the product is the quantity. indeed, the pack contains 2 steaks weighing only 75g each which means a total amount of soy and wheat of 150g. for hertas product, for 100g, there are exactly 150 kcal, corresponding to only 112,5 kcal for 75g. a beef steak in france has an average of 20g of proteins and between 5 to 15g of fat according to the steak (per 100g). often a steak weighs 125g meaning that is has even more proteins and fat in it. for a steak of only 100g and 10g of fat, there are 170 kcal. The difference in calories is very important and could cause a difference in the perception of satiety especially given that animal proteins give a more important feeling of satiety (Douglas Paddon-Jones., 2008). If the consumer after consuming the product is still hungry, it will affect its experience and he will be less likely to buy it again. moreover, all competitors use a quantity which varies between 180 and 200g while some of them focus more on the product of high quality aspect (grill vegetal, la vie claire) and are seen as less accessible products. If a comparison was to be made, it would probably weaken the position of herta who wants to be closer to the average person. The price is indeed higher than other competitors price if the calculation is proportional to the quantity. the results are even more disconcerting when comparing carrefour (1.10 â‚ ¬ per 100g) and herta (1.83 â‚ ¬ per 100g). keeping the price in the average of the competitors is very important for the brand. if people have the choice between sojasuns product and hertas product and consider them to be at the same price if considering the quantity, in would surely harm herta. the significant price difference of veggie by carrefour and herta is too important. the product from le bon và ©gà ©tal could be negatively affected by this competition. indeed, the main reason why people tend to consume less meat is the cost. 46% percent of the people who eat less meat are motivated by the price (according to a study lead by Mediaprism). 3.2 Consider adding information to the packaging Concerning GMO, if the brand actually uses non GMO soy, it will probably be better to write it on the packaging, even if it is not highlighted. Indeed, as the focus group showed, people are concerned about the origin of the product and particularly soy. This is an important question considering there are not much French soy production. Moreover, the product has a rather high proportion of proteins compared to competitors and also a low level of fat. The brand should therefore consider writing a slogan such as the benefits of meat without its disadvantages. Then, on the other side of the packaging, the brand should explain how the product is better for health thanks to its nutritional value, but also how it is good for the environment. However, while doing that, the brand should always consider its positioning and should not be too harsh with the meat industry since it is Hertas main revenue sources. However, if the brand judges it too dangerous, another possibility would be to just compare the nutritional value to the products of the competitors and praise Hertas product. 3.3 A survey for more accuracy To get a more accurate idea, a survey was made. This survey was addressed to people who are living in France. These people are mostly between 18-25 years old and are of a rather high education level. The first part of the survey is about questioning the connotation of the terms Vegetarian and Vegan to understand what people associate with these words and if they sound rather positive or negative. Hence, to the question What does the word vegetarian actually bespeak?, people tend to give a definition of the word for the vast majority of them. To the question What is the connotation associated to the word vegetarian for you?, more than 55% have a rather good to good opinion of the idea. Half of the rest is neutral while the other half has a negative idea of the word. However, to the question What does the word vegan actually bespeak? the majority tends to give a definition, while a significant number of people (around 25%) associate it with the notion of extremism, and that by themselves, only responding to an open question. What is even more astonishing, is the connotation of the term vegan, especially in comparison of the results of the same question with Vegetarianism. Therefore, around 65% of people have a rather negative to negative opinion of the word, while almost all the others have a neutral opinion of it. The significant difference between the two terms in peoples min d is confirmed by the question would you buy vegetarian/vegan products?. 65% of people would buy vegetarian product while only 50% would buy a vegan product. The second part of the survey focused on the product and the perception people have of it. To the question, would you buy this product?, showing only the picture of Hertas product, only 28% of people would buy it. This percentage is very weak and lower than what could have been expected. The following question asked to justify the choice helps to get a better idea of what people really think. The people who would not consume the product justify their choice with multiple reasons. One of them is the brand itself. Surprisingly, while it has a very good image among French people, some of the people interrogated said that they dont trust Herta to make a Vegetal product. Moreover, several people are reluctant to consuming soy. Other people dont have any interest for the product and a significant number actually doesnt like the shape of the product. They say that if they want a steak, they would buy a steak with meat, and not a substitute. Finally, this part deals with the price people would be ready to pay for the product. The results are rather homogeneous since every person who responded to this question would invest between 2 to 3 euros for the product. This result is very close to the actual price of the product. To get more precision, the last question was exactly the same but showing two other products from direct competitors: SojaSun and Veggie by Carrefour while also communicating their prices (respectively 3.50 euros and 2.20 euros). This question was askeed to put the people in a more real context where they can have access to other products. Hence when considering only people who would be ready to buy the product, the large majority of them would pay 2.50 euros for it while very few of them would be ready to invest more or invest less money in the product. 