Author: chris

Dominican Republic Cultural-Economic Market Description

Introduction

Dominican Republic is a country that speaks Spanish as the national language. Dominican Republic is located at the Caribbean region specifically at the Greater Antilles Archipelago and Hispaniola Island. Reflecting on the island, a third of the western part is occupied by Haiti, a model that has made Hispaniola to be part of two nations (Landau, 2010).

Main body

It is estimated that the nation occupies 18,705 mile² or 48,442 km² with a population of ten million people as per the 2010 consensus, water takes 0.7% of the land cover. The capital city of Dominican Republic is known as Santo Domingo housing more than one million citizens (Landau, 2010). Age and sex structure in Dominican Republic is unevenly distributed with youths and children taking the highest percentage.

In seventh century, Dominican Republic was initially inhabited by Tainos, in 1492 Christopher Columbus came to the island, a model that made Dominican Republic part of European settlement, which was permanent in the American region. Santo Domingo was the first capital city for Spain in the new world (Landau, 2010). Three centuries were characterized with Spanish rule, French rule and part under the Haitian interludes. Independence of Dominican Republic was realized in 1821 from Spain, 1844 from Haiti, 1924 from United States. The political environment in Dominican Republic has been uneven with ups and downs.

The economy of Dominican Republic is the ninth largest reflecting on Latin America. The economy of Dominican Republic is placed at the second position considering Central American region and the Caribbean region (Landau, 2010). The economy for long has been supported by sugar plantation although service industry is slowly taking over the market. Telecommunication system is diversified; the nation suffers from government corruption, income inequality, immigrants, high levels of unemployment and electric service that is inconsistent.

It has been noted that a tenth of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of Dominican Republic is supported by the billions of dollars wired by the Diasporas. GDP (PPP) stands at $98.7 billion as per estimates made in 2012; GDP (Nominal) is $59 billion as at estimates made in 2012. Gini as at 2010 stood at 47.2 high, HDI as at 2013 stood at 0.702. The current currency is known as Peso with the time zone being Atlantic (UTC-4) (Landau, 2010).

Dominican Republic has Roman Catholic (68.9%), Evangelical (18.2%), No religion (10.6%) and others comprising of (2.3%). Majority of the social institutions are located in the cities in Dominican Republic. Dominican Republic has been a center of tourism in the region, with significant attractions being the golf courses that are experienced all year round. Dominican Republic is a mountainous nation; Pico Duarte is the largest mountain in the nation while Lake Enriquillo is characterized with the lowest elevation.

The climate of Dominican Republic is characterized with average temperatures of twenty six degrees Celsius, hence supporting diverse ecosystems. Sports and music in Dominican Republic has been considered of great value and part of the Dominican culture, with Bachata and Merengue being the national music and dance with the favorite sport in the country being baseball along golfing (Landau, 2010). Dominican Republic is rich in local music, cuisine, fashion and sports; which shape aesthetic.

Ethnic groups in Dominican Republic are characterized with 73% of mixed race people, 16% of the white people and 11% of the black people. The government of Dominican Republic is characterized with a democratic republic and a unitary representative with the current president being Danilo Medina and vice-president being Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez. The legislature is characterized with the Congress, Senate and Chamber of deputies in the lower house and upper house.

Conclusion

Dominican Republic as per the population and area is considered the second largest after Cuba among the Caribbean nations, with diversity in cultures, demographics and economic aspects (Landau, 2010). The young population is finding it difficult getting employment, a model that contributes to a number of social ills. Dominican Republic is developing fast with modernization.

 

References

Landau, E. (2010). Dominican Republic. New York: Children’s Press.

 

Solution-Focused Brief Theory

Introduction

The solution-focused brief theory, SFBT, is an approach to counseling based on the solution building rather than problem solving.  In solution-focused brief therapy, the client’s current resources, strengths and future hopes are explored rather than the past and present problems (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010).  This approach can therefore be regarded as programmatic and focuses on solutions to problems using the most efficient techniques. DeShazer and his associates (Burwell & Chen, 2006), developed the theory at the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The theory is based on the fundamental belief that an individual possesses what is required to achieve their objectives. It further argues that individuals only needs knowledge and drive so as to be able to achieve their objectives. In this approach, the counselor does not need to know the cause of the problem but only focuses on the solution to the problem. This implies that the theory focuses on what the client wants to achieve instead of past achievement.

Solution-focused brief therapy works on the principle that change is constant and inevitable (Burwell & Chen, 2006).  The person conducting SFBT is required to examine the behavior of a client life that they are interested in changing and what they want to achieve. This requires the client and the therapist to ensure a close relationship and work together so as to come up with solution to the problem. This counseling approach requires both the client and therapist to act as experts in providing solution to the problems identified. In SFBT, therapists provide guidance to the client in finding solutions to problems. This enables the client to identify actions taken in the past for achieving the expected outcome.  The client is also able to identify possible actions to be taken so as to achieve future potential.  Since the main basis of SFBT is its focus on the future, reliance on past experience should be regarded as a resource for a change.

Theories of Solution-Focused Counseling

Various theories can be applied in the solution-focused counseling. The theories used in solution-focused counseling determine the effectiveness of SFBT in providing solution to the client’s problem.  Some principles applied in this counseling approach include focus on positive change, change as inevitable, building collaborative alliance, and attention to solutions. Other principles include focus on resources, goal orientation and client as expert (Burwell & Chen, 2006).  These theories are all important for the success of solution based counseling. Therapists should base their counseling on these principles when involved in solution based counseling. The theories that I prefer to use in solution focused counseling include focus on positive change, focus on resources, client as expert, and attention to solutions. This is because these principles enable the client to take a leading role in the counseling process.

Focus On Positive Change

The solution focused-counseling relies on the fundamental belief that positive change is possible to all individuals. This belief is important since solution focused-brief therapy do not seek explanations and cause of problems. The theory focuses on the identification and understanding of the solution to a problem based on client’s experiences (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010). The solutions are also obtained from the current resources rather than past resources. Counseling based on this theory is aimed at providing solutions that enable an individual to change and realize his or her potential.

Focus On Resources

The theory emphasizes on the client’s strengths and resources and avoids focusing on limitations of clients.  This enables the client to concentrate on his or her strengths rather than on his or her problems.  The solutions to the client’s problems are achieved using the client’s resources. The main idea behind the use of client’s own resources is to allow the client to use his or her own potential and resources to find solutions to the problems.

Client as an Expert

Solution focused brief therapy also applies the principle of making the client to be an expert regarding the problem he or she faces.  Therapists are in this case not allowed to play the role of being expert in providing solutions to the clients needs. This allows the client and therapist to work in collaboration. The client takes the leading role as an expert for the treatment and realization of the goal of the therapy. To achieve this principle, solution-focused counseling begins at the client’s current status and the counselor accepts the opinion and views of the client.

Attention to Solution

This principle states that problems are not solved but solutions are constructed. This theory makes solutions to be regarded as a substance of positive change (Burwell & Chen, 2006).  The construction of solutions is based on the joint effort of the client and the therapists. This theory ensures that the therapist and the client concentrate on development of solutions instead on concentrating on the causes and nature of the problems.  According to this theory, provision of solution is an important element considered by the therapist and client.

Techniques of Solution-Focused Brief Theory

A number of techniques can be used by therapists to ensure that solution focused brief theory is effective and successful. The techniques that can be used in this theory include scaling questions, compliments, exceptions and the miracle questions.

Scaling Questions

These are questions that are simple to understand and straight forward. These questions are directed to clients by therapists with the aim of measuring the client’s progress. They can also used to search for exceptions, explore future steps or assess motivation of clients. Scaling questions are important in ensuring that clients are specific on the steps needed to achieve solution to their problems (Watts & Pietrzak, 2000). An example of a scaling questions could be a case where a client is asked to rate his or her experience on a scale of one to ten. In this case a scale of one might represent the best option while ten represent the worst option.

