Saturday, November 30, 2019
Movie Comparison Shane and Pale Rider Essay Example
Movie Comparison Shane and Pale Rider Essay Western film encompasses the themes of life in the true west for audiences today. Common themes in this genre include maintaining order on the frontier, good versus bad, humanity versus nature, and villains versus heroes. Most often, films set on the frontier have reoccurring elements such as Native Americans, horses, violent fighting scenes, trains, and showdowns. These elements make Western films different from any other genre. Shane and Pale Rider, both western films involve heroic characters that come to save the towns. Shane, a western movie, produced in 1953 by George Stevens, was followed by Pale Rider was created thirty-two years later by Clint Eastwood who actually starred in the film as the hero, Preacher. Pale Rider was highly influenced from Shane, These films are similar in the treatment of heroes by the assimilation of the families and hero working together to achieve tasks but are also different in the way the characters were introduced into the storyline. Firstly, Shane and Pale Rider are similar in the scenes where the heroes begin assimilate into the towns community. When Starrett, a farmer as well as father and husband, tryââ¬â¢s to cut down a stump in his yard but again, makes no progress, Shane, a mysterious rider comes into the horizon and begins to hack away at the stump. With this action, Starrett is shocked and amused and begins to join in cutting down the tree. The teamwork of the duo shows how the hero of the story, Shane, encompasses the ââ¬Å"other qualityâ⬠a hero is defined by. Here, Shane shows his ââ¬Å"otherlinessâ⬠characteristics by doing something that Starrett or folks in general could not. This is similar to how the Preacher in Pale Rider helps Hull to get rid of the massive boulder. In Pale Rider, there was a similar scene in which the ââ¬Å"Preacherâ⬠as he was called, helped Hull to break through a large rock he had tried to get rid of many times before. This is similar to the scene in S hane because bo We will write a custom essay sample on Movie Comparison Shane and Pale Rider specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Movie Comparison Shane and Pale Rider specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Movie Comparison Shane and Pale Rider specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Free Essays on There Are No Children Here
There are no Children Here Alex Kotlowitz's book, There are no Children Here, deals with the subject of race, values, and community responsibility of the urban underclass. The American inner city deals with the issues such as violent crime and drug wars. With these two explosive issues, the neighborhood experiences the downward spiral of social separation, unemployment and welfare dependence. The lives of two black boys, Lafayette, 10 and Pharaoh, 7 are followed as they struggle to grow up in one of Chicago's worst housing projects. Lafayette and Pharaoh are not any different than many of their neighbors. Their mother is welfare dependent. Their father is an alcoholic and drug abuser. In the home, there are other siblings, an older brother and sister along with younger triplets, just like so many other families in the area. Kotlowitz takes you into an offensively maintained housing project infested with gangs, where murders and shootings are an everyday thing. The image of the devastation and the despair of no hope of the people living inside the project are vivid. One can truly sense the hopefulness, grasping the loss of family and ardently desire a new life for the boys. You hold out hope that things will work out for the boys. In America's minefield of urban life, Lafayette and Pharaoh are surrounded by violence and poverty through their lives. The neighborhood had no banks, no public libraries, no movie theatres, no skating rinks, or bowling allies. The lack of respectable businesses only contributes to the demise of the neighborhood and unemployment in the area. With the drug lords keeping shop in an abandoned building, drug abuse is rampant and shooting is common. There were no drug rehabilitation programs or centers to help combat the problem. Police feared going into the ghetto for their own safety. There are no Children Here embraces Lafayette and Pharaoh over a two-year period in which they struggle with school, attemp... Free Essays on There Are No Children Here Free Essays on There Are No Children Here The subject matter of the book shows the conditions of poor people in the subsidized housing projects of Chicago, Illinois. The Riverses are members of a poor family. The family lives in Henry Horner Homes, a subsidized housing project in Chicago. The family relies on welfare and federal assistance for support. They cannot afford most luxuries and many necessities; therefore, life is an ongoing struggle to survive. Many adults and children reside in the family's household. These extra family members further strain the family's resources and cramp their living room in the family's apartment. LaJoe has eight children, all living in the apartment: LaShawn, Weasel, Terence, Lafayette, Pharoah, Tammie, Tiffany, and Timothy. LaShawn has three children: one of which is named DeShawn. Terence has three children also: one of which is nicknamed "Snuggles." Paul, LaJoe's ex-husband, stays with the family on occasion. Leila Mae, LaJoe's mother, sometimes stays with the family. Gangs control the buildings in the projects. Gang members hire residents of the buildings to store weapons and drugs in their apartments. Gang members sell drugs in the neighborhoods and attempt to obtain help selling drugs from small children. Some gangs break into apartments to steal from them and use them as safe havens against the police and other law enforcement agencies. Gangs have "turf wars" which result in gun battles which injure and kill many people, most of which are innocent bystanders. The buildings of the Chicago Housing Authority are in disrepair and mismanaged. The employees at the Chicago Housing Authority embezzle money from the budget. A review finds several employees guilty and they are fired. The buildings of the Chicago Housing Authority are in disrepair. Rusted appliances litter the basements. The heating coils in the buildings' furnaces are missing. The buildings have not been painted in many years. Some buildings have numerous bloodstains in them fro... Free Essays on There Are No Children Here There are no Children Here Alex Kotlowitz's book, There are no Children Here, deals with the subject of race, values, and community responsibility of the urban underclass. The American inner city deals with the issues such as violent crime and drug wars. With these two explosive issues, the neighborhood experiences the downward spiral of social separation, unemployment and welfare dependence. The lives of two black boys, Lafayette, 10 and Pharaoh, 7 are followed as they struggle to grow up in one of Chicago's worst housing projects. Lafayette and Pharaoh are not any different than many of their neighbors. Their mother is welfare dependent. Their father is an alcoholic and drug abuser. In the home, there are other siblings, an older brother and sister along with younger triplets, just like so many other families in the area. Kotlowitz takes you into an offensively maintained housing project infested with gangs, where murders and shootings are an everyday thing. The image of the devastation and the despair of no hope of the people living inside the project are vivid. One can truly sense the hopefulness, grasping the loss of family and ardently desire a new life for the boys. You hold out hope that things will work out for the boys. In America's minefield of urban life, Lafayette and Pharaoh are surrounded by violence and poverty through their lives. The neighborhood had no banks, no public libraries, no movie theatres, no skating rinks, or bowling allies. The lack of respectable businesses only contributes to the demise of the neighborhood and unemployment in the area. With the drug lords keeping shop in an abandoned building, drug abuse is rampant and shooting is common. There were no drug rehabilitation programs or centers to help combat the problem. Police feared going into the ghetto for their own safety. There are no Children Here embraces Lafayette and Pharaoh over a two-year period in which they struggle with school, attemp... Free Essays on There Are No Children Here As we are often clouded by our optimistic views of society and equality, we tend to assume that every child has an equal chance at growing up and achieving their own ââ¬Å"American Dream.â⬠We would all like to believe that children are growing up in equal environments that allow them to develop and succeed in life. However, these optimistic views are not at all realistic. Though we want to see equal opportunities for every child, the stark truth about poverty stricken housing projects is a matter that certainly exists. The idea of fairness we have made up in our minds is not often the case, and through Alex Kotlowitzââ¬â¢s There Are No Children Here, our eyes are opened to many of the harsh situations such as poverty, gangs, racism, and violence that children are forced to grow up in. Alex Kotlowitz attempts to expose the truths of poverty, race, and children throughout his literary works. He is widely known for his concerns for urban affairs and social issues in his writings in The Wall Street Journal. Kotlowitz grew up in New York City and worked as a community organizer in Atlanta in the mid-70ââ¬â¢s. He graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut where he received two degrees. Before the start of his career with The Wall Street Journal he worked as a freelance journalist, contributing to ââ¬Å"The MacNeil-Lebrer Newshour,â⬠National Public Radio, and numerous magazines. In 1985 he was approached to write an essay for a Chicago magazine on the subject of children living in poverty. His first book, There Are No Children Here, came about from a series of articles he wrote for The Wall Street Journal. This book has received a number of awards including the Helen B. Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Carl Sandburg A ward and a Christopher Award. His ability to accurately portray the children of the Chicago projects while still informing the readerââ¬â¢s heart has been recognized by many and earned the...