3.4 Analysis of the results The results that emerge from this survey confirm that the actual price is close to what people would be ready to pay for and that maybe the product could benefit from a slight decrease of its price. Indeed, Herta is a brand for everyone, it cannot be as expensive as another brand of higher range products such as SojaSun or some other specialized competitors. Nevertheless, the price of Carrefour Veggie seems very low and most of the people were ready to invest a little more money in Hertas product than in Veggie after having seen the price of the product by Carrefour. Also, the Vegan tag question raised after the analysis of focus group was more thorough explored with the survey. It is clear that the concerns shared by the focus group were also shared by the surveyed people. The connotation of the term vegan and the associations made around it give it a less appealing look than vegetarian. I would therefore advise to change vegan for vegetarian. In addition, some people seem a bit reluctant when it comes to soy. Keeping a good range of products where not all vegetal products come from soy seems a good idea. Despite the consistency of the results, the panel was only of 20 people. This means that the results are not completely reliable and should be treated with the utmost care. Carrying out another study by the group Herta on a more important population should en

Germany under Bismarck :: essays research papers

Germany under Bismarck The Historical Debate The view of Bismarck over the years has changed and it is the historical debate surrounding our perception of him and his intentions that often shapes our interpretation of the German unification. No 19th century figure has attracted the attention and controversy that surround the achievement of Otto von Bismarck, with the exception perhaps of Napoleon Bonaparte. The success of Bismarck’s work in unifying Germany has shifted from a determinist to a dialectic approach. Early historiography had portrayed him as a master statesman, leading Germany to her rightful destiny. However, dissent from this thesis was at first from non-German historians who re-interpreted later events to conclude that there were more sinister implications to the work of the ‘Iron Chancellor’, making him a more Machiavellian and immoral politician. Later historians, after the Second World War adopted a teleological interpretation of Bismarck accusing him of leading the way for the disastrous era of Nazism by crippling the development of democratic institutions in Germany, he laid the country open to future dictatorships however, some historians have argued that Bismarck could not be held for all future developments. They cite his semi-feudal brand of conservatism, arguing that along with his religion and his limited Pan-German view, these factors all distanced him greatly from the principles of Nazism. Recent developments have tended to move away from the study of ‘Grand Policy’, to diminish the role played by great men such as Bismarck, but to stress the wider context in which they operated. Themes and Problems of 19th century Europe The collapse of the Napoleonic empire in 1814-15 brought the statesmen of Europe to provide for he political future of France and those territories conquered by France. In addition they had to reestablish the balance of power shattered by the Napoleonic campaigns, and to ensure against any similar disruption. France was forced to accept a restoration of the Bourbon dynasty, and a large war indemnity and an army of occupation was imposed. The justifications were manifold however, few do come to mind. Firstly, the Allies sought to prevent future French expansion by the creation of a cordon of relatively strong states around her borders. To this end, a new United Kingdom of the Netherlands was created, consisting of the old Dutch Republic and the Austrian Netherlands (now Belgium). Secondly, this cordon was backed and supported by a loose confederation of 38 states known as the German confederation which was established to compensate for the collapse of the old Holy Roman Empire which would ensure that a mass of small German states would be less easy prey for a future expansionist power.

Aviation Professionalism

Aviation Professionalism The Qualifications, Attributes, Ethics, and Responsibilities of Aviation Professionals Yadvinder Singh ASCI – 202 Anthony Miller March 7, 2013 Once someone joins the Airlines industry as a professional, be it a pilot, a technician, or an air traffic controller, they are committing to a certain level of responsibility and expectation. In my experience I have come across professionals who I have felt suited their role to near perfection while others in the same position at times fall short of basic expectations.The issue of professionalism and responsibility in the airline industry has been in focus recently due to some recent events like the Northwest pilots flying past their destination airport, in-flight breakdowns and rants by pilots and flight attendants, and airline mergers. I feel that sometimes media speculation exaggerates the issues presented to society and highlights mistakes where the public gets the impression that these types of incidents a nd errors are taking place daily.The reality is that safety measures are an integral part of an airline worker’s training and major errors or incidents occur rather infrequently. At the same time, another reality is that a mistake made by an airline employee, whether pilot, technician, or air traffic controller runs the risk of being fatal and this is where the attributes and ethics of an individual come into play. Pilots are required to complete extensive training and log thousands of hours of flight time before they can land a job with the major carriers, soI feel the qualifications alone can be met by many but perhaps there needs to be some sort of training or measure of ethical behavior of an individual because that can help determine how they will treat the level of responsibility associated with their job. Most flights complete their course without incident and this can naturally cause someone to relax their mind or reflexes a little, but no flight should be treated wit h any negligence whatsoever. The incident with the Northwest flight (NY Times 2009) crew is an ideal example of this.The pilots had a combined flying experience of over 30,000 hours, yet they committed an error that resulted in a major embarrassment and which could have cost lives. The main cause cited for this blunder is that the pilots were distracted