Compliments

The use of compliments is another technique that can be used by therapist in solution-focused counseling. Compliments facilitate people towards building solutions to their problems. Compliments ensure that client’s experiences are normalized, meaning of a problem restructured and that solutions building competency is achieved.  According to various therapists, compliments are helpful in making clients understand their situations and make them feel that they are heard. It also ensures that they have a sense of optimism and hope.  The solution focused-brief therapy compliments can take various forms that include normalizing statements, restructuring statements, affirmations and bridging statements. Normalizing statements is a compliment that makes clients to feel that the problem he or she is experiencing is understandable and being shared by others.  Restructuring statements are used in cases where a client feels that her or his problems are out of his or her control.  Affirmation on the other hand are compliments that give positive feedback to clients by making them acknowledge the importance of their resources in developing solutions to their problems. Bridging statements are the suggestions made to serve as a link between the problem and the potential next step.

Exceptions

Exceptions in solution focused-counseling are aimed at providing excuses to the existence of a problem. The stories that are centered on exceptions enable clients to learn from the things they already know.  In the event that a client is unable to identify an exception, then it is recommended that an exception should be assumed.  Exceptions help clients to understand and view a problem from a different perspective and this enhance the chance of constructing solutions to the problems.

Miracle Question

Miracle question is one of the common techniques that are used by therapists in solution-focused brief therapy.  Miracle questions elicit possible solutions and ideas from the clients in a manner that they have never experienced before (Watts & Pietrzak, 2000).  The use of miracle question is suitable in cases where clients are not satisfied with their current status. It is aimed at providing more details from the clients that help understand the problem and develop appropriate solution to the problems.

Conclusions

Solution focused-brief therapy is a counseling approach that focuses on encouraging clients to find solutions to their problems. This counseling approach allows the client to take a leading role in constructing solutions to their problems.  To effectively achieve the objectives of the solution focused brief therapy, certain theories and techniques must be applied by the client and therapist. This essay provides the various theories and techniques that are important in obtaining the objective of solution-focused therapy.

References

Burwell, R., & Chen, C. P. (2006). Applying the principles and techniques of solution-focused

therapy to career counselling. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 19(2), 189-203

Seligman , L., & Reichenberg, W.L. (2010). “Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy:

Systems, Strategies, and Skills. (3rd ed.)

Watts, R. E., & Pietrzak, D. (2000). Adlerian “encouragement” and the therapeutic process of

solution-focused brief therapy. Journal of Counseling and Development : JCD, 78(4), 442-447.

 

Business Management: The Bogdan Reels’ Case

 

Introduction

The Bogdan’s case presents a situation of business strategic management crisis, which needs amicable solution in order for the company to achieve competitive advantage in the industry. This paper posits that through the adoption of the right strategies, coupled by controlled management of budget and adequate product promotion, Bogdan Reels can be able to combat all the challenges it is currently facing. The paper is organized in the form of an introduction; body, which critically analyses the case presented, and provides recommendations; and a conclusion which entails lessons learnt as well as summary of main points. Purposefully, the essay is meant to address the various ways small businesses can avoid falling victims of cash crunch; defines guerilla marketing strategy and why Steve and Sandy should consider it; and finally explains in detail what the concept of unique selling proportion implies.

How Bodgan Reels can Avoid Cash Crunch

Firstly, it is crucial that every company understands the nature of their cash flow ahead of time. Having an adequate liquidity planning for the future, especially the next financial year of a business encompasses the whole concept of cash flow, and acts to cushion businesses against cash crunch (Kotler, 2006). Thus, proper strategies should be employed by Steve and Sandy in forecasting their cash flow, which contemplates the following: projected sales; estimated time when collections on those sales would be made; cost that is incurred while generating such sales and the level of company operation; determination whether the company has enough reserves to support the strategic plan of the management; and putting in place contingency plans for any possible future liquidity problems. On the other hand, it is advisable that Steve and Sandy speeds up their receivables, which in most cases hold much money than a business is able to let go. Conclusively, having a well-organized budget and being able to restrict spending of business money would be the sure ways to cushioning the Bogdans from experiencing a cash crunch.

Guerilla Marketing Strategy

Product promotion is crucial for the success of Steve and Sandy’s business, although they maintain that their economic base is low. However, adopting strategies such as guerilla marketing can help solve the situation. This is a strategy that involves low-cost unconventional tactics of marketing that bring prime results. As opposed to other marketing strategies, it relies heavily on imagination and energy. The tactics employed here are meant to take the consumer by surprise, usually striking at a personal level. This strategy is considered superior to other traditional marketing systems, since it involves creating a lasting an indelible impression on the potential consumer, which will make the business attractive and more alluring. Examples involve using graffiti, flash mobs, and sticker bombing among others. Often, the guerilla strategy, which can be traced back to the guerilla warfare, aims at creating an engaging, unique and thought-provoking stance that generates buzz and ultimately turns viral (Kotler, 2006). It is very interactive, unconventional, low-cost, and usually carried out in unexpected ways. This strategy would be very relevant to Steve and Sandy, owing to the nature of their operational budget, as well as the unique feature of their traditionally-made reels. It would serve to save on costs, while at the same time reaching a great number of potential customers effectively.

Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

USP, which is a connotation referring to various concepts such as unique selling product, unique selling price, unique selling point, or unique selling proposition, was first developed in the 1940s to try to explain the patterns in advertising campaigns which were surprisingly successful (Goodwin, 2011). According to this concept, such campaigns were paramount in presenting unique propositions to potential consumers, thus convincing them to change brands. It has been so far suggested that differentiation is one of the primary strategic tactics through which businesses engage in competition, thus the concept is closely tied to product differentiation as a way of establishing a competitive advantage.

Reeves, the pioneer of the concept, illustrates the comprehension of the term in three basic ways. Firstly, each and every advertisement made by a producer must make a specific and unique proposition to the consumer, pointing to a specific benefit that one would stand to gain upon the purchase of the proposed product. Secondly, the proposition being made must bear its own uniqueness, separate from what other competitors in the market are offering. Lastly, the proposition must be strong, attractive, and alluring to an extent that it can move masses. New customers should be able to start showing interest in the company’s products because of the advertisement. For instance, Reeves once created an advert about Anacin: “Fast, fast, incredibly fast relief,” (Goodwin, 2011). This advert repeated the proposition fast, which was its main point of differentiation.  Steve and Sandy should be able to adopt this kind of advertising, since it can go hand-in-hand with guerilla marketing, and is also bale to explicitly bring out their concept of differentiation, thus bringing in new customers to their business.

Conclusion

From the analysis presented herein, it is obvious that for a business to land into the path to success, proper budget management, liquidity planning, and adequate product promotion are crucial strategies that must be adopted. Steve and Sandy should be more tactical in their strategic management, so that the business is able to expand, pay its debts, and maintain a strong completive advantage in the industry.

 

References

Goodwin, Bryan (2011). Simply better: doing what matters most to change the odds for student success. Alexandria, Va.: ASCD. p. 11.

Kotler, K. P., (2006). Marketing Management. Prentice Hall New Jersey.

 

Entrepreneurship in Action

Introduction

Marketing is a very essential action in every business venture. Businesses need marketing to promote and bring awareness to the public of the existence of a business and it is this action, which influences the very essence of a business: making sales. However, different businesses experience different benefits and difficulties in marketing their products. Small businesses have trouble when it comes to marketing their existence and products. This paper will look at the different difficulties experienced by small businesses when marketing, their causes and how this situation can be managed.