Friday, November 22, 2019
Here Are The 7 Keys to Being Successful With CoSchedule
Here Are The 7 Keys to Being Successful With Youve officially sealed the deal on the tool that will save your life streamline your entire teams execution process AND increase your online engagement by leaps + bounds. ðŸâ¢Å' (And it feels hella awesome). The only problem:à Youââ¬â¢ve gotta set it up. And you donââ¬â¢t have a lot of time. Cuz youââ¬â¢re busy! (Thatââ¬â¢s why you got in the first place!) Your to-do list is longer than should be legalâ⬠¦ Youââ¬â¢ve got a thousand meetingsâ⬠¦ â⬠¦.a million fast-approaching deadlinesâ⬠¦ And this whole tool set-up process feels like an EXTRA pile of tasks to try and squeeze in your already loaded to-do list. And we get it. Which is why Iââ¬â¢ve put together a neat lilââ¬â¢ guide to set you (and your team) up for success with . ââ¬Å"But Emma, shouldnââ¬â¢t I be able to do this myself? Without your help?!â⬠The answer is a resounding, ââ¬Å"Yes! You can definitely get set-up without me!â⬠BUT this guide is filled with insiderââ¬â¢s tips (and tricks). ðŸËŽ Things you *might* not know. Things that you might wish you would have read BEFORE trying to set everything upâ⬠¦ Things youââ¬â¢ll never know unless you keep on reading. :) Here Are The 7 Keys To Being Successful With So without further adoâ⬠¦. here are 7 keys to being successful with . Youââ¬â¢ve got this! Key 1 Say ââ¬ËYes!ââ¬â¢ To The First Call With Your Expert Okayâ⬠¦. â⬠¦I know what youââ¬â¢re thinking. ââ¬Å"Really, Emma. ANOTHER CALL? Iââ¬â¢ve already had X sales callsI donââ¬â¢t have time for thisI donââ¬â¢t want to be sold anymore, I already bought and I just want to get started.â⬠And I hear you. But here are 3 reasons why you SHOULD go to the first call with your Expert: It will only take a few minutes of your time (15-20 minutes to be exact). You will NOT be sold anything. This is call to answer any questions, and give you some awesome tips + tricks so you can hit the ground running. And honestlyâ⬠¦ â⬠¦choosing to have the call (or not) is entirely up to you. But it could be the difference between spending 15-20 minutes on a callâ⬠¦ or multiple hours spinning your wheelsà because you canââ¬â¢t figure out how to set up your calendar. My recommendation: have your initial call :) (Youââ¬â¢ll thank yourself later) What youââ¬â¢ll need:à yourself, a nice cup of coffee or tea, and a whole buncha questions. And while I canââ¬â¢t provide you with a hot beverage â⬠¦ . I CAN give you an initial list of questions (and why they are important to ask) to get the wheels turning. Here ya go! Question 1 : What are good strategies for communicating + sharing with my team? Explanation:à Youââ¬â¢ve got this awesome, shiny, new tool. (Hint: Itââ¬â¢s ). Besides setting it up, youââ¬â¢ve got a whole team to get on board with the changes that come along with figuring out a new tool and we have strategies + resources to make that process WAY easier. Question 2: We are rolling out in phaseswhat is the best way to do that? Explanation: Weââ¬â¢ve helped TONS of people transition from different tools onto . (Which means we can help you make the transition seamless by applying the lessons weââ¬â¢ve learned along the way). Question 3: What are some metrics I should use to define success with ? Explanation: Based on the conversation / outcome of this question, your Expert can makeà sure you have the reporting tools you need to prove success. (AKA make sure you have the metrics you need to make you look like a superstar!) And while those are just a few questions you could ask, feel free to come with any other questions you might have. ðŸËÅ We get that you donââ¬â¢t have a lot of time to spareâ⬠¦ Which is why I *highly* recommend attending your initial call, because it could end up saving you SO MUCH time as you start implementing . And thatââ¬â¢s the goal, right? :) Key 2 Schedule Your Onboarding Callà (AKA Your *Custom* Crash Course) So after the initial call with your Expertâ⬠¦ make sure to set up a time (about two weeks later) for your #official onboarding call. ââ¬Å"Wait. Why two weeks? Why canââ¬â¢t we just combine the pre-call with the onboarding call?â⬠^^Good question! Here is the main reason we hold two separate calls: time. It takesà timeà to learn a new tool. And after you start diving into , youââ¬â¢re probably going to have questions but the key is you need plenty of timeà in to figure out what questions you have! Two weeks between the initial call and the onboarding call makes sure you have enough time to a) get into the nitty-gritty of and b) come up with specificà questions based on how you decide to use the tool. Because this onboarding call isnââ¬â¢t your standard, run-of-the-mill call that we do for every client (that would be lame) itââ¬â¢s à a *custom* training for you + your team focused on your unique needs. The goal of the session is to drive adoption, achieve success fasterâ⬠¦ AND spend more time getting the real work done. ðŸâ So once youââ¬â¢ve scheduled your onboarding callâ⬠¦ youââ¬â¢re ready for step numba 3! Key 3 Start Settinââ¬â¢ It Up! Youââ¬â¢ve had the initial chat with your Expertâ⬠¦ scheduled your onboarding callâ⬠¦ so what now? 🠤â Well, itââ¬â¢s time to roll up your sleeves and start setting up, implementing, and getting familiar with ! *woop woop* And because this is your all-in-one guide to being successful with â⬠¦ Iââ¬â¢ve outlined the 4 major steps to complete before your official onboarding call. Readysetâ⬠¦go! Step 1: Communicate Why Was Hired To Your Team + Key Stakeholders You might have already done this step (pre-purchase) if so, skip ahead to step 2! If notâ⬠¦ this step is key. :) Informing your team (and any related stakeholders) about your new tool is crucial to itââ¬â¢s success. Because if your team isnââ¬â¢t excited about itâ⬠¦ then they arenââ¬â¢t going to be much help during the transition. #truelife So here are some quick strategies (in addition to any you discussed with your Expert during the initial call).. to effectively communicate with your team + any key stakeholders: Option 1: Have an informal meetingà where you invite everyone involved and have an open discussion about the reasons why you chose . Hereââ¬â¢s a handy presentation, too! Option 2: Send an emailà explaining why you chose with links to blogs that explain some of your favorite features. Team Performance Reports Social Media Management Managing Marketing Campaigns General Organization Option 3: Swing by every team memberââ¬â¢s deskà (especially if you have a smaller team) for a quick discussion + to get their input. After youââ¬â¢ve talked with your teamâ⬠¦ we hope they are just as excited as you! (And that they look a little something like this ââ âà ) Step 2: Setting Up Your Calendar (The Basics) Next up: setting up your calendar! *party dance* In this section, weââ¬â¢re going to walk through how to set up your time zone, add team members to your calendar AND connect your social media accounts. Letââ¬â¢s get right to it. Set Up Your Time Zone First things firstletââ¬â¢s set up your time zone. (Because timing is everythingðŸËâ° ) Hereââ¬â¢s the how-to: Head to your calendar settings by clicking the gear iconà on the lower left hand side of your screen. Select your calendar. (Note: If you have multiple calendars, you will have to set up each calendar individually, so select the one you would like to set up first) Near the top of the page, you should see ââ¬Å"Calendar Time Zones.