Amusement Parks Essay Example for Free

Amusement Parks Essay * A rushing Feeling of anticipation and excitement takes over you as you’re taking the journey through the maze called the parking lot. * Arrive at destination and a million things trickle in your head similar to look how big this place is or which rides should I attend to first and many more. * Theme parks are a sense of liveliness. * Everywhere you look; crowds of people are in high-spirits and have a bundle of energy. * Children and teens of all ages dash over to rides to get in the front row. * There is laughter, people talking, people happy or down. * Kids tugging on their parents clothes to beg for things they want. â€Å"Mommy can I go on this ride?† * The main attractions are mainly the roller coasters and rides. This includes rides that twist, turn, flip, sling, go fast, go slow, and sometimes get you soaked in water. * Amusement Parks are so massive that people can get lost. * They provide maps that have pictures and the title of the certain events or places of the park this way people know where they want to go first and how to get out. * Some theme parks not only have rides but tamed and trained animals that can do tricks to entertain the audience and then there are animals that are behind glass windows casually walking around or doing something with their partners in the area they sleep in.

McDonalds Price Diffrentiation Strategy

McDonalds Price Diffrentiation Strategy Ray Kroc became the first franchisee appointed by Mac and Dick McDonald in San Bernardino, California. Ray Kroc opened his first restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois (near Chicago), and the McDonalds Corporation was created. Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value (Q.S.C. V.) became the company motto. 1959 The 100th McDonalds opened in Chicago. 1961 Ray Kroc bought all rights to the McDonalds concept from the McDonalds brothers for $2.7 million. Hamburger University opened in Elk Grove, near Chicago. 1963 One billion hamburgers sold. The 500th restaurant opened. The 500th student graduates from Hamburger University. Ronald McDonald made his debut. McDonalds net income exceeded $1 million. 1964 Filet-o-Fish sandwich introduced. 1965 McDonalds Corporation went public. Per earning ratio varies from 10 to 22 during year; stock price range, 15 33.5. 1966 McDonalds listed on the New York stock exchange on the 7th May. 1967 The first restaurants outside of the USA opened in Canada and Puerto Rico. 1968 The Big Mac was introduced. The 1,000th restaurant opened in Des Plaines, Illinois. 1970 McDonalds restaurant in every US state. Ray Cesca (Director of Global Purchasing of the McDonalds Corporation) has admitted that when McDonalds opened stores in Costa Rica in 1970, they were using beef from cattle raised on ex-rainforest land, deforested in the 1950s and 1960s. New countries Virgin Islands, Costa Rica. 1971 The Egg McMuffin sandwich was test marketed in the US as McDonalds first breakfast menu item. McDonalds Japanese President, Den Fujita, stated the reason Japanese people are so short and have yellow skins is because they have eaten nothing but fish and rice for two thousand years; if we eat McDonalds hamburgers and potatoes for a thousand years we will become taller, our skin become white and our hair blonde. New countries Japan, Holland, Australia, Germany, Panama, Guam. 1972 Assets exceeded $500 million and sales surpassed $1 billion. A new McDonalds restaurant opening every day. New countries France, El Salvador. The 2,000th restaurant opened in Des Plaines, Illinois. The Quarter Pounder was introduced. Ray Kroc made a $250,000 donation to the controversial 1972 presidential campaign of Richard Nixon. 1973 McDonalds Golden Arches Restaurants Limited founded in UK as a joint venture partnership between the McDonalds Corporation and two businessmen; one British, one American. New country Sweden. Egg Mc Muffin introduced. 1974 The 3,000th McDonalds restaurant was opened in Woolwich (south east London) in October, the first in the UK. The UK Head Office was sited in Hampstead, North London. Up to 1974, McDonalds employees in Puerto Rico were unionized, but the company was sold to a new franchisee. A dispute followed, closing all the stores and McDonalds pulled out of Puerto Rico. They reopened in 1980 with non-union labor. New countries England, Netherlands, Antilles, Guatemala. The first Ronald McDonald House opened in Philadelphia. At a San Francisco Labor Board hearing, McDonalds workers testified that lie-detectors had been used to ask about union sympathies, following which the company was threatened with legal action. 1975 The Companys first Drive-Thru opened in Sierra Vista, Arizona. New countries Hong Kong, Bahamas, Nicaragua. Fred Turner becomes Chairman, Ray Kroc Senior Chairman, and Ed Schmitt becomes President. Broadcast advertising appeared in UK cinemas. 1976 McDonalds first UK TV advertisement was broadcast. 4,000th store opened in Canada. New countries Switzerland, New Zealand. Largest restaurant opens with 334 seats. 1977 New countries Ireland, Austria. Breakfast menu introduced, nationally in America. 1978 The 5,000th restaurant opened in Kanagawa, Japan and it made US $1 million in its first year. Sundaes introduced in USA. In one store in Chicago (USA), a majority of McDonalds workers joined a union. The company then took legal action to stop recognition for the union unless they could get a majority in the 8 stores run by the franchisee. New country Belgium. 1979 A 7 month strike in Dublin (Ireland) lead to recognition of the ITGWU union. In 1985, two union activists won a victory at a labor court after claiming victimization and unfair dismissal. New countries Brazil and Singapore. 1980 The 6,000th restaurant opened in Munich. After workers in a store in Detroit (USA) joined a union, the company organized a visit by a top baseball star, staff disco, and McBingo prior to elections for union representation. First floating restaurant on a steamer in Missouri. 1,000th international restaurant opened. 1981 New countries Spain, Denmark and Malaysia. 1982 Geoffrey Guiliano, a main Ronald McDonald actor, quit and publicly apologized, stating I brainwashed youngsters into doing wrong. I want to say sorry to children everywhere for selling out to concerns that make millions by murdering animals. 7,000th restaurant opened in Washington DC. McDonalds were responsible for food poisoning outbreak caused by E. Coli bacteria, which affected 47 people in Oregon and Michigan, USA. Egon Ronay calls McDonalds burgers uninspiring. Breakfast was introduced to the British menu. 1983 The McDonalds Corporation became sole owners of McDonalds in the UK. The Company is named McDonalds Hamburgers Limited. Five consignments of Brazilian beef are secretly imported for McDonalds UK stores. The 100th UK restaurant opened in Market Street, Manchester. New country Norway. Introduction of Chicken Mc Nuggets in USA. New Hamburger University campus opens in Oak Brook, Illinois. Set in 80 wooded acres. Training is provided for every level of McDonalds management worldwide. A lodge with 154 rooms in also on the same site. In Arkansas (USA), the UFCW union, which was interested in recruiting McDonalds workers, was involved in a union dispute at a chicken processing plant supplying McDonalds. 1984 Founder Ray Kroc dies. 50 billionth hamburgers sold. Ronald McDonald Childrens Charities is founded in his memory to raise funds in support of child welfare. A McDonalds pamphlet which is distributed to health professionals in the UK states: There is a considerable amount of evidence to suggest that many of the diseases which are more common in the western, affluent world diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and some forms of cancer are related to diet. The typical western diet is relatively low in dietary fiber (roughage) and high in fat, salt and sugar. McDonalds now serves 17 million customers a day. 1985 London Greenpeace (a radical group of civil rights and environmental campaigners, independent of Greenpeace International) launches a campaign intended to expose the reality behind the advertising mask of the fast food chains, including McDonalds. Sergio Quintana, the sales director of Coop Monticello (the sole supplier of beef to McDonalds stores in Costa Rica since 1970), stated on camera that his companys beef was being supplied to McDonalds in the USA. 1986 Drive-Thru restaurants opened in UK at Fallow field, Dudley, Neasden and Coventry. Four workers in Madrid who had called for union elections were sacked by McDonalds. The company was forced to reinstate the workers after the labor court ruled that the dismissals were illegal. The 200th UK restaurant opened in Ipswich. McDonalds became the first UK restaurant group to introduce nutritional information, throughout the country, for the benefit of customers. London Greenpeace published a 6-sided factsheet entitled Whats Wrong with McDonalds? Everything They Dont Want You To Know. The first UK franchisee-operated restaurant opened in Hayes, Middlesex. The first World Day of Action against McDonalds was held on 16th October (UN World Food Day). 1987 The Attorneys General of Texas, California and New York threatened to sue McDonalds under the consumer protection laws over an advertising campaign claiming that McDonalds food is nutritious. The Attorneys General concluded that the campaign was deceptive because McDonalds food is, as a whole, not nutritious. McDonalds is serving 20 million people a day in nearly 10,000 restaurants in 47 countries. The UK Midlands regional training centre opened in Sutton Cold field. McDonalds started legal proceedings against the Transnationals Information Centre (an independent research and action group based in London) over a booklet they produced called Working for Big Mac which was highly critical of the companys employment practices. The TIC backed down lacking resources to fight the case to trial, discontinued publication and distribution of the booklet (which was pulped), and the organization itself went bust. 1988 McDonalds sponsored the Child of Achievement Awards. CFCs ceased to be used for most of McDonalds Styrofoam packaging. 