Small Businesses and Marketing

Generally, small businesses require more marketing than their budgets can allow for. Small businesses that are also new in the market would need to let the public to know about them (Nwankwo and Ayantunji, 2011). There existence and the products they offer are unfamiliar to the public. Therefore, they usually make very small sales. Small sales mean small and inadequate revenue that could meet all there expenses. However, this also depends on the nature of the products they offer. Some products are widely needed especially when the demand of the product by far supersedes the supply of the product (Hills, 1994). In this case, good or adequate sales would be made. Market competition also influences the need of marketing of a product or business. Small businesses that venture into the market as monopolies would not require more marketing as compared to the ones that venture into the market full of competitors.

Small businesses make small revenue as compared to big ones. They also have a lot of expenses that are crucial for their expansion. They need to expand and at lower scale, they are characterized by diseconomies of scale. Contrary, the big, and already established businesses experience economies of scale (Nwankwo and Ayantunji, 2011). Diseconomies of scale would mean that their revenues are suppressed. Their small revenues affected by the diseconomies of scale can hardly accommodate the entire need of marketing that involves magazines and television advertisements, product campaigns, flyers and posters free samples. Small businesses especially with new products will need to offer free samples for consumers to try or test in order to start winning the public trust.

Nevertheless, as the business thrives; and gradually becomes established in the market, the cost of marketing reduces owing to the fact that the consumers gradually become aware of its existence. This means less and less advertisement is required to influence sales in the market. In addition, as business grows, they start to make larger revenues and their resources become adequate to handle their entire budget (Nwankwo and Ayantunji, 2011).

Marketing steps to be taken by entrepreneurs on restricted budgets

There numerous ways entrepreneurs on strict marketing budget can utilize to attain their marketing needs without having trouble. Different entrepreneurs can use different strategies depending on their diverse entrepreneurship skills, and the nature of products and services offered. To market a product, small businesses need to first observe the consumers decision-making process. Consumers have various decision-making processes depending on the product in question (Grichnik, 2011). They are influenced to buy the product by different people from relatives to friends especially when the product is a sensitive one i.e. pharmaceutical products. In case of Denim Therapy, they offer services and to get the consumers attention, they need convince the market of the quality of their services by giving examples. Such small and new businesses may start marketing by setting out campaigns.

Firstly, entrepreneurs should segment the market: to know the most crucial segment and the least crucial ones that could be compromised for a meantime. After market segmentation, entrepreneurs should then distribute funds to the segments depending on their level of importance.

After selecting the target groups, the entrepreneur should start to directly engage the right consumers directly by talking to the. The local market should be dealt with first, as the awareness grows, the market should then be enlarged. The growth of the market that definitely increases the marketing budget, will keep abreast to increasing revenue. Audio visuals should be highly exploited at early stages of marketing. Internet is also a very important tool to be used since it is cheaper and it outreach a large mass of consumers (Hills, 1994).

The entrepreneur should then march the seller’s proposition and the needs of the consumer (Grichnik, 2011). He should engage the consumer in an open communication to understand his or her needs and put the information needed on the product. Finally, close the deal leaving the door open for later communication. Communication is a very important aspect in progressive marketing. The customers should be valued and not lost. Therefore, maintaining proper communication is a crucial thing in marketing a product for new and small businesses (Grichnik, 2011).

Recommendations for Denim Therapy

Denim Therapy should identify the target market and use the widely visited media i.e. the internet and relevant one like media especially during the programs that are liked by the youths. Their primary target should be the youth who make the majority of jeans’ wearers.  They should widely use posters and show the pictures of the best of their finished products.

They should apply a marketing strategy where customers are registered and prospective customers are given free services after some set number of total transactions is made (Grichnik, 2011). A roper slogan should be used and employees should be properly trained to give utmost professional results. In addition, the company should take all the visiting customers details and a state of open communication set between them and the customers. Giving door to door delivery will expand their number of customers and area of market. Great sales means great revenue hence, the business will grow tremendously

Conclusion

Small businesses need to figure out ways of marketing their products effectively on low costs. More favorable and suitable marketing styles should be observed and the most crucial target market should be given more attention to save costs that would be incurred when the whole market was outreached (Hills, 1994). However, as the business grows and the revenue increases, the rest of the markets segments should then be considered with the extra money made by the expanding business. Since Denim Therapy is a servicing company, customers should be maintained in order to continue receiving their orders even in the future.

 

 

References

Grichnik, D. (2011). Entrepreneurial Marketing. Wiesbaden: Gabler.

Hills, G. E. (1994). Marketing and Entrepreneurship: Research Ideas and Opportunities. Westport, Conn.: Quorum Books.

Nwankwo and Ayantunji G. (2011). Entrepreneurship Marketing Principles and Practice of SME Marketing. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

Expansion of Bogdan Reels

Introduction

The expansion of the Bogdan reels business will lead to more output, which will increase the cash flow of the business and its profits. Bogdan reels are a company that produces reels specially used in fishing. The reels have been considered from time immemorial to be the best in the fish industry. The brand has won acclaim and the hearts of many people who engage in fly-fishing. Consequently, the market has been consistent as the reels produced are all ordered. Indeed, there is usually a waiting list. Thus, the demand has outweighed the supply in this case. Consequently, an expansion in the business will lead to increased revenue and thus increase the profit margins of the business since they now own a huge market share. Therefore, as entrepreneurs, the Bogdan  reels need to seek avenues of funding that are going to help them in the expansion of the business ( shepherd, 2009).

Overview

The purpose of this paper is to look into ways that the company can expand and the resources it needs in terms of funding. It will also discuss the sources that are available to the company and how it can obtain them. Bogdan reels are contemplating on increasing the price of their products as an option for raising the finances for expansion. The Bogdan reels are currently sold at a dear price. Several factors should be considered when it comes to expansion and sourcing of funds. One factor is the market and the price customers are willing to pay. Since most of the buyers have pledged allegiance to the company, a slight increase in the price will be welcome. This is because they have few competitors and their products have been considered the best in the market. They should be sure that any increase in price would not reduce their market. The company is in a better position to increase the prices because it is the market leader (Odekunle, 2000). It needs to provide a case for increasing the price. This may be in terms of increased warranty or after sales service for the product. The company must consider the pricing strategies adopted by the competition. In this case, Bogdan’s reels are preferred to the other reels. The revenue to be raised should be related to the time needed and the projected time for expansion. This will enable the company to set prices that will enable it to raise the revenue in the shortest time possible and still not hurt the customers. The increase in price should factor in the lifetime of the product and it demand. Bogdan reels have a steady and trustworthy market and thus their products lifecycle is great. Bogdan reels can also plough back the profit obtained from the business (Mognetti, 2002).

Sources of Funding

E commerce is also a welcome option for the Bogdan reels company. This will ensure an increase the business. This is because the orders will be ordered online and even paid for before the products are sent to the buyer. Therefore, those who are in the waiting line can pay in advance thus giving the company ready cash to be used for expansion or other purposes.

E commerce will also help market the products and collect reviews from customers on the product. The product has already been proven to be of high quality that other reels so the reviews are expected to be positive. This will also increase the customers and act as an avenue for online advertising. The advertising will enable promotion of the product everywhere. As a result, it will get new customers for its product and thus the consequent increase in revenue and stock turnover. This will help in getting additional customers due the expansion it has undergone. E commerce will make reduce operational costs considerably. This is because the customers orders thing online and get them delivered to his doorstep or is directed where to pick the goods. In addition, the people needed to run ecommerce for the business are few and thus the business cuts out on cost of having more employees in the case where the operations are manual.

The demerits of ecommerce to as any business are security. This is because data and money transfers are being carried out over the internet. If there is no security the data can be accessed and money stolen online especially by hackers. The security on the internet servers of the company should be tightened and firewalls used so as to avoid any information being lost to unscrupulous people on the internet.  Internet connectivity can be an obstacle since in some countries, the bandwidth is very low and this hinders effective communication. Another drawback is the chance of ecommerce software not being friendly with the operating system on the computers. This needs the proper setting of the software on supported operating system to avoid incompatibilities. The initial cost of setting up the ecommerce software and accompaniments is costly. This will be recovered in the long run it will bear fruits and the business will be able to recover the amount from the revenue it gets on sales.