â⬠If the time zone listed is incorrect, hit How do I change this? and you will be directed to a web page with detailed steps on how to modify your time zone. Add Team Members To Your Calendar Once youââ¬â¢ve set up your time zoneâ⬠¦ youââ¬â¢re ready to add team members to your calendar. Hereââ¬â¢s the how to: Head to your calendar settings (again), and select Teamà from the left sidebar menu. Select Invite New User,à and either invite them via WordPress or via email. Use the drop-down to select your new team memberââ¬â¢s role, and use the toggle switch if you want them to have Admin access. (For more information on how roles + admin settings work, check out this blog post on Team Permissions). Connect Your Social Accounts Once youââ¬â¢ve added all your team members to your calendarâ⬠¦ youââ¬â¢re ready to connect your social accounts! #boom Hereââ¬â¢s the how-to: Within your calendar settings, select Social Profiles from the left-hand sidebar menu. From there, add any of your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google+, Pinterest, or Instagram profiles by following the directions on the screen. And now that youââ¬â¢ve gotten the initial set-up completedâ⬠¦ itââ¬â¢s onto step 3! ðŸâ Need help getting set up with ? Heres the guide youre looking for:Step 3: Get Organized Youââ¬â¢ve communicated with your team + key stakeholdersâ⬠¦. .set up your time zoneadded team members to your calendarâ⬠¦connected your social media accounts AND added content! Go you! ðŸâ¢Å' So the last thing to do before your onboarding meetingâ⬠¦ is to get organized! Within , there are 4 layers of organization: color labels, content types, tags, and saved calendar views. Hereââ¬â¢s the breakdown: Color Labels:à How your team / content is structured Content Types:à The types of content you produce Tags:à The consistent project types that you + your team work on, and would want to easily find at a later date Saved Calendar Views: Groups of labels, content, team members, and/or tags that you want to quickly + easily access Layer 1: Color Labels First things first, figuring out how you want to utilize your color labels! Here are some questions to consider: Are there sub-groups within your team? Do you want to restrict access to certain types of groups or team members? Do some people work on similar content? (ie. graphics vs. copywriting vs. blogs vs. social media) Is there a color scheme I prefer? (such as company brand, etc) Once you answer those questions, it will be easier to figure out how many labels you need, the color scheme, and label names that will work best for you + your team. And because examples are always great, here are a few ways companies in varying industries could set up their color labels: And when youââ¬â¢re ready to create your *own* color labelsâ⬠¦ hereââ¬â¢s the how-to: Head to your calendar settings, and on the right side of the screen is a list of all your current labels (with the pre-set color scheme). To start changing up the colors, click on the circle icon, and select one of the colors listed in the drop down palette, or you can select a specific color by using the color wheel (or put in the exact hex number). To add text to your color label, head to the text box next to the color you want to use and start typing! If you havenââ¬â¢t decided what name to your label (or donââ¬â¢t want to name it at all)â⬠¦any un-named labels will be listed horizontally at the bottom of the dropdown within your navigation menu. Once you have all the labels you need for your team, drag and drop them into the order that works best for you! And just like thatâ⬠¦ Youââ¬â¢ve mastered the art of the custom color label! *woop-woop* Layer 2: Content Types Onto the next layer of organizationâ⬠¦.content types! Here are some questions to consider: What types of content do we use / create the most? Does every piece of content need itââ¬â¢s own content type? Are there any content types missing from the pre-set list that we need to create? And once you answer those questions, it will be SO much easier to figure out how to make content types work best for you. For your reference, here are two examples of how real companies use content types: SaaS Company: Nonprofit: ^^Pretty versatile, right? Key Takeaway: As long as the system works for you, thatââ¬â¢s all that matters! :) Layer 3: Tags Letââ¬â¢s dive into the next layer of organization: tags. Here are some questions to consider: What consistent project types do you + your team work on? What kinds of content do you want to easily find at a later date? Is there a certain type of content you reference a lot? Once youââ¬â¢ve thought through the above, you should have a nice list of categories that you can add to your content. And when youââ¬â¢re ready,à hereââ¬â¢s the how-to: Head into any piece of content you already have on the calendar. Underneath the text box where you have titled your piece of content (and added a description) is a text box where you can create your first tag. Simply type in the first tag you want for your piece of content, hit Enter, and then voila! Youââ¬â¢ve successfully added your first tag! And because we donââ¬â¢t like limitsâ⬠¦ â⬠¦you can add as many tags as you want to a piece of content. :) Pro Tip: Make sure the tags you add to your content make senseà AND are memorable. Why? Because you have to actually be able to find themâ⬠¦ otherwise, it wonââ¬â¢t cut down on your search process down the road. ðŸËâ° And because examples are always helpful here are 3 different ways you could use tags to organize your content: Scenario 1:à Your marketing team has posts written in different languages, so now you can easily add tags like ââ¬Å"Englishâ⬠or ââ¬Å"Espaà ±olâ⬠(along with however many other tags you want to add) to those specific pieces of content. Or if you create content for certain regions of the world, make sure to include the region / country name as one of your tags. For instance ââ¬Å"North Americaâ⬠or ââ¬Å"Argentina.â⬠Scenario 2:à Your marketing team manages multiple clients. So now you can easily add their respective company names as tag to every piece of their content. For example all Hotdog + Co content should include the tag ââ¬Å"Hotdog + Co.