Research Articles Base: Statement Of The Problem

An Evaluation: The Major Contemporary Changes in the Sustainable Tourism of African Tourism and Hospitality Industry in 21st Century Research Proposal Paper

An Evaluation: The Major Contemporary Changes in the Sustainable Tourism of African Tourism and Hospitality Industry in 21st Century   Introduction             The hospitality and tourism industry around the globe is continuously growing in the 21st century. This industry encompasses hotels and other accommodations, restaurants, fast food retail, bars, and catering. It has been characterised in recent decades by the development of an increasing range of highly segmented products and services. Basically, tourism is one of the fast evolving industries that contribute to the development of the society.  In this research paper, evaluations and investigations will be facilitated pertaining to the sustainable tourism practices and sustainable development within the countries in Africa.  Basically, tourism is characteristically considered as travelling for leisure, though this definition has been extended in recent years to consist of any travel outside of one’s usual working or living area. As stated by Ashe J. (1999), sustainable tourism is very important because it brings profit into an area. If a country wants to grow, they need to find a source of capital. When a destination has something that attracts people they will spend money when they come to visit. For example, the country that has an incredible beach that just cries out for visitors and yet if there is no way to get to it because the roads are not built, then people will not come consistently. Countries in Africa are good tourist destination but if the government of these countries does not provide parking and food concessions, people will stay away. In addition, if Africa have a professional sports team in town but the seats of the arena are broken, the roof leaks, the paint is peeling, the food is stale, and there is no climate control people will not come. With this, it is evident that sustainable tourism in Africa are recognizing the need of the tourism and demonstrating a willingness to invest in whatever it takes to make it happen. From this consideration, this research study will consider the major changes brought by sustainable tourism to the hospitality and tourism industry in Africa.   Statement of the Problem             It is obvious that the government of the countries in Africa are creating ways to improve the tourism of the country through the utilization of different marketing strategies (World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) (2001). For instance, this is clearly being exemplified by Africa’s decision to move electronically into ecommerce to promote the various sites and features the country can offer.  Despite of this changes, there are countries in Africa that continuously preserving their natural nature known as sustainable development instead of considering advanced infrastructures, systems and technology. Actually, the Africa’s competitive strengths in accordance to their tourism assets are: abundance, diversity, reliability and visibility of wildlife; unspoiled environment and beautiful scenery; low tourist density; safe destination; beaches; authenticity and the ‘unique African experience’ – real Africa and cultural experiences; and friendly people. From there, what is interesting to find out is how the African government utilizes sustainable development strategies to market or expose those positive traits. This will also “evaluate the major contemporary changes in the sustainable Tourism of African Tourism and Hospitality Industry in 21st Century.” Then, those changes should be analyzed and evaluated in terms of effectiveness and ineffectiveness.   Overview of Literature Review             Tourism produces eight percent of all annual export earnings worldwide, making it the world’s largest industry (World Tourism Organization, 2000). It continues to grow at an average rate of seven percent annually. International tourism receipts including those generated by international fares amounted to an estimated 532 billion U.S. dollars in 1998, higher than any other trade category (WTO, 2000). According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) (2001), tourism is currently responsible for 8.2 percent of employment worldwide, and projections indicate that it will be responsible for indirectly producing 5.5 million jobs per year during the next decade.             In African context, the two most visited countries are Zimbabwe and Kenya, while generally, other most visited countries in the continent are Tunisia, Morocco and Nigeria (Dieke, 2003). The Tanzania Tourism Master Plan (2002) stated that several strategies that countries in Africa need to incorporate are: Knowledge and ‘know-how’ strategy  or improving range and quality of information on customers, distribution channels, suppliers, etc; investment strategy or attracting direct foreign and local investment. Others are product strategy or expanding and improving the tourism product; infrastructure strategy or improving roads, utilities, etc; access strategy or improving air and ground access transport; human resource development strategy or improving skills and service standards; marketing and communications strategy or creating greater awareness in marketplace; capacity building strategy or strengthening tourism institutions; and security awareness strategy (p.68).  As part of the development in the 21st century, tourism marketing becomes prominent which actually different from all other types of marketing. One distinguishing fact about it is that the tourism market is fragmented and consists of many businesses for various domestic and foreign industries.   And now in 21st century, sustainable tourism reacts to changes in environment as we observed in Africa. The tourism industry in Africa gives significant impact on the environment and local culture, while giving employment to locals, generate income and the conservation of local ecosystems and this is also justified in the paper of Eccles, G. (1995).  Eccles, G. (1995) also added that it is also conscientious tourism which is both ecologically and culturally sensitive. Sustainable tourism is useful as it allows the visitor to see what a single country or state what they have to offer with small impact to environment. By advertising for people to come and visit your homeland, it brings dollars as people purchase souvenirs to remember they were there. In accordance to sustainable development, the tourists can still come back and use again the preserved natural resources. What happens then, is the tourist wants more out of their visiting experience the next time around. Thus, bringing more demand and stay competitive with neighbouring nations. Hence, tourism brings more to a country, and in return it would bring more visitors causing changes and sustainable economic development in Africa. Apparently, the hospitality and tourism industries serve millions of people from different parts of the globe and multibillion-dollar industries (Brymer, et al. 2005) and among the largest industries in the world. Tourism is certainly a vastly persuasive driver of national socio-economic development (Butler &Pearce, 1995). Most developing nations with a rich assortment of tourism features including natural resources, historical sites and cultural practices and so on are said to be hopeful on the potentialities of tourism in national income and economy generation as well as employment opportunities. Ghimire (2001) affirms the common perception on tourism as among the excellent ways of revitalizing and branching out national and regional economic base by means of creating new employment