Research Articles Base: Research Essay Project

The Multicultural Diversities of My Co-Worker

The Multicultural Diversities of My Co-Worker               The concept of multicultural diversity leads one to recognize the importance of the presence of individuals having different cultures, races, nationalities, and ethnicities in a certain organization or group. In the concept of multicultural diversity, two separate concepts or terms can be taken note of, namely, culture and diversity. In definition, culture refers to the total way of life of a group of individuals acquire, which includes their values, beliefs, traditions, practices, and customs. In this sense, this distinguishes a particular individual from another. In relation to the concept of culture is the concept of diversity, which refers to the presence of a variety of individuals having different cultures and practices in a particular group or organization. With this, this paper stresses the interview done with a particular co-worker, whose ethnicity, race, and culture are different from the interviewer. Through the interview, the different characteristics of the co-worker would be cited, along with the person’s views on certain topics or issues. Afterwards, the data collected would be compared to the worldview of the country of the person. In the end, evaluation of the interview process would be emphasized, focusing on the complexity of the identity of the interviewed co-worker.   Profile of the Co-Worker in Question             In order to follow ethical considerations in this project, the real name of the co-worker considered for this project was not revealed. This is because a part of the real identity of the co-worker would be indicated in the project, along with some of her answers regarding different topics or issues, which significantly set her apart from other individuals having another culture. However, it must be understood and remembered that the answers of the respondent do not indicate the overall or general characteristics of the Scandinavian culture. Rather, the answers of the respondent would be an accumulation of experiences and influences from her own culture and from the culture of the place she is already in. The co-worker or respondent chosen was a 29-year-old female, Caucasian, and specifically Scandinavian in ethnicity.    Answers to the Interview Questions             Because the co-worker in question is considered a second-generation immigrant, with her father being Scandinavian and her mother born in the United States, several age-related issues and generational influences can be determined. According to the respondent, her influence is coming more from her father, who continuously instills in her the Scandinavian way of life, and because she was born in Scandinavia. She states that an age-related issue that she experiences is having the pressure to relate to younger individuals or the younger generation. As such, she is forced to act and think the way they do, which is totally different from the culture she was accustomed to. In addition, one generational influence is the use of technology, such as the use of computers, sophisticated gadgets, and the World Wide Web.             The respondent’s personal experience with developmental disability might be her experience being a first time mother to a child who has died of pneumonia. Before her immigration to the United States, the respondent was married in Scandinavia and had a son. Unfortunately, the couple decided to separate, leaving the son under the custody of the client. However, after the divorce the son became sickly, thus, making him more susceptible to pneumonia. After several months of continuous treatment, the son died of the illness. This forced the client to move to the United States to start a new life.             The religious upbringing of the client is purely Lutherian. Being Lutherian means that the client does not believe in the need for indulgences, as she believes that she would be provided by her needs from Christ through her faith alone. Her personal experience with her divorce and the death of her son made her more faithful, thus, making her strictly committed to the Lutherian Church. She consistently attends worship services and participates wholeheartedly.             The client emphasized that her country and its people rely heavily and significantly on its history and its culture. Because of this, although a Scandinavian lives in an urban city, he or she will still place high regard for his or her ethnicity and race. This is what the client pointed out that his or her culture and ethnicity helps each individual to go about success and development as a country. In addition, the respondent emphasized that her particular ethnic and racial identity does not limit her to function as an employee in an urban area or environment, given that her language and culture differs from the Americans. Rather, she points out that she uses this difference in culture and racial identity as a learning experience, which she can benefit from.             Currently, the client is working in the United States as an accountant in a private firm. Her income is just sufficient for her to feed herself, to sustain her needs in terms of housing and transportation, to travel to different places, and to afford leisure. She finished a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy in a prestigious university in Scandinavia, which helped her get a job in the United States. At present, she is single and available, after she was divorced from her husband in Scandinavia for 5 years. She lives in a safe and respectable community in the United States, thus, not posing any kind of threat to her identity, integrity, or ethnicity. Overall, her condition and status in the United States is well. Compared to the status of her parents before their immigration, the client stated that her parents and their family as a whole were also doing well in Scandinavia. She pointed out that she had no hard time adjusting in the United States in terms of maintaining her socioeconomic status, as she was already used to this kind of life in her own country.             The client clearly and strongly emphasized that she is heterosexual, and that she clearly has desires for the opposite sex. She also stated that her attraction to the opposite sex prompts her to go to bars and clubs, and to even meet single individuals through getting-to-know sessions and activities. This also makes her active in sexual activities with some men that she meets. However, the client emphasized that marriage and children would not be option for now, for being afraid of her past negative experiences.             The client stated that she has no indigenous heritage coming from the Sami people of Scandinavia. This is because tracing in her family tree, she has found out that her father is purely Swedish.             The national identity of the client is Scandinavian. This is because she was born and raised in Sweden, like her father, although her mother was American. The primary language of the client is Swedish or Scandinavian.             The client believes in such a thing as gender equality, thus, prompting her to choose the United States from where she could obtain equality in terms of opportunities and relationships. She stated that this situation is totally different from the situation in Scandinavia, being more of a patriarchal society. She believes that both a woman and a man, particularly in relationships have to perform different roles in the household, but because women nowadays are more empowered, she would also want to be working and contributing to the welfare of the family financially. In addition, she also expects to have a different kind of relationship in the future, which is much different from what she had way back. Thinking futuristically, she stressed that when that time comes, she would be adopting American styles of parenting, which is totally different from what she had been during her first marriage.   Comparison with Scandinavian Cultural Worldview             In terms of religion, it has been emphasized by the client or the respondent that her religion is Lutherian, thus, making her active and participative in worship services. The emphasis on her religion is fairly consistent with the fact that majority of the Scandinavians are Lutherans. As such, it can be perceived that the high regard placed by Scandinavians was instilled in the respondent or the client effectively, thus, even retaining the practice of attending worship services consistently although she is already residing in a new country with diverse religions and cultures.             Another point of comparison is the fact that the Scandinavian society is purely a patriarchal type of society. This cultural worldview of is also consistent with the particular experiences shared by the client or respondent from the interview session. Although she vaguely stated the real reason for her divorce with her ex-husband, one reason of their misunderstanding is the fact that she also wants to perceive other roles than being a housewife and mother to their child, thus, indicating that her rights as a woman may not have been protected due to the patriarchal society that the country has. This then serves to be the reason why she has chosen to live in the United States, where she can be free in terms of assuming roles other than what was intended for her. The third point of comparison is in terms of socioeconomic aspect, where the urbanization experienced by the client may seem similar to the urbanization in the United States. It has been reported that high wages were also provided to workers in Scandinavia, which was also experienced by the client in her home country.             In addition, the high regard for history and culture of the people from Scandinavia was also confirmed through the interview. This is because the client also places high regard for her history and culture, most especially in terms of religion, beliefs, and practices. Lastly, divorce in Scandinavia is also legal, thus, was also confirmed through the interview, as the client underwent divorce five years ago.   Complexity of Identity of the Co-Worker             The interview emphasizes the complexity of the identity of the client or the respondent. One way to assess this is due to the fact that the client or the respondent in question confirms the presence and shares her unique life experiences. This was indicated by the fact that she was divorced, had a son, and moved to the United States to start anew. The fact that a person experienced and continually experiences new events and situations in his or her life makes him or her a complex individual, not because of the accumulation of experiences, but because of how he or she surpassed them. Another point of complexity is determining the choices that define a person. Choices are important indicators of one’s complexity because one’s choices in directing his or her life may define how he or she wants it to be headed. In this case, the client’s choice of going to the United States means that she wants to significantly change her life. The third point of complexity is the presence of different cultures of different individuals. This complexity can be seen as one’s ability to practice different traditions and beliefs, as indicated by his or her culture. Last point of complexity of the respondent in question is the fact that several factors in her experiences can be deemed as defining her human development. Her experiences and its effects to her behavior and personality define who she is, thus, distinguishes her from other individuals. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

The Multicultural Diversities of My Co-Worker

The Multicultural Diversities of My Co-Worker The concept of multicultural diversity leads one to recognize the importanc...

