Remarking Public Exams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Remarking Public Exams - Essay Example In recent years, remarking of exam papers has come under acute scrutiny. In 2001-2002, this had been a big issue in the GCSE and A-levels examinations because the grades were very different from expectations and widely fluctuated. Questions like should the students be compensated if there is a legal action, has cropped up many times. This also resulted in some students taking a gap year. Students and parents were both disturbed by this years grading and it had not been easy for anybody. But schools were told that the variations are normal and had to be accepted1. There was an enquiry by the watchdog QCA and the question is not completely answered who and how the remarking should take place. Confusion has created a crisis. In 2001, A-level examinations saw 4,194 candidates had their grades increased by the normal procedure which rather shook the trust in the exam system. In 2002, BBC reported that A-level students can ask for re-marking. "Over 12,000 pupils across Wales have discovered they may have had their A-level papers incorrectly marked after English examination boards admitted they downgraded some results". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2268475.stm In 2002, during the crisis of remarking, The Chief Executive of the qualifications and curriculum authority gave exam boards and connected officials to come up with new guidelines as the existing guidelines proved inadequate. In 2003, exam board replaced paper marking with US designed technology to improve the speed and process. In 2005, more than 18,000 A-level and GCSE examination grades were changed after complaining. According to The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority's report, 53,600 of the 6.7 million A and AS-level entries were challenged. Of the six million GCSE, 48,422 enquiries happened and out of them 10.773 were altered. These figures relate to the five main exam boards, AQA, Edexzcel, OCR, WJEC and CCEA2. The revised grades helped many students in their university admissions. Government3 was of the opinion that regional centres of the exam boards would carry out the remaking as usual on priority because the deadline for remarking was almost over on every occasion and a fresh deadline was necessary to be authorised from the QCA. Over the recent years, there were rumours that wrong grades had been awarded and there was widespread unhappiness that lower grades caused problems during university admissions and funding possibilities which will in turn have problems on teaching and accommodation facilities etc. as a lower grade would create a continuous chain reaction, more so, when the student was sure of getting a better grade. The so-called gold standard exam has created unnecessary uncertainty which is rather unfortunate. If the exam results are significantly worse than expectation and are almost beyond belief, it becomes necessary to ask for a remarking instead of nursing a grievance that could become a psychological stumbling block. Teachers are equally mystified not knowing mostly what exactly the Board is looking for. Students are uncertain about re-sits. Some of the students who got upgraded after the review were happy, but the confusion and lack of trust in the system prevailed. Many questions were asked: Is it necessary to move away from standard based assessments Are there better ways of marking so that a remarking is not called for If remarking becomes an absolute necessity, are there better wa

The Formation of Diels-Alder Reactions Essay Example for Free

The Formation of Diels-Alder Reactions Essay The Diels-Alder reactions consist of a reversible dienophile and diene all in a one-step reaction initiated by head. These reactions form a six membered ring with at least one pi bond and two sigma bonds, making the reaction exothermic. The goal of the first part of these experiments is to make products that have a greater aromatic stabilization. In 1928, Otto Paul Hermann Diels and Kurt Alder first documented this type of reaction, hence the name Diels-Alder reactions. Their reaction is one of the more useful reactions done in chemistry because it does not require very much energy in order to make the cyclohexene ring and the result can create four stereo centers, making it compatible for a variety of functional groups which still has double bonds in the products. Dimethyl Tetraphenylphthalate. Tetraphenylcyclopentadienone (0.100g), dimethyl acetylene-dicarboxylate (0.1mL), and nitrobenzene (1mL) was placed into a reaction tube with a boiling stick. The reaction was heated until the purple solution turns tan and refluxed. Ethanol(3mL) was stirred in after the solution was warm, and placed in ice. The solid was vacuum filtered, washed with ethanol, dried and weighed. Hexaphenylbenzene. Tetraphenylcyclopentadienone (0.100g) and diphenylacetylene (500mg) was placed in a reaction tube and loosely capped. The solid was heated to reflux with a sad bath until the solid turned a brown color. The tube was shaken gently to bring about white solids at the bottom of the reaction tube. Diphenyl ether(2mL) was added and heated until the solid dissolved. The reaction tube was cooled again and had toluene(2mL) added then placed in ice. The product was vacuum filtered, washed with toluene, dried, and weighed. Tetraphenylnaphthalene. Tetraphenylcyclopentadienone(0.500g), glyme(3mL), and a boiling chip was added to a reaction tube. Isoamyl nitrite(0.35mL) was added via syringe to reaction tube and heated to reflux for 2-5 minutes. Anthranilic acid(0.250g) and glyme(2mL) was dissolved in a separate reaction tube, then added to refluxing solution dropwise via pipette. The color changed from brown to yellow after 5 minutes, and then heat was added for another 2 min. The mixture was shaken and cooled to room temperature. Ethanol(10mL) and saturated sodium bicarbonate(5mL) was added to the solution and shaken to allow solid to form. The solid was vacuum filtered, washed two times with cold water, then two times with cold ethanol. The product is then recrystallized with nitrobenzene/ethanol, filtered, dried and weighed. The melting point was recorded. Triptycene. Anthracene(0.400g), isoamyl(0.4mL), glyme(4mL) and a boiling chip was placed into a reaction tube and heated using a sand bath. Anthranilic acid(0.520g) was dissolved into glyme(2mL). Anthranilic acid solution was added deopwise via pipette into refluxing apparatus over a twenty minute period, followed by isoamyl nitrite(0.4mL). the mixture was refluxed for an additional ten minutes, then cooled. Ethanol(5mL), 3 M sodium hydroxide solution(10mL) was added to solution. Mixture was filtered and rinsed with cold ethanol, then cold water, then took the crude weight of the product. The solid was placed into a round bottomed flask where maleic anhydride(0.200g) and triglyme(4mL) was added. The mixture was refluxed for five minutes, and cooled. Ethanol(2mL) and 3 M sodium hydroxide solution(6mL) was added to solution. The mixture was filtered and rinsed with cold ethanol and cold water, recrystallized with methanol, filtered, dried and weighted to get final product.

