Case Analysis (Training Class) HR Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis (Training Class) HR - Case Study Example Other objectives include developing trainees’ understanding of their behavior and its effects on the customers, developing an effective language style that yields to a positive customer’s response, and developing a good CSS – customer relationship. Knowledge, skill, & abilities (KSAs) are very important for any job applicant, whereby, knowledge determines the amount of information that one has accumulated, for instance customer service skills. On the other hand, skills involve manipulation of people or data manually, either verbally or mentally, for instance proficiency in communication. Lastly, abilities are the powers entailed in performing a certain task at a particular time to solve problems amicably (Participant guide, 2006). Based on the training objectives provide a training agenda, indicating the time allocated and order of modules in your program. Customer Service Training Program: this is a four-week training program. Modules : week 1-4 Time: 5.00 pm- 7 pm communication skills Week 1 Customer handling techniques; managing the customer’s expectations Week 2 Effective problem solving techniques Week 3 Developing customer relationships Week 4 For each module, describe the goals of the module and the training methods you will use to accomplish it.

Morality in Ethan Frome Essay Example for Free

Morality in Ethan Frome Essay In The Morality of Inertia, Lionel Trilling argues that Ethan Frome’s inability to make his own ethical decisions ultimately makes his ‘smash-up’ a tragic event caused by the inactivity of morality. The nonexistence of this moral inertia is the explanation, for Trilling, for the outcome of Frome; the lack of moral responsibility in any of the main characters from the beginning of their lives paralyzes their decision making process they simply exist and do what is their duty. Trilling’s aspect that Frome was a morally inadequate man is a valid fact affirmed by Edith Wharton’s provided background of him; the idea that he was unable to make choices and is only capable of enduring can be proven inaccurate with his Frome’s actions throughout the story. The notion that Ethan Frome is incapable of making ethical decisions based on his background can also be countered with his background and actions. Trilling uses Frome’s â€Å"duties as a husband† and son as support for his claim that â€Å"[c]hoice is incompatible with [Ethan’s existence]† (from Morality of Inertia). However, the reader is exposed to Ethan’s ability to recognize choices, and decisions not to act on them, throughout the story. Frome acknowledges his dilemma of running away with Mattie or staying with Zeena, but is inefficient in seeing past the initial consequences of each choice and exploring other possibilities of escape besides the basic. Ethan’s central decision in the book, to commit suicide with Mattie, is made with free will; although it is Mattie’s idea, Ethan agrees and takes the reins in the front of the sled. Although Ethan Frome is a broken man perpetually frozen in a bleak Starkfield, one cannot disregard his inaction when he is presented and acknowledges choices. He constantly contemplates expressing his love for Mattie, looking for â€Å"the all-expressive word,† but fails to, even when alone with her, making â€Å"free choice† a moot point (Ethan Frome; from Morality of Inertia). Morality is not caused by inertia in Ethan’s case but personal authorization Ethan’s decision to commit suicide proves this point; the act proves that he was capable of confessing his love to Mattie, but failed to up to that moment. Although Frome can be held responsible for his moral inactivity, he can be considered a morally inadequate man in his present state. His inadequacy, however, was not a constant in life or a sudden occurrence it snowballed from his youth and finally solidified through the ‘smash-up’. His earlier experiences in a university and the joy it brought him was quickly interrupted after a year by his sickly parents. The unfortunate circumstance forces Ethan Frome to move back to the depressing Starkfield he had just escaped. His parents’ illnesses bring along Zenobia, who would be another future, unseen oppression along with Starkfield. For years, Ethan lives in depressing conditions that decline as time goes on. The chance to finally leave them behind, however, comes in Mattie, Zenobia’s cousin and maid. Ethan’s inability to act on this chance of escape finally seals his fate when Mattie is paralyzed and he is critically injured. Although jinxed with unfortunate circumstances, Ethan Frome’s life could have been bettered if one small step or action was taken by him for himself with the intention to create personal joy or pleasure. The importance of taking steps in life betterment can be seen in Ethan Frome. Although one may lack a history of â€Å"making moral decisions,† the human instinct to do so is always there (from Morality of Inertia). Ethan Frome was able to rationalize and recognize choices inside of his head; it was his inability to act on any one until his attempted suicide that created his depressing circumstances. The irony of his only decision with Mattie being one of the most deciding ones in his life underscores the fact that if he had taken this initiative before this instance, his life might have taken a different track. This was not a forced or accidental occurrence; Ethan Frome was in fact an unfortunate individual in undesirable circumstances, but with a free will and mind developed enough to make

Cultural determinants of Japan and United States

Cultural determinants of Japan and United States The purpose of this report is to explore the cultural determinants of both Japan and United States. The report elucidates the differences between the two countries in terms of leadership styles as influenced by their respective different cultures. The reason in selecting Japan as one of the research countries is because of its deep rooted strong cultural beliefs and group centered style in a business perspective. It is well known to the world that Japan is a closed economy but at the same time, extremely competitive. On the other hand, United States make a good contrast in terms of its open culture and individualistic style of doing business. Despite the differences, both are amongst the most competitive and successful nations in the world. The compromising Japanese and confrontational Americans do make this research journey an exciting and interesting one. Different cultures exist in the world and their impact on leadership styles in their respective countries is significant. As defined by Luthans and Doh (2009, p96), Culture is the acquired knowledge that people use to interpret experience and generate social behaviour. And culture is gained through transmissions between individuals in forms of symbols, rituals, languages, stories told and etc. It will be interesting to find out that the countries cultures do in fact influence their leadership styles to quite a great extent. In this report, two entirely different cultures; Japan and United States will be explored in depth to provide a better understanding of their background. The seven determinants of culture in these two countries will be individually discussed as well. Leadership styles in these two countries will also be examined to establish a relationship with their respective cultures. In the later part of the report, an analysis on the cultural and leadership differences between Japan and United States will give the readers a clear outline of the contrasts which exist currently. 