Project 3 (Exhibit # 7.2 A Rational Model of Group Decision Making)

Project 3 (Exhibit # 7.2 A Rational Model of Group Decision Making) Key Points             We’ve already learned that informations are distributed non-overlapping, overlapping or fully shared. This exhibit demonstrates what happens to those informations when they are being processed and integrated within teams towards quality decision-making. It shows the logical sequencing of events in four stages. Seemingly, the model follows the iterative scientific method wherein teams recognize problems and prepare on how they can possibly provide solutions to such problems. They do some background checks, collate adequate details, identify options and then choose among those alternatives presented. The teams come up with the most sensible decision, apply the decision and weigh it up.       Merits             The effort to increase the accuracy of decisions and to eliminate ludicrous consequences, as shown, enhanced the possibility of informed team decision-making. It shows that decisions does not come from an individual’s thought alone but are based upon unbias inputs from each team member. The model displays how the teams should work so that they can influence and manipulate their decision-making process in dynamic ways. The implicit message is that teams should convene so that they can effectively eradicate team inertia as decision-making processes urge each team member to speak up and express their thoughts, individuality and emotions. In retrospect, the model depicts on how teams should synergize and express their commitment to a decision in full group and thus increased the quality of the decision. Decision-making as a process and an outcome is established as well. Though this does not necessarily mean that teams should always agree, the point is that team should always aimed at decisions that are most acceptable to the group based on processed divergent standpoints. The true essence of consensus happens when the process gave veto power to individual team member but not making the majority ‘happy’ while the minority is ‘enforced’ Bibliography Thompson, L. L. (2007). Making the Team: A Guide for Managers. (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Project 3 (Exhibit # 7.2 A Rational Model of Group Decision Making)

Project 3 (Exhibit # 7.2 A Rational Model of Group Decision Making) Key Points We’ve already learned that informations are ...

Deterrence Theory

Based on the following outline write a project paper that will cover the following areas based on the above selected topic. 1. Introduction – A background of the paper and the goal of the paper. II. Development of Deterrence Theory- Intellectual and evolution of the theory, how the discipline adopted and incorporated the theory. III. Deterrence theory as a practice theory – analyze its core principles, assumptions, scope, applications, intervention strategies. IV. Comparison of assumptions of deterrence theory and its underlying philosophical paradigm – Practical intervention, philosophical principles, criticisms V. The validation and methods used on the theory. VI. Generalization on the merits of Deterrence theory as a practical theory. VII. Implications on the theory generation and validation. VII. Conclusion. Note: Make sure you cover the following areas: 1. It is an analytical paper. 2. The first 6 pages focus on demonstration you know how to think critically, teasing the theory apart, and applying epistemological concepts to the theory. So spend 6-7 pages describing the theory and the remainder 7-8 pages analyzing the epistemological underpinnings, how the theory is validated, what methods are used to validate the theory, and how accurate the theory is etc. 3. Meet the following: a. Describe the historical development of theory. Evaluate the intellectual and historical evolution of the theory and discuss how your discipline adopted and incorporated the theory. You may discuss the historical evolution of your discipline and how the theory fits in. b. What are the major assumptions posited by the oractice theory? c. What is the scope and what are the problem areas addressed by this theory? How has your field (CJ) of practice adopted this theory and how has it influenced the problem areas it addresses? d. What are the main intervention strategies this practice theory advocates? Are these specific intervention strategies proposed in your CJ field? e. What is the scientific base of the intervention strategiesw of this practice theory? In other vwords, what bodies of knowledge are used to derive its interventions? f. What is the underlying philosophical paradigm of the practice theory? Why do you think is the philosophical paradigm underlying this theory? Link the major assumptions of the theory and how they go about testing or building theory to the assumptions of the philosophical paradigm. summarize the major assumptions of the philosophical paradigm and tie them back to the historical evolution of the theory. g. Discuss the scope of practice theory and its appropriateness for theory building and validation. How accurate is the theory in explaining phenomenon? NOTE – NOTE- NO PLAGIARISM ( work will be sent to my dropbox) Please cooperate and pruduce a good paper. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Deterrence Theory

Based on the following outline write a project paper that will cover the following areas based on the above selected topic. 1. Introducti...

