Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Global Marketing Chapter 1 Notes

Chapter 1 Global marketing refers to marketing activities that take place across national borders and outside of the firm’s home country Involvement in global marketing does not mean that a firm must sell its products in every country or region of the world Coordination and integration of marketing strategy with an emphasis on standardization are central tenet of GM Evolution of the conceptDomestic marketing – International sales are incidental to marketing strategy Multidomestic marketing – unique strategy for each country market Global marketing – Focus now on standardization and global segments Local marketing – Standardization but with a focus on the needs of local customers â€Å"Glocal Marketing† reflects the need for balance between global marketing, with a focus on standardization, and local marketing, with its focus on adaptation to country differences GlobalizationGlobalization refers to the increased integration of the worldâ€℠¢s economies. Ongoing global technological innovation in marketing has direct effect on the efficiency and effectiveness of all business activities. Globalization reflects a business orientation based on the belief that the world is becoming more homogeneous and that distinctions between national markets are not only fading but, for some products, will eventually disappear. Forms of globalization: Globalization of markets vs. Globalization of production Drivers of Globalization Market factors – convergence of markets, diffusion of telecommunication & internet. Growing # of retailers are now showing great flexibility in their strategies for entering new geographic markets * Cost factors – avoiding cost inefficiencies and duplication of effort are two of the most powerful globalization drivers. Economies of scale refers to the reduction in per unit cost of production. Economies of scope refers to reduced cost per unit as the firm spreads its total costs over a large numb er of brands, product lines, or target markets. Environmental factors – government barriers have fallen dramatically in the last several years and this has further facilitated the globalization of markets and the activities of marketers within them. Rapid technological evolution is contributing to the process. * Competitive factors – to remain competitive, the marketer may have to be the first to do something or to be able to match or pre-empt competitor’s moves. Without a global network, a marketer may run the risk of seeing carefully researched ideas picked off by global players.Market presence may be necessary to execute global strategies and to prevent others from having undue advantage in unchallenged markets. The anti-globalization movement The globalization trend has drawn its fair share of critics over the years. Anti-globalists have expressed concerns about the impact of the trend on the poor, the environment, and on national sovereignty. Many anti-glob alization protests have turned violent in the past Opportunities and challenges in global marketingThe growth of global business activities offers increased opportunities. International activities can be crucial to a firm’s survival and growth. By transferring knowledge around the globe, an international firm can build and strengthen its competitive position. What is needed is an awareness of global developments, an understanding of their meaning, and a development of capabilities to adjust to change. Willing or unwilling, firms are becoming participants in global business affairs.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Plato vs. St. Augustine of Hippo Essay

Our world has developed and flourished by the thoughts and contributions of many leaders. Among those leaders were Saint Augustine and Pluto. For many historians, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and Augustine’s The City of God, are historical pieces that point out what had happened during ancient times. These pieces are significant because they shed some light on different thoughts and beliefs of people. Even though these works do not have similar world views, they attempt to show guidance to human life and to their beliefs. In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, he teaches a world view with an example of a cave filled with darkness that people inside should get out by finding the truth and seeing the light. On the other hand, in Augustine’s The City of God, a Christian author, perceived this world as a place where the heavens and the earth coexist. Even though they both showed some similarities on the concept of dualism, these two philosophers had quite different principles and foundational beliefs. Augustine lived in the time around the fourth century. He was born in Tagaste, a Roman province in northern Africa. During his life time, the Roman Empire was on the verge of weakening and later collapsed for good. And according to Brian Levack, one of the main reason for the collapse of the once great empire was due to invasion from many sides in addition to the â€Å"unwise decisions, weak leadership, and Military Failure† in the empire (Levack 190). During this time, Constantine (AD 272-337) strived to Christianize the Roman Empire and thus Christianity was spreading all over the empire; however, there were debates and disagreements in the doctrine of Christianity and thus there existed splits among Christians that gave rise to the division in the Roman Empire. It was during this time the idea of Monasticism and Donatism flourished. Greek and Roman philosophical thoughts existed in the fourth century. The origin of the philosophy is traced back to the classical age of Greece. At that time, many thoughts emanated from different philosophers, each with their own views. However, as many would agree, Plato (ca.429-327  B.C.E) was the most prominent philosophers in the realm of ancient philosophy. He was influenced by the scientific thoughts of people that existed long before him. Since Plato was a student of Socrates, his teachings and beliefs have paved a way for Plato which in turn influenced Aristotle. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, clearly explains his philosophical thoughts and understanding. Basically, this work is a dialogue between Socrates, his mentor, and Glaucon (Plato’s brother). The work paints a picture of prisoners tightly chained in a cave in an attempt to describe the nature of justice –one of the â€Å"absolute forms.† Above these prisoners is a fire that casts a shadow of objects that pass through the way between the fire and them. He describes that for the prisoners that are unable to see anything but only the shadows casted by the objects on the wall of the cave. Plato further explains that if any one among the prisoners is set free and is forced to look up to the light, he will be suffer from its glitter on his eyes till he adjusts to it. If told that what he used to observe in the caves was an illusion, he will not be well convinced and would rather choose to go back to the cave where he will claim what he sees in the cave is a reality . However, if he is forced to stay in the world above, he will see the reality, the objects themselves: â€Å"And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves.† After having a thorough understanding of the reality in the above world, if he returned back to the cave, his vision will be filled with darkness and requires time to adjust. And even if he does, he, along with his ideas and believes will not be accepted among other prisoners. As mentioned above the works and contributions of these philosophical thoughts and ideologies had shaped influential people in the world of Christianity and among them was Augustine. In his early days, his parents sent him to Carthage for his rhetorical education. During his stay, he was struck by the search for truth. And this quest led him to the probe in to the Manichaeism ideology which was widely spread at the time. However, after discovering that the ideology could not bring the solutions what he was longing for, he become interested in neo-Platonic ideas while he was in Milan. This interest of his compelled him to become a Neo-Platonist (Gonzalez 210). During the time of Augustine, Christianity was spreading through the Roman Empire before the time of its downfall. Also, divisions occurred in the Empire after the death of Constantine, who is credited for his attempt to unify the churches in the Empire. Levack mentions that the Huns, Alaric and Vandals played great role that contributed for the collapse of the once great empire in the year A.D 410(191). In addition to this, many sources point out many reasons for downfall of the Empire, but most of them point their fingers at the transformation of the Empire to Christianity. According to historians, Polytheist claims that Christians were more interested to serve God than the Empire and have a sense of forgiveness towards enemies. Therefore both polytheist and pagans stressed that the Christian God failed to protect the Empire. In an attempt to prove Christianity was not a threat, and also to clear the misconception about the allegation that the Church profoundly contributed to the Roman collapse, Augustine wrote The City of God. Basically, the work mainly revolves around two cities: The Earthly city and the Heavenly city. The earthly city is a typical example of a place, presumably inhabited by pagans and polytheist and is found on earth. On the contrary, the heavenly city sojourns on earth. He makes a comparison between the two. He says that both are formed by two loves: â€Å"the earthly by the love of self† and that of the heavenly by the love of God. While the earthly city pleasures from the glorification of itself and its men, the heavenly counterpart pleasures in the glorification of God. The earthly operates on its own; that is, with the power, wisdom and rule of men while the heavenly is fully dependent on God. Augustine criticizes men of the earthly city for excessive pride in their own wis dom and for unthinkable representations of the image of God they made to worship, and this men that he is referring to are neo-Platonists. Augustine explains the two opposing aspects that exist in the city: peace and Conflict. He mentions that the earthly city is characterized by arguments, wars, and quarrels. Although victories over such aspects exist, he claims that it is either â€Å"life destroying† or â€Å"short-lived.† On the contrary, he points out that the heavenly city is characterized by the existence of everlasting victory and â€Å"never-ending† peace. He sets a clear demarcation between different aspects of both the heavenly and earthly cities. He explains the necessity to live by faith so as to escape the distraction of  that surrounds to deceive families. During his time, since the idea of monasticism and pilgrimage was well known, he encourages that families practice these idea to their advantage to gain heavenly blessings and everlasting peace, and lessen the burdens of the body, a prominent goals of all human beings that live in both cities. However, he contends that their appro aches are totally different: the earthly city has its own set of rules designed by the will and desires of men. Also, the earthly city has ideologies and principles set forth by philosophers, such as polytheists, who Augustine thinks are foolish for their earthly wisdom and understanding of the truth, and yet deceived themselves would also deceive the inhabitants of the earthly city: â€Å"the earthly city has had some philosophers whose doctrine is condemned by the divine teaching, and who, being deceived†¦supposed that many gods must be invited to take part in the interest in human affairs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  furthermore he explains that there would always a discord between both cities, and everlasting peace on earth could be attained through the unity in worshiping one God. Augustine’s City of God was one of his influence works that left positive marks on the thoughts and beliefs of many generations after him. According to Michael W. Goheen and Craig G. Bartholomew in Living at the Crossroads, he played a vital role in influencing the thoughts of many that provided structures for med ieval culture. But still they point out that this work of his is a combination of elements of Scripture and neo-Platonism (77). This shades some light on how he was deeply influenced by Greek and Roman Philosophical thoughts prevalent during his time. Besides, Goheen and Bartholomew argue that Augustine’s deep immersion in neo-platonic thoughts had an adverse effect on the development of western culture (77). This is evident in most of his works that â€Å"bore a [n]eo-Platonic stamp† (Gonzalez 212). Finally, if it was not for Augustine’s works, the Christianity that we have today might be different. It was through his work that became an influential theologian that paved the way for both medieval and modern Christianity: Walsh and Middleton label him as â€Å"the father of middle ages† (111). Although some say that his immersion in neo-platonic thoughts had negative consequences, Gonzalez points out that he was the most quoted theologian in the Middle Ages and thus â€Å"became one of the great doctors of the Roman Catholic Church† (216). It cannot be denied that his biblical world view has some stains of platonic philosophical  views; however, some of these thoughts have some similarity to th e bible. For instance, Plato assumed that there is a supernatural power which he labels as the â€Å"One† which is the reason for the existence of everything. Besides, he point out that there is another world beyond human existence –a world which he calls the â€Å"above world,† which exists at a higher level beyond the existence of humans. This assumption is akin to that of what the bible states as the Heavens. Thus, although Augustine’s works, thoughts and world views are deeply influenced be Greek and Roman Philosophies, he is still the â€Å"favorite theologian† and the most prominent figures for his significant contributions profoundly contributed to the realm of Christianity. As a Christian, I was surprised to discover that how these works are still influential in our world today. Furthermore, these works will broaden the minds of Christians in terms of the history of Christianity and its doctrine. Finally I contend that these historical pieces will gi ve a slight sense of the theological and philosophical world views and broadens ones understanding. Works Cited Augustine. â€Å"The City of God-excerpts on the Two Cities†, Medieval Sourcebook, July 1998. Stephen, Cooper. Augustine for Armchair Theologians, 2002. Print. Plato. â€Å"The Allegory of the cave†, The History Guide, May 2004. Goheen, Michael W., and Craig G. Bartholomew. Living at the Crossroads. Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2008. Print. Gonalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity. Peabody: Prince Press, 2007. Print. Levack, Brian, Edward Muir, Meredith Veldman, and Michael Mass. The West. N.p.: Pearson Education, 2007. Print. Walsh, Brian J., and Richard Middleton. The Transforming Vision. Downers Grove: Inter Varsity Press, 1984. Print.