2. Overview of Theories 2.1 Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions Geert Hofstede developed five dimensions of national culture. He had specifically examined the role of national culture in work related values and information system design (Hofstede, 1980). National culture can be defined as a collection of relatively uniform and enduring values, beliefs, customs, practices and traditions that are shared by a countrys members, learned by new members and transmitted from one to the next (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2001). According to Hofstede (1984), culture is a kind of mental programming that lies between human nature on one side and personality on the other. Through the completion of his study in 1980, it was found that the differences between cultures can be understood by the following four distinctive dimensions: Power Distance Individualism Vs Collectivism Uncertainty Avoidance Masculinity Vs Femininity Power Distance It is the extent to which people expect and accept unequal power distribution. These people are usually the ones with less power and control. Countries can be referred to as either having High power distance or Low power distance. The former has a tall and centralised structure, instructions and orders (from superiors) are obeyed without queries or rather, heedlessly. The latter, on the other hand, has a flat and decentralised structure. Superiors give lots of respect and trust to subordinates. Individualism vs. Collectivism In an individualistic culture, people look after themselves and are more self-centred. The ties between people are not strong as each person is focused on their own goals. This type of culture is mostly found in western countries. In a collectivist culture, great emphasis is placed on groups. It is more of a We culture instead of I. This type of culture can be described as harmonious and there is almost zero confrontation in times of conflict. As opposed to the individualistic culture, collectivist is more common in Asian countries. Uncertainty Avoidance It is the preference of a society for unambiguous and risk free situations. In a high uncertainty avoidance country, there are more regulations and policies to adhere to and they tend to reduce risk to the minimum. Whereas in a low uncertainty avoidance country, people are tend to push boundaries and are more daring to take risks. Masculinity vs. Femininity In simple terms, when a societys most important social values are associated with money and success, it is said to be highly masculine. It is highly stressful to be working in such environments. Feminine societies, in contrast, believe in quality of life and helping others over anything else. 2.2 Leadership in the International Context Leadership is the process of influencing people to direct their efforts toward achievement of organization goals. A good leader takes ownership over projects, while simultaneously empowering everyone in his or her team to contribute according to their key strengths. They are accountable for any mistakes made, but ensure each is a learning experience for everyone, and capable of drawing their own intuitive conclusions on the progress or outcome of a project, or foresee any roadblocks which may arise. Initiative is another key leadership trait. Successful leaders jump to their feet and run the extra mile to exceed expectations. They are two comparative areas provide a foundation for understanding leadership in the international: 1) the philosophical grounding of how leaders view their subordinates and 2) leadership approaches as reflected through use of autocratic-participative characteristics and behaviours of leaders. Douglas McGregor, an American social psychologist, proposed his famous X-Y theory in his 1960 book The Human Side Of Enterprise. The specific philosophical assumptions of Theory X leaders are humans inherently dislike working and will try to avoid it if they can. Because people dislike work they have to be coerced or controlled by management and threatened so they work hard enough. Average employees want to be directed and dont like responsibility. Average humans are clear and unambiguous and need security at work. Theory X leaders conducive to large scale efficient operations and apply to mass manufacturing Production Workers. This classify as Authoritarian, a hard management style. The specific philosophical assumptions of Theory Y leaders described people view work as being as natural as play and rest. Humans expend the same amount of physical and mental effort in their work as in their private lives. Provided people are motivated, they will be self-directing to the aims of the organization. Control and punishment are not the only mechanisms to make people work. Job satisfaction is the key to engaging employees and ensuring their commitment. People learn to accept and seek responsibility. Average humans, under the proper conditions, will not only accept but even naturally seek responsibility. People are imaginative and creative. Their ingenuity should be used to solve problems at work. This apply to professional services workers for participative complex problem solving. This classify as Participative, a soft management style. McGregor sees Theory Y as the preferable model and management method, however he felt Theory Y was difficult to use in large-scale operations. In 1981, William Ouchi came up with a variant that combined American and Japanese management practices together to form Theory Z, Theory Z essentially advocates a combination of all thats best about theory Y and modern Japanese management, which places a large amount of freedom and trust with workers, and assumes that workers have a strong loyalty and interest in team-working and the organisation. Authoritarian Leadership (Autocratic) leaders provide clear expectations for what are need to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. There is also a clear division between the leaders and the followers. Some of the appropriate conditions are to be use when you have all the information to solve the problem, you are short on time, and your employees are well motivated. Participative Leadership (Democratic) leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. Participative leaders encourage group members to participate, but retain the final say over the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative. Delegative (Laissez-Faire) leaders offer little or no guidance to group members and leave decision-making up to group members. While this style can be effective in situations where group members are highly qualified in an area of expertise, it often leads to poorly defined roles and a lack of motivation. 