The Malden Mills case study just the way you have it.
SAMPLE ANSWER
The Malden Mills Case Study
As a private strategic consultant, the scheduled strategic plan for the company will have to be reviewed as a result of the dramatic misfortune that has befallen it. Owing to this situation, decisions will have to be made on both the strategic and operational fronts and viable plans for the future of the company formulated. In this study, knowledge regarding the strategic planning models, decision processes, and an SWOT analysis of the business and its environment will be applied.
Development of an effective strategic plan for the current unfortunate situation, understanding of strategic thinking processes, and tools such as issue based planning will be used. In the issue-based strategic planning, external and internal assessment to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the current business circumstances need to be determined. The criteria for planning will also involve strategic analysis to identify and prioritize the major issues that arise from this situation and the short and long term goals that need to be made. This criteria will also include the establishment of action plans that will be used to implement these strategies. The areas that will be covered by the action plan will include the needed resources, objectives of the implementation, and the roles of individual stakeholders in the process of implementation. Organic planning can also be used in this case to clarify the organisational cultural values in relation to various stakeholders within the Malden Mills environment (Thompson & Strickland, 2011).
Key stakeholder analysis will also be necessary in the implementation and design of the strategic and operational plan to help move the organisation from the current situation to an ideal one. The stakeholders are people or organisations that are negatively or positively impacted by the operations of the company. Key stakeholders are those with significant amount of influence within the organisation and include the employees who would soon lose their job positions. As a result of the burning of the textile mills, several parties will be affected including the management of the company that includes Mr. Farnsworth, who have to deal with the rebuilding of the company and shareholders who belong to the Farnsworth family. Others include the insurance company that will handle the insurance claim of the fire on the assets of family fabric, and the entire council and community of the town especially the individuals who might have been displaced as a result of the fire. The harmonious relationships among stakeholders will greatly affect the post-crisis responses of this incident in the organisation (Weiss, 1994).
A recommendation for direct action will involve short-term crisis management strategies such as ensuring those injured in the inferno have the most effective health care to avoid any lawsuits that may arise due to negligence. Sending corporate gifts and get-well messages as a simple act of compassion can save the company millions of dollars in legal and compensation fees. The next most immediate action would be to salvage any assets left after the inferno. These would include raw materials, finished goods, and some plant and machinery that might have survived the inferno. The cost of reusing these materials or refurbishing these assets would be far much less than procuring and buying new items. The employees of the company will then be asked politely through direct email to not resume work until investigations about the cause of the fire are finished, and cumulative damage done to the factory accounted for. This notice will provide the management of the company with ample time to set up back-to-work strategy for the employees since the company is deemed as an economic cornerstone for the community. This communication will minimize the expected worry and uncertainty of workers, the community, and other stakeholders in general and give at a minimum some hope and reassurance (Wells, 1997).
The long-term strategy for the future of family fabrics will depend on its long-term considerations. These considerations include the rise of competition in the textile market since the outdoor clothing manufacturers and design houses have expressed an interest in the product and the demand for it is high. The second consideration for the future would be providing a plan to ensure that the universal decline of the textile industry due to technological advances, foreign competition because of the availability of cheap labour, and other hosts of economic factors such as the decline of disposable income from traditional customers of the company, does not affect the company. The third factor to consider for the future of the company would be securing the necessary funds from other financial bodies such as banks and other outside investors for the restoration of the century-old building and all its contents including other machinery and technology. Closure of the company is not an option since its death will result to the death of all the economic activities in the town due to the loss of jobs for the employees who are inhabitants of the town. Increased financing from either debt or equity might make the Farnsworth family lose a significant share of their stake in the company unless they find a way of getting all the finances necessary to rebuild Family Fabrics by themselves (Hill & Jones, 2010).
A plan for viable business options for family fabrics would include painful decisions such as reducing the overall employee numbers working in a factory until all operations resume as usual. Other business options would be to expand the market base for the “Arctic Cloth” into other international markets. This can be done cheaply by considering building a branch of the company in an area with cheaper labour and freer labour loss. The profit margin of the company as a result might increase if the management of the company decides to reduce the retail price of the commodity thus maximizing in the economies of scope and scale. The company also needs to invest in more technologically advanced processes of production and utilize the produced by order basis (Drucker & Maciariello, 2008).
The efforts above will guide the management in the development and growth of the operational plans necessary to achieve a “big picture” as prescribed by the longer-term considerations of the management team of family fabrics if the organisation’s core competencies are used to bring about some competitive advantage and critical goal achievements.
References
Drucker, P. F., & Maciariello, J. A. (2008) Management (Rev. Ed) New York, NY: Collins.
Hill, C. W., & Jones, G. R. (2010) Strategic management cases: an integrated approach (9th Ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western/Cengage Learning.
Thompson, J., & Strickland, I. A. (2011) Crafting and executing strategy: concepts and readings global edition concepts and readings (18th-rev. ed., global Ed.). London: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
The first assignment is to produce a research report (max. 3000 words) based on an analysis of qualitative data you will each collect by undertaking an interview. Your task is to conduct an interview, record it, transcribe a sample of your recordings, undertake some initial analysis of the content of the conversation and reflect on the process of collecting data this way. It is expected you will support this using insights gained by your wider reading on the subject of qualitative interviewing.
The aims of the assignment are:
to familiarise yourself with the use of a qualitative method (in this case interviewing) for both data production and data analysis
to develop your research interviewing and transcription skills
to promote reflection on the process of doing qualitative research.
The assignment task is to use a semi-structuredor an unstructured interview process to discover your interviewee’s views and perspectives on the subject of the proposed dissertation topic, research question, aim and objectives
This will involve using interview approaches to probe the subject and gather and analyse your interviewee’s own responses to this topic (in his or her own words).
The expectation is that you will interview a fellow postgraduate student, possibly someone from your own course (but you can interview a postgraduate student from outside the LSBF if you wish). You will have to use your initiative to find a person who will be willing to be interviewed. It is preferable to make contact with someone you don’t know very well; a useful approach to do this may be to seek someone who is a friend of a friend. Alternatively you may be able to identify an individual who is an expert in the field of research you wish to explore. This brings the benefit of generating useful primary evidence contributing towards your dissertation project.
It will make sense, if you are interviewing a fellow student, to ask them about their proposed dissertation topic since they will be motivated to discuss this. They can then return the favour if you choose to be their interviewee.
Give yourself plenty of time to set up the interview. Having made contact, you will have to explain what the interview is about and arrange a time and date. The interview should take place at a location where the interviewee feels comfortable but also where you are both safe, for example, in a public space or business school building during normal office hours. (University guidance on lone working can be found at https://portal.lincoln.ac.uk/C1/hs/Health Safety Handbook/S, Lone working policy and Guidance v1-5.doc). Set aside between 1 to 2 hours for the interviewing; you may not need this long but don’t underestimate how long it may take to undertake a meaningful interview. The intention is to allow the interviewee to talk freely.
You decide if you want to use a unstructured or semi-structured interview approach. You must explain your choices in the method discussion of your report. If you use a semi-structured approach prepare a schedule of interview topics you think it may be useful to discuss (please include these as an appendix to your report and comment on the practical and theoretical relevance of these in your analysis). If you use unstructured interviewing approaches describe in your report how you started the discussion and used follow-up questions. You should lead your interviewee into the topic gently without putting words into his or her mouth; so you should not introduce too much rigid structure or artificiality into the conversation. The atmosphere should be relaxed allowing your interviewee to talk in detail about events important to him or her. Your role is to keep the interview flowing and on-course and respond to their conversation appropriately with follow-up questions and comments. Ideally you want to capture rich, descriptive details of their experiences and perspectives.
There are three stages to this assignment, each has specific marks allocated to it and must be in evidence in your final report:
1) Data production and Method (approx. 1000 words):
Each student is to conduct their own interview with a relevant participant and should consider (through appropriate reading) how to conduct this successfully.
The report should discuss who you selected (a general description, without identifying the individual); why you selected them and how you set up the interview with them.
Ethical guidelines are emphasised and you should ensure that you follow these (including for example considering issues of informed consent and confidentiality).
The interview must be recorded – this must be kept safe and made available to the tutor if requested. You should be able to use your phone, mp3 player, computer or a recorder to complete this task.
Your report should include an account of the methods used and your methodological approach. Academic references should be used to indicate how your approach was informed by background reading on qualitative interviewing. You should also discuss how and why any themes were chosen to help structure the interview and how the resulting data was analysed.
2) Transcription (approx. 500 words of actual conversation from the interview):
The assignment must include a transcript of part of the interview; which should demonstrate the use of transcription techniques.
Students need to familiarise themselves with the ‘script’ of the resulting interview. They should listen to the tape several times to work out which parts of the conversation are most relevant, interesting and able to demonstrate your transcription skills. This extract from the interview should be around 500 words and must include (as a minimum) the exact words as spoken during part of the interview.
The interview should be conducted in English (even if the interview participants English is not perfect). Your transcript should be of the interview as spoken, and this may include mistakes and unusual sentences. You may however sometimes have to include some explanatory comments in order to make the sense clear to the reader.
In the extremely unlikely event you are unable to interview in English you would need to make a full transcription in the first language and then a full translation. Your reasons for doing this must be justified and discussed in the method section and it should be noted that this is NOT RECOMMENDED – as it takes much longer to do and is much harder to capture the meaning of the conversations.
Reflection on research findings and process (approx.. 1000 words):
Students need to write a short reflection on the interview they conducted.
This should include a summary of the findings – including a summary of key themes emerging from the interviews and the lessons learnt.
You might want to discuss the differences between your original expectations of themes for conversation and those discussed in the interview itself.
You should reflect on the success or otherwise of the interview in addressing the overall original objective of the research.
You may want to relate this discussion to the known strengths and weaknesses of the technique you chose (giving academic references). Remember this should always relate to a reflection on the process of your interview and its outcomes not a general discussion.
The structure of the report should be as follows:
Method Description and Discussion (approx. 1000 words) – 40% of marks
Transcript. Presentation of an extract from the interview, a sample transcript with annotations (approx. 500 words) – 30% of marks
Reflection on the interview findings and approach (approx. 1000 words) – 20% of marks
References (using Harvard conventions) – demonstrating appropriate wider reading and skills in referencing – 10% of marks
The report should be submitted electronically as ONE document; so as to detect any attempted plagiarism. Please remember that academic honesty is required at all times and your work must be entirely your own. Views and quotes from other authors are encouraged where they add to your argument/discussion but the source of these should be clearly given (as a reference) and all quotations/website extracts must be clearly indicated by using quote-marks.
Submission deadline 31 August 2014 (submitted through LMS)
Maximum word count: 3,000 words
Suggested Further Reading
Bryman A & Bell E (2007) Business Research Methods 2nd Edition Oxford University Press
Denzin N & Lincoln Y (2005) The SAGE handbook of Qualitative Research London: Sage
Eriksson, P & Kovalainen, A (2008) Qualitative Methods in Business Research London, Sage
Gummesson E (1991) Qualitative Methods in Management Research London: Sage.
Marschan,-Piekarit, R & Welch, C, (2005) Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods for International Business London: Edward Elgar.
Mason, J. (2002) Qualitative Researching. London: Sage
Saunders, M et al (2006) Research Methods for Business Students London: Financial Times/Prentice Hall
Silverman, D. (2001) Interpreting Qualitative Data: Methods for Analysing talk, text and interaction. London: Sage
Silverman, D (2000) Doing Qualitative Research: A Practical Handbook London: Sage
Generic Marking Criteria
Overall result
Marking Criteria
Distinction
70%+
70-79%
80-89%
90%+
Excellent work that will:
o display a full understanding of area of research and mastery of a significant body of data
o use full range of sources, used selectively to support argument
o provide a coherent and strong argument
o display originality in analysis and subtlety of interpretation
o be exceptionally well written and presented
o present the possibility of publication.
High quality throughout with an excellent understanding of the subject.
Showing insight and potential for publication with some revisions.
Exceptional insight and of publishable quality.
Good
Pass
60-69%
60-64%
65-69%
The work will:
o display effective use of main materials, going beyond the standard secondary sources
o present coherent and concise argument of complex concepts
o present independent and critical evaluation of a range of theories
o show some evidence of originality
o be written and presented to good academic standards.
Well developed argument and evaluation.
Approaching excellence in some areas.
Pass
50-59%
50-54%
55-59%
The work will:
o display a sound basic knowledge of principals relevant to the area of study
o present a logical structure, though this may not be fully thought through
o display some capacity to critically reflect or analyse
o be unlikely to show evidence of originality
o be presented and written to adequate academic standards.
Generally accurate and sound understanding of area of study.
Approached good standard in several areas.
Fail
<50%
40-49%
30-39%
<30%
Many of the basic elements may be present but the work will be lacking in other areas, such as,
o key information sources and content which will be limited
o unsophisticated use of key sources
o poorly structured and sustained argument displaying limited knowledge
o conceptual understanding is poor.
o defects in presentation
o parts of the question may be missing or only partially answered
Overall knowledge limited and poorly presented.
Very poor knowledge of subject and weak understanding of issues.
Deeply flawed, containing fundamental mistakes.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Research Design and Dissertation
Introduction
The dissertation topic to be considered concerns the influence the country of origin on consumer behaviour mainly because it is a phenomenon which is significantly affecting international business where consumers prefer products from certain countries compared to others. The research report will specifically involve conducting an unstructured interview inn order to make sure that the questions of concern are answered and the answers provided are analysed for the sake of giving out the research findings in form of a statistical findings which are presentable.
According to the selected dissertation topic which is “the influence the country of origin on consumer behaviour”, stating the research problem would specifically involve this issue. For instance, the use of products from outside the home country among consumers worldwide has been increasing despite the production of similar products in their countries which are made locally. This implies that consumer behaviour, and particularly the perceptions and attitudes of local consumers towards products made in varied countries seem to be different. However, it is important to note that the noted variations in perception and attitude among consumers can be attributed to the influence of country of origin on consumer behaviour mainly because it affects the perceived value and perceived quality of the product in market, eventually influencing the loyalty of consumers towards particular product brands.
The purpose of this research is to the influence of country of origin effects on consumer behaviour among consumers as well as their perceived quality and value of certain products manufactured in various countries, and how this relates to consumer loyalty towards the considered product.
The objectives of this research are as follows:
To examine influence of the effects of a product’s country of origin on consumer behaviour among consumers.
To establish how country of origin influences consumer loyalty towards a product.
In addition, the research questions are shown below as follows:
How does country of origin influence consumer behaviour among consumers?
How does the country of origin effects influence consumer loyalty towards a product?
This kind of research has crucial importance mainly because country of origin has in the recent past become an important factor in the determination of consumer behaviour in international across the world. This implies that, the findings of this research would be of great help to manufacturers of various products both locally and internationally because they would of critical significance in helping them to understand the influence of country of origin effects on consumer behaviour. This would help to enable manufacturers and marketers to devise the necessary competitive strategies which would help in terms of survival, customer retention, market share expansion, and building product loyalty among consumers.
Data Production and Method
This research used unstructured interview to collect information from a postgraduate student within the same department who was not my friend, but a friend of my classmate. A student within the same department of business was selected mainly because such an interviewee would be in a better position to understand the issue and/or phenomenon under study thereby making sure that the answers given to the questions asked during the unstructured interview are more appropriate and precise to the intended outcome (Denzin and Lincoln, 2005). The postgraduate student selected to participate in the unstructured interview is in his first year of studies, but has diverse knowledge on various contemporary business topics especially those concerning international business considering that the interviewee has significant experience in international business.
The choice for an unstructured interview to conduct this study was mainly because it is a spontaneous conversation, which does not involve asking of specific questions in a predetermined order since it involves collection of information concerning varied aspects of the issue and/or phenomenon under investigation (Silverman, 2000). The reason why unstructured interview was selected is due to the fact that the research respondents and/or participants and the researcher engage in a formal interview where both schedule time to sit and speak with each other in an interview in order to get answers for all the questions (Patton, 2002). Despite the unstructured interview not having a particular schedule, the interviewer has a clear plan in mind concerning the goal and focus of the interview mainly for the purpose of guiding the discussion. Moreover, a structured interview guide is not available and the interviewer builds rapport with the research respondents and/or participants by getting them to willingly open-up and express their views and opinions in their own way (Gillham, 2005; Saunders, 2006). This is mainly attributable to the fact that questions asked are usually open-ended and express little control over the responses of the informants.
This implies that unstructured interview should be used when significant understanding has been developed about the research topic as well as the research setting. This is mainly because this would allow an open discussion between the interwar/researcher and the interviewees making sure that succinct, explicit and precise answers about the considered questions are obtained from the research respondents. Additionally, during an unstructured interview which often consists of open-ended questions and discussions, details of the interview particularly those concerning the main issues of the research should be recorded either manually using a pen and paper or digitally using recorders (Marschan-Piekarit and Welch, 2005). This is usually very essential in helping the interviewer towards focusing on the interaction with the research respondent or participant and following the discussion.