during flight because they were engaged in personal matters on their laptops, which is a violation of airline safety guidelines. Is the root reason for this incident just poor judgment and misbehavior of the pilots or perhaps not enough emphasis on responsibility in their training?The hundreds of hours of flight time required to be a pilot come with a hefty price, so anyone who is a pilot has surely proven their passion and persistence for flying. However, it’s a wonder that this same dedication doesn’t follow through for some once they’ve landed a job with a major carrier and I think it may be because the path i s often so strenuous that getting a job itself is treated as the goal, when it actually is a stepping stone to really being a pilot. Air traffic controllers have also been in the news recently with incidents of suspicion that they are distracted and even sleeping on the job (USA Today, 2011).Here is a profession where mistakes are simply not allowed because the repercussions can very likely be fatal. I think there has to be a close monitoring of on the job behavior because the job itself runs the risk of complacency. It’s important to note that fatal incidents have been few and far between, but the risk is still great enough to warrant better oversight. A person who works as an air traffic controller needs to be one who is naturally very focused and detail oriented because the rules, the risks, the guidelines and need to be responsible and focused can be taught, but ultimately, this is behavior they have to showcase.Technicians are a group of people I’ve had several ye ars of close working experience with as both a former technician and in my current role of Inspector. Unfortunately, the current crop of technicians are a group I find to be well intentioned, but without enough working experience as they’re often straight out of high school. This doesn’t mean they don’t possess the necessary attributes or approach to be successful and responsible technicians, because these are often the deciding factors but I think there needs to be more training and understanding of the great deal of responsibility they are taking on as technicians.Professionalism to me is a good mix of knowledge, a candid commitment to ones job, the disciplined passion, and the ability to make proper but sound judgments. To put it into simple terms Professionalism simply means doing the right thing, even when you have had a long day and also when you are not in some spotlight. Whether you are a pilot, a technician, or an air traffic controller or any employee in the aviation profession these attributes or qualities have to be considered in taking the professional approach in today’s aviation profession.Works Cited Matthew L. Wald (2009, Oct 26). Off-Course Pilots Cite Computer Distraction. NY Times. Retrieved October 26, 2002 from http://www. nytimes. com/2009/10/27/us/27plane. html? _r=0 Alan Levin (2011, Apr 21). Recent air controller incidents no signs of crisis, experts say. Us Today. Retrieved April 21, 2011 from http://travel. usatoday. com/flights/story/2011/04/Recent-air-controller-incidents-no-sign-of-crisis-experts-say/46338056/1

Waste managment in the UK Essays - Waste Management, Free Essays

Waste managment in the UK Essays - Waste Management, Free Essays Waste managment in the UK Introduction Traditionally, when products are no longer of use, we tend to recycle them or dispose of them as garbage. This traditional approach, often labeled as ?cradle-to-grave?, views waste as an Inevitable by-product of production and consumption. However, waste ?costs? us all, through higher prices for raw materials, money spent on diversion and disposal, the environmental impact of disposing of waste, the health costs associated with hazardous materials, and the value lost when products are left to waste in disposal sites. This pathological attitudes were particular cultural responses to a series of basic organizational issues that any organizational or society at large must face. Hence, in this paper I shall develop an analysis of the change programme by the UK on household waste management. In doing so I shall be using organizational structure, learning and culture change as concepts. The main body A good point to begin with is to identify the main stakeholders in the household waste management or in other words, who is involved. A key concept to assess us on this analysis is organizational structure. Structure refers to those parts of organizational life that are relatively fixed and that provide the background against which and within which organizational life gets played out. Now, let?s see the household waste management structure. Figure 1.1 UK Household Waste Management Structure. Even in an organization that has put considerable effort into developing formal goals, there will always be a vast web of other, much less visible goals. However, Household Waste Management official goal is ?best practicable environmental option? (the BPEO). That is the option which provides the most benefit or least damage to the environment as whole, at an acceptable cost in long and short term. Thus, the strategy for sustainable waste management has three objectives: ?To minimize the amount of waste that is produced. ?To make best use of the waste that is produced. ?To minimize any immediate and future risk of pollution from waste management practices. Objectives can often be arranged in a rough hierarchical order. For example, an overall objective of minimizing the amount of waste that is produced can be used to drive other environmentally friendly and harmful strategic objectives, which in turn can lead to more specific organizational and departmental goals. Therefore, the different waste management options are considered as a hierarchy: 1.Waste reduction as economically feasible. 2.Re-use of objects for example, re-treading tyres or refilling of bottles. 3.Materials recycling composting for example, recovery of energy from waste. 