3. Overview of Japan Japan is an industrialised, and one of the most efficient countries in Asia, in terms of its economy and trades. Due to the limitation of natural resources, Japan has turned to international trades for its constant supplies. The people of Japan are well educated and worldly known as extremely well mannered. Japan has strived to achieve and maintain very high health standards surpassing many other countries in the world, with its life expectancy rate exceeding that of the United States. (US Department of State, 2010) 3.1 Determinants of Japanese Culture The ancient Japanese culture has cast a massive impression on many people over centuries for being one of the most homogeneous countries in the world. Traditional, indirect, seniority based, collectivist, are some of the various terms associated with the Japanese. Their national culture is so strongly rooted that till this day, it is one of the very few countries in the world which operates in a total different and unique way with traditional customs and feudal values, and still clinging firm to them. It surely has left many people wondering and pondering, having in mind that globalisation and internationalisation is so common these days. The below are some determinants of the Japanese culture which is worth to understand. Existing Feudal Values Founded in 600 B.C and having its roots in Buddhism and Confucianism, the Japanese believes in tall hierarchical structures with strong importance placed on seniority, respect, loyalty and family. One of the feudal values is the unequal treatment of women. Women are regarded as low status in the highly masculine society of Japan. However, there are researches which shows that there has been some change to that, women are slowly paving their way up and even successful in their careers. (Bucknall, 2005) Interesting to know from Bucknalls (2005, p16) study is that the Japanese culture has a strong central core which sees things as being either right or totally wrong, nothing in between. To the Japanese, losing is unacceptable and disgraceful because losing is just totally wrong. Hence, since the ancient Japan, they have regarded themselves as being a highly superior cast of people who just cannot lose to anyone, to Conquer is what they aim to achieve. (Recall World War II) Another ancient value of the Japanese is that the seniors (in terms of age), are treated with reverence. The young people could only patiently wait for their turns for promotions. No way could they rise fast in an organisation even though they are out-performing or outstanding. Religion According to Lee and Trim (2008), the Japanese adopted Buddhism and then merged it with Shintoism. It led to the ability of the rulers of Japan to develop government ceremonies in accordance with Shinto rituals. (Osumi, 1992) Buddhism teachings emphasise on doing the right actions and making right decisions. It also involves three elements; mental culture, wisdom and morality. (Lee and Trim, 1999) Besides the above, the Japanese have also been deeply influenced by Confucian thought. (Mei, 1967) Confucianism focuses on 4 main elements; benevolence, wisdom, righteousness and decorum. It is important for foreigners to note that religion in Japan has played a crucial part in shaping their national identity. Buddhism and Shintoism intertwined, evolving their central government system. Hence, understanding religions of Japan would be highly recommended and should not be regarded lightly. Social Structure A study by Levy, (1992) showed that there are six social classes which can be distinguished in modern Japan. They are namely; The Imperial Family Consists of the Emperor and his relatives (Sacred objects mentioned by Levy, 1992, p3), unlike the King and royal family in England, the Japanese Emperor holds a symbolic position in Japans social system and extremely significant. Nobility Consists of descendents of the Kuge, Samurais, Dukes and counts. (Nobilities in ancient Japan). Highly respected group in Japan. Upper Middle Class Consists of people who are not necessarily descendents of any nobility, but have high status in modern Japan. i.e Directors of large corporations, high ranking civil servants, etc. Lower Middle Class They are the normal working class people in modern Japan. Most of the people fall under this category. Industrial Proletariat They are the blue collared workers. Peasants The rest of the population with lower than average income. Political Philosophy There are seven political parties in Japan, namely Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Peoples New Party (PNP), the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the New Clean Government Party (Komeito), the Japan Communist Party (JCP), and Your Party (YP). Japan is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government (US Department of State, 2010). Economy Japan is the second largest free-market economy in the world following United States. (US Department of State, 2010) It has a highly competitive and efficient economy with few natural resources. The wages in Japan are the highest in the world (EconomyWatch, 2010), but fact that the living conditions/standards are extremely high has to be considered as well. Language Almost all Japanese people converse and use Japanese as a business language. Even though they know English, they would be too shy to speak in that. Silence would be the answers in the case of dealing with foreigners. It may seem strange to many foreigners, but this is the typical behaviour of many Japanese people. Very restricted use of English (despite being an international language) would be seen in most business meetings, limited to simply Good mornings and Good Byes. They do not show willingness to converse to foreigners in another language other than Japanese, perhaps due to their extreme shyness. Education As mentioned earlier, Japanese are a group of homogeneous people. As such, their education system is highly uniformed. Hence, it can be perceived that almost all Japanese share the same ideas and beliefs. In Japan, all children are taught the same things in school, freedom to customise the curriculum is near impossible as the Ministry of Education in Japan closely supervises the education system. The Japanese government places significant importance in the education system. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan introduced five policies in January 2002 to improve the quality of education system. One of which is to increase the number of teaching personnel so as to achieve smaller teaching groups for more focus on each student. 