â⬠Scenario 3:à Your marketing team produces a whole range of topical content. For instance, part of your content usually includes How-toââ¬â¢s and feature launches. So if you write a blog about how to use a new feature called ââ¬Å"Raining Cats + Dogsâ⬠make sure to add ââ¬Å"How-Toâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Raining Cats + Dogsâ⬠when assigning tags to your content. And just like content types, there is no ââ¬Å"rightâ⬠way to use tags as long as your system works for you + your team. :) Layer 4: Saved Calendar Views Finally, letââ¬â¢s talk about saved calendar views! (AKA the layer of organization that makes it easy to quickly access your content). Here are some questions to consider before you create a saved calendar view: Is there a specific label, content type, or tag that you want to quickly access? Are there things on your calendar that your would rather *not* see? Do you want to create views so each member of your team can access their specific content quickly? And when youââ¬â¢ve got an idea of the views you want to create, hereââ¬â¢s the how-to: On the upper left side of your calendar, select your new filter button. Opened your menu, and at the top you will notice a ââ¬Å"Savedâ⬠section. This is where your saved filters will be located (more on that later). Below that list, you should see ALL the options you can use to filter your calendar. Then, drill down into a view that works best for you (just one time!), and save your filter for quick + convenient access whenever you need it. Oh, and because we donââ¬â¢t believe in limits around hereâ⬠¦ you can create an *unlimited* amount of saved calendar views. #boom So, once youââ¬â¢ve created all the views you need, easily to drag and drop them into the order that makes the most sense for you + your team. And BOOM!.. youââ¬â¢ve officially learned how to organizeà your *new* calendar. Im learning how to organize my content marketing team with @! Join me:Step 4: Add Content To Your Calendar Itââ¬â¢s the moment youââ¬â¢ve been waiting forâ⬠¦ adding REAL LIFE content to your calendar! And because this is the ultimate how-to guide, were gonna show you how to plan + add content to your calendar using Marketing Campaignsà ðŸËŽ *OMG* But before you start adding EVERYTHINGà to your calendarâ⬠¦ start by testing it out a little. Because by starting slow, you give yourself PLENTY of time to learn all the ins-and-outs of adding content before making a completeà transition. While learning curve is minimalâ⬠¦ (hey, we donââ¬â¢t like complicated stuff either) thoroughly understanding how everything works (and working out any kinks) is always a win-win! So, to figure out which content you want to test out, ask yourself ââ¬Å"Over the next 30 days or so, what à 3-5 big content-heavy projects do I want to transition to ?â⬠Once you have a listyouââ¬â¢re *officially* ready to start adding content to your calendar with Marketing Campaigns. Hereââ¬â¢s the how-to: First, create a Marketing Campaign on your calendar, and name your project using the title of your event. For instance ââ¬Å"Block Party.â⬠Then, assign a color label to your project, add an owner, and finally, add the beginning date (the day the first piece of content would be due) and end date (either the day of the event OR the last day of any post-event content items). And then save your project! (Hint: For more information on creating multi-day marketing campaigns, check out this blog post). But before you start adding content to your marketing projectâ⬠¦ take a few minutes to think about the content types (and their purpose) that would be included in your marketing project. To get the wheels turning, letââ¬â¢s break down the types of content you could leverage to plan a large event, like a Block Party: Article (for your thoughts): A list of all the event-related items that need to be done before the Block Party (event location, budget, decorations, vendors, etc) Email:à Save The Dates (time and date, plus some detail) Email:à Invitation (time and date, detail, and register link) Blog: Even more details about the block party (celebrities, music, food, drinks) Social Promotion:à Social campaign to get people hyped about the event Social Promotion:à Social campaign with photos of the actual event (after it happens Email: Thank you (to thank guests who attend the event) And once youââ¬â¢ve planned out what content types to add on your calendarâ⬠¦ hereââ¬â¢s how you add the content to your marketing project (using the Block Party as an example). First, head to your Block Party marketing project, click the + sign on the first day of your project timeline, and add the content typeà Article. Name your articleà Block Party Checklist, assign it a color label, an owner, and select Create Project Checklist. Now you can add documents from Google Docs, files from your computer, sync to WordPress (if itââ¬â¢s a blog), or start typinââ¬â¢ away in our text editor. And now for my FAVORITE PART: adding tasks to your content :) There are 2 ways to add tasks to your piece of content: 1) adding them one by one in the main panel or 2) creating a workflow template that you can reuse (which is GREAT if you are consistently following the same process every time for a certain type of content). The best part about tasks? You can assign owners AND due dates to every single taskâ⬠¦ which makes it easy to understand workloads and keep track of deadlinesà (so youââ¬â¢re always in the loop)! ^^pretty awesome, right?! And once youââ¬â¢ve added your tasks to your piece of content, youââ¬â¢re ready to add the next piece of content to your marketing project! ðŸâ Rinse and repeat the above steps until every piece of content is added to your marketing project. ^^When youââ¬â¢re done, it should look a lilââ¬â¢ something like this! And once youââ¬â¢ve added 3-5 major projects to your calendarâ⬠¦ youââ¬â¢re onto step 5!Key 4 Get Pumped For Yourà #Official Onboarding Call YOU MADE IT. Itââ¬â¢s approximately two weeks after your initial callâ⬠¦ youââ¬â¢ve taken a dive into your shiny, new toolâ⬠¦ And now youââ¬â¢re ready for your *custom* crash course with your very own Expert. à ðŸ⠪ Hereââ¬â¢s what to expect: Your session will be anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour (based on the amount of questions you might have). This is a QA and strategy session, so expect some great discussion about what we can do to make your favorite tool. Youââ¬â¢re chatting with a super nice person from the Midwest itââ¬â¢s going to be a pleasant AND efficient convo :) Now, hereââ¬â¢s what you should bring: A few key members of your team. Why? Because this gives them an opportunity to ask questions, meet with a Expert, and get hyped! A list of any issues you are having with . This is a GREAT time to talk about any issues you are experiencing. Having trouble connecting social profiles? Want to talk strategy when it comes to organizing your calendar? Need something fixed with billing? Nowââ¬â¢s the time :) Finally, any questions you (or your team) might have. Have questions based on your experience in the tool? (Hint:à Think back to when we talked about why timeà in the tool is the most important way to figure out if you have questions. Now that youââ¬â¢ve been in the tool for a couple weeks, use this time get all those questions answered :) And after you feel like all your questions have been answered, your issues (if any) are resolved, and your team feels AMAZING about the toolâ⬠¦ youââ¬â¢re done! And onto the next step. ðŸËŽ Key 5 Roll Out To Your Team! *woop woop* Everythingââ¬â¢s set upâ⬠¦ now itââ¬â¢s time getting your team acclimated + EXCITED to start using on a regular basis. *happy dance* First, get your core team members (2-3 people) comfortable with the tool. This gives you the opportunity to get their initial feedback + make adjustments (if necessary). Plus, they might have a better idea on how to organize your content, etc., and can help you finalize how you want the rest of your team to use . And once you have a few comfortable users Roll it out to the rest of your team.