300th UK restaurant opened in Dagenham, Essex. 1989 Italian designer Valentino attempts in a Rome court to stop McDonalds opening near the Piazza di Spagna, complaining of noise and disgusting odours. McDonalds is listed on the Frankfurt, Munich, Paris and Tokyo stock exchanges. The Bournemouth Advertiser (UK) is threatened with a libel action by McDonalds over an article which discussed the captive-bolt method of slaughter for cattle. The newspaper backed down and published an apology. Michael Quinlan is appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The UK Companys name was changed to McDonalds Restaurants Limited. McDonalds send undercover private investigators to infiltrate London Greenpeace over a period of 20 months. McDonalds charity for child welfare fundraising, Ronald McDonald Childrens Charities, was registered. McDonalds Child of Achievement Awards was presented by UK Prime Minister Mrs. Margaret Thatcher. The UK Manchester regional training centre was opened. McDonalds stores in Philadelphia (USA) were independently surveyed and accused of having racist differential wage rates between the inner-city stores (mostly black workers) and the suburbs (mostly white workers). 1990 September libel writs were served on five supporters of London Greenpeace, three of whom feel unable to fight the case. The McLibel Support Campaign is set up to generate solidarity and financial backing for the McLibel Defendants. McDonalds opened in Pushkin Square and Gorky Street, Moscow. McDonalds opened at a UK airport at North Terminal, Gatwick. The first Ronald McDonald House opened at Guys Hospital, London. McDonalds Child of Achievement Awards attended by HRH The Princess of Wales. 1991 McDonalds were responsible for a serious food poisoning outbreak in Preston (UK), when several customers were hospitalized as a result of eating undercooked burgers contaminated by potentially deadly E.Coli 0157H bacteria. The 150th Ronald McDonald House opened in Paris. McDonalds opened in Beijing, China. The 400th UK restaurant (and first in Northern Ireland) is opened in Belfast. McDonalds opens in Hampstead (North London) despite strong opposition from local residents. 1992 Mark Hopkins, a McDonalds worker in Manchester (UK), was fatally electrocuted on touching a fat filtering unit in the wash-up area of the store. The manager of a Newcastle store (UK) was jailed for 6 months for inducing a crew member to phone through a hoax bomb threat to nearby Burger King in order to boost sales at McDonalds. McDonalds Child of Achievement Awards attended by UK Prime Minister John Major. McDonalds opened in a railway station at Liverpool Street, London. A UK Health Safety Executive report made 23 recommendations for improvements in the safety of employees. One of its conclusions was The application of McDonalds hustle policy [ie. getting staff to work at speed] in many restaurants was, in effect, putting the service of the customer before the safety of employees. Visitors to Salisbury Cathedral (UK) are offered two burgers for the price of one if they buy a commemorative parchment scroll. The idea is dropped when the bishop gets back from holiday. First restaurant in a European hospital opened at Guys Hospital, London. 1993 The first McDonalds at sea opened aboard the Silja Europa, the worlds largest ferry sailing between Stockholm and Helsinki. The Paris planning authorities refuse permission for a McDonalds under the Eiffel Tower. The second Ronald McDonald House opened at Alder Hey Childrens Hospital, Liverpool. 500th UK restaurant opened in Notting Hill Gate, London. First UK operated restaurant on a ship opened on the Stena Sealink ferry Fantasia sailing between Dover and Calais. McDonalds sponsored athletics in the UK through the McDonalds Young Athletes League and the International invitational meeting the McDonalds Games. 1994 Mc Libel Trial starts on 28th June. Restaurants opened in Bahrain, Bulgaria, Egypt, Kuwait, Latvia, Oman, New Caledonia, Trinidad and United Arab Emirates, bringing the total to over 15,000 in 79 countries on 6 continents. McDonalds celebrated twenty years of operating in the UK. McDonalds environmental image was revealed to be a sham, and customers being conned when it was discovered that rubbish which customers were asked to put into separated recycling bins throughout New Zealand stores was sent to the tip. McDonalds achieved the highest ever grade under the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Quality Safety Audit scheme. McDonalds was voted the Most Parent Friendly restaurant in the UK for the second successive year by the Tommys Parent Friendly Campaign, supported by the Daily Telegraph. Workers in an Ontario store (Canada) joined a union, but the company managed to avoid recognition by ensuring victory in Labor Board sponsored elections. The McLibel Defendants issue a countersuit for libel against McDonalds over the companys accusation in a leaflet that they are telling lies. Five McDonalds managers are arrested in Lyon, France for trying to rig union elections. On 1st October, McDonalds UK executives held a celebration along with a jazz band and clown at their Woolwich store to mark 20 years since this first store opened in the UK. In October, there is a demonstration at McDonalds European headquarters in London where sackbuts of the companys litter picked up off the streets are returned. The Company threatens legal action against a topless restaurant in Australia called Mc Tits. 1995 Mc Libel Trial becomes the longest libel trial in British history on Day 102 in March. On 15th April, there were international protests to mark the 40th anniversary of the opening of the worlds first store of the McDonalds Corporation, and to celebrate 10 years of co-ordinate international resistance to McDonalds. On the first anniversary of the McLibel Trial (28th June), it becomes known that McDonalds had initiated secret settlement negotiations and had twice flown members of their US Board of Directors to London to meet with the McLibel Defendants in an attempt to bring the case to an end. 12th October, the third anniversary of the death of Mark Hopkins, was a Day of Solidarity with McDonalds Workers in the UK. On 16th October, the 11th annual Worldwide Day of Action against McDonalds, there were protests in at least 20 countries. In the UK, at least 250 of the companys 600 stores were leafleted. On 11th December (Day 199 of the trial), the McLibel Trial becomes the longest civil case in English history. Following widespread opposition by local residents, McDonalds were refused permission to open an outlet at their European headquarters in north London. 1996 February 16th 10am, the McSpotlight website was launched. In March, the publics intense concern over the links between the cattle disease BSE and its human equivalent CJD forced McDonalds UK to ban British beef. The company did not sell any beef products for a week while supposedly waiting for beef supplies to arrive from other EU countries. The Vegetable Deluxe was launched in the UK. McDonalds opened stores in India. McDonalds and Disney announced a deal giving McDonalds exclusive rights to use characters from Disney films in its promotions around the world for 10 years. Commentators called it the biggest global marketing alliance yet devised. McDonalds opened a store in Belarus, its 100th country. The movie star Robin Williams turned down a million-pound offer to advertise McDonalds. McDonalds threatened the owner of a UK sandwich bar called McMunchies with legal action for breach of trademark. A retired Scottish school-teacher called Ronald McDonald, and the chief of the McDonald clan in Scotland were both outraged at this further attempt by McDonalds to claim global dominion over the prefix Mc and the name McDonald which has been an Irish and Scottish family name for centuries. The Supreme Court of Denmark ruled against McDonalds claim that a sausage stand called McAllans was in breach of its trademark. Following widespread opposition by local residents in Winchmore Hill (north London) which put a lot of pressure on the local MP (Michael Portillo, the Defense Secretary), McDonalds were refused permission to convert the local Conservative Association HQ into a Drive-Thru. McDonalds sued for breach of trademark a Jamaican fast-food company (called the McDonalds Corporation Limited) which had been operating in Jamaica since the early 1970s. McDonalds succeeded in its trademark battle in South Africa, when an appeal court prohibited competitors from using its name and the golden arches symbol. McDonalds began spending $200 million on a promotional blitz in the USA Canada to lure adults to visit their outlets. This included the launch of the new adult burger, the Arch Deluxe in May. Despite this blitz, US sales continued to fall. The parents of a child, who died from E.Coli 0157 food poisoning after eating McDonalds burgers in Spain and England, began legal proceedings for compensation in the USA. Meanwhile, three children who suffered E.Coli 0157 food poisoning in England also from McDonalds burgers were granted legal aid to sue McDonalds and their supplier McKeys. McDonalds opened the worlds first fast-food ski-through in the Lindvallen resort (Sweden). The Mc Libel Trial became the longest trial of any kind in English legal history in November. A value meal is a group of menu items offered together at a lower price than they would cost individually. They are common at fast food