Since the banks may be reluctant in funding small-scale businesses then the business can opt for sources of debt financing elsewhere. The sources that the business can source funds from are community banks that comprise of credit unions, venture capital, and small business administration (SBAs), crowds funding, and angel investors among others. The company can hence choose from these sources to expand their business (Orsino, 1994).

Conclusion

Finally, the availability of funds for business expansion is of great importance. This enables a company to grow and become more profitable in the market due the opportunities available. In addition, entrepreneurs need to seek and source funds that will enable them to carry out their activities efficiently and effectively. The source are discussed above.   Expansion needs quite an amount and the banks are sometimes not willing to give money to small-scale businesses. In essence, exploring other financial sources will enable the company to get funds for expansion.

 

References

Odekunle, S. O. (2000). Skill Acquisition as a Determinant Of Entrepreneurship Success In Nigeria: A Case Study of Ikirun Informal Sector. Ibadan: NISER.

Orsino, P. S. (1994). Successful Business Expansion: Practical Strategies for Planning Profitable growth. New York: J. Wiley & Sons.

Shepherd, D. A., & Katz, J. A. (2009). Cognitive Approaches to Entrepreneurship Research Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

 

 

School Law: “Chapter 21” Teaching Contracts

 

Texas Teaching Contracts

In Texas, there are three documented types of teacher contracts. The contracts include probationary contract, term contract and continuing contract (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2010). All the three contracts have their specific requirements and the kind of teachers who can qualify for each contract. A board of trustees can decide when and under what conditions they can terminate a teacher’s certain contract and when and how they can non-renew a teacher’s contract (TCTA, 2013). A school board is responsible for approving employment of certified teachers.

Probationary Contract

            This kind of contract is governed by Chapter 21 of the Education Code. The people who may qualify to be awarded this contract include principals, counselors, supervisors, nurses, teachers and other full time employees who hold educator certifications (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2010). Brand new teachers, a teacher who was in a district and is returning after two year absence and a teacher who is new to a district are all eligible for probationary contracts. The length of a probationary contract lasts up to three years. However, for educators who move into a district after being in the public education sector for more than five of the preceding eight years, their contracts only lasts a year (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2010).

A probationary contract can be terminated by a board of trustees if the teacher in question started the contract midyear (TCTA, 2013). In this case, the contract can be terminated at the end of the district year although this scenario usually leads to legal disputes. A probationary contract can also be terminated if it comes to an end of its duration. However, a proper notice of termination must be given to the teacher prior to the termination. At the end of such a contract, the reasons for the termination or hearings are not required. And if a school is dissatisfied with a teacher’s probationary contract, it can terminate the contract by serving the teacher with a formal notice (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2010).

A board of trustees may decide not to renew a probationary contract if a teacher’s current probationary term comes to an end or if the teacher does not meet the required standards. A probationary contract can also be non-renewed if a teacher resigns before their probationary contract is over.

Term Contract

After a probationary contract, a teacher is entitled to either a term contract or a continuing contract (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2010). This will depend on the decision by a school’s board of trustees. A term contract can be defined as a non-probationary contract with a fixed term which can be up to five years. In a term contract, a principal, nurse, superintendent, counselor, supervisor, classroom teacher and any other person who holds an educator certification is eligible (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2010).

A term contract can be terminated only for a good cause and not political, personal or malicious reasons. A teacher in this kind of contract is subject for termination before the expiration of the contract span by a district (TCTA, 2013). In case of a dismissal, a teacher is usually dismissed without pay but can seek legal options. Such a good cause can be a financial pinch which will require the board of trustees to cut on its staff number. However such a termination must be communicated in a prior notice (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2010). The teacher whose contract has been terminated has a legal advantage to file a complaint before an independent hearing officer.

An automatic renewal happens in this kind of contract if a board of trustees fails to vote for a non-renewal. A proper notice is supposed to be issued for a non-renewal. This is supposed to be communicated ten days before the last instructional day as compared to the 45-day initial period. A reason for non-renewal must be a good one and it should be included in a district’s policies which define reasons for non-renewal (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2010). The end of a contract life can also lead to non-renewal if a school’s board of trustees decides to non-renew the contract.

Continuing Contract

            A teacher can be awarded a continuing contract after the expiry of a probationary contract. Contract terms are spelled out to teachers prior to being awarded this contract. Teachers in this type of contract have an advantage as this contract automatically renews itself year in year out (Walsh, Kemerer & Maniotis, 2010). The state law authorizes this type of contract to any person who is a professional educator. The people who get a continuing contract are the ones who were ineligible before for this kind of contract. They include nurses, superintendents, supervisors, principals and counselors.

Once a teacher gets into this kind of contract, it runs until one resigns, retires, is terminated or is rolled back into a probationary state (TCTA, 2013). This contract type does not have a contract limit in terms of years. Non-renewal is not present in this contract type as it renews itself automatically.

A termination of this contract type can occur if a board of trustees feels a justifiable need to cut on its staff number (TCTA, 2013). However, the action must follow the legal steps laid down so as to reduce the chances of legal battles. A continued contract, just like any other contract must be in writing so as to avoid controversies and act as reference points. In Texas, as it has been noted, only a small number of schools of this type of contract to its employees.

 

References

Texas Classroom Teachers Association. (2013, July 15). Contracts. Retrieved from:

https://tcta.org/node/11520-contracts

Walsh, J., Kemerer, F. R., & Maniotis, L. (2010). The educator’s guide to Texas school law. U of

Texas Press.

 

 

Popular Culture Debates

Popular culture integrates communication studies and culture to be defined as the combination of ideas, images, attitudes and other phenomena within the conventional line of a given culture. This culture is greatly influenced by mass media and affects our everyday lives. Music, art, literature, film, fashion, dance, literature, radio and television are the main components of popular culture. By analyzing the audiences of popular culture, the ideologies which explain popular culture, and the theoretical assumptions of popular culture, this paper is aimed at explaining popular culture debates in cultural studies and expanding on this paper opinion that popular culture is the way through which ideas of the dominant class are spread to the rest of the society and a way of allowing the production of social norms.  Thus, popular culture is whatever that is broadly popular, has a mass commercial culture and is created by the people in the community as a whole.

Popular culture audiences

The audience of popular culture mainly constitutes of television and radio audience as these are the common mediums for transmitting popular culture. Popular culture audiences consume the same information but understand it differently since the audience is diverse and spread over wide geographical areas (Turner 111). Popular culture can be analyzed and classified into different groups according to the manner of their consumption, time of consumption and the reasons for consumption. The audience also ranges from children to the youth and the elderly people in a society.

This audience consumes popular culture for different reasons. Some audience can use popular culture as a tool of information whereas others use it to entertain themselves through video games and other forms of entertainment (Turner 115). Popular culture audience can also vary according to their viewing choices and how they express these views. The time of consumption also differs as some prefer daytime whereas others consume popular culture at night. Responses to programming types are also another aspect which is used to classify popular culture audience (Turner 121).

In popular culture, a singular intrinsic interpretation of a program does not exist (Turner 121). Thus, there are as many interpretations as there are consumers of popular culture. It has changed from the broadcasting system to the narrowcasting system where different forms of popular culture are narrowly aimed to a specific audience (Turner 123).

Ideology

To date, ideology still remains one of the famous and important conceptual categories in cultural studies and has since been employed in popular culture. Althusser, Gramsci and Marx all formulated ideologies which were aimed at explaining the idea of popular culture (Turner 168). Althusser was the first to formulate a theory ahead of Gramsci in resolving the split in culture.