Furthermore, the unstructured interviews have many benefits which continued to make them useful against other methods of research. Firstly, the unstructured interviews are helpful in developing an understanding of the issue or phenomenon under investigation explicitly (Mason, 2002). Secondly, unstructured interviews are essential in allowing researchers towards focusing on the respondents’ talk on the research topic, and in most cases it gives the researchers an opportunity to test their preliminary understanding regarding the research topic, while still giving them an opportunity for new ways to see and understand the research topic. Finally, the unstructured interviews are in most cases used as crucial preliminary steps in the process of developing more structured interviews (Eriksson and Kovalainen, 2008).
Additionally, ethical issues must also be considered in the research methods mainly to make sure that the research is ethically upright in terms of the main ethical issues which must be considered for the purpose of making sure that there is no violation of ethical issues because the research includes human subjects and/or subjects (Gummesson, 1991). In particular, obtaining informed consent as well as privacy and confidentiality are the most significant ethical issues that were considered during this research. For instance, informed consent must be obtained from all the research respondents and/or participants to make sure that all those taking part in the research do so willingly and without any form of coercion. This indicates that any information gained from the research respondents and/or participants would be relied upon in the analysis of the research findings since no single respondent or participant was forced to take part in the research process (Saunders et al, 2006).
The other ethical issues that were considered in this research include confidentiality and privacy which particularly regards that any information obtained from the research respondents and/or participants should remain private and confidential. This means that any unauthorized person should not be allowed to access any information obtained from the participants of the research unless the necessary authorizations are granted (Burns, 2000). This helps in making sure that the identities of the individuals from where the research information is obtained are not reveal to avoid compromising the validity and reliability of the research findings. The recorded information should then be kept safe and away from any unauthorized individual for the purpose of making sure it can be retrieved at a later date in a good form which would enable it to be used for many times throughout the research period without compromising its quality or content (Bryman and Bell, 2007).
Transcription
This section presents the actual questions asked during the conversation between the interviewer and interviewee in a chronological manner whereby the opening conversation is involved together follow-up questions as well as closing remarks. The first set of questions concerns the process involved in preparing and writing a dissertation meaning that the questions are specific to the process of writing a dissertation. Additionally, considering that the research topic involves a study of the influence of country of origin to consumer behaviour amongst consumers, it is important specific questions concerning the topic will also be asked as shown below for the purpose of making sure that the goal or aim of the research is achieved.
Transcription from the interview
Part A of the interview (General questions on dissertations writing process)
Interview questions
Response
1
The most important issue when selecting a research topic is that you should have interest in it and sufficient knowledge
2
Research questions, aims and objectives formulated through literature review or discussion with the supervisor
3
Research questions, aims and objectives importance is to ensure that the research does not deviate by keeping it in line with intended outcome
4
A dissertation should be structured in five chapters in the following order: introduction, literature review, methodology, analysis and discussion and finally the conclusion and recommendations
5
Literature review expounds on the knowledge on the topic being researched or helps to get new knowledge
6
Research type and/or design adopted by researcher is influenced by research questions and research strategy
7
Type of interview adopted by the researcher is influenced by the level of information obtained from the respondents
8
Semi-structured interview helps to generated data in an orderly manner through a set schedule, but rigid. Unstructured interview is easy to conduct, but the collected data not orderly.
9
By ensuring that the research materials are diverse and varied
10
The process of selecting part of the population to use in research work to make generalisations about the entire population
11
An entire set from where the sample is selected
12
Privacy of the respondents and confidentiality of whatever is discussed as well as seeking consent of the respondents
13
In bar graphs, pie charts, line graphs, and histograms
14
Discussion of the research findings is find their relationships between them and existing theories or form the platform for future research in case of a new area of research
Part B of the interview (Specific research topic questions)
Interview questions
Response
1
Preferences are: price, quality of the product as well as country of origin
2
Yes, I do know considering that influences the purchase of me buying the product
3
Yes, I do prioritise the country of origin because of the quality probability of the product
4
I simply refuse to purchase because I don’t know the quality and probably the satisfaction I may gain when I buy
5
Yes, because technological aspects are very important for example when considering the electronics
6
Yes, I do believe so. For example south Africa is good in wine and therefore when am buying wines and I know is coming from South Africa I know am buying something good, irrespective of the price
7
Surely, I do always want to know the country of origin, because that would determine the quality of the product of course the higher the quality the higher the price
8
I do buy wine from south Africa also France, perfumes from France and when its comes to leather industry belts and shoes from Italy
The above transcription clearly shows that a succinct understanding of the general process of writing a dissertation is very critical. Particularly part A of the interview confirms this. Additionally, part B of the interview which covers specific research topic questions reveals a strong relevance of a product’s country of origin in influencing consumer behaviour.
Reflection on Research Findings and Process
When reflecting on the findings obtained from the interview that was conducted during this research, it is important to note that there are various issues that can be observed particularly on the research findings and the entire research process. For instance, a reflection on the interview that was conducted indicates that interviewing a post graduate student was more appropriate in making sure that the research respondents and/or participants give effective answers towards the asked questions. The interview answers also provided insights into the entire process of writing a dissertation. In addition, interview was also done on the selected research topic showing that the answers given to the asked questions were relatively appropriate meaning that there was a relationship between the country of origin and consumer behaviour of the considered research respondents and/or participants.
Therefore, it important to consider that the interview conducted during thing this research reveals that all the questions asked by the researcher or interviewee were succinctly answered all at once and very few follow-up questions were asked due to explicit answers provided to the questions asked. However, despite the fact that answers to all the questions which were asked are answered, it is necessary to note that the answers provided can be directly used for analysis in order to make sure that conclusions can be made from the research findings as a way of ensuring getting important meaning of the information obtained from the research respondents or participants during the research.
A consideration of the research findings in summary indicates that there is a very strong relationship between the country of origin of a product and consumer behaviour towards it mainly because consumer behaviour is determined by attitudes and perceptions of consumers towards the product. Precisely, the findings obtained from this research shows that many consumers usually consider the country of origin of the respective products as an important factor prior to making purchasing choices.
According to the research findings the process of product evaluation generally evokes some associations which are brand-specific stored within the memory of the consumers which end up contributing to the overall brand image (Williams and Page, 2011). The findings of this research also reveal that this is a very essential aspect of consumer behaviour mainly because it allows for differentiation between products which are manufactured in different countries meaning that the country of origin effects constitute one of the essential aspects of consumer behaviour due to the fact that their ability for allowing consumers in developing generalizations, perceptions and attitudes concerning a product’s country of origin, which is a crucial basis of consumer’s evaluations of products and/or brands (Drozdenko and Jensen, 2009). The research findings imply that consumers’ micro and macro country images have the potential of significantly influencing consumer behaviour which means that country or brand image which are often created based on the associations of country of origin effects with perceived quality of products made in the same country influence the key brand equity dimensions such as brand loyalty and brand associations (Shlomo and Jaffe, 1996). According to Koubaa (2008) the moderation of country of origin image effects on a brand is mostly done by both brand and country reputation. This is a clear indication that there is a direct relationship between consumer loyalty and/or consumer behaviour with a country or product image implying that products from various countries are in most cases evaluated differently on the basis of the image of their country of origin from the perspective of consumer’s attitudes and perceptions (Cai, et al. 2004).
Finally, a key reflection of the research findings and the entire research process shows that there is need to prioritise primary research because it allows collection of original information and/or data. This means that the obtained information would be very essential to determine how the final research will be carried out; hence, the findings obtained from the unstructured interview would form an important basis for a more structured interview and/or study because it provides a framework for conducting a more robust and bigger study which would be carried out for research findings which are more valid and reliable. A combination of these reflections indicate that using a good research design as well as a good research methodology would result to appropriate findings which could be applied in many situations of contemporary business dues to their validity and reliability which ensures that they can be replicated to a variety of situations. Furthermore, consumer behaviour is considered to be highly dependent of the perceptions and attitudes of the consumers towards certain products and services, and country of origin has been determined to be one of the important aspects because research findings reaffirms the same.
Reference List
Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2007), Business Research Methods, 2nd Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Burns, R. B. (2000), Introduction to Research Methods. London: Sage Publications.
Cai, Y., Cude, B. and Swagler, R. (2004), “Country-of-origin effects on consumers’ willingness to buy foreign products: an experiment in consumer decision making”, Consumer Interests Annual, Vol. 50, pp. 98-105.
Denzin, N. and Lincoln, Y. (2005), The SAGE handbook of Qualitative Research London: Sage.
Drozdenko, R. and Jensen, M. (2009), “Translating country-of-origin effects into price” Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 18 No. 5, pp. 371 – 378.
Eriksson, P. and Kovalainen, A. (2008), Qualitative Methods in Business Research. London: Sage.
Gillham, B. (2005), Research Interviewing: The Range of Technique. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Gummesson, E. (1991), Qualitative Methods in Management Research. London: Sage.
Koubaa, Y. (2008), “Country of origin, brand image perception, and brand image structure”, Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 20 No. 2, pp. 139-155.
Marschan-Piekarit, R. and Welch, C. (2005), Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods for International Business. London: Edward Elgar.
Mason, J. (2002), Qualitative Researching. London: Sage Publishers.
Patton, M. (2002), Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Saunders, M et al (2006), Research Methods for Business Students. London: Financial Times/Prentice Hall.
Silverman, D. (2001), Interpreting Qualitative Data: Methods for Analyzing talk, text and interaction. London: Sage.
Shlomo, L. and Jaffe, E. (1996), “Country of origin effect on international market entry”, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 32 No. 1/2, pp. 61-72.
Silverman, D. (2000), Doing Qualitative Research: A Practical Handbook. London: Sage Publishers.
Thomson, S. B. (2011), “Sample size and grounded theory”, Journal of Administration and Governance, Vol.5 No.1, pp. 45-52.
Williams, K. C. and Page, R. A. (2011), “Marketing to generations”, Journal of Behavioral Studies in Business, Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 37-53.
Appendix
The questions asked concerning the general process of writing a dissertation as well as how to set research questions, aims and objectives are as follows:
How do you select the research topic?
After selecting the research topic how are research questions, aims and objectives formulated?
What is the importance of research questions, aims and objectives?
How should a dissertation be structured?
How does literature review help in the process of writing a dissertation?
What influences the research type and/or design adopted by the researcher?
What influences the type of interview adopted by the researcher either semi-structured or unstructured?
What are advantages and disadvantages of both types of interview?
How does the researcher make sure that the research findings are valid and reliable?
What is sampling in qualitative research?
What is a population in a qualitative research?
What are the ethical issues considered by the researcher if a researcher involves human subjects in the study?
What are the most common methods of representing data collected in a research?
Why is it necessary to discuss research findings?
The questions asked concerning the specific research topic are as follows:
When purchasing a product, what is your preference?
Do you know the product of origin of all the products which you purchase?
When a lot of equivalent products are available, do you prioritise the product’s country-of-origin prior to purchasing?
When you do not know a product’s country of origin, do you refuse to purchase it?
When purchasing a product, do you believe that its technological aspects are determined by the country of origin?
Do you believe that the quality of a product is determined its country of origin?
When purchasing a product, do you always seek to know its country of origin?
Which are the countries from where you mostly purchase their products?
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This assignment is worth 20% of your final grade. It gives you an opportunity to apply concepts and theories from the textbook to your real-life experience in training programs. You must complete this assignment individually, without contacting other students. The assignment addresses Course Objectives 1, 4, and 5.
Most of us have had to participate in some type of training on our jobs, such as new employee orientation, lunch-and-learn workshops, Employee Assistance Program training, technical skill training, employee benefits update meetings, or management development workshops. Some of us have experienced on-the-job training. Others have participated in professional development workshops or skills-based continuing education classes. Think about the best and worst training experiences you have had.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Write an 8-10 page essay (not including cover and reference pages) analyzing both your best and worst training experiences as an employee. Be specific in discussing what made the experiences good or bad. Chapters 4-8 in the textbook cover the design of training, transfer of training, evaluation of training, and training methods; you might want to review the chapter summaries in the Course Content area of our classroom to refresh your understanding of important theories and concepts that might apply to your training experiences. There is also a list of key terms at the end of each chapter in the textbook and a glossary on pp. 485-496.
Your essay should include brief descriptions of the training experiences:
• The objective(s) of the training
• The target audience
• The training site (see Chapter 5)
• Training methods used (see Chapters 7 and 8)
• What, if any, kind of evaluation was conducted (see Chapter 6)
The major focus of your paper is your analysis, which is worth 65% of the grade for this assignment. Your analysis should include:
• An assessment of the specific factors that contributed to the success or ineffectiveness of the training; for example, consider these questions:
o Did the training achieve its objective(s)?
o Was the training site conducive to learning?
o Were the methods chosen appropriate for the topic and the audience?
o Did you have opportunities to practice and receive feedback?
• A discussion of the learning theory or theories that you believe guided the training (see Chapter 4)
• An assessment of the competencies, knowledge, and/or skills demonstrated by the trainer(s). In 2013 the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) introduced a new ASTD Competency Model for training and development professionals. Click on the link below to access an interactive version of the competency model (for example, click on Training Delivery to see the definition of this competency and behavioral indicators): http://www.astd.org/Certification/Competency-Model
• A discussion of whether or not you transferred what you learned to your job, whether or not you had any lapses, and what contributed to your successful or unsuccessful transfer or to your lapses (see Chapter 4)
• Your specific recommendations for improving the training, based on what you now know about effective training programs
The information above should be included in your paper but you are free to organize your essay in whatever way makes sense to you. You may use the first person (“I attended a program” or “the trainer told us”) in discussing your experiences. Support your analysis with citations from the textbook, additional readings from this class or other HR courses, and your own research. You can also apply what you have learned from the supplemental information about Bloom’s taxonomy and Kirkpatrick’s levels of evaluation posted in Course Content and from using the T&D tools. Make sure you define all key terms and cite the source(s) of your definition. Since this is not primarily a research paper, no specific number of references is required. However, you must cite the textbook.
Use APA format for all citations, quotations, and references. References should be listed on a separate page as required by APA style. Please put your name and your Turnitin score on a cover page. Your paper should be double spaced with one inch margins and a font size of at least 11 points; do not include any spaces between paragraphs or sections.
Submit your report to Turnitin.com for an originality report. Instructions for using Turnitin can be found in the Course Content area. Because many factors can affect the originality score, there is no specific required score. However, you should try to get your score as low as possible and if it is not in the “green,” you should make revisions. Read your originality report carefully and if you are not satisfied with your Turnitin score, you can revise and resubmit your paper as many times as you like; however, you must use the same document name each time you submit it. It can take 4-24 hours to get an originality report, so plan your time accordingly. Papers submitted without a Turnitin score will be returned unread and the standard late penalty will apply until the paper is resubmitted with the score.
Submit your assignment electronically via the Assignment folder.
Name your file this way: YourLastNameFirstInitial_BestWorst
(Example: DrakeClarkD_BestWorst)
Due date: Sunday, July 13, 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.
Please see the next page for the grading criteria for this assignment.
Criteria for Grading Best and Worst Training Experiences Essay
A B C F Points Earned
Knowledge and Application of Relevant Concepts and Theories
(65 pts) Student demonstrated exceptional knowledge of relevant theories and concepts; student did an exceptional job of applying theories and concepts to workplace training experiences; all statements and opinions were supported by appropriate citations from the textbook and from other sources.
65 – 59 points Student demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of relevant theories and concepts; student did a satisfactory job of applying theories and concepts to workplace training experiences; most statements and opinions were supported by appropriate citations primarily from the textbook.
58 – 52 points Student demonstrated less than satisfactory knowledge of relevant theories and concepts; student did a less than satisfactory job of applying theories and concepts to workplace training experiences; some statements and opinions were not supported by appropriate citations.
51 – 46 points Student demonstrated unsatisfactory knowledge of relevant theories and concepts; student did an inadequate job of applying theories and concepts to workplace training experiences; many statements and opinions were not supported by appropriate citations.
45 – 0 points
Comments
Presentation of Ideas and Mechanics
(30 pts) Student presented ideas in a clear, compelling manner; essay contained few distracting writing, grammar, and/or spelling problems; the page length requirement was met.
30 – 27 points Student presented ideas in an organized manner; essay contained several distracting writing, grammar, and/or spelling problems; the page length requirement may have been slightly exceeded.
26 – 24 points Student presented ideas in a somewhat organized manner; essay contained a number of distracting grammar and/or spelling problems; the page length requirement may not have been met.
23 – 21 points Student presented ideas in a poorly organized manner; essay contained many distracting writing, grammar, and/or spelling problems; the page length requirement was not met.
20 – 0 points
Comments
APA formatting
(5 pts) All citations, quotations, and references were formatted correctly or contained only one or two minor errors.
5.0 – 4.5 Most citations, quotations, and references were formatted correctly or contained a few minor errors.
4.4 – 4.0 points Some citations, quotations, and references were not formatted correctly or contained major errors.