restaurants. Value meals are a common merchandising tactic to facilitate bundling, up-selling, and price discrimination. Most of the time they can be upgraded to a larger size of fries and drink for a small fee. The perceived creation of a discount on individual menu items in exchange for the purchase of a meal is also consistent with the loyalty marketing school of thought. TECHNOLOGY:- In order to make speedy service possible and to ensure accuracy and security, many fast food restaurants have incorporated hospitality point of sale systems. This makes it possible for kitchen crew people to view orders placed at the front counter or drive through in real time. Wireless systems allow orders placed at drive through speakers to be taken by cashiers and cooks. Drive through and walk through configurations will allow orders to be taken at one register and paid at another. Modern point of sale systems can operate on computer networks using a variety of software programs. Sales records can be generated and remote access to computer reports can be given to corporate offices, managers, troubleshooters, and other authorized personnel. Food service chains partner with food equipment manufacturers to design highly specialized restaurant equipment, often incorporating heat sensors, timers, and other electronic controls into the design. Collaborative design techniques, such as rapid visualization and parametric modeling of restaurant kitchens are now being used to establish equipment specifications that are consistent with restaurant operating and merchandising requirements. The United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, many home based fast food operations were closed in the 1970s and 1980s after McDonalds became the number one outlet in the market. However, brands like Wimpy still remain, although the majority of branches became Burger King in 1989. Japan Traditional ramen and sushi restaurants still dominate fast food culture in Japan, although American outlets like Pizza Hut, McDonalds, and KFC are also popular, along with Japanese chains like MOS Burger. Nigeria In Nigeria, Mr. Biggs, Chicken Republic, Tantalizers, and Taste Fried Chicken are the predominant fast food chains. KFC and Pizza Hut have recently entered the country. South Africa KFC is the most popular fast food chain in South Africa according to a 2010 Sunday Times survey. Chicken Licken, Wimpy and Ocean Basket along with Nandos and Steers are examples of homegrown franchises that are highly popular within the country. Mcdonalds, Subway and Pizza Hut have a significant presence within South Africa. China and Hong Kong In Hong Kong, although McDonalds and KFC are quite popular, there are 3 major local fast food chains providing Hong Kong Chinese style fast food. These 3 major chains are Cafà © de Coral, Fairwood Fast Food, and Maxim MX. In recent years, they have also been extending their operations to Mainland China. Israel In Israel, local burger chain Burger Ranch is popular as are McDonalds, Burger King and KFC. Dominos Pizza is also a popular fast food restaurant. Chains like McDonalds offer kosher branches. Non-kosher foods such as cheeseburgers are rare in Israeli fast food chains, even in non-kosher branches. There are many small local fast food chains that serve pizza, burgers and local foods such as falafel. MCDONALDS PRICE DISCRIMINATION:- McDonalds is reported to have decided that it is dropping the idea of one price fits all for its chain of over 1,200 franchise-based stores across the UK and may move towards regionally-based pricing for cheeseburgers and other products. Like many other fast food retailers, McDonalds has come under huge pressure because of rising operating costs. The key issue is how much of the rise in the price of ingredients and wages for staff can be passed onto consumers without it damaging sales volumes. Is the market demand for burgers sensitive to the economic cycle? Is the demand for McDonalds burgers price elastic or inelastic? The Financial Times has reported that Revenue Management Solutions has been commissioned to do some market research to find out how price-sensitive customers are in Britain and recommend where and on what menu items it can raise prices by 10p-20p. This would move McDonalds closer towards Burger King which allows franchises to charge different prices and Sainsbury and Tesco which charge different prices at high street stores. EOs of America Tricon Global Restaurants, the group that owns KFC and Pizza Hut, promotes Traditional Peking Chicken Roll at a KFC restaurant in Shanghai. At present, there are more than 1,000 KFC restaurants in China, and they are increasing at annual rate of 200. A new KFC restaurant opens every other day. Western counterpart McDonalds also continues to expand its premises. Having arrived on the mainland in the early 1990s, McDonalds has more than 600 restaurants in nearly 100 cities. Although there have been fewer golden arches in America, its native country, in the past two years, Chinas McDonalds have grown at a rate of 100 restaurants per year. The total income of fast food restaurants in China now stands at 180 billion yuan RMB, and KFC and McDonalds account for eight percent. What kind of magic has brought them such success in China? How do they sustain growth rates? Their standardized business operation apart, the key is excellent inter-cultural management. Western Fast Food Chinese Style Alluring the captious customers is a hurdle every foreign fast food restaurant must clear. The novelty of these fast food restaurants initially won many customers. Although cheap and commonplace in America, at the time the Chinese governments opening-up policy was newly enacted, fast food was exotically foreign enough to whet Chinese peoples curiosity about the outside world. Managers took advantage of this by charging the relatively high prices of 10 yuan for a hamburger, and 5 yuan for a Coke. By the mid-1990s, there were 100 fast food restaurants around Beijing; the convenience, efficient service, comfortable environment, pleasing music and jovial atmosphere garnered fans. Office workers enjoyed grabbing a quick bite on their way to work, and friends enjoyed relaxing over a Coke. However, certain eagle-eyed managers noticed that some people never dropped in when they passed by. Some customers complained that fast food was not as good as their Chinese cuisine, and that it lacked variety. McDonalds and KFC restaurants were almost empty during the traditional celebrations of Spring Festival and Mid-autumn Festival while Chinese restaurants were heaved and bustled. The reason? Cultural differences. Fast food restaurants like KFC and McDonalds are distinct American brands. Differences between China and US politics, economics, social development and ideology became obstacles to international enterprises operating in China. Corporate culture could not be understood or accepted here, especially in the restaurant field, where culture plays a crucial role. McDonalds at full sail on the Huangpu River. So the solution was to adapt: when in Rome, do as the Romans. Deep-rooted in the Chinese consciousness is the traditional culture of food and drink that features color, fragrance, flavor and variety. Fast food simply does not compare. Now that curiosity had faded, people returned to their own more extensive cuisine. Under such circumstances, the only way out was to combine the two different cultures. Fast food restaurants have been learning to absorb elements of Chinese culture. Since the summer of 2001, KFC has introduced many Chinese items onto their menus. Preserved Sichuan Pickle and Shredded Pork Soup was one of the first. Consumers felt their traditions were being respected when they could taste Chinese cuisine at a foreign restaurant. The soup proved a success, and Mushroom Rice, Tomato and Egg Soup, and Traditional Peking Chicken Roll were soon added to the menu. Not content to lag behind, McDonalds Vegetable and Seafood Soup and Corn Soup were introduced, and the company worked to modify the restaurants design. During the 2004 Spring Festival, McDonalds on Beijings Wangfujing Street attracted many people with a traditional Chinese look, decorating their interiors with paper-cuts of the Chinese character Fu (Happiness), magpies and twin fishes, all auspicious symbols. Inter-cultural Management Mode McDonalds have absorbed the Chinese cultural elements of showing respect, recognition, understanding, assimilation and amalgamation, while maintaining the substance of the Western culture of efficiency, freedom, democracy, equality and humanity. This inter-cultural management mode, with American business culture at the core, supplemented by Chinese traditional culture, provides reference for international enterprises which need to adjust, enrich and reconstruct their corporate culture to enhance local market flexibility. There are, however, certain conditions essential to inter-cultural management mode. On the objective side, there must be similarities in environment in order for the two cultures to connect and synchronize. McDonalds embody an accommodation of the fast tempo of modern life: a product of development and a market economy. Their resultant speed and efficiency are only meaningful in countries with a market economy. Chinas rapid economic development offered the environmental conditions corresponding to fast food culture. Services offered by fast food chains express their full respect for freedom, an American value, as well as the psychological statement of Chinese open-mindedness that yearns to understand and experience the Western lifestyle. Two cultures proactively crashed, connected, and assimilated. KFC and McDonalds use the localization strategy to re-express American business culture, with profound traditional Chinese cultural emblems, catering to local customs on the basis of stand ardized management. A CASE :- In July 2006, the worlds largest fast food restaurant chain, McDonalds, which claims to be an equal opportunity employer, was at the receiving end of a discrimination lawsuit along with the management company that runs the McDonalds outlet in Dearborn and an unnamed manager. Two Muslim women claimed that they had been denied employment at McDonald Dearborn outlet as they sported a hijab. Introduction On July 24, 2008, two Muslim women filed a lawsuit against the worlds largest fast food restaurant chain, McDonalds, its management company at Dearborn, Michigan, USA, and one of its managers, alleging that they had been discriminated against during their job interviews because they were wearing the hijab. In the lawsuit filed in Wayne County Circuit Court, Michigan, the women claimed that the discrimination had been going on for years and demanded US$10 million as compensation. The two women Toi Whitfield (Whitfield) of Detroit, and Quiana Pugh (Pugh) of Dearborn alleged that the manager had told them that they would not be considered for employment unless they removed their hijab. According to the women, Pugh had approached McDonalds for an interview in July 2008, while Whitfield had her interview in November 2006 SWOT ANALYSIS