Project 1

1)         Collaboration is described as the act of working together with one or more people in order to achieve something. The term is used interchangeably with teamworking and partnering and is always connected with words collective and cooperative. In an organizational setting, the description extends merely from the people to specific functions, groups, units and/or departments. The collaborative environment supports collective actions for the purpose of benefiting from a particular system, process or expertise that either parties or all the factions involved could demonstrate and make use of. As Jac Fitz-Enz puts it, functions are central to collaboration. The conception that ‘together everyone achieves more’ holds true for collaborations. Collaboration could be either observable or unobservable. Observable collaboration happens between groups within the organization. For example, in effort to develop a new marketing strategy, the marketing department would collaborate with the sales department and further collaborate with advertising and promotions department. Unobservable collaboration transcends beyond the corporate map and the communication systems. It springs from the cultural values and, ironically, becomes the core of it. The author maintains that ‘collaboration is more an ethics than a system. As such, unobservable collaboration is spread around the organization and becomes a sort of ‘silent battlecry’. Put simply, unobservable collaboration is what makes the organization alive.             The value of collaboration is evident on the outcomes of combined efforts, knowledge and proficiency. To wit, collaboration compensates the shortcomings of a particular group through another group. Through this, the organization won’t need to outsource a function since groups could work at it internally and remain intact since external forces could not contaminate the organizational processes.             Since the engaged individual or group of people understand their organizational objectives and purpose, the collaboration between them could generate more efficient, value-centered solutions to their predicaments. The constant close contact between them could effectively melt down barriers, errors and confusion; hence, collaboration could lead to harmonious interactions and better performance.   2)         The importance of defining customer requirements, along with competitor activities and market changes, makes sense for high-priority, qualitative input-output and for the development of customer mindshare. The premise embraces the three necessary actions for an effective discovery of customer requirements. These are gathering data and developing the ‘Voice of the Customer’ strategy; developing performance standards and requirements statements; and analyzing and prioritizing requirements and evaluating per business strategies.             To apply the concept and deduce the worth of these specific activities, let’s take the case of a small local car rental company. Let’s assume that I have been employed as their new researcher. My task is to identify the level of customer satisfaction with regards to products and services. Until now the business has been content with gaining feedback only through monitoring of customer complaints and compliments. I will gather necessary customer data so that I can develop the business’s VOC strategy. Prior to data collection, I will study the nature and trends of this business and its market segment first. I will identify the roles of internal and external customers also. Then choose among the array of traditional and modern data gathering techniques.             I will employ a mix of paper-and-pencil and virtual customer satisfaction surveys. I could use mindshare research to determine customers’ awareness of our products and services and data warehousing and data mining. In addition, I could employ “opt-in” mailing list sign-up forms, email sign-up sheet near cash registers, members-only section in company site, online message boards and tell-a-friend options.             The value of these methods is fundamental to seeking specific data inside and outside the organizational borders that facilitates sound decision-making. The process could also enable us to educate rented car users on how can they identify own car rental needs and how to deliver their concerns regarding services and products. The use of these techniques is critical to satisfy the customers’ needs and expectations through an actual feature-benefit grid.             Next, I will distinguish output and service requirements for our clients. An example of service for the business is the luxury car rental. The requirements would be booking facility, pick-up service, rates and choice of vehicle. The output is the luxury car and the requirements would include navigation system, mileage, engine and convertibility.             The value of this initiative is to develop clear-cut strategies based on these two separate constructs. Monitoring both could deliver improvements and could link strategies that quality of service and output at the center. An effective measure of the two also hones an efficient management of total customer experiences. The organizations could, in a way, shift their focus towards recognizing other areas that should be developed.             Either for output or service, requirement statements should define specific customer necessities. These statements are detailed yet concise, observable and measurable and they link different outputs with moments of truth.  And since they establish level of acceptable performance, there would be a possibility for benchmarking employee, products and services performance. For the car rental business, the moments of truth are the legitimate complaints that include inconvenience through breakdowns and unavailability of the requested vehicle. Example statements for these moments of truth are as follows: Breakdowns will be compensated with upgrades at no cost. When the requested vehicle is unavailable, the company will provide another vehicle of equal capacity and will cancel charges.  The next step is to analyze and categorize the data gathered. The three categories are basic, variable and latent. These are your company’s performance, the ‘accessories” that comes with it and how you can surpass their expectations. The importance of this activity is evident on the employee treatments to the customers’ needs and wants. It also enables the business to distinguish multifaceted customer satisfaction levels and act on it.   3)     Radical changes should not frighten people inside an organization. Risk and innovation are now recognized as necessities to survive the volatile marketplace. Organizations, then, must be willing to reorganize to the extent of hacking down old structure and rebuild a different one. The main point is that successful companies are those that are willing to embrace changes and take risks and that those companies wherein employees are punished for risk-taking are therefore not likely to succeed.             One example of a company which embarks on the legacy of innovation as their main source of income is Starbucks. Starbucks Coffee Company ‘provides an uplifting experience through their extraordinary cup of coffee’. The company believed that Starbucks has the position to innovate, execute and focus the entire organization on the customer.             The company had announced earlier this year that they are planning to improve the current state of the US business. Their agenda include refocusing customer experience in the stores, introduction of new products and improving store designs. The company also plans to develop new trainings and tools for their partners (employees).             Starbucks will reallocate resources to key value drivers and re-align the organization and streamline the management to better support customer-focused initiatives. The company also states that they will re-ignite their emotional attachment to their customers and restore customers’ connection with the products, the brand, the people and the stores.             The Company has plans for store-level units in the US as well. They will slow the pace of store opening and will close a number of underperforming US store locations. Outside the US, they will accelerate expansion and increase profitability through redeploying a portion of the capital to international business.             Evidently, there is a clear diffusion of innovation within the company. Starbucks continuously creates awareness inside and outside their confines. They uphold the interest of their people through providing them the necessary expertise and knowledge and building trust on them. They are not neglecting the role of their people to take part in risk-taking as they recognize that their most important asset is their partners.             For their customers, the company never seized to experiment and tinker with new ideas and enveloped them to their financial capability. They are not afraid to adopt many differing strategies. They are always dissatisfied with current systems concerning customers and the company is always future-oriented. The company is risk-driven and it shows on how they mentally anticipate the outcomes of their alternatives.      Bibliography Fitz-Enz, J. (2005). The 8 Practices of Exceptional Companies: How Great Organizations Make the Most of Their Human Assets. American Management Association. AMACOM Division.       Pande, P. S., Neuman, R. S. & Cavanagh, R. R. (2000). The Six Sigma Way: How GE, Motorola, and Other Top Companies Are Honing Their Performance. McGraw-Hill Professional   Starbucks Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2008 Results. Starbucks Corporation. Retrieved on 6 February 2008 from http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/pressdesc.asp?id=821                                                                         Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Project 1

1) Collaboration is described as the act of working together with one or more people in order to achieve something. The term is ...

Project 2 :Do and Don’t

DO – Have a broad-based system to collect and use customer and market input.             I have selected this DO because I believed that the organizations must incur adequate customers’ information before it can make informed decisions. The organization would know which of the existing requirements are functional and nonfunctional through different customer information collection techniques. Stratifying the customer requirements will make prioritization a lot easier. It helps the organization to prioritize the customers’ priorities. Just like the communication process, customer and market input may come from different levels; as such, 360-degree. From those levels, the needs of current happy and unhappy customers, lost customers, competitors’ customers and potential customers may still vary and there. There are also spoken and unspoken needs that cannot be revealed by telephone surveys, for example, but the organization could obtain perhaps through focus groups or personal interviews. Based on this, they would have to admit that a single survey is not enough.             Basically, there are several VOCs and organizations could consider all of them as ‘reliable sources’. Different organizations serve more than a single group of customers; thus, there is a need for more than one collating method that the organization should utilize. These segments of customer could clarify their specific needs and wants and will make the information gathered to be more logical and even more actionable. The advantage for the organization is to be more focused on customer critical-to-quality factors and more focused on measuring them as the measure of inconsistency would be relatively smaller. In effect, the organization could eliminate or lessen a significant amount of noise that can confuse the interpretation of different customer requirements. The significance of using different choice of input gathering techniques is on effective capturing of VOC and departing away from wrong conclusions and irregularities. Further, the multifunctional methods of collection facilitate the identification of opportunites for customers’ excitement and the identification of what the organizations really need to know when it comes to their customers needs. It is possible to go beyond what the customer says and to make effective use of this observational information. Implicitly, collecting techniques compel the organizations to develop marketing platforms and product and service evolutions which will serve to meet customers’ expectations.                Collective VOC directly submits to ‘voice of the market’. Your market drives the organizations margins, the competitive capability, market share and growth rates and synergies. Any organization would like to protect their most important markets because they insure that every Six Sigma imperative is congruent to the organizational growth strategies. Informations on market input are driven by the informations from customer input. Organizations serve diverse individuals and group that make up their markets. VOC, then and the array of measuring then could possibly make the organizations prioritize their market’s priorities.     DON’T – Close your mind to new information on what customers really want.             The reason I chose this DON’T is because of the fact that many organizations has the tendency to miss the most important point of VOC system. I observed that many organizations fail due to neglecting the face that they have to act upon those gathered information. It is well-known that VOC produces detailed outline of customer requirements. They even serve as catalyst for setting product and service specifications and innovation. Yet, many organizations chose to dwell on their beliefs instead of determining the weight of customers’ voice. The problem lies in using the VOC even if or especially when it distorts organizational norms or what the organizations perceived to be ‘acceptable’. The fundamental principle of VOC strategy is to acquire pertinent customer information and use them. The question is: What if the customers identify important issues but the organization hesitates to address them?             The truth is not all informations could be useful to the organizations – if they want informations to be in that state. Customer requirements are prescriptive strategies that purport a learning organization. But if they chose to live inside the box instead of approaching the real word, these organizations are doomed to fail. They themselves are limiting their capabilities to establish functional customer requirement schemes. One important premise is central to the though that organizations have to manage the fact that customers has final say even if there are ‘best practices’ internally. Products and services are validated by the customers and the informations that come from them are reliable. So if results are somewhat questionable, then it is the time to review and reassess internal decisions, market segmentation schemes and organizational priorities. Many of these organizations prioritize economic opportunities more compared to surpassing their customers’ expectations. Most organizations chose to simply realign strategies and assumed that they were being fulfilled in their own. When VOC is opposes the ‘voice of the organization’, there would be functional conflict. The prevalence of the voice of the organization will only put negative quality to the product and thus jeopardize the process of value creation that satisfies the customers. Functional conflicts are not being used the way it should be. To illustrate, many companies claim that they are No. 1 yet many of them are not honoring money-back guarantees and warranties as was promised in times of transactions. Eventually, there would be complains or it could reflect the performance of the service in customer satisfaction surveys to which the company would do nothing to deal with. They are just paying lip service to the concept of VOC and thus lose the opportunity for a competitive edge.   Bibliography Pande, P. S., Neuman, R. P. & Cavanagh, R. R. (2000). The Six Sigma Way: How GE, Motorola, and Other Top Companies are Honing Their Performance. McGraw-Hill Professional.         Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Project 2 :Do and Don’t