and income opportunities for immediate communities and at the same time as enhancing interpersonal contacts and regional cooperation in some cases. According to Holden (2003), tourism is not just the business of foreign environment destination but also an interaction of divergent societal factors. This is evident on the concurrent tourism initiatives and programmes of various countries and tourism-related institutions and organisations. Provided that tourism particularly worldwide tourism is placed on economic limelight, the issue of sustainability or sustainable development in tourism and its management become known seeing that there is a need and call for the protection of the environment and its underlying elements. Sustainable development is a coined termed that basically characterised by living and doing business without destroying and endangering the potential interest of others and Mother Earth. There has been persistent debate on the actual and comprehensive definition of sustainable development or sustainability (Sofield 2003). Sofield states that a narrow yet inclusive definition of the term should be based on cultural, political, and economic impacts on communities.  However, it is contended in this paper that the terms ‘sustainable development’ or ‘sustainability’ are rooted on the United Nations Conference for Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) in 1992 with two important variables namely, development and protection of the environment. Sustainable development is not actually a new idea. It originated and rise from public’s and people’s consciousness because of the growing awareness on the increasing cases of companies and organisations that violate environmental protection policies and regulations. Sustainability within the hospitality and tourism industries was advocated in response to the negative images directed upon the impacts of mass tourism (Weedem 2002). It is a positive alternative and a necessary concept involve in tourism planning and development. Hall (2000) and Inskeep (1991) assert that sustainable development is a crucial element in planning and developing tourism initiatives and programs. Even if a significant number of tourism researchers and practitioners (i.e. Weaver 2001; Casado 1999; Manning and Dougherty 1995) assert that sustainable tourism is a “good thing” provided that there has to be a balance approach to protecting host cultures and environments, they argue that “sustainable tourism is effective only if it is, in fact, sustainable” (cited in Hawkes & Kwortnik 2006, p. 370). All businesses that operate in sustainable-tourism systems must be able to generate their needed economic resources to fully support their operations and growth. They can also cooperate with the government in designing policies for tourism and funding. With the unique attributes of the industry as well as tourists’ attention to authentic and natural travel experiences, Hillman (2001) poses the challenge community assessment and influence on demand. Sustainable development is relatively related to the issue of ethical conduct in the hospitality and tourism industries. Actually, when we say sustainable development, people are thinking of the resources that they are using today and without sacrificing the future needs.  Thus, the call of sustainable tourism to generate income and preserving the environment is actually similar to the call of sustainable development i.e. to use the resources with recognition to the future needs.              However, there are also some issues in Africa’s sustainable tourism that violates the concept of sustainable development. And that is, some resorts did not respond to sustainable tourism properly, let say for example, in spite of many promises to avoid the mistakes of previous developments, the resort continuously alter the environment without preservation caution. Furthermore, most of the jobs that the tourist industry creates tend to be seasonal and fairly low-paying. Even in places like Las Vegas, which are seen as great success stories, wages are not particularly good (And no one would argue that Las Vegas is the epitome of sustainability). And turning an area into a tourist resort tends to split the local community. All in all, tourism is a long-term loser for all but a very few places (and most of those are cities with special attractions), in spite of its short term economic attraction. Thus, this practice is not conformable to sustainable development.   Aim and Objectives             Although one of the ways this research will be run is through subjective interpretation, objectives are also needed as it will also utilize quantitative researched. For this research paper, the aim is to investigate and evaluate the changes occur in African tourism industry in accordance to their sustainability practices. The following objectives will be addressed in the study: Ø  The extent to which current sustainable development practices affects the success or failure of African tourism industry. Ø  The effects of current sustainable development have on African tourism compared to the last 10 years. Ø  How sustainable development affects the success or failure of African’s tourism. Ø  Findings in various literatures about the link between sustainable development and tourism. Ø  The significance of linkage between African’s tourism and sustainable development.   References: Ashe, J (1999) Bluewater Blureprint, Plus Five. UN Chronicle. 36, 3.   Brymer, RA, March, L, Palmer, M, and Schmidgall, RS (2005 August ) ‘Cultural influences on ethical decisions of students enrolled in European hospitality programmes’, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 5: 4, 346-357   Butler, R & Pearce, D (eds.) (1995) Change in Tourism: People, Places, Processes, Routledge, London.   Dierke, PUC (2003) Tourism in Africa’s economic development: policy and implications. Management Decision, 41(3), 287-295.   Eccles, G (1995) Marketing, sustainable development and international tourism. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 7 (7), 20-26   Ghimire, KB (2001) ‘Regional Tourism and South-South Economic Cooperation’, The Geographical Journal, 167: 2, 99-110   Hall, SSJ (1992) Ethics in Hospitality Management: A Book of Readings, Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Motel Association, East Lansing, MI Hawkes, E and Kwortnik Jr., RJ (2006 November) ‘Connecting with the Culture: A Case Study in Sustainable Tourism’, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 47: 4, 369-381   Hillman, W (2001) Searching for Authenticity and Experience: Backpackers Traveling in Australia, John Wiley, Sydney, AU   Holden, A (2003) Environment and Tourism, Routledge, New York City, NY   Inskeep, E (1991) Tourism planning: An integrated and sustainable approach. New York: Van Norstrand Reinhold.   Sofield, THB (2003) Empowerment for Sustainable Tourism Development, Elsevier Science Ltd., Oxford, UK   Tanzania Tourism Master Plan (2002) Strategies and Actions, Final Summary Update. The United Republic of Tanzania Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.   Weaver, DB (2001 April) ‘Ecotourism as Mass Tourism: Contradiction or Reality?’ Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 42: 2, 104-112   Weeden, C (2002) ‘Ethical tourism: An opportunity for competitive advantage’, Journal of Vacation Marketing, 8: 2, 141-153   World Tourism Organization (August, 2000) Tourism Highlights 2000. Second Edition. Retrieved August 28, 2009 from http://world-tourism.org.   World Travel and Tourism Council (2001) World Travel and Tourism Council Year 2001 Satellite Accounting Research and Summary Highlights Worldwide. Retrieved August 28, 2009 from http://www.wttc.org. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