3.9 – 3.5 points Many citations, quotations, and references were not formatted correctly or contained many errors.
Organizations often train their employees with the aim of equipping them with skills in new areas or areas in which they are not properly conversant. As such, the training experience can either be effective or ineffective based on several factors that can be caused by the trainer or the training environment (Ameeq-ul-Amee, 2013). As an employee, I happened to have attended two trainings that made me realize that not all trainings can be effective to employees. In my first training, we were to be oriented on the methods of interacting with the local community member to whom we were to distribute sanitary pads and sleeping nets. My second training was focused on the development of knowledge on ISO (International Organization for Standardization) practices, which were to apply in our daily activities in a dairy company where I was employed as a part-time worker. In relation to this, the training on the ISO practices happened to be my best training, while those on how to interact with the local community members was my worst. These outcomes were attributed to several factors that are analyzed below.
Description of the Two Trainings
The principle objective of the first training was to equip employees with adequate knowledge on how to interact with the local community members during the distribution of sleeping nets and sanitary pads. This training was funded by a local NGO that dealt with the welfare of the local communities. The training was conducted at a park next to a busy highway as this place was considered convenient to all the trainees in terms of accessibility. Its target audience was the local community members. However, this training did not involve an evaluation to ascertain whether the employees had benefited from it or not. On the other side, the training on ISO practices was targeted at equipping workers with adequate skills and knowledge on the best manufacturing practices so that they could apply this knowledge in enhancing productivity in the dairy company. This training was carried out in one of the company’s conference rooms and its target audience was the employees. Besides, this training also involved an evaluation to ascertain whether the workers had gained knowledge from it or not.
Analysis of Factors that Led to the Success and Failure of the Two Trainings
Factors that Contributed to the Success of the Training on ISO Practices
This training was conducted to nine workers from the company’s production department and six employees from the quality assurance department. At the end of the training, all these workers were noted to have sufficient skills in the areas on which they were trained. As such, this training managed to accomplish its core objective. Several factors led to the success of this training program.
One of the principle factors that contributed significantly to the effectiveness of this training was proper selection and preparation of the training site by the company’s management. The firm’s management chose one of its best conference rooms as the training site. Selection of a suitable training site is vital in ensuring that trainees are not distracted during the process of training. This site had the necessary requirements for a suitable training site. It was accessible and comfortable, private, quite, free from interruptions and spacious (Noe, 2013). In relation to comfort and accessibility, the conference room was well lit, ventilated, and furnished with comfortable seats. On the other side, the aspects of quietness and privacy ensured that trainees were not disrupted during the training process. Consequently, the adequate space offered by the training site ensured that trainees had good visibility for each other. Besides, this aspect ensured that visual displays such as charts and video were used in delivering knowledge in an efficient manner (Jayakumar, 2014). In addition, the traditional classroom seating arrangement that the management selected for trainees facilitated the process of knowledge delivery. A good comprehension of the appropriate form of trainee-trainer and trainer interaction is vital in the selection of a suitable seating arrangement. Traditional classroom seating arrangement is often suitable in situations in which the process of training involves the acquisition of knowledge (Noe, 2013). As such, this form of seating arrangement was relevant to the training as the training was based on delivering the knowledge on ISO practices to trainees. In addition, the conventional classroom arrangement is usually relevant to trainings that involve lecturing and audio-visual presentation as was in the case of this training.
Training methods that trainers employ during the training process play a significant role in the determination of the effectiveness of the knowledge delivery process. Some of the factors that should be taken into consideration during the selection of training methods are the intended learning results, the needed learning environment, aspect of transferring learning, effectiveness and cost (Noe, 2013). In relation to this, lecturing, audio-visual, case studies and self-directed learning were selected for this training as they were efficient in the attainment of the core objective of the training. Trainees were required to seat and take notes on the issues that were lectured on by the trainer. To complement the learning process, trainees were allowed to ask questions on areas that were not clear. The use of the audio-visual technique was significant in the provision of visual examples to trainees. This undertaking ensured that all employees in the training comprehended what was being taught. Moreover, the training involved practical application or demonstration of the knowledge gained from the workshop. Trainees were required to demonstrate their actions in relation to various situations of production that required the application of ISO practices. Furthermore, written tests and assignments were given at the end of every training session to help in the identification of the trainees’ understanding of the topic that was under study. The trainer also employed several case studies in the teaching process so that trainees could manage to contextualize the theoretical knowledge in the real world scenario. Consequently, the trainers also used self-directed learning in the training process. Self-directed learning refers to the approach that is based on the placement total responsibility for the learning process on employees or trainers (Noe, 2013). This undertaking also involves placing responsibility on employees in terms of when the process of learning will be conducted and with whom. In this training method, the content of training is often predetermined. However, learners are always allowed to study the contents of training in their pace and way. Besides, it is recommended that when trainers use this method, they should be available to respond to questions asked by trainees and facilitate the process of learning. In relation to this, employees in the training were provided with the topics that the training was to cover and were required to conduct a prior study on them before they could be taught in class. The incorporation of these four techniques ensured that the trainer delivered knowledge to us in an efficient manner.
I was impressed by the approach that the trainer employed at the end of every training session. The trainer ensured that evaluations were conducted at the end of each training session to help in determining whether employees comprehended what they were taught. Monitoring and evaluation is a vital concept in the assessment of the learners’ or trainees’ knowledge and skills after undergoing training on a given area. Some of the methods that were used to assess the knowledge of trainees were brainstorming and experimentations (Latif, 2013). Trainees were taken to a secluded room and asked questions on various areas of training. Moreover, learners were required to display a practical demonstration of the knowledge that they gained from the training. This step was embraced to help in the assessment of cognitive outcomes. Cognitive outcomes are used in determining the level at which learners are familiar with the techniques, procedures, principles and information they have been taught (Noe, 2013). Besides, it was used in the assessment of the skill and behavior-based outcomes. Skill-based outcomes help in assessing the behaviors that learners have acquired from the training as it takes into consideration learner’s application of the knowledge gained from training (Noe, 2013). These stages were followed by assessment of learners’ skills and knowledge on the interviewed area and provision of feedbacks. The process of feedback delivery was conducted in a friendly manner that created a relaxed atmosphere between the trainers and trainees. As such, each one of us managed to strengthen areas of weaknesses on the trained topic.
Factors that Led to the Ineffectiveness of the Training on Distribution of Nets and Sanitary Pads
The training on how to interact with local community members during the distribution of sleeping nets and sanitary pads was ineffective in relation to achieving its goal. The principle objective of this training was to equipping learners with adequate interaction skills, which could help them in the process of distributing sleeping nets and sanitary pads to local community members. Accomplishment of the training objectives is vital way of determining the effectiveness of a training program (Latif, 2013). As such, this training was ineffective since many learners could not demonstrate the skills that they were taught in classroom in the field. This training ended up being ineffective due to two factors.
First, the selection of the training site was not done in a proper manner. The training was conducted inside a tent in park that was located next to a busy highway. As such, this training site was uncomfortable and did not provide for quietness and privacy, which are essential for a suitable training site. The location of the training site next to the highway exposed learners to interruptions from the honking or sounds of the passing vehicles. I remember several instances when learners were being interrupted by hooting of the vehicles during the learning process. Besides, the training room was not well ventilated and learners could complain of excessive heat in some occasions. Second, the training methods that were used in the teaching process were not effective in equipping learners with the desired skills and knowledge. In this training, the trainer focused mostly on the presentation methods such as lectures and audio-visual. This approach was not effective as these methods did not focus on the practical aspect of learning (Latif, 2013). The interaction process required training that was based on hands-on-methods such as on-the-job training. Using presentation methods led to a situation in which learners could not apply the knowledge gained from the classroom in the field. This inefficiency was evident in the fieldwork in that many employees experienced problems relating to members of the local community. In some instances, some of the workers received harsh treatment from local community members who perceived our mission as an insult. This issue was caused by the learners’ inability to express themselves and the mission of our program correctly. Lastly, there was not evaluation conducted to ascertain the learners’ understanding of what was taught in the training. Therefore, the trainer could not manage to identify whether learners had comprehended what they were taught.
Learning Theory that Guided the Training
Learning happens to be among the significant activities in which people often engage as it exists at the core of the educational process. Effective training requires that trainers comprehend the various theories that help in guiding the learning process (Noe, 2013). In the two trainings, behavioral theories such as operant conditioning and classical conditioning played vital role in guiding the process of learning. Operant conditioning aids in the illustration of the information acquisition rate and establishment of behaviors or actions that are conducive for a classroom environment. On the other side, classical conditioning played a significant role in explaining why learners react emotionally to various stimuli (Noe, 2013). For instance, in the training that focused on how to interact with local community members, learners were seen to react angrily to the condition of the classroom that was hot.
Assessment of the Knowledge, Skills and Competencies of both Trainers
In the two trainings, trainers had different levels of skills, knowledge and competencies. The trainer that focused on ISO practices had more skills and knowledge than the one that taught on interaction methods. This trainer selected the training methods were relevant in the delivery of knowledge on ISO practices to students. Moreover, this trainer accompanied the training process with evaluations, which help in the revelation of areas in which learners lacked experience. The trainer had adequate knowledge on the area of study and this helped in the selection of appropriate training methods. As such, this trainer can be considered competent. On the contrary, the second trainer did not select the appropriate training methods that could help in delivering the desired knowledge to employees. In addition, this trainer lacked as system of monitoring the performance and understanding levels of learners. I, therefore, consider this trainer incompetent.
The Transfer of the Knowledge Gained from Both Trainings
Application of the knowledge gained from training can be categorized into near or far. Near transfer refers to the application of the knowledge gained from training in the real work set-up. Thus, the training on ISO practices involved near transfer of knowledge (Noe, 2013). Moreover, trainings that focus on near transfer can involve the following of standardized processes and procedures as was in the case of ISO practices’ training. On the contrary, far transfer involves the teaching of broad principle and key behaviors as in the case of the training on interaction methods, which focused on teaching learners how to behave as they interacted with local community members. My transfer of the knowledge gained from the training on ISO practices was successful. This success was attributed to the effective methods of training and evaluations that the trainer employed in the training process. Furthermore, the proper selection of the training site also facilitated my understanding of the topic under study. In contrast, I did not manage to transfer the knowledge that I gained from the training on interaction methods in the field effectively. This failure was lined to poor selection of training site and training methods. Besides, the ineffectiveness of this training resulted from the lack of assessment.
Recommendations
Trainers should ensure that they have adequate skills and knowledge on the topic they want to teach as this can help select appropriate training methods (Noe, 2013). Besides, they should ensure that the training sites selected offer comfort, privacy, and quietness as this helps in ensuring that learners are not interrupted during training
References
Ameeq-ul-Amee, H. (2013). Impact of Training on Employee’s Development and Performance in Hotel Industry of Lahore, Pakistan. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 4(4), 68-82.
Jayakumar, S; Sam, D; Sulthan, A. (2014). Modelling: Employee Perception on Training and Development. SCMS Journal of Indian Management, 11(2), 57-70.
Latif, K. (2013). Association of Training Satisfaction with Employee Development Aspect of job Satisfaction. Journal of Managerial Sciences, 7(1), 59-178.
Noe, R. (2013). Employee Training and Development. New York: McGraw-Hill Education
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Self evaluation questionnaires to determine the degree of change in eating behaviour of parents who have attended healthy eating education groups.
Order Instruction
Instructions
Aim – To identify through the use of self-evaluation questionnaires, the degree of change in eating behaviour of parents who have attended healthy eating education groups. The parents have children aged between 0-5 years of age and live in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Research question
Whether parents (with children aged 0-5) living in the borough of Tower Hamlets have improved their dietary intake ( as assessed by using self evaluation questionnaires against population based health eating guidelines ) as a result of attending healthy eating sessions.
I will be focusing at the following points only, in my research :
1) Demographics
2)Consumption of fresh fruits
3)Consumption of fresh vegetables
4)Fibre intake
5)Consumption of sugar or sugary foods
Expected Outcomes are
1.Reduction in sugar intake
2.Increase in the consumption of fresh fruits
3.Increase in the consumption of fresh vegetables
4.Increase in fibre intake
Positive changes in eating behaviour after intervention
My research supervisor gave me the following instructions. Please follow them.
1) Use SPSS to analyse data
2) nicely present data on tables. Don’t make charts. We could use some histograms but the priority should be presenting data (frequency tables) on tables.
3)Use only percent from the frequency table.
4) For the result section, pre-post data that can be matched , present them on the table and use the McNemar’s Test to look at the significance (P value). Pre-post data that can’t be matched, present the data nicely on the table and interpret it.
5)Use plenty of other related studies and critically analyse your result looking at current healthy eating guidelines. If there are any new guidelines, reseach it. For example, a current guidance on free sugars.
6)Data has lots of limitations, explore them. For instance- it’s not validated and varified; we are just making assumptions on what people tell us through filling up their pre and post questionnaires.
[I went to Barts NHS London hospital where I entered the completed data set pre and post quesionnaires. I entered questionnaires data from three years, 2014, 2013 and 2012 analysed them on spss).
SAMPLE ANSWER
Self evaluation questionnaires
Abstract
There is a marked decline in nutritional knowledge as a prerequisite for healthy eating habits and lifestyle. Unhealthy lifestyle and behaviours have been attributed to the high incidents of nutrition-related diseases such as cancer and diabetes. As a result, several agencies have embarked on behaviour change interventions that focus on dietary habits and lifestyle. One such program is the Cook For Life session by Bartis hospital. This study sought to identify the degree of change in eating behaviour of parents who have attended the healthy eating sessions. The study involved 137 parents living in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Data from the Barts NHS London Hospital, which consisted of completed pre and post educational session questionnaires from three years, 2012, 2013, and 2014, was used. The self-admitted questionnaires against population-based eating guidelines by respondents who had attended a healthy eating educational programme were then analysed using the SPSS. The findings were then analysed and interpreted using frequency distribution tables and the respective percentages. In the past, most of the interventions aimed at promoting healthy eating habits have been school-based. The Cook For Life intervention program employed a totally different approach for reaching out to families, one that involved the parents as a starting point and an avenue to bring about the desired change for the whole family. This study has the potential to guide future research on the role and effectiveness of intervention programs on behaviour change in eating healthily.
To Identify Through the Use of Self-Evaluation Questionnaires, the Degree of Change in Eating Behaviour of Parents Who Have Attended Healthy Eating
Introduction
Families often have poor eating and dietary habits, making them vulnerable to the many risks presented by nutritional inadequacies. As a result, intervention programmes such as training and healthy living campaigns have a fundamental role in reversing these trends (Ruxton & Derbyshire, 2014, p. 33). Most importantly, parents should be educated and trained on consumption of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and fibre. One such initiative is one undertaken by Bartis NHS London hospital whose data was used as a source of secondary data for this study. Parents, as well as their children, require sufficient nutrients and energy to sustain the normal metabolic and physical functioning, and more importantly to support growth and development (Schuster et al., 2013, p. 80). For instance, children grow rapidly in their first year of their life, and this forms a stage in which they acquired substantial physical and mental skills, before settling into more steady growth (Winham et al., 2014, p. 99). Consequently, adolescents and young adults also require proper nutritional balance to cater for their body needs as they transform into adults with new emotional, mental, and physical capabilities (Park et al., 2013, p. 655). As such, nutrition inadequacies during these very early stages can have very negative impacts on short and long-term health and wellbeing.
While there is sufficient evidence on the ill impacts of the nutritional deficiencies in developing countries, where food insecurity is a major concern, there are just a few studies on the effects of poor diet and initiatives taken to address the situations in the developed world (Sperry et al., 2014, p. 218). One such study was done by the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) of 19 to 64-year-olds in the UK over a period of 10 years and published in 2012. Each of the age groups failed to meet dietary targets especially for sugars and fibre. Intake of fruit and vegetables were particularly very low in adults at only two portions per day (Ostbye et al., 2012, p. 186).
On the basis of evidence from such findings concerning dietary intakes, it is necessary to develop health promotion initiatives for target groups. Godsey (2013, p. 430) postulates that such programs should include advice on reduction of the consumption of sugar, saturated fat, salt, and alcohol. Families should be advised and trained to instead develop new dietary habits such as intake of fibre-rich foods, important micronutrients, as well as fruits and vegetables (Tatlow-Golden et al., 2013, p. 164). Papaioannou et al. (2013, p. 645) note that an analysis of studies on the most successful dietary interventions undertaken across the world shows the most common interventions to be educational sessions, distribution of brochures and newsletters, and teacher training programs. A fruit and vegetable sense session conducted in Australia targeted at parents resulted in significant improvements in children intake of fruits and vegetables increasing servings by about 0.62 (Bean et al., 2014, p. 315).