DO – Have a broad-based system to collect and use customer and market input. I have selected this DO because I believed that...

Project 3

Project 3 Key Points             Some of the key points include: 1) informations could be individually-held; 2) informations could be in a multi-angular movement and 3) informations could be commonly-held. Unique informations will be available at any point of team discussion mainly because individual member would be able to contribute informations that are unknown. Each member would have the opportunity to genuinely learn. Informations could also be unique and limited. There are informations that are known to a particular member, few members and common members. When the informations are widespread, it is known to be distributed communally. Merits             The merits of the exhibit are on discovering how informations are shared then validated and how some information could possibly be undermined. Information dependence may possibly lead to team learning. However, this circumstance fundamentally depends on how information is distributed within the team. Most of the time, the ‘majority wins’ and this is partly true when it comes to team decision-making. Most decisions are leaped from what is commonly shared. There is a tendency for the team to neglect most important informations; hence, team decisions that lack in depth and breadth.   Learning             We can learn that teams should focus more on what is beyond or the unique informations rather than exerting effort on what is already in existence. This is central to the idea that every member of the team must be given equal chance to speak their minds or share their knowledge and ideas that are not yet known to other members. This could be an effective way the tem could further mold their collective intelligence. Efforts should always promote an informed decision-making wherein relevant judgments are made with each of the member’s participation.      Bibliography Thompson, L. L. (2007). Making the Team: A Guide for Managers. (3rd ed.). Prentice Hall.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Project 3

Project 3 Key Points Some of the key points include: 1) informations could be individually-held; 2) informations could be i...

Work in a Socially Diverse Environment

Introduction Hong Kong remains wrapped in an enigma. Its intermediaries of capital, who include traders, financiers, and corporate managers, have made Hong Kong the pivot of decision-making about the exchange of capital within Asia and between that region and the rest of the world (Meyer 2000). Yet, for 150 years, this tiny island and adjacent peninsula could not even lay claim to status as a city-state. When Britain declared sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1841, after taking it from China under the terms of the Treaty of Nanking that settled the Opium War, the government and merchants had to build a town. The British viewed Hong Kong as their emporium of trade in the Far East, but they did not aspire to transform it into a commercial-military power. The impetus for Hong Kong’s return to China rested in the ticking clock of an obscure treaty from 1898 when Britain acquired the New Territories; the lease terminated on July 1, 1997 (Meyer 2000).   Hong Kong is one of the two special administrative regions belonging to China.  Hong Kong over the years has developed into a leading financial theater through the economic changes it made in the region. The defense of Hong Kong’s territory and foreign affairs lies on the Central people’s government but its internal issues and problems is managed by the government it has created. On the other hand Australia is the country that comprises the mainland of the world smallest continent. Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system wherein it remains in a commonwealth realm. Values Multiculturalism begin to make a critical appearance in European debate after 1989, though whether this is the same idea as appears in North America or Australia is a contentious point. Nevertheless, some still see the lifetime of effectual multicultural politics as comparatively short (Haddock & Sutch 2003). Multicultural environment creates a society that can have different opinions and ideas on how to do certain things. The multicultural environment provides the society an opportunity to mix various cultures to create a better culture. One of the benefits of a multicultural environment is it has the ability to make use of its people’s diversity to produce the talent it needs on a certain situation. Since there are a diverse number of individuals in the society, the country has bigger chance of finding individuals that may assist the country in different needs.    Another benefit of a multicultural environment is the chance for the country to create cultures that will help the country set itself apart from other countries. This can be used for the country’s tourism industry. The colleagues and customers from different cultures should be given a high value and should be fairly treated. The colleagues and customers from different cultures provide ideas and inputs unknown to the group. They provide newer ideas that can help a group or society survive in its changing environment. The colleagues and customers from different cultures should be treated with appropriate amounts of fairness and respect.  The same rights and privileges should be given to them since they are also human beings. Communication In Hong Kong the people communicate through different languages that include Cantonese, English and Mandarin. Common gestures in Hong Kong include pointing at a sign or showing a picture to communicate a message. This Gesture is commonly done by tourists who cannot speak Cantonese or Mandarin. In this gesture people can describe what they want or where they need to go to the local residents. Hong Kong also has its own gestures that pertain to numbers. This is used by business people to bargain goods and other necessities they need.  Hong Kong has made use of some simple words borrowed from other countries and merged it with Cantonese or Mandarin.  This simple words help in lessening the miscommunication problems between tourists and locals. Hong Kong can find assistance from libraries and other media to improve their knowledge. In Australia, English is the language most people communicate through. Australia has a minority of people that speak other languages; the languages they speak include Chinese, Italian and Greek.  The common gestures in Australia are different from the gestures in other places. A simple hand sign for some Australians may be offensive. The thumbs up gesture that different countries perceive as something good has a different meaning in Australia, it has an insulting meaning in Australia. The country uses simple words that depict different kinds of meaning; these simple words are either borrowed from other countries or were originally developed by the early Australians. Australia can find assistance from libraries and other sources of information to improve their knowledge. Misunderstandings The possible cultural misunderstanding in Hong Kong that involves the colleague includes their different ideas of how service should be given. The colleague’s culture will play a big part on the way they will serve the clients. Another possible cultural misunderstanding in the country that involves the colleagues will be the interpretation of some words or sentences another person has said. A possible cultural misunderstanding may be the actions taken by the other workers. The colleagues may have wrong interpretations of the actions done by their co –workers. Some of the colleagues may be offended by the actions of other people. To anticipate the possible problems and act so that the misunderstandings will not happen the personnel should make sure that they have an idea of the culture of their colleagues. The personnel should also make sure that their actions are well thought of so that they cannot offend others.   For the customers a possible cultural misunderstanding may be the unintentional acts of discrimination towards the clients. The personnel of the hospitality sector may do actions that the clients may consider as discriminatory over them.  Another possible cultural misunderstanding is when the personnel of the hospitality sector may do something that is against the culture of the clients. The personnel might serve food that unintentionally offends the clients.   To anticipate the possible problems and act so that the misunderstandings will not happen the personnel should make sure that they will observe the culture of the clients and what acts might offend  them.   References Haddock, B & Sutch, P 2003, Multiculturalism, identity and rights, Routledge, New York.   Hall M & Tucker, H (eds.) 2004, Tourism and post Colonialism: contested discourses, identities and representations, Routledge, New York.   Melleuish, G 1998, The packaging of Australia: politics & culture wars, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, N.S.W.   Meyer, DR 2000, Hong Kong as a Global Metropolis, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England.   Mühlhäusler, P 1996, Linguistic ecology: Language change and linguistic imperialism in the Pacific Region, Routledge, London.     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Work in a Socially Diverse Environment