An Evaluation: The Major Contemporary Changes in the Sustainable Tourism of African Tourism and Hospitality Industry in 21st Century Research Proposal Paper

An Evaluation: The Major Contemporary Changes in the Sustainable Tourism of African Tourism and Hospitality Industry in 21st Century ...

RESEARCH PROPOSAL ON THE RELEVANCE OF MARKETING RESEARCH ON PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY OF NESTLE FOODS’S MILO

THE RELEVANCE OF MARKETING RESEARCH ON PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY OF NESTLE FOODS     Rationale and Contribution Description of the Topic Product development is an innovative set of activities that is extremely important for long-term business survival and competitiveness, because product development cycles continuously need to become shorter (Wheelwright and Clark, 1992). Product development is typically executed in a project-management approach, and the organizational nucleus is the product development team. A multidisciplinary project team executes most product development projects. Market researchers; sales representatives; technicians from R&D, production, and technical service; and sometimes even potential customers and financial specialists are members of new product development teams. This type of project clearly deals with nonroutine tasks, especially in the first half of the project where the design task is concentrated (Wheelwright and Clark, 1992). On the other hand, Belief in the value of information for enhancing decisions by reducing uncertainty has increasingly led to the consensus that the growth and even survival of today’s business entities will depend on their strategies for handling and processing information (Deshpande and Zaltman 1982; Turner 1991; Glazer 1991). This study shall be an addition to the existing literature on the role of research marketing on the product development, particularly that of the Nestle product Milo.   Rationale of the Topic There are basically four steps in the marketing research process: define the problem and research objectives, develop a research plan for collecting information, implement the research plan by collecting and analysing the data, and interpret and report the findings (Justis, 1981). When defining the problem and research objectives, it is important that the research work closely with the decision makers to determine what research is needed and how it will be used. If this step is skipped, the results generally will not address the major problem (Andreasen 1985). In this setting, the research people must work closely with those people in the franchise who handle recruitment of potential franchisees. They must also work with the franchisees themselves to understand the needs of the market. Marketing research is designed to reduce uncertainty and provide knowledge. Thus, marketing research will help determine what is going right and what went wrong. Research can help understand consumers’ buying motivations and determine the strengths and weaknesses of the products or services.   Significance of the Study This study will primarily benefit both the youth and the leaders in the business sector particularly those dealing with product development.  The youth, especially those intent on a career in the corporate industry will find out what is expected of them by the industry, what future the business sector has for them, and what they have to do to be competitive career-wise, in this type of industry.  As for the businessmen, this study will show if their expectations and goals can be met by future batches of Business Management graduates.  Through feedback, they would be able to voice out their concerns regarding the quality of graduates and help the universities cope with their demands and the ever-changing needs of the industry.   Statement of the Problem Marketing research is designed to reduce uncertainty and provide knowledge. Thus, marketing research will help determine what is going right and what went wrong. Research can help understand consumers’ buying motivations and determine the strengths and weaknesses of the products or services. The three major functional roles in marketing research are descriptive, diagnostic, and predictive (McDaniel and Darden 1987). The study intends to investigate the effects of marketing research to the product development of Nestle Foods, particularly with the product Milo. Specifically, the study intends to answer the following questions: 1.                            What has been the sales trend for the Nestle foods during the last five years? 2.                            What are the consumers’ attitudes toward the Nestle product, Milo? 3.                            What are the effects of research in developing Milo as a product? 4.                            How did the market research and product development affect predictability of the market behaviour?   Methodology Research requires an organized data gathering in order to pinpoint the research philosophies and theories that will be included in the research, the methodology of the research and the instruments of data interpretation. In this study, the Research Process “Onion” will be utilized so that the findings of the study can be thoroughly established. The inner part of the onion describes the methodology portion whereas the outer part discusses the strategies that can be utilized in interpreting the results of the findings. The primary source of data is the market researchers of Nestle Foods, particularly those directly involved with the Milo products. The secondary sources of data will come from published articles from business journals, books and related studies on linguistics, reading strategies and institutions dealing with business management and product development.   References Andreasen, Allen R. (1985), “Backward Market Research,” Harvard Business Review, May-June, 176-182.   Deshpande, R., and G. Zaltman (1982). “Factors Affecting the Use of Market Research Information: a Path Analysis,” Journal of Marketing Research 19 (February), 14-31.   Glazer, R. (1991). “Marketing in an Information Intensive Environment: Strategic Implications of Knowledge as an Asset,” Journal of Marketing 55 (October), 1-19.   Justis, Robert (1981). Managing Your Small Business. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc.   McDaniel, Carl, Jr., and William R. Darden (1987), Marketing, Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc.   Turner, P. (1991). “Using Information to Enhance Competitive Advantage – The Marketing Options,” European Journal of Marketing 25(6), 55-64.   Wheelwright, S. C., and K. B. Clark. (1992) Revolutionizing Product Development: Quantum Leaps in Speed, Efficiency and Quality New York: Free Press.       Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

RESEARCH PROPOSAL ON THE RELEVANCE OF MARKETING RESEARCH ON PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY OF NESTLE FOODS’S MILO

THE RELEVANCE OF MARKETING RESEARCH ON PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY OF NESTLE FOODS Rationale and Contribution Description of ...