Market Analysis And Market Entry Strategies For Brazil

Market Analysis And Market Entry Strategies For Brazil Accompanied by the globalisation the necessity and need for every company to rival on a global level in order to prevail arises. Hence, more and more companies pursue an expansion strategy out of reasons such as product diversification, lower costs, economies of scales and country incentives (Shook, 2008). Therefore this report will concentrate on the expansion of the sandwich chain Pret a Manger with a special focus on their market entry into the Brazilian market. Beneath Russia, India and China, Brazil is one of the BRIC countries and has on the one hand a highly developing economic growth and on the other hand a huge customer potential for the sandwich chain as Brazil has a population of approximately 185 million (Embassy of Brazil, 2010). The English sandwich chain was founded in 1986 by the college friends Sinclair and Julian and is headquartered in London, England. With its 225 shops, which are amongst some shops in the U.S. and in Hong Kong mostly located within the UK, Pret has a turnover of approximately 200 million pounds per year and employs around 4000 people. Their USP is the offering of fresh made food, avoiding preservatives and additives, which sets the company apart from the normal fast food chains (Pret, 2010a). According to their USP the company collects and distributes the food that hasnt been sold on that day to charity organisations every evening. Moreover the company directs its attention to sustainability concerning food purchasing, packaging, carbon emission, energy, waste and recycling (Pret, 2010c). When planning to expand globally a company needs to develop a global marketing strategy. Therefore this report will deal with the analysis of the Brazilian market on the one hand, including tools such as BERI Index, PESTLE analysis, Porters 5 Forces and MIS to be able to constitute the attractiveness of the market and to spot opportunities and threats that may arise when entering this market (Aaker/McLoughlin, 2010). On the other hand this report will concentrate on a possible market entry strategy for the companies products and services which will enable the company to achieve their objectives and to be successful within the Brazilian market. Market Analysis 2.1. BERI Index The Business Environment Risk Intelligent Index is an index to assess and forecast the political, financial and economic situation of a country for international lenders. The single factors are scaled from zero to four, with zero constituting unacceptable conditions to four constituting superior conditions, and are weighted to their valued importance. Looking at the BERI Index of Brazil it can be said that the country, with 61, 5 points, can be classified as an immature economy with investment potential (Hollensen, 2007, p.251). With an overall score of 10, economic growth is the highest ranked factor within the BERI Index, as Brazil is a newly industrialized country and has a therefore a huge growth potential. The lowest ranked factor is local management and partner because of among others the doubtfulness of corruption (Economist, 2010).  [1]   2.2. PESTLE Analysis The factors of the external macro environment can be analysed with a PESTLE analysis. This framework includes the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors, which are country specific and are mostly factors a company cannot control. Changes in the external environment can either depict threats or opportunities for a company. Therefore a company that wants to enter a new market must conduct a PESTLE Analysis to be aware of the external circumstances (Nejati et al., 2008). For Pret a Manger, planning to expand their sandwich chain to the Brazilian market this report will examine the most important success-factors, which are in the context of this company the social, political and economical factors. The three major changes that can be exposed in this context are: Strong economic growth (BRIC) (Euromonitor, 2009a) Emergence of wealthier income classes (Datamonitor, 2009) Orientation towards healthier lifestyles (Euromonitor, 2009a) The detailed PESTLE analysis can be inspected in Appendix D. 2.3. Porters 5 Forces Porters 5 Forces is a framework that helps every company to better understand the circumstances in which a firm operates, by analysing the five forces that are influencing each industry, ranking them from 1 to 5. The benefit of this framework is that when having analysed the environment of the aimed industry and being aware of the industry structure a company can gain competitive advantage when positioning itself according to that structure (Grimm et al., 2006). Looking at the Brazilian foodservice industry the first point to consider is the competitive rivalry within this industry. According to the competitive rivalry Brazil can be rated as strong (4). This is due to the fact that Brazil has a highly competitive market as there is a strong culture of eating out. Moreover the fast food sector is continuously growing and well-known fast food chains such as Mc Donalds are spreading all over the country and challenge local providers (Euromonitor, 2009a). The threat of new entrants can also be ranked as strong (4), as many companies are attracted to the Brazilian market due to the rapidly growing economy. Beyond that entry and exit costs are low, which makes the market attractive for potential foodservice companies. These days many foreign foodservice chains are entering the Brazilian market which makes the threat of new entrants strong because the middle class continuously rises and therefore increases the customer base for these companies as w ell. Overall customers dont tend to stick to a single chain. Home cooking, leisure activities and food retail are substitutes for the foodservice industry. But the threat of substitutes can be ranked as moderate (3) as Brazilians like to eat out (Euromonitor, 2009a). Regarding the buyer power it can be said that switching costs for buyers are low (2) but an individual consumer has only little bargaining power concerning price-negotiation. The supplier power can be seen as moderate (3) as suppliers have more bargaining power than consumers. Besides farmers and food manufacturers staff can also be seen as a supplier. As long as labour costs are high in the foodservice industry, which is known as a low-margin industry, staff has bargaining power too. 2.4. Hofstede According to Geert Hofstede (2010a) culture is more often a source of conflict than of synergy. Cultural differences are a nuisance at best and often a disaster. Therefore every company must specifically look at the cultural differences that may occur, when entering a new market. Hence, looking at the cultural differences between the UK and Brazil is essential for Pret a Manger to be able to react accordingly. Those differences are depicted in Table 2. There are significant differences between the Brazilian and the UK culture. Collectivism beats individualism in Brazil and the power distance and the uncertainty avoidance index show that Brazilians prefer rules. These are significant cultural differences and Pret a Manger has to monitor all its steps in Brazil to be able to adjust problems that might occur due to these differences immediately. 2.5. Segmentation To be able to offer custom-tailored products and services each company, which doesnt want to pursue a mass market strategy, has to define market segments to be able to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their marketing endeavours. When a company is able to specifically align their products and services to the customers needs it is more likely to record cost savings as there is only minimal marketing wastage and the involvement of the customer is likely to increase which will in the end be a boon to the company (Conrady et al., 2008). Demographics, psychographics and behaviour are the three areas of the segmentation process. Looking at the demographics Prets average customers are between 25 and 45 years, are business women/men with middle to high income level. On the psychographic side Prets consumer segment has a lifestyle that could be mentioned as yuppie as consumers are active, busy and fashionable. Furthermore, looking at the behaviour of the consumers, it can be said t hat there is a tendency to fast and convenience food due to a lack of time. In Prets targeted segment brand loyalty is not high as there are various opportunities for consumers to buy food. As the segments of UK and Brazil are identical, this would match Levitts standardisation approach. But as there are slightly different preferences in Brazil Pret has to make local adjustments to fulfil the customers needs. Therefore Pret has to follow a polycentric approach. 