3.2 Leadership style and relationship to Culture in Japan Japanese leadership style is unique and differs from the convention X-Y theory proposed by Douglas McGregor. In 1981, William Ouchi came up with a variant theory Z which is essentially a combination of Theory Y and Japanese management. Buddhism has been around since Japan feudal era, practices by samurais and bushi (warrior) as Zen Buddhism. When the samurai class unified the country under the leadership of shogun Tokugawa Leyasu in the Edo period (1600-1868), the sects encouraged values of hard work and patience according to their Buddhism teachings. Today, Buddhism is the most popular religion in Japan with some 85% of the population professing the faith.This forms the hardworking culture of Japanese and shapes the foundations of their leadership behaviour. Most Japanese managers believe that their employees are hard-working and are self-motivated by teamwork, that they want to share responsibility for attaining group goals and therefore seek participation in management process. Due to the participative approach of employees, Japanese managers use a blend of both task-centered and people-centered approach to lead subordinates. Both leaders and subordinates are motivated by a powerful sense of commitment to be a part of a greater whole. This is contributed by the social structure and educational system of Japan. The social structure hierarchy of Japan which consist of the Royal family down to the peasants and their strong sense of loyalty due to their Shinto teachings resulted in the Japanese believe that they are part of a greater whole, in country context Japan as a whole. Japan has one of the most successful and renowned education system. In recent years, there is a rise in higher education of Japanese in both private and government sector. Thorough its education system, it has reach attain a 99% literacy population. It has the highest literacy rates in Asia. Most Under theory Z leaders, Japanese employees seek out responsibility and strive for opportunities to advance in organisations. They work towards the goal to be in the upper middle class of their social structure. Japanese leaders believe that the employees are self-satisfied when they contribute to organisational success through teamwork. In return for their organisations long-term commitment to providing job security (often for life), workers develop strong bonds of loyalty towards their employer. Communication Flows As theory Z Seniority Leadership Due to the Japanese Feudal value, Japanese leaders are mostly base on their seniority. Evaluation of work and promotion is very slow and promotions are not base on individual performance. Seniority and age are much more important factors in Japan. Because of their emphasis on seniority, some of the major organisations in Japan are still family owned. They are managed and passed down to the Head of the family, usually the Male eldest of the descendants instead of the most capable of the family. The concept of family owned business may not work out on many other countries with different culture but miraculously organisations that are family owned showed great performance results. It is recognized in Japan to decide the heir of the business base on seniority and it is right that all others of the family must obey all instruction that the head has pass down to them. Any subjugation towards the family head will be deemed as wrong and will not be accepted by the Japanese society. This is also due to the Japanese National Religion of Shinto. They are loyal to their familiar way of life and places, therefore able to maintain their practice. Guideline: Leadership style should relate to culture determinants in 3.1. To show how the culture had influenced the kind of leadership style in Japan 3.3 Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions in the Japanese context Power Distance Japan has a score of 54 on power-distance index (PDI) and a ranking of 44 out of 69 countries (Refer to Appendix 1). Japan is considered as a high power distance although the score is slightly below the world average of 55. Having a high power distance index, this will influence the leadership style of Japan. According to Hofstede, G. et al (2010), in high power distance circumstances; subordinate acknowledges the existence of inequity. Thus, hierarchical system was the result of it. With a centralized and tall structure, the power is not evenly distributed and mainly control by the people from the top management (mostly seniors). Hofstede, G. et al (2010) suggested that it is essential for management to identify the strength of local culture and make use of it to complete certain tasks. Japanese leader would delegate tasks which require subordinates discipline in order to get the work done in an orderly manner. Tasks would be completed with less conflict and disputes as subordinates would normally do what they are instructed to do. However, this would result in no or minimal initiative by the Japanese subordinates at work. Individualism Vs Collectivism Japan has a score of 46 on Individualism Index (IDV) and a ranking of 31-33 out of 69 countries (Refer to Appendix 1). The Individualism score for Japan is slightly above the world average of 43. However, Japan belongs to the group of collectivism. This is because Japan has the tendency to handle stuffs based on the relationship and believe that they have responsibility to one another. Hofstede, G. et al (2010, p120) stated that Poor performance of an employee in this relationship is no reason for dismissal: one does not dismiss ones child. Therefore, Japanese leaders would first establish a relationship and some form of trust instead of demanding work to be done. Hofstede, G. et al (2010) stated that collectivist individual has a one of the culture norm with strong concept of face where one should not embarrass another. Thus, Japanese leaders would need to opt for a correct method to disseminate the negative news instead of criticise and give negative feedback openly. Furthermore, under collectivist society, collectivist individual tends to perform the best in group and badly on individual basis. Therefore, Japanese leaders would tend to allocate more group works to their subordinates. However, when a group of employees completed their work, rewards should be given to the group as a whole and not individual. Uncertainty Avoidance Japan has a score of 92 on Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) and a ranking of 10-11 out of 69 countries (Refer to Appendix 1). Japan has a considerably high Uncertainty Avoidance Index. According to Hofstede, G. et al (2010, p213), Britain has produced more noble Prize winners than Japan, but Japan has put more new products on the world market. Japanese prefer to develop ideas which are established rather than to move ahead to supply new ideas. Furthermore, they have a systematic way to get things done which is good as this lead to actual products being produced. According to Luthan and Doh (2009), high uncertainty avoidance also implies that subordinates are less ambitious. They have low risk appetite and because of this there is an emotional need to create rules. However, not all the rules work. Therefore, leader would have to find ways to lead and motivate their subordinates to achieve excellent result. Masculinity Vs Femininity Japan has a score of 95 on Masculinity Index (MAS) and a ranking of 2 out of 69 countries (Refer to Appendix 1). Japan has the second highest Masculinity Index. Therefore, Japan emphasises the importance of having the main values which are associated with money and success. According to Hofstede, G. et al (2010), work goals such as earnings, recognition, advancement and challenge are deemed to play an important role. After identifying Japanese having a high masculine culture and background of what they want to achieve, leaders can based on the criteria and lead the team effectively. The main items that Japanese are seeking for is money and success. Therefore, leaders should provide opportunities and encourage high performance from their Japanese subordinates in order for them to achieve their goals. Leaders should also note that incentives and rewards are based on equity and not equality. 