Compare and Contrast Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 7

Compare and Contrast Research Methods - Essay Example Through observation, the researcher is able to identify particular aspects of the research (Poynter, 2010). Also, through observation, researchers learn more information about research aspects, thus being able to determine attitudes and behaviors. Both observation and in-depth interview methods are important because they will increase the objectivity of the study (Poynter, 2010). Informal and in-depth methods are largely qualitative. Researchers use in-depth interviews in collecting data, because it is a highly interactive, multivariate and objective method of conducting study, which makes it different from observation method (Wilson, 2010). Using interview, the interviewer seeks more explanation from the interviewees as opposed to observation, where the researcher simply looks at the objects of study (Wilson, 2010). Under this methodology of in-depth interview, the participants will be drawn from four departments within the research population (Wilson, 2010). Since there will be many prospective participants from each department, out of the available participants, the researcher will select a given sample for the study. This is similar to observation because in the latter, the researcher can chose from the available research items to carry out the study (Wilson, 2010). In addition, the selection of participants in informal and in-depth interview is done usi ng random sampling, which is representative and non-discriminative, a situation which makes the methods resemble observation. Under informal and in-depth interviews, the different categories under which the participants will be divided would be based on the management levels, where as in observation, the researcher carries the study alone (Wilson, 2010). Interviews will also increase the participation between the researcher and respondents. Indeed, using interview will increase the interaction and the researcher would get more relevant information about the topic, a situation that

Effect of the American Revolution on Native American groups Research Paper

Effect of the American Revolution on Native American groups - Research Paper Example The Native Americans had no centralized governance that can unite the whole country. In addition, they also had no laws. With this, Europeans described the Native Americans as barbaric or savage. Although the Native Americans had their own civilization, the Europeans still considered it as something backward as compared to their own civilization. This perspective became the reason of the Europeans to colonize America.2 Parts of America became a colony of the Spanish a year after Columbus’ discovery of it. There had been major changes in America. Since the reasons of Spanish in colonizing other territories included â€Å"glory, gold and God†, the major changes in the American Indians’ lives happened in these areas. In this era, Native Americans first acquired their religion, Catholicism.3 America was rich in resources and this attracted more colonizers, which included French and Dutch people. Also, the colonizers started mixing or forming marriage with the Native Americans.4 All colonizers of America contributed to the development of the nation. Each colonizer has its own perspective of living that has been imparted to the Native Americans. Also, one of the major contributors in civilization of the Americans was the English nation. The English nationals brought Protestantism in America. They also introduced the notion of â€Å"conqueror† to the Americans. Also, they started the slavery of the â€Å"blacks†. The English brought Africans to America and treated them as slaves working in the agricultural sector.5 It can be seen that colonialism greatly affected Americans. From being â€Å"behind† and â€Å"savage†, the Americans acquired religion, improved food system and governance from their colonizers which shaped the identity of the Americans. However, they did not settle as a colony only. America acquired freedom from their colonizers and became a nation. The Americans revolted against their colonizers and strugg led to achieve independence.6 From the revolution, Americans developed their definition of freedom. Americans worked to improve the view of the nation in terms of slavery. America became United States of America after the revolution.7 The development of country was soon observed. There were issues concerning the nation that the leaders started to encounter such as the establishment of the government and different social issues (e.g. gender issues) that started to rise and affect the development of the country. The Americans applied what they learned from the past years of being a colony to their newfound freedom. The building of the nation was much improved, laws were made and disputed. Slavery was reformed and people became more educated. After being colonized, America enlarged the nation’s territory also. Although the slavery had been reformed, it was not enough to eliminate slavery especially in the non-white settlers of United States of America. The people’s belief on their race heightened and expanded outward their territory. The US expanded their territory to the West. The Americans viewed their own race to be more important than that of the people with different skin color. They felt that it was a Divine right to extend their territory and the other