Monday, July 29, 2019

THE REFORM OF URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT IN CHINA Essay

THE REFORM OF URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT IN CHINA - Essay Example This included the property rights arrangement, the financial arrangement and the operation arrangement. The property rights arrangement enabled the transfer of ownership. The financial arrangement provided the capital availability for further development. The operational arrangement upgraded the efficiency by exploiting advanced management skill applied to the water sector. As the privatization of the water sector took place, the role of the government changed. The government should step down from the role of service provider, and become the regulator of water market. The increase in water tariffs was also important in the water reform. The central government tried to increase the water efficiency and productivity by market mechanism. Increase in water tariffs raised the cost of using water, which could reduce water consumption with low use value. The urban water resources management had experienced a tremendous change for the sustainable development of urban China. I declare that this dissertation represents my own work, except where due acknowledgement is made and that it has not been previously included in a thesis, dissertation, or report submitted to this University or to any other institution for a degree, diploma or other qualifications. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family, especially my wife Marisa and my daughter Vickie for their enduring support and encouragement. Also, I want to show my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Y S Frederick LEE, for his continual support and guidance during the whole period of the preparation of my dissertation. Here I want to dedicate this work to them. Water is one of the necessities for human sustainable development. It is also a key element for urban activities, such as daily living and industrial activities. China has only 6% of the world’s total fresh water resource, but more than 20% of its population (Gleick, 2009). The National

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Fashion, Culture and Tibetan Buddhism Research Paper

Fashion, Culture and Tibetan Buddhism - Research Paper Example The essay "Fashion, Culture and Tibetan Buddhism" will study the relationship that exists between Tibetan Buddhism (its culture and religion) and fashion, while comparing it with Islam and its influence on fashion. In the context of fashion and social identity, observations revealed that an individual interacts with fashion in a same manner he/she interacts with other people, thus using fashion to reveal what he/she wants to personify. The direct contact between the wearer and various fashion elements (such as, clothes and other accessories) help to establish a personal identity. Since fashion tends to portray the link between physical materials (such as, clothes and jewelry) and the wearer’s personal values, there is also a close connection between fashion and one’s self-perception. Fashion affects the wearer’s self-perception, thus acting like a filter, positioning itself between society and the wearer. Observations revealed that generally, physical bodies are viewed as social symbols, where female bodies form an important mechanism for preserving social and cultural traditions; wherein majority of the conservative religions tend to dictate stringent norms for female fashion . While establishing personal identities, fashion also helps in constructing social status and position, where it is presumed that fashion is a true reflection of the wearer’s self and lifestyle. The strict sociocultural rules governing fashions are often visible as laws of the land that force people (primarily women). to follow rigid social standards in the context of clothing, and often giving rise to a social tension between conformists and dissidents (Voss, 405-407). In such instances, it is evident that culture plays a dominating role and fashion becomes a strong tool in hands of the conservatives, which is used for gender subjugation and social control, a condition prevalent in the Islamic countries. On the other hand, social dissidents also use fashion t o symbolize their breakaway from rigid socio-cultural and religious norms. Therefore, fashion is closely related to different aspects of the culture and society from which it originates and subsequently represents. Tibetan history, culture and fashion Tibetan culture  has evolved through the influence of various external factors. Tibet had established trade connections with India and China from the ancient times, and these two countries have produced a significant effect on its cultural development. Tibet’s  inaccessibility, owing to its remote location, has however helped to preserve certain local influences that make it stand apart from both India and China. In terms of religion, Buddhism  has a strong influence on the socio-cultural aspects of Tibet, since its introduction in the country as early as the seventh century. Music, literature, art, clothing and almost all aspects of the Tibetan life strongly reflect presence of Buddhist values and beliefs. In Tibet, Buddh ism has developed its own unique form, which adopted the  Bon cultural tradition, interspersed with various local beliefs. According to

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Competitive factors of YUM Brands (MNC) to succeed in the business Research Paper

Competitive factors of YUM Brands (MNC) to succeed in the business - Research Paper Example Yum brands, based on the co-branding strategy have built a vibrant global business by focusing on four key growth strategies (Uggla & Filippson, 2009): Another co-branding strategy has been to pair KFC with Taco Bell or Pizza Hut with Taco Bell. The co-branding approach has added 30% to its sales compared to singe brand units (Enz, 2005). As the competitors such as McDonalds and Burger King were trying to reinvent their strategies, Yum Brands adopted an unusual track of combining diverse brands in a single restaurant. This led to increased sales and improved efficiency. Apart from offering different products to a diverse segment, Yums has responded to the obesity and health concerns also by co-branding with health organizations. As such it partnered with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a leading US breast cancer charity, to sell pink buckets of fried chicken (Freedhoff & HÃ ©bert, 2011). Through such partnerships the Yum Brands is trying to send the message that inactivity and not consumption of its calorie-rich product is the cause of obesity. Their biggest expansion is in China and they have adopted the localization strategy and localized the menu options (Burchett, 2011). That apart, they have also introduced fine dining in India and China which is different from the fast food sector. They have their own fast food Chinese restaurant – East Dawning – and the brand association with KFC has a strong impact on the Chinese consumers. To gain competitive advantage, Yums pursued the hybrid strategy. As per Porter’s generic strategies, their strategy could fall under the differentiation strategy as they offered higher perceived value. They did not go for cost-leadership strategy because they did not want to be perceived as low-cost brand. However, based on Bowman’s Strategy Clock, this is a hybrid strategy. Their prices are at par with the competitors but they offer higher

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - MMPI Essay

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - MMPI - Essay Example The MMPI has assessed in a variety of areas, such as: Criminal justice and corrections; evaluation of disorders; screen candidates for high safety positions; assess medical patients; evaluate participants in substance abuse programs; support college students and counseling; marriage and family counseling; and, screen international adoption parent. The MMPI is not sold and has been replaced by the MMPI-2 (Wikipedia, 2007). Scale 2 Depression, it identifies poor morale, the lack of hope in the future, and general dissatisfaction with ones own life. The high scores are identified as clinical depression and the low scores as unhappiness with life. Scale 5 Masculinity-Femininity was originally used to detect homosexuals but was not accurate. It is used to measure traditional masculine or feminine roles prior to 1960 and it is related to intelligence, education, and socioeconomic status. Scales 8 Schizophrenia assesses bizarre thought processes and peculiar perceptions, social alienation, poor familial relationships, difficulties in concentration and impulse control, lack of deep interests, disturbing questions of self-worth, and sexual difficulties. Hunt (2000) wanted to test that low iron status or other nutritional deficiencies are associated with symptoms of depression in premenopausal women of child bearing age. The author associated the blood indices of iron status to scores on the MMPI and responses to a mood adjective checklist. This took place during the women ´s menstrual cycle. There were 365 women who seemed healthy participants from Grand Forks, North Dakota. They found that the frequency of the elevated MMPI Depression scores did not relate to the frequency of low hemoglobin, transferrin saturation, or ferritin. The results did not support the hypothesis of low iron status contributing to symptoms of depression in women. According to Butcher et al. (ND) both the MMPI and