4. Overview of USA The United States of America, one of the worlds largest developed countries located between the North Atlantic Ocean and North Pacific Ocean. USA is highly abundant with natural resources, providing the world with its largest coal reserves. Apart from the lands and resources, USA is also considered having the worlds strongest and leading technological economy. Being one of the developed countries, USA is currently facing environmental issues like air, land and sea pollution cause by factories, mines and other industrial developments (The World Factbook, 2010). 4.1 Determinants of US Culture USA, the largest economy, deals massive trades among the rest of the world. Studying the culture norms and values of would be important to businessman and entrepreneur that are boarding the shore of the US economy. American possess a strong believe in the concept of equality. Each individual should have equal rights, equal employment opportunity and equal social obligation no matter which ethnic or gender the individual belongs to. Individualism, direct, high uncertainties are some values that are tagged to American by numerous studies. Somehow these values have its roots related to the culture of the country. Religion Although USA has a wide diversity of ethnics namely the North American, South American, Alaska native, Hawaiian native, Asian and others races; Christianity still remains as their largest form of religious belief. Among the Christian, Protestant (including Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, and Presbyterian) outnumber the Roman Catholic with 51.3% of the total population and the later 23.9%. Followed by Jewish, Islamic, Muslim and others reported by World Factbook (2010). Social Structure In USA, most American would believe that there is equal opportunity and economic mobility and social classes does not exist. Moreover, Dennis Gilbert (1998) did defined USA social structure into 6 different classes; Capitalist Class American upper class These are the minute top notch individual that has high influence in the economy of USA, example Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. Upper Middle Class These are highly educated professional that has a high annual household income, example Lawyers, professor, and dentist. Middle Class These are college graduates that are employed for white collar position in an organization, examples managerial position. Lower Middle Class These usually consist of blue collar workers or those performing clerical position. Lower Class These refer to the working individual that draws minimal annual household income, example farmers. Under Class These refer to individual that are unemployed. Political Philosophy A national government with 50 states government, USA is considered as a federal republic country. Democrats and Republicans are 2 major parties dominating the political systems of USA. The government can be divided into three different branches. The government is headed by the Executive branch which comprises of the president and its appointed cabinet. Each state has a different government constitution, the Legislative branch consist of Senate from each state and its House of Representatives. Each state have two Senates elect by the citizen of the state. Senates will need to be re-elect after six years of service Lastly the Judiciary branch is headed by the US Supreme Court. This is the highest court that reviews and maintains the interpretative of the whole nations constitution (USA Country Brief, 2006). Economy USA has the largest and most important market in the world (EconomyWatch (2010). Even though it is the largest economy, government have much regulation protecting certain home-grown sectors. Two thirds of US economy is highly driven by its own consumer and therefore US economy can also be regard as Consumer Economy. According to World FactBook (2010), USA GDP rose to about 14 trillion in end of 2009. It is about 3 times as higher than the next largest economy, which is Japan. Despite of that, USA have also top the chart for its private and public debts owned. This could be possibly due to the economic depression in 2008 where there is an acute rose of oil prices putting the country in a state of inflation with high unemployment rate. In 2009, USA government borrowed billions to purchases equity from banks and Industrial Corporation, in order to perform additional injection to the economy for jobs creation and stabilizing the global economic downturn. Language There is actually no official language stated by Law in USA, English and Spanish are 2 most common languages. In addition, English is the language use in legislation and a main form of business communication. Hawaiian is the official state language for Hawaii (Grimes, 2000). Communication style of an American can sometimes be regarded as straight forward and aggressive. Going around the bush in meetings or discussion is considered time wasting. American has its own style of name format which is different from Asian, they would address First Name (given name) followed by Last Name (family name) as in Julia Roberts where Roberts is the family name and Julia is the given name. Whereas for Asian, we would address Last Name (family name) followed by First Name (given name). Politeness is highly valued in USA. When meeting someone for the first time, it is always polite to address them with a salutation of Mr, Miss, Madam or Dr. Please and Thank You are two most common words heard in a conversation with American. Education Slight differences can be spotted in the education system in different states but generally they are still common. For most children in USA, education starts at an earlier age of 5 and graduated from high school at the age of 17. Parents can choose to send their kids to public schools which are funded by public tax; these would be the common choice for most US citizen. In another hand, if the parents thinks that the public education systems does not suit their kids, they can still send them to private schools owned by churches, individuals and private groups (WorldWidelearn, 2010) 4.2 Leadership style and relationship to Culture in United States Guideline: Leadership style should relate to culture determinants in 4.1. To show how the culture had influenced the kind of leadership style in United States The U.S. is one of the most religious of all the large nations of the world. Gallup International reports that 57 percent of American citizens regularly attend religious services. Politicians frequently discuss their religion when campaigning, and many churches and religious figures are highly politically active. Most American religious take concrete form as congregational voluntary associations. They provide their members with multiple and continuous opportunities to observe, learn and practice the skills of community life and leadership. By doing so, religious members are exposed to have chance to acquire and practice a series of useful capacities and skills. These include group decision making, raising and budgeting funds, leading discussion, mobilization consens