Retirement Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Retirement Age - Essay Example Nevertheless, this paper will focus on expressing my stance on the issues regarding retirement age, whereby I will determine the most appropriate age at which a person should remain in employment. There is need to consider that at full retirement age people are entitled to full and unreduced retirement benefits, though this can be received either at the early retirement age of 62 or at the late age of 70, or retire at any time between the age of 62 and 70. I suggest that one should consider the benefits of early retirement, despite the argument that these benefits are reduced by a fraction of percentage, every month prior to full retirement age. However, most Americans are no longer willing to go for an early retirement; in fact, most of them argue that they plan to retire after 65 (Meyer, 2013). Basically, these plans can be attributed to increasing gap of more 636 retirees for more than two thousand adults in America as indicated by the Gallup survey. I do not support the policies that allow order people to work indefinitely, since age cannot be considered a guarantee of ability. There is need to give younger employees chance to work since they have more energy, experience and skills compared to older staff, who remain in the same unit for a long period of their career. In this case, early retirement should be made compulsory in order to offer a chance to incorporate new ideas in the organization. Nonetheless, there is need to set age limits since numerous people are willing to continue working due to lack of plans and roles. Order people are entitled to be rewarded by the society for their labor, whereby they can be offered a pension and liberty for enjoying their leisure. In addition, there are numerous young people who are unemployed leading to frustrations experienced in low-level position (Meyer, 2013). Opponents of the motion to make early retirement mandatory have argued that this can be considered a way of denying them freedom and right to work; in fa ct, this is considered a way of depriving the society valuable experience and ideas. In addition, they argue that workers should be given a chance to be flexible over their retirement age, which can benefit the society (Meyer, 2013). However, I do not agree with these notions, since they contribute to denial of chances for young people to secure employment or develop their careers. On the other hand, there are arguments I can support in regard to offering order people to work as much as they can; for instance, in professions such as scientists, artists, and politicians. Moreover, most of the order people in these kinds of professions are workaholics; hence, they prefer working until their death. In this case, they are not willing to idle at home every day after they retire since they are used to going to work. A good example of these people is Mrs Schweer, who was the oldest politician in America working at the age of 105. Some people may consider implementing regulation of retireme nt age to be wastage of time and resources, but I do not see it that way (Brandon, 2013). In fact, I can argue that there are very many things that those executives, who are formerly trained, can do such as mentoring the young population to become better. Therefore, instead of continuing to work in their old age, they should use this time to share their experience and knowledge with young people for the future of the nation (Brandon, 2013). The government

African Studies & Feminism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

African Studies & Feminism - Term Paper Example Van Allen’s analysis (1972) makes the important point that Colonialism caused a tremendous amount of loss to Igbo women. This challenges the common view that Colonialism was a good thing, and that it saved women from all kinds of barbarous practices. This reason is the transfer of sexist and discriminatory attitudes from the colonial powers to African society such as the view that â€Å"politics was a man’s concern† (Van Allen, 1972, p.165-166). Finally, this article clearly demonstrates that a sophisticated village-by-village system of government had operated very successfully before the colonial powers arrived, and that it was elimination of the village assembly, in which all villagers had the right to speak, that did the most damage to the position of Igbo women in their society. The voice of women in village affairs was silenced and they were thus prevented from participating in decisions that affected their lives and the lives of their families. This article shows the harm that was done by Colonialism, in the name of progress, and identifies the source of the modern day oppression of Igbo women as being the Colonial powers, and not local ideas and customs, The report by O’Barr et al. captures the enthusiasm and the main resolutions of a massive meeting of 14,000 women called to mark the end of the United Nations Decade for Women.A key outcome was the realization that the enormous differences that exist between the experiences of women in very different countries are likely to continue on into the future, and the meeting resolved to ensure that these differences would â€Å"generate a creative strength, not draining weakness, in the effort to implement a women’s agenda nationally and internationally† ... The diversity of voices is a deliberate tactic to illustrate a second important finding: there will not