Product Planning and Development: A Case Study of CowBell Milk by Promasedor

PRODUCT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY OF PROMISED     Rationale and Contribution             Description of Topic   Much has been written about the importance of brand loyalty as a key determinant of brand choice and brand equity. David Aaker (1991) wrote, “The brand loyalty of the customer base is often the core of a brand’s equity. If customers are indifferent to the brand and, in fact, buy with respect to features, price there is likely little equity.” From a modelling point of view, all articles known to the authors written about predicting an individual’s choice or market share state that loyalty, usually measured in the form of repeat-buying patterns, is the most important factor to consider. Modeling of price elasticity effects also demonstrates the importance of loyalty (Guadagni and Little, 1983; Starr and Rubinson, 1978). More loyal consumers, as measured by probability of purchase or “share of requirements” from past purchase panel data, are less likely to switch due to a given price inducement; as a corollary a loyal buyer usually needs a bigger discount to switch than would a less loyal buyer. Consistent with this point of view, Light (1989) said, “You need product volume to be a dominator. You need brand loyalty to be a profitable dominator.”   Rationale for choice of Topic   Every marketing organization wants to develop loyal customers: customers that buy consistently over time, generally at regular prices, commonly ignoring the pleas and platitudes of competitors. Everyone knows customer loyalty is good. And, marketers, given the recent developments in data capture and management, believe they have fairly good ways of developing and measuring customer loyalty. Customer satisfaction is one. A satisfied customer, at least according to research, tends to remain more loyal to the brand or the product than an unsatisfied customer. Behaviour is another. In the short term, marketers can measure various forms of customer behaviour. The number of times a customer buys in a certain time period and the time period over which a customer buys the particular product or brand are two examples. Both have received widespread attention. But, a glaring problem exists. Satisfied customers, at least those who claim satisfaction in various research situations, often drift away from the company or the brand. The same holds true for customers who have exhibited brand or company loyalty through their purchases over time. Sometimes they simply stop buying.   Significance of the Study This study would also be of help to those market scientists who are interested in finding out the social implications of the boom and the bust phases of the industry. Moreover, educators can gain from this study, as they find the connection between how they have designed their curriculum and what are the actual needs of the industry.  In that way, they would be able to make immediate changes, if necessary, or continued improvement of their programs, through further studies.             Furthermore, human resource specialists, especially those in the food industry, will have a better understanding of the needs of their industry and what the graduates of the academe can offer to them in terms of type of training and skill.  Any deficiencies in skills training can then be addressed by both the academe and the industry so that there won’t be any labour shortages in that field.             Finally, this study would benefit future researchers in the field of the corporate industry, education, business and the social sciences since it depicts the future of the branding in the commercial food industry and its varying effects to many sectors of society.   Statement of the Problem   The study intends to conduct a case study on the product planning development being a tool for brand loyalty among consumers. The study will be focusing on the product CowBell Milk by Promasedor. Specifically, the study seeks to answer the following questions: 1.            How do the company predict the buying behaviour of consumers of CowBell Milk? 2.            What are the courses of action taken by the company to enhance the brand loyalty of the consumers? 3.            What are the planning and development techniques utilized by Promasedor? 4.            How does these techniques affect the brand loyalty of consumers?   Methodology Research requires an organized data gathering in order to pinpoint the research philosophies and theories that will be included in the research, the methodology of the research and the instruments of data interpretation. In this study, the Research Process “Onion” will be utilized so that the findings of the study can be thoroughly established. The inner part of the onion describes the methodology portion whereas the outer part discusses the strategies that can be utilized in interpreting the results of the findings. The primary source of data is the officers involved with planning and development of Promasedor, particularly those directly involved with the CowBell Milk products. The secondary sources of data will come from published articles from business journals, books and related studies on linguistics, reading strategies and institutions dealing with business management and product development.   References Aaker, David. Managing Brand Equity. New York, NY: The Free Press, A Division of Macmillan, Inc., 1991.   Guadagni, P., and J. Little. “A Logit Model of Coffee Choice Calibrated on Scanner Data.” Marketing Science (1983): 203-308.   Light, Larry. “The Battle for Brand Dominance.” In Transcript Proceedings of the ARF 35th Annual Conference. New York: Advertising Research Foundation. 1989.   Starr, Martin K., and Joel R. Rubinson. “A Loyalty Group Segmentation Model for Brand Purchasing Simulation.” Journal of Marketing Research 15, 3 (1978): 378-83.     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Product Planning and Development: A Case Study of CowBell Milk by Promasedor