Friday, July 26, 2019

Linguistics- Language Acquisition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Linguistics- Language Acquisition - Essay Example In the sense, they will imitate every aspect and word more like how they observe than what is the exact. While imitating, almost all the children reflect a tendency to make errors, these errors could be explained as general among all children, who may belong to any origin. Some of the common errors or overgeneralizations that could be identified among children are applying the meaning of a universal statement to all exceptions. This is a behavioural mistake realised among all children. For example if â€Å"dog is explained in terms of an animal having four legs, and birds in terms of all that flies†, the child will associate all animals with four legs as dogs, and all that flies as birds, including an insect. The simplest example would be that, children suggesting the past tense of verbs in a generalized way, the past tense of â€Å"come† might be guessed as â€Å"comed†. As they would have registered their mind according to what they have been taught as rules, â€Å"all verbs end with an â€Å"ed† while changing to past tense. This might be referred to as one of the simple examples of overgeneralization. From this we could understand that As far language acquisition is concerned, overgeneralizations occur in those who are in the beginning stage of learning, for example children who learns their first language at home, and adults who learn their second or non native language on condition. It is the stages involved in the process of learning a language by understanding the linguistic and grammatical rules of the particular language. A child learns by distributing the various things that exists and analyse them on the basis of communicative ideas taught by the elders. For example if an elephant is described and explained as huge in size, the child might associate this explanation with any other animal [which it might see in a book]. This is called overgeneralization. As already said language acquisition is the course of learning a language by

Thursday, July 25, 2019

I-HRM & Performance Management and Strategic Management Assignment

I-HRM & Performance Management and Strategic Management - Assignment Example However its importance becomes multi fold in global scenario due to the variable and dynamic nature of market. Success in IHRMs is akin to success of overall operational activity undertaken. Introduction: Organizations are a collection of different individuals and different processes that are grouped together into one unit in form of larger entity. Each of these has a clear role defined and responsibility assigned to them. Without the clear definition of the roles, the processes cannot excel. A special domain is in place that ensures that all these personnel are adjusted according to the requirement, and according to their skill and abilities. This is covered in the domain of Human Resource management. Assigning the right kind of role to the right kind of person in the right manner. The scope of HRM is quite a broad one and it entails almost all the activities of the personnel involved (Ristow, et al. 2009). No organization can survive without the presence of apt Human resource manag ement. Human resource management may exist in various forms. It can be of local level and/ or international level. The International human resource management is applicable in cases when the organization performs its activities and provides its services off shore and across the border. Like the domestic human resource management, IHRM is subject to the compliance of structures like performance management and strategic management. While each society has its own characteristic ways and patterns, and as a result of this, the individuals go about different functions in a different manner, it becomes imperative to adjust and accommodate these individuals and these functions according to their inspirations and in result yield the best deal out of the scenario and situation. They dynamic nature of I-HRM: Human resource management in the international context is the most dynamic concept since these trends vary from society to society, and country to country. While the basic concepts of huma n resource management remain the same, which are based on the basic principles of ensuring that the right kind of person is employed and inducted in the right place, yet in global context, the culture, the overall aptitude, the global patterns, the governmental factors and considerations also must be taken into account (Haris, et al. 2003). In the global scenario, the IHRM aims at creating a correlation between the nature of work and nature of people. Since a totally different culture and society is involved thereby variations are bound and adjustments ought to be made in accordance. The need: The need for human resource management in international scenario becomes more important than ever because different aptitudes, difference surroundings, and different variables are involved. In domestic domains, the natures and aptitudes can be easily comprehended, but in international scenario, the trends and patterns are totally different based on different set of values, cultural norms, folk ways, in such cases, understanding the human resource functions is an indispensible concept and it serves as the backbone towards the organizational success. Mishandling and it could lead to the overall failure of the organizational venture undertaken on international shores (MacCourt 2003). Literature Review: The early 19th century and middle 20th century has seen massive change in the manner in which businesses were being conducted earlier (Shuman & Twombly 2001 19). The global trends have prevailed since then with every individual and every organization in touch with

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Role component Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Role component - Essay Example rsities have formulated peer evaluation guidelines suited to the unique teaching situations existing within their departments, always with the acquiescence of faculty. The process of peer review is generally implemented in ways that are tied to individual career enhancement, as well as departmental objectives and institutional mission. Peers usually form the primary source of data for â€Å"content expertise†, an important component of the â€Å"teaching† role of the faculty. Assessment of this role component should be based on 3 qualities namely, currency, accuracy and inclusiveness. Agatucci et al. (1995), describe â€Å"content expertise† as â€Å"knowledge, preparation and understanding of subject† (p.6) and stipulate certain criteria for the same, including: (1) demonstration of a strong foundation in the content and skills of the subject being taught; (2) evidence to suggest that the instructor stays abreast of current knowledge and new developments in the subject matter field; (3) demonstration of the knowledge of applicability of subject matter to other disciplines; (4) evidence to suggest that the instructor makes effective use of appropriate library, multimedia, laboratory, technological and other resources, and (5) evidence to show that the instructor is willing to implement innovations, and to revise and refresh course content with contemporary knowledge. Thus, content expertise evaluation, in essence, determines the level of skills, competencies, and knowledge the instructor possesses in a specific subject area in which (s)he has acquired higher education, training, and /or experience. The minimum standard of performance for the above listed criteria should be: Criterion #1. The quality of content taught is a reflection of the instructor’s mastery of the subject. Therefore, an effective teacher should know the subject well enough to provide sound and illuminating answers to any questions that the best student might ask on the subject. And, also be

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Personnel Selection and Assessment Research Paper

Personnel Selection and Assessment - Research Paper Example According to Field (2009) when testing for validity, one is effectively testing for ‘evidence that a study allows correct inferences about the question it was aimed to answer or that at test measures what it set out to measure conceptually’ (p. 795). There are three main types of validity. Construct validity refers to whether a test correlates to the theorized construct that it purports to measure. For example, an intelligence test is a test which requires strong evidence for construct validity, since researchers need to be sensitive to the extent to which they are measuring intelligence rather than language or culture differences (Mertens, 2009). The second type of validity is content validity, which is relevant to test which aims to evaluate a specific body of knowledge. For example, a depression scale may lack content validity if it does not represent the entire range of possible items, such as the behavioral dimension. Finally, criterion-related validity is a measure of how well a test is effective at predicting of a construct. This type of validity testing is divided into two types, namely concurrent and predictive validity, where concurrent validity is assessed by correlating a test with another test that has been previously validated. These two tests are taken at the same time. Predictive validity differs in that the one test is taken earlier and is meant as a predictor to a later measure (Mertens, 2009). The utility of selection methods refers to the value it has in the process of selection.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Plunkitt of Tammany Hall Essay Example for Free

Plunkitt of Tammany Hall Essay â€Å"There’s an honest graft and, I’m an example of how it works†¦I’ve seen my opportunities and I took ‘em† (3). An excerpt that defines the confident and political leader: George Washington Plunkitt. As a brilliant and successful businessman Plunkitt managed to use his method of machine politics to win the heart and commitment of people and political power. In the novel Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, author William L. Riordon, Plunkitt’s political reporter who records the many lectures Plunkitt presented at Tammany Hall. The book emphasizes on Plunkitt’s advocacy for political control and the political machine that helped him gain wealth and a political seat in Tammany Hall. In novel, Plunkitt defends the political machine by explaining the difference between â€Å"honest graft† and â€Å"dishonest graft†. Many accused the political leaders of Tammany Hall of gaining wealth from graft. Plunkitt describes the difference between the two terms. He describes â€Å"dishonest graft† as â€Å"blackmailin’ gamblers, saloonkeepers, and disorderly people† (3). In other words, the corruption of gaining political or business power used from bribery. Plunkitt’s term for â€Å"honest graft† has to do with the example of purchasing and selling off land for business projects. For example, if the town begins discussing a specific piece of land to be used for a community park, Plunkitt would buy that piece of land, inflate the price, and sell the property to the project developer. Plunkitt finds his way of profiting â€Å"honest†; I call this taking advantage of ones political power. As an â€Å"honest† Irish- American Plunkitt knows how to take advantage of the game and he will continue to play it until sand turns into stone. With the ability to win over voter’s hearts and gain political support Plunkitt comfortably knows how to keep a seat in Tammany Hall. One of his, again, â€Å"honest† tactics, Plunkitt knows how to target specific types of voters. In the chapter â€Å"To Hold Your District†, Plunkett claims how to target the lower class people. He would start house fires so that the poor would not have any clothing or food. Then Plunkitt would act as a friend to the people giving them quarters for clothing and food to win the heart of the people. In other words, he was gaining a vote. Plunkitt would even hand out candy to children to promise to make sure their parents were voting for him in elections. As a corruption to society, Plunkitt knew how fake the political act and win people over with friendships. According to Plunkitt in order to become a politician in Tammany Hall one must know how to bluff. Everything was about winning a vote, whether it was taking someone to a baseba ll game or handing out candy to children. What ever it took. As a business and political man, Plunkitt knew the political game inside and out. With corruption, he managed to continue to remain in office for countless years. Even though Plunkitt’s grammar was inferior to a professors’ or college graduate, it had nothing to do with being a political powerhouse. A politician had to have common sense and know how to gain ones trust, even if it meant dishonesty. By selling himself and taking advantage of political and business opportunities with â€Å"honest† or â€Å"dishonest† graft, Plunkitt attentiveness always kept himself in front with wealth and politically.