Look At Causal Comparative Research Psychology Essay

Look At Causal Comparative Research Psychology Essay Causal-comparative research design can be defined as a research that permits researchers to study naturally occurring, cause and effect relationship through comparison of data from participant groups who exhibit the variables of interest. Causal-comparative research can also be referred to as ex post facto, Latin for after the fact (Sowell, 2001). In other words, causal-comparative research can be studied in retrospect since it attempts to determine reasons or causes for the existing condition between or among groups of individuals. This research design is often found in the fields of education, medicine and social sciences. According to Sullivan (2001), The belief that there is order in the universe, that there are reasons why everything happens, and that scientists, using the procedures of science, can discover what those reasons are explains that researchers usually go on to examine the reasons why the observed pattern exist and what they suggest. For this reason, the basic element of causal-comparative approach involves starting with an effect and seeking for possible causes or vice versa. The basic approach, which involves starting with effects and investigating causes, is sometimes referred to as retrospective causal-comparative research. Retrospective causal-comparative studies are much more common in educational research. Meanwhile, the variation which starts with causes and investigates effects is called prospective causal-comparative research. The cause and effect relationships may influence how a problem is formulated and a research design developed. It can be said that the major purpose of causal-comparative research is to investigate potential cause-and-effect relationships that occur naturally without manipulation of variables. In this particular research design, researchers try to find the reasons why certain forms of behaviour occur. To formulate this research design it requires at least two variables namely independent and dependent variable to support the objective of the research. In this approach, it can be said that some independent variable (IV) is the factor, or one of several factors, that produces variation in a dependent variable (DV) (Sullivan, 2001). Consider, for instance a researcher formed 3 groups of preschoolers consist of those who never watched Sesame Street, those who watched it sometimes, and those who watched it frequently. The 3 groups were then tested by making comparison on a reading readines s test. Based on the mentioned case study, it shows that the independent variable affect the dependent variable. In this case, Sesame Street is the independent variable (IV) while the preschoolers reading performance is the dependent variable (DV). The Characteristics of Causal-comparative Research According to Babbie (2013), there are three main characteristics for causal-comparative. Firstly, to infer the existence of a cause and effect relationship, the causal-comparative research must demonstrate an association between the independent and dependent variable. Therefore, it involves two or more groups and one independent variable. In addition, it determines the cause or consequences of differences that already exists between or among groups of individuals. The groups are assigned to the treatments and the study is carried out. The individuals are not randomly assigned to treatment groups because they were already selected into groups before the research began. In this research, it can be said that cause and effect depends on each other, whereby the cause may precedes the effect or vice versa. It is important to note that the independent variables in causal-comparative cannot be manipulated, should not be manipulated, or simply not manipulated but could be manipulated because the independent variable has already occurred. Thus, it is not possible to manipulate the independent variable. Causal-comparative research requires the study to be non-spurious. In this context, non-spurious refers to a causal relationship between two variables. According to Babbie (2013), spurious relationship is a coincidental statistical correlation between two variables, shown to be caused by some third variable. However, in causal-comparative research, only two variables are required and not caused by the action of some third variable, therefore it is shown that causal-comparative research is non-spurious. There are two types of causes that contribute to this research design, namely necessary and sufficient causes. Generally, the term cause is assumed to mean something that produce an effect, result, or consequence. A necessary cause represents a condition that must be present for the effect to follow. For example, it is necessary for you to attend driving classes in order to get a driving license. However, by only attending driving classes is not a sufficient cause of getting a license. This is because it is required to pass the driving test to get the driving license. On the other hand, a sufficient cause represents a condition that, if it is present, guarantees the effect in question (Babbie, 2013). This is not to say that a sufficient cause is the only possible cause of a particular effect. Take the case of the driving test mentioned earlier; not attending the test would be a sufficient cause for failing it, though students could fail it in other ways as well. Thus, a cause can be sufficient, but not necessary. Design and Procedure The selection of the comparison groups is very important in causal-comparative procedure. Although the independent variable is not manipulated, there are control procedures that can be exercised to improve the interpretation of results. The researcher selects two groups of participants, the experimental and control groups, but more accurately referred to as comparison groups. These two groups may differ in two ways; whether one group possesses a characteristic that the other does not or each group has the characteristic, but they differ in terms of degrees and amounts. The independent variable differentiating the groups must be clearly and operationally defined, since each group represents a different population. In designing this research, the random sample is selected from two already existing populations, and not from a single population. A causal-comparative design is chosen, for example, when researchers want to study the possible influences of Montessori school enrolment on childrens mathematical ability. Researchers locate a population in which several levels of mathematical ability are known to exist and then select a sample of participants. The researchers collect data from all participants on measures of mathematical ability and school enrolment. Once they have collected their data, researchers decide how many levels of mathematical ability they wish to study. In this case, suppose the researchers want two groups. They could classify the participants scores accordingly from highest to lowest, and then locate the middle score of the list. All those participants whose measures are above the middle score are designated as high mathematical ability and those below it, low mathematical ability. Next, the researchers compare task performance scores in each group to see whether Montessori school enrolment appears to influence task performance. There are three possibilities that could emerge from the study. Montessori school children have higher scores than non-Montessori school children. Montessori school children have lower scores than non-Montessori school children. No discernible pattern shows in the scores of Montessori and non-Montessori school children. This shows that each statement suggests a possible relationship between the two variables which are Montessori school enrolment and the childrens mathematical ability. Measurement of second variable Group B Group A Measurement of first variable determines group placements of participants Participant selection Generalized example Montessori school children Participant selection Measurement of mathematical ability Measurement of Montessori school enrolment Non-Montessori school children Example of school enrolment and mathematical ability FIGURE 1: Procedures in causal-comparative designs. 