PRODUCT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY OF PROMISED Rationale and Contribution Description of Topic Much has be...

Waste Management Challenges In and Around Landfill Sites Research Proposal Paper

Title             Waste Management Challenges In and Around Landfill Sites   Background             Waste management is the process of collecting, transporting, processing, recycling or disposing, managing and monitoring different waste materials. It is connected on materials that are produced by different activities and procedures done by human beings. It is being done in order to lessen the effects of waste materials on health of the people, the environment and aesthetic factors. In addition, waste management is being done in order to recover vital resources from it. It involves different substances such as solid, liquid and even radioactive, which are being processed through different methods and processes (United Nations Human Settlements Programme 2010).               A landfill or also known as a dump to tip and also called as midden in the past is a place for the disposal of waste materials through burial. It is considered as the oldest way of treating waste. Historically, landfill is considered as the most common way of organizing waste disposal and it remains to be used in different places in the globe (Singh 2009). Statement of the Problem             Currently, the world is facing vital problems related to waste management. Due to the increase in population and urbanization and the increase in consumption of different products, materials and those associated packaging, waste generation of the world have increased for the last decades (Ogbonna and Amangabara ). Waste produced had reached the last stop of its journey which is the landfill site or the open dumping sites.             Due to the increase in the volume of waste generated by increasing population, landfill sites are facing problems related on organizing and managing delivered waste. There are different principles, protocols and procedures that must be considered and followed. Most importantly, waste reaching landfill sites should not enclose any organic matter, however, due to the different reasons, particularly the failure to separate waste, organic waste is considered as one of the major aspect of waste being disposed in different landfill sites. This is vital because of the fact that it plays a vital role in complicated biological reactions at many landfill sites. The organic substances of waste will be broken down by bacteria in different biological procedures, which will result in the emission of gasses, which is bad for health and the environment (Singh 2009).             In addition, due to massive growth of volume of waste generated by increasing population, many places and countries in the world are facing problems related to lack or inadequate place or space to dump wastes and garbage. Research Objectives             The main aim of the study is to evaluate and assess the different challenges and problems faced in and around the landfill sites. In line with this the following are the specific of the study are: ·         To assess the different problems and issues faced by landfill sites; ·         To analyse the different factors which affect the management of landfill sites; ·         To present possible solutions to the different problems faced by landfill sites; and ·         To recommend actions to be done in order to resolve and prevent future problems in landfill sites in terms of waste management.  Research Methodology             This study will be descriptive in nature. It can help to show the different factors and truths that are connected with the overall nature of the standing of the problem being studied during the time of the study. Due to these reasons, descriptive method is considered as one of the most used and applied methodology in most social studies. Furthermore, it can be used in order to present logical factors in the study which will help in order to focus on disseminating information and explore based on the normative principles (Creswell 1994). Therefore, the study will pertains on the practices which happen, beliefs and procedures being practiced and the effects or impacts that are being experienced and trends that are under development (Best 1907).             Both qualitative and quantitative methods will be used in this study. Sampling Population             Five landfill sites will be chosen to undertake the study. A total of 50 employees will be selected from these five landfill sites to be surveyed.  Employees will be selected via random selection process. The names will be listed in strips of paper then will be drawn, which is also known as lottery method. Data Gathering Method             Survey questionnaire and survey interview will be used in order to gather data from the sample population. Survey is considered as the oldest and most used data gathering method in research. This is because of the fact that survey demands lesser time, money and effort to implement compare to other methods. Furthermore, it also enables the researcher to gather huge amount of data for a short period of time.   References Best, J W 1970, Research in Education, 2nd edn, Prentice Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs.   Ogbonna, D N, Amangabara, G T and Ekere, T O 2007, “Urban Solid Waste Generation in Port Harcourt Metropolis and Its Implications for Waste Management”, Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 18, no.1, pp. 71 – 88.   Singh, J 2009, Solid Waste Management, I. K. International Pvt Ltd.   United Nations Human Settlements Programme 2010, Solid Waste Management in the World’s Cities: Water and Sanitation in the World’s Cities 2010, UN-HABITAT. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Waste Management Challenges In and Around Landfill Sites Research Proposal Paper