Lobbying in Alcohol Industry Essay Example for Free

Lobbying in Alcohol Industry Essay 1. Alcohol industry in EU The economic role of the alcoholic drinks industry is considerable in many European countries. Alcohol excise duties in the EU15 countries amounted to â‚ ¬25 billion in 2001, excluding sales taxes and other taxes paid within the supply chain – although â‚ ¬1.5 billion is given back to the supply chain through the Common Agricultural Policy. Due to the relative inelasticity of the demand for alcohol, the average tax rates are a much better predictor of a government’s tax revenue than the level of consumption in a country. 1.1 Alcohol and the economy of Europe Europe plays a central role in the global alcohol market, acting as the source of a quarter of the world’s alcohol and over half of the world’s wine production. Trade is even more centred on Europe, with70% of alcohol exports and just under half of the world’s imports involving the European Union (EU). Although the majority of this trade is between EU countries, the trade in alcohol contributes around â‚ ¬9billion to the goods account balance for the EU as a whole. Price differences play more of a role in the level of legitimate cross-border shopping, where individuals legally bring back alcohol with them from cheaper countries. At least 1 in 6 tourists returns from trips abroad with alcoholic drinks, carrying an average of over 2 litres of pure alcohol per person in several countries. The economic role of the alcoholic drinks industry is considerable in many European countries. Alcohol is also associated with a number of jobs, including over three-quarters of a million in drinks production (mainly wine). Further jobs are also related to alcohol elsewhere in the supply chain, e.g. in pubs or shops. However, the size of the industry is not necessarily a good guide to the economic impact of alcohol policies – for example, trends in alcohol consumption show no crude correlation with trends in the number of jobs in associated areas such as hotels, restaurants, and bars, suggesting that the effect of changes in consumption may be relatively weak. A reduction in spending on alcohol would also be expected to free consumer funds to be spent on other areas, with the economic impact depending on the exact nature of the new expenditure. While further research needs to be done on this issue, current evidence from alcohol and other sectors suggests that declining consumption may not necessarily lead to job losses in the economy as a whole. Based on a review of existing studies, the total tangible cost of alcohol to EU society in 2003 was estimated to be â‚ ¬125bn (â‚ ¬79bn-â‚ ¬220bn), equivalent to 1.3% GDP, which is roughly the same value as that found recently for tobacco. The intangible costs show the value people place on pain, suffering and lost life that occurs due to the criminal, social and health harms caused by alcohol. In 2003 these were estimated to be â‚ ¬270bn, with other ways of valuing the same harms producing estimates between â‚ ¬150bn and â‚ ¬760bn. While these estimates consider a number of different areas of human life where alcohol has an impact, there are several further areas where no estimate has been made as it was impossible to obtain data. Similarly, while the estimates take into account the benefits of alcohol to health systems and loss of life (valued intangibly), there is no research that would enable the other social benefits to be evaluated. 1.1 The use of alcohol in Europe The EU is the heaviest drinking region of the world, although the 11 litres of pure alcohol drunk per adult each year is still a substantial fall from a recent peak of 15 litres in the mid-1970s. The last 40 years has also seen a harmonization in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Most Europeans drink alcohol, but 55 million adults (15%) abstain; taking this and unrecorded consumption into account, the consumption per drinker reaches 15 litres per year. Just under half of this alcohol is consumed in the form of beer (44%), with the rest divided between wine (34%) and spirits (23%). Within the EU15, northern and central parts drink mainly beer, while those in southern Europe drink mainly wine (although Spain may be an exception). This is a relatively new phenomenon, with a harmonization visible over the past 40 years in the EU15. Around 40% of drinking occasions in most of the EU15 involve consuming alcohol with the afternoon/evening meal, although those in southern Europe are much more likely to drink with lunch than elsewhere. While the level of daily drinking also shows a north—south gradient, non-daily frequent consumption (i.e. drinking several times a week but not every day) seems to be more common in central Europe, and there is evidence for a recent harmonization within the EU15. While 266 million adults drink alcohol up to 20g (women) or 40g (men) per day, over 58 million adults (15%) consume above this level, with 20 million of these (6%) drinking at over 40g (women) or 60g per day(men). Looking at addiction rather than drinking levels, we can also estimate that 23 million Europeans (5% of men, 1% of women) are dependent on alcohol in any one year. In every culture ever studied, men are more likely than women to drink at all and to drink more when they do, with the gap greater for riskier behaviour. Although many women give up alcohol when pregnant, a significant number (25%-50%) continue to drink, and some continue to drink to harmful levels. Patterns in drinking behaviour can also be seen for socio-economic status(SES), where those with low SES are less likely to drink alcohol at all. Despite a complex picture for some aspects of drinking (with some measures showing opposite trends for men and women), getting drunk and becoming dependent on alcohol are both more likely among drinkers of lower SES. Every country in the European Union (EU) has a number of laws and other policies that set alcohol apart from other goods traded in its territory, often for reasons of public health. Despite the ubiquity of alcohol policies, just under half the EU countries still do not have an action plan or coordinating body for alcohol. Even so, most countries have programmes for one aspect of alcohol policy, of which school-based education programmes are the most common throughout Europe. All countries also have some form of drink-driving restrictions, with everywhere except the UK, Ireland and Luxembourg having a maximum blood alcohol limit for drivers at the level recommended by the European Commission (0.5g/L). However, many European drivers believe that there is only a slim chance of being detected a third overall believe they will never be breathalyses, although this is lower in countries with random breath testing. Sales of alcohol are generally subject to restrictions in most EU countries, in a few cases through retail monopolies but more often through licences, while the places that alcohol can be sold are frequently restricted. Over one-third of countries (and some regions) also limit the hours of sale, while restrictions on the days of sale or the density of off-premise retailers exist in a small number of countries. All countries prohibit the sale of alcohol to young people beneath a certain age in bars and pubs, although four countries have no policy on the sale of alcohol to children in shops. The cut-off point for allowing sales to young people also varies across Europe, tending to be 18 years in northern Europe and 16 years in southern Europe. Alcohol marketing is controlled to different degrees depending on the type of marketing activity. Television beer adverts are subject to legal restrictions (beyond content restrictions) in over half of Europe, including complete bans in five countries; this rises to 14 countries for bans on spirits adverts. Billboards and print media are subject to less regulation though, with one in three countries (mainly in the EU10) having no controls. Sports sponsorship is subject to the weakest restrictions, with only seven countries having any legal restrictions at all. The taxation of alcoholic beverages is another consistent feature of European countries, although the rates themselves vary considerably between countries. This can be seen clearly for wine, where nearly half the countries have no tax at all, but one in five countries has a tax rate above â‚ ¬1,000, adjusted for purchasing power. In general, the average effective tax rate is highest in northern Europe, and weakest in southern and parts of central and eastern Europe. Four countries have also introduced a targeted tax on alcopops since 2004, which appears to have reduced alcopops consumption since. When the different policy areas are combined into a single scale, the overall strictness of alcohol policy ranges from 5.5 (Greece) to 17.7 (Norway) out of a possible maximum of 20, with an average of 10.8. The least strict policies are in southern and parts of central and eastern Europe, and the highest in northern Europe – but the scores do not all decrease from north to south, as seen in the high score in France. This picture of alcohol policy is very different from the one visible fifty years ago, with the overall levels of policy now much closer together, largely due to the increased level of policy in many countries, particular in the area of drink-driving where all countries have a legal limit. Marketing controls, minimum ages to buy alcohol, and public policy structures to deliver alcohol policy are also much more common in 2005 than in 1950. Main interest groups in the industry and their leader in lobbying activities Eurocare: Who we are and what we do Eurocare, is an alliance of around 50 voluntary and non-governmental organizations across Europe created in 1990, working on the prevention and reduction of alcohol-related harm2 . One of the main goals is to promote the prevention of alcohol-related harm in European Union decision-making; this is achieved by monitoring all EU level policy initiatives, and carrying out advocacy campaigns directed at the European Commission (EC) and the European Parliament (EP) to ensure that alcohol issues are included in relevant policy discussions. The catalyst of our work in recent years (and the concrete result of fifteen years of lobbying) has been the â€Å"EU Strategy to Support Member States in Reducing Alcohol Related Harm†, published by the Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection (DG Sanco) of the European Commission in October 20063. A cornerstone of this strategy is the recently launched Alcohol and Health Forum, a multistakeholder platform bringing together the industry and well as NGOs4 pledging to commit to concrete actions to reducing alcohol-related harm. The cross-sectoral nature of alcohol policy includes the Television Without Frontiers Directive (concerned with young people’s exposure to alcohol advertising), Minimum Excise Duties (a report from the EP proposed to scrap these in order to avoid cross border trade and smuggling), and Labeling (the EC is to present a draft Directive on labeling at the end of the year).For Eurocare, lobbying on alcohol presents several difficulties: first the EU has limited competence to legislate in the domain of public health5. DG Sanco’s Alcohol Strategy is thus useful for advocacy in Member States; at EU level, it has allowed alcohol to secure a place on the political agenda, despite being weakened by the influence of the Commission’s more powerful â€Å"big brothers† (DG Trade, DG Market, DG Agriculture, etc.) (Ulstein 2006). Second, at European level, the aim of reducing alcohol-related harm is competing against other strong public health discourses for example in the field of tobacco, nutrition and physical activity, the latter exemplified in the EU Platform for Diet, Physical Activity and Health on which the Alcohol and Health Forum is modeled. Roizen and Fillmore (2000) articulate this from the researchers’ perspective, but it is also true for advocates that â€Å"our consumerist or dangerous-commodity orientation to alcohol (†¦) obliges us to compete in a public-health-information-offering market place already crowded with health warnings of many kinds†. The specificities of alcohol serve to further complicate the picture; parallels with tobacco or junk food are obvious: indisputable public health burdens; links with social inequalities, and of course, powerful industries. What sets alcohol apart though, is the highly problematic, misunderstood and misused evidence on the â€Å"benefits of alcohol consumption†; like it or not, the â€Å"ambiguous molecule† alcohol forms an integral part of most cultures across Europe, â€Å"causing deaths while saving lives, inflicting pain while producing pleasure† The alcohol industry: no ordinary stakeholder The alcohol industry is undeniably a rival voice in the political process of â€Å"weighing up the evidence†; a strong economic asset, with increasingly visible corporate social responsibility policies, the industry represents a valid stakeholder. Alcohol producers unite underâ€Å"legitimate fronts† through social aspects (SA) organisations6, such as the International Centre for Alcohol Policies (ICAP) or the European Forum For Responsible Drinking (EFRD), both of which are participating in the Commission’s Alcohol and Health Forum. Under these banners, research, policy analysis and of course, lobbying are carried out: in fact, it has not been uncommon to find such groups walking the same corridors of power as ourselves. To the layperson, the â€Å"research† and â€Å"policy analysis† (e.g.: ICAP Blue Book) carried out by these organisations may appear methodologically sound, and conclusive, and the (simplistic) models as comprehensive and logical. For example, that â€Å"patterns of drinking are the best way to understand the place of alcohol in society†; that â€Å"targeted interventions are most sensitive to cultural differences†, and that â€Å"partnerships offer the best opportunities to develop policies†. Funnily enough â€Å"Drinking in Context: Patterns, Interventions and Partnerships†, an ICAP collaborative publication (Stimson et al. 2006) was recently publicised at a lunch meeting held in the European Parliament, hosted by German MEP Renate Sommer. Staff from the Eurocare Secretariat attended this lunch; the event was reminiscent of the spirit of the film â€Å"Thank You For Smoking†8; a sequel named â€Å"Thank You For Drinking† should be considered, and would be highly entertaining. This example highlights the tensions involved in the political process, and how apparently sound and legitimate evidence can be put forward by the industry, in order to counter what is regarded by the public health community as â€Å"legitimate† evidence. When the Institute of Alcohol Studies published the Alcohol in Europe report, the British Beer and Pub Association (also participating in the Alcohol and Health Forum) attempted to undermine its scientific objectivity by â€Å"denouncing† vested interests, namely, links to temperance; they likened this to â€Å"vegetarians writing a report about the benefits of eating meat†. The EFRD’s view (in Baumberg Anderson 2007) was that those advocating a stronger EU alcohol strategy â€Å"had a biased view of the evidence base†. It is precisely through the use of â€Å"evidence† and their engagement in research, policy analysis and lobbying (activities mirroring our own work) that the industry tries to secure a place at the policy table, which may be potentially difficult for the public health community to fight off. The WHO (2007) stresses the â€Å"importance of the participation of civil society organisations without the conflict of interests in alcohol policy development, as a counter influence to the vested trade interests, which might otherwise dominate political decision making†.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Selection Process for Expatriates