3.1 Control Procedures In other study design, random assignment of participants to groups is probably the best way to try to ensure equality of groups, but random assignment is not possible in causal comparative studies because the groups are naturally formed before the start of the study. There is a possibility to have extraneous variable in a causal comparative research that may affect the overall purpose of the study. Thus, control techniques are used to compare the sample groups equally. There are three common control techniques that can be used, namely matching, comparing homogenous groups or subgroups and analysis of covariance. Matching can be defined as a technique for equating groups on one or more variables. If researchers identify a variable likely to influence performance on the dependent variable, they may control for that variable by pair-wise matching of participants. In other words, for each participant in one group, the researcher finds a participant in the other group with the same or very similar score on the control variable. If a participant in other group does not have a suitable match, the participant is eliminated from the study. Thus, the resulting match groups are identical or very similar with respect to the identified extraneous variable. Another way to control extraneous variable is to compare groups that are homogenous with respect to the extraneous variable. The more similar the two groups are on such variables, the more homogenous they are on everything but the variable of interest. This homogeneity makes a stronger study and reduces the number of possible alternative, explanations of the research findings. Not surprisingly, then, a number of control procedures correct for identified in equalities on such variables. This approach also permits the researcher to determine whether the target grouping variable affects the dependent variable differently at different levels of control variable. That is, the researcher can examine whether the effect on the dependent variable is different for each subgroup. Analysis of covariance is a statistical technique used to adjust initial group differences on variables used in causal comparative and experimental studies. In essence, analysis of covariance adjusts scores on a dependent variable for initial differences on some other variable related to performance on the dependent variable. Analysis of covariance statistically adjusts the scores of the group to remove the initial advantage so that at the end of the study, the results can be fairly compared, as if the two groups started equally. 4. Data Analysis and Interpretation Analysis of data in causal-comparative research involves a variety of descriptive and inferential statistics. The most commonly used descriptive statistics are mean and standard deviation. Mean indicates the average performance of a group on some measure of a variable. Standard deviation is a measure of the dispersion of a set of data from its mean. The more spread apart the data, the higher the deviation. Standard deviation is calculated as the square root of variance. The most commonly used inferential statistics are t tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and chi square. T tests are used to determine whether the means of two groups are statistically different from one another. ANOVA is used to determine if there is significant difference among the means of three or more groups. Babbie (2013) defined chi square as a frequently used test of significance in social science. In other words chi square tests are used to determine whether there is an association between two or more categories. Chi square test explains that observed frequencies of the items or events in categories are compared with expected frequencies. Similarities and Differences between Related Research Designs Causal-comparative versus Correlational Research It is better to know that the major purpose of correlational research is to determine the magnitude and direction of associations or relationships among variables. Even with different purpose, correlational research is sometimes confused with causal-comparative since both lack manipulation of variables and requires caution in interpreting results. In addition, both researches seek to explore relationships among variables, and when relationships are identified, both research designs are often studied at a later time by means of experimental research. However, causal-comparative and correlational research still can be differentiated. Compared to correlational research, causal-comparative compare two or more groups of subjects, whereas correlational research only focus on one group. In addition, correlational research has no attempts to understand cause and effect whereas; causal-comparative studies purpose is to identify the cause and effect relationships between the variables. Apart from that, correlational research involves two or more variables and one group while causal-comparative involves two or more groups and one independent variable. Causal-comparative versus Experimental Design Causal-comparative can also be confused with experimental research both attempt to establish cause-effect relationships between variables and both involve group comparisons. In addition, both causal-comparative and experimental research can test hypotheses concerning the relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable. The difference between the two researches is that in causal-comparative, the individuals are already in groups before study begins, whereas in experimental design, individuals are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups. Moreover, the random sample studies for causal-comparative is selected from two already-existing populations, while in experimental research, the random sample is selected from only one population. The researcher in experimental research manipulates the independent variable; that is, the researcher determines who is going to get what treatment. In contrast, in causal-comparative research, individuals are not randomly assigned to treatment groups because they are in established groups before the research begins. The example for the established group can be male or female, college graduates or non-graduates. In causal-comparative research the groups are already formed and already differ in terms of the key variable in question. In other words, the independent variable in experimental research can be manipulated by the researcher to determine the researchs effect, whereas the independent variable in causal-comparative cannot be manipulated since the independent variable has already occurred. Advantages of Causal-Comparative Research Like other research designs, causal-comparative research has its strength and weaknesses. One of the strengths is that the causes are being studied after they presumably have applied their effect on another variable. The researchers might administer a questionnaire to study the causes or they can also do interviews and observation to find the cause or effect related to their research. For example, a researcher may hypothesize that participant in preschool education is the major factor contributing to differences in the social adjustment of first graders. To examine this hypothesis, the researcher would select a sample of first graders who had participated in pre-school education and a sample of first graders who had not and would then compare the social adjustment of the two groups. If the children who participated in pre-school education exhibited the higher level of social adjustment, the researchers hypothesis would be supported. Thus, the basic causal-comparative approach involve starting with an effect (i.e., social adjustment) and seeking possible causes (i.e., did pre-school affect it). Another advantage of causal-comparative research method is that it allows us to study cause-and-effect relationships under conditions where experimental manipulation is difficult or impossible. Unlike experimental research, the variable in causal comparative research is not manipulated because it has already occurred. For example, a researcher might be interested in determining the effect of poor parenting on the issue of juvenile delinquency. Clearly it would not be ethical to approach the parents and ask about how they raise their children because it is too personal to discuss family issues to an outsider. Thus, causal comparative research permits investigation on a number of variables that cannot be studied experimentally. In addition, causal-comparative studies help to identify variables worthy of experimental investigation. In fact, causal comparative studies are conducted solely to identify the probable outcome of an experimental study. In other words, many relationships can be studied in a single research study. Suppose for example, a researcher were considering implementing computer assisted language learning in the school system. Before implementing the mentioned program, the researcher might consider trying it out on an experimental basis for a year in a number of schools or classrooms. However, even such limited adoption would require costly new equipment and teacher training. Thus, as a preliminary measure, to inform the decision, the researcher could conduct a causal comparative study to compare the English language achievement of students in school who are currently using the instruction with the English language achievement who are not using it. If the results indicated that the students le arning through computer assisted language learning instruction were achieving higher scores, the researcher would probably decide to go ahead with an experimental tryout of computer assisted language learning instruction. If no differences were found, the researcher would probably not go ahead with the experimental tryout to save time, cost and effort. Disadvantages of Causal-Comparative Research Despite its many advantages, causal comparative research has some serious limitations to be caution of. In causal comparative research, the researcher has limited control over the study and extreme caution must be applied in