be a one-size-fits-all solution to problems that affect women world-wide. Themes such as divorce, aging, widowhood and non-marriage show considerable convergence between Third World and Western women’s experiences, but some areas such as poverty and exclusion from education and healthcare are highlighted as being very different, depending on location (O’Barr et al. 1986, p. 592). A third important contribution in this article is the factor of race, and it was noted that women of African descent in particular had to deal with the issue of racial privilege, most usually accorded to white women, and in some countries this was compounded by issues like ethnic and gender segregation imposed by the state in question. Although this article is not formed into a smooth and logical argument, like the Van Allen (1972) article it nevertheless makes a powerful statement through it s multifaceted approach, giving a full range of information from many perspectives. It shows that women in the world face many different challenges, and that efforts to tackle them will need to be varied and flexible, in order to adapt to each situation. Above all, the coming together of leading women in great numbers gives a tremendous boost to those involved, and it creates a momentum for political change that ripples across the globe. The most striking feature of Amina Mama’s article on Gender Studies for Africa’s Transformation (2003) is that it represents a new generation’s perspective. It builds on the work of papers such as the two mentioned above, and reports on scholarly work and teaching conducted by African women and for African

Dress for Success Essay Example for Free

Dress for Success Essay Abstract We’ve all heard the saying â€Å"Dress for Success,† and I believe this saying holds a very valuable meaning in any profession. The way you dress not only affects your confidence and your self-esteem, but it also casts the first impression you are giving to your fellow colleagues and/or prospective employers. What you wear will portray a visual communication of what you have to offer and what they can expect from you in the work field. The primary goal of dressing professional is to feel good about yourself and to project a positive image. Your non-verbal communication is just as important as your verbal communication in any situation. Of course your skills and knowledge are an important factor, but don’t forget to dress the part and rule out any possibilities why people will doubt your abilities to perform. We’d like to think that we live in a world where people don’t judge us by the clothes we wear, but the truth is appearance does matter and the first impressions we portray reflect how we are initially judged by others. . When you dress for success people will take you more seriously and take what you have to say into consideration. Appropriate attire in the workplace gives you respect, and a professional image that will give your superior, colleagues, and patients trust and confidence in your abilities. There has been a lot of research that has proven that employers will likely hire a potential employee who dress and look the part. How you dress sends out many signals, one being an effective leader. When you take the extra step to make sure your clothes are ironed, and your physical attire is up to par, people will recognize that and follow your lead. In my opinion, people today underestimate the importance of a professional image. Many workplaces have a â€Å"casual attire† policy and people would rather blend in with the crowd then stand out and make their own personal impression. Looking for a job in the medical field is very competitive, and although your resume may be one of the most outstanding and qualified, how you look will sum up the final judgment. When potential employers look through tons and tons of paperwork day in and day out, everything starts to look the same, so when you come in for an interview you should try to stand  out and show them that you care about your image and how they perceived you. How you look will put a face to the resume and help you stand out from the other competitors. Ever since we were young, we were taught to never judge a book by its cover, and what really matter is what’s on the inside. Although the topic of how you look and what you wear may sound superficial, you have to look at yourself as a brand. Many companies today spend millions of dollars trying to upgrade and renew their visual image. Making sure how they look as a company and how their brand look will attract the new generations. So, it only makes sense that if a company cares so much of their image, they will also care about how their employees look and carry their name to the outside world. This theory goes hand in hand, if a company cares about how their employees look, the employees themselves should take the initiative and care about their professional image. When we purchase stuff from the store, what initially attracts is that packaging, before we judge the product by its performance. When you look good, you feel good, and ultimately that is all that matters in the end. When a person feels confident there is not stopping them from achieving he/she goals. Interviews are not intended to be a fashion show or beauty contest, but how you look and how you present yourself will always receive a positive reaction from the interviewer. By maintaining a professional image it can help you achieve the career you deserve.