4.Waste disposal. However, accourding to Perrow (1961) that official operative goals can easily become ?ends in themselves?. This shift of attention away from the overall purpose towards the means of achieving it is called ?goal displacement?. Hence, waste disposal comes at the bottom of the hierarchy and includes final disposal to landfill and incineration of waste where no recovery of energy takes place. That is exactly the case with the UK Household Waste Management, with its 85% current disposal; the UK is the most landfill disposal amongst industrial nations. However, some countries are beginning to set limits on the amount of biodegradable waste going landfill such as Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. It is clear from the above discussions that the hierarchical structure is found very widely as a structuring principle in the UK household waste management. With the UK government idea of rational analysis and its assumption that they understand the waste situation which they are analyzing. But is that realistic? While some organizations have been successful in institutionalizing systems that review and challenge basic norms, policies and operating procedures in relation to changes occurring in their environment-e.g. by encouraging ongoing debate and innovation many fail to do so. This failure is especially true of bureaucratic organizations, since their fundamental organizing principles often operate in a way that actually obstructs the learning process. These obstructions are: ?Whole point of bureaucratic approaches to organization is to break the overall task down into small department. ?Employees have an incentive to protect themselves. ?Gap between what people say and what they do. These examples of how organizations often inhibit double-loop learning also indicate how it can be facilitated. In essence, a new philosophy of management is required, to root the process of organizing in a process of open-ended inquiry. It is difficult to address the needs of waste

Career Mobility and Career Self

Career Mobility and Career Self Introduction One of the critical requirements of job satisfaction is the capacity of jobs to facilitate upward career mobility. This concern compels organisations through their HR to design and implement career training and development programmes for employees.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Career Mobility and Career Self-Management Skill specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This plan helps in the provision of knowledge and skills that are required to enhance innovation and creativity. Employees prefer working for companies, which foster the development of their individual skill bases. Consequently, the human resource arm of an organisation develops people to ensure that they acquire supervisory and basic skills to perform organisational tasks, develop their careers, and professional technical skills. Training and development consume organisational resources such as time and finance in exchange with employee c areer progression. This observation suggests that career development entails interactions and exchanges that occur between employers and the workforce. While literature on training and development sees employers as having a responsibility for guaranteeing career development to their employees, literature on career self-management sees employees as having an added responsibility of making decisions on their current and future career goals. Consequently, there has been an enlarging literature that calls upon employees to take full responsibility of their career management. These concerns are documented in the studies on career self-management, alternatively called individual career development (ICD). This paper identifies eight peer-reviewed articles that address the subject of career self-management. It then reviews and offers their critical analysis.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Literature Review Over the last two decades, the career growth environment has been undergoing significant changes. For example, changes have been experienced in traditional forms of career development. Such traditional forms are controlled by paradigms of employment order through the creation of employee relations programmes. Such approaches are now replaced by borderless and worker-controlled career development strategies (King 2004). In the wake of any global financial crisis, many organisations undergo restructuring while others engage in business partnerships such as mergers and acquisitions (Quigley Tymon 2006). For example, the 2007-2008 financial crisis led to the downsizing and even crumbling of some firms. This situation increased the levels of job insecurity. Many firms offered very few, if any, opportunities for promotions. Consequently, in such situations, employers demonstrate the fear or the unwillingness to engage in any agreement for mana ging and ensuring employee career opportunities in a formal manner. Thus, employees are only left with the choice of managing their careers individually. However, this claim does not imply that employers cannot help employees with career management. Employers value the need for employee career development. Therefore, organisations pursue policies that ensure the shifting of their accountability in career management and conference of roles to their employees through interventions such as offering training programmes on greater accountability together with a higher responsibility in the management of one’s career. Under the discourses of individual career management, this claim suggests that employers only provide an enabling environment for employees to take full accountability and management of their careers in preparation for taking higher career roles in the future (King 2004).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Career Mobility and Career Sel f-Management Skill specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Career self-management refers to ‘the degree to which one regularly gathers information and plans for career problem-solving and decision-making’ (Quigley Tymon 2006, p.523). Critical questions emerge on whether organisational interventions can increase individual career management skills and/or whether career management skills can be made effective through formal training. Can they also work well with all employees? If not, what class of employees can develop the capacity to self-manage their careers through organisational leveraging? Quoted by King (2004), Crites made one of the earliest attempts to theorise the concept of career self-management. People are motivated in the work environment by internal and/or external stimuli, which prompt them to act in certain ways. For example, they can make requisite adjustments to ensure that they are accepted by their workmates. They g ain prestige with the objective of securing more work freedom. Tensions also make employees react in certain ways to reduce any possible thwarting conditions. Changes in working conditions that force employees to behave differently result in their vocational adjustment. In the process, they experience success and/or satisfaction with their work (King 2004). This observation suggests that if workers fail to respond to changes in the work environment, they may get frustrated, a situation that can lead to vocational maladjustment.