interpreting results. This is because the groups are already formed at the beginning of the study. An apparent cause-effect relation may not be as it appears. The alleged cause of an observed effect may in fact be the effect itself, or, a third variable may have caused both the apparent cause and the effect. In other words, an observed relationship between variable A and B can mean that A causes B, B causes B, or a third variable C causes both A and B. A causes C causes B A B causes B B causes Figure 2: Relationships of variables For example, suppose a researcher hypothesized that enrolment to preschool is a determinant of reading achievement. The researcher would compare the achievement of two groups, one comprising individuals with children who went to preschool and children who did not go to preschool. If those who went to preschool performed better on reading measures, the researcher could be tempted to conclude that going to preschool influences reading achievement. However, this conclusion would be groundless. Because the participants arrived at the beginning of the study with an established group of children who went to preschool and children who did not, and an established level of reading achievement, it is not possible to determine which came first and which influence the other. Moreover, it is very plausible that some third variable, such as parental attitude, is the main influence on both reading achievement and pre-schooling. For example, parents who sent their children to preschool and encourage their children may have children who have higher reading achievement. Analysis of Studies Using Causal-comparative Research Design One of the major findings within the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research is the different rates of success with which children and adults achieve nativelike proficiency in a second language (L2).() It is also common in SLA studies that mostly L2 learners do not attain nativelike proficiency because of their first language maintenance. In a research report entitled Does first language maintenance hamper nativelikeness in a second language? by Bylund, Abrahamsson and Hyltensam of Stockholm University, they aim to address the role of L1 proficiency in L2 attainment. In this study, the researchers hypothesized that the second language learners do not attain nativelike proficiency because of their first language maintenance. It is recognized that the independent variable in this research is the first language maintenance, whereas, the dependent variable is the nativelikeness in a second language. It shows that there is clearly an association between the two variables since the independent variable (IV), which is the first language maintenance might probably affect the dependent variable, which is the second language. To examine the hypothesis, the researchers select a sample population consists of Spanish-speaking immigrant community in Sweden, where residents of Chilean origin are in the community. 30 L1 Spanish-and L2 Swedish residents participated in the study where they acquire their second language before the age of twelve. The bilinguals came from countries throughout Latin America with a specific concentration in Chile. The participants were either university students or degree-holder. A common denominator of the participants was that they exhibited a generally high level of L2 proficiency. For the second group, fifteen native speakers of Spanish and fifteen native speakers of Swedish were recruited as monolingual controls. The researchers choose small sample populations to represent the study populations. The control groups were matched to the bilingual participants by educational level. In the process of matching the variables and groups, it can be said that pure monolingualism was not a criterion for participation, and the majority of the participants had foreign language skills such as English language. In addition, none of the control participants had lived abroad for any significant length of time in a setting in which their foreign language skills could be practiced. These two groups will be referred to as Spanish-speaking control and Swedish-speaking controls participants. Bilingual participants were tested individually in each language on two different occasions. The bilinguals and the Swedish-speaking controls were tested in the same setting and instructors and the Spanish-speaking controls were tested in another setting with another instructor. The language proficiency of the participants were investigated by piloting a grammaticality judgment test (GJT) to find out about the samples grammatical intuition. Furthermore, in order to measure the participants semantic and grammatical inferencing skills, a cloze test was piloted to all participants.

Benefits of Stem Cell Research Essay -- Scientific Research

Take a minute to imagine a world where some of the diseases once thought to be life threatening or altering could be cured. Diseases including lupus, Lou Gehrig’s disease, arthritis and countless others could very well be treatable. Many would consider a treatment like this to be considered a miracle, but miracle treatment is this, which can help numerous people with their pain and help alter the dismal quality of life that countless others are facing but, yet is denounced as an act against God? Now what if I told you that this life altering biomedical research wasn’t getting done, instead it’s being deliberated, tarnished and thrown to the way side by American politics and scorned in the court of public opinion due to a misinterpretation. This very research is the something we hear all over the news and in politics; considered by some politicians to be one of the key pieces in their journey to political stardom and their election, the research of stem cells, esp ecially now that techniques are being developed to create stem cells from an individual’s own bodily tissues. Every day we hear about these amazing unspecialized cells, and we continue to hear that other researchers all over the world are discovering new uses for it every day but, yet our government has refused to support such life altering research. Why hasn’t are government supported this breakthrough medical research? My belief is that our government should support stem cell research clinics with federal funds to help save the lives of countless Americans noting that the benefits or such research far outweighs the downfalls. There are several topics in America which no one talks about, unless they’re extremely close to the person they’re discussing it with, or they’... ...1January 2008 . The President's Council on Bioethics. September 2003. 17 January 2008. Wanjek, Christopher. Stem Cell Breakthrough Could Stilfe Research. 27 November 2007. 30 November 2007 . What is a Stem Cell? 21 June 2007. 27 November 2007 . Master, Zubin, Marcus McLeod, and Ivar Mendez. Benefits, Risks and Ethical Considerations in Translation of Stem Cell Research to Clinical Applications in Parkinson’s disease. Rep. Journal of Medical Ethics, 5 Apr. 206. Web. 23 Mar. 2010. . Sanberg, P. R. "Neural Stem Cells for Parkinson's Disease: To Protect and Repair." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104.29 (2007): 11869-1870. Print.

Society and Femininity Essay -- American Literature Essays

Society and Femininity: Triumph of the Human Spirit Very few novels in American Literature can earn the title of timeless. These novels transcend the ages, because they possess a greater meaning. Their stories teach people about life, the glory of the human soul, and all it can endure to overcome. Three novels in particular get to the very heart of feminine struggle. Though they touch not on women’s struggle to vote, they reach the higher plain of women’s struggle to be seen as who they are and not what society wants them to be. To Kill a Mockingbird, The Color Purple and The Bluest Eye all deal with the topic of women trying to overcome society. Although these novels were written in the mid to later half of the twentieth century, they go back to a time when the Great Depression was touching all walks of human life. Each of the main characters in these novels does not fit society’s view of femininity during the time period. Although the main characters in the three stories do not fit society’s idea of femininity, they each, in their own way, overcome this and show a greater beauty of strength. All three main characters in each of these stories fail to fulfill society’s idea of beauty and femininity. The lead character of To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout, is a nine year old tomboy, during a time when girls aren’t supposed to be tomboys. She receives much criticism by her aunt and many others for not being the ideal young little girl. Harper Lee, the author, expresses through the view point of Scout, â€Å"Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches, then I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that requi... ... is not willing to give up the fight by her amazing desire to want that child to live. Although the book does not show Claudia in adulthood, one can envision her as the epitome of a strong woman. These three main characters defy society because of their strength. These books become timeless because of the female characters. Each novel defies the expectations of society in its own way. They exemplify women who rise above the average to become greater than what most people are. The novels show the female spirit in all its glory; they portray its strengths and ability to overcome obstacles. Works Cited Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. 1960. 40th Anniversary Ed. New York: HarperCollins Pub, 1999. Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1970. Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Orlando: Harcourt Brace Jovanocich, 1982.