Swot Analysis In Terms Of Strength Marketing Essay

Swot Analysis In Terms Of Strength Marketing Essay PapaRich is a moderm kopitiam that serves quality coffee and asian delicacies at affordable Malaysian prices. PappaRich kopitiam has multiplied from one kopitiam to 41 shops around Malaysia, one in Hong Kong and one in Singapore. Thailand would be a good market for PappaRich to enter because Thailands GDP by sectors show as high as 45% for service industry. This clearly shows us that PappaRich can invest in Thailand to serve the community with Malaysian authentic, classic, and timeless kopitiam meals. Using the SWOT analysis, in terms of strength, the PappaRich serves the community with Malaysians kopitiam meals with affordable prices with a classic coffee shop ambience. In terms of opportunities, economically the GDP and inflation rate has been steadily increasing in recent years. Interest rate fell sharply due to the US financial crisis. The Thai Baht appreciated against MYR and a result of that, the revenue generated in Thailand comparatively to the Malaysian Ringgit would be higher. The weakness for PappaRich to go into Thailand which is the food that PappaRich is serving might not be accepted by the locals. Besides that, the threats to the company are the political instability due to street protests. PappaRichs success as of today is due to its successful differentiation business level strategy to set them apart from other companies from the same FB industry. PappaRich focuses on the quality of their product and keeping it consistent throughout all their outlets. Furthermore, the ambience is what captivated the consumers and made them regular customers in PappaRich. The best way for PappaRich to enter the Thailand market is the franchising market entry strategy. To become a successful FB franchisors that can go nation, PappaRich (the franchisee) can sell the franchisors trade mark, product or services, or trade name and benefits from the franchisors help and support in Thailand market. In return, the franchisee from Thailand need to pays an initial fee to PappaRich and then a percentage of the sales revenue. In cultural analysis, there are five areas to be concerned, the cultural analysis of Thailand and Malaysia is shown respectively; PDI 64;104, IDV 20;26. MAS 34;50, UAI 64;36, LTO 56. This is further elaborated in the pages to come. 2.0 Introduction Many years ago, to enjoy a classic kopitiam meal in Malaysia, such as half-boiled eggs, toasted bread with kaya and butter, and a cup of coffee, one will have to travel many miles back to their hometown. Kopitiam is a traditional breakfast and coffee shop found in South East Asia. Since the establishment of PappaRich in 2006, one need not go the distance. PappaRich is a modern kopitiam that serves quality coffee and asian delicacies at affordable Malaysian prices. In four years, the string of PappaRich kopitiams have multiplied from one kopitiam in Selayang Mall to 41 shops around Malaysia, one in Hong Kong and one in Singapore. It has emerged as a formidable player in the local and food beverage chain. PappaRichs philosophy is to serve authentic, classic and timeless kopitiam meals, the traditional Malaysian style where the locals can mix and mingle in the ambience of a relaxing atmosphere with a sense of belonging. In Thailand, PappaRich intends to serve the Thai community the same philosophy it currently serves the Malaysian community. As there are not many kopitiams in Thailand that serves authentic Malaysian coffeeshop-styled cuisine, PappaRich intends to venture into Thailand by becoming one of the pioneers in serving the authentic Malaysian coffeeshop-styled cuisine. As seen in the diagram on the left, the services industry holds a 45% stake of the total market share for GDP composition in Thailand. Examples of the services industry include the tourism sector and the FB sector. Due to the high stake of the services industry in Thailands GDP percentage, investing in PappaRich in Thailand may be a wise investment choice. Furthermore, potential customers from the tourism sector would be an added advantage to the company into raking in more potential revenue. 3.0 Situation Analysis 3.1 SWOT Analysis 3.2 Strengths As mentioned in the introduction, PappaRichs philosophy is to to serve authentic, classic and timeless kopitiam meals, the traditional Malaysian style where the locals can mix and mingle in the ambience of a relaxing atmosphere with a sense of belonging. This concept is a major strength in branding the kopitiam brand in Thailand as there arent many affordable restaurants in Thailand that serve traditional kopitiam meals. This places PappaRich as one of the pioneers into introducing the cuisine to the Thai locals. Furthermore, it will further strengthen its reputation as being one of the most original and authentic kopitiam in Thailand. Another major strength of the company is its emphasis on clientele service. In the FB industry, it is important to note that service is one of the main priorities in differentiating a good restaurant and a bad one. Thus, PappaRich places much emphasis on its clientele service to not only lure first-time or one-time customers but reoccurring customers, over and over again. 