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This process occurs in all contexts and with ‘different thwarting conditions and foci for adjustment, over the whole course of the career from occupational entry to retirement’ (King 2004, p.115). Although Crites’ understanding of employee adaptations in response to internal and external stimuli is not in the contemporary terms of career self-management as it is today, his arguments form important paradigms for understanding the problem of career management in the 21st century. Crites recognises how people encounter various challenges such as barriers to career development throughout their working life. According to King (2004), despite referring his discussion to only merchants, military, and blue-collar jobs, his analysis of various thwarting situations measures up to the concerns for self-career management as discussed by Quigley and Tymon (2006) and Chiaburu, Baker, and Pitairu (2006). In fact, the claim that people encounter frustrations and barriers in care er progression receives acceptance in the 21st century career management discourses as the search for illimitable careers continues. Frustrations, conflicts and tensions in work environment compel people to adjust accordingly to minimise anxieties. This situation leads to self-career development as employees seek mechanisms for easing the ways of executing certain tasks that are allocated to them. Looking for effective ways of accomplishing a task entails a quest for higher performance and accuracy. As King (2004) suggests, career self-management is driven by the quest for increased performance. While analysing Crites’ work, as a potential theoretical framework for career self-management, King (2004) identifies a gap in literature on career self-management claiming that past scholars have not sufficiently addressed the question of why people adopt specific behaviours for career self-management. He takes this opportunity to propose a career self-management conceptual model for studying the nature, causes, and the consequences of career self-management. The framework explains the nature of career self-management as a dynamic process that entails the execution of positioning, influence, and boundary administration behaviours (King 2004). Periphery administration involves the assessment of various requirements within and outside the administrative centres. Positioning behaviours ‘ensure that an individual has the contacts, skills, and experience to achieve the desired career outcomes’ (King 2004, p.119). Influential behaviours relate to efforts of influencing decisions that employers make to align with the desires of the individual outcomes. Career self-management involves compromises between employers’ expectations and the expectations of employees’ desired career direction. Why do employees engage in career self-management behaviours? King (2004) responds that they desire to take a full command of their occupations, gain self-ef ficacy, and/or acquire occupational anchors. The outcome of these quests is life satisfaction. Although King’s (2004) work does not conduct any experimental or quantitative research to ascertain and support his model, literature on human resource management contends that employees who can control their career progression ladder in an organisation are better satisfied with their jobs and more prepared to face changes and challenges in terms of future job requirements. Raabe, Frese, and Beehr (2007) agree with King’s (2004) assertion that employees have a noble responsibility of ensuring they take full control of their careers. They assert that the current trend in career management indicates how ‘most of the responsibilities of managing careers are shifting from employers to adaptive and proactive employees’ (Raabe, Frese Beehr 2007, p.297). The nature of jobs changes with time. As discussed by Hall (2004), the emergence of protean careers, cause this shif t of responsibility for career management. This claim suggests that employees need to take proactive decision-making roles in determining the path of their careers both currently and in the future. Therefore, employers need not to determine where certain individuals should be in terms of career hierarchical positions. Rather, personal hard work and commitment to career progression should determine the effects of worker occupational growth. Career self-management requires one to take personal initiatives. Thus, it is important to have a model or strategy that employees can use to guide personal initiatives for individual career management. Raabe, Frese, and Beehr (2007) present such a model, but with consideration of the contribution of organisations in helping employees to self- manage their careers. Different from King’s (2004) theoretical framework for explaining career self-management, Raabe, Frese, and Beehr (2007) incorporate a mechanism for testing their model by conduc ting a quasi-experiment. However, similar to King (2004), they also base their model on a past theoretical framework, namely the action theory. The theory explains the manner in which employees ensure control of their career through engaging in chores that increase their career self-management. One of the theoretical constructs of the achievement hypothesis is the accomplishment adjustment presumption. It holds, ‘people’s transactions with the environment enable an individual to guide his/her goal-directed activities over time and across changing circumstances’ (Raabe, Frese Beehr 2007, p.298). Employees’ control over their careers implies that they execute their activities congruently with the desired goals. In fact, action regulation model identifies increased job attendance and decreased problematic workplace-related behaviours as important in career mobility. Nevertheless, there is inadequate evidence to support the capacity of the model to ensure tha t employees pursue long-term career goals such as career building. However, Raabe, Frese, and Beehr (2007) indicate that the model explains employees’ manner of controlling their careers. They also claim that employees can be influenced to engage in self-management behaviours for their careers (Raabe, Frese Beehr 2007). This claim suggests that organisations can leverage the process of career