Michael Lehmans Heathers and Steve Jodrells Shame :: Films Movies Film Movie

Michael Lehman's Heathers and Steve Jodrell's Shame Throughout time the concept of gender and the corruption of power associated with it has been a very evident problem within society. Many texts have been designed to expose these issues and in particular the feature films’ Heathers, directed by Michael Lehman and Shame, by Steve Jodrell. Both these films have been heavily constructed in order to position us as the audience to take a very negative response towards the concepts of power and gender and further an ‘anti-conform’ attitude. Techniques such as narrative elements and codes and conventions have been used to mould these ideas and attitudes within the texts. Both the films Heathers and Shame can be deemed to be modern day Westerns however are quite subverted. They both develop the idea that conformity leads to tragic consequences. Heathers is set in an American high school, Westerburg, in 1988 and attacks the idea of a high school hierarchy, where four girls particularly one, Heather Chandler, has the power within the school. On the arrival of a new student, Jason Dean, Veronica, one of the four girls breaks away and conforms to Jason. As a result she is led to kill Heather Chandler and later the ‘footy jocks’ to make their school a better place. Shame on the other hand is set in a small outback, Western Australian country town, Ginobrak, in 1987. It deals with the issues of a small town mentality and that ‘boys will be boys’. As result of these concepts and issues, many young girls were raped and the town accepted this. As Asta, an outsider coming into town, stumbles across these rappings’, she helps and encourages a young girl, Lizzie to face the boys and lay legal charges. In both texts it takes and outsider the ‘hero’ figure to expose the corruption and help in acting as a catalyst to change. Gender relationships are a very explored issue within these texts. In a majority, anyone no matter if they are male or female who do not fit in or do not conform to stereotypes to an extent, can be cast out by that group. Whether it is, their looks, their behaviour, the way they dress, or the way they think and feel, they are judged as different. This ‘outcast’ idea is portrayed in both the films. In the two feature films, the most obvious ‘outcasts’ would be the two ‘hero figures’ the intruders into the created microcosm. Michael Lehman's Heathers and Steve Jodrell's Shame :: Films Movies Film Movie Michael Lehman's Heathers and Steve Jodrell's Shame Throughout time the concept of gender and the corruption of power associated with it has been a very evident problem within society. Many texts have been designed to expose these issues and in particular the feature films’ Heathers, directed by Michael Lehman and Shame, by Steve Jodrell. Both these films have been heavily constructed in order to position us as the audience to take a very negative response towards the concepts of power and gender and further an ‘anti-conform’ attitude. Techniques such as narrative elements and codes and conventions have been used to mould these ideas and attitudes within the texts. Both the films Heathers and Shame can be deemed to be modern day Westerns however are quite subverted. They both develop the idea that conformity leads to tragic consequences. Heathers is set in an American high school, Westerburg, in 1988 and attacks the idea of a high school hierarchy, where four girls particularly one, Heather Chandler, has the power within the school. On the arrival of a new student, Jason Dean, Veronica, one of the four girls breaks away and conforms to Jason. As a result she is led to kill Heather Chandler and later the ‘footy jocks’ to make their school a better place. Shame on the other hand is set in a small outback, Western Australian country town, Ginobrak, in 1987. It deals with the issues of a small town mentality and that ‘boys will be boys’. As result of these concepts and issues, many young girls were raped and the town accepted this. As Asta, an outsider coming into town, stumbles across these rappings’, she helps and encourages a young girl, Lizzie to face the boys and lay legal charges. In both texts it takes and outsider the ‘hero’ figure to expose the corruption and help in acting as a catalyst to change. Gender relationships are a very explored issue within these texts. In a majority, anyone no matter if they are male or female who do not fit in or do not conform to stereotypes to an extent, can be cast out by that group. Whether it is, their looks, their behaviour, the way they dress, or the way they think and feel, they are judged as different. This ‘outcast’ idea is portrayed in both the films. In the two feature films, the most obvious ‘outcasts’ would be the two ‘hero figures’ the intruders into the created microcosm.

Personal Learning

FAFM :Personal Learning Paper FAFM :Personal Learning Paper: SESSIONS : 28 DATE : 15. 11. 12- 01. 02. 13 Learning’s From FAFM: * 1st Class starts with ice breaking and course plan for upcoming session * Infosys annual report – How to read the annual report * Compare with previous year annual report – percentage change year by year. * Auditor report – is the annual report is as per AS and rules followed as per standards * Corporate governance – meetings attended by directors and maintenance of records * Notes on accounts – brief about the content in the balance sheet * Market share – value of a company in the market CXO Duties – which includes CEO, CFO, CMO * How to compare with other companies and to relate with market * And also saw the annual report of RIL , ITC , TATA Motors * Introduction to Financial analysis * How to do financial analysis * Tools and Techniques * Case Discussion * Gemini Electronics * Cash Flow Statement à ¢â‚¬â€œ will show the liquidity of the flow of cash in a company * Operating Activities – what are all the expenses will come under this, for selling , distributing etc. , * Investing Activities – what are all the expenses will come under this, investment in other companies or shares etc. * Financing Activities – what are all the expenses will come under this, dividends etc * Cash inflow and out flow * How an Income statement and Balance sheet differs from Cash Flow Statement * Lehman Brother Company * Movie about the company * About Lehman Brother company * Bankruptcy Identification * Ratios – solvency ratio, liquidity ratio, efficiency ratio, profitability ratio * Horizontal & vertical Analysis of Balance sheet and Income statement – how to compare and contrast the given numbers * Z – score calculation and analysis Cariboo Industrial ltd * Corporate Fraud * Z- score – to predict the value of the company in future as it will sustain in the market financially or not. * Liquidation and