ðŸËŽ The best part? The initial 2-3 people who are already in the tool can help train the newbies! :) And once youââ¬â¢ve got your *whole* team onto â⬠¦ the last couple steps are easy as pie. Key 6 Youââ¬â¢re Gonna Be An All-Star (Letââ¬â¢s Prove It) As we near the end of *officially* setting you up for successâ⬠¦ itââ¬â¢s time to think about goal setting. Why? Because thatââ¬â¢s how you can prove your success down the road. Letââ¬â¢s round up some key reports + metrics that you can use to figure out your goals. 🠤 Letââ¬â¢s round up some key reports + metrics that you can use to figure out your goals.Social Engagement Report First, letââ¬â¢s head to your Social Engagement Report. This is where you can view your overall engagement rate, the engagement rates by each social network, AND the social engagement of every social profile you have linked to your calendar. Starting from your main calendar view, select Analyticsà in your sidebar menu, and then click on your Social Engagement Report. Adjust the date from when you first started sending out social messages to todayââ¬â¢s date. Note your engagement rate (which total engagements divided by total messages sent), the engagement rates of all your social networks, and the engagement rates of your social profiles. Now, think about where you want those numbers to be one month from nowâ⬠¦ 6 months from nowâ⬠¦ and a year from now! Make sure to write down your goals (may I suggest the Type-A favorite, the Excel spreadsheet) and then decide how often you want to track those numbers (ex. weekly or monthly). Once youââ¬â¢ve solidified the metrics you want to track for your social media performance (if youââ¬â¢re using the tool for social) itââ¬â¢s time to set goals related to your teamââ¬â¢s performance. Team Performance Report Head to yourà Team Performance Reportà (on your analytics page). This is where you can view your overall completion rate (along with diving into individual projects), and check up on individual team members completed tasks vs. tasks completed past due vs. overdue tasks. My recommendation? Track your overall completion rate two different ways. 1) Your overall (so year to date) completion rate and 2) your monthly completion rate (you can do this by adjusting the dates in the upper left-hand corner of the report). Look at your current numbersâ⬠¦ and set your goals from there :) As far as individual team member performanceâ⬠¦you can definitely track that too (but it might get a little tedious after a while), so hereââ¬â¢s a general rule of thumb: everyone should always be at 100% (or really close) when it comes to completing tasks on time. If you start to notice that isnââ¬â¢t the caseâ⬠¦ (whenever you decide to check in) then itââ¬â¢s worth setting up meetings with your team members to see what the problem is. It could be that your workflow process isnââ¬â¢t matching what your team can handleâ⬠¦ you need to adjust workloadsà (because some people are slammed and others are not) or someone *actually* is dropping the ball. At the end of the day, itââ¬â¢s all about catching hiccups early and meeting (or exceeding) the goal you set up for your overall completion rate. Finallyletââ¬â¢s talk about goals for content + workflow management. Content + Workflow Management is the #1 marketing calendar for everything you need organizedâ⬠¦ but we also want it to be the #1 way you create + publish your contentâ⬠¦ AND be the #1 way you manage + optimize your workflows. Here are a couple metrics to think about when it comes to creating + publishing your content : # Content Published Monthlyà (with the goal of producing MORE content, faster) Average Time Spent Producing Content (you should be able get more accomplished in a much shorter time period, so a goal here would be to see a decrease for a while and then finding your sweet spot). And here are a couple metrics to think about when it comes to optimizing your workflows: Execution Timeà (how long it takes your team to complete content, should be faster with ) Tasks Completed On Time vs. Past Dueà (use your Team Performance Report to track this!) Just like you did with the Social Engagement Report, look at where you are right now with all these metrics. Then, think about where you want to be one month from now, 6 months from now, and a year from now. Make sure to write them down + track ââ¬Ëem (recommendation: track all your metrics in the same place). And beyond the metrics + reports listed here, you might have a few internal reports you want to use (based on your company, etc.). So make sure to set goals for those, too! And once you have all your goals + metrics definedâ⬠¦ youââ¬â¢re ready for the LAST key to being successful with . Key 7 Keep Crushinââ¬â¢ It! Youââ¬â¢ve got your questions answeredâ⬠¦your calendar is set upâ⬠¦ Your team is onboardedall your key stakeholders are pumped about your metrics (because youââ¬â¢re already seeing *amazing* results) and youââ¬â¢re feeling great. Go you! ðŸŽⰠNow all you gotta do is keep crushinââ¬â¢ it. And even though youââ¬â¢re a proâ⬠¦ If you ever have any questions, donââ¬â¢t hesitate to contact us at support@.com. Weââ¬â¢re here to help. :)
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Make me a Millionaire Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Make me a Millionaire - Coursework Example My fast goal as a financial advisor is to commend your financial achievement by having an income is an excellent start for a young person of this age. My other advice will be to look at your spending tied to this income. As a coach, I will advise that set money goals by financially planning your present and future spending? This applies to all sphere of life. Those who become financially independence clear their debts. As time elapsed, it will be accruing interest which will tie money needed for investment. Set a paying mechanism of the loan by paying $6,450 every year including interest for ten years. This is because the loan has a low-interest rate no need to rush paying it. After paying this loan at $2,150 yearly. This money freed for saving for 21 years will go to a fixed deposit account and the money, which, use to pay the loan, should also be tied to mutual fund $4,300 including and the 10% saving been saving for ten years. The remaining $19,970 after paying the 401k pension pr ogram. The 4% on 401k will help gain 50% match put aside $4,464 to pay the credit card for five years. After the five years, assume the payment still continues and channel the fund to savings account for 26 years that will total $116,064 when turning 55 years. Purchase personal life insurance cover by paying a premium of $750 from the remaining $15,506. The insurance cover will help in any uncertainty of ill health and personal accident which can render one an unemployable. If you want to become financially independent - spend wisely!