Inequality in Legal System Essays -- essays research papers

Inequality Paper Inequality in the Legal System   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the United States, true equality has never existed. From the Declaration of Independence to modern times, the US legal system has failed at any attempt at equality. ‘...all men are created equal...’ may be what the Declaration says, but ‘some men are more equal than others’ is how the legal system really interprets that phrase. The actual reality of the Declaration of Independence is that all free, white, landowning men are created equal. Therefore, inequality has always existed in the united States’ legal system and continues to exist today; however, the inequality presently in the system is not as blatant as what it once was. Slavery continued in the United States for nearly ninety years after the Declaration, and African Americans still feel the sting of inequality today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most controversial issues today is the act of racial profiling. The most common form is direct, meaning victims are directly profiled, usually by the police. In this form, individual officers act on racial stereotypes against racial minorities, especially African Americans. Recent studies in New Jersey and Illinois have confirmed that minorities are disproportionately targeted by police officers, although minorities are almost helpless in reporting ‘color of law’ attacks. It is their word against a legal official and, in most cases, the minority victim does not receive justification because the officers are cleared of charges. Out of nearly 10,000 color of law complaints received each year by the Department of Justice, only about thirty police officers are actually prosecuted. According to a June 1999 study done by the American Civil Liberties Union, many states have denied that racial profiling occurs despite overwhelming evidence supporti ng it. The public wants to believe that police officers are doing their jobs righteously by protecting and serving; however, according to the study, most Americans can recognize the difference between racism and assertive, effective policing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Millions of Americans watch television everyday for various reasons, but the most common one is to get the latest news. People like to stay informed, but what good is it when they are constantly being misinformed? The media tend to ‘profile’ just as much... ...rican Americans made up 43 percent of the death row inmates, which was more than three times the 13 percent share of the US population. This is mainly because African Americans rarely receive strong legal representation. They either can’t afford good attorneys or attorneys who have experience in that area are so overburdened that defendants must rely on public defenders or other attorneys with little or no expertise in covering a capital defense. Most African Americans are on death row for the accusation of killing a Caucasian person, which makes the public wonder if there is a premium on Caucasian life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The United States’ legal system has never been truly equal because it was founded on inequality and has always depended on inequality. The system could easily be changed to eliminate those inequalities, such as racial profiling, but that will not likely happen. So long as there is a majority dependent on the disparities of a minority, the system will maintain its current sanctity. In doing so, the system will remain dependent on inequality and provide means for future inequalities. The US legal system will always adapt to allow for inequalities.

Multinational Corporation and Country Nationals

In the recent decade, international human resource management (IHRM) experienced tremendous research growth due to the increase number of organizations begun to extend their businesses into overseas markets. Multinational Corporation (MNC) is the term used to describe a business with overseas operation. Some of the main reasons for the growth of interest in IHRM are: 1) the number of MNC has increased with rapid growth of global competition which resulted in increased mobility of human resource. 2) Effective HRM strategy has been recognized as determinant of success or failure of organization. ) It is more difficult to exercise control and implementation of corporate strategy over remote subsidiaries with different culture and background. (Fernando, 2006)In this article, we will discuss the difference between international and domestic human resource management and the challenges that organization faced when selecting, developing, motivating and maintaining the employees for the over seas assignment and how these issues will affect the strategy of the organization. Finally, the article will conclude that IHRM is complex, difficult and critical to global business success. Stone, 2008) It faces a lot of challenges as compared to domestic human resource management mainly due to the geographic dispersion and multiculturalism. Defining International Human Resource Management (IHRM) There is no consensus about what the term IHRM covers although most studies in the area have traditionally focused on the area of expatriation (Brewster and Harris, 1999). Taylor et al. (1996) define IHRM as a range of people management functions, processes and activities which involve consideration of more than one national context.Difference between Domestic Human Resource Management and International Human Resouce Management IHRM has similar human resource activities as domestic human resource management except that it is at a global level. Regardless of whether they are specific to one or several countries, the external constraints such as political, legal, economic and cultural can significantly influence the way HR functions are carried out and the HR manager will have to plan for the human resources, do acquisition for the right people in the right number at the right time, train and develop, aintain and motivate the employees. As stated by Dowling and Welch (2005), the complexities of operating in different countries and employing different national categories of workers are a key variable that differentiates domestic and international HRM. Domestic HRM involved employees within only one national boundary while IHRM deals with three national or country categories: the parent country where the firm is usually headquartered; the host country where a subsidiary may be located; and other countries which may be the source of labour, finance or research and development.In addition, there are three types of employees of an international firm: parent-country national s (PCNs); host-country nationals (HCNs) and third-country nationals (TCNs) (Dowling, Welch and Schuler, 1999). Dowling (1988) argues that the complexity of international HRM can be attributed to six factors such as more HR activities; the need for a broader perspective; more involvement in employees’ personal lives; change in emphasis as the workforce mix of expatriates and locals varies; risk exposure and broader external influences.Types of employees Managers can be hired three types of employees: parent country nationals; host country nationals and third country nationals. Parent country nationals (PCNs) are residents of the international business headquarter who are transferred to one of its overseas operations. Even though communications and coordination with headquarters is typically facilitated when PCNs are employed since they share a common culture and education background with headquarter but the number of PCNs employed in an organization is limited.This is due to t he high cost in relocating and maintaining them in host country and the lack of knowledge of local laws, culture, economic conditions, social structure and political processes. Host country nationals (HCNs) are residents of the host country and are the most common choice of mid-level and lower-level job. Employing HCNs is popular because they are familiar with local laws, culture and economic. Even though HCNs may be cheaper than PCNs but HCNs may not be familiar with the firm’s corporate culture nor its business practices.Third country nationals (TCNs) are citizens of neither the headquarter nor of the host country. They are most likely to be employ in upper-level or technical positions. Expatriate Expatriates are people working and residing in countries other than their native country. TCNs and PCNs are collectively known as expatriates. Organization usually takes great care in selecting expatriate as important roles are usually assigned to them and the cost of transferring wrong person overseas is enormous. It is known as expatriate failure when the expatriate return homes before the assignment is completed.The cost of failure would incur direct and indirect cost to the organizations and the expatriate. The indirect costs are harder to quantify in money terms and it includes causing the organization to lose its market share and expatriate may lose self-esteem. Dowling & Welch (2005) had concluded that factors moderating performance would include: spouse/ partner dissatisfaction; inability to adapt; difficulties with family adjustment in the new location; culture and language difficulties. RecruitmentRecruiting and then deploying people to positions where they can perform effectively is a goal of most organizations whether domestic or international. Recruitment in international context is no easy job. Cross-national differences in work values influence how attractive a firm is perceived to be within any given culture because what individuals want from an employer may vary across culture. (Caligiuri, Lepak & Bonache, 2010) Therefore, companies should adopt different sets of selection practice and recruitment message based on the culture of the country they are recruiting.In MNCs, most positions are filled by HCNs as it is cheaper than hiring expatriate and they are more familiar with the local culture, economics and business environment. But it is still common to employ expatriate in