2.6. Marketing Information System A marketing information system (MIS) is a helpful tool to collect and analyse customer information to support the marketing planning, by assessing market research data (Armstrong, 2003). Therefore Pret establishes a branch of its marketing research office in Sao Paulo, Brazil. To gather all the required information the 12 C-Framework can be used and its most important points to develop a profile of the Brazilian market (Doole/Lowe, 2008). For example Pret needs to know more about the consumer behaviour and when and how they prefer to eat sandwiches. Concerning the consumption the company has to consider how many sandwiches they can sell per day per store. Moreover the commitment needs to be assessed respective how the consumers feel about the product and whether they appreciate the freshness and sustainability of the offered products. Another interesting point are the choices to evaluate in how far the local taste has to be integrated within the menu. The capacity to pay is another e vident point as every nationality is different regarding the capacity and willingness to pay. Therefore the Big-Mac-Index could be a good figure to measure this and to establish prices in foreign currencies, but Pret needs to think about whether this index would be useful for them or whether it wouldnt be better to research a sandwich index. All those questions have to be answered by Prets research office. Market Entry 3.1. Objectives The targets given by Prets management concerning the market entry to Brazil are To develop a strong position in Brazil To establish a consistent brand globally in the long term To gain 10% market share in the first year To increase sales by 3% year on year for the next five years To secure long term profitability To stay in a budget of  £250 million Business objectives are essential for every company and a key for business success. Their aim is to set up targets on which every single person can orientate itself, to conduce as a measure of success and failure of the company and an overall guideline (Stockton, 1998). 3.2. Entry Strategy Pret a Mangers entry strategy for Brazil is going to consist of starting 200 wholly-owned subsidiaries. With this concept Pret is able to navigate and control the whole process and is able to adapt their strategy if things dont work out the way they should. Looking at the store concept Pret will on the one hand establish their common store concept Local Pret, where there is an outside area, a lounge, a dining area and a refrigerated self-service counter to provide a second home for their customers (Pret, 2010d). On the other hand Pret invented a new store concept called Kiosk Pret especially for the Brazilian market, where the food is sold through a window directly to the customer and will be set up in busy areas, where the people have time constraints. This idea arose out of market research, where they found that this concept is quite popular and successful in the Brazilian market (Maria Brazil, 2010). Concerning the location Prets Shops will be set up mainly in the city centres, shopping centres, in tourist areas near attractions, in business areas and in airports and stations. As you can see in figure 2 for their first market entry to Brazil Pret has targeted to open up stores in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Victoria as those cities have a huge population-density (altogether around 55 million) and are the main attraction for tourists. 3.3. Food and Internal Structure According to the food supply Pret decided to do local sourcing in Brazil to guarantee the freshness of the offered products for their customers. Therefore the company has to make contracts with local bread, milk and other suppliers. To guarantee the freshness of the offered products Pret establishes two distribution centres, one in Sao Paulo and one in Rio to be able to deliver the food just in time. Furthermore Pret will establish a quality control management which is responsible for the operational such as the presentation of food, service and food quality. As Brazilians like to eat sandwiches Prets bread range will comprise baguettes, sandwiches and hamburger rolls. Because Brazilians prefer to eat sandwiches in the morning and in the evening, Pret includes one speciality Feijoada Completa in their product range which is to be offered at noon. This speciality is a stew of beans with beef and pork meats which is a typical Brazilian dish. Concerning cultural differences it can be said that Brazilians dont like to touch their food by hand (Maria Brazil, 2010). Therefore Pret invented a napkin wrap, so that the food is covered and ready to eat for them without having the risk that they wouldnt buy it. The UK packaging, which is cardboard packaging, will be maintained in Brazil as there arent any cultural differences concerning this. Despite the fact that Brazilians are aware of the overall obesity rate and are searching for healthier options (Euromonitor, 2009a) one of the most famous burgers in Brazil is the X-Everything, which has 1300 calories and contains several ingredients such as chicken, sausage, ham, bacon, cheese and so on (Ribeiro, 2010). As this is not a healthy option Pret is likely to succeed with its niche positioning, offering a product range that represents a better and healthier alternative to other fast food chains. With regard to the internal structure for Brazil Pret will acquire and train the stuff continuously as they have chosen to only enter the market with wholly-owned subsidiaries. Moreover Pret will hire one UK estate manager, who will be responsible for 10 shops in general. To comply with the law and to have good working conditions, which also contribute to a good company image, Pret will establish a two-shift system. The opening times for the city centre will be from 8 am to 6 pm and shops within shopping centres will be opened from 10 am until 11 pm. 3.4. Branding There are four steps of building a strong brand that are contained within the customer-based brand equity model. This branding ladder has an ordering, which means all the steps are interdependent. It helps to define/describe the brand and helps to assist the overall brand building process. To achieve those 4 steps the company has to establish brand building blocks. The most valuable block is the resonance as this implies that the customer has a great loyalty to that brand (Keller et al., 2008). Those for steps are depicted in figure 3.  [2]   If the company wants to be successful and to be able to reach as many customers as possible they should meld the left hand side of the pyramid, which contains product related associations, and the right hand side of the pyramid, which contains non product related emotional associations (Keller, 2001). The CBBE Pyramid of Pret is depicted in Figure 5. The Brand identity is about the creation of perceptual salience, which should ensure that the consumer is aware of the companies offered products. It is important that the customer, when wanting to buy a sandwich, associates Pret with the selling of sandwiches. Prets brand identity is that they can be identified as a sandwich provider. To create a brand meaning the company must develop an image that stresses how the brand should be perceived from their target group. This derives either from the performance or the image. The customer associations arise either from self experience or advertising. Whereas the brand performance is geared towards communicating and providing a product that meets and satisfies customer needs, the brand image is more about how people should experience the brand in an abstract way. The brand meaning of Pret is that they are all about freshness, health and sustainability. Moreover they deliver good quality, mee t convenience needs and have a dependable service (Pret, 2010b). If the brand is perceived as unique it supports in the next step a great brand response. As the word implies brand response is all about how consumers feel about and respond to the brand which can either happen due to rational judgements or feelings. Consumers judgements originate after assessing all perceived performance and imagery points like the quality, credibility and superiority of the brand. The brand feeling is about what the customer feels, when he thinks of the brand which can amongst others be warmth, fun, excitement or security. Therefore the brand response, when the brand meaning is perceived correctly, should be positive in that kind of way that the customer realizes that Pret is a healthier alternative to other fast-food providers because it is seen as unique and credible. If Pret gets this brand response they are able to build a loyal brand relationship with their customers, because they have only a few direct competitors with a similar branding and are able to const antly increase their brand resonance (Keller, 2001). 