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Enviromental Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Enviromental Science - Essay Example Biodiversity on the other hand is the variation of life forms and species within a given ecosystem (Spicer, 2009) If the need for biodiversity is not met there will be imbalance on the environment. The extraction of minerals has negative impacts on the environment in that it destroys the natural beauty of the environment. Extraction of minerals leaves behind large pits that act as water collection points which turn out to be breeding grounds for disease causing organisms according to Spicer (2009). Also during mining there is a lot of pollution from dust and bad smell. Energy resources may pollute the environment like it was the case in oil mining by the BP Company. Meat production involves rearing of animals and subsequent slaughter. The waste products from the animals if not dumped correctly leads to pollution of the environment. The slaughter houses produce an awful smell that is not friendly to the environment. Recycling of materials greatly contributes to environmental conservation. Also the by products of some of the companies can act as inputs to other companies for example the sugar companies and the molasses companies. During the semester I have gained a lot in regard to environmental conservation and the measures necessary to eradicate environmental pollution. One can engage in planting of trees, environmental conservation advocacy and educating the public on the need for environmental
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Critical Thinking at Work Essay Example for Free
Critical Thinking at Work Essay The aforementioned ââ¬Å"Rational Modelâ⬠actually entails following 4 processes including: First of all is to pinpoint or identify the problem; second is to bring into being diverse alternatives/answers to the problem that has just been identified; third is to choose or pick a solution from the second stage or process; and last but not least is to implement the chosen solution before finally assessing it (Decision Making, n. d. ). The description provided will be further understood in the following example taken from my personal experience at the William Smith Sr. Tri-County Early Head Start. Example from My Personal Experience at William Smith Sr. Tri-County Early Head Start Keith A. , a student of the William Smith Sr. Tri-County Early Head Start has often been exhibiting temper tantrums. There are times when he would throw objects at other kids, slap them, lash out at them, etc. He does not seem to know how to calm down. The same thing happened during one of the weekly field trips. All of a sudden, he pushed his seatmate in the bus, yelled at her, and then eventually hit her. Following that incident, a school official seated behind him stood up and sat next to him. I thought she was just going to speak to the child, remind him that what he did was an unacceptable behavior, and oblige him to apologize to his seatmate, etc. But instead of doing so, he held the boyââ¬â¢s hands tightly and angrily told him to behave. When the young boy yelled at the school official, he held Keithââ¬â¢s cheek tightly, said ââ¬Å"you better show some respect young manâ⬠. Keith spit at the school official as a response and so he was slapped in return. I did not protect the child. I did not have the courage to tell the school official that he should not treat the young boy that way even if what he did was wrong. Later that day, I was torn between telling the truth and just letting the occurrence pass. I knew in my heart that what the school official did was wrong. It clearly defies the philosophy/vision/mission, as well as, goals of the programs offered in William Smith Sr. Tri-County Early Head Start (William Smith, Sr. , Tri-County Child Development Council, Inc. , n. d. ). I would like to tell the head of the school about what I saw so that the school official who did that to Keith would be subjected to disciplinary action/s and so that such an untoward incident would never happen again because if it did so many students will probably be traumatized if that is how they will be treated if they misbehaved. It is quite difficult on my part to go to the head of the school though and relay what I had just witnessed earlier that day because I am only an ordinary ââ¬Å"rank-and-file employeeâ⬠. It would be my word as an ordinary employee against the high and mighty school official. It could mean loss of a job on my part. Importance/Benefits of Critical Thinking in the Decision-making Process I utilized the ââ¬Å"Rational Modelâ⬠here. First, I have identified the problem, which is whether or not to report the untoward incident that I witnessed. Second, I have realized the choices: a) I will tell the head about it to prevent such occurrence in the future; or b) I will just keep it to myself so as to keep my job as well. Third is to pick choice ââ¬Å"aâ⬠because it is the right thing to do. Finally, carry it out. Critical thinking played a large role in the decision-making process that I had engaged in since I was able to balance/weigh everything before I moved. Without the ââ¬Å"Rational Modelâ⬠and without the process of critical thinking, I would not be able to decide objectively and probably arrived at the wrong/unethical decision. References Decision Making. (n. d. ). Retrieved January 17, 2008 from http://72. 14. 253. 104/search? q=cache:ycQOog9jFygJ:www. unf. edu/~gbaker/Man6204/Decision. PDF+decision-making+modelshl=tlct=clnkcd=2gl=phclient=firefox-a William Smith, Sr. , Tri-County Child Development Council, Inc. (n. d. ). About Us. Retrieved January 17, 2008 from http://www. wsstricounty. org/About. html
Thursday, November 14, 2019
The French and Indian War Essay -- essays research papers
In July 1755, a few miles south of Fort Duquesne, now Pittsburg where the Alegheny and Monongahela rivers meet, a combined force of French and Indians ambushed British and colonial troops. This catastrophe was to ultimately become the starting point of the French and Indian War. During the ââ¬Å"Seven Years Warâ⬠, as the French and Indian War is commonly called, there were wins and losses on both sides, but ultimately the British were victorious with the help of William Pitt. However, the War caused England many economic, political, and ideological tribulations with the American colonists. In response to a French threat to Englandââ¬â¢s western frontiers, delegates from seven northern and middle colonies gathered in Albany, New York, in June 1754. With the patronage of administers in London, they sought two goals: to persuade the Iroquois to abandon their traditional neutrality and to coordinate the defenses of the colonies. This Albany Congress succeeded in neither. While the Albany Congress representatives deliberated, Governor Robert Dinwiddie of Virginia sent a small military force westward to counter the French moves. Virginia claimed ownership of Ohio, and Governor Dinwiddie hoped to prevent the French from founding their permanent post there. However, the militia group was too late, for the French were already constructing Fort Duquesne at the strategic point where the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers meet. George Washington was twenty-two and commanded the Virginian militia who attacked a French detachment and eventually surrendered after a day-long battle d uring which more than one-third of his men were killed or wounded. Washington had made a huge mistake that would eventually set of a war that would encompass nearly the entire world. ââ¬Å"America, mayest well rejoice, the Children of New England may be glad and triumphâ⬠(Doc. E). Led by William Pitt, a civilian official that was placed in charge of the war effort in 1757, Britain pursued a military strategy that was lacking in the years prior. In July 1758, British forces recaptured the fortress at Louisburg, cutting off the major French supply route. In a spectacular attack in 1759, General James Wolfeââ¬â¢s soldiers defeated the French on the Plains of Abraham and took Quebec. A year later the British captured Montreal, which was the last French stronghold on the continent, which ended the American phase of the... ... was one that largely left them alone. The Whigs warned the people to guard against the governmentââ¬â¢s attempts to encroach on their liberty and seize their property. Rulers would try to corrupt and oppress the people and only the elected representatives could preserve their precious yet fragile liberty. Britainââ¬â¢s attempt to tighten the reigns of the government and to raise revenues from the colonies in the 1760ââ¬â¢s and early 1770ââ¬â¢s convinced many Americans that the Real Whigsââ¬â¢ reasoning applied to their current circumstances. The colonists believed that the excessive and unjust taxation could destroy their freedom. Though willing to contend for their rights, the colonists did not seek independence. They rather wanted some measure of self-government. Throughout the course of the French and Indian War and its aftermath, England and the American colonists had a tough time in their economy and government. With a depleting treasury, high taxation plans, and a floundering government the American and British colonists had many conflicts with each other. However, these two independent and strongly reliable countries came through their problems in time and overcome the hardships they faced.