3.3 Weaknesses A major setback that hinders the kopitiam business into the Thai market is the different taste buds between the Thai and Malaysians. Only the adventurous ones may venture out of their comfort zone into eating Malaysian kopitiam cuisine. Furthermore, street food is popular and cheap in Thailand, thus the locals may not be very willing to pay extra for Malaysian food. Besides that, PappaRich and the kopitiam concept is a rather new brand in the region, and thus may acquire more time to be familiarised by the locals. Also, the management style used in Malaysia may not be applicable to the culture of the locals and thus, new management style may have to be devised to suit the employees in Thailand. 3.4 Opportunities and Threats In recent years, Thailand has been politically unstable due to street protests and riots. It is important to note that such political instability is a major disadvantage to the business. This is because, the employees of the company may engage themselves into the protests that halts production and services of the restaurant. Furthermore, a demonstration will hinder potential customers from leaving their homes to eat out as they may fear for their safety. An improvement of technology has both pros and cons to the setting up of the new company. It can improve the cooking standards of the restaurant as better kitchen equipments are purchased to monitor the quality of the food. Furthermore, improvement of the equipments may reduce cooking time that increases efficiency. In time, more customers can be served and profit can be increased. However so, an improvement in technology can bring about an increase in capital cost due to expensive kitchen equipments. As seen in the graph above, the GDP rate of Thailand has been steadily increasing in the last couple of years. However, during the US financial crisis in 2009, there has been a slight fall in GDP. It may be wise to hold back the venturing of the business into Thailand for a couple of months to ensure the stability of the market. During the 2009 US financial crisis, the inflation rate went negative, to as low as -4 showing a shrink of the economy. However so, in 2010, Thailand has begun to pick up the pace and shows that there has been a boost in the economy. As the consumers expectation and confidence is strengthened, Papparich can start investing into Thailand. Unemployment rate has been steadily decreasing over the years. As unemployment falls, more people in the community will have income to spend on goods. As such, it is a good idea to invest into Thailand. Hopefully, when the company decides to invest in the country, there will be people to be employed as staffs. A fall in interest rates in recent years is an advantage as we can apply for loans at low interest rates to set up restaurants in the country. This will encourage more franchising options. Comparitively, the Baht rose 0.115% against the MYR. There are both pros and cons to this situation. Pro, the revenue generated in Thailand comparitively to the MYR would be higher and the con, more money will have to be pumped into Thailand to set up the restaurant, comparitively to the MYR 4.0 Business Level Strategy In order to measure the feasibility of Thailand as a strategic location for expansion, we have to look into the business level strategy of PappaRich. Every organization has a competitive strategy to plan how it will compete in its business and this applies to PappaRich as well. PappaRich is a food beverages (FB) industry that focuses on serving quality authentic traditional Malaysian delicacies at affordable prices and that is their competitive advantage and what sets them apart other regular kopitiam. Aside from that, the ambience of PappaRich has also been one of their greatest assets as the decorated surroundings are chilling and hence many people would choose to go to PappaRich to enjoy one of their specialty; coffee made from locally roasted coffee bean while catching up with friends and family. Theyre also located everywhere as they have over 41 outlets in Malaysia as of today and this brings great convenience to their customers as the nearest outlet is just around the neighbourhood. This is PappaRichs aim in their investment into the Thai market as well that people would have a pleasant experience every time they set foot in PappaRich. With Michael Porters five forces model, managers can determine and control the rules of completion and create a sustainable competitive advantage. Firstly, PappaRich is an FB industry with barrier to entry; PappaRich must comply with the standard set by the Thai government in its policy, the high level of capital needed for investment may be hard to acquire as the result of the recent US financial crisis and also the brand identity may be unknown to most consumers as it is new in the market. Furthermore, economies of scale may also be another barrier to entry for PappaRich as existing companies in Thailand enjoys low cost of production due to this factor and there is no way PappaRich could compete with them in short term period. If PappaRich were to venture into the Thai market, it might face substitute companies such Hailam Kopitiam, Station 1 caf and Old Town Kopitiam and Madam Kwan which are also strong growing FB companies with similar business concept that may also be trying to expand internationally to Thailand as well. Not to mention, the substitute companies that are already in Thailand such as Coffee Bean and Starbucks. However, in terms of bargaining power, many consumers would choose PappaRich over Starbucks for coffee as the price is more affordable in PappaRich. The supplier also plays an important role in determining the feasibility of PappaRich as a good investment opportunity in Thailand as supplier determines the cost of operating and this will