Stuart Hall came up with an idea that media was not the creator of popular culture but acted as a reinforcement.  A reflective and expressive consensus of the media in popular culture is upheld as the values and norms of culture are integrated into popular culture by media (Turner 173). A media research revealed the cultural functions of ideological processes. First, popular culture focuses on the elaboration of ideologies in languages. Secondly, popular culture articulates ideologies into social formations which are the territories of cultural productions (Turner 171).

Gramsci’s theory of hegemony highlights that the dominance of popular culture formations is secured by cultural leadership and not ideological compulsion. Dominant ideologies, as noted by Bennett in his work ‘Popular Culture and Social Relations’, may have differed in cultural and structural traditions. Gramsci further detailed popular culture to be both ‘dominated and oppositional, and determined and spontaneous’ (Turner 179).

Popular culture which is composed of film, magazines and radio impresses the same stamp in everything. This means that under monopoly capitalism, popular culture is identical to everyone in the society (Rivkin & Ryan 1243). This notion of popular culture drives its audience to believe everything about it and wins their obedience in the social hierarchy. Popular culture occupies the minds of its audience all through.

Popular culture is common with capitalism. It contains a set of social relations that require meanings and frameworks to hold the set of social relations in place (Rivkin& Ryan 1270). The meanings do not only constitute social experience meanings but also self-meanings. Self-meanings are constructs of self social identities which enable one to realize sense in their social relations. Ideology, as described in popular culture is not a static set of ideas through which the world is viewed (Rivkin& Ryan 1269). Rather, it is a dynamic social practice that is constantly reproducing and is in process.

Theoretical assumptions

According to Marxism, the media and popular culture are important in establishing central dominance ideas and the ways in which consumers of popular culture look at the world (Rivkin& Ryan 1277). These dominant ideas are subject to contention in popular culture; central ideas are seen to be powerful when they are accepted as common sense. Hegemony explained this idea that force and consent in popular culture rest on a particular set of beliefs and ideas which in the wider view have a broader appeal (Barker 18).

Marx expressed the idea in his material analysis of change by claiming that the ideas of the ruling class are in every age of popular culture (Barker 12). For example, Marx meant to say that a class which is dominant intellectually is the same class which enjoys dominance of materials force in society. Marxism also created a belief that media content integrates itself into popular culture and takes over the existing political and economic elites thus reflecting their interests.

This approach by Marx further detailed popular culture to be based on strong liberal democracies. Gramsci further strengthened this theory by adding some content to it concerning popular culture. He claimed that the effectiveness of popular culture can be judged by its ability to connect with the people’s common sense (Barker 13). The contestation which was described in this theory is possible through linguistic codes. Media content is stressed in this popular culture theory approach.

The Frankfurt School also came up with a critical theory which differed slightly from the view of Marxism (Barker 23). According to the theory, popular culture and mass media are the abilities created for political consciousness. The theory also stressed the interaction between base and superstructure. Popular culture was seen as a seedbed of totalitarianism. The evidence of popular culture in modern times threatened to degenerate into a reproduction of the economic base. One of the scholars, Ardono, argued that a monopoly over the distribution and production of culture was in a decline critically (Barker 22).

The school further argued that popular culture represented the social and cultural authority of the elites in society. Since in this theory culture is associated to commodities, it is able to manipulate consumers through the pre-digested formulas and calculated effects. The central argument of this Frankfurt School theory is that the working class in the society has been made to accept capitalism which has been born from popular culture (Barker, 16). It sees durability in capitalism although other opinion formers of popular culture do not support this view.

Conclusion

The theory by Marx seems to outweigh the theory by the scholars of the Frankfurt School because they sought to extend Marxism theory and not their original ideas. This theory based a firm foundation on the law, family, religion and culture on their entirety (Barker 18). The theory contains truth in it as it claims that popular culture greatly shapes what to think of and how to think of it. The theory was also supported by Gramsci and it has few criticisms, if at all they exist.

Media research supported this theory as they indicated that political and cultural institutions to have a great influence in support of popular culture. Marx’s works have stood the test of time and are still recognized in the modernized world. It can be noted that Marx being a philosopher did a good job in helping the world understand popular culture and its components. Murdock and Golding in their ‘German Ideology’ seem to relate well with Marxism as their ideas engage in a smooth manner in their explanation of Marx’s theory (Barker 24).

 

Works Cited

Barker, Chris. Cultural studies: Theory and practice. Sage, 2003. Print.

Julie, Rivkin, and Michael Ryan. “Literary Theory: An Anthology.” (2004). Print.

Turner, Graeme. British cultural studies: An introduction. Psychology Press, 2003. Print.

 

 

Strategic Human Resource Management at the Shangri-La Group

• Introduction

This report entails a critical analysis of strategic Human Resource Management at The Shangri-La Group of luxurious five star hotels and resorts. Shangri-La Group of hotels and resorts is an award winning chain of hotels that originated in Asia. Most of the hotels affiliated to Shangri-La are based in Asia with other multinational chains spanning across Europe, America and Europe. These groups of hotels currently boasts of running more than 60 lavishly furnished hotels operating in the competitive hospitality industry. Among the services offered at the hotels is accommodation, catering services, wellness concept and spas. It also runs recreational clubs at the Hong Kong based Aberdeen Marina Club and Xili Golf and Country Club at Shenzhen in China. The hotels logo is represented by a letter ‘S’ while its organizational culture is borrowed from the Asian hospitality industry.  The chains of hotels mission is geared towards serving individuals who are proud of their achievements but are humble enough to show humility to other people. as a result this report applies the contingency model of HR management strategies, control based and resource based models while at the same time incorporating personnel, generalist, outsourced, centers of excellence as types of HR strategies.[1]

• Brief Company Background of The Shangri-La Group

Shangri-La runs most of the prestigious hotels around the globe with the main hotel being in the Asian Pacific. There is no doubt that the main Shangri-La hotel at Hong Kong has been the leading luxury hotel in the Shangri-La Group because of its seasoned management which has translated to continued success. In addition, the ownership structure of the hotels and resorts has been applauded for exhibiting excellence which has translated into efficiency and profitability.[2] Research into the human resource management structure of the Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts illustrates that the firms’ consistency starting from the upper management to lower management has been facilitated by their selection of employees based on academic merit.

As a result the leadership team at Shangri-La is made up of the best brains and talents in the Asian hospitality industry. Statistics presented by the Human Resource Department indicates that most of Shangri-La employees have a working experience of more than twenty years. At the organizational level, most of the hotel and resorts employees are moved up the ranks through promotions. In the event that an employee is noted with leadership talents, they are selected, trained and upraised into the management team. This means that the promoted employees have internalized the Shangri-La Hotels organizational cultures. The other characteristic reality about the human resource team at these chains of hotels is that its employees are from different nationalities.

The hotels emphasis on diversity has enabled it to employ people with multinational understanding of foreign cultures and this has attributed towards continued success. Most of Shangri-La’s corporate officers have a wide knowledge of international markets. Apparently this understanding of international perspectives has been resourceful when handling management and operational issues.[3] In order to reach out to a larger market group, the Shangri-La Group of Hotels and Resorts has continuously made attempts to widen their scope of operations through a rapid worldwide expansion plan. With this plan, there arises the need to analyze human resource management strategies that have been put in place for The Shangri-La Hotel: The Shard which is located at the London Bridge in the United Kingdom while other chains of hotels affiliated to Shangri-La Group can be found in Asia, Europe, Middle East and North America.

• Critical discussion of the importance of strategic HRM for The Shangri-La Group at its new proposed London location.