This study sought to identify the degree of change in eating behaviour of parents who have attended healthy eating education groups. The analysed data focused on evaluating the health changes achieved by parents who were involved in a healthy eating session that was aimed at improving their dietary intake. The healthy eating sessions focused on educating the participants on reducing the sugar intakes, and increase in the consumption of fresh fruits, consumption of fresh vegetables, and fibre intake as well as the overall changes in the eating behaviour of the families of the participating parents after intervention. The use of secondary data from the hospital was found effective due to the nature of the information required for this study. The hospital provided credible data concerning dietary intervention that would not have been found elsewhere, and that was relevant for the purpose of the study (Chahal et al., 2014, p. 190). It also saved time and provided a cost efficient source of the required data. Data acquired from the hospital offered an opportunity to compare the impact of the three different years of intervention as a basis for understanding how effective and successful such initiatives are in addressing the dietary problem.
Methods
The study involved 137 parents with children aged between 0-5 years of age and living in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Data from the Barts NHS London Hospital was used for the analysis. The data consisted of completed pre and post educational session questionnaires from three years, 2012, 2013, and 2014. The questionnaires, which were self-admitted against population-based eating guidelines by respondents who had attended a healthy eating educational programme, were then analysed using the SPSS to acquire a statistical outcome. The findings were then analysed and interpreted using frequency distribution tables and the respective percentages.
Analysis
Descriptive statistics (frequencies and mean) were used for the analysis of the findings. Analyses are organized in demographics, sugar intakes, fruits and vegetables intakes, and fibre intakes. Respondents consisted of 137 parents who had participated in a Cook For Life program in 2011, 2012, and 2013. They comprised of adults of origins ranging from Bangladeshi, Chinese, Indian, Pakistan, other Asian backgrounds, Caribbean, Somalis, other Africans, other Blacks, British, and other White background.
Demographics
Table 1: Ethnicity population representations of the study
Ethnicity
Percent
Bangladeshi
28.5
Chinese
5.1
Indian
8.0
Pakistani
1.5
Other Asian background
13.1
Caribbean
.7
Somali
7.3
Other African
3.6
Other black
.7
British
13.9
Other white background
14.6
White and Black Caribbean
.7
Not known
2.2
Total
100.0
The study population was representative in terms of racial characteristics as indicated in the table 1 above with respondents comprising of Europeans, African Americans, Africans, Asians, and Caribbean.
Table 2: Respondents treated for co-morbidities
Conditions
Yes
No
Treated for any heart conditions
0%
100%
Treated for stroke
0.7 %
99.3%
Treated for high-blood pressure
2.2%
97.8%
Treated for diabetes
4.4%
95.6%
Treated for high-blood cholesterol
1.5%
98.5%
Treated for bone and muscle problems
10.2 %
89.8%
Treated for asthma or other respiratory diseases
3.6 %
96.4%
Treated for overweight
6.6%
92.7%
Table 3: General health at present
Percent
Good for my age
29.9
Average for my age
42.3
Very good for my age
22.6
Poor for my age
2.9
Very poor for my age
2.2
Total
100.0
Table 4: Do you know how to improve your/your family eating habit?
Percent
Pre
Post
Yes
No
Yes
No
52.6
47.4
99.3
0.7
McNemar Test for table 4
Value
df
p-value
McNemar-Browker Test
Not given
Not given
0.000
(binominal distribution used)
Health statistics reveals that a cross-section of the respondents has been treated for nutritional related diseases such as diabetes, muscle and bone problems, and high-cholesterol problems. Diabetes, respiratory diseases, and high-blood pressure forms the largest proportions of the diseases treated in table 2. Most of the respondents feel that their current health is only average 42.3% compared with only 22.6% who believe that their health is very good for their age. The impact of the session is also evident on the great change demonstrated by the responses of the parents concerning whether they know how to improve the family’s eating habits pre at 52.6% and after 99.3% the programme.
Sugar
Tables for Sugar
Table 5: Use of sugar in cooking pre and post course
Description
Percent
Pre
Post
Too little sugar
20.4
1.5
About the right amount of sugar
57.7
15.3
Too much sugar
13.1
81.0
Don’t know about sugar
8.8
2.2
McNemar Test of Table 5
value
df
P value
McNemar-Bowker
89.645
5
0.000
Table 6: Do you measure sugar before you add them? Pre and post
Description
Percent
Pre
Post
Yes
24.8
73
No
75.2
27
McNemar Test of Table 6
value
df
P value
McNemar-Bowker
not given
Not given
0.000
Table 7 (a): Teaspoons of sugar in tea/coffee pre-course before attending the course
Number of teaspoons
(n=137)
Percent
3
2.2
4
0.7
5 or more
2.2
none
38.0
1
36.5
2
20.4
Table 7 (b): Teaspoons of sugar in tea/coffee post course after attending the course
Number of teaspoons
(n=137)
Percent
none
40.9
1
53.3
2
5.8
Table 8 (a): Parents intake of confectionary, cakes and biscuits before attending course
Confectionary
(n=137)
Cakes and biscuits
(n=137)
Frequency
Percent
Percent
>once per day
7.3
10.9
Daily
8.8
17.5
5-6 times a week
5.1
8
3-4 times a week
13.1
13.9
1-2 times a week
29.2
32.8
Once per month
16.8
8.8
< once per month
4.4
2.2
Rarely or never
15.3
5.8
Table 8 (b): Parent’s intake of confectionary, cakes and biscuits after attending course
Confectionary
(n=137)
Cakes and biscuits
(n=137)
Frequency
Percent
Percent
More often
0.7
1.5
About the same
13.9
10.9
Less often
78.1
83.9
Don’t know
7.3
3.6
Table 9 (a): Child’s intake of confectionary, cakes and biscuits before attending course
Confectionary
(n=137)
Cakes and biscuits
(n=137)
Frequency
Percent
Percent
>once per day
2.9
2.9
Daily
8.0
19.0
5-6 times a week
3.6
5.1
3-4 times a week
13.9
14.6
1-2 times a week
27.7
36.5
Once per month
10.2
4.4
< once per month
2.9
1.5
Rarely or never
30.7
16.1
Table 9 (b): Child’s intake of confectionary, cakes, and biscuits after attending course
Confectionary
(n=137)
Cakes and biscuits
(n=137)
Frequency
Percent
Percent
More often
0
2.2
About the same
15.3
13.1
Less often
77.4
79.6
Don’t know
7.3
5.1
The impact of the change in eating habit is again evident from the statistics about the sugar intake levels before and after the programme. One of the aims of the study was to reduce sugar intake. The drop in sugar intake levels and change in eating habit in the use of sugar by measuring before use are significant as represented by the P-value of 0.00. The results also reveal that parents were able to significantly adjust the amount of sugar added into tea/coffee with a shift of those who used one teaspoon before the study rising from 36.5% to 53.3% and those who used two reducing from 20.4% to 5.8%. Consequently, the use of confectionary cakes, and biscuits on very regular basis for both parents and children improved greatly.
Fruits and Vegetables
Table 10: McNemar Test – Parents portions of fresh fruits a day before and after attending cook for life course
Value
df
p-value
McNemar-Browker Test
60.492
14
0.000
Table 11: McNemar Test – Parents portions of dried fruits a day before and after attending cook for life course
Value
df
p-value
McNemar-Browker Test
23.905
12
0.021
Table 12: McNemar Test – Parents portions of vegetables a day before and after attending cook for life course
Value
df
p-value
McNemar-Browker Test
34.128
14
0.002
Table 13: McNemar Test – Parents portions of fruit juice a day before and after attending cook for life course
Value
df
p-value
McNemar-Browker Test
15.043
13
0.305
Table 14: McNemar Test – Child portions of fresh fruits a day before and after attending cook for life course
Value
df
p-value
McNemar-Browker Test
41.010
13
0.000
Table 15: McNemar Test – Childs portions of dried fruits a day before and after attending cook for life course
Value
df
p-value
McNemar-Browker Test
14.814
12
0.252
Table 16: McNemar Test – Childs portions of vegetables a day before and after attending cook for life course
Value
df
p-value
McNemar-Browker Test
29.870
13
0.005
Table 17: McNemar Test – Childs portions of fruit juice a day before and after attending cook for life course
Value
df
p-value
n
McNemar-Browker Test
12.986
15
0.603
137
Another main aim guiding the study was to analyse the degree of increase of the intake of fruits and vegetables for parents and their children after attending cook for life programme and compare that with statistics of habits before the session. The findings showed that the session had a great impact in the proportions of fruits and vegetables. The change in the parent’s portions of fresh fruits and vegetables intake a day is valid as indicated by a P-value of 0.000 and that of 0.002 respectively). For children, the change in the proportions of fresh fruits and vegetables intake a day is also significant (P-value of 0.000 and 0.005). However, there impact seems not to be significant in the uptake of fruit juice a day for both children and parents (P-value of 0.603 and 0.305 respectively).
Fibre
Table 18 (a): Parents’ intake of fibre containing foods before attending Cook For Life
Wholemeal Bread
(n=137)
Brown Rice
(n=137)
Wholewheat Pasta
(n=137)
Frequency
Percent
Percent
Percent
>once per day
5.8
0.7
0
Daily
42.3
8.0
1.5
5-6 times a week
5.8
0
1.5
3-4 times a week
13.1
0.7
4.4
1-2 times a week
10.2
9.5
27.7
Once per month
2.2
8.0
11.7
< once per month
2.2
5.8
6.6
Rarely or never
18.2
67.2
46.7
Table 18 (b): Parents’ intake of fibre containing foods after attending Cook For Life
Wholemeal Bread
(n=137)
Brown rice
(n=137)
Wholewheat Pasta
(n=137)
Frequency
Percent
Percent
Percent
More often
46.0
32.1
31.4
About the same
38.0
33.6
37.2
Less often
8.0
16.1
14.6
Don’t know
8.0
18.2
16.8
Table 19 (a) : Child intake of fibre containing foods before attending Cook For Life
Wholemeal Bread
(n=137)
Brown Rice
(n=137)
Wholewheat Pasta
(n=137)
Frequency
Percent
Percent
Percent
>once per day
6.6
2.2
1.5
Daily
30.7
4.4
0.7
5-6 times a week
8.8
0.7
4.4
3-4 times a week
16.1
4.4
9.5
1-2 times a week
9.5
6.6
20.4
Once per month
0.7
9.5
8.8
< once per month
2.2
4.4
6.6
Rarely or never
25.5
67.9
48.2
Table 19 (b): Child intake of fibre containing foods after attending Cook for Life
Wholemeal Bread
(n=137)
Brown rice
(n=137)
Wholewheat Pasta
(n=137)
Frequency
Percent
Percent
Percent
More often
33.6
24.8
28.5
About the same
36.5
32.8
38.0
Less often
18.2
21.2
16.1
Don’t know
11.7
21.2
17.5
This study also sought to identify the impact of the dietary education after the sessions in increasing the intake of fibre containing foods as compared with the same before the programme. The findings demonstrate a contrasting trend from that of the other two categories; consumption of vegetables and fruits, and sugar intakes where significant change in behaviour was reported. In this case, the change in behaviour was considerately on the minimal. The number of parents who consumed about the same amount of whitemeal bread, brown rice, wholewheat pasta after the intervention remained substantially high with a percentage of 38%, 33.6%, 37.2% respectively. The same scenario was reported with the case of the children. The number of children who consumed about the same amount of whitemeal bread, brown rice, and wholewheat pasta remained high as demonstrated by the high percentages of 36.5%, 32.8%, and 38% respectively.
Discussion
The main findings of the study showed a decrease in the amount of sugar consumption, increase in fruit and vegetable consumption, and little increase in fibre intake. Indeed, the drop in sugar intake levels and change in eating habit in the use of sugar exhibited a notable change. Again, parents were able to significantly adjust the amount of sugar added into tea/coffee while the use of confectionary cakes, and biscuits on very regular basis for both parents and children improved greatly. The findings also showed that the session had a great impact in the proportions of fruits and vegetables consumption among the parents and children. The change in the parent’s portions of fresh and dried fruits and fresh fruit juice intake a day was found to have increased significantly. Although, the change in the proportions of fresh fruits and vegetables intake a day for children had a positive outcome there was little impact on the intake of fruit juice. Concerning fibre intake, there was little change in habit in consumption of about the same amount of whitemeal bread, brown rice, wholewheat pasta after the intervention among the parents and children.
About 70 percent of adults have been found to engage in unhealthy behaviours including poor diet, smoking, and lack of exercise leading to obesity and overweight (Mazzeo et al., 2013, p. 176). The situation is worse for those in the lower socioeconomic groups contributing to the huge gap in the younger onset morbidity in the society (Frankel et al., 2014, p. 170). Behaviour influencing health interventions to address such issues include eating healthily, regular exercise, attending screening appointments, and harm avoidance (Johnson et al., 2013, p. 567). The eating healthily intervention program, Cook For Life, was found to be successful in changing habits concerning the levels of sugar consumption among the parents who participated in the study. The intervention was also effective in increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables although there was little change recorded in fibre intake among the participants. More importantly, respondents overwhelmingly reported being better placed now to take care of their family’s dietary needs than before the intervention. This implies the effectiveness of such a program.
Theoretical Background of Behaviour Change Interventions
Notably, Belansky (2013, p. 201) contends that understanding the factors that influence the way people behave would be a good starting point for such change initiatives. There are three major cognitive theories seeking to explain behaviour, including; the health belief model, the social cognitive theory, and the theory of reasoned action and planned behaviour (Lochrie et al., 2013, p. 165). Succinctly, the theory of reasoned action posits that an action is dependent on a person’s acting intention. The theory emphasizes that a person’s intention is determined by their attitude to behaviour and subjective norms (Peters et al., 2014, p. 131). This theory adds the idea of self-efficacy, the individual’s perceived control over skills, resources, and opportunities at their disposal to perform the behaviour.
As Eumark-Sztainer et al. (2010, p. 273) note, the social cognitive theory holds that behaviour is founded on environmental factors, personal factors, self-efficacy, and the attributes of the given behaviour itself. As such, successful behaviour change would require an individual to believe in their ability to perform the behaviour, should feel the projected positive outcome outweigh the negative (Swanson et al., 2013, p. 149). According to Cohen et al. (2014, p. 51) self-belief in successfully undertaking behaviour is necessary for determining a successful behaviour change. In the light of this standpoint, the parents in the study felt the need to change the way they handled their nutritional needs. They believed in the cause of the undertaking and the benefits of the outcome following behaviour change.
The health belief model proposes that beliefs are the basic cues to action and includes self-efficacy (Prelip et al., 2012, p. 310). The theory holds that the four major beliefs are concerned with the perceived sickness severity, an individual’s perceived susceptibility to it, as well as what they believes are the likely benefits and barriers to taking action. The likely cues for action could be media campaigns, life-changing events, sticky notes, or habitual cues. On the basis of this concept, it can be argued that that the educational session acted as one of the cues for action. The parents shared the belief that the dietary issue required their effort to address to avoid some likely negative impacts.
Basic Principles to the Success of the Intervention
Seeking to understand the perspective of individuals is the basic starting point in delivering and supporting behaviour change interventions. Some of the important factors influencing people’s behaviour are, respecting the messenger, individual’s weighing of the interventions and the disincentives of a behaviour or change, norms and behaviours surrounding an individual, individual effort and determination, importance, subconscious, emotional associations, ego, and commitments (Van Grieken et al., 2014, p. 1).
More importantly, behaviour change intervention should focus on generic competencies that cover: helping people to develop accurate knowledge about the short and long-term health consequences of their own behaviours on themselves and others. They should work with what is relevant to the individual and be capable of enhancing people’s self-efficacy (Loeb et al., 2012, p. 22). The programmes should raise awareness of the positive behaviour and role models in the individual’s social group and support moral and personal commitment to change (Garcia et al., 2014, p. 1013). Additionally, the initiatives should assist people to make changes while identifying realistic goals as well as developing supportive plans in specific contexts over time (Jaballas et al., 2011, p. 301). People carrying out the intervention programmes must not be coercive, patronizing, or coercive when trying to influence behaviour change among the participants (Morgan et al., 2014, p. 94). Instead, it would be more effective to adopt strategies that are used more regularly in motivational and coaching interviewing such as listening to understand, building rapport, building self-efficacy and supporting change, and assessing readiness of participants to change.
The results in this study concurred with the findings of an earlier study involving 3059 young women of ages 17 to 21 attending a virus trial of a population-based human papilloma virus in Finland. The study which focused on developing and evaluating the effectiveness of an individualized lifestyle counselling approach in improving dietary behaviour, preventing weight gain, and physical activity established positive correlation between nutritional intervention and behaviour change. The proportion of the girls physically inactive decreased from 34% to 23% following the initiative (Janicke et al., 2013, p. 191). The study also confirmed the argument that the success of lifestyle programs and interventions in helping people to achieve dietary change depended on the intensity of the intervention. In addition, it was also identified that self-reported behaviour is affected by the measurement process itself in that repeated assessment on health behaviours may have some motivating factor for participants to increase the intensity of behaviour change interventions (McGowan et al., 2013, p. 769). The findings in the two studies form a strong basis for future intervention through self-evaluation questionnaires to nutritional behaviour change.