self-management by adopting appropriate employee career growth motivational programmes. Raabe, Frese, and Beehr (2007) arrived at their conclusion after engaging 205 white collar job workers in career development for a period of 10 months. They accomplished this mission by raising the workers’ individual knowledge concerning their commitment to career goals and/or planning on career quality (Raabe, Frese Beehr 2007). Their findings indicated a direct correlation between these variables and positive behaviours that fostered career self-management. Therefore, organisationally-esta blished individual employee career management programmes are feasible strategies for encouraging career self-management. Although Raabe, Frese, and Beehr (2007) offer an important mechanism for inducing and encouraging individual career management in an organisation, their research suffers some drawbacks. The study deployed quasi-experiments as opposed to the actual testing. This strategy introduces the challenge of making various causal inferences with certainty. Their data was based on self-reports, which may be distorted. Distortion impairs the reliability of research findings. Inferring from the action regulation model that people exhibit career self-management behaviours, which can be encouraged by an organisation, a scholarly interest emerges on whether the personality of individual employees can influence their behaviours. Chiaburu, Baker, and Pitairu (2006) studied the effects of proactive personality on people’s career self-management behaviours. They focused on beha viours such as job mobility and its preparedness together with ‘development feedback-seeking behaviours while providing evidence for one mediator (career resilience) and one moderator (public self-consciousness) on this relationship’ (Chiaburu, Baker Pitairu 2006, p.619). They deployed a regression analysis approach in analysing data that was collected from a sample size of 127 employees from only one organisation. Their findings indicated that the studied personality had a positive correlation with career self-management behaviours. In the relationship between the variables, career resilience provided a mediating effect on individual career management. Chiaburu, Baker, and Pitairu (2006) assert that self-consciousness in the public domain interacts with proactive personality to influence individual career management behaviours. These findings are valid in organisations. They are also applicable to various practitioners who look for various interventions for encouragin g individual career management interventions. In particular, practitioners and companies can design programmes for encouraging individual career management. The programmes should focus on interventions that encourage proactive personality development. However, Chiaburu, Baker, and Pitairu (2006) do not provide efficacy analysis of the research implications. For instance, they do not provide mediating effects that prevent people from developing personalities that impede individual career development. Upon employing their model in organisations that focus career management responsibility on employees, rather than employers, it is evident that certain personality attributes can be developed. This observation raises the question of whether personality is acquired from the environment or it is inborn. Behavioural, trait, socio-cognitive, psychoanalytic, and humanistic theories explain different personalities that individuals possess. For example, behavioural theories suggest that peopleà ¢â‚¬â„¢s personality emanates from the interaction of individuals with the environment. Consistent with Chiaburu, Baker, and Pitairu’s (2006) viewpoints, this claim implies that some personality attributes can be learnt so that career self-management interventions can help to induce personality attributes that encourage individual career management. In advancing their expositions, behaviourists study various measurable and observable behaviours of people to explain the nature of individual personality. Behavioural theorists such as John Watson reject various theories that suggest that personality of individuals is a function of feelings and thoughts that form part of the conscious and unconscious mind. The trait theorists assert that the personality of individuals comprises various broad traits. In the context of the discussion of this theory, traits refer to characteristics, which are stable within an individual. They guide the course of actions of different people. Such tra its can help in fostering or discouraging individual career management behaviours. Similar to Chiaburu, Baker, and Pitairu (2006), Hirschi and Freud (2014) find individual motivation to engage in proactive behaviours that encourage individual career development important in career self-management. In their study, they deploy ‘a micro-level perspective on how within-individual differences in motivational and socio-cognitive factors affect the weekly fluctuations of engagement in proactive career behaviours’ (Hirschi Freud 2014, p.5). The study deploys a sample size of 67 students from a Germany university. For a period of 13 weeks, the researchers scrutinise students’ beliefs on self-efficacy concerning their careers, barriers to career mobility, career support experiences, emotions towards career progression, and career engagement approaches. A regression analysis of the data was done using a linear hierarchical approach. The results of the analysis indicated th at social career support predicted students’ career engagement. Positive emotion towards their occupations also produced a similar effect on career engagement in social support. Along individual variations, their results showed that negative emotions and self-efficacy coupled with career barriers had no effects on career engagement (Hirschi Freud 2014). This observation implies that organisations need to look for career social support interventions and mechanisms for ensuring positive emotions towards the careers as a way of encouraging and supporting employees in taking responsibility of managing their careers. Although the results of Hirschi and Freud (2014) are important for organisations that are looking for strategies for shifting the career management responsibility to employees, their reliability is questionable. A research that has an error margin of 0.05 typically uses a sample size of 385. Hirschi and Freud’s (2014) research deployed a sample size of 67 stud ents. Therefore, the error margin in this research is far high so that