Selection Process for Expatriates Chapter 2 Literature Review: In this chapter researcher tried to discuss all the related studies which are done in past and are available in literature. A lot of work has been done in the literature on the topic of selection. Before proceeding to the actual topic it is necessary to look at the different methods of selection which an organization uses and see that what are the different techniques and criteria which are used for the selection of staff. 2.1 Selection: Moore (2006) discussed this as the selection is the whole process which includes choosing the right candidate for the position from those persons who have been recruited. This involves testing and evaluating the skills of an individual is required for the particular job. According to Dessler (2000) the selection is the process in which the recruited individual is whittled down by using screening tools like assessment centers, interviews, and different tests. 2.2 Expatriate selection: According to (Dowling, Welch, Schuler, 1999, pg: 154) Multinationals take great care in their selection process, however predicting future performance potential of the concerned staff is challenging at the best of times especially operating in foreign environments adds another level of uncertainty. The expatriate selection process results in higher cost to the multinationals including relocation process, allowance and accommodation apart from the training costs. (Hailey 2000, pg; 90) During the expatriate selection process, 02 conflicting forces operate within the expatriates mind. One that pulls the employee into moving to the new place, the other tends to stop him from going (Baruch 2005, pg 129). 2.3 Importance of an Expatriates and International Assignments: The world is globalizing very rapidly and change has become necessary for the organization to survive and to gain competitive advantage internationally. According to Harris and Brewster, (1999) the rapidly globalizing world has increased the need for the international assignments and many of the organizations started considering international management experience for the top management. So the international assignments are becoming an important part for the success of an organization to gain competitive advantage. As discussed by Chen, Tzeng Tang, 2005 that organizations internationalize their operation to gain success and to increase its market value internationally and for this purpose an organization needs effective expatriate who can perform its task properly. In this new era the importance of expatriate has increased because expatriates are the ones who can give an organization proper international exposure and make the organization successful. 2.4 Selection Process: One of the most studied areas for the expatriate selection is the selection process of the expatriate. The selection of expatriate has always been difficult procedure for the multinational organizations. Swaak quotes one HR executive who said. â€Å"My job is to find people in a hurry.† So this system is highly crisis-oriented and unsophisticated. Swaak, (1995) further confirms the problems for the nature of the selection process. Still and Smith (1997) report the results of Australian research, which shows that there were a number of different ways through which expatriates were selected. They studied that the most impressive and important form of selection or evaluation of the expatriate was recommendation of the person by the line manager including chief executive officer or specialist persons. Mostly expatriates in the multinational organizations in a knee-jerk reaction to the need to fill a new or unexpected vacancies overseas. Actually there are well informed intercultural trainers or a good HR professional who selects the expatriates but basically it is HR department within multinational organization who selects the expatriate finally. Managements choose the most technical and competent candidates which makes the expatriates successful internationally. Shilling, (1993 pg 58) 2.5 Types of selection Process: * Psychometric Tests * Assessment Centers * Coffee machine system 2.5.1 Psychometric Tests: According to Passmore, 2008 Psychometrics are the widely used testing method for the selection of the employee and personal development. The psychological test is always important for the selection of the employee especially for the selection of an international manager. According to the validity of psychological tests is disputed. According to Sparow and Brewster (2007) the psychologists the variation between the different natured job test is very small (Schmidt and Hunter, 1998). According to a survey done by The Graduate Recruitment in 2007 two third or about 67 percent of 219 respondents surveyed said that the results of psychometric test had some influence on recruiting and selection decisions, and 24 percent said that it has strong influence, and only 2 percent said that these test does not have any influence. So the above shows the importance of psychometric tests. According to Sparow and Brewster (2007) psychological assessment increasingly involves the application of tests i n different cultural contexts, either in a single country or different countries. Now a day the demand of cross cultural assessment test is increasing due to the increasing factor of globalization to gain competitive advantage in international market. According to Mendenhall and Oddou, 1985 one of the important option for evaluating the selection process is the use of psychological tests and evaluation devices. There are number of instruments available to measure the stress level of an individual. In 2.1 the real importance of psychometric test is shown. Psychometric tests are reliable that the selected person will be the one on whom one can rely. And obviously these kinds of tests are valid for any kind of job. The most important point in this test is that it does not include any biasness and the selectors cannot show the biasness while selecting on the basis of psychometric tests. These tests are also standard for different jobs. All the above mentioned qualities and factors involve in the psychometric tests. In other words one can say that almost all the abilities present in an individuals mind can be noticed, and the end result will always ends up in the right selection of expatriate. 2.5.2 Assessment Centre: As the assessment centers are considered to be one of the best selection techniques so according to Sparow and Brewster assessment centers will be the best idea as a selection technique to assess the competency of international managers. This is rarely the case, however. According to sparrow (1999) Even where assessment centers are used to select the managers in international settings, the key cross cultural assessment centers seems to be to design the assessment process so that it is very adaptable to local environment in which it will be operated. So there is need of cross culture assessment centers in which international managers can be assessed accordingly with the changing environment. Krause and Gebert (2003) have done study on international literature on the conception, operation and evaluation of assessment centers. He examined 281 German firms whose language was German and he compares them with the previously studied firms of United States of America. Study showed that both the American and German firms use the assessment centers but the purpose of some of them was different from the basics. For example the competencies assessed for job analysis might be identified through the use of interviews with job incumbents in 79% of US firms and only 39% of German firms. Most of the German firms rely on interviews for the selection of international managers or expatriates. So the assessment centers are considered to be an important process for expatriate selection. 2.5.3 Coffee Machine System This system was the idea of Harris and Brewster (1999) the key findings of the study show the reality of the selection process for expatriate selection in the organizations. In many organizations the selection process falls under what we call ‘coffee machine system and this system is the most common form of expatriate selection. What happens is that the senior line manager is standing by the coffee machine when he/she is joined by the colleague: ‘Hows it going? ‘Oh, you know, overworked and underpaid. Actually Jimmy in Mumbai has just fallen ill and is being flown home. I dont know who I can choose to work over there at very short notice of time. It is driving me crazy. ‘Have you met Simon on the fifth floor? he is working in the same line of work. He is very good and bright and looks like going a long way. He was telling me that he and his wife had great holiday in Goa a couple of years ago. He seems to like India. Could be worthy to speak to him. Hey, thanks I will check and speak to him. ‘No problem. They dont seem to be able to improve this coffee though, do they? What happen in the organization next is that the manger will take some decision and will have informal discussion with his seniors about Simon and then that man will be called and interviewed and selected for the required position. Accordingly HR department and financial department will be involved in the process and the formal and systematic process will be started. This method is rarely used in the organizations in particular cases when there is an urgent need to fill the position of expatriate. 2.6 Niche Assessments According to Bolt (2008) many assessment venders specialize in certain niches and offer off-the-shelf products to meet clients testing needs. However, vendors can find such persons or individuals for the company who can fit in the organizations new environment and can coop with the new organizations culture. Testing is the most important part of the application process of the candidate because testing gives the good idea of the individuals abilities and competencies. 2.7 Factors involved in selection Process: There are number of factors which affect the performance of expatriate. Dowling, Welch, Schuler, (1999) recognised some of the important and most affective factors and these are the factors which involved to determine an appropriate expatriate selection process. All the factors are shown in a model below. 2.7.1 Technical Ability: According to Hays, 1971 All expatriates are assigned abroad to complete some task weather its building a dam, running some business, or teaching it all depends on the personal technical ability to perform that task. Obviously it is important to consider the individuals personal ability to perform the required task assigned to the expatriate. So in selection it is another important area which needs to look at. Different research findings show that the multinational organization give a lot of importance to the technical abilities of the individuals going abroad for international assignments at the time of their selection. According to Harvey and Novicevic, (2001) technical and functional expertise has been the primary criterion for selecting expatriate managers for assignments. Hixon found that the selection was based on technical ability and willingness to reside abroad. If the individual is selected without keeping in view its technical ability. It can create the big problems for the multinational organizations to complete its related task or assignment. Reinforcing the emphasis on technical skills is the relative ease with which the multinational may assess the potential candidates potential, since technical and managerial competence can be determined on the basis of past performance of the individual who is going to be selected as expatriate. In fact domestic selection cannot be equal to the international selection but person can be selected on the basis of past domestic records which he has performed domestically as the basic criteria is always the same in all the multinational organizations so on the basis of past abilities there should not be any problem for the organizations to select the expatriates. This approach is also found by Foster and Johnsen, (1996) who report the results of the research into the expatriate selection practices for the newly internationalized UK organizations which shows that organizations keep in view the technical skills, and pr evious domestic records while selecting expatriate for international assignments. 2.7.2Cross Cultural Suitability: The environment and the culture where an expatriate is going is an important factor for an expatriate. So the selectors of the expatriates should always consider the factor of culture for the expatriate. Although these factors does not guarantee for an expatriate for his successes but if these factors are not considered it can lead it towards the failure of expatriate. If the culture is considered then it is always important to study the Hofsteds dimensions for cross culture and Trompenaars dimensions so these researches are explained in detail as follows. 2.7.3 Culture: Culture is always important for any expatriate selection, so it is very necessary for HR managers and selectors to keep the factor of culture in view while selecting expatriate for international assignments. There have been a lot of studies on culture and there are a lot of different definitions of culture some of them are given below. (Kluckholn Strodtbeck 1952) define culture as, â€Å"a set of basic assumptions-shared solutions to universal problems of external adaptation (and internal integration- which have evolved over time and are handed down from one generation to the next. The life style of people living in the society is called culture it includes the social, economical, political, religious, life style of the individuals in the country. According to Drennan, 1992 â€Å"whatever is going around is called culture.† Culture is the way of life of a group of people. There are obvious differences between the different cultures such as language, dress, religion, beliefs, and behaviours of the people, and there are also implicit differences between the two cultures such as in values, assumptions about how things should be. So these different degrees of explicitness are often called the culture. ScullionLinehan, (2005) So the culture is very important factor for the selection of expatriate because the individuals move from one culture to another culture for the completion of their assignment. 