Introduction Hong Kong remains wrapped in an enigma. Its intermediaries of capital, who include traders, financiers, and corporate manag...

Research Project

Project Report on Any New Product   The rise of so many new technologies and the spread of so much information through the internet have provided modern man with so many resources on building on any single idea and making it into reality. The ingenuity of the human mind has claimed so many ideas and still counting and with the resources available for any common citizen today, virtually anyone with an idea could possibly put their idea into life. All one needs is a little creativity and some elbow grease, anything would be possible. With the prevalence of so millions of new ideas generated every day, it is not questionable how only some handfuls actually do come into life. Although resources truly are abundant, economy and commerce places the surplus of ideas into equilibrium and funnels out all other ideas which humankind today can do without. This critical role of commerce and economy which may ensure—maybe not always effectively, though one could not refrain from hoping—that only those particular ideas which would greatly benefit the contemporary man and woman will come into being. Science and technology would be one branch of human civilization wherein one could take an idea, no matter how simple or complex that may be, and extract from it a new product which may revolutionize human life into betterment. One new product that is yet to spread for the use of so many people is the world’s first non-contact thermometer. A product such as this may change the ways of child and maternal health care for the betterment of society for good. It claims that it gathers temperature from infrared heat emanating from a child’s forehead in mere centimeters away from the child. It can conveniently detect the temperature of a child and any other objects such as baby formulas mixed for intake, food and drink temperature and even water used for bathing[1]. Although this may seem a little insignificant at the start, one may see how this could thoroughly be beneficial to mother and medical personnel the world over. There would be no more need for poisonous mercury in traditional types of thermometers which toxicity rate proved to be fatal upon contact. This new product also claims to be as precise as a rectal thermometer and even surpasses the actuality rate of the measurements procured from digital ear thermometers. Another benefit that can be reaped from this new product is the ease in taking temperatures and the lessening of the time needed to get accurate measures.  Time may define the line between life and death, especially concerning a child who may be having tantrums or irritable spells while sick. The product is sure to be non-evasive and non-irritating, no allergies can be procured from using it and no child or patient may even feel that their temperature is being taken, which inevitably lessens disturbances and provides them more time for resting and recuperation. Another breed of this non-contact thermometer is a high-tech version of the medical equipment which is designed to cater to harder environments. Another breed of this non-contact thermometer was made for mechanical purposes and designed to be used by the common handyman. It is more durable and made to detect the temperatures of virtually any kind of surface, including high temperature surfaces like hot tires or hot asphalt and the like[2]. It saves the user any inconvenience or hazard which entails close contact observation. It saves one the hassle of going on ones hands and knees just to examine the temperature of an engine (e.g.) or any other mechanical material. It can also be handy in the way that one will have the convenience of easily ascertaining knowledge on the temperature of any object without risking a touch which may lead to burn injuries. A lot of many new innovations have been greatly beneficial to mankind. This new product has also proven itself very advantageous and favorable for use in daily living. It has redefined the meaning of convenience and has drawn the line for a new standard in medical and even technical equipment. One may surely look forward to many more inventions such as this that makes living so much more convenient and allows us more time to seek the more desired pleasures in life such as mere enjoyment of scenery or even feeding one’s mind. These inventions and new products enable us to truly be a being of knowledge and great sophistication.   References Geeks.com 2010, Non-contact handheld infrared thermometer w/ LCD display, media review, Geeks.com, California, USA, viewed 16 July 2010, <http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=IR-THERMOMTR> Kidz Med 2008, Kidz-med 5-in-1 non-contact thermometer, media release, Kidz-med Inc, Florida USA, viewed 16 July 2010, <http://www.kidzmed.com/index.php?app=ccp0&ns=prodshow&ref=01500&sid=64666enz3o3vg8l7u7td1l02vgy93lv2>   [1] Kidz Med 2008, Kidz-med 5-in-1 non-contact thermometer, media release, Kidz-med Inc, Florida USA, viewed 16 July 2010, <http://www.kidzmed.com/index.php?app=ccp0&ns=prodshow&ref=01500&sid=64666enz3o3vg8l7u7td1l02vgy93lv2> [2] Geeks.com 2010, Non-contact handheld infrared thermometer w/ LCD display, media review, Geeks.com, California, USA, viewed 16 July 2010, <http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=IR-THERMOMTR> Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Research Project

Project Report on Any New Product The rise of so many new technologies and the spread of so much information through the internet hav...