affect the total profit of the business. PappaRich can get their supply of raw material from suppliers such as President Rice Products Public Co. Ltd, Siam Future Farm and Exotic Food Co. Ltd. Lastly, the current rivalries that are already in Thailand would also affect the profitability of PappaRich if it were to venture into Thailand as it is a very competitive industry and the competitions are intense. In terms of the target market of PappaRich, it would target the middle income group of consumers as the prices are moderate. It would not fully use the cost leadership strategy which refers to the basis of having the lowest cost in the industry as there are many other companies that have comparable price ranges with PappaRich. Also, PappaRich is a contemporary classy type of coffee shop with required standard of decoration which further increase their cost and this doesnt comply with the low cost leader strategy. In fact, PappaRichs success as of today is due of its successful differentiation strategy to set them apart from other companies from the same FB industry. PappaRich focus on the quality of their product and keeping it consistent throughout all their outlets. Furthermore, the ambience is what captivated the consumers and made them regular customers in PappaRich. 5.0 Market Entry Strategy Expanding a company to new market can increase the sale, brand awareness and achieve business stability. To entering new market, we need to study the size of the country, number of opportunities and sheer geographical size. Besides that a proper market entry strategy requires market research so to give us a vision about the existence opportunity, understand the competitive landscape and see who are our potential customers. Foreign market entry can be done via four mechanisms which are exporting, licensing, joint venture, and franchising. Exporting is the most traditional way to go into foreign market by direct sale of the domestic-products to the country. This can be done through an export intermediary such as commissioned agents and trading companies. Exporting do not require the goods or product must be produce in the target country therefore there is no necessary to invest in foreign facilities. PappaRich is a FB business through serving Malaysian Traditional Delight at their outlets cafe. This mechanism is not suitable for PappaRich extend to Thailand because they are providing service but not produce goods. Licensing is an essential permit to enter a new market. A license is a legal contract to run a business. The licensee is about to pay a fee of exchange for the right to use the property of licensor such as trademarks , patents , and production techniques . For PappaRich, the licensing support comes in the form of outlet setup, outlets designs, menu and recipe of PappaRich, chef and waiters training by experienced Pappa licensing trainers. Joint venture is a legal entity formed when two parties equally invest in terms of money,time and effort on the same project. Basically joint venture happen when one individual want to extend his business to nation while he has no enough of capital to do so and need to find a partner from the target country to run the project together. The joint venture may be an easier first-step for PappaRich to extend to Thailand before go to franchising. PappaRich can reduce the entry risk by using Thailand partners assets through joint venture. Besides, the inadequate knowledge of legal environment can be solve. Through joint venture, PappaRich can start the business at little or no costs. Franchising is another form of licensing. Franchise occurs when the franchisor grants a licence to the franchisee to use their business idea. To become a successful FB franchisors that can go nation, Papparich (the franchisee) can sell the franchisors trade mark, product or services, or trade name and benefits from the franchisors help and support in Thailand market. In return, the franchisee from Thailand need to pays an initial fee to PappaRich and then a percentage of the sales revenue. In a conclusion, we found that franchising is the best way for PappaRich to go into Thailand market as Papparich is FB industry which gives servicing to community. 6.0 Cultural analysis Diagram 1 Country PDI IDV MAS UAI LTO Malaysia 104 26 50 36 Thailand 64 20 34 64 56 Table 1 6.1 Power Distance Index (PDI) Hofstedes PDI measures the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations accept and expect that power is distributed unequally (Geert HofstedeCultural dimensions). On the scale, Malaysia has a score of 104 and Thailand 64. Thailand does not have a large gap between the wealthy and the poor, but have a strong belief in equality for each citizen. Thailand has the opportunity to rise in society compared to Malaysia. Malaysian employees see their managers as being far more superior to them and perceive them as unapproachable. This attitude gives the managers a sense of superiority and empowerment. In Thailand however, people view themselves more as equals hence there is a lot more communication between the employees and managers. 6.2 Individualism Individualism is the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups (Geert HofstedeCultural dimensions). Thailands and Malaysias IDV is at 20 and 26 respectively. A low score, as Thailand and Malaysia has, indicates the society is more of a collectivist than an individualist. This manifest in a close long-term commitment to the member group, is that a family, extended family, or extended relationships. Loyalty in a collectivist culture is paramount, and over-rides most other societal rules and regulations. The society fosters strong relationships where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group. Therefore in Individualism, it can be said that Thailand and Malaysia stands almost the same. Employees in both countries are very team orientated; therefore the managers do not need to make any changes. 