2.7.4 Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions Greet Hofstedes cultures consequences (1980, 2001) explores the differences in thinking and social action at the country level between members of 50 nations and three regions. Hofstede originally used IBM employees answers to company attitude survey conducted twice, around 1968 and 1972. The survey generated more than 116,000 questionnaires with the number of respondents used in the analysis being approximately 30,000 in 1969 and 41000 in 1973. Hofstede identified and validated four cultural dimensions from respondents patterned answers. For each dimension, he presented possible origins as well as predictors and consequences for management behavior. Hofsteds four dimensions are as follows 1. Power Distance 2. Uncertainty Avoidance 3. Individualism versus Collectivism 4. Masculinity versus Femininity Another dimension which is fifth dimension presented by Michael Bond is Long term versus Short term Orientation was subsequently developed from a research to accommodate non-western orientations and has been adopted from the Chinese Culture Connection study. Power distance: The dimension indicates the extent up to which extend a society expects and a high degree of inequality in institutions and organizations. It refers to the relationship between supervisors and subordinates. It reflects the extent to which the less powerful members of organisations expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. In organisations illustration of a high power distance score is generally represented as a highly vertical hierarchical pyramid. Subordinates are often told or ordered about a particular task but they are not normally entitled to discuss the decision made by the top management so basically the meaning of power distance is that higher the person in hierarchy the more difficult will be this person to approach. So there are some barriers for that person to see their top management. The barriers can be of different ways like the person barriers or the employee is not allowed to see the top manager or they are not allowed to attend the high m anagerial level meetings in which decisions are made. So basically power distance shows the distance between a supervisor and his employee. Uncertainty avoidance: This refers to the degree to which a society prefers predictability, security and stability. According to Hofsted the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situations. He argued that high uncertainty avoidance is expressed for example by a companys need for regulations which tends to minimize in the behaviour of its employees. Company rules are such thing which cannot be broken by the employees even if he think that breaking the rule is in companys best interest in such sort of environment the work stress is more and uncertainty avoidance is high. On the other hands if the employees are less affected by uncertainty is called low uncertainty avoidance. Individualism-Collectivism: this dimension relates to the extent to which people prefer to take care of themselves and their immediate families rather than being bound to some wider collectively such as extended family. Hofsted ask the IBM individuals that how important is to keep in view his work goals rather than the organisation. If there is preferred work goals stress dependence on organisation. For example good physical working condition, good ventilation enough space individualism in the work place can be seen. Collectivism can be seen in preference of collective organisation. Masculinity-Femininity: Masculine societies value assertiveness, competitiveness and materialism as opposed to the feminine values of relationships and the quality of life. Males tend to express preferences for assertiveness recognition when doing good job. On the other hand females prefer the aspect of interpersonal work. Michele Bonds Research about cultural dimensions: Another dimension which is mentioned above is Long-term versus Short -term Orientation. In 1987 a questionnaire was developed by Michele bond with the project Chinese Culture Connection (CCC). He developed a questionnaire representing fundamental and basic values of Chinese people. This questionnaire was then given to the students of 23 Asian and non Asian countries. The statistical analysis developed four different dimensions. Three out of four were same as it was of Hofsteds the fifth was different from Hofsted. 2.7.5 Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner Like Hofsted Trompenaar also studied different dimensions of cultures. According to him different culture deals with different universal problems. He proposed three problems which are as follows 1. Social Interaction 2. Passage of time 3. Relationship to the Environment These cultural dimensions describe the characteristics that each culture provides an answer to three fundamental problems. In multinational and international organizations cultural dimensions will be based on the the responses of the managers. The dimensions found by the Tropenaar and Hampden is discussed in detail as below. 2.7.6 Trompennars Cultural Dimensions The Trompenaars cultural dimensions are discussed as follows. Neutral versus Affective: This dimension is particularly based on the certain situation. Trompenaar measured this dimension with the particular question which was how would you behave if you face any problem at work and you feel upset about it? Would you express your feelings openly before other peoples? The answers and responses were different from different countries. The resulting cultural dimension tells us that in particular countries emotion is being displayed together with rationale arguments. This may be confusing for the people coming from the culture where rational argument is provided instead of emotions so that dimension was recognized by Tropmpanaar Individualism versus Communitarianism: this dimension of trompanaar resembles to the dimension of Hofsted which is on employees. This dimension mainly focuses on employees goals within an organization the way they work within an organization and their responsibilities. Universalism versus Practiclarism: This dimension is about the personal behavior and its implement on universal rules for example not telling lie and following the rules and regulations. People can either consider that principles apply whatever the situation, or specificity of each situation determines whether one should apply them or not. Achievement versus Ascription: This dimension is tells us about the personal achievement of the employees within an organization. In the work environment which is achievement versus ascription the employees judge themselves at their own and make decisions. They are also motivated to work more good and to work more hard within the organization. Specify versus Diffuseness: this type of dimension tells us that in most of the cultures the people compartmentalize themselves and divide their work in different phases. Being good friend at work does never means that they should know each other family and of course for good relatives its not necessary to know their work environment. For example a manager will never meet its subordinate while playing golf, he will instead meet some golf coach or golf specialist to improve his game. So that is kind of culture which describe such kind of dimension. Sequential versus Synchronic the time is divided in to two main themes to perform in certain time frame and orientation. Hall, 1959 introduced monochromic and polychromic. Monochrony is a perception that time is linear sequential and definite whereas Polychrony is a perception that time is multilinear. So these two types of times differ for two different cultures. Trompenaars, 1993 develops these themes regarding their implication for action made sequentially or synchronically in an organization. Inner versus Outer Directedness: This dimension reflects the belief either that individuals can control and influence their environment or that they limited ability to do so. Consequences for management are reflected for example in strategic plan either they will tend to plan and provoke changes or try to take best advantage of the available situation. 2.7.7 Family Requirements: Family factors composed of five criteria: marital status, children, spouses attitude, spouses employment and spouse adjustment (Chen, TzengTang, 2005). It is always important for the HR department of MNE to consider the personal life of an expatriate. So the contribution of the family particularly spouse plays an important role for the success of an expatriate for the completion of international assignment. Black and Stephens examined the influence of the spouse on American expatriate adjustment. They surveyed 220 U.S expatriates and their spouses working in Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, they found that the adjustment of the expatriate working abroad for international assignment is positively related to the spouses adjustment. The adjustment of the spouse is highly correlated with the adjustment of the expatriate. Likewise there was an Australian research into the psychological impact of relocation on the partners of 58 expatriate managers. They found that the decisions which were ma de by most of the expatriates to relocate highly depend on the decision of his partner. The above two mentioned researches show that the family of the expatriate highly depends upon the settlement of expatriate abroad. 2.7.8 Country/Cultural Requirements: The host country may be an important determinant. Some regions and countries are hard to adjust like the remote areas away from the cities, or the war zone countries and now days there are some countries which are not safe as far as terrorism is concerned. Accompanying the family members will again be a big responsibility for the multinational organizations. In most of the countries where it is very hard for the Europeans to go for example the country like Saudi Arabia has got the culture according to which women have to cover their heads and cover them properly so it will be a bit hard for the family of western expatriate to adjust in that culture. Or this can be vice versa as well. Weather is another important factor for the countries and it is a bit hard for the expatriates to adjust themselves in the different weather from their host country. Black and Mandenhall (1990) argued about the cross cultural adjustment cross cultural adjustment that it can be facilitated if the expatria tes have awareness of the norms and behaviors of the host country. 2.7.9 MNE Requirements: Multinational may consider the proportion of expatriates to local staff when making selection decisions mainly as an outcome of its staffing philosophy. However the requirements of the different MNEs is different or they may be require to use PCNs and TCNs, obviously this will react to the selection decision for the multinational organisations. Other situational factors are as follows The mode of operation involved: Selecting staff to work in an international joint venture may involve major input from the local partner, and be constrained by the negotiated agreement on selection processes. Duration of assignment: Family members tend to accompany an expatriate when the assignment is only for three to six months duration, so family requirements may not be a strong factor in the selection decision. International training development In above 2.3 the whole process of expatriation is shown it starts from the recruitment and selection, once the right person is chosen for the right job then the most important step of training starts which is directly related to the pre departure step for expatriation then the process of development of the process starts which ends up in making of an international team when an expatriate is fully trained then they are told about the nature of assignment. 2.7.10 Language: Language is another important aspect when adjusting away from home country. This ability is often linked with the cross cultural ability. For an expatriate it is necessary to learn a bit of language of the country where he is going to accomplish its assignment. According to Tung knowledge of host countrys language is important for functional head and operative jobs. According to victor (1992) difference in languages is the major barrier for the international assignments. But according o some studies and researches in the past the language sometimes is not very much important for expatriates completing their international assignments. In terms of other selection criteria the factor of language is placed lower down when looking into the factors for the expatriate selection process. As done by the price water house research 1998 they placed language at third place while determining the factors for the expatriate selection. Basically language is not any problem for the selection of expat riate where the host country speaks the same language so the problem occurs when the expatriate has to be select for the non English speaking language. But now a day the English has now become an international language and it is necessary for an international manger to learn the English language to communicate even in the non English speaking countries. 2.8 Strategic choices in expatriate selection: As we have seen above the factors which need to be kept under consideration while selecting expatriates for international assignment. The process of selection is basically used to fill the international positions of the organisation. The organisation faces several strategic choices during selection process. The strategic choices are mentioned as follows. * Internal recruitment versus external recruitment. * Individuals versus teams. * Technical qualifications versus other selection criteria. * Extrinsic rewards versus intrinsic rewards. The above mentioned strategic represent two opposite extremes on a continuum. The majority of the decisions fall in between the two extreme strategies. 2.8.1 Internal versus external recruitment Interesting findings by the recent study on expatriate selection is that there is shortage of international managers, due to growing concern of international mobility (Scullion, 1994). The shortage of international managers creates problems in expatriate selection. From an organisations point of view the selection decision is made under circumstances where the organisation has a lot of applications looking for the job of international managers. Brewster and Scullion 1997 suggested that availability of the international managers seems to be the critical variable in acceptance of international assignment The above discussion tells us that it is not always necessary that the required managers or expatriates are always available within the organisation to overcome this shortage of the managers the organisation then find some external sources to fill up the position. According to the study by Torbion 1982 and Scullion 1994 most of the organisations mostly rely on the internal sources of the organisation to fill up this position. On the other hand Boyacigiller 1990 suggested that the external market is always full of required talented managers who can work as an international manager. Here comes a very interesting question that why the most of the researcher emphasis mostly on internal selection of the international managers? The answer which click in mind is that internal selection makes the task easy for the selectors and HR managers while selecting the expatriates because as a member of organisation most of the selectors know their performance and abilities of the individuals working within an organisation. So this can give them benefit to select the expatriate with the required abilities. The internal selection of international managers becomes reliable when strategic purpose of the assignment is co-ordination and control of operations. This point was discussed by Black, et al 1992 by saying that for the good co-ordination for an expatriate in global market requires assignments of the people with broad experience in the firm including a lot of contacts within the firm. 2.8.2 Case study Barclaycard International (centralized control and recruitment primarily for overseas labour markets.) â€Å"Barclays introduced its first credit card in the United Kingdom named as Barclaycard and now Barclays has one of the major global credit card businesses which have speedy growth approach. Outside the UK, it operates in the United States, Germany, Greece, Italy, Sweden, Norway Portugal, Ireland, France, Asia Pacific, and across Africa. Barclays is currently looking to have alliances with Standard Bank of South Africa, acquisition of Juniper Financial Corporation and a series of in-country launches. Barclays employed 3000 staff, and it had 15 per cent based in the UK. To enable development, Barclaycard International recruited a group of people management process to bring firmness, management and good organization of people. Challenges were different in the different cultures depending upon the country, culture and business market of the country. The basic and first age