In a study where four focus groups were conducted in 2012 at worksites during the lunch break showed positive correlation between the eating habits and practices of children and the role of parents in the same. A total of 21 randomly picked parents of primary school children were chosen (15 mothers and 6 fathers) (Morin et al., 2013, p. 46). These results concurred with the rationale of the Cook For Life campaign to use parents as a starting point for addressing nutritional inadequacies in families. Parents cited rules and regulations as some of the factors contributing to healthy dietary habits to their children. They reported that some of the rules involved limiting the consumption of soft drinks (Talvia et al., 2011, p. 2065). Some stated applying strict rules about when and how much their child is allowed to consume a soft drink. Other argued that it is important that parents the role of good models for their children eating behaviour by not consuming soft drinks, eating fruits, and drinking water at dinner (Turner et al., 2013, n.p). These findings demonstrate the important role that parent’s influence has on their children. By targeting the parents, then the whole family is likely to benefit from the intervention.
A recent report by Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition recommends the dietary reference value for total carbohydrates at a population average be maintained at about 50% of dietary energy. it also recommends that the dietary reference value for free sugars be set at a population average of approximately 5% of the dietary energy for all age-groups from 2 years upwards. Following the reductions in the intake of free sugars, then that energy should be replaced with starches found in cellular structures sugar-containing foods such as milk and milk products. In addition, the consumption of soft drinks should be minimized for both parents and adults (Draft Carbohydrates and Health Report, 2014).
Another study that had similar results is one of a pilot nutrition intervention on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour change of female combat soldiers in Israeli army in 2013. The results of the intervention strongly indicate meaningful improvements in daily food consumption. Before the intervention programme, the subjects had very limited knowledge of the basic nutrition and few tools for making informed choices in their mess hall. The intervention was also found to improve attitude and knowledge significantly towards healthy eating (Wright et al., 2013, p. 730). However, in the Cook For Life intervention it was noted that the percentage of the parents and children who took about the same amount of whitemeal bread, brown rice, wholewheat pasta after the intervention remained substantially high. Some of the reasons to explain this little change could be the preference issues where most people see the white rice and the white bread as more appealing than brown rice and white bread. Another explanation could be that whitemeal bread, brown rice, wholewheat pasta are quite expensive and cooking becomes very time consuming. Although, most interventions are effective in increasing knowledge, the true challenge lies with impacting the decision-making process as well as changing eating behaviours.
A study evaluating the impacts of an intervention carried on 5-year olds to investigate child health behaviours by youth health care professionals found no significant outcomes on behaviour change. The study involved counselling for 637 parents of overweight children on lifestyle according to the invention protocol and follow-up questionnaires for a two-year follow-up (Ohly, et al., 2013, p. 9). The results reflected the findings of this study concerning the behaviour change in fruit juice intake where no significant change was reported for both parents and children. One of the likely explanations for this outcome can be based on the health belief model where barriers to achieving the behaviour change greatly affect the outcome. Some of the barriers could be that fresh fruit juice is not readily available or could be expensive. It could that parents are preferring to use fruits instead.
Study Limitations
The rather small sample size of 137 participants used for the study is not so representative, and it would not qualify for generalization of the entire population. The study was limited in capacity due to failure to evaluate other factors that might be crucial in determining behaviour change such as economic status and literacy levels. In addition, the study might have been limited by the subjective nature of self-reported dietary intake assessment as used in the study. The validity of the study is, therefore, questionable since there was no clinical validity biomarker used making it prone to underestimates resulting from bias and imprecision of the actual change.
Conclusion
The findings of this and other studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of intervention programs such as Cook For Life in bringing about a great impact in terms of behaviour change among parents and children. However, the success of such interventions is dependent on a number of rationales on behaviour change. Educational sessions have the capacity to address nutritional deficiencies in families through behaviour change (Robertson, 2012, p. 230). The Cook For Life intervention was able to achieve the intended outcomes of reducing sugar consumption, increasing intake of fruits and vegetables, and fibre intake. Similar programs should be guided by the identified basics such as listening to understand, building rapport, building self-efficacy and supporting change, and assessing readiness of participants to change behaviour.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I would like to thank God for His goodness and faithfulness, divine strength, provision, and ever-present help all through my studies and also for the idea of this study. Secondly, I would like to acknowledge several people for whom their support, encouragement, help and assistance made this work possible: my parents, instructor, as well as my lecturer (enter names).
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I need it to be written in a memo format. I’ve attached detailed instructions
SAMPLE ANSWER
A memorandum on culture’s impact on communication
July 7th, 2014
To: Instructor’s Name, Title
From: Student Name
Subject: Culture’s Impact on Communication
Introduction
Understanding the challenges as well as opportunities of intercultural communication is of major importance. A person will be able to develop effective intercultural communication which will allow him/her to foster more respect and acceptance, dismiss myths, develop more cooperative relationships with other people, and break down stereotypes (LeBaron, 2013). Communicating with persons from dissimilar cultures could at times be rather challenging given that unintentional offenses and misinterpretations are common.Understanding the challenges and opportunities of intercultural communication will help to improve cross-cultural communication within the organization. It will allow people to appreciate and know the differences in cultural communication styles (LeBaron, 2013).
Discussion
The ideas of low context and high context refer to the way that persons communicate in dissimilar cultures. Low context basically means much information is exchanged clearly and unequivocally through the message itself and rarely is anything hidden or unclear. Persons who live in low-context cultures for instance Western cultures – Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and North America– have the tendency of following standards and rules very closely, being very task-oriented and having short-term relationships.Persons from low-context cultures value directness, facts and logic, and decisions are not based upon intuition, but facts. Communicators are expected to be efficient, forthright, and succinct in telling the action that is anticipated. To be totally clear and unequivocal, people from low-context cultures endeavor to utilize exact, specific words and expect them to be taken literally. Unambiguous, open contracts conclude negotiations. This is particularly dissimilar from speakers in high-context cultures who rely less on legal documents and language precision. High-context business persons might even mistrust contracts and be affronted by the lack of trust which they suggest. High context essentially means that considerable amount of unspoken information is indirectly, obliquely transferred in the course of communication. Persons in high context cultures such as South America, Asia, Middle East and Africa have the tendency of placing greater importance on loyalty as well as long-term relationships, and they have less rules and structure implemented (LeBaron, 2013). In essence, high-context cultures are contemplative, relational, intuitive and collectivist meaning that these cultures highlight interpersonal relationships. A vital initial step to any business transaction is to develop trust.
Responding well to dissimilar cultures when preparing for business communication is an integral strategy for business survival in the current global economy, and it pervades virtually every facet of business after that. Culture affects every area of business communication, which include product sourcing, human resources decisions, contract negotiations, marketing campaigns as well as production operations (Rush, 2011).
It is recommended that:
When dealing with business with persons from different cultures, one should consider overcoming language barriers and understanding cultural dissimilarities.
Each party in a business deal should take time to learn about the cultures of each other before interacting to reduce the chances of business deals being lost.
Business persons should have an awareness of cultural attitudes towards business since this would help the business person in communicating effectively when he/she works with persons from different cultures.
Conclusion
In conclusion, understanding the challenges as well as opportunities of intercultural communication helps one to develop effective intercultural communication which will allow him/her to foster more respect and acceptance, dismiss myths and develop more cooperative relationships with others people.Responding properly to dissimilar cultures when preparing for business communication is vital for business survival in today’s global economy. For any questions regarding the content of this memo, you may contact Joy Adamson on 442-85300-712.
examine how macroeconomic factors affect stock returns.
Order Instructions:
The goal of the project: We examine how macroeconomic factors affect stock returns.
Empirically, we can test the following model;
Rt= ?0 + ?1*Market Indext-1+ ?2*Inflationt-1+ ?3*GDP Growtht-1+ ?4*TERMt-1+ ?5*RISKt-1+?
1. Dependent variable: firms’ stock returns
I posted firms’ stock returns in three industries (air, auto, and computer) to Blackboard. You can analyze any firm as you wish. You can pick multiple firms from three different industries, or a single firm from a specific industry.
Variable Explanations
DATE: the end of trading date at each month
COMNAM: Company name
EXCHCD: Exchange code (1: NYSE, 2: AMEX, and 3:NASDAQ)
HSICCD: Industry classification (e.g., The SIC 4512 represents an airline industry.
PRC: Stock price at the end of each month’s trading date
RET: Stock returns at the end of each month’s trading date
SHROUT: shares outstanding
VWRETD: Market index
2. Independent variables: macroeconomic variables
* The Source of data: http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/tags/series
Download data as long as we believe that variables may affect stock returns.
There are some candidates for independent variables.
Market Index=VWRETD, and Firm Size= PRC*SHROUT
Inflation= log (CPIt / CPIt-1), and GDP Growth=log (GDPt / GDPt-1)
TERM= 10-year T/B – 3-month T/B, and RISK= BAAt – 10-year T/B?
Questions
1) Report summary statistics (n, mean, median, standard deviation, min, max) of your picked variables.
2)Why do you include such independent variables? Give me a brief explanation.
3) Run a regression and report coefficients and t-statistics for the explanatory variables.
4) Interpret coefficients of each variable. Compare it with your prediction
5) What is your investment strategy based on your findings?
* To obtain full credit (20 points), you need to submit it by July 8th, 2014.Grade below 10 points will be counted as zero.
* The minimum requirement is 5 different firms and 5 independent variables.
* TERM and RISK should be included as independent variables.
* If you need a reference, please look at the paper written by Nai-Fu Chen, Richard Roll, and Stephen A. Ross. The title is “Economic Forces and the Stock Market (Journal of Business, 1986)”.
SAMPLE ANSWER
How macroeconomic factors affect stock returns
Abstract
There are many macroeconomic factors that affect the stock market globally. Inflation and deflation have adverse financial effects on a company’s profitability which subsequently affect the stock market. The rate of increment on the prices of goods and other services constitutes inflation besides the increase in the cost of transportation and manufacturing expenses. (Swann, 2009) The stock market responds powerfully when the rate of inflation is low and weakens when it increases as most companies reduce their expenditures because of high cost of goods and services and the general money in economy reduces which results in reduced activities at the stock market. Deflation in most quarters is regarded as a sign of a weak economy as it also leads to a decrease in the stock market. (Chen, Roll and Ross, 1986)
The interest rates are established and monitored by Federal Reserve Board. Higher rates of interests are caused by the expensive nature of borrowing money. Money becomes too expensive to borrow. To subsidize their high rates of interests, most companies may opt to lay off workers and reduce expenditures on other goods. Higher rates of interests imply that even companies will not be comfortable when borrowing as the rate of interests becomes exorbitant and their income will also be affected. (Cairns, 2004) When the income of listed companies reduces then the investments in the stock market is also affected negatively.
1
Sun Microsystems
PRC
RET
SHROUT
WRETD
n
132
132
133
133
Mean
22.36021
0.001747
2447123
0.002766
Median
114.34
-0.08963
955344.5
-0.184
STD
34.098
0.16257
1201797
0.048607
Min
2.59
-0.39474
385583
-0.18462
Max
132.25
0.564103
3602000
0.110533
FRANKLIN ELCTRONIC PUBLISHS
PRC
RET
SHROUT
WRETD
n
133
133
134
134
Mean
3.182147
0.013589
8063.91
0.003009
Median
9.445006
0.066578
8504.844
0.053974
STD
4.080006
0.21349
402.3438
0.053359
Min
-3.845
-0.46429
7818
-0.18462
Max
11.9375
1.141434
8387
0.110533
SILICON GRAPHICS INC
PRC
RET
SHROUT
WRETD
n
82
82
83
83
Mean
4.081159
0.025353
211362.6
0.003827
Median
14.69741
0.253384
439218.6
0.012599
STD
14.06612
0.521925
57156.86
0.041823
Min
0.44
-0.54676
182872
-0.10253
Max
20.5625
2.782609
268272
0.083911
APPLE COMPUTER INC
PRC
RET
SHROUT
WRETD
n
96
96
96
96
Mean
43.137
0.035008
438980.5
0.004941
Median
63.01375
-0.03415
498318.5
0.024586
STD
30.86698
0.056931
511806
0.019459
Min
14.14
-0.57744
136417
-0.10253
Max
135.8125
0.453782
860220
0.083911
UAL CORP
PRC
RET
SHROUT
WRETD
n
51
51
52
52
Mean
36.4751
-0.05963
56649.73
-0.00232
Median
62.25
0.042932
74327
0.060554
STD
43.42343
0.187492
32795.61
0.019813
Min
0.84
-0.51765
49792
-0.10253
Max
80.75
0.326258
99506
0.083911
FORD MOTOR CO
PRC
RET
SHROUT
WRETD
n
144
144
144
144
Mean
17.04726
0.009958
1961721
0.004096
Median
39.11375
0.054011
2270481
0.053095
STD
31.57055
0.00097
1599931
0.02086
Min
16.79
0.053325
1139159
0.038345
Max
63.9375
1.273764
3401803
0.110533
Independent variables are included as they determine or influence other variables. An independent variable when manipulated determines or influences the change in the other dependent variable. This study seeks to determine if a relationship exists between the returns of the stock market and the macro economic factors that may affect the overall performance of the stock market.
Ford Motor Co
SUMMARY OUTPUT
Regression Statistics
Multiple R
0.4995218
R Square
0.249522
Adjusted R Square
0.244237
Standard Error
0.148835
Observations
144
ANOVA
df
SS
MS
F
Significance F
Regression
1
1.04585
1.04585
47.213
1.849E-10
Residual
142
3.14556
0.02215
Total
143
4.19142
Coefficient
Standard error
t Stat
P-value
Lower 95%
Upper 95%
Lower 95.0%
Upper 95.0%
Intercept
0.0029
0.0124
0.2290
0.8192
-0.0218
0.0275
-0.0218
0.0275
VWRETD
1.7354
0.2526
6.8712
0.0000
1.2361
2.2347
1.2361
2.2347
Franklin Electronic Publish Inc
SUMMARY OUTPUT
Regression Statistics
Multiple R
0.31
R Square
0.09
Adjusted R Square
0.09
Standard Error
0.23
Observations
133.00
ANOVA
df
SS
MS
F
Sig F
Regression
1
0.715
0.715
13.554
0.000
Residual
131
6.915
0.053
Total
132
7.631
Coeff
Std Error
t Stat
P-value
Lower 95%
Upper 95%
Lower 95.0%
Upper 95.0%
Intercept
0.0094
0.019955
0.47106
0.6383832
-0.03
0.048876
-0.03008
0.048876
VWRETD
1.5147
0.411416
3.68157
0.0003377
0.7008
2.328532
0.700776
2.328532
UAL Corp
SUMMARY OUTPUT
Regression Statistics
Multiple R
0.552
R Square
0.304
Adjusted R Square
0.290
Standard Error
0.156
Observations
51.000
ANOVA
df
SS
MS
F
Sign f
Regression
1
0.521
0.521
21.442
0.000
Residual
49
1.191
0.024
Total
50
1.712
Coeff
Std error
t Stat
P-value
Lower 95%
Upper 95%
Lower 95.0%
Upper 95.0%
Intercept
-0.052
0.022
-2.372
0.022
-0.096
-0.008
-0.096
-0.008
VWRETD
1.933
0.418
4.631
0.000
1.094
2.772
1.094
2.772
Sun Microsystems
Regression Statistics
Multiple R
0.664
R Square
0.441
Adjusted R Square
0.437
Standard Error
0.122
Observations
132.000
ANOVA
df
SS
MS
F
Significance F
Regression
1
1.527
1.527
102.6
3.92E-18
Residual
130
1.935
0.015
Total
131
3.462
Coeffici
Std Error
t Stat
P-value
Lower 95%
Upper 95%
Lower 95.0%
Upper 95.0%
Intercept
-0.005
0.011
-0.476
0.635
-0.026
0.016
-0.026
0.016
VWRETD
2.219
0.219
10.130
0.000
1.785
2.652
1.785
2.652
Silicon
Regression Statistics
Multiple R
0.260
R Square
0.067
Adjusted R Square
0.056
Standard Error
0.403
Observations
82.00
ANOVA
df
SS
MS
F
Sig F
Regression
1
0.939
0.939
5.787
0.018
Residual
80
12.97
0.162
Total
81
13.91
Coe
Std error
t Stat
P-value
Lower 95%
Upper 95%
Lower 95.0%
Upper 95.0%
Intercept
0.017
0.045
0.391
0.697
-0.071
0.106
-0.071
0.106
VWRETD
2.338
0.972
2.406
0.018
0.404
4.272
0.404
4.272
Interpretation
Ford Motor Co.
The thesis of the study is to establish if a relationship exists between the performance of individual stocks belonging to different companies and the performance of the stock market and if the stock market can be affected by macroeconomic factors such as real GDP growth, inflation, interest rates or unemployment.
P-Value – 0.8192 It indicates that the significant relationship between the returns of the market and the performance of the markets index is very low.
Coefficient – 1.7354 The slope is of the graph is positive which indicates that the stock returns increases relatively to the increase in the stock index.