Monday, November 11, 2019
Identification of the Impact of Cultural Diversity
CURTIN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF HUMANITIES (DEPARTMENT OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT) IDENTIFICATION OF THE IMPACT OF HOFSTEDEââ¬â¢S CROSS-CULTURAL DIMENSIONS ON THE DETERMINANTS OF PROJECT SUCCESS AMONG MANAGERS IN PRIVATE SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS IN MIRI, SARAWAK, MALAYSIA Uyi Rapheal Edomwandagbon 7e0b8198/14 Mitrabinda Singh Research thesis presented as a part of the requirements for the award of the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE (Project Management) June 2012 Acknowledgement My most sincere thanks and gratitude goes to my supervisor, Mrs.Mitrabinda Singh for her consistence patience, valuable advice and guidance throughout this final year project in every aspect. In addition, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to all the lecturers in Curtin University who at one time or the other have been there for me throughout the duration of this Master of Science in Project Management course. I would also like to say a Special thanks to all my course mates and seniors for their contributi ons and support in the writing of this research.Last but not least, I would like to thank all of my family both here and back home for giving me this opportunity, Ik and Mathilda for their unrelenting effort in supporting me and Manami for her encouragements and love. Abstract The research focuses on identifying the underlying impact of Hofstedeââ¬â¢s cross-cultural dimensions on project success among private sector organisations in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia. Cultural difference is predominantly existent in most of todayââ¬â¢s private sector organisations but the effect has been greatly overlooked.Following the aim of the study a number of questions has been drawn which the research aims to answer and an in-depth analysis of past literatures and studies has been conducted and used for the purpose of the underlying research and a number of hypotheses have been drawn for testing this study. First, an identification of the factors necessary for project success was done, followed by an analysis of cultural dimensions developed by Geert Hofstede (1984).The effect of each of the dimensions in relation to organisations success factors was identified and these were applied to develop a correlation between the cultural dimensions and project success. The research study shall be conducted within selected strata of 20 private sector organisation in Miri with only the managers as participants, employing a quantitative approach using a set of questionnaire containing questions with 5-point likert scale and a demographic section of open and close-ended questions distributed among managers in Private sector organisations located in Miri, Sarawak.The resulting findings and conclusion shall help in establishing this relationship and provide substantial evidence on if cross-cultural differences in Private sector organisations contribute to the success of project in Private sector organisations located around Miri, Malaysia. The relationship as evaluated by Tukiainen et al. (2004) and (Matveev and Milter 2004) is that the heterogeneous group of managers coming from different nations have lower project success and according to Higgs(1996) the heterogeneous group get advantages to get higher project success than the homogeneous group.The homogenous group here is the group of managers who are Malaysians from Miri private sector organizations. To analyse the group differences an independent sample T-test is conducted. Multiple regressions have been conducted to test the hypotheses. Table of Contents Chapter 11 1. 1INTRODUCTION1 1. 2BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY2 1. 3PROBLEM STATEMENT3 1. 4RESEARCH OBJECTIVES5 1. 5OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS AND TERMS5 1. 6METHODOLOGY7 1. 7STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT8 Chapter 29 2. 1INTRODUCTION9 2. 2UNDERSTANDING PROJECT SUCCESS9 2. 2. 1Measuring project success10 2. 3CULTURAL DIFFERENCES13 . 3. 1Understanding Culture and Cultural Difference13 2. 3. 2Hofstedeââ¬â¢s Cultural Dimensions theory14 2. 3. 3The Effect of Cultural Difference on Project Success16 2. 4HYPOTHESES DEVELOPMENT19 2. 5CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND HYPOTHESIS25 Chapter 326 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY26 3. 1INTRODUCTION26 3. 1. 1Application of study26 3. 1. 2Objectives of the research27 3. 1. 3Mode of enquiry27 3. 2FORMULATION OF RESEARCH PROBLEM28 3. 3CONCEPTUALIZATION OF A RESEARCH DESIGN28 3. 4CONSTRUCTING AN INSTRUMENT FOR DATA COLLECTION29 3. 5SELECTING A SAMPLE31 3. 6WRITING A RESEARCH PROPOSAL33 3. 7DATA COLLECTION34 . 8PROCESSING AND DISPLAYING THE DATA34 3. 9WRITING A RESEARCH REPORT35 3. 10RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT36 Chapter 437 ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH37 4. 1INTRODUCTION37 4. 2DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS37 4. 2. 1Company Profile (Dem1)38 4. 2. 2Number of employees in organisations (Dem2)39 4. 2. 3Employee Nationality (Dem3)39 4. 2. 4Number of Diverse employees in participating Organisations (Dem11)40 4. 2. 5General Language of communication in Organisations (Dem12)41 4. 2. 6Employee perception of Cultural diversity issues (Dem13)42 4. 3PRO FILE OF RESPONDENTS44 4. 3. 1Age of the respondents (Dem5)45 4. 3. Gender (Dem4)45 4. 3. 3Education level of participants (Dem6)46 4. 3. 4Job Profile (Dem7-Dem10)47 4. 3. 5Years in current position (Dem10)48 4. 4SECTION 2: PROJECT SUCCESS FACTORS (Q1-33)49 4. 4. 1Perception of Time, Cost and Quality as measures of Project Success50 4. 4. 2Percentage of Effective team performance51 4. 4. 3Percentage project management process quality53 4. 4. 4Percentage satisfies organisational goal and purpose55 4. 4. 5Percentage perception on benefits to stakeholders, Users and clients56 4. 4. 6Percentage efficient conflict management57 4. 4. 7Percentage benefit to organisation59 4. SECTION C: PERCEPTION OF EMPLOYEES ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY DIMENSIONS (CulD 1-25)61 4. 5. 