3.5. Marketing To create a favoured brand image Pret has to plan actions within their marketing strategy that are necessary to achieve their marketing goals. The marketing plan for Brazil is adjusted to local preferences. Therefore Pret signed a contract with Robinho, a famous football player, who will be the endorsement for their city-light campaign underlining the healthy concept. This campaign starts half a year before Prets opening to raise peoples interest in the brand and the banners will be placed at top locations. One week before opening Pret will print a full-page ad in the local newspapers to make people aware of the companys upcoming opening. To maximize event exposure advertisements take place on the peak hour commute to and from work two weeks prior to store opening. Prets event sponsoring will comprise beach soccer, as Robinho is a football player and beach soccer is the most famous sport in Brazil. Concerning the prize and taste promotion Pret will provide free nibbles on the opening day as well as special prices to attract potential customers. Moreover Pret is establishing a one-to-one marketing concept to be able to inform the people about new variations of products directly regarding to their preferences. Branding and Positioning 4.1. Branding Despite the product, which is a tangible asset of a company, a brand is much more than that as it compasses the companys values and when established successfully would even exist in the customers minds when a disaster would destroy all tangible assets. In todays competitive landscape in which the products are homogenous, brands are an important factor to differentiate the company from its competitors and to gain competitive advantage by achieving customer loyalty (Armstrong et al., 2009). For consumers brands are quiet helpful as they help them to: identify the source of product, devolve the responsibility to the company when the product doesnt work, reduce the perceived risk as the brand guarantees a special quality reduce time efforts as consumer is able to immediately find its brand in the store function as a symbolic device (Parameswaran, 2008) The key to success for every company is therefore not only to communicate their brand values to affect the perceptions of the customers but to over-satisfy their expectations to be able to compete in todays highly competitive market (Nilson, 2000). How important the establishment of a powerful brand is can be clarified with the example of a blind-test, where people where asked to make a comparison between Coke and Pepsi. Whereas in the blind test the majority of people preferred Pepsi (51%) rather than Coke (44%)  [3]  the open test revealed that with 65% Coke was more popular than Pepsi with only 23%  [4]  (Chernatony et al., 2002). This once more underpins the importance of building a strong brand. The advantages for companies that have a strong brand are that they have a risk reduction because they have a huge loyal customer base and therefore their future sales and revenues are ensured (Kapferer, 2008). As delineated in chapter 3.4. branding is about how the company communicates their brand to their customers whereas brand equity is the value that is being ascribed to a brand from a customers point of view. For Pret a Manger wanting to open up stores in Brazil it is important to decide whether they want to build a global brand with or without adaptation. According to Levitt (1983), who is a proponent of the standardization approach, a straight extension strategy by which the same promotion and products are offered globally is the best way to generate economies of scale. Contrary Aaker (2000) stresses that those global brands that incorporate different cultural needs are perceived as successful, whilst managing to retain a similar brand identity and advertising strategy across all countries. For Pret a Manger the establishment of a unique global brand is essential to be successful in the long run as the company wants to further internationalise its business. Nevertheless the company needs to be aware of the differences in consumer behaviour according tastes, perceptions, aesthetic preferences to be able to adjust to different cultural needs in every country to gain market share. As mentioned in chapter 3.3. Brazilians are aware of their high obesity rate and are searching for healthier options. Therefore entering the market with a concept of healthy food options is a good choice as Brazilians are already aware of this issue. Brazilians are proud of there culture simultaneously they are open for foreign companies entering their country as those are connected with better quality for most people living in BRIC countries. Nevertheless the influence of culture in the food sector is quite high as they are reflected in local needs and tastes. Therefore Pret adapts their food to the local needs as mentioned in chapter 3.3. and uses Robinho in their advertising campaign to elicit national pride. To successfully extend their brand equity on a global scope Pret builds on a human concern that is omnipresent nowadays: sustainability and healthiness, which helps them to reach consumers regardless of their cultural background and gives them the additional value of being perceived as a global brand. Due to this Pret is able to be approved at local level, while beyond that having the advantages of economies of scale (Hollis, 2008). Positioning Rise and Trouts (2001, p.2) definition of product positioning emphasizes Positioning is not what you do to the product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect. The quintessence of this definition is that the ultimate battleground of marketing is the prospects mind. When customers want to purchase a special product or service they tend to assess the differences between the objects of comparison. Hence, they create a mental picture of the relevant objects of comparison through the allocation of features. This signifies that the single objects are positioned by the prospects mentally (Kotler and Bliemel, 2001). Therefore it is important for every company to understand the costumers mind to position its brand in the right mode to come first into mind when consumer are thinking about a special product. This is especially important in a time, where information overload is omnipresent and consumers are selective to either take or ignore presented information (Trout, 1996). According to Trout (1996) the principles of brand positioning are: Establish a position in the targeted costumers minds Provide a simple and consistent message, which conveys the companies benefits Differentiate a company from other companies Focus the companies efforts; do not provide all things to all people. (Lovelock et al., 2002) Prets USP is the offering of fresh made food, avoiding preservatives and additives, which sets the company apart from the normal fast food chains and therefore differentiates it with the help of their products (Pret, 2010a). Moreover Prets customers dont have to queue for their products as they are freshly prepared on that day, which isnt common for brands like Subway and Co.; this strengthens their rapid customer service respective service quality and makes them unique (Sanai, 2001). Gaining competitive advantage can either be achieved by selling products at a lower price or by increasing the benefit to customers in order to charge higher prices. The important factor of differentiating a company through the offering of higher value is that a company has to provide higher value to be perceived as trustworthy (Kotler and Armstrong, 2010). Pret pursues latter strategy as their benefit is the offering of healthy and fresh made food; in communicating and putting across the benefit of their new concept, which none of their competitors are offering to that extent, Pret will be able to gain the first mover advantage and charge a premium price (Johnson et al., 2008). The positioning map is a tool to visualise the average perception of the target audiences of your company against competitive brands while comparing USPs and position is what the management wants the company to be in the future. If the perceived positioning doesnt match the companies desired position it has to communicate this message with the help of the marketing mix (Kotler and Armstrong, 2010). For Pret a Manger the positioning map is useful as it helps them to reveal their current positioning and its potential in contrast to rivals. Figure 6 exemplifies the perceptual map for the Brazilian fast food market. When there are many products on the map perceived as equal some companies have to face the problem of being a me-to product, which can lead to the fact that they will never be in the top of customers minds in that category. Therefore it is important to define the category, where you are positioning yourself according to customer needs (for Pret: fresh and healthy food). For Pret a Manger in Brazil it is important to pursue a distinct positioning, to become more competitive in the overall fast food sector. The positioning as a healthy option addresses a special target