R square – 0.2495 The R square measures the strength of the relationship, how strong or weak the relationship is. In this case we can conclude that the variability of the stock market index explains only 24.95% of the stock returns.
Franklin Electronic Publish Inc
P-Value – 0.6383 It indicates that the significant relationship between the returns of the market and the performance of the markets index is very low.
Coefficient – 1.514 The slope is of the graph is positive which indicates that the stock returns increases relatively to the increase in the stock index.
R square – 0.09 The R square measures the strength of the relationship, how strong or weak the relationship is. In this case we can conclude that the variability of the stock market index explains only 9 % of the stock returns.
UAL Corp
P-Value – 0.022 It indicates that the significant relationship between the returns of the market and the performance of the markets index is very low.
Coefficient – 1.933 The slope is of the graph is positive which indicates that the stock returns increases relatively to the increase in the stock index.
R square – 0.304 The R square measures the strength of the relationship, how strong or weak the relationship is. In this case we can conclude that the variability of the stock market index explains only 30.4% of the stock returns.
Sun Microsystems
P-Value – 0.635 It indicates that the significant relationship between the returns of the market and the performance of the markets index is very low.
Coefficient – 2.219 The slope is of the graph is positive which indicates that the stock returns increases relatively to the increase in the stock index.
R square – 0.441 The R square measures the strength of the relationship, how strong or weak the relationship is. In this case we can conclude that the variability of the stock market index explains only 44.1% of the stock returns. (Draper & Smith, 1998)
Silicon
P-Value – 0.697 It indicates that the significant relationship between the returns of the market and the performance of the markets index is very low.
Coefficient – 2.338 The slope is of the graph is positive which indicates that the stock returns increases relatively to the increase in the stock index.
R square – 0.067 The R square measures the strength of the relationship, how strong or weak the relationship is. In this case we can conclude that the variability of the stock market index explains only 6.7% of the stock returns.
The Relationship Between RET and WRETD
My findings that are based on the graph above indicate that there is no relationship between the returns on the stock market and the general performance of the stock index. My predictions were that the relationship that exists between the stock market and the performance of the individual stocks is very limited.
The analysis from the above graphs indicate that there is a significant relationship between the returns on company stocks and the macro economic factors such as real GDP growth, unemployment level and inflation rate. When the macro-economic factors in the growing are positively improving then most company stocks post good returns. When the factors are negative, for instance when the rates of inflation and unemployment are so high then the stock returns also post low returns. In the year 2008, during the global economic crisis, most economies registered negative real GDP growth, the unemployment levels were so high and inflation rates were at their peak in most countries. The stock returns for most countries were also affected negatively and they registered a drop in their earnings. When inflation rates are so high most companies lay off workers to reduce expenses and decrease borrowings due to the high cost of borrowing while unemployment levels increases, the real GDP growth also decreases due to reduced circulation of money in the economy. (Swann, 2009) The company stocks are calculated and classified as per its volatility and in accordance with the stock market risks and beta. During the economic crisis of 2008, the volatility of most stocks were at their highest together with the term of most bonds.
My investment strategy would be to invest as per the performance of the individual company stock and not the general performance of the stock market.
References
Cairns, J (2004). Interest Rate Models – An Introduction. Princeton University Press.
Chen, N., Roll, R. and Ross, S.A. (1986) Economic Forces and the Stock Market. Journal of Business.
Draper, N.R., Smith, H. (1998). Applied Regression Analysis (3rd Ed.). John Wiley.
Sullivan, Sheffrin, S (2003). Economics: Principles in action. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
Pearson, Prentice Hall.
Swann, C. (2009) “GDP and the Economy – Advance Estimates for the Second Quarter of 2009,” Survey of Current Business, August 2009.
3) Think about a time when you had to negotiate with someone who was at greater level of power than you.
a) What was the situation exactly and what was at stake for you or the people that you were negotiating for?
b) Which approach did you use in order to be effective? If you weren’t effective, what do you think happened that caused you to not get the desired results? Knowing what you now know, what
would you have done differently?
4) Tell me about a situation where you had alternatives or BATNA’s in mind. What was the situation, and did the other side have BATNA’s?
a) In your experience (whether it relates to the above question or in any other instance) do (or did) BATNA’s actually work for you in negotiation situations?
b) Does the concept of win-win also something that agree with or do you find yourself more inclined to follow the win-lose ideology?
5) Inevitably, negotiations can result in conflict. Reflect upon the time when conflict arose as a result of a negotiation in your life.
a) What happened during the negotiation situation that caused conflict to occur? Was the problem related to you or the other party?
b) Looking at the elements of effective conflict management, which elements did you use during the conflict? Also currently, which style do you prefer to use now when conflicts arise?
6) Discuss how relationships are valued and viewed in negotiations.
a) How important is it to you to establish and or maintain a relationship when you are negotiating?
b) In terms of meeting new business partners, how are relationships valued in different cultures? Contrast how Western and non-Western cultures view and value the importance of relationships in
negotiation situations. Provide some examples and are there points that can be taken from various cultures in terms of how to work with relationships during negotiations?
THE TWO IN CLASS TEXTBOOKS ARE:
1) Getting to yes; negotiating agreement without giving in – Roger Fisher and William Ury
2) Essentials of Negotiation (5th edition) Roy J. Lewicki, David M. Sauders, Bruce Barry
NB
I took 2 pages BUT the task will be 3 pages.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Negotiations and Agreements
Introduction
Negotiations is not a preserve of a particular class of people but it applies to a broad spectrum of different ages, people, conflict resolutions and to any other forms of bargaining’s and settlements. Most negotiations fail when the parties fail to recognize a good opportunity to attain their goal relatively or to obtain a better or a more convenient negotiation term.
When I was growing up, our family had many disputes concerning my grandfather’s inheritance. My three uncles were determined to lock out my father and the only auntie I had from their fair share of inheritance. The huge farmhouse that we lived in, the expansive wheat farm together with the dairy cattle that we had in the farm were always a subject of bitter quarrel between my uncles and my father. Most of the time I found myself trying to negotiate a settlement between the two groups. (Adler, Rosen & Silverstein, 1998)
My uncles insisted that my father had to decide either to keep the farmhouse or the farm, which included the dairy cattle and the wheat farm. My father had his eyes fixed on the farm together with all the properties in the farm. His argument was that it would be unreasonable to live in the farm without the farm and the dairy cattle as they form the bulk of the earnings for the farm. My uncles thought that it would be totally unfair to keep the farm house, the wheat farm and the dairy cattle while the three of them shared two other family homes and vehicles.
To be effective, I decided to search for solutions that would meet or satisfy relatively the interests of both parties without hardening any stands or asserting specific demands or positions. The best strategy would be to achieve some concessions which are basically consistent with concerns and also needs among the two groups.
I decided to carry out an enquiry on the different needs of the parties and conducted the first meeting where the two parties traded their differences instead of battling over the available limited resources. (Adler, Rosen & Silverstein, 1996)
The Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement was that the farm together with the farm house could be sold and the proceeds divided equally among the five members of the family. But the two groups were determined to be part and parcel of the farm. None of them even suggested that the farm should be sold instead their idea of alternative was to hire out the farm to a third party and the earnings shared equally among them. But the situation was that the farm was heavily mortgaged and the chances of selling it were very remote while the hiring charges to third parties were also uneconomical as the hiring charges were very low and not profitable,
The BATNA could not succeed in both instances. The prevailing conditions made it impossible to implement the BATNA. The best strategy however was to manage the property under trust and the earnings shared out among them. (Fisher, Ury and Patton, 1991)
A win-win situation or scenario would be preferable to me as the two parties would get at least a minimum of their demands but their position would improve relatively their current status. A win-lose would be unfair or even unacceptable to some of the parties.
Conflicts arose later on when one of the uncles took upon himself to be supplying all the farm supplies without proper authority and clear accountability. The contracts to supply medical services, seeds, fertilizers and also other requirements were overstated in terms of prices and their quality was also below the normal standards in the industry. (Behfar, Peterson, Mannis & Trochim, 2008)
The problem was that clear policies were not implemented and there were so many loopholes that were not properly addressed and the management was susceptible to exploitation by the dishonest family members. The negotiation teams failed to address the procurement procedures and integrity standards for the farm supplies.
The major element of the negotiation exercise was to identify the real negotiation issues and the major objective of the negotiations. Identification of the negotiation issues and the objectives were applied when defining and identifying the issues in the farm conflict. I would prefer to use the same strategy of identifying the conflict issues and addressing them effectively.
To achieve the most in the shortest time possible when negotiating, the parties must decide before hand the aims and goals of each session during negotiation. The underlying interests should be revealed and identified. The current demands and whether there is need for continued relationship. The negotiation should be viewed differently if it’s meant to enhance more business relationship. All the priorities should be clearly identified before reaching an agreement or a bargain. Each party should try to understand the needs, values and issues affecting the other parties. The information acquisition stage should be utilized to confirm and also analyze all the available information on both parties in order to create viable and lasting solutions.
Maintaining a relationship would enhance better understanding of the needs, values and issues affecting the other parties which will assist in obtaining better and viable solutions.
Different cultures attach different forms attachment to relationships. Some cultures are closed and they prefer to maintain their own conservative cultures without any interference from any quarters like the Hindu culture. The Americans are outgoing, liberal and are ready to embrace and interact with different cultures. Closer relationships results in better negotiations and more viable and creative bargains. It’s easier to work with liberal persons like the Americans than the Hindus who are very conservative. (Lewicki, Saunders, Barry, & Minton, 2004)
References
Adler, R.S, Rosen, B. & Silverstein, E. (1996) Thrust and parry: The art of tough negotiation, training and development, 50, 42 – 48.
Adler, R.S, Rosen, B. & Silverstein, E. (1998) Emotions in Negotiations: How to manage fear and anger, Negotiation Journal, 14, 161 – 179.
Behfar, K. J., Peterson, R. S., Mannis, E. A., & Trochim, W. M. K. (2008). The critical role of conflict resolution in teams: A close look at the links between conflict type, conflict management strategies, and team outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93, 170-188.
To what Extent are People subordinated to Systems and Organizations in the 21st Century?
Order Instructions:
make sure it should be plagiarism free and please complete it on time
SAMPLE ANSWER
To what Extent are People subordinated to Systems and Organizations in the 21st Century?
In modern times, work has become an integral part of life making it difficult to separate each from the other. Several studies have been undertaken in the field of work concerning the relationship that exists between organizations, people, and life. Several theories and perspectives have also been developed in regard to elements intertwined in work and organizations (Armstrong, 2009, n.p). Organizations have devised various initiatives in their effort to enhance people’s performance at their workplace. These initiatives have in turn sparked numerous human related issues across the globe such as work-life balance and human safety issues. Managing people effectively in any organization has turned out to be a key skill and an area of concern across organizations as they seek to have the best leaders and managers to steer their success to desired heights.
From a rational system approach, organizations can be viewed as instruments designed to attain specific goals. Earlier scholars in this perspective emphasized on the view that organizations are deliberate and purposeful. The scientific management of Taylor focused on the use of time and motion to optimize work procedures and increase on productivity. Fayol’s administrative approach developed general guidelines on how to formalize organizational relationships and structures. According to the Bureaucratic theory by Weber, bureaucracy is becoming the primary modern organizational structure (Armstrong, 2009, n.p).
In the modern day society, formal organizations are viewed as systems of coordinated and controlled activities arising from the embedment of work into complex networks of boundary-spanning and technical relations exchanges. They are structures emanating from highly institutional contexts. Moreover, organizations are made to incorporate the procedures and practices defined by the prevailing rationalized concepts of institutionalized in society and organizational work. Formal structures may be as a result of rational institutional rules arising from certain domains of work activity (Donald and Ralston, 2005, p. 55). Again, they may be caused by extended rationalized institutional structures in modernized societies.
People’s experiences at the workplace have several impacts on their lives that can be either positive or negative. A healthy working experience is one where the pressures on the employee are appropriate in regard to their abilities and resources, amount of control they have over their work, as well as to the support they receive from others who matter to them. A healthy working environment is one where there is both absence of harmful conditions and abundance of health-promoting condition. Such may include provision of appropriate training and information on health issues, continuous assessment of health risks, and the presence of health promoting support structures and practices from the organization. Pressure at the workplace has been closely linked to work-related stress. Workplace pressures are to some extent unavoidable due to the contemporary work environment demands. The problem arises when the pressure becomes excessive and a threat to employee’s health and work performance. Work-related stress is attributed to poor work organization, poor work design, poor management, lack of support from seniors and colleagues, and unsatisfactory working conditions. Research has a shown that the most stressful type of work is that in which excessive pressures and demands that are not matched to employee’s abilities and knowledge are valued, where there is minimal support from others, and there is very little opportunity if any to exercise any control or choice (Donald and Ralston, 2005, p. 56).
Notably, being appreciated and respected at the workplace is one of the lightly held values in most companies yet the most fundamental human capital needs. Being appreciated and respected remains some of the most important factors known to increase worker motivation, satisfaction, health, and wellbeing. Ethics are an important aspect of a leader (Armstrong, 2009, n.p). Ethics can in one aspect be defined as the systematic study of the morals and right or wrong behavior viewed as the specific standard of right and wrong. Ethical leadership in this sense is a two way process involving both moral influence and moral behavior. As such the ethical leaders are able to effectively undertake their responsibilities and to subsequently shape the ethical contexts of their organizations and societies. Ethical leaders should also demonstrate other characters as optimism, compassion, justice, humility, make wise decisions, courage, and master the ethical challenges of their responsibilities. Consequently, ethical organizational environments are characterized by concern for how goals are to be achieved, justice, and integrity. They guide against destructive practices by both leaders and followers.
Taking an example of Tesco Plc, the company offers competitive packages for their employee in every area of business. They also have plans for securing their employees future such as the pension scheme. To ensure that workers are staying healthy they have secured great discounts with top healthcare companies. They offer exclusive discounted packages for workers on health cash plans, private medical insurance, and dental cover to help meet the healthcare cost. Members also enjoy access to a life assurance scheme that provides financial protection to their family. The company has also developed flexible policies to help strike a balance between work and personal life. In terms of career development and training, Tesco offers opportunities for development programs and apprenticeship.
It is also important to look at the role of leadership and management as a key factor determining the relationship between organizations and people. Managing people in organizations requires strategic planning and leadership skills. Managers have the mandate to influence others as leaders and make them believe in a common vision in achieving organizational goals. They are also mandated with the responsibility of motivating workers through communication and rewards. The positions they hold come with high expectations from both the organization and the subordinates. The organization expects them to make viable decisions on their behalf and oversee their implementation while on the either hand employees expect managers to lead the way for them to follow (Donald and Ralston, 2005, p. 57). As such, managers are faced with various interpersonal relations, information transfers, strategies and decisions, and processes to confront. Management is primarily concerned with the optimum attainment of organizational objectives through and with people. The management task is faced with many other issues such as democracy, autonomy, and worker’s rights.
Working productively and the ability to develop cooperation around the organizational goals are closely correlated with acquiring the right workforce for the right job. A Job structure is of concern at this level which can be viewed as a system of interrelated jobs and authority. Although there is no one standard organizational structure, most companies follow a system commonly known as the “Christmas Tree” with the star at the top, smaller branches at the management levels, and the bigger branches occupying the production levels. The single trunk which supports the branches can be taken as the organization’s objectives and mission. Consequently, each part of the tree has its unique function. When all the parts are able to work together, then the system can survive, function productively, and has balance.
Primary elements of interest in designing the organizational structure are the job specifications, departmentalization, span of control, and delegation of authority. Job specification is concerned with what each unit in the organization is responsible for. Departmentalization entails the grouping of responsibilities in common sectors with the main objective of achieving coordination. Span of control is a definition of the number of job roles in each unit and the roles that require coordination by a unit manager. Delegation of authority involves assigning the right to make decisions without prior approval by the supervisor.
KMPG is a global company offering professional services in tax, audit, and advisory and employing over 152,000 people. The company is well known for their effective organizational structure whereby each of the national firm operates as an independent legal entity. It has in many countries including UK been voted the best in the various categories such as the best big company in the UK to work for.