Research Project Hong Kong Disney Land

TABLE OF CONTENTS    TOC \o “1-3″ \h \z \u I.                       EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. PAGEREF _Toc224722899 \h 2 II.                      COMPANY BACKGROUND.. PAGEREF _Toc224722900 \h 3 III.                     research objectives and research problem.. PAGEREF _Toc224722901 \h 5 IV.                    Methodology. PAGEREF _Toc224722902 \h 5 V.                     Limitations. PAGEREF _Toc224722903 \h 6 VI.                    RESEARCH PROCESS. PAGEREF _Toc224722909 \h 7 VII.                   Processing and Analyzing Data. PAGEREF _Toc224722910 \h 9 VIII.                  Major Findings. PAGEREF _Toc224722911 \h 9 IX.                    CONCLUSION. PAGEREF _Toc224722912 \h 12 X.                     Recommendations. PAGEREF _Toc224722913 \h 13                 I.      EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Hong Kong Disney Land, one of the most visited theme park in Hong Kong. With its Motto, “The Place Where Dreams Come True”, the company is given people the chance of achieving their fantasies and making them real. The company is a joint venture of the Walt Disney and Hong Kong Government, sine the latter would want to enhance their tourism industry. However, the management have not been able to anticipate the problem because of its poor performance in terms of number of tourists visiting the theme park. Accordingly, the expectation of the investors have not been met as the number of visitors are still not increasing since its opening in September 2005.  One of the reasons why this is happening is because of the unpopularity of the mainlanders with Disney characters.  In order to solve such issue, the marketing department were appointed to determine and explore other reasons for this unpopularity.  In this study, a survey was conducted. This research study considered the use of both qualitative and quantitative research approach through the use of primary and secondary data. In this study, it has been found that the low popularity of the Disney characters among local residents was one of the reasons for its low profit. On the other hand, other reasons include the price of the ticket and restaurants in the theme park.  In order to solve such issues, recommendations of management approaches that can be used were provided.   II.    COMPANY BACKGROUND Founded in 1922, the Walt Disney Company has been known for its production of quality entertainment for children and adults alike. From its previous developments, the company is now able to operate at the global level, with thousands of employees and shareholders worldwide. The Walt Disney organization is a highly diversified company operating within four major business segments including Media Networks, Studio Entertainment, Parks and Resorts and Consumer Products. Walt Disney’s Media Networks is comprised of the organizations radio and television networks, international and cable/satellite broadcast operations, television program production and distribution as well as internet operations. The company’s Studio Entertainment business segment on the other hand, handles and creates the animated and live action motion pictures, musical recordings, live stage plays and television animation programs [1]. The Parks and Resorts segment operates the company’s four destination resorts within the United States, France and Japan. In late 2005 or early 2006, Hong Kong Disneyland is scheduled to open as Disney’s fifth resort. Finally, the Consumer Products business segment is in charge of license issuance of all the original character creations and intellectual properties to retailers, manufacturers, publishers and show promoters. Hong Kong Disneyland was opened on September 12, 2005 and is under control of Hong Kong International Theme Part.  This is a joint venture of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and Walt Disney with shares 57% and 43% respectively. It can be said that at present time, there are not other Disney Park which is owned partly by the government. The aim of Walt Disney is make Disneyland closer to people as part of the international expansion strategy.[2]  The opening of Hong Kong Disney Land has marked the first Disney theme park in Mainland China and lasso the 11th Disney Theme Park in the world. It consists of four major parks which include the Main Street U.S.A., Fantasyland, Adventureland and Tomorrowland.    Although it is said to have a total area of 126 hectares, it is still considered as the smallest Disneyland compared to other Disneyland’s in the worlds. The company aims on expanding with new ventures, align with its continuous innovation management and operation to meet the needs of their target market..[3]  The major target market of HK Disney are the local people of Hong Kong and Mainland China tourists. However, the company’s expectation of competitive advantage has not been met which is to have 5.6 million visitors for the first year of their operation. During its first year, the market has only recorded 5 million visitors.[4] Both the sales and attendance expectations have not been achieved. The management is worried that if these trends will not change, then their promised performance from investors and bank lended will then be pushed for refinancing the US4 million (HK.29 million) in debt taken out for the theme park.[5] To solve this issue, a market research will be conducted through survey questionnaire approach to determine the reasons for the low popularity of the theme park and Disney characters among visitors.   III.   research objectives and research problem The main goal of this study is to determine the reasons why Hong Kong Disneyland on its opening has a low popularity as compared to the total number of 25.5 million visitors[6]. herein, the total number of mainland visitors arrivals recorded for the following years was 13.6 million, in which 51.9% of them have traveled under Individual Visit Scheme. The secondary data have shown that the visitors from the mainland are unfamiliar with Disney Cartoon characters which may explains the reasons for the low percentage of the visitors from mainland as compared to the total number of the arrivals of the visitors. In order to have some substantial evidences, a survey will be considered. In addition, this aims in exploring other possible cause for the low number of visitors than the expectations of the management.   IV.  Methodology In order to achieve the objective of this research,  a survey will be conducted. For this market research, the main questions which are going to consider are the customers satisfaction and theme park expectations. As this research aims on finding out the reasons, the study will be best conducted before summer vacation. The management will assign staffs to handle the marketing research. Herein, the time frame for the research completion is 40 days and face to face interviews will also be considered out at the exit of HK Disneyland to capture fresh moments and experiences of the visitors. The marketing staffs will conduct approximately 33 questionnaires in a daily basis at the exit gate and will consider 3 sessions for the day which include early afternoon, afternoon and closing to have first hand information from the visitors.  To foster the willingness of the visitors to join the survey and interview, they will be given a token such as badge and others to show some appreciation. before having the formal questionnaire, the staffs will consider pre-testing stage by utilizing a small sub sample to note whether the research is feasible or suitable enough to minimize errors that might happen. After this, the questionnaire will be revised to make the final one (see Appendix 1). The interviewers will be will-oriented and trained to fully understand the aim of the study and the questionnaire to avoid systematic errors.   V.   Limitations The target visitors of this research will include the visitors from China mainland and Hong Kong residents. These represents 58% and 32% of the total respondents, respectively.  These group comprises 90% of the total population. The remaining 10% of the visitors are from other nations which include Singapore, USA, Korea, Japan and other expatriates. Due to the limitation of staffs, time and budget, this market research will only focus on the two large groups (Hong Kong and Chinese people).  Although under these situations, the research could not analyze the reason from the answers of all visitors, it does represent the experience of the participants.  In this research, another excluded group of people are those who are under age of 15, whom the researched consider to not fully understand all the questions provided in the questionnaire.   VI.  RESEARCH PROCESS For this market research, the secondary data will be used to identify the general expectation of people for a theme park.  After which, primary data will be conducted through interviews and survey questionnaires. First, the researcher gathered all the secondary data and found that people from the mainland China are unfamiliar with Disney characters in China and they are lacking knowledge about the Disney Characters.[7] These are considered as influential factors that affects the expectation and likes of the visitors to come to Hong Kong Disneyland.   A.         SECONDARY DATA Due to the limited timeframe and resources, secondary data will be utilized as the basis of the study. Herein, secondary data is collated and plausibly processed by other people excluding the research. Herein, the market situations will be considered. Accordingly, Hong Kong Disneyland was the 11th theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and it became one of the most famous tourist attractions in the country. In its first year of operation, the park has recorded only 5 million visitors in its first year of operation against its objective of 5.6 million visitors.