Setting up a new branch could be the trickiest part of the human resource management for Shangri-La Group of Hotels. This is basically because human resource management is a critical process that deals with the identification of the needs of human resource and designs strategies in order to help them attain the organizational goals. By default, human resource represents the backbone of the hospitality industry because the industry is service oriented. In the case of The Shard at London Bridge, HRM will serve the purpose of linking human resource and strategic plans of the larger organization.  With this objective in mind, there arises the need for extensive recruitment by the HR department in order to fill up the new premises with not only qualified but also efficient employees who understand the organizational culture. In addition, there is much pressure on the HR managers to identify and recruit qualified employees who will enable The Shard branch of hotel to satisfy the goals and objectives set by the parent organization – The Shangri-La Group.

Other importance of HRM as exhibited at the Shard appreciates that HRM plays the pertinent role of ensuring that the organization attains legal requirements stipulated in labor laws, it contributes towards organizational performance by matching corporate strategies such as performance and human capital management. The purpose of achieving a successful corporate fit between strategies and structure is further facilitated by the HR manager who also strives to improve the performance of the organization by attracting the right kind of employees, appraising them through training and ensuring that they are properly compensated. The manager moreover aligns HR to all the other organizational functions to achieve efficiency in the use of organizational resources. By appreciating the importance and purpose of HRM at the Shangri-La Group, the organization will be able to perform well by attaining consistency in its value proposition while maximizing on its value chain.

Because of the imminent pressure to perform like its predecessors, the new hotel will need to plan on the creation of employer brand, absence management schemes, retention, flexibility, talent management, employee selection and recruitment strategies. For the sake of attaining best practices at the proposed London location, the HRM team will further have to write down strategies describing what the new branch needs to achieve in a given time-frame, the number of employees required in each phrase of development and growth and lastly the HRM team needs to identify the type of human resource that the new hotel will require.[4] All this strategies will be helpful in helping The Shard at London Bridge to not only pursue its own goals but also those of The Shangri-La Group of Hotels and Resorts. For the achievement of best results by the HR department, there arises the need to embrace the competence based management strategies which supports a tactful assimilation plans as stipulated by the human resource manager and those made by the parent organization. By so doing, the importance of HRM is further exemplified when it assesses the suitability of its employees in relation to key competencies presented by The Shangri-La Group.

Among the competencies are vision and mission statements, goals and objectives which determine the direction in which the management team should control the organization into. It is after plans have been made that targets can be broken down and issued to each and every employee for ease of achievement. Furthermore, planning is essential in identifying employment gaps which can be handled through hiring of new employees to solve staffing problems. Apparently other issues relating to employee motivation could trigger review of remunerations of salaries and rewards.[5] In the event that the HRM notices laxity, absenteeism of reduced motivation among employees then measures aimed at career development and learning should be incorporated into the long term plans of The Shard Hotel. In order to keep abreast with the organizational culture of The Shangri-La Group of Hotels and Resorts, The Shard at London Bridge will need to identify employees with leadership abilities and train them in succession management.

The Shard Hotel will also benefit from efforts made by the Human Resource Management in monitoring the employees from time to time after which their performances will be evaluated with regard to productivity and customer satisfaction. Other parameter could be assessment of absenteeism, lateness and general laxity at the place of work. The results derived from the evaluation process will be vital in steering the new hotel into the desired direction through filling in of the competence gaps identified.

• Critical evaluation of a range of human resource strategies currently used by the Shangri-La Group

The human resource strategies employed at The Shangri-La Group entails a top down systems of management where by authority is passed down from the top management to the subordinates. This has made the prestigious group of hotels to be identified with formality and hierarchical leadership structure. Furthermore this HR strategy has been influential in propagating the control based management rather than the commitment based. Whereas the former emphasizes on control of employees by the managers, the latter is liberal as it appreciates the independence of the employees as well as their creativity in providing solutions to organizational problems. The control based and the commitment based models replicate Gregory McGregor’s theory X and Y respectively where The Shangri-La has been associated with control based management as well as the application of theory X.[6] Theory X emphasizes that all employees are lazy and thus they have to be pushed for them to perform which then reflects the control based model applied at the Shangri-La.

With this knowledge, it is rife that the management structure of an organization is of essence to the human resource management team in the sense that their strategies need to be passed at a departmental level after which they are assessed and evaluated by the board of governors at the main headquarters in Singapore. Such a strategy was put in place to ensure that all the decisions put by the affiliate groups are in line with the overall vision, mission, goals and objectives of The Shangri-La Groups of Hotels and Resorts. Among the current strategies recommended by the headquarter branch involves selection of employees on merit. In addition to this strategy the organization does not encourage unionization of its employees despite being a basic requirement among key employers most of the countries where it operates.

This strategy has been attributed to the inconveniences that could be caused by mass actions called by labor unions during peak seasons.[7] The hotels and resorts might lose out on their reputation which has taken them considerably long to build. Despite putting in place such strategies, the firm is quick in handling employee grievances so as to reduce any hindrances to achieving ultimate customer satisfaction. Owing to this strategy that is implemented at the parent Shangri-La hotel, it is mandatory that all the affiliates’ employees shun labor unions despite the collective bargains that employees enjoy from the unions. According to reports made by the labor union in the United Kingdoms, there are laws excepting companies from unionizing their employees. But the applicability of such laws is pegged on the achievement of certain requirements that are set by the government. Among the requirements include attainment of ISO certification, payment of wages beyond a certain minimum limit and the need for security measures in case employees feel oppressed by the management policies. The Shangri-La Group has been on the forefront in achieving these strategies in order to avoid tainting its reputation arising from striking employees or demotivated human resource.

The third strategy is the management appraisal process which intends to nurture in-house talents identified among the employees. In order to maintain the Shangri-La Group companies culture, there has been a strategy of training and appraising employees who merit into the management positions. This strategy is motivated by the need for employees to fill appreciated. Employees are happier when their talents are noted and rewarded accordingly.[8] Also, promotion of employees into management position encourages other employees to work harder so as to get promoted into leadership positions. On the side of the Shangri-La Group, the company has continuously benefited from proficient staff promotions. This is because the employees are first trained and later nurtured into admirable positions. The fact that the employees promoted have been loyal to work for the company for more than ten years has the implication that they would have internalized the company’s culture of continued excellence.

All in all The Shangri-La Group lacks defined plans for transforming their organizational culture and strategies. The continued inheritance of the same culture time and again has deterrent their attainment of maximum profitability and maximization of stakeholder’s value since the organization has bound itself to traditional management structure and strategies. Despite employing talented top managers and staff, Shangri-La lacks a definite strategy for transforming its structure to march up modern organizations. This has limited this group of hotels from being on the fast lane in embracing technological advancement. For instance the 2008 Global Recession drove the Shangri-La Group into cutting down on employees was rather more selfish and demotivating on the side of the employees. Even though the strategy was applauded by the management as a cost saving strategy, the employees were demotivated because of fear of the unknown. In order to avoid such unpleasant scenarios in the near future it is recommended that the Shangri-La Group of Hotels and Resorts looks into matters relating to restructuring of the organizational structure followed by transformation of their organizations strategies.