reliability of the results to represent the population becomes questionable. Indeed, small sample sizes make generalisability of the results difficult. Consequently, for organisations that seek to use Hirschi and Freud’s (2014) results in their employee career self-management programmes, it is important to seek support for such programmes by considering evidence from other researches that have been conducted using the same approach while deploying larger samples from different contexts. From the aforementioned studies, personal initiatives to take charge of one’s career management are important. In the same line of thought, Ans and Jesse (2013) study the effects of career directedness on individual career management with a focus on retirement intentions. Their research arises from a scholarly gap in terms of linking self-directedness in career management to retirement intentions and decisions of old er employees (Ans Jesse 2013). Therefore, the researchers study the relationship between the two sides through the mediation of individual career management behaviours together with engagements. They use survey as a primary data collection methodology. With a sample size of 271 participants, including old employees (average age of 53) who have worked over 10 years (an average of 16 years), they measure occupational thoughts, professional self-administration manners, commitment, and withdrawal plans as indicators of career self-directedness (Ans Jesse 2013). Their results suggest a direct relationship between the variables of the study where individual career management behaviours and engagement provide a100% mediation effect. Ans and Jesse (2013) carry out a successful research on the effects of career- self-management on retirement intention among employees. They evidence that the need for career development is not merely a concern of the newly employed people, but also those who have been in the employment for a long time. Therefore, it responds to the question of who career self-management programme should be developed for in an organisation. Career self-management behaviours are equally appropriate for old employees just as they are crucial for the newly employed. This conclusion is perhaps well supported by theories of human motivation to work such as the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The theory holds that people hope for continuous individual growth, irrespective of their demographic differences. Quigley and Tymon (2006) hypothesise that intrinsic motivation in career development can foster career self- management. They develop an integrated model to explain this relationship. In the model, they claim that progress, employee competence, choice, and cognition of the meaningfulness of their career help in individual career management. However, their model is devoid of empirical data to support it. Since the theoretical framework only advances †˜six testable research propositions that link components of intrinsic motivation to career self-management and career success’ (Quigley Tymon 2006, p.522), the extent to which intrinsic motivation contributes to individual career management is not clear. Amid the lack of empirical data to support Quigley and Tymon’s (2006) model, approaches for inducing career self-management within an organisation are important, although each approach may have its own limitations. Indeed, shifts in responsibility for career management are not induced by employees. They are induced by organisations due to various operational challenges that prompt organisations to adopt different strategies for ensuring that they remain risk resilient. For example, with the formation of mergers, downsizing is almost inevitable in the effort to reduce organisational expenses. In such situations, organisations cannot take the responsibility of looking for alternative careers or placement of employees i n alternative jobs. Therefore, over the period of employment, organisations cannot ensure that employees do not become redundant in the event of a merger or acquisition by ensuring that they individually have the capacity manage their own careers. King (2004) asserts that when organisational life ends up being turbulent or unpredictable, individual career management becomes the only appropriate mechanism for ensuring navigation through the world of turbulence. De Vos and Soens (2008) and Hall (2004) confirm how the concept of the protean career is important for survival of employees in the turbulence. In the protean workplace, there is high job insecurity so that employees cannot consider themselves having a life-long career (Hall 2004). This claim suggests that when a job comes today, one cannot have an assurance that it will be there the following day. Therefore employees have the responsibility of assessing the employment markets, monitor career trends, and/or expect future chang es in the industry. Thus, they need to look for qualifications and appropriate skills that are necessary for thriving in a changing employment market. This process involves individual career management. Organisations cannot forecast and prepare their employees for future changes in skills and knowledge requirements (Hall 2004). Consistent with Hall’s (2004) assertion, issues such as globalisation and intense employment of technology in driving organisations’ competitive advantage lead to redundancy of some employees when their skills become no more viable in technologically savvy operational environment. Although an organisation may train and develop its employees to ensure they can perform their traditional duties in new technological business environments, such an attempt may not be feasible after its cost and benefits analysis is conducted. Consequently, cheaper alternatives such as new hires while disposing redundant employees may be favourable to an organisation. To avoid this situation, individual career management is inevitable for employees. De Vos and Soens (2008) support the need for employees to embrace protean career attitudes. Their research tests a theoretical model where they stipulate the correlation between ‘protean career attitude, career self-management behaviours, career insight, and career success outcomes (career satisfaction and perceived employability)’ (De Vos Soens 2008, p.449). The research deploys a sample size of 289 workers. Similar to Hall’s (2004) theoretical propositions, De Vos and Soens’ (2008) results suggest that protean career attitudes directly correlate with the anticipation of career success with career development