group and will exclude others that arent interested in that topic. Moreover a clear healthy positioning can lead to a repositioning of competitors, as they could be perceived as unhealthy (Nilson, 2000). Looking at the competitors in Brazilian food sector it can be revealed, that there is no single chain with an overall focus on healthy and fresh made sandwiches, except minor local stores. The overall trend in Brazil is the investment in healthier food options and the provision of fast food as the increase in disposable income and the rising amount of working women leads to time constraints and the need for healthy food because of the obesity issue. Therefore brands such as McDonalds are adapting their product range and offer salads and wraps. The main competitors of Pret are: McDonalds, Habibs, Bob, Giraffa and Subway (Euromonitor, 2009b). Looking at the perceptual map it can be said that every fast food chain in Brazil has the attempt to offer fresher products therefore they are perceived as mostly equal in the mind of the customers and for some it will be difficult to come into customers mind in the first place. Pret has a unique selling proposition as they provide fast and fresh products and can therefore charge a premium price as they are offering a perceived added value. To be able to maintain that position Pret has to adjust all their marketing activities to retain it. Standardization or Adaptation The discussion over standardization vs. adaptation of a companies marketing strategy in international markets originated in the 1980s through an article of Levitt (Kapferer, 2008). According to Levitt (1983) successful companies pursue a global standardization approach throughout their entire marketing mix rather than customizing it in different countries to be able to offer low prices due to economies of scale whilst being advanced, functional and reliable. Global companies have, according to Levitt, a better economical performance than those trying to serve several markets by adjusting their marketing mix. He stresses that consumers culture steadily converges across markets nowadays and names technology for one of the main reasons, which leads from his point of view to the fact that the whole marketplace is pitilessly homogenized and has common features. In his article he predicts the downfall of multinational firms as global companies, pursuing a standardization approach, that enter the same market will have several advantages against latter. However, contrary perceptions are represented by other authors. Aaker (2000) and Kapferer et al. (2004) consider that there shouldnt be a clear cut between those two views suggesting that there should rather be a mixture of both; creating an international brand that incorporates different cultural needs whilst standardizing those parts of the marketing mix that doesnt necessarily need to be adjusted. This underpins the ubiquitous saying think global, act local, which means that a company can be perceived as a global brand with all its advantages, although acting global and local at the same time to react to similarities and differences of their targeted markets which can additionally generate competitive advantage (Kapferer, 2008).Pret a Manger wants to further internationalize its business, but nonetheless they are adjusting their marketing mix where perceived as necessary. Therefore the company follows a polycentric approach and must particularly decide about how to tackle each of the seven marketing mix components (Kotler, 2001). For Pret adjustments have to be made especially concerning product, promotion and physical evidence whereas the other components are standardized to achieve economies of scale. As mentioned in chapter 3.3. Brazilians only prefer to eat sandwiches in the morning and in the evening; therefore Pret serves a local speciality at noon. Moreover Pret adapts their packaging because of the cultural fact that Brazilians dont want to touch their food by hand as they would otherwise have to face the problem that they cant sell their products. Concerning the promotion Pret pursues a global promotion strategy, but adjusts to different preferences. As mentioned in chapter 3.5. Robinho is used as an endorser and

Sugar :: social issues

Sugar Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Although a lot of people do not realize that every single gram of sugar decreases the healthiness of the product by a large percent. From the moment infants first taste lactose in the milk, humans seem to find sweetness alluring. The refined sucrose we usually call â€Å"sugar† is very popular product on the market. Even though this product considered very unhealthy and sometimes harmful, I think it still plays its role and still make the world spin. It gives people a lot of energy; it gives us joy and happiness. But in this world, everything has its consequence. After the joy and after the happiness comes diabetes, tooth decay, excess body fat. It’s really hard to believe that something so sweet can produce that kind of damage. So how did sugar became such an important commodity in our community and the rest of the world? Sugar is one of the oldest and best documented of all of the medieval commodities. Exactly what form, quality and price this commodity achieved could be variable enough to create material for disagreement whenever the product is discussed. What we do know is that it was much more widespread than is commonly believed. The discovery of sugarcane, from which sugar, as it is known today, is derived, dates back unknown thousands of years. It is thought to have originated in New Guinea, and was spread along routes to Southeast Asia and India. The process known for creating sugar, by pressing out the juice and then boiling it into crystals, was developed in India around 500 BC. In 510 BC, hungry soldiers of the Emperor Darius were near the river Indus, when they discovered some "reeds which produce honey without bees". Evidently this early contact with the Asian sources of sugar cane made no great impression, so it was left to be re-discovered in 327 BC by Alexander the Great, who spread it's culture through Persia and introduced it in the Mediterranean. This was the beginning of one of the best documented products of the Middle Ages. The sugar wasn’t cultivated in Europe until the Middle Ages. Arabs traders were first to bring sugar to Spain. Christopher Columbus’s voyage to America was the way sugarcane made it to North America. It was a gift from him to â€Å"West Indians†. There this plant found a great environment to spread in. Sugar :: social issues Sugar Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Although a lot of people do not realize that every single gram of sugar decreases the healthiness of the product by a large percent. From the moment infants first taste lactose in the milk, humans seem to find sweetness alluring. The refined sucrose we usually call â€Å"sugar† is very popular product on the market. Even though this product considered very unhealthy and sometimes harmful, I think it still plays its role and still make the world spin. It gives people a lot of energy; it gives us joy and happiness. But in this world, everything has its consequence. After the joy and after the happiness comes diabetes, tooth decay, excess body fat. It’s really hard to believe that something so sweet can produce that kind of damage. So how did sugar became such an important commodity in our community and the rest of the world? Sugar is one of the oldest and best documented of all of the medieval commodities. Exactly what form, quality and price this commodity achieved could be variable enough to create material for disagreement whenever the product is discussed. What we do know is that it was much more widespread than is commonly believed. The discovery of sugarcane, from which sugar, as it is known today, is derived, dates back unknown thousands of years. It is thought to have originated in New Guinea, and was spread along routes to Southeast Asia and India. The process known for creating sugar, by pressing out the juice and then boiling it into crystals, was developed in India around 500 BC. In 510 BC, hungry soldiers of the Emperor Darius were near the river Indus, when they discovered some "reeds which produce honey without bees". Evidently this early contact with the Asian sources of sugar cane made no great impression, so it was left to be re-discovered in 327 BC by Alexander the Great, who spread it's culture through Persia and introduced it in the Mediterranean. This was the beginning of one of the best documented products of the Middle Ages. The sugar wasn’t cultivated in Europe until the Middle Ages. Arabs traders were first to bring sugar to Spain. Christopher Columbus’s voyage to America was the way sugarcane made it to North America. It was a gift from him to â€Å"West Indians†. There this plant found a great environment to spread in.