Title Waste Management Challenges In and Around Landfill Sites Background Waste management is the process ...

Research Proposal on Gender Objectivity in International Business Management: the Probability of Women Gaining Recognition and Acceptance in the Global Realm of Business

Gender Objectivity in International Business Management: the Probability of Women Gaining Recognition and Acceptance  in the Global Realm of Business         Introduction               In Megatrends 2000, John Naisbitt named the 1990s as the decade of women in leadership. He is optimistic about the role of women in the workforce. For one thing, women are ubiquitous: As he points out, women without children are even more likely to work than men in that category – 79 versus 74%.             Many may believe that marginalization of women have been eradicated   along with the seeming changed notion of women being somebody belonging to the home raising children and attending to household work. Many would argue that women are now equal with men. After all, we are few decades into the women’s movement. The civil rights act is almost 30 years old, and the resulting executive orders deal directly with, and enforce, equal employment opportunity for women. And surely, today’s generation of women is far more capable of dealing with the problems that confronted women in the past.             If we will accept this simple summary of the present we may not find value in studying gender objectivity in International Business Management and the probability of women ever gaining equal recognition and acceptance in the realm of International Business for the problems are not simple nor at a deeper level have things changed all that much.             There is little doubt that the legal drive to enforce equal opportunity has succeeded in making business organizations more aware of women both in blur-collar and managerial jobs. Simultaneously, the women’s movement has heightened women’s awareness of themselves, their rights and their work situations. There are evidences that more women now hold management positions than they did twenty or thirty years ago, yet the most recent statistics show that while women make up 39% of the labor force, less than 5% of Officials, Managers and Proprietress are women. However, why are they so small? The explanation lies at least in part in the concept on which the equal opportunity laws are based. These laws legislate for equal opportunity. They do not and cannot legislate truly equal access to that opportunity, and most importantly, they cannot ensure tat people who have traditionally been discriminated against will immediately and automatically demonstrate the ability to take advantage of whatever access to opportunity may exists.             At the same time there is a real growing reaction to the enforcement of equal opportunity. It comes from those whose opportunities have been cut back in order to provide room for the inclusion of legitimized outsiders. These people who must make room for newcomers are becoming hurt, angry, resentful. While law controls formal structure, the implementation of its well-intended thrust must take place through the mechanisms of the informal structure. And in industry that informal structure is populated almost entirely by men, the same men whose opportunities have now been curtailed.             In most organizations the informal system of relationships finds both its origin and its present function in the male culture and in the male experience. It forms, its rules of behavior, its style of communication and its mode of relationships grow directly out of the male developmental experience. This cannot be viewed as something bad or good. It is real. Men founded and developed the vast majority of organizations we know. Men made them places where they could work and live and their settings were intended for both comfortable and familiar. And if organizations in general are dominated by the male culture, then we need to note that at the managerial level, and particularly in its highest ranks, the informal system is truly a basis of the male lifestyle.             If we think of men who belong to these informal systems as the insiders – people who understand and support each other, the structure, and the rules; people who share common aspirations and dreams; people who grew up with similar backgrounds; who played together, learned together, competed together; and concurrently we think of how differently women grow up: their different orientations, expectations, aspirations and experiences – then we can understand why in spite of the law, very little may really have changed for women.             What makes this particularly threatening to the future of women in management is that the informal system is at the heart of the middle management function and grows still more critical with every step upward. Few women are part of this system and most women don’t even recognize it exists. Thus a picture emerges in which those people whom we have called insiders operate knowledgeable and carefully within a system whose membership typically excludes women; a system which reacts to threats to its members by functioning in such a way as to make it even more difficult for women to become part of it.   