valuation * Financial Statement audit * Thaifoon Restaurant * Projected Income statement – assumption of future income or revenue * Projected Balance sheet – it consist of all except the net profit as it is full of assumptions * Seating arrangements – slightly operations related * Decision making – critical thinking of mind to go with or to drop it * Sales projection Financial Mathematics * EMI Calculation – monthly interest and principle payment. Principle rate will increase & interest will get decreased. * EPS calculation * Intrinsic Value – Future value of market price of a company * Bond Valuation * Simple Interest & Compound Interest Calculation * Financial Markets * Indian Financial System – full chart with sector wise divided. * Stock Markets * Case: Motilal Oswal IPO Case * Learn about IPO- what will be the companies value to enter into ipo.How the decision is taken * private equity shares, IPO basics & need, fixed price offer & basics of book building process * Book building process: Cut off price, method of Dutch auction, RII, NII, QII, over subscription, case – Midfield Industries Ltd, ASBA, prospectus, offer and private placement * Primary Market – New issue of shares in the market * Secondary Market – Buying & selling of shares * Under & over subscription – where the subscription of share is high or low * Stock Markets – functions of SEBI , RBI , BSE , NSE.Also learn about various stock markets in other countries * Sensex , Nifty , Otci – orgin , sustain , end of otci * Demat account * Difference between equity share and preference share * 24hrs market – ends in one country and the market starts in other country * Commercial papers * Treasury bills – pledged for money * Money Market: Harshad Mehta scam, various scams in Indian financial history, organized & unorganized money markets and treasu ry bills & its types * Case: Harshad Mehta Scam * Learn about there will not be any scam in share market. What are the tactics played to hike the price * How a person can be countered by his competitors * How big shots help them to play in market and earn money * Money Market: Commercial papers, call money market, certificate of deposits, derivatives – financial & commodities, players, forward & future contract, premium, strike price, strike data and call & put option * Forex Market: Indian forex market, features, settlement of transaction, quotations, types of transactions, factors determining exchange rate * Finally the course has been completed with how to present in the examAdditional Learning’s * Daily Business Quiz * News paper reading – make me to know some new departments process and valuation * Mini Projects for marketing * Know about DBF * IRDA * BAT

Operation Management

agement AEREN FOUNDATION’S Maharashtra Govt. Reg. No. : F-11724 [pic] SUBJECT : OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT Total Marks : 80 CASE-1 (16 Marks) Bloomsday Outfitters produces T-shirts for road races. They need to acquire some new stamping machines to produce 30,000 good T-shirts per month. Their plant operates 200 hours per month, but the new machines will be used for T-shirts only 60 percent of the time and the output usually includes 5 percent that are â€Å"seconds† and unusable. The stamping operation takes 1 minute per T-shirt, and the stamping machines are expected to have 90 percent efficiency considering adjustments, changeover of patterns, and unavoidable downtime. How many stamping machines are required? CASE-2 (16 Marks) In the table given below the Distribution Manager is expected to service these DCs as per the demands placed. If the actual sales after completing week one is as follows, what would be the quantities that would need amendment as far as Distribution Manager is concerned to service for week two and onwards? After week one the actual sales to Forecasted sales for week one ratio is as under: Mumbai did 80 % of forecast , Lucknow did 75 % of forecast Kolkata did 60 % of week one forecast Chennai did 125 % of forecast and Delhi did 150 % of week one forecast [pic] Note : Kolkata will receive transit stocks in week 2 . CASE-3 (16 Marks) After working for 30 years, Ramjee Somjee Dutt opted for VRS and started a courier company and did very well in the first four years. He was now looking for expansion of his business and decided to venture into Road transportation business between Chennai and Mumbai and Mumbai and Delhi as he felt that he could do well on this line. However before taking a final decision he hires your Management Consultant firm formed by yourself. He has requested you to work out the Price to quote his clients for these two routes considering the costs involved. He expects to earn a minimum profit of Rs 1000 per day per truck after meeting all expenses. Your analysis of market conditions tell you the following: Vehicle cost Rs 7 lacs Depreciation 15 % Maintenance costs per day Rs 150 Drivers monthly Salary Rs 5000 : Attendants monthly salary Rs 3000 . Misc expenses Rs 200 per day. Driver allowance is Rs 125 per day and attendant gets Rs 75. Diesel cost per liter is Rs 25 and the vehicle gives an average mileage of 4 km to a liter. The Financial institutions offer loans at 10 % interest pa, which Ramjee has been negotiating. It has been observed that on an average the vehicle covers 400 km per day. The distance between Mumbai to Delhi is 1500 km and Mumbai to Chennai is 1350 km. The driver gets rest day in Mumbai only for one day after they return from any trip. CASE-4 (16 Marks) A company is operating in two unrelated businesses. The first one is making common salt, which is sold in one-kilogram consumer packs. The second business is making readymade garments. The owner of the businesses has decided to implement Materials Requirement Planning (MRP) in one of the two businesses, which is likely to give him greater benefit. Assuming that the current turnover and profits of both the units are comparable, compare the relative benefits and limitations of Materials Requirement Planning (MRP) for these two businesses. CASE-5 (16 Marks) A Manufacturer of motorcycles buys spark plugs at Rs. 15 each. Now he wishes to manufacture the plugs in his own factory. The estimated cost for the manufacture of spark plugs is around Rs. 50,000=00 and the variable cost comes to Rs. 5 per spark plug. The Production Manager advises the Manufacturer that the factory should go for manufacturing instead of procuring them from the open market. List out reasons for the decision of the Production Manager backed up by the necessary data. ———————– AN ISO 9001 : 2008 CERTIFIED INTERNATIONAL B-SCHOOL Operation Management agement AEREN FOUNDATION’S Maharashtra Govt. Reg. No. : F-11724 [pic] SUBJECT : OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT Total Marks : 80 CASE-1 (16 Marks) Bloomsday Outfitters produces T-shirts for road races. They need to acquire some new stamping machines to produce 30,000 good T-shirts per month. Their plant operates 200 hours per month, but the new machines will be used for T-shirts only 60 percent of the time and the output usually includes 5 percent that are â€Å"seconds† and unusable. The stamping operation takes 1 minute per T-shirt, and the stamping