[8] Since the launch of HK Disneyland in September 2005, the company has difficult time in casting spell over their local media and more essentially, the public with a communication directive that appears to talk up the good, while maintaining tightlipped about its bad Since the Hong Kong Disneyland launched in September 2005, it had a difficult time casting its spell over the local media and, more importantly, the public, with a communications directive which appears to talk up the good, while remaining tightlipped about the bad.[9]  Because of the bad reputation of the theme park to the public during its first year, the company ahs influenced the attraction and expectation of the customers to visit the park.     The major target market of the theme park is a mix of family and non-familial visitors which include married couples without children, young adults, and the elderly. About half of the family visitors came from China mainland. Accordingly, the visitors of Hong Kong Disneyland during the summer of 2006 have boomed and 50% of the total visitors came from China Mainland.[10]    B.              PRIMARY DATA After the face to face interviews had been accomplished, the set of primary data were collected which had been consolidated into a table file.  [appendix 2].        VII. Processing and Analyzing Data Before the data is inputted through a coding system, the editing will be done to correct defaults that happened during the interview. After which, a statistical analysis will be done to have the findings and an interpretation of the information will be reported. The conclusions and recommendations will be provided for managerial decisions. –      Total days taken for whole research process = 30 days -          Respondents rates = 98.5% è 985 questionnaires were fully completed Aforementioned, the total number of questionnaires received is 985 pcs. These 985 questionnaires were validated and assess whether it provides adequate information for the research. To make sure that this research will have enough valid and completed survey questionnaires, all the interviewers/staffs had been well-trained. Although there are still some systematic errors noted in the completed questionnaires, hence, only 985 were considered. The summary of the result that covers all the questions are seen in Appendix 2. the major determinants for this research includes Q1, Q4, Q5, Q6,Q16 and Q17.   VIII.       Major Findings Based from the collated date from the 985 returned questionnaires out of 1,000 provided, and based on the secondary data collated, the following are the major findings of this study.             In Q1, the research has found that 83% of the total respondents have visited the park for the first time and 9.6% are second timer while 7% have visited the park many times.              In Q2, it has found that 58% of the visitors came from mainland China while the other 32% are Hong Kong locals as indicated in the secondary data collated. The other 10% were visitors from other countries such as Singapore, Australia, USA, Africa and others. It has also been found in Q3 that 39% of the total respondents have been able to visit Disneyland parks from other countries and the remaining 61% have noted that they have never been into any Disney parks than in Hong Kong.             In line with Q4, 80% of the total respondents have noted that they are visiting with their families, 19% were visiting with their friends and only 5 respondents were visiting along while 7 are accompanying their business colleagues during their business trips in the country. In Q5, it has been proven that the secondary data is correct by showing that at least 50% of the total respondents came from mainland China were unfamiliar with Disneyland characters (55%) and 13% of them are unsure about the Disney Characters. Q6 focuses on exploring the expectations of the respondents. In this research, the findings have shown that most of the participants (634) are coming because of the interest of their children.  475 visitors from China Mainland are visiting as part of the tour package and 258 visitors are visiting because of the media promotion. In this, 129 visitors have came because of the brand name of the Walt Disney and only 102 visitors came because of the recommendations of their friends. From Q7 to Q10, the research have found that 18% of the total respondents thing that Hong Kong Disneyland is an attractive tourist destination. 14% of the total respondents have considered the theme park as the place where their dreams come true.  Majority of the respondents have enjoyed the show performances and parade (40%) and 35% have enjoyed the cartoon characters.  46% (457) out of 985 respondents have pointed out that the price ticket is too expensive and 30% (299) have least interests in the souvenir items of Disneyland. In Q11and Q12, it has been revealed that only around 17% of the total participants will be happy to suggest Disneyland to their relatives or friends or will be happy to visit the park again, while around 59% of the respondents will not recommend the park with their friends because the overall image of Hong Kong Disneyland is not as good as the Disneyland Parks in other nations. some respondents perceived that the park is too small and there is not much to see and enjoy. Some respondents also noted that environment is not clean because of most visitors are not well-disciplined. Most of the respondents have expressed their dissatisfaction on the park in Q14 because of the high price of the products and restaurants. 49% which comprises 486 of the total respondents are dissatisfied and 28% are very dissatisfied. 36% of the total respondents have neutral comments in the attitude of the employees while 29% are satisfied with the employers while 23% are dissatisfied. In Q16, the survey revealed that 46% of the visitors are dissatisfied while 16% are very dissatisfied as compared with only 15% satisfied and 5% very satisfied visitors. 18% have neutral perception. In line with the price value worthiness in Q17, only 7% out of 985 respondents were on the high and 3% have perceived that the price is very high. 18% of the total respondents find it to be average and 58% gives low or negative feedback. In terms of the demographic information, the research have found that most of the visitors (54%) considered as at the age of 26-40 years old, married female who became housewives in their secondary education, with a family income over HK,001 or above.   IX.  CONCLUSION   Based on the result of the survey conducted, this study have drawn into the following conclusions. In this, the major findings of the research shows that 817 visitors are first time visitors with only 168 people who came for the second or third time. This shows that the re-visit percentage for HK Disneyland is extremely low. Among the 1,000 visitors, more than half of them came from China. And the reasons for visiting is because the visit is pre-scheduled or tour package inclusive. Most of the respondents have no knowledge or even never heard names and the characters of Disneyland.             It has been revealed that the main reason why local residents wanted to visit the park is because of the interest of their children. The feedback on the questionnaire have shown that most visitors have noted that the ticket and the restaurant prices are too costly,  In terms of attractiveness, souvenirs, rides and environments and services, the overall rating from the visitors are negative, except on the show performance and parade. Most of the visitors have been hesitant in recommending the park to their friends, and are wondering if they will be visiting again in the future or rather visit other Disneyland in other nations.             From the demographic profile, most of the respondents are young adults whose age ranges from 26-40, married female, housewives in their secondary education with a monthly family income of  HK,000.  The visitors have noted that their main concerns in the theme park is to add more facilities which will give benefits to their kids. X.   Recommendations   Based on the conclusion provided, it has been found that 80% of the respondents are visiting with their families. Such kind of date is very essential for the marketing department to have better strategies. Thus, the following marketing measures will be recommended to Senior Management for consideration:-       Since most of the people in Mainland China are unfamiliar with the Disney cartooned characters, the management should be able to actively educate these people by showing more Disney cartoons in terms of Media through television channels.  Further, the management can also consider the sponsorship of some Children program. This is to help Chinese people in recognizing Disney characters and enhance their interests to seem them live. In addition, more print ads, and visual media advertisements and promotions can also be considered.       For local Hong Kong residents, majority of the visitors have considered that the price of the ticket are too high, hence this should be considered to have some promotional approaches to provide discounted tickets for the Hong Kong people, like free visit for birthday boys and girls on their birth month excluding their family members. In this way, the revenue and sales can be boosted. IN addition, another discount can be given to birthday boys and girls if they choose to celebrate at all Disneyland restaurants.       On one hand, as shown in the result of the survey done by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. Up to Q2 2007, there were 11, 320, 000 cards issued by Hong Kong.[11].  With the penetration of the credit cards in the country,  HK Disneyland can also consider partnership with banks and credit card users to redeem free ticks with their points on their credit card or they may buy tickets using this at a discounted rate.       XI. References Disney World Website (2009), “Walt Disney World” Available: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/index. retrieved March 13, 2009. D’Agostino, D. (2003, December 1), Case Study: Walt Disney World Resorts and CRM Strategy, CIO Insight, Ziff Davis Media, Inc http://www.tarp.com/index.html http://www.justdisney.com/disneyland/history.html ProQuest : Paula M Miller. The China Business Review. Washington: Jan/Feb 2007. Vol. 34, Iss. 1; pg. 31, 3 pgs Business Daily News. London (UK): Apr 9, 2007. pg.1 ProQuest: Marketing Week. London: Sep 7, 2006.  