Review of Related Literature             A number of studies have been made in connection with women in the business world. Most of which hail the women who made it to the top management, as in A few Good Women by Jane White (1992). Featured in the book are women par excellence, all from the United States. These include Karen Reimer, the Director of Corporate Transactions for Honeywell Inc.; Shirley Prutch of Martin Marietta who is considered the first female to be named vice president of the .8 billion corporation in 1979, after having already attained the presidency of Share, an organization of IBM computers, in 1974;  Nancy Faunce of Eastman Kodak; Loraine Binion of Levi Strauss and Co.; Sara Westendorf of Hewlett-Packard Co.; Melissa Cadet of River West Developments; Jacquie  Arthur of M/A-Com Inc.; Linda Wroblewski of Richard Eisner and Co.; Sara Levinson of MTV; Philiss Swerskey of AI Corp. Inc. and Carlene Ellis of Intel Corporation. In a much earlier endeavourer, Henning and Jardim (1976) jointly examine women executives at that time. The study encompasses a wide spectrum of women in management – their assumptions, perceptions and behavior; men in management and the organizational environment; and real and potential outcomes for both men and women in terms of carrier achievement. Other studies dealt with surveys on numbers of women in the realm of different professions, including business. Naisbitt (2000) says that in many professions women have increased from a minority as low as 10% in 1970 to a critical mass ranging from 30 to 50 percent. He also points to the growth of Working Women magazine, which at a circulation of 900,0000 in 1988 is surpassed only by the Wall Street Journal among business publications. The number of women joining the ranks of certain profession has mushroomed over the last three decades, according to Time Magazine (1989). The population of female lawyers and judges has sky-rocketed from 7,500 in 1960 to more than 180,000; female doctors from 15,672 to 108,000, and female engineers from 7, 404 to 174,000. The demographic makeup of institutions that provide the imprimatur for success in business has been found to change as well. In the 1950s, women made up only 20% of college undergraduates in contrast to 58% today, and two-thirds of them dropped out to get their “Mrs.” Degree instead of holding for their BA (White, 1992). In an anecdote in Business Month in 1990, it is stated that when Harvard University first grudgingly accepted women to its business school in 1959, while women are allowed to attend class with their male peers, these women had to  sit in the back of their exams at Radcliffe College. The gray eminences at Harvard would have a tough time finding enough room in the back of the class for females if they tried to enforce the practice  now: Women now account for 37% of MBA students, compared to 4% in 1972. In the same time period, the percentage of women at Stanford’s Business school has mushroomed from 2% to 43%, and at Columbia University from 7% to 42%. However, these numbers only tell half of the story. They reflect the fact that the expectations of women have certainly improved; women expect to pursue a college degree and they expect to be successful in the workplace/ However, when one starts to measure statistics reflecting success – i.e., the numbers of women in the top management – you’re no longer measuring expectations but acceptance. Unfortunately, most men don’t want women in the club (White, 1992). There are only so many jobs to go around. But one very seldom see COOs, CFOs or even Executive Vice Presidents either. Among Fortune 500 companies, only 1.7 % of corporate officers are women, according to the statistics in early 1900s done by Glinow, a professor in the School of Business at the University of Southern California. The magazine that invented the term Fortune 500 came up with similar findings. When fortune magazine examined 1990 proxy statements of 799 of the top public companies it found only 19 women listed among the highest paid officers or directors – or less than one half of a percent. It was also found that minority women find it tougher. Black females made up just 2% of the managers in companies with 100 or more employees in 1988, compared with Black men, who accounted for 3% of this group and white women, who totaled 23%, according to the data available from the Equal Opportunity Commission (1990). Not one black woman was among the top 25 Black managers in corporate America when Black Enterprise magazine ran an article naming them in 1988. Studies of how far women have moved up within individual professional specialties – banking, accounting, finance, etc., also produce dismal findings.   Statement of the Problem             This researcher finds the necessity for a study that specifically tackles gender objectivity or sensitivity in international business, especially in Joint Ventures. The general objective of this study is to identify why women are marginalized in the realm of international business. Specifically, this study will try to answer the following queries:   <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> 	What is 	the standard for good management in International Business?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> 	Why are 	men more preferred than women in handling complex and powerful positions in 	the International Business circle?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> 	What are 	the common positions (job titles) of women in the International Business? 	How does it compare with their male counterpart? What does it imply in terms 	of salary grade, compensations, benefits?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> 	What are 	the factors that lead to the seeming isolation of women in International 	Business?</li>   Nature and Significance             Although a whole gamut of studies have focused on the status of women in the business community, limited studies, if any, have traversed the boundaries of local businesses. This writer deems it necessary to fill this wide gap of knowledge concerning the role of women in the business world as a whole by zeroing in on the realm of International Business, specifically International Joint Ventures (IJV).  This writer feels that the marginalized status of women in local business will be reflected, if not magnified all the more in International Business, an arena more powerful and multifaceted.             An IJV is a distinct enterprise, a multi-organizational agreement, created as an alliance between two or more parent organizations working across country borders in designing-managing venture (Woodside, 1996). In real-life, designing and IJV usually takes six months to three years. The decision process in creating IJV is messy and time-consuming, more so its management.             