• Recommendations for developing upon human resource strategies currently used by the Shangri-La Group for their new London location

In order to develop human resource strategies used The Shangri-La Group the Shard located at the London Bridge, the management of the new hotel will need to look into the factor of employee motivation. This factor is seconded by the contingency theory of management which stipulates the need for adequately compensating employees[9] (Seyranian 2010). The contingency theory contains multiple behavioral theories and the bottom-line for the application of the theories is that there is no best way to manage employees. This demands that leaders should embrace considerate decision making, which further reflects the Fred Fiedler’s definition regarding contingency model. The main problem likely to face the implementation of change is the supported by the critical argument that institutionalizing change in affiliate companies is a hard endeavor. This is because psychologists identified change as the most daring part of the management process.[10]

Generally, change is among the most discussed topics at the work places. Seemingly, employers at The Shard Hotel in London are even more afraid of change than their newly hired employees. The change model stipulated by Kubler Ross comes in handy in shaping the perceived attitude and possible resistance to change. The five stages beginning with denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance.[11] The employees have to be prepared psychologically so as to comfortably pass through these stages with the least resistance. Because of the anticipated resistance likely to emanate from the recommended structural changes, employees at the new location in London have to be coerced into understand that change is unavoidable and given the need to increase profitability and efficiency, then there arises need for structural and strategic changes[12]. The human resource manager could also work consistently on convincing the employees into accepting the new organizational strategies.[13]

Basically the HRM department at The Shard Hotel at London Bridge is charged with the noble responsibility of managing employees. With reference to the Shangri-La Group organizational strategies, it is evident that the change structure is likely to be lacking in several aspects. The most lacking components of change could be a failing communication network fueled by the bureaucratic system of management and the sudden introduction of a new organizational culture which is a complete overhaul of the traditional work culture.[14] Even though the new hotel might have profit maximization or cost cutting strategies, the employees might be made to feel misplaced. Employees who are not in unison with the change strategies or the change process could be made to strain at the expense of their own benefit.

Again, the layoff of workers in the two designated offices to pave way for automation could be de-motivating to the other employees who will be made to have the feeling that the organization is getting selfish and chasing its own interests at the expense of fending for its employees.[15] Furthermore, employees might lose confidence in the job security at The Shard Hotel and thus underperform. This will be problematic for the management and more so for the human resource manager who will be required by the parent company to explain the pertinent reasons behind the reduced efficiency and underperformance.[16] Therefore it is further recommended that before the HRM manager goes ahead with the proposed structural changes at The Shard Hotel, they should inform the board of directors at The Shangri-La Group so that in the event that the change process takes longer than desired, it will be easier to explain.

• Critical evaluation of the formulation and implementation of human resource strategies used by the Shangri-La Group

In evaluating the process of formulating and implementing human resource strategies at the Shangri-La Group, it is recommended that the following stages are followed especially for large and fully fledge organizations such as the Shangri-La Group. This analysis therefore entails the stage of analyzing the short term plans set by board of directors at the company. The plans are critical in determining the day to day operations of the firm. For the plans to be easily accommodated by the employees, they need to be communicated through the HRM manager.[17] This means that the HR manager will be required to seek opinions from the employees regarding the short terms plans for the organization after which the feedback will be passed on to the board of directors for alterations, changes and further review.

According to historical analysis of the HR strategies formulation process at Shangri-La Group, two stages of strategy formation have been vital. The process has in the past been supported by a well-established human resource information management system which is an established database that fosters good governance in addition to accountability. The elaborate information management system put in place by the management has also been fundamental in making revisions and updating employee skills and competencies after successful completion of each training program.[18] Moreover, two implementation stages have been widely used at the Shangri-La Group. The HRM manager has in the past identified infrastructural and system requirements to support both partial and full implementation of human resource information management systems to reflect real time competence profiles for each employee working for the group.[19] The interoperability of the system has been lauded for the increased efficiency especially during promotions when an employee is urgently required to fill up a vacant position in another branch.  The implementation process has in the past been successful because of good communication networks between employees and the human resource managers. The second phrase of implementing the strategic plan at Shangri-La organization has been facilitated by absorption of new employees at low profile jobs after which they are inculcated into the organizational culture. Consistent appraisal and training then improves these start up employees until they are better skilled, knowledgeable and competent. In the end, the employees become adapted to the working environment and are better equipped to match the evolving needs of the 60 chains of Shangri-La Group of Hotels and Resorts.

• Critical analysis of the impact of contemporary issues affecting strategic human resource management at the Shangri-La Group, and how such issues should be overcome at their new London location

Owing to the need for informed consent from the Board Of Directors at the Shard Hotel in London, the human resource manager will be given a go ahead. Likewise, apart from the non-structural changes, there could emerge the need for complete structural change for the whole chains of hotels and resorts in order to march with emerging trends in the hospitality industry.[20] It would be advisable that Shangri-La Group makes use of the two most pertinent human resource management theories in order to create opportunities. The theory of employee training and development and that of strategic human resource management would be applicable. The employee training and motivation theory is supported by the fact that motivated employees are more productive. The Shangri-La Group thus encouraged employing this theory which will ensure that in addition to the earlier suggested structural strategy on employee layoff, the organization will have a more empowered staff.

The second theory on organizational culture development illustrates the need for the Shangri-La Group to better its corporate culture. Currently, the organization has a good culture which has promoted good interpersonal relationships at the work place. The Shard Hotel needs to study the present organizational culture so as to establish its strengths and weaknesses. The culture at Shangri-La has been successful in promoting positive relationships among the employees.

• Conclusion

This report entails a critical analysis of strategic Human Resource Management at The Shangri-La Group of luxurious five star hotels and resorts. Shangri-La runs most of the prestigious hotels around the globe with the main hotel being in the Asian Pacific. There is no doubt that the main Shangri-La hotel at Hong Kong has been the leading luxury hotel in the Shangri-La Group because of its seasoned management which has translated into continued success. In addition, the ownership structure of the hotels and resorts has been applauded for exhibiting excellence which has translated into efficiency and profitability. The implementation process for the new strategic HRM changes at The Shard Hotel could be facilitated by the use of a Human Resource Information Management system which then would facilitate the application of the two theories relating to employee training, development and strategic human resource management. This paper therefore uses HRM models to emphasize on the need for corporate change, restructuring or general strategic implementation. Among the models used include the contingency model, McGregor theory, Kubler Ross Change model, control based and the commitment based models.

 

Bibliography

Berk, Laura. 2008. Exploring lifespan development. Boston: Ally and Bacon.

Bugg, Lyssa. 2013. Dr Kubler Ross – Stages of Grief. Houston: New Haven Press.

Conaty, Ben & Ram, Cate.  2011. The Talent Masters: Why Smart Leaders Put People before Numbers. Crown Publishing Group: Arizona

Cynthia, Postan. 2007. The Cambridge Economic History of Europe: Trade and industry in the middle Ages. Cambridge: Cambridge press

David, Gluttons. 2011. Human resource management and performance: a review and research agenda. Harvard Business School Journal

Hans, Phillip. 2011. Employability, empowerment and employers, between debunking and appreciating action: nine cases from the ICT sector. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Lutans, Fyah. 2011. Organizational Behavior. Tata: McGraw Hill

Martin, Ronan. 2012. Transforming the HR function through outsourced shared services: insights from the public sector. HR Management Journal, Retrieved, Oct 2012

McKenzie, Otego. 2010. Organizational Culture: An Investigation into the link between Organizational Culture, Human Resource Management, High Commitment Management and Firm Performance, Otego Management Graduate Review, Vol. 8.

Merkle, Jaden. 2010. Management and Ideology. Management Journal: University of California Press. United States

Morgan, Gose. 2007. Images of organizations. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Ramaswam, O’Brien. 2013. The International Human Resource Management. Rutledge: Amazon Press.

Scire, Peter. 2007. Applying grief stages to organizational change. Harvard: Harvard University.

Seyranian, Viviane. Contingency theories of leadership. Encyclopedia of Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. John M Press.

Woodward, James. 2010. Industrial organization: Theory and practice. New York: Oxford University Press.

[1] Seyranian, Viviane. 2010. Contingency theories of leadership. Encyclopedia of Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. John M Press.

 

[2] Martin, Ronan. 2012. Transforming the HR function through outsourced shared services: insights from the public sector. HR Management Journal, Retrieved, Oct 2012. p 41

[3] Merkle, Jaden. 2010. Management and Ideology. Management Journal: University of California Press. United States

[4] Berk, Laura. 2008. Exploring lifespan development. Boston: Ally and Bacon.