management role since they had better understanding of the culture and business background. Expatriate selection is much more difficult than domestic selection. The HR manager may have stringent screening process as these expatriate will be mostly being employ in management level that has greater responsibility for the business.Therefore, only experienced candidates will be selected for overseas assignment. On the other hand, candidates are becoming increasingly selective regarding their choice of overseas assignment making it more difficult for expa triate to be employed. Selection is often conducted through supervisor’s interview of candidates. With expatriate being employed in management role could mean that they are the ones interviewing the HCNs. In this case, it would be especially challenging as behaviors may be interpreted through a cultural lens and unintended inferences may be made.Caligiuri, Lepak & Bonache (2010) had concluded that firm that dedicates the time to answer the strategic questions about employee competencies globally – and, in turn, effectively selects for them within the various countries where it operates – has a competitive advantage within its global workforce for implementing global business strategy. Training and Development The objective of training and development is to foster learning among the organizational members and to develop enriched and more capable workers, who, in turn, can enhance organizational competitiveness and effectiveness.As compared to domestic organizatio n, multinational organization faces a number of unique challenges in training and developing function. This is due to that multinational firms differ in their operations from those of domestic firms in terms of geographic dispersion and multiculturalism. (Adler, 2002) It may be difficult when translating training material; therefore it is important to understand the importance of sensitivity to local language and culture. Sims (2002) states that how people learn and the methods of training with which they are comfortable vary across cultures.In order to achieve success in oversea assignment, it is very important to train the employees based on the economics and practices of foreign countries. Dessler G. (2008), concluded that overseas candidate required special training like focusing on the impact of cultural differences, provides factual knowledge about the target country and provides skill building in areas like language and adjustment and adaptation skills. It is very challenging when come to designing training and development programs for multinational company. A unique training program for each subsidiary is needed based on the country language and culture.Performance Management Performance Management (PM) is a strategic HRM process that enables the immediate supervisor to evaluate the employee’s job performance and contribution towards the organization’s goals and rewards as outcomes of performance evaluation or appraisal. Training and development plan can be derived from PM to enhance the performance of the employees. As is stated by Armstrong (1994), PM involves the links to organizational strategy, setting individual performance goals, providing regular feedback on progress towards those goals, providing opportunities for improving and linking result and rewards.The scope of PM in multinational companies (MNCs) is much broader and complicated that in domestic companies. This is due to that MNCs operate in many nationals with various type s of employee groups. (Scullion H. & Linehan M. , 2005) Generally, an employee’s performance on the job is affected by their skills, perceptions, relationship with peers and superior, personal values, levels of motivation and commitment, the work environment and the level of challenge assigned to them.In a global context, this multiplicity of factors is further complicated by differences in culture, education, values and long distances between superior and subordinate. Fernando K. V. (2006), had concluded that the challenge of organization’s when it comes to performance management is to retain and develop their talent; enable the mass majority to perform at their best level; align performance at all levels globally to effectively deploy strategy; recognize and motivate performance at all levels and help differentiate employee performance.PM in IHRM will require different program and criteria based on the country culture to effectively measure the performance of the emp loyees. Simply exporting the head office program may end in disaster if it is not culturally sensitive. (Stone, 2008) Compensation Compensation is one of the most important HRM functions. In both IHRM and domestic HRM, compensation has the same common objectives that are to attract and retain the desired quality of employees and motivate employees to improve their performance and contribute their best to help to achieve the organization’s business objectives.According to resource-based theory, organizations that effectively apply appropriate compensation policies to maintain and retain knowledgeable and skilled employees can serve to protect this source of sustainable competitive advantage. As is stated by Dowling (1988), the key differences for HRM in MNCs lie in the increased scope; perspective and level of involvement required in employees’ live as well as the level of risk. Compensation in IHRM has the greater risk.The risk increased by the complexities of operatin g within multiple diverse economic, employment and taxation regimes and through direct and indirect cost inefficiencies associated with international staff transfers and also with the implementation of an international compensation strategy. (Harzing & Ruysseveldt, 2004) In IHRM, the compensation strategy is influenced by a list of internal and external variable. Some of the variables would include: (internal) capacity to pay; competitive strategy; organizational culture; (external) labour market characteristics; local culture and parent nationality.The most challenging part is to reduce the risk of perceived inequities by maintaining companywide pay scales and policies. By doing so, the organization can ensure that the same job grade will be paid within the same narrow range. Implementing companywide pay scale might not be fair for those who are being transferred to country, like Japan, where the cost of living is higher. One way to handle the problem is to pay a similar base salar y companywide, and then add on various allowances according to individual market conditions. (Infante V. Determining equitable wage in many countries is no simple matter due to the differences in culture and market characteristic. As a result, one of the greatest difficulties in managing multinational compensation is establishing consistent compensation measures between countries. (Dessler, 2008) Industrial relations It is difficult to compare industrial relations systems and behavior across national boundaries as national differences in economic, political and legal systems produce markedly different industrial relations systems across countries.Trade unions may limit the strategic choices of multinationals in three ways by influencing wage levels to the extent that cost structure may become uncompetitive; by constraining the ability of MNCs to vary employment level at will and by hindering or preventing global integration of the operations of multinationals. Trade unions will be a ble to cause the MNCs to suffer labour cost disadvantages which may narrow their strategic options or caused industrial or political problems. Therefore the HR managers should ensure that the practices adhere to and reinforce strategicHRM objectives and policies and are in harmony with the desired corporate culture, concessions granted in one location do not create damaging precedents for the rest of the organization and ethical and legal obligations are met. (Stone, 2008) MNCs must be well versed in international industrial relations and be aware that each industrial relations system is unique in order to translate organizational HRM objectives and policies into appropriate industrial relations practices on a worldwide scale. ConclusionIHRM is the handling of HRM activities at a global level. It is complex, difficult and critical to global business success. (Stone, 2008) It faces a lot of challenges as compared to domestic human resource management mainly due to the geographic disp ersion and multiculturalism. Individual business units in various countries may have different HRM strategies due to the different in culture. Although the strategies might be different but somehow it is still intact with the global strategy as define by international business headquarter.With this, the MNCs will have competitive advantage as compared to its competitors who are using HRM strategies at a national level. Challenge increases as they have to handle employees from three different nationals: parent country nationals (PCN), host country nationals (HCN) and third country nationals (TCN). Organization takes great care in selecting employees from parent country and third country which is known as expatriate. This is because the failure of the expatriate may cost the organization to lose its market share and the expatriate may lose self-esteem.Training and performance management in IHRM faces a number of unique challenges due to the different in culture. Different program need s to be design for different subsidiary. Simply exporting the head office program may end in disaster if it is not culturally sensitive. (Stone, 2008) Compensation is one of the most important functions. The most challenging part in IHRM is that it needs to reduce the risk of perceived inequities by maintaining companywide pay scales and policies.Various allowances should be added on top of the basic salary especially for those expatriate who are located in countries with higher cost of living. Last but not least, MNCs need to be well versed in international industrial relations in order to translate organizational HRM objectives and policies into appropriate industrial relations practices on a world-wide scale.