Happiness for Our Life

HAPPINESS for OUR LIFE WHAT IS HAPPINESS: Happiness is thought of as the good life, freedom from suffering, flourishing, well-being, joy, prosperity, and pleasure. Are you truly happy? Do you even know what it means to be happy and what it takes to achieve happiness? These are important questions for anyone who is seeking happiness to ask themselves. I live my life to maintain my own happiness while trying my best to not cause unhappiness to anyone else. If you want to be happy you need to understand that you can be happy and that you should be happy.Many people make the mistake of believing that they don’t deserve happiness and accept their unhappy state as their destiny. The truth of the matter is that happiness, like anything else in life, needs to be nurtured. Two Faced I Smile When I’m Happy, I Smile more When I’m Sad FEW TIPS TO FOLLOW TO CREATE HAPPINESS IN OUR LIFE: 1. Understand what it is that will make you happy. Everyone has unique requirements for at taining happiness and what makes one person happy may be very different from what makes someone else happy. Revel in your individuality and do not worry about whether or not your desires are comparable to those of your peers. . Make a plan for attaining goals that you believe will make you happy. Your mood will very likely increase as your pursue your goal because you will feel better about yourself for going after something you value. 3. Surround yourself with happy people. It is easy to begin to think negatively when you are surrounded by people who think that way. Conversely, if you are around people who are happy their emotional state will be infectious. 4. When something goes wrong try to figure out a solution instead of wallowing in self pity.Truly happy people don’t allow setbacks to affect their mood because they know that with a little thought they can turn the circumstances back to their favor. 5. Spend a few minutes each day thinking about the things that make you happy. These few minutes will give you the opportunity to focus on the positive things in your life and will lead you to continued happiness. 6. It’s also important to take some time each day to do something nice for yourself. Whether you treat yourself to lunch, take a long, relaxing bath or simply spend a few extra minutes on your appearance you will be subconsciously putting yourself in a better mood. . Finding the humor in situations can also lead to happiness. While there are times that require you to be serious, when it is appropriate, find a way to make light of a situation that would otherwise make you unhappy. 8. Maintaining your health is another way to achieve happiness. Being overweight or not eating nutritious foods can have a negative effect on your mood. Additionally, exercise has been known to release endorphins that give you a feeling of happiness. 9. Finally, it is important to understand that you deserve happiness.Those who believe that they are not worthy of happiness may subconsciously sabotage their efforts to achieve happiness. If necessary, tell yourself each day that you deserve to be happy and remind yourself what steps you will take to achieve the happiness you desire. Happiness is hard to define but most people are aware of whether they are happy or not. Many people believe that happiness is a form of luck and that some people are destined to be happy while others are destined to be unhappy. The tips in this article are small but meaningful steps that you can take each day to lead you to true happiness. Happiness for Our Life HAPPINESS for OUR LIFE WHAT IS HAPPINESS: Happiness is thought of as the good life, freedom from suffering, flourishing, well-being, joy, prosperity, and pleasure. Are you truly happy? Do you even know what it means to be happy and what it takes to achieve happiness? These are important questions for anyone who is seeking happiness to ask themselves. I live my life to maintain my own happiness while trying my best to not cause unhappiness to anyone else. If you want to be happy you need to understand that you can be happy and that you should be happy.Many people make the mistake of believing that they don’t deserve happiness and accept their unhappy state as their destiny. The truth of the matter is that happiness, like anything else in life, needs to be nurtured. Two Faced I Smile When I’m Happy, I Smile more When I’m Sad FEW TIPS TO FOLLOW TO CREATE HAPPINESS IN OUR LIFE: 1. Understand what it is that will make you happy. Everyone has unique requirements for at taining happiness and what makes one person happy may be very different from what makes someone else happy. Revel in your individuality and do not worry about whether or not your desires are comparable to those of your peers. . Make a plan for attaining goals that you believe will make you happy. Your mood will very likely increase as your pursue your goal because you will feel better about yourself for going after something you value. 3. Surround yourself with happy people. It is easy to begin to think negatively when you are surrounded by people who think that way. Conversely, if you are around people who are happy their emotional state will be infectious. 4. When something goes wrong try to figure out a solution instead of wallowing in self pity.Truly happy people don’t allow setbacks to affect their mood because they know that with a little thought they can turn the circumstances back to their favor. 5. Spend a few minutes each day thinking about the things that make you happy. These few minutes will give you the opportunity to focus on the positive things in your life and will lead you to continued happiness. 6. It’s also important to take some time each day to do something nice for yourself. Whether you treat yourself to lunch, take a long, relaxing bath or simply spend a few extra minutes on your appearance you will be subconsciously putting yourself in a better mood. . Finding the humor in situations can also lead to happiness. While there are times that require you to be serious, when it is appropriate, find a way to make light of a situation that would otherwise make you unhappy. 8. Maintaining your health is another way to achieve happiness. Being overweight or not eating nutritious foods can have a negative effect on your mood. Additionally, exercise has been known to release endorphins that give you a feeling of happiness. 9. Finally, it is important to understand that you deserve happiness.Those who believe that they are not worthy of happiness may subconsciously sabotage their efforts to achieve happiness. If necessary, tell yourself each day that you deserve to be happy and remind yourself what steps you will take to achieve the happiness you desire. Happiness is hard to define but most people are aware of whether they are happy or not. Many people believe that happiness is a form of luck and that some people are destined to be happy while others are destined to be unhappy. The tips in this article are small but meaningful steps that you can take each day to lead you to true happiness.