Modern management is marked by two approaches, the contingency and the systems approach. The contingency perspective analyses the management effectiveness as neither being on the democratic or autocratic extreme but rather in terms of situational moderator variables. This implies that different leadership traits are required for the different situations presenting themselves within an organization. The path-goal theory posits that the characteristics of the subordinates and those of the work environment are the major determinants the more effective leader behavior. Key subordinate characteristics identified in this case include work experience, need for affiliation, ability, and locus of control. Some of the important environmental characteristics identified in the theory are nature of work groups, nature of tasks, and the system of formal authority (Helmreich, 2012, p. 112). In this regard, the theory postulates four diverse behaviors of leaders as directive leadership, achievement-oriented leadership, participative leadership, and supportive leadership. In the sense of this perspective, the behavior of the leaders ought to minimize the barriers that hinder subordinates from attaining their goals, provide coaching to facilitate easier payoffs for the subordinates, and strengthen their expectancies that better performance will bring about valued rewards. Looking at the path-goal perspective, the characteristics of the subordinates
The systems approach on the other hand views organizations as total systems comprising of interacting subsystems in a complex interaction with the external environment. Organizations in this sense are viewed as input-transformation-output systems competing for resources. As such, the prosperity of any organization greatly depends on the effectiveness to adapt to the environment. This implies identifying a superior strategy for obtaining the necessary resources, marketing its outputs, and confronting the external threats. Additionally, survival of the organization depends on the efficiency of the process of transformation it uses to produce its products as well as on worker motivation and cooperation. Efficiency of the organization’s transformational process is increased by developing more rational methods of organizing and performing the work through deciding how to make good use of the available technology, personnel, and resources. The responsibility of coordinating operations across the various specialized subunits, designing an appropriate organizational structure, and determining authority relationships primarily lies with the top management. A system, therefore, can only survive if it is able to deliver output that can maintain the system and be exchanged for new inputs. Organizations need to ensure that all their functions and procedures are effective and comply with standards and regulations. Systems management theory holds the idea that an organization comprises of various parts that must undertake tasks necessary for the proper functioning and survival of the whole system. Proper systems and processes enhance productivity.
The organizational side of the psychology discipline is more focused on understanding ways in which organizations affect individual behaviour. Factors that can impact the way that the human capital behave within organizations include organizational structures, management styles, social norms, and role expectations. Industrial-Organizational psychology is a psychology branch that adopts psychological principles and theories to organizations. By understanding the factors that influence organizational behaviour, I-O psychologists hope to promote and improve individual health and performance and at the same time benefit the organization as a whole.
An example of a company that is well known in addressing their workers needs and welfare is Nike. The recruitment and selection process is an integral part of the running of the organization since it provides the right candidates to steer the company’s goals and vision. When the process is successful in bringing forth the right employee for a certain job, the performance is equally higher. Properly placed employees are more likely to undertake their duties enthusiastically and stay in the organization for longer. They are a source of motivation to themselves and to others and are willing to go an extra mile to have things done. The right candidates can only be found through the right channels and methods of recruitment.
Nike’s employees are appraised annually towards the end of every year through a seven category evaluation with sub-categories. The first category is on the quality of work where employees are evaluated on their customer focus, dependability, and judgment. The second evaluation criterion is on the quantity of work. The third criterion evaluates job knowledge while the fourth criterion focuses on communications and the fifth on working relationships and teamwork. Criteria six emphasizes on leadership and while criteria seven focuses on planning. Each employee is appraised by their supervisor within their given level.
Nike focuses on acquiring the best efforts through recruitment and building on their teams through talent development. This involves focusing on the company’s future business needs and how to plan for the growth. One of the approaches that the company is using to sustain business performance is on critical assignment planning, accountability for coaching and mentoring by managers, and a variety of other innovative approaches to team and individual learning. The development program is undertaken by managers and supervisors through a five step process. Step one involves implementing development modules in their order of importance. Step two involves an interaction of the trainer with the audience and the presentation of the material. In step three, multi-media tools are used in the training session. The fourth step involves an employee filling the feedback form to collect comments and rate the training session. In the fifth and final step, employees are encouraged to interact with older employees who can share their experiences concerning the job.
This views organization as machines in which people are parts. Since in modern the machines dominate the world, people are expected to working to certain procedures and rest according to set rules in mechanical way. The machine organization is used as a tool to achieve the ends of their owners (Helmreich, 2012, p. 112). After the industrial revolution, many people lost their jobs and became specialists in controlling machines. Machine organization ensures; standardized equipment, standardized regulation, systematic training, task specialization and command language. Machine managers are taught to control and divide organizations into functional department each department with precisely defined jobs. Commands flow from top department downwards to have precisely defined effect. Machine organization works well if the environment is stable, humans behave like machines, the task is simple, and task is repetitive and if precision is required. It has some number of limitations that include: it fosters bureaucracy; it is dehumanizing, adapt poorly to change and can have unexpected, unwanted consequences.
In industrial countries society is composed of organizations with their own peculiar beliefs, rituals, rules and each influence our lives. According to Emile Durkheim, traditional patterns of social order disintegrate in organizational societies and lead to fragment believes on the society occupational structure. In short, culture shapes the organizations, and organizations are mini-societies with different subcultures (Sutton, 2010, p. 89). The advantages of culture organization are that it draws attention to subjective meaning and symbolic aspect of organizations, to shared mental programs s that create this meaning, helps in understanding organizational change and helps to interpret the significance of relations between organization and its environment. However, cultural model of organization can lead to ideological control in the wrong hands, and it’s not easy to get the complete picture of the existing culture.
The employees do not have freedom to chose, make their own decisions. They only have the freedom to quit or move on. The organizations are structured according to political principles since the concept of power, superior-subordinate relation and authority dominate management and organization. In political organizations, autocratic managers rule the organizations with a lot of power that make all the decisions, as opposed to bureaucracies where one acts according to the rules or democratic organization where the rule is how should we do it? Politics is mostly invisible and mostly evident in the conflict, interpersonal intrigues and power plays. In human systems, people have different interest that may come into conflict with other people interest or organization interest. They became political if people begin to share interest to advance their interests (Sutton, 2010, p. 91).
The human capital has emerged as a crucial asset of any organization unlike previously when the most valued assets included physical capital such as machinery. The shift has since turned to having better recruiting, motivating, and retention policies and strategies in an effort to acquire the most experienced personnel for the organization. Human resource as such is a combination of abilities, experiences, and culture that has the capacity to either drag the company backwards or make it an extemporary field of success. Numerous studies done concerning the relationship between human capital and the success of the company have proved that employees play a pivotal role in making organizations successful.
References
Armstrong, M 2009, Armstrong’s Handbook Of Human Resource Management Practice, London: Kogan Page.
Donald, C, & Ralston, J 2005, ‘Supremacy or Subordination? Is the Issue of ADA and CBA Conflicts Resolved?’, Employee Relations Law Journal, 31, 2, pp. 55-78.
Helmreich, JS 2012, ‘Putting Down: Expressive Subordination and Equal Protection’, UCLA Law Review Discourse, 59, p. 112, LexisNexis Academic: Law Reviews
Instructions:
You need to produce an initial report to Candlewick. You will need to produce a further report once the business has been trading for six months. The report needs an Executive Summary, a numbered index, font size 11, Calibri or Arial font. All tables need to be placed into an Appendix. Place a footer on your document with your name, student number and page number. The report may have references and a bibliography.
Scenario
You are an accountant working for an accounting practice and have been asked to help a new client plan and control her business finances. John Wick has started a business selling candles in Bath. Candlewick Ltd has been open for one month (January, 2013). It is located in a busy part of the town, near the Pump House – a major tourist spot, but where there is at least one other established competitor.
1. Cashflow Forecast (6 marks)
Construct a cashflow forecast for Candlewick Ltd. The owner has produced the following figures which he has researched and believes are correct.
1. An initial £10,000 capital has been placed into the business.
2. John buys candles from a local supplier for £15 per box, and sells them online for £20 per box. The supplier will allow one month’s credit. This will represent 75% of the business’s revenue. John will allow customers two month’s credit.
3. The shop in Bath will represent the final 25% of the revenue, and will deal in cash sales.
4. Expected purchases: January – February £400; March £500; April £560; May £600; June £600
5. Expected sales: January – February £400; March £500; April £560; May £600; June £600
6. Equipment including van is purchased on the 1st January cost £13,000, but will not be paid for until February 2013.
7. Rent is paid £150 per month, payable at the end of every month.
8. Advertising will be £250 per month payable in arrears.
9. Telephone and internet expenses will be £450 per quarter payable at the end of each quarter, the first payment being at the end of March.
10. Printing, postage, stationery, which include packaging, are estimated to be £600 per month apart from January, and will be payable in cash.
2. Working Capital Requirements (10 marks)
• Analyse the cashflow forecast. Which month does John need to add additional cash?
• Outllne the main options for sources of funds available to Candlwick Ltd.
• Should John look at a bank loan, loans are available for start-ups of £18,000, £6,150, £5,100, £4,800, £3,700. Interest rates are 7.4% and can be fixed for a two year maximum.
3. Actual Trading Figures (12 marks)
Candlewick has now been trading for six months, and you have been given the following figures. Prepare another cashflow statement. Conduct a variance analysis. What have been the main differences?
1. Sales (cash): January £1,600; February £1,800; March £2,000; April £3,500; May £4,000; June £4,500
2. Sales (credit): January £0; February £0; March £4,800; April £5,400; May £6,000, June £7,800
3. Purchases: January 0, February £6,000; March £6,000; Apirl £7,500; May £8,400; June £9,000
4. Equipment including van: £13,000 paid for in February.
5. Rent: January – June £500
6. Advertising: January – June £50
7. Telephone and internet: January – June £450 payable quarterly (first payment end of March).
8. Printing and postage: January £0; February £100 – June £ 100
9. Interest payments: January – June £40
10. Salaries: January £0; February – May £500; June £660
4. Trial Balance for Candlewick Ltd (9 marks)
Using the cashflow balances, construct a trial balance.
5. Prepare an Income Statement for Candlewick Ltd. (6 marks)
The following adjustments need to be taken into consideration:
1. Closing inventory is valued at £750.
2. Rent, advertising, telephone and internet, printing, postage and packaging and salaries are allocated 50% to distribution costs, 50% to administrative expenses.
3. Acrrued expenses for Advertising £100 and £200 telephone and Internet.
4. Printing postage and packaging are prepaid by £100.
5. Equipment is expected to be kept by the business for 4 years with an estimated residual value of £1,000, using the Diminishing Return or Reducing Balance method. Depreciation will be charged. Depreciation will be charged in the following ways: 50% to distribution costs; 50% to administrative expenses.
6. An allowance for doubtful debts will be based on 10% trade receivables. This allowance will be charged 100% to administrative expenses.
7. Income tax to be paid by 31 January 2014 will be £8,970 (30%).
8. John is the only shareholder, however, he will leave all profits in the business to help it grow, rather than take some out in the form of a dividend.
Using the actual cashflow forecast (Activity 3), and trial balance, construct an Income Statement for Candlewick Ltd.
6. Prepare a Statement of Financial Position for Candlewick Ltd (17 marks)
1. Accounts receivables include those purchases in May and June.
2. Accounts payable need to be included – June’s payment.
3. Identify closing inventory figure.
4. The cashflow statement shows a surplus figure, which is an asset.
5. John invested capital into the business and a loan.
6. The profit figure has been calculated.
7. There will be a tax liability (30%).
8. Acrrued expenses for Advertising £100 and £200 telephone and Internet.
9. Printing postage and packaging are prepaid by £100.
10. Equipment is expected to be kept by the business for 4 years with an estimated residual value of £1,000, using the Diminishing Return or Reducing Balance method. Depreciation will be charged. Depreciation will be charged in the following ways: 50% to distribution costs; 50% to administrative expenses.
11. An allowance for doubtful debts will be based on 10% trade receivables. This allowance will be charged 100% to administrative expenses.
12. Using the actual cashflow forecast (Activity 3), construct an Income Statement for Candlewick Ltd.
13. Income Tax is 30%.
• From the Income Statement, analyse Assets (Equipment, cash owed and closing inventory) compared with Liabilities (equity, loan, cash owed to supplier and tax authorities).
• What advice can you John regarding the difference between the cashflow figure and income statement figure?
6. Ratio Analysis (24 marks)
• Using a minimum of eight appropriate ratios, investigate the profitability of Candlewick Ltd.
• What limitations might there be on these figures?
• What would you advise John to do about the future of his business?
• Word limit 1000 words.
Presentation and English (5 marks)
Referencing (5 marks)
Statement of financial Position………………………………………………………………7
Ratio Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………..8
References………………………………………………………………………………………10
Executive Summary
Candlewick limited is a company that trades in candles. The company purchases candles and resells them at a mark-up that constitutes its profit margin. John Wick is the entrepreneur who operates the business. In January 2013, he advanced a capital of £10,000 to his candle business. The forecast however revealed a very different scenario.
1.
Candlewick Ltd
Cash flow Forecast
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
£
£
£
£
Sales
400
500
560
600
600
Purchases
0
400
500
560
600
600
van
–
13,000
0
0
0
0
Rent
150
150
150
150
150
150
Advertising
–
250
250
250
250
250
Tel & Int
–
0
450
0
0
450
Printing & Stationery
600
600
600
600
600
600
Total Expenses
750
14,000
1,850
1,500
1,560
2,050
Total income receivable
0
0
0
300
375
420
Net cash flow
-750
-14,000
-1,850
-1,200
-1,185
-1,630
Opening bank balance
10000
9250
-4750
-6600
-7800
-8985
Closing bank balance
9250
-4750
-6600
-7800
-8985
-10615
The candlewick forecast cash flow will have a deficit balance in the first month of operation as the debtors have been allowed two months credit upon which they can make their payments. The sales in January will most likely be paid in March while the February sales will be received in April. The rental payments, Advertising costs, Printing & Stationary are constant and they amount to £1000. Rent can be classified as a fixed expense but advertising & postage and printing are variable expenses. (Faul, du Plessis & van Vuuren 2001) The cost of purchasing the van can be classified as an asset and only its depreciation is chargeable to income and expenditure while its Book value is depreciated according to the rate of depreciation agreed before it’s posted to the balance sheet. (Drury 2004)
John needs to add some additional cash in February to cater for the payment of the Van. The operational cash that has been banked at the bank will be inadequate to pay all the expenses in February together with the van purchases’. (Garrison, Noreen & Brewer 2006)
The major options open for John to fund his company are limitless. The bank can offer some financial assistance by offering some funds but at an agreed rate of interest. The other option would be to invite a partner who can contribute a similar amount of capital that can be used as operation cash for a certain amount of shares in the candlewick ltd. (Hansen & Mowen, 2005) John can also borrow funds from friends or family members to finance his company. The other option is to register the company as a public limited company and enlist it to a stock exchange so as to float its shares to the public. The funds can be used to fund the company’s operations but the problem is that it would take some time before the company can be registered, float its shares and obtain the required minimum amount of shares to commence trading and finally to obtain a trading license. (Marshall, McManus & Fiele 2004)
The recommended start up loan would be £3700 at 7.4%.
The variance analysis for John’s business between the forecasted and the actual results reveals that the closing balances would have very large disparities. In January 2013, the closing balance would higher than originally estimated. The actual closing balance is £11,600 while it was estimated to be £9250. The budgeted amount would a have a deficit of £2350
Candlewick Ltd
Cash flow Forecast 2
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
£
£
£
£
£
£
Credit sales
0
0
4800
5400
6000
7800
Cash sales
1,600
1800
2000
3500
4000
4500
Purchases
0
6000
6000
7500
8400
9000
van
–
13,000
0
0
0
0
Rent
0
100
100
100
100
100
Advertising
–
10
10
10
10
10
Tel & Int
–
0
225
0
0
225
Interest payments
40
Printing & Stationery
0
100
0
0
0
100
Salaries
0
0
0
0
500
660
Total expenses
0
13,210
6,335
6,110
8,110
9,495
Total income receivable
1,600
1800
2000
3500
8800
9900
Net cash flow
1,600
-11,410
-4,335
-2,610
690
405
Opening bank balance
10000
11600
190
-4145
-6755
-6065
Closing bank balance
11,600
190
-4,145
-6,755
-6,065
-5,660
In February, the closing balance is forecasted to be deficit of £-4750 which the actual balance resulted in an excess of £190. The variance was occasioned by the balance brought forward from January and the actual cash payments that were made in January and February. The other months were also affected by the inclusion of the cash payments which could not be exactly forecasted. The actual total expenses were also very high compared with the forecasted amounts. (Gitman 2000) The actual expenses amounted to £43260 instead of the forecasted £20960. The Income receivable amounted to £1095 instead of the actual £27600. The net cash flow in June was a deficit of 15660 of the budgeted deficit of 19865. (Harrison & Hongren 2001)
4.
Candlewick Ltd
Trial Balance
DR
CR
Balance brought forward
4825
Credit sales
24000
Cash sales
17400
Purchases
36900
van
13000
Rent
500
Loan
1081
Advertising
50
Share capital
3679
Tel & Int
450
Interest payments
40
Printing & Stationery
200
Salaries
1160
Closing balance
10,835
Totals
57060
57060
(Garrison & Noreen 2003)
5.
Candlewick Ltd
Income and Expenditure
Credit sales
24000
Cash sales
17400
Total sales
41400
Less
Purchases
36900
Less closing stock
750
36150
GP
5250
Administrative Expenses
3880
Distribution exp
2500
Income tax 30%
8970
Total expenses
15350
Net Profit
-10100
6.