insights that provide a mediating effect. Hence, a positive attitude towards career turbulence within an organisation fosters individual career management. Conclusion In a globalised and technologically driven world, employees need to anticipate unprecedented changes in their career demands. Therefore, they need to adopt requisite strategies for ensuring that they advance their knowledge and skills to meet the new demands. Failure to follow this path, protean career demands might force them out of the employment system since new jobs come with a new set of skills and knowledge requirements. The reviewed literature suggests that employees should not look upon their employers to manage their careers in preparation for their future changes. Rather, they should self-manage themselves. They can achieve this goal by adopting a positive attitude towards protean careers and preparing to face the dynamics of modern workplaces. Most importantly, they must assess the employment market to determine future skills and knowledge requirements. After understanding industry trends, they can then look for corresponding qualifications and skills. This plan calls for self-determination and adoption of personal initiatives to manage one’s career. Consequently, it is sufficiently sound to conclude that all aspects that correlate directly with career self-management behaviours are important in organisations’ programmes for training employees on their individual career management. References Ans, D Jesse, S 2013, ‘Self-Directed Career Attitude and Retirement Intentions’, Career Development International, vol.18 no. 2, pp. 155-172. Chiaburu, D, Baker, V Pitairu, A 2006, ‘Beyond Being Proactive: What (else) Matters for Career Self-Management Behaviours?’, Career Development International, vol. 11 no. 7, pp. 619-632. De Vos, A Soens, N 2008, ‘Protean Attitudes and Career Success: The Mediating Roles of Self-Management’, Journal of Vocational Behaviour, vol. 73 no. 3, pp. 449-456. Hall, D 2004, ‘The protean career: A quarter-century journey’, Journal of Vocational Behaviour, vol. 65 no.1, pp. 1–13. Hirschi, A Freud, P 2014, ‘Career Engagement: Investigating Intra-indivi dual Predictors of Weekly Fluctuations in Proactive Career Behaviours’, The Career Development Quarterly, vol. 62 no. 1, pp. 5-20. King, Z 2004, ‘Career Self-Management: Its Nature, Causes and Consequences’, Journal of Vocational Behaviour, vol. 65 no. 1, pp. 112-133. Quigley, N Tymon, W 2006, ‘Towards an Integrated Model of Intrinsic Motivation and Career Self-Management, Career Development International, vol. 11 no. 6, pp. 522-543. Raabe, B, Frese, M Beehr, T 2007, ‘Action Regulation Theory and Career Self-Management’, Journal of Vocational Behaviour, vol. 70 no. 2, pp. 297-311.

The world is getting flatter, and that is not necessarily a good thing Essay

The world is getting flatter, and that is not necessarily a good thing - Essay Example The world according to Friedman has been flattened due to major political events, innovations, and companies. He also cites ten flatterers that have shrunk the world. Information technology has definitely brought the world closer and made it interdependent and interconnected, it has resulted in both economic and social integration but this is not necessarily a good thing. Companies have to plan their strategies with special focus on talent management, cross-cultural diversity and the supply chain. Outsourcing and offshoring have affected the way business work today. Networking too has had an impact on services and product offerings. Thus the phenomenon of flat world gives rise to an emergent ‘mess’ of change that confronts us each new day (Weeks, 2007). Flatness is not a new phenomenon. Members of the same industry cluster together inefficiently in the centre of a straight line. This limits competition as it creates a long-term relationship between buyer and seller due to cost-advantage which benefit both (Leamer, 2006). Flatness can increase the scope of relationships but such relationships need to be maintained which is not as simple as it is made out to be. Flatness means taking advantage of the sun-dial model and getting the tasks to be done in other countries while Americans are still in bed. Friedman does not consider the amount of job loss it has caused the US. A flat world would imply that all nations can sell the same goods at more or less the same price and people have the same culture which enhances adaptability. McDonalds have faced problems in selling the same menu everywhere and do have to make local adaptation. It is not possible to change the culture and taste of a nation even after years of flatness. Flatness would means that labor costs or more specifically the costs of production should be the same all over but MNCs start production in developing nations to take advantage of cheap labor. This just means that relationships have shifted

The Role Of Cultural Policy On Organisational Management Dissertation

The Role Of Cultural Policy On Organisational Management - Dissertation Example The study will seek to determine the effects of cultural policy within an organization. The utilization of an exploratory design enables the research to conduct research and gather raw information from the identified sources. This will be fundamental in opening up the direction for further research within the field by other researchers. Different data collection methods will be utilized in collecting qualitative data, which will be utilized in making recommendations within the research. Primary data will be collected through interviews and questionnaires sent to individuals who will be selected through the utilization of random sampling methods. These questionnaires will contain both closed and open-ended questions which will be utilized in the collection of qualitative data. Secondary data will be collected from existing literature and published material from research conducted by other researchers within the same field of study. This information will be fundamental in providing gui delines for establishing the findings of the research. Qualitative approaches to data analysis will be utilized in seeking to analyze the collected data. Iteration will be continuously utilized during the data collection period in seeking to ensure the analysis process becomes simplified and reduce the data analysis time. After the interim data analysis, memoing of the data contained within the filled questionnaire will be performed in seeking to summarise the information contained within the data.