Hofstede’s cultural dimensions of Australia and China Essay

Mismanaging cultural differences can render otherwise successful managers and organisations ineffective when working across cultures. As stated byOsland (1990, p. 4) â€Å"The single greatest barrier to business success is the one erected by culture†. Hofstede (1983) defines culture as â€Å"the mental programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another† (Hofstede 1983 p. 25). Through the comparison of Chinese culture and Australian culture using Hofstedes five cross-cultural dimensions: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, individualism, and long-term orientation an insightful view into the differences and similarities of the cultures can be obtained (Chong & Park 2003). Human Resource Management (HRM) activities such as: recruitment and selection, career planning and development, employee motivation, and compensation and benefits need to be performed in alignment with national culture as effectiveness of a human resource management practice hinges on the degree to which it fits the values and beliefs of people in the host country. By exploring the differences and similarities of Chinese and Australian culture from a HR perspective strategies aimed at achieving organisational goals can be better achieved. The inherent weaknesses of Hofstedes framework will also be discussed to emphasise the importance of other methods for determining culture. Greet Hofstede’s (1980) landmark study involved more than one hundred thousand IBM employees in forty countries. From those results, and later additions, Hofstede developed a model for classifying national cultures and analysing work behaviour according to five underlying dimensions: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, individualism, and long-term orientation (Chong & Park 2003). Hofstedes analysis of each country can provide a better understanding into the national culture that is specific to each country. The significant findings of Hofstedes analysis of Australia include a low power distance score of 36 (ITIM International 2003). Societies with low power distance are characterized by the norm value that inequalities between people should be minimized, and, to the extent that hierarchies exist in such societies and their organizations, they exist only for administrative convenience. Subordinates and superiors regard each other as like people, who have equal r ights and representation (Hofstede 1983). In  comparison China has a relatively high power distance of 80 (ITIM International 2003). By contrast, high power distance societies are characterised by the acceptance of inequality and its institutionalisation in hierarchies which locate people in their â€Å"rightful places†. In high power distance societies, superiors are expected to lead and make decisions, and subordinates are generally afraid and unwilling to disagree with their superiors (Hofstede 1983). As a result of the significant difference in power distance between Australian and China Human Resource activities such as performance appraisals will require different approaches. In Australia and many western cultures performance appraisals are generally linked to the job description and individual career development plans. In Australian 360 degree feedback is often incorporated using feedback from management and peers. Constructive criticism is also another important component in the performance appraisals used i n Australia which is vital for identifying gaps in learning and development and is accepted by employees as the norm (Harrison 1995). By contrast performance appraisals in China are less frequent as both managers and workers in Chinese enterprises want to avoid blunt confrontations; it is understandable that they would try to minimise the frequency of such conflict-prone encounters in the workplace (Huo 1995). Peer evaluation, frequently used in Australian organisations, virtually does not exist in the China. This may be attributed to the traditional authoritarian leadership style prevalent in Chinese enterprises where only supervisors are deemed qualified to evaluate subordinates’ performance (Huo 1995). Performance appraisals generally involve two-way communications which is not embraced by Chinese culture as the large power distance found in China indicated that to challenge authority of superiors is not considered appropriate for subordinates (Huo 1995). Therefore when conducting a performance appraisal in China it is expected that the evaluated will be more subjective. A straight forward form of apprais al would be better received and employee participation should not be forced. Of significant interest is Australia’s high individualism ranking of 90 (ITIM International 2003) . High Individualism implies a society believes that people should largely remain independent from groups, and that people should have a self-concept of being an independent individual rather than a  dependent member of a group(Harrison 1995). In comparison China ranked extremely low with a score of 20 in the individualism ranking (ITIM International 2003). This is as a result of the society fosters strong relationships where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group with an emphasis on a Collectivist society as a result of the Communist rule (Hofstede 1980). As a result of the different stance of each culture on individualism human resource activities such as compensations and benefits will need to be approached in a different way. In Australian rewards are geared towards pay for performance which motivates the individual to stand out from the crowd in particular at more senior management levels. Compensation is not just related to salary but can include bonuses, commissions, and other merit based reward programs for individual contributions. In contrast Chinese tend to focus on the goals of the collective rather than individual goals. Group approaches have been a dominating influence on Chinese social and working life, including team work, group decision making, group reward, group cohesiveness and group consultation (Satoe & Wang 1994). Chinese employees do not want to stand out from the crowd. Thus it has been suggested that Western business practices, such as personnel incentives, do not work (Myers, 1987). Therefore when conducting business within the Chinese culture compensation and benefits should be based on a collective theory where there are less individual incentives rather a focus on the performance of the group or work units. In a field experiment which combined team duties with group incentives, the team responsibility system proved to have a positive effect on members’ expectancy, achievement attribution, morale and satisfaction (Satoe & Wang 1994). The great distinction between Australia’s score of 31 for Long Term Orientation compared with Chinas score of 118 suggest great cultural differences (ITIM International 2003). Long Term Orientation is a measure of the degree the society embraces, or does not embrace long-term devotion to traditional, forward thinking values. As Australia has a low score this indicates that change can occur more rapidly as long-term traditions and commitments do not become impediments to change (Harrison 1995). In contrast to this a country with a high score such as China value long-term  commitments and respect tradition. This is thought to support a strong work ethic where long-term rewards are expected as a result of today’s hard work (Harrison 1995). These types of diverse cultural views towards long term orientation will impact of the way human resource activities such as recruitment and selection are carried out. In Australia it is common for employees to have several difference employers in there working career and even several changes in industry. Recruitment and selection practises in Australia are aimed at aligning the best fit between employees and the organisation in terms of goals and competencies. Recruitment and selection in Australian generally includes interviewing, psychometric tests, assessment centres and other measures of assessment. In contrast with this Chinese employment pattern has traditionally been life employment with three guarantees â€Å"guaranteed job assignment, guaranteed pay irrespective of performance and guaranteed tenure of senior positions† (Lewis 3003) . Selection criteria seem quite different from the West. For example, Easterby-Smith et al. (1995) found that selection criteria for managerial appointments in their case study organisations were â€Å"good moral practice; adequate competence; working hard and excellent performance records; political loyalty and harmonious relationships with others†. Longevity in a job in Australia is not necessarily seen as a good thing and can be construed as complacency whereas in China it aligns with the cultural drivers of loyalty and tradition. When conducting recruitment and selection in China it must be kept in mind that they traditionally do not place too much emphasis on the interview and almost never employ psychometric tests and assessment centres. Rather than acting out against the traditional job for life concept by