pg. 7 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1124114701&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=68428&RQT=309&VName=&cfc=1 http://www3.news.gov.hk/isd/ebulletin/en/category/businessandfinance/071227/html/071227en03002.htm http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=2&art_id=37951&sid=12132412&con_type=1&d_str=20070209 JUSTINE LAU. Financial Times. London (UK): Sep 5, 2006. pg. 27 – http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1122909991&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=68428&RQT=309&VName=PQD Paula M Miller. The China Business Review. Washington: Jan/Feb 2007. Vol. 34, Iss. 1; pg. 31, 3 pgs – http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=4&did=1260548581&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1210773582&clientId=68428 James Murphy. Media. Hong Kong: May 19, 2006. pg. 15, 1 pgs – http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=10&did=1062787541&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1210774405&clientId=68428 Paula M Miller. The China Business Review. Washington: Jan/Feb 2007. Vol. 34, Iss. 1; pg. 31, 3 pgs – http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=4&did=1260548581&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1210773582&clientId=68428 http://gia.info.gov.hk/general/200708/15/P200708150201_0201_30737.doc Wasko, J. (2001), Understanding Disney: The manufacture of Fantasy, Polity Press, Cambridge, UK.     XII. Appendix APPENDIX I Thank you for participating in this Survey. Your candid evaluation of Hong Kong Disneyland services is invaluable and much appreciated.  We are endeavoring to do everything possible to be “The Place Where Dreams come True”.   1.      Is this your first time visit to Hong Kong Disneyland?             □          Yes                 □          No, please specify(           )     2.      Where do you come from? □  Hong Kong        □  China          □  Other country, please specify(       )   3.      Have you been to other overseas Disney Parks? □  Yes                   □          No               4.      Who come with you?             □          Family                         □          Friends                                    □          Alone                          □          Others, please specify (       )   5.      Are you familiar with Walt Disney characters before your first time Hong Kong Disneyland visit?             □          Yes                             □  Not Sure                      □  No                                 6.      What is your reason(s) for visiting Hong Kong Disneyland? (multiple selection)             □          Recommended by friends                               □          Part of tour package                                        □          Media promotion                                                        □          For my children’s interests                              □          Walt Disney brand name                                □      Others, please specify (             )   7.      Do you think Hong Kong Disneyland is attractive?       □          Strongly agree                         □  Agree                                      □  Neutral                                                □  Disagree                                              □  Strongly disagree                      8.      Do you agree Hong Kong Disneyland is “the place where dreams come true”? □  Strongly agree                         □  Agree                                      □  Neutral                                                □  Disagree                                              □  Strongly disagree                      9.      Which of the following you think is/are the attractive points of Hong Kong Disneyland? (Multiple Selection) □      Cartoon Characters (E.g Mickey mouse, Minnie mouse, Donald Duck etc.) □      Rides □      Souvenirs □      Magical feelings of Disneyland □      Environment of Disneyland □      Services □      Ticket Price □      Others, please specify (        )                            10.  Which of the following is/are the unattractive points of Hong Kong Disneyland? (Multiple Selection)         □  Cartoon Characters are not attractive □  Rides are little and bored □  Souvenirs □  Environment of Disneyland □  Service □  Location □  Show performances                                                                                                    □  Others, please specify(           )              11.  Will you recommend Hong Kong Disneyland to your relatives or friends? □  Yes      □  Not Sure                      □  No       (Why?)   12.  Will you come again ?             □          Yes                                          □  Not Sure                                              □          No                                             13.  What facilities do you think the park to be added?     Please write down the facilities               i)                                                               ii)                                                              iii)                                                             iv)                                                             v)                                                   14.  How do you feel about the price of the restaurants at the Hong Kong Disneyland? □    Very satisfied                          □    Satisfied                                              □    Neutral                                                □    Dissatisfied                             □    Very dissatisfied                       15.  How do you feel about the attitude of our “employees”? □    Very satisfied                          □    Satisfied                                              □    Neutral                                                □    Dissatisfied                             □    Very dissatisfied                           16.  What is your overall rating for Hong Kong Disneyland? □    Very satisfied                          □    Satisfied                                              □    Neutral                                                □    Dissatisfied                             □    Very dissatisfied                       17.  Please rate your experience of Hong Kong Disneyland compared with price paid. □    Very high value                                   □    High value                                           □    Average                                                           □    Low value                                           □    Unacceptably low value                        Others Information   18.  What is your age group? □    15 – 25 years old                     □          26 – 40 years old         □    41 – 60 years old                     □          over 60 years old           19.  What is your sex?            □    Male                            □    Female                           20.  Are you married?             □          Yes                                                      □          No                                             21.  What is your occupation? □    Students          □          Professionals   □          Financial          □          Services □    Owners            □          Housewife       □          Others   22.  What is your educational level? □    Primary school            □          Secondary school        □          College □    University                   □          Master             □          Others (                  )       23.  What is your monthly income (equivalent to Hong Kong dollars)? □    Below 00   □          ,001 – ,000         □          ,001 – ,000 □    ,001 –,000       □          ,001 and above          Name (optional)  :                           Email address (optional):                              ALL 		THE ABOVE INFORMATION YOU PROVIDED WILL BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL. THANK YOU.       Appendix 2: See Excel Files. 	   		 		 		[1] 		Wasko, J. (2001), Understanding Disney: The manufacture of Fantasy, 		Polity Press, Cambridge, UK. 		 		 		[2] 		ProQuest : Paula M Miller. The China Business Review. Washington: 		Jan/Feb 2007. Vol. 34, Iss. 1; pg. 31, 3 pgs 		 		 		[3] 		ProQuest : SinoCast China Business Daily News. London (UK): Apr 9, 2007. 		pg.1 		 		 		[4] 		ProQuest: 		 		Marketing Week. London: Sep 		7, 2006.  pg. 7 - 		http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1124114701&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=68428&RQT=309&VName=&cfc=1 		 		 		[5]http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=2&art_id=37951&sid=12132412&con_type=1&d_str=20070209 		 		 		 		[6] 		http://www3.news.gov.hk/isd/ebulletin/en/category/businessandfinance/071227/html/071227en03002.htm 		 		 		[7] 		 		JUSTINE LAU. 		 		 		Financial Times. 		London (UK): 		 		Sep 5, 2006. 		pg. 27 – 		http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1122909991&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=68428&RQT=309&VName=PQD 		 		 		[8] 		 		Paula M Miller. 		 		 		The China Business 		Review. Washington: 		 		Jan/Feb 2007. 		Vol. 34, Iss. 1; pg. 31, 3 pgs – 		http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=4&did=1260548581&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1210773582&clientId=68428 		 		 		[9] 		 		James Murphy. 		 		 		Media. 		Hong Kong: 		 		May 19, 2006. 		pg. 15, 1 pgs – 		http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=10&did=1062787541&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1210774405&clientId=68428 		 		 		[10] 		Paula M Miller. The China Business Review. Washington: Jan/Feb 2007. 		Vol. 34, Iss. 1; pg. 31, 3 pgs – 		http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=4&did=1260548581&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1210773582&clientId=68428 		 		 		[11] 		http://gia.info.gov.hk/general/200708/15/P200708150201_0201_30737.doc Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Research Project Hong Kong Disney Land

TABLE OF CONTENTS TOC \o “1-3″ \h \z \u I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . PAGEREF _Toc224722899 \h 2 II. ...