[5] David, Gluttons. 2011. Human resource management and performance: a review and research agenda. Harvard Business School Journal. p 2

[6] Woodward, James. 2010. Industrial organization: Theory and practice. New York: Oxford University Press.

[7] Woodward, James. 2010. Industrial organization: Theory and practice. New York: Oxford University Press.

[8] Cynthia, Postan. 2007. The Cambridge Economic History of Europe: Trade and industry in the middle Ages. Cambridge: Cambridge press. p 21

 

[9] Seyranian, Viviane. 2010. Contingency theories of leadership. Encyclopedia of Group Processes and Intergroup relations. John M Press.

[10] Scire, Peter. 2007. Applying grief stages to organizational change. Harvard: Harvard University.

[11] Bugg, Lyssa. 2013. Dr Kubler Ross – Stages of Grief. Houston: New Haven Press.

[12] Conaty, Ben & Ram, Cate.  2011. The Talent Masters: Why Smart Leaders Put People before Numbers. Crown Publishing Group: Arizona p. 11

[13] Conaty, Ben & Ram, Cate.  2011

[14] Conaty, Ben & Ram, Cate.  2011

[15] Lutans, Fyah. 2011. Organizational Behavior. Tata: McGraw Hill

[16] McKenzie, Otego. 2010. Organizational Culture: An Investigation into the link between Organizational Culture, Human Resource Management, High Commitment Management and Firm Performance, Otego Management Graduate Review, Vol. 8.

[17] Lutans, Fyah. 2011.

[18] Ramaswam, O’Brien. 2013. The International Human Resource Management. Rutledge: Amazon Press. p 41

[19] Hans, Phillip. 2011. Employability, empowerment and employers, between debunking and appreciating action: nine cases from the ICT sector. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. p 31

[20] Morgan, Gose. 2007. Images of organizations. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Mini Assignment Questions

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and health status: meta-analysis

(Sofi, Cesari, Abbate, Gensini & Casini, BMJ, 2008)

1. What is a meta-analysis? (Mention the 3 critical aspects)

An analysis of different studies with an aim of combining and contrasting results, identifying patterns in the study results, why there are disagreements, as well as other vital relationships.

2. How many subjects and deaths were covered in the eight cohort studies?

33,576 deaths and 514,816 subjects.

1. What was the main finding of the combined cohort studies in terms of adherence to a Mediterranean diet?

Increased Mediterranean diet adherence results to a vital health status improvement in regard to reduced overall mortalities, mortality and incidence of cancer, cardiovascular diseases’ mortality, and incidence of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

1. Describe in terms of food types what is meant by “Mediterranean diet”

Moderate red wine intake during meals, fish, cereals, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.

1. What are the limitations of the “Mediterranean diet” concept and how they group some food categories? (Page 6 of 7, Limitations)

The Mediterranean diet is not considered to be a homogenous eating pattern. There are still disputes among researchers regarding classification of food categories for example dairy products and milk, nuts, and legumes; the real significance of various types of meat; and moderate alcohol amount intake establishments. These factors vary significantly in the selected studies.

1. In general, what were the primary and secondary prevention of major chronic diseases with greater adherence of a Mediterranean diet?

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet is an appropriate preventive tool for minimizing the risk of morbidity and mortality among populations.

Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease by Diet and Lifestyle Evidence from Prospective Cross-Cultural, Cohort and Intervention Studies

(Kromhout, D., Menotti, A., Kesteloot, H., & Sans,  S. Circulation, 2002)

1. a) What was the original diet-heart disease hypothesis put forward by De Langen? (Page 893)

The differences in coronary heart disease occurrence between populations are as a result of diet variations and hypercholesterolemia was linked to metabolic diseases for instance nephritis, obesity, diabetes, and atherosclerosis.

1. b) Keys and co-workers later advanced this hypothesis-: what did they suggest? (Page 894)

Cross-cultural diet variations could be linked to variations in coronary heart disease mortality’s population rates and the serum cholesterol levels in the average population.

2. What were the main findings of the following Prospective Cohort Studies:
   • Framingham Heart Study: the lower the profile for risk factors, the minimal the risk for all-cause mortality and coronary heart disease (Kromhout et al., 2002).
   • MRFIT Study: low levels of age-adjusted risk factors (smoking and serum cholesterol and blood pressure levels) has a great impact on general health and vulnerability to coronary heart disease.
   • Nurses Health Study: the impact on coronary heart disease prevention is greater when there are more low risk factor levels. People with low biological risk factors’ levels (such as blood pressure and serum cholesterol) and those who stick to a healthy diet and lifestyle are at minimal vulnerability to coronary heart disease.
3. What were the main findings from the following Dietary and Lifestyle Intervention Studies:
   • Oslo trial: a greater serum cholesterol reduction has a huge impact on all-cause mortality and coronary events.
   • DART trial: there was a 32 percent coronary heart disease mortality’s reduction and 29 percent all-cause mortality reduction after eating oily fish for at least two times in a week.
   • DASH trial: apart from sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium are vital blood pressure dietary determinants. The combined impacts of the DASH diet and sodium reduction was higher as opposed to their single effects.
4. What are the primary and secondary implications for the prevention of CHD? (Page 896)

There can be substantial reduction for coronary heart disease risks if there are proper lifestyle and dietary changes. Smoking and diet greatly determines the occurrence of coronary heart disease. These two factors in addition to physical activity and alcohol are vital individual risk determinants for CHD.

 

 

Reference

Kromhout, D., Menotti, A., Kesteloot, H., & Sans, S. (2002). Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease           by Diet and Lifestyle Evidence from Prospective Cross-Cultural, Cohort and Intervention        Studies. Circulation Journal of the American Heart Assoiation, 893- 898.

 

Gender and Leadership

Leadership is not influenced by gender in my opinion, leadership is about the amount of influence that an individual have on his or her followers (Fisher, 2010). I strongly disagree with the opinion aired by Clinton at the workshop on Gender and Leadership. Gender on leadership is disproportionate and in my opinion, a new generation of leadership adds up to the context of leadership in the twenty first century.

There is no gender specific management or leadership traits, leadership is a social influence, in which an individual influence followers in supporting and aiding the team in attaining the desired goals (Gasman et al, 2011). A leader communicates the vision and acts as a role model in setting direction or guiding the team.

There are a number of women leaders in the world; examples are Cristina Elisabet Fernandez de Kirchner, who is the current president of Argentina and Joyce Meyer of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Kirchner is the sitting Argentinian president and the 52^nd to be elected in the highly esteemed office. Kirchner is the widow of the former president. The outstanding feature in Kirchner is that she is first woman president in the history of Argentina, and she was lawfully elected; citing the changing society relating to attitudes directed towards women. Elections were held on October 2007 in which she gathered 45.3% of the votes and the nearest rival had a gap of 22%.

Joyce Meyer was originally known as Pauline Joyce Hutchison is well known for her Christian leadership. Followers refer Meyer as a charismatic leader specializing as a speaker, bible teacher and an author. Meyer heads Joyce Meyer Ministries that is recognized globally (Meyer, 2013).

Issue of gender on leadership is debatable; attributes of leadership are either inbuilt or learnt irrespective of the gender of the leader. Leadership is influenced by traits, functions, situational interaction, vision, charisma, behavior, values, power and intelligence among others (Duerst-Lahti & Kelly, 2006).

 

References

Duerst-Lahti, G. & Kelly, R. (2006). Gender Power, Leadership, and Governance. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press.

Fisher, H. E. (2010). How Women are Transforming the practice of Leadership. Enlightened Power , 133-140.

Gasman, M. et al. (2011). Race, Gender, and Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan .

Meyer, J. (2013). God Is Not Mad at You: You Can Experience Real Love, Acceptance & Guilt-free Living. New York: FaithWords.