replacing current staff with more qualified candidates managers should perhaps ensure sound training and development programs are in place to achieve a fit between employee and organisation. Hofstedes measures of Masculinity and uncertainty avoidance for both Australia and China were similar in score. Masculinity stands for a societal preference for competition, while femininity represents a tendency to place relationships with people above money to help others, to care for the weak and to preserve quality of life (Harrison 1995). Australia scored 61 compared with Chinas score of 66 (ITIM International 2003). Similarly the  measurement of uncertainty avoidance which indicates to what extent a culture programs its members to feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations are quite close in score with Australia at 51 compared with China at 30 (ITIM International 2003). The small difference in uncertainty avoidance suggests that within Chinese culture there is a more relaxed and tolerant attitude towards the unfamiliar as compared with Australia where there is less tolerance towards uncertainty and ambiguity. This may impact on human resource activities such as career planning and development. In Australia career planning and development is generally quite structured and directed as employees like to have a clear career path while in Chinese culture they more comfortable with a less structured approach to career planning and development and expect they career will progress in time. Despite its widespread familiarity and influence, Hofstede’s work has been extensively criticized. One reason is that he used the employees of a single large multinational company to represent the cultures of different nationalities. It is clear that such a sample, no matter how large, may not be representative of the respective countries’ national cultures (Mcsweeny 2002). The national culture of China as identified by Hofstese is quite general and it must be kept in mind that the averages of a country do not relate to individuals of that country (Mcsweeny 2002). There are always exceptions to the rule and Hofsteds analysis does not allow for this and therefore should only be taken as general guidelines. It must also be kept in mind that these studies were conducted over 25 years ago. Due to the inherent weaknesses of the frameworks discussed it is vital that other factors be taken into consideration when analysing national culture. It is important to remember that the culture of a country changes over time, either by internal or external influences. Although the measures identified that China has a collective society and it is though as a generalisation that that collectivists are more cooperative was not supported by experimental results. It was found that subjects from the more individualistic region, Beijing, were more cooperative in working toward mutually beneficial outcomes than were subjects from the more collectivist region, Wuhan (Koch & Koch 2007). This research alludes to the conclusion that the Chinese generally have a collective society within the community  they are familiar with but to some degree are less willing to have a collective frame of mind with a group they are less familiar with. This type of social behaviour would be important for management of Chinese culture in circumstance such as group work where participants may not be as eager to participate as once thought within unfamiliar groups. With the inherent weaknesses of Hofstedes framework it is important to consider a broader range of issue in order to obtain an accurate and current insight into national culture. As Coen Heijes states â€Å"no matter how interesting standardised dimensions may be, without a specific knowledge of history, language and education, cross-cultural understanding is doomed from the start† (Heijes 2007 p.94). Hofstedes five cross-cultural dimensions: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, individualism, and long-term orientation provide an insight into the national culture of both Australia and China. National culture is important to consider when performing human resource activities as the effectiveness of a human resource management practice hinges on the degree to which it fits with the values and beliefs of people in the host country. Human Resource activities that need to be aligned with cultural factors include: recruitment and selection, career planning and development, compensation and benefits, and performance appraisals. In comparing the performance appraisal process, Australians are likely to be more responsive to a 360 degree type feedback with much interaction between managers and subordinates where Chinese employees are likely to be more responsive to a more subjective performance appraisal with little contribution in the form of feedback from peers or personal contributions due to the difference in the power distance of each culture. Compensation and benefits in Australia can be geared towards pay for performance of individuals and may include bonuses, commissions, and other merit based reward programs for individual contributions. Whereas in the Chinese culture compensation and benefits should be based on a collective theory where there are less individual incentives and rather a focus on the performance of the group due to difference in Hofstedes individualism measures. Recruitment and selection practices comparisons between the two countries are impacted by the difference in long term orientations. The recruitment and selection process  in Australia is important due to the frequently changing roles of employees and the importance of finding a fit between organisation and employee whereas in China recruitment and selection aligns with the cultural drivers of loyalty and tradition. When conducting recruitment and selection in China it must be kept in mind that they traditionally do not place too much emphasis on the interview and almost never employ psychometric tests and assessment centres. The slight difference in uncertainty avoidance dimension impact on human resource activity of career planning and development. In Australia career planning and development is generally quite structured and directed as employees like to have a clear career path while in Chinese culture they more comfortable with a less structured approach to career planning and development and expect they career will progress in time. While Hofstedes dimensions cross-cultural dimensions have been critiqued as being to some degree too generalised, small sample sizes, out dated, over simplifying complex tasks. Therefore the framework discussed should only be used as a rough guide to understanding national culture. As suggested by Coen Heijes (2007) other factors such as political and legal systems, religion, education, language, ethics, and motivation among many others must be considered to obtain a current insight into national culture. Reference list: Easterby-Smith, M., Malina, D. and Yuan, L. (1995), â€Å"How culture-sensitive is HRM? A comparative analysis of practice in Chinese and UK companies†, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 31-59. Harisson, G. (1995), â€Å"Satisfaction, tension and interpersonal relations: a cross-cultural comparison of managers in Singapore and Australia†, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Volume 10, Number 8, pp. 13-19Heijes, C. (2007), ‘The Broad Dimensions of Doing Business Abroad’, The Business Review, Vol.8, No.1, pp 93-99Hofstede, G. (1980), Culture’s Consequences. International Differences in Work-Related Values, Sage Publications, Beverly Hills, CA., . Hofstede, G. (1983), â€Å"The cultural relativity of organizational practices and theories†, Journal of International Business Studies, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 75-89. Huo, P. (1995), â€Å"On transplanting human resource practices to China: A culture-driven approach†, International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 16 No. 9, pp. 3-15. ITIM International 2003, Geert Hofstede BV, the Netherlands, viewed 12th August 2008, < http://www.geert-hofstede.com/index.shtml>Koch, B. Koch, P. (2007) ‘Collectivism, individualism, and out group cooperation in a segmented China’, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Vol. 24, No.2, pp 207-225Lewis, P. (2003), â€Å"New China – old ways? A case study of the prospects for implementing human resource management practices in a Chinese state-owned enterprise†, Employee Relations, Vol. 25, No. 1,pp. 42-60Mcsweeny, B. (2002), ‘Hofstede’s Model of National Cultural Differences and Their Consequences: A Triumph of Faith – A Failure of Analysis’, Human Relations, Vol. 55, No. 1, pp. 89-118Myers, H. (1987), â€Å"The China business puzzle†, Business Horizons, July-August, pp. 25-8. Osland, G.E. (1990), â€Å"Doing business in China: a framework for cross-cultural understanding†, Marketing Intelligence and Planning, Vol. 8,No. 4, pp. 3-15. Satow, T.Wang, Z. (1994), â€Å"Cultural and Organizational Factors in Human Resource Management in China andJapan: A Cross-cultural Socio-economic Perspective† Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 9 No. 4, pp. 3-11