6.3 Masculinity Masculinity versus its opposite, femininity refers to the distribution of roles between the genders which is another fundamental issue for any society to which a range of solutions are found. Thailand has the lowest masculinity ranking among the Asian countries listed at 34, while Malaysia is listed at 50, compared to the Asian average of 53 and the World average of 50. This lower level is indicative of a society with less assertiveness and competitiveness, as compared to one where these values are considered more important and significant. This situation also reinforces more traditional male and female roles within the population. Therefore it can be said that Malaysia is doing better than Thailand in terms of assertiveness and competitiveness. Thailand should improve in this area in order to continue to compete. Malaysians tend to be a bit more to being assertive and aggressive while Thai employees are more laid back and more accepting of feminine traits. Therefore managers from Thailand have to be stricter in order for their employees to be more efficient. 6.4 Uncertainty avoidance index UAI deals with a societys tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to mans search for truth. It indicates to what extent a culture programs its members to feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations (Peruvian Attitude On UAI) The UAI indicates the societys low level of tolerance for uncertainty. In an effort to minimize or reduce this level of uncertainty, regulations are adopted and implemented. The ultimate goal of this population is to control everything in order to eliminate or avoid the unexpected. As a result of this high UAI characteristic, the society does not readily accept change and is very risk adverse. The Thailand rank of 64 is slightly higher than the Asian average of 58 while Malaysia is slightly below average of 36. It can be said that Malaysia is doing quite well while Thailand should start to accept change and implement policies to control everything. The Malaysian managers in Thailand will have to change the way they manage their employees and actually put into place more guidelines and rules to get the best out of their Thai employees. 6.5 Long-Term Orientation Long-Term Orientation is the fifth dimension of Hofstede which was added after the original four to try to distinguish the difference in thinking between the East and West, defined as the degree to which one plans for and considers the future, as well as values traditions of the past.( Making Sense of Cross Cultural Communication) Below are some characteristics of the two opposing sides of this dimension: Long term orientation: -persistence -ordering relationships by status and observing this order -thrift -having a sense of shame Short term orientation: -personal steadiness and stability -protecting your face -respect or tradition -reciprocation of greetings, favors, and gifts Thailand measure a middle ranking being listed at 56 while Malaysia has no measures of LTO therefore no comparison can be made between both countries. 7.0 Recommendation Based on both SWOT analysis and Porters competitive force framework, it is the right decision to further the investment of PappaRich Group Sdn. Bhd to Thailand as it has the qualities and potential to penetrate into Thailands market. PappaRich is a modern kopitiam that serves quality coffee and asian delicacies that is currently doing very well in Malaysia. However in Thailand, PappaRich intends to serve the Thai community the same philosophy it currently serves the Malaysian community. As there are not many kopitiams in Thailand that serves authentic Malaysian coffeeshop-styled cuisine, PappaRich intends to venture into Thailand by becoming one of the pioneers in serving the authentic Malaysian coffeeshop-styled cuisine as well as Thailands own authentic delicacies. Setting up a food industry in Thailand is certainly a wise investment as services industry holds a 45% stake of the total market share for GDP composition in Thailand. Besides that Thailand has a lot advance in the improvement of technology, this can improve the cooking standards of the restaurant, and better equipment in the kitchen which will enhance efficiency and improve in the quality of the food and drinks. In addition, after the 2009 US financial crisis, Thailand has begun to pick up the pace and shows that there has been a boost in the economy. As the consumers expectation and confidence is strengthened, Papparich can start investing into Thailand. Based on the cultural analysis by Hofstedes framework, by comparing PDI, IDV, MAS, UAI, and LTO, the employees and managers in Thailand are more team orientated, more laid back and more accepting of feminine traits, and dominant. The type of managers in Thailand will be suitable to handle PappaRich, although they are not perfect, they are trainings available to improve their standards to achieve better efficiency and to increase productivity. PappaRich is slowly being recognised globally as it has build up a good reputation internationally in countries like Singapore and Hong Kong. Referring