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Venezuela Essay -- Violence, Murder, Robbery, Kidnapping

Venezuela is a dangerous country, and its capital, Caracas is an extremely dangerous city. Venezuela is a deadlier place then Iraq, with about four times the number of deaths from violence in Venezuela then in Iraq. In 2008 the homicide rate for Venezuela was 48 for every 100,000 people. In the United States the rate was 5.6 per 100,000 (Llana, 2008). A 2010 report puts the murder rate at 75 per 100,000 (Shooting gallery, 2010). Caracas has become the deadliest city in the world, with approximately 200 murders per 100,000 people (Romero, 2010; US Department of State, 2010). That is in contrast to New Orleans, the city in the United States with the highest murder rate at 52 per 100,000 people, and considered the deadliest city in the US (FBI, 2010). In an example of the dangers of just being in Caracas, on August 13th, 2010, Chinese baseball player Cheuk Woon Yee Sinne was struck by a stray bullet as she took the field for a match in Caracas (Shooting Gallery, 2010). The US Department of State, in their travel information on Venezuela, lists murder, robbery, and kidnappings as problems for travelers. Thieves will rob their victims using guns or knives and they are not afraid to use force. Thieves will even attack their victims in crowded markets with little worry. Kidnappings are also a threat in Caracas. One type of kidnapping is the â€Å"express kidnapping† that can occur at the airport. Victims are taken, usually at gunpoint, to withdraw as much money as possible from ATMs. There is also the â€Å"virtual kidnapping† where scam surveys are used to get contact and personal information on minors. The â€Å"kidnapper† then calls the parents for ransoms without the child actually being taken. A third type of kidnapping is the â€Å"i... ...country (James, 2010b). In order to help with the health care of Caracas’ poor, the Chà ¡vez government has brought doctors from Cuba to Venezuela. The Cuban doctors live with the residents of the barrios of Caracas, setting up offices in unused rooms. The Cuban doctors are not only available to deal with whatever emergencies that should arise (heart attacks, child births, gunshot wounds), but one of their primary goals is preventive medicine (sexual health, the importance of boiling water, proper meal preparation). There is opposition to the Cuban doctors, with the Venezuelan Medical Federation claiming that the Cubans do not have proper accreditation. The Federation has even won a lawsuit against the government, with a ruling that the Cuban doctors had to be replaced with Venezuelans. The government ignored the ruling, and dissolved the court (Ceaser, 2004).

Friday, July 19, 2019

Analysis of the Running Man :: essays research papers fc

Analysis of the Running Man Sometimes there are hurdles in life that require great courage to overcome. We must utilize our inner strengths to motivate these courageous actions. Loren Eiseley sets an example of this in The Running Man- a chapter from his autobiography, All the Strange Hours. In this essay he reveals memories that show his lonely childhood which gives him the courage to overcome his problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Loneliness is what ultimately sparks his courageous action later on in his life. â€Å"I remember the pacing, the endless pacing of my parents after midnight, while I lay shivering in the cold bed and tried to understand the words that passed between my mother and my father.†(Eisley,337) This quote taken from the running man is just one example of his deep loneliness that he was faced with as a child. Even when he was around his family he still felt lonely. Whenever he came upon a ruined farmhouse and found old papers scattered across the floor that shared his last name, he realized that a German possibly like him had lived there. He was amazed that his family hadn’t known this family. If only the family could have still lived there he would possibly have companions that were a lot like him. After years of torment by his loneliness he grasps his courage and runs. Eiseley is always running, through his childhood and most of his adult life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He felt there was more out there for him. The life he was living was inadequate. This determination is a product of his childhood aspirations for a better life. This is proven by his childhood tradition of burying things and digging them up again instead of participating in childish games. Eiseley does not know why he would dig in the dirt or play with the gravel. â€Å"There was a lot of building being done then on our street. I used to spend hours turning over the gravel. Why, I wouldn’t know.†(338) As a child he embraces the rush of discovery and the thrill of adventure in his seemingly insignificant dirt pile. He was fueled by a unknown force in his childhood to discover more in life. This gave him the courage to leave home and discover things like science and anthropology.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It takes great courage for Eisley to return to his mother’s grave. In an affect this completes the circle of his life.