machines are expected to have 90 percent efficiency considering adjustments, changeover of patterns, and unavoidable downtime. How many stamping machines are required? CASE-2 (16 Marks) In the table given below the Distribution Manager is expected to service these DCs as per the demands placed. If the actual sales after completing week one is as follows, what would be the quantities that would need amendment as far as Distribution Manager is concerned to service for week two and onwards? After week one the actual sales to Forecasted sales for week one ratio is as under: Mumbai did 80 % of forecast , Lucknow did 75 % of forecast Kolkata did 60 % of week one forecast Chennai did 125 % of forecast and Delhi did 150 % of week one forecast [pic] Note : Kolkata will receive transit stocks in week 2 . CASE-3 (16 Marks) After working for 30 years, Ramjee Somjee Dutt opted for VRS and started a courier company and did very well in the first four years. He was now looking for expansion of his business and decided to venture into Road transportation business between Chennai and Mumbai and Mumbai and Delhi as he felt that he could do well on this line. However before taking a final decision he hires your Management Consultant firm formed by yourself. He has requested you to work out the Price to quote his clients for these two routes considering the costs involved. He expects to earn a minimum profit of Rs 1000 per day per truck after meeting all expenses. Your analysis of market conditions tell you the following: Vehicle cost Rs 7 lacs Depreciation 15 % Maintenance costs per day Rs 150 Drivers monthly Salary Rs 5000 : Attendants monthly salary Rs 3000 . Misc expenses Rs 200 per day. Driver allowance is Rs 125 per day and attendant gets Rs 75. Diesel cost per liter is Rs 25 and the vehicle gives an average mileage of 4 km to a liter. The Financial institutions offer loans at 10 % interest pa, which Ramjee has been negotiating. It has been observed that on an average the vehicle covers 400 km per day. The distance between Mumbai to Delhi is 1500 km and Mumbai to Chennai is 1350 km. The driver gets rest day in Mumbai only for one day after they return from any trip. CASE-4 (16 Marks) A company is operating in two unrelated businesses. The first one is making common salt, which is sold in one-kilogram consumer packs. The second business is making readymade garments. The owner of the businesses has decided to implement Materials Requirement Planning (MRP) in one of the two businesses, which is likely to give him greater benefit. Assuming that the current turnover and profits of both the units are comparable, compare the relative benefits and limitations of Materials Requirement Planning (MRP) for these two businesses. CASE-5 (16 Marks) A Manufacturer of motorcycles buys spark plugs at Rs. 15 each. Now he wishes to manufacture the plugs in his own factory. The estimated cost for the manufacture of spark plugs is around Rs. 50,000=00 and the variable cost comes to Rs. 5 per spark plug. The Production Manager advises the Manufacturer that the factory should go for manufacturing instead of procuring them from the open market. List out reasons for the decision of the Production Manager backed up by the necessary data. ———————– AN ISO 9001 : 2008 CERTIFIED INTERNATIONAL B-SCHOOL Operation Management agement AEREN FOUNDATION’S Maharashtra Govt. Reg. No. : F-11724 [pic] SUBJECT : OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT Total Marks : 80 CASE-1 (16 Marks) Bloomsday Outfitters produces T-shirts for road races. They need to acquire some new stamping machines to produce 30,000 good T-shirts per month. Their plant operates 200 hours per month, but the new machines will be used for T-shirts only 60 percent of the time and the output usually includes 5 percent that are â€Å"seconds† and unusable. The stamping operation takes 1 minute per T-shirt, and the stamping machines are expected to have 90 percent efficiency considering adjustments, changeover of patterns, and unavoidable downtime. How many stamping machines are required? CASE-2 (16 Marks) In the table given below the Distribution Manager is expected to service these DCs as per the demands placed. If the actual sales after completing week one is as follows, what would be the quantities that would need amendment as far as Distribution Manager is concerned to service for week two and onwards? After week one the actual sales to Forecasted sales for week one ratio is as under: Mumbai did 80 % of forecast , Lucknow did 75 % of forecast Kolkata did 60 % of week one forecast Chennai did 125 % of forecast and Delhi did 150 % of week one forecast [pic] Note : Kolkata will receive transit stocks in week 2 . CASE-3 (16 Marks) After working for 30 years, Ramjee Somjee Dutt opted for VRS and started a courier company and did very well in the first four years. He was now looking for expansion of his business and decided to venture into Road transportation business between Chennai and Mumbai and Mumbai and Delhi as he felt that he could do well on this line. However before taking a final decision he hires your Management Consultant firm formed by yourself. He has requested you to work out the Price to quote his clients for these two routes considering the costs involved. He expects to earn a minimum profit of Rs 1000 per day per truck after meeting all expenses. Your analysis of market conditions tell you the following: Vehicle cost Rs 7 lacs Depreciation 15 % Maintenance costs per day Rs 150 Drivers monthly Salary Rs 5000 : Attendants monthly salary Rs 3000 . Misc expenses Rs 200 per day. Driver allowance is Rs 125 per day and attendant gets Rs 75. Diesel cost per liter is Rs 25 and the vehicle gives an average mileage of 4 km to a liter. The Financial institutions offer loans at 10 % interest pa, which Ramjee has been negotiating. It has been observed that on an average the vehicle covers 400 km per day. The distance between Mumbai to Delhi is 1500 km and Mumbai to Chennai is 1350 km. The driver gets rest day in Mumbai only for one day after they return from any trip. CASE-4 (16 Marks) A company is operating in two unrelated businesses. The first one is making common salt, which is sold in one-kilogram consumer packs. The second business is making readymade garments. The owner of the businesses has decided to implement Materials Requirement Planning (MRP) in one of the two businesses, which is likely to give him greater benefit. Assuming that the current turnover and profits of both the units are comparable, compare the relative benefits and limitations of Materials Requirement Planning (MRP) for these two businesses. CASE-5 (16 Marks) A Manufacturer of motorcycles buys spark plugs at Rs. 15 each. Now he wishes to manufacture the plugs in his own factory. The estimated cost for the manufacture of spark plugs is around Rs. 50,000=00 and the variable cost comes to Rs. 5 per spark plug. The Production Manager advises the Manufacturer that the factory should go for manufacturing instead of procuring them from the open market. List out reasons for the decision of the Production Manager backed up by the necessary data. ———————– AN ISO 9001 : 2008 CERTIFIED INTERNATIONAL B-SCHOOL