to the market entry strategy, requires market research so to give us a vision about the existence opportunity, understand the competitive landscape and see who our potential customers are. Foreign market entry can be done via four mechanisms which are exporting, licensing, joint venture, and franchising. The strategies of exporting, licensing, joint venture, and franchising have to be done efficiently in order to enter a new market. Lastly, based on Michael Porters five forces model in the business level strategy, managers can determine and control the rules of completion and create a sustainable competitive advantage. PappaRich is an FB industry with barrier to entry and it requires high level of capital to start up the business. Besides that the brand identity of PappaRich might not be well known in Thailand, it faces substitute companies that are already in Thailand such as Coffee Bean and Starbucks. However, in terms of bargaining power, many consumers would choose PappaRich over Starbucks for coffee as the price is more affordable in PappaRich. The supplier also plays an important role in determining the feasibility of PappaRich as a good investment opportunity in Thailand as supplier determines the cost of operating and this will affect the total profit of the business so maintaining a good relationship with the supplier will definitely give and advantage to the company. The investment to Thailand is a goo d choice as PappaRich focus on the quality of their product and keeping it consistent throughout all their outlets. Furthermore, the ambience has also captivated the consumers and made them regular customers in PappaRich. 8.0 Conclusion After much evaluation from the swot analysis, business level, market entry strategy and the cultural analysis, it is concluded that Thailand is a good choice of investment location for PappaRich to venture into internationally. It can also be one of the pioneers of Malaysian food cuisine in Thailand as there are very few coffee shops that serve authentic Malaysian delights in Thailand as of today. Thailands increasing GDP is also another attraction to investment in Thailand as it shows the stability of the economy and the higher expected return on profit because of the appreciation in Thai Baht against Malaysian Ringgit if PappaRich were to venture into Thailand. Other advantages in investing into Thailand include attracting the locals in Thailand to experience new and different culture and delicacies. Furthermore, this provides Malaysian in Thailand a taste of their hometown within reach. Although there are many advantages in investing in Thailand, there ought to be some setback on the investment too and they are such as the political instability of the country which may hinder the operation of the business if the employees were to go on riot. Moreover, the political situation in Thailand may also cause the consumers to be fearful of leaving the house to dine out as it is unsafe. Lastly, from the uncertainty avoidance index, it has shown that Thailand is rank 64 while average in all other countries are at 58, this means that Thailand is very risk adverse and do not like any changes in their countries so they would have very strict policies and laws regarding foreign investment being parked in their country.

Escher :: essays research papers

Escher   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For my art piece I chose M.C. Escher’s â€Å"Eight Heads† from 1922. It depicts eight different heads that all form from each other. One of Escher’s many styles was to make images that form other images inside themselves. â€Å"Eight Heads† show 2 faces that could be considered evil or the devil. It has four different women in the piece and the pattern of position of the heads is more prevalent here than with any other head. The last two figures are the heads of two men wearing hats of the style worn at the time. These two heads and two of the four female heads and staring right at you. The other four heads are flipped, so that they are upside when you see it in a book. Escher always had a way of incorporating many images into a small area by flipping certain images and making every two or four images form another single or two images. Most of Escher’s works are black and white; some are in beautiful real color though. I guess yo u could call him a surrealist, but all of his work is different. Some are scenic landscapes, others are odd images of himself or another person and some are geometric shapes. Through every piece there is a hint, or a statement in some cases, of symmetry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My personal opinion of the piece is that it’s appealing to the eye first off, with its black and white and flipped images. A second look gives you and idea about the period of the painting. I liked it first for its sweeping lines that connect the faces. I also like the way he appeals to all angles. He’s got the image of devils bleeding into sophisticated women. I like the way that his paintings can be taken and translated into so many different meanings. I interpret the faces as representing hell and how close sin is to life. There are two devil men and two straight men. So might there be two devil women and also two straight women? My answer is yes, two of the women are evil. This is what I like about the piece, it’s shows secrets to those who can think or dream of them. The devil is easier to see in the men than it is in the women. Maybe this is what Escher is trying to say through this piece.