Candlewick Ltd
Statement of Financial Position
Assets
Non Current assets
Cost
Dep
NBV
Property, plant & Equip
13000
3000
10,000
Total non- current assets
10,000
Current Assets
Inventories
750
Trade receivables
12420
Cash
-10,835
Prepayments
100
Total current Assets
2,435
Total Assets
12,435
Equity and Liabilities
Share capital
3679
Deficits
-10100
Total Equity
-6421
Non-current liabilities
Long term borrowing
1081
Total non-current liabilities
-5340
Current liabilities
Trade Payables
9000
Accrued expenses
300
Current tax payable
8970
Total current liabilities
18270
Total equity and liabilities
12930
The major differences between the cash flow figure and the income statement is that the cash flow includes the purchases of assets such as the van while the income statement is restricted to revenue items only which excludes the assets and liabilities or prepayments. (Gill & Johnson 1997)
6b.
Financial Ratios
June
Current Ratio
Total Current Assets/Total current liabilities
0.64
Quick Ratio
TT Current Assets – inventories /total current assets
0.60
Receivable turnover
Annual credit sales/average receivables
1.93
Inventory Turnover
Cost of goods sold/Average inventory
48.20
Asset turnover
Sales/Average total assets
3.33
Times interest earned
EBIT/Annual Interest Expense
-28.50
Debt to total Asset
Debt/Assets
0.09
Profit margin on sale
GP/sales
0.13
The current ratios indicate a grim future for Candlewick limited. (Flynn 2003) The standard ratios for current assets and the current liabilities is a ratio of 2:1. The ratio of candlewick is 0.64:1. This means that the company cannot pay off its liabilities. The quick ratio suggests that the company is still operating below the required minimum ratio of 1:1 It cannot meet the immediate obligations that may face the company. The profit margin on sales is also very low.
The major limitations on this figures is that they represent a very large variance between the actual results and the forecasted results.
John should advertise and market his business to draw more business and also diversify in other business that may supplement his income besides the income from the Candlewick limited.
Reference
Drury, C., 2004, Management and Cost Accounting. Thomson Learning.
Epstein, M.J. & Lee, J.Y., 1999, Advances in management accounting, 8. Stanford, Con.: JAI Press.
Faul, M., du Plessis, P.C. & van Vuuren, S.J., 2001, Fundamentals of cost and management accounting. Durban: Butterworths.
It is important to note that this paper is in two sections , and it is critical that the writer follow every bit of instructions noting that this is a continues paper of which another section will be coming in the weeks ahead. They are resources at the end of the paper that can also aid in the completions of the paper.
The Current State of IT in Your Organization: A Snapshot
For this paper you will have an opportunity to examine theoretical, practical, and empirical points of view regarding the use of IT to establish competitive advantage. This exercise will allow you to apply the knowledge you have gained to the MIS situation in your own organization, or one you know well. You will conduct first-person research, so choose an organization where this will be possible. You will conduct an assessment of the “state” of IT within your organization, or the organization you have chosen to investigate, including an analysis of the organization’s key MIS initiatives, in which you evaluate the current MIS strategy and its impacts. A key element of the Praxis Paper is the identification and framing of an organizational problem that relates to the topics covered in the course. Your research should lead you to identify possible solutions to the problem(s) you identify. You will apply knowledge gained in the course in order to present advantages and disadvantages of various approaches to the problem(s).
The Praxis Paper 1 will comprise 8–10 pages in APA format. One to three diagrams and presentation slides may be included, but they will be additional to the required length of the paper. You are required to include research from at least two first-person interviews and at least two peer-reviewed practitioner or scholarly journals. For this paper, you will submit 2 sections to your Instructor:
As you identify and analyze key MIS initiatives, strategies, issues, and/or problems unique to your chosen organization in your paper, be sure to incorporate a discussion on subjects such as :
• Any ethical concerns related to managing and communicating data or information that may be confidential or protected, such as customer information or intellectual property.
• The types of knowledge that your organization is attempting to or would like to encode in KM systems.
• Issues related to knowledge management and sharing across business units such as products, services, and sales.
• The impact of database management and knowledge management on business objectives.
SECTION A
Write details about the organization you have chosen and the individuals you plan to interview
For this section identify three individuals in your chosen organization whom you will interview for the purposes of this assignment. They should be individuals who understand the organization’s strategic use of IT to achieve competitive advantage in the marketplace and are willing to meet with you to discuss these initiatives. Please be aware that you will also interview individuals in your chosen organization for the Praxis Paper 2 . Please ensure that you properly schedule your interviews based on the individuals’ availability.
For this section , analyze
• The company you have chosen to examine and an explanation for your choice.
• The names, titles, and details of availability for the individuals you will interview.
SECTION B
This section should include a complete draft of your paper in order to receive and incorporate feedback from your Instructor
As you identify and analyze key MIS initiatives, strategies, issues, and/or problems unique to your chosen organization in your paper, be sure to incorporate a discussion of the themes found in this week’s topics, where appropriate. These may include:
• Any ethical concerns related to managing and communicating data or information that may be confidential or protected, such as customer information or intellectual property.
• The types of knowledge that your organization is attempting to or would like to encode in KM systems.
• Issues related to knowledge management and sharing across business units such as products, services, and sales.
• The impact of database management and knowledge management on business objectives.
Resources
Course Text
Haag, S., & Cummings, M. (2008). Management information systems for the information age (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Chapter 1, “The Information Age in Which You Live: Changing the Face of Business”
Articles
• Carr, N. G. (2003). IT doesn’t matter. Harvard Business Review, 81(5). Retrieved from the Business Source Premier database.
This article claims that IT within the business environment is becoming less important as it becomes more widespread and the costs associated with it decrease.
• Bhatt, G., & Grover, V. (2005). Types of information technology capabilities and their role in competitive advantage: An empirical study. Journal of Management Information Systems, 22(2). Retrieved from Business Source Premier database.
This article presents an empirical study of firms that have invested in IT capabilities and the impact those capabilities had on establishing competitive advantage. This article identifies concrete and practical results of IT investment. It is a refutation of Carr’s article (2003) in the Harvard Business Review.
SAMPLE ANSWER
The Current State of IT in Your Organization
The Current State of IT at Amazon
Amazon.com is an internet giant and one of the fastest large-scale retail companies selling its products online through their website. As such, it will offer a good case study for analysis of the state of IT in earning competitive advantage within the industry. Since its 1995 inception, it has grown to become the largest internet retailer globally. Amazon has special interest in innovation in business strategy as well as the management of information systems. The two aspects of business, innovation and management of IS, are interconnected at Amazon with its business innovations being driven by the huge investment the company has in information systems.
The founder, Jeff Bezos, took advantage of the business opportunity being offered by the internet back in 1995 to start Amazon as a website for selling books online directly to customers. The idea was to store as many books as possible, which would not have been possible through a physical bookstore. The concept of the virtual bookstore presented this opportunity, and he was able to offer lower prices since he did not have to maintain much inventory rather operating through distributors. Consequently, he did not have to pay for the maintenance of a physical storefront or a large sales staff. Through online tracking and shipping information, ability to pay for purchases using a single-click and a credit card, and telephone and e-mail customer support, the company is able to provide superior customer service. 1n 1998, Amazon expanded its sales and revised its business strategy to include other products such as music, CDs, DVDs, and videos as well as electronics, gourmet food, jewelry, personal care, apparel, and home improvement equipment (Thompson, 2013).
At Amazon, the three individuals to be involved in the interview are Jeffrey Blackburn; Business Development Director, Andrew Jassey; the Web Services Director, and Jeffrey Wilke; Consumer Business Director. The three directors were chosen for the interview because of their availability and the fact that on request they agreed to participate in the study. Again, the three leaders are well versed with the company’s strategy pertaining to IT and the competitive advantage it offers the company.
Section B
Commenting on how they are able to maintain a competitive advantage over rivals, Jeffrey Blackburn in charge of the company’s Business Development talks of benchmarking the business processes against competitors and consequently identifying best industry practices. They do this by comparing the effectiveness and efficiency of their business processes against strict standards and then embarking on measuring performance against those standards. This sets the platform for the improvement of the business strategies and processes through operational excellence, improving profit margins, lowering costs, and fostering a closer relationship with suppliers and customers. He further notes that by working with all the people involved in the company and information systems, Amazon is able to gather customer information from all available avenues and harness this electronically and to use it to improve the customer experience. For instance, at Amazon, they have systems that make it easy for suppliers to open stores and display goods on their website. The company has a well-developed system that coordinates the shipment of goods to the customers. Moreover, the shipment tracking system enables them to access customer information for use in benchmarking.
For Jeffrey Wilke, the Consumer Business Director, the customer tracking strategy where they are able to customize customer’s experience is an effective way of gaining a competitive advantage for the company. By analyzing the information gathered through the knowledge management strategy, they are able to recommend certain products for existing clients every time they visit their website. Wilke affirms that Amazon is able to offer personalized customer service based on an analysis of their past purchases. The company also adopts the direct Amazon-to-buyer approach to sales.
Andrew Jassey is the Director in charge of the Web Services in the company notes that their multi-leveled e-commerce strategy is what offers them a competitive advantage that they enjoy over others in the industry. The company has an application on their Website that allows potential sellers to use their platform to reach out to customers. Through the application, Amazon allows the sellers or associates to build websites on their platform. Jassey notes that this application allows the growth of a very rich database of applications and products accessible by customers. At Amazon, Jessey further notes that IT plays a powerful role in establishing business ecosystems. The company through the use of IT systems has developed IT-based platforms that other companies can use. Amazon’s offers their online store business platforms to other companies such as Fortune 500 firms like Dell to sell directly to the customers. IT has enabled Amazon to create highly synchronized industry specific value chains. The value webs are a collection of independent companies using IT to coordinate their value chains so as to produce a product for the market collectively.
The value web diagram:
(Goh & Kauffman, 2013).
Strategic IT systems have the capacity to change a company as well as its operating procedures and products, driving it into new behavioral patterns. Amazon has had to change their business strategy a number of times so as to reflect new technologies, procedures, and products as the company expands. The case of Amazon demonstrates that successful use of MIS is a challenging task that calls for precise coordination of the management, organizations, and technology. According to Goh and Kauffman (2013), companies using the MIS strategy to earn a competitive advantage over others in the industry are faced with the challenge of losing it over time as other companies have access to the same and can easily copy and adopt the systems. As such, there is a need for continuous and aggressive adoption of new strategies and technologies to keep ahead of others. This should, however, be coupled with effective management strategies and other organizational elements such as unique corporate culture as is the case at Amazon.
One of the ethical dilemmas facing Amazon is on the ownership of the company data. Customer information is such a crucial asset for Amazon, which poses a challenge in safeguarding it from potential theft by employees or system hackers. Such intrusions by criminals could lead to comprise of crucial customer information and great losses for the company (Goh & Kauffman, 2013). The company has a mandate to safeguard customer information from any intrusions. Amazon’s knowledge management strategy treats knowledge component of their business activities as an explicit concern of business and reflected in their business strategy, policy, and practice at all the levels of the company. This has been made collaborative and integrated process directed towards creating, capturing, organization, and access of the intellectual assets. Through the knowledge management process, customer information is turned to actionable knowledge and electronically made available in a usable form to the various departments.
Some scholars have in the past claimed that IT no longer earns businesses a competitive advantage. Nick Carr in his article “IT Doesn’t Matter,” for the first time challenged the strategic value of IT. His argument is that the opportunities for gaining competitive advantage through it are dwindling. The idea is that most of the best practices that most can be built into software and for IT-spurred transformations has already happened or is in the process of happening. Carr instead advocated for less spending on IT as a means of reducing costs and decreasing the risk of buying the equipment that are fast turning obsolete (Carr, 2003). During the time of writing the article, IT companies were in a hurry to sell latest server models seen then as a key to strategic advantage. Companies were in turn in a hurry to position their business on the cutting-edge of infrastructure. One thing though is certain; Carr got people thinking about the direction that IT application was going. For instance, the main challenge of companies concerning their It department has shifted to cloud computing. Companies are now restructuring their IT departments in an effort to form them around cloud systems and applications.
The skeptic view of IT in earning a competitive advantage for companies, in other studies and by several scholars, has been widely refuted. Scholars postulate firms can achieve a better understanding of the IT-based competitive advantage by demarcating specific forms of capabilities. Specifically, companies need to clearly distinguish between dynamic, competitive, and value capabilities as the three distinct types of capabilities. Moreover, within each of the categories specific capabilities can be identified as IT business experience, It infrastructure, intensity of organizational learning, and relationship infrastructure.
Bhatt and Grover in 2005 conducted an empirical study involving chief IT executives from 202 manufacturing firms. The aim of undertaking this analysis was to test the model describing the relationship between the three distinct types of capabilities and competitive advantage. The findings of the study revealed that the relationship infrastructure and the quality of IT business expertise had a significant effect on competitive advantage. In addition, the intensity of organizational learning was also shown as significantly correlated with the capabilities. As such, the results point to the significance of delineating capabilities that can create differentiation in the marketplace and the dynamic capabilities as important antecedents to IT capacity building (Bhatt & Grover, 2005).
In another study, Roberts and Grover investigated how IT facilitates a company’s customer agility and in so doing competitive advantage. The study conducted in 2012 involved 1200 marketing managers working in high-tech companies. The results showed that a Web-based customer infrastructure to a great extent facilitated the capability of a company in customer-sensing. They also identified that systems integration moderates the relationship between the capability of a company to respond to customers and the inter-functional coordination positively. In addition, they found out that agility alignment also affects the efficacy of an organization’s competitive actions. Information systems play a crucial part in facilitating a firm’s knowledge creating synergy derived from the interaction between a firm’s analytical ability and its Web-based customer infrastructure. In turn, the alignment between a company’s customer-sensing capacity and its customer-responding capacity greatly impacts its competitive advantage (Roberts & Grover, 2012). The study confirmed claims that IT capability to create knowledge and enhance processes can be a great step towards facilitating a company’s ability to sense and respond to market opportunities. By facilitating a company’s customer agility, IT promotes competitive advantage. Agile organizations are in a position to adapt and perform well even in rapidly changing environments through capitalizing on opportunities for competitive action and innovation such as developing strategic alliances, entering new market segments, and launching new products. The advancement of IT presents a unique opportunity for companies to engage their customer agility. Customers can generate ideas for new products and use IT-based tools to provide end-user product support on the online environment. As a result, the social relationships developing between the different entities in online communities generate a continuous flux of very valuable knowledge. Consequently, companies that are able to absorb this external knowledge effectively are better able to sense and respond to opportunities.
As Luse and Mennecke (2014) note, other studies have revealed positive linkages between IT investment and productivity attributing the scenario to improvement in business structures, processes, and practices needed to leverage technologies. This is contrary to the earlier discussed assertions by Carr that It is ubiquitous, costly, and accessible to all companies and as such cannot provide differentiation advantage. In this regard, what companies need is to distinguish between undifferentiated IT assets as the ability to manage the assets. Effective managing of the IT assets is a capability capable of creating uniqueness and providing competitive advantage.
Information Technology strategy:
(Goh & Kauffman, 2013).
In economic sense, IT alters both the cost of information and the relative costs of capital as a factor of production substituting the traditional labor and capital. As such, It should be seen to reduce the cost of production in terms of labor and cost of certain capitals such as buildings and machinery. The use of networks is helpful in lowering the cost of market participation making it worthwhile for companies to contract external suppliers instead of the use of internal sources. Arguing from the Agency Theory perspective, IT can also reduce the internal costs of management. According to this theory, a firm is conceptualized as a nexus of contracts that is in existence among self-interested individuals in it rather than a unified, profit-maximizing entity. The principle owner then employs agents to perform work on his behalf. Nevertheless, agents will require constant management and supervision, and as firms grow in size, the agency costs rise (Luse & Mennecke, 2014). By reducing the cost of gathering and analyzing information, IT allows companies to reduce the agency cost since it becomes easier for the management to oversee greater number of agents.
The interaction between IT and an organization is dependent on several mediating factors such as organizational culture, structure, business processes, politics, management decisions, and surrounding environment. Information systems have in the modern marketplace become an integral, online, interactive tool in the daily operations of organizations. They have over the past decade fundamentally altered the way activities are carried out within organizations, thus, greatly impacting on the possibilities of conducting business.
References
Bhatt, G. D., & Grover, V. (2005). Types of Information Technology Capabilities and Their Role in Competitive Advantage: An Empirical Study. Journal Of Management Information Systems, 22(2), 253.
Carr, N. G. (2003). IT doesn’t matter. Harvard Business Review, 81(5). Retrieved from the Business Source Premier database.
Goh, K., & Kauffman, R. J. (2013). Firm Strategy and the Internet in U.S. Commercial Banking. Journal Of Management Information Systems, 30(2), 9.
Luse, A., & Mennecke, B. (2014). IT can matter: co-evolution fostering IT competitive advantage. Management Research Review,37(6), 574.
Thompson D. The Riddle of Amazon: the global shopping behemoth is beloved by investors despite practically nonexistent profits and a bewildering grand strategy. What exactly is Jeff Bezos trying to build?. The Atlantic [serial online]. 2013:26.
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