Benefits Of Pet Ownership Essay -- essays research papers fc

“I think I could turn and live with the animals. They are so placid and self-contained,'; writes American poet Walt Whitman (Schellenberg 1). Yes, pets have been part of human culture throughout history, and in American households, they are more common than children. It is reported that 58% of U.S. households have at least one pet, whereas only 35% have children (Whitaker; Witherell 76). Owners spend billions of dollars each year on pet food, accessories, and veterinary care, but apparently pets give back, too (Schellenberg 1). Medical studies show that pet companionship offers concrete health benefits (Simross 14). While only in the past few decades have scientists become interested in the benefits of pets on human health (Schellenberg 2), “as far back as Plato and Socrates, there were admonishments for people to spend time with animals. . .for their health'; (Simross 14).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “Researchers into the impact of animals on our health points to a clear relationship between the presence of pets and significantly better physical and emotional well-being'; (Witherell 76). Pet owners reported fewer headaches, fewer bouts of indigestion, and less difficulty sleeping in one study (Avanzino). Also, interaction with animals is shown to reduce blood pressure and heart rate, subtle changes with enormous health benefits (Whitaker; Schellenberg 2). For example, a large Australian study reported in 1992 indicated that pet owners are a...

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Participative Management in India

Participative Management in the Indian context Evolution of participative management in India Pre- Independence era: Participative management in India has taken to its roots quite early in time . This concept was introduced to the Indian soil by a few humanistic textile mill owners who sought the advice of workers' spokesmen so as to solve industrial disputes. After a few such minor incidents, business houses in India responded to the need of industrial democracy. The Tata Iron and Steel company at Jamshedpur was the first official business organization to set up a works committee which comprised of management and trade union representatives.In 1920, when the Government of India started joint committees encouraged the implementation of such an idea in private enterprises as well. So it can be said that it was that period in India when there were manager and worker bodies that maintained co-operation and provided a common platform for problems related to industrial management. The con cept of participative management in the country took shape when the demand for industrial democracy was felt by the tripartite labour organization ( later on named Indian labour conference), trade unions and political leaders in 1940.Post – Independence era: Participative management became a wider phenomenon post independence when the Industrial Disputes Act of 1947 provided for the establishment of a works committee in every industrial unit that employed more than a hundred employees. Along with this, the Industrial Truce Resolution that was adopted by the Tripartite conference in 1947 promoted labour management co-operation and Industrial Policy Resolution of 1948 provided for the workers' involvement in policies of industrial management.Industrial democracy has also been provided for in the constitution of independent India when it referred to all round democratic participation. In 1976, it was amended to the constitution by article 43- A that it would be imperative on the state to consider the participation of workers in industrial managers. Thereby, participative management became a constituent part of Five year plans and Industrial policy resolutions. There were several other developments with regards to the topic later on. Tripartite labour conference held in May 1977, recommended that a committee be set up to nable the smooth participation of labour in management issues. This led to the formation of a Tripartite committee on worker's participation in management and following were the recommendations of the committee in brief : †¢Corporate level and shop floor level should have a three tier system of labour participation †¢Supervisors or middle managers should have their representation in different participative forums †¢The scheme should be implemented and reviewed by organizations present both at the centre and state level Later on, the Sachar committee was formed to look into the introduction of workers' participation in the Boa rd of Directors.This committee recommended that every company employing more than 1000 workers should comprise of labour participation in the Board of Directors. The committee also suggested that even if the number of employees is less than 1000 in a corporate organization, it should be allowed for workers to have their representation in the Board of Governors. Operating models for participative management in India Since independence the government of India has promoted the participation of workforce in the management by introducing various models for operation from time to time.Five of such schemes introduced by the government are as follows. 1. Works Committee: Establishment †¢Among the first few steps taken to initiate industrial democracy in the country †¢Entailed in section 3 of the Industrial disputes act, 1947 †¢Equal number of employers and workmen representatives in a works committee for every organization with more than 100 employees †¢For Joint consult ation in industrial units Functions †¢Deal with welfare aspects and administration of welfare funds †¢Collective bargaining not included Decisions are not binding on the management because of the committee's consultative and advisory nature Evaluation †¢In spite of increasing awareness of works committees and compulsions to set them up, their number actually started declining and even for the works committees already present, they were not functional and for those that existed and were functional, they performed the wrong function †¢The reason for the above has been attributed to both intra and inter union rivalries and most importantly the persistency of the members to discuss extraneous issues in committee discussions 2.Joint Management Council Establishment †¢The second model of participative management was structured by the tripartite bodies on labour relations in 1958 †¢Joint management councils were set up on voluntarily in both the public and pri vate sectors if there was a required understanding between the employers and workers Objectives †¢To improve working conditions of employees †¢Improve productivity †¢Encourage contributions and suggestions from employees †¢Look into administration of laws †¢To serve as the middlemen or rather a communicating channel between management and employees Structure Joint management council was composed of a maximum of 12 members of which there was equal employer employee representation Evaluation †¢These models of employee participation hardly served the purpose of fulfilling the gaps in the communication between the management and employees. The reason for the same being the reservations of managers who let in certain junior executives into the council and did not equip them with any decision making powers 3. Workers representation on board This model provides for workers to have an opportunity to participate in the ownership of capital as well as in decision making level where the contribution could be meaningful †¢The government launched this model in 1970, when it made way for two worker directors on the boards of fourteen nationalized banks †¢How this model progressed is not much represented in academic schools of thought but it is known that the scheme made no progress at all †¢Presence of multiple unions and the mistrust between management and unions are the main reasons for the failure of this novel idea . Shop council and Joint council †¢The 20 point program mooted in 1975, issued directives to implement the models of shop councils or Consultative committees at the shop floor level and joint councils at the plant level Shop councils †¢Employees in the shop council were nominated by the management †¢Shop councils existed for a term of two years and met least once in a month †¢Shop councils were generally considered to assist the management with progress in matters related to production and safet y Joint councils Joint councils were established for the whole unit and were valid for a term of two years in which they had to meet every quarter †¢The chairman of the council is the chief executive of the unit and the vice chairman was nominated by the worker members of the council †¢Joint councils dealt with matters regarding optimum production, fixation of productivity norms and efficiency †¢It was in the functions of these councils that the term participative management changed to workers participation to allay the apprehensions of the management 5.Participative management by ownership of shares †¢A direct model which ensures the participation of every individual who owns shares of the company †¢Worker is entitled to receive a fraction of the appreciation in capital Conclusion Based on the above models and their evaluation it can be said that the government has so far not effectively tried its best to bring in the theme of participative management into the system. Whatever models and laws the government supported have been very minimalistic in nature and it is sad but true that even these models are not up to the mark.The following points enumerate the reasons for the above situation and throw light on steps to be taken to improve the situation 1. Tender mindedness: Union recognition should initially become a well established practice so that basic issues of drift between the unions and the management can be sorted out before moving on worker participation. 2. Channel of communication : The spirit with which the models of participative management interact with each other should be more relevant than the structure of councils and committees and politics ssociated with the same so that communication is done to resolve issues and not to raise them. 3. Voluntary councils: Voluntary nature of councils definitely creates a situation where issues are resolved not because they are compelled to be but because of the culture and trust betwe en the parties involved. Compulsion in such scenarios would only give way to antagonistic cooperation. 4. Defective form of participation : Councils should be formed to participate as decision making forms and not as consultative bodies because it is this form of functioning that enables worker participation in its true sense.Most of the models of worker management in India are considered to be those where the primary function is that of consultative bodies. How does this ensure industrial democracy in the true sense of the word ? 5. Inadequate representation of supervisors in the management: Supervisors are a key to the word worker participation because they function closely with the management and with the workers. Considering them unbiased, it would make sense to involve supervisors in decision making processes in worker related issues because his decisions would represent both the sides involved. . Lack of motivation : The current scenario is such that the workers are not fully aware and are not enthusiastic about their vital stakes in the scheme because it is a distant dream. Awareness and motivation are thus the need of the hour for a better picture of industrial democracy. 7. Traditional attitude: In spite of so much of history associated with the term of participative management, the workers still have a traditional attitude which keeps them to the lower rungs and abide by whatever the management dictates in terms of decisions. . Lack of strong trade unions: The scheme can be implemented successfully if the trade unions are stronger and serve a common purpose. Unity among workers is an absolute necessary before they want a representation in the management. 9. Deficient institutionalisation : Attention to detail, trails and careful work are what makes the scheme more institutionalised and practical. The agenda of meetings and other relevant issues to be discussed should be drafted beforehand so that the purpose is met. 10.Lack of an evaluation system : It is essential to review each of these models at right intervals so that the workers are aware if their democracy is at their will. The scenario in a capitalist economy Worker participation in India is so far a formality but not a practice that ensures better workman facilities or justice. There have been attempts to include the practice in private undertakings as well. As detailed above, initial laws pertaining to this phenomenon have been imperative on private sector to provide for industrial democracy.Management practitioners like Shiv Nadar of HCL technologies have very smoothly been able to transform organizations by following a bottom-up approach. With all this in view, it can be said that participative management in capitalist economies is not distant dream but as we aren't there yet, it is a distant goal. It is imperative for organizations to help economies reach this goal not for the sake of the word bur for the betterment of the workforce.