This study will be a significant endeavor in establishing the role, if any, that women play in International Business, specifically in IJV. It will shed light to the inquiry why women seem not to par with men in the territory that is international business. It will discover the tough nature of the so-called “old boys club” and why these is difficult to penetrate. The points at which women seemed to be on a disadvantage will be discovered and considered and carefully examined. In the end, a recommendation will be made that may give pointers to businesswomen to reach top IJV management.             Methodology              A number of IJV top management, both males and females, will be surveyed and interviewed as to the realm of this study. People in the top management of five to six IJVs based all over the world will be sent questionnaires pertaining to the topic. Their cooperation will be fervently sought after. Those that are based locally, if any, will be visited and observed. A descriptive analysis (with strictest confidence given to financial aspect) of its organization will be undertaken, form the organizational structure down the most intricate detail permitted. The object is to find out the exact nature of IJV, of how powerful and complex it is.             In line with the descriptive analysis of two or more IJVs the women in these tough ventures will be examined. Interviews will be scheduled to cover the information that is vital to this study, such as the characteristics of some top (or middle) management women. Their educational and family background will be examined and will be correlated with the success they achieved using Pierson Correlation. The data will be coming from accomplished questionnaire and interviews.             At the end of the data gathering period this researcher must have gathered enough information on (1) the IJVs under study; (2) the characteristics of the top management and (3) the women in these IJVs. It is supposed that not so many women have penetrated this realm, save for those that hold secretarial jobs.             In line with these data gathering objectives the following points will be given enough attention for each data category: On the IJVs: <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	When did 	it start?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	Who 	pioneered its management team?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	What is 	the vision/ mission/ goal/ nature of the IJV?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	How 	strong is the IJV in terms of market?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	How many 	does it employ? What is the ratio of men to women employees?</li> On the top management: <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	What is 	the composition of the top management? How many are males and females?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	Who holds 	the highest position? What is his educational attainment? Socio-economic 	status? Family history?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	 What is 	his most valuable contribution to the venture?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	 What are 	his personal characteristics? How can he be described as a person?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	Who are 	the company’s biggest personalities? Is a woman one of them? What are their 	educational attainments? Socio-economic status? Family history?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	 What are 	their most valuable contributions to the venture? </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	What are 	their personal characteristics? How can they be described as be described as 	a person?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	What does 	the top management consider in choosing its employees? Its managers? Does 	gender bias exists in the selection? If so, to what extent?</li> On Women in Top Management: <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	What is 	her educational attainment? Socio-economic status? Family history?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	What is 	her most valuable contribution to the venture? </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	What are 	her personal characteristics? How can she be described as a person?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	What is 	her most significant contribution to the venture?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	What 	challenges did she face before reaching the top?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	What is 	her future plans as a career woman? As a  person in general?</li>   References: Bell, Ella. “Both Racism and Sexism Block the Path to Management for Minority Women,” The Wall Street Journal. July 25, 1990.   Henning, Margaret and Jardim, Anne. The Managerial Woman. Pocket Books in New York. 1976.   Naisbitt, John. Megatrends 2000.   Statistics on female participation in certain professions and college enrollments on “Onward, Women!” Time. December 4, 1989.   “Topping Out”. Statistics about female MBAs at Harvard, Stanford and Columbia. Executive Female, 1989.   White, J. A Few Good Women: Breaking the Barriers to Top Management. Prentice-Hall. 1992   “Why Women Still Don’t Hit the Top,” Survey results. Fortune, July 30, 1990.   “Women on the Verge of Being CEO”. Anecdote on female MBAs at Harvard in 1959. Business Month. April 1990.   Woodside, A., et al. Creating and Managing Joint Ventures. Quorum Books. 1996.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Research Proposal on Gender Objectivity in International Business Management: the Probability of Women Gaining Recognition and Acceptance in the Global Realm of Business

Gender Objectivity in International Business Management: the Probability of Women Gaining Recognition and Acceptance in the Global Real...