1I agree that power and authority is being distributed equally among employees in my organisation. 61 4. 5. 2I agree that a certain level of power must be exercised to ensure that team members or employees are dedicated to their work in my organisation (CulD2)62 4. 5. 3I allow my employees to question me or top management when in disagreement with project or work related issues in my org. (CulD3)62 4. 5. 4I agree with the statement that my employees must adhere to my organisations rules even if it jeopardizes our organisational goals. CulD4)63 4. 5. 5I agree with the statement that employee supervision in my organisation is strict (CulD5)64 4. 5. 6I feel I have sufficient time for my family and personal life outside my workplace CulD665 4. 5. 7I agree that my employee appraisal is deserved for doing a good job at my organisation. CulD765 4. 5. 8I agree that an employee with the strongest say wins in matters of conflicts or arguments in my organisation. CulD866 4. 5. 9I like to help others as much as I can. CulD967 4. 5. 10I agree to the statement that working is the only means of livelihood. (CulD10)67 4. . 11I sometimes receive complaints from my employees about being stressed by work load. CulD1168 4. 5. 12I agree that my organisations rules must be strictly obeyed by my employees at all times. CulD1269 4. 5. 13I agree that time is most valuable to my employees when handling tasks. CulD1369 4. 5. 14I agree with the statement that uncertainties and risks are normal features of life. CulD1470 4. 5. 15I believe that simple tasks should be handled first before others. CulD1571 4. 5. 16I allow the contribution of my employees in decision making in my organisations. CulD1671 4. 5. 7I agree that hiring and promotion decisions in my organisations in my organisations should be based on their performance and organisational rules only. CulD1772 4. 5. 18I have a sense of personal satisfaction when I accomplish challenging tasks at my organisation73 4. 5. 19I believe that my employees always follow group made decisions even if their personal convictions are against it. CulD1973 4. 5. 20I have employees who generally prefer to work on their own without their group cooperation (CulD20)74 4. 5. 21I bel ieve that my organisations goals is best measured by the future achievements than the present achievements (CulD21)75 . 5. 22I agree that employee rewards and appraisals should not be based only on their performance (CulD22)75 4. 5. 23I believe that rules should be broken in order to achieve innovation76 4. 5. 24I agree that commitment to my clients and stake holders is important in maintaining my relationship with them CulD2477 4. 5. 25I agree with the statement that my employees value their meal time and breaks even when pressed by challenging tasks (CulD25)77 4. 6FURTHER ANALYSIS78 4. 6. 1Reliability Test78 4. 6. 2Factor Analysis79 4. 6. 3Correlation Analysis81 4. 6. 3. 1Assumptions for correlationError! Bookmark not defined. 4. 6. Test of Hypothesis (H1a ââ¬â H1e)82 4. 6. 4. 1Multiple Regression Analysis83 4. 6. 4. 2Assumptions checking for regression analysis84 4. 6. 4. 3H1: All the Hofstedeââ¬â¢s Cultural dimensions relates to Project Success among managers of private s ector organizations in Miri90 4. 6. 4. 4H1a: There is a relationship between Power distance in managers (in private sector organizations) in Miri and determinants of project success. 91 4. 6. 4. 5H1b: There is a relationship between the Societal Collectivism (Individualistic/Collectivist) attribute of managers (in private sector organizations) in Miri and determinants of project success. 91 4. 6. 4. H1c: There is a relationship between gender differentiation of social values (Masculinity/Femininity) among managers (in private sector organizations) in Miri and determinants of project success. 91 4. 6. 4. 7H1d: There is a relationship between uncertainty avoidance or the fear of unknowns among managers (in private sector organizations) in Miri and determinants of project success. 92 4. 6. 4. 8H1e: There is a relationship between Long term orientation for goal accomplishment among managers (in private sector organizations) in Miri and determinants of project success. 92 4. 6. 5Test Of Hypothesis (H2): Independent Samples Test93Chapter 594 Recommendation and Conclusions94 5. 1Conclusion95 5. 1. 1Identification of the impact of Hofstede cultural dimension on determinants of project success among managers in private sector organizations in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia. 95 5. 1. 2Hofstedeââ¬â¢s cultural dimensions and project success96 5. 1. 3The Identification of whether heterogeneous group of managers coming from different nations get higher project success than the homogeneous groups. 97 5. 1. 4Conclusions relating to the main aim of the study97 5. 1. 5Value of the research98 5. 2Recommendations for future research98 References99 Appendix A104 Appendix C105 Appendix C110Appendix D111 Appendix E113 List of Figures Figure 2. 1:Research Model25 Figure 4. 1: Company profile38 Figure 4. 2: No of Employees in organisations39 Figure 4. 3: Nationality of Respondents40 Figure 4. 4: Number of Diverse employees in participating40 Figure 4. 5: Number of diverse staffs in organi sation41 Figure 4. 6: Respondent language of communication in organisation41 Figure 4. 7: Language of communication42 Figure 4. 8: Do you feel your organisation has no culture problems43 Figure 4. 9: Do you feel these issues do not affect your organisation43 Figure 4. 10: Does your organisation have plans to handle issues in their organisations43Figure 4. 11: Do you feel these issues do not affect organisational objectives44 Figure 4. 12: Participant Age45 Figure 4. 13: Participant Gender46 Figure 4. 14: Education level of respondents46 Figure 4. 15: Job position of Respondents47 Figure 4. 16: Participant work schedule47 Figure 4. 17: Number of years of Respondents have worked in their organisations48 Figure 4. 18: Number of years working in same position49 Figure 4. 19: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (Culd 1)61 Figure 4. 20: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 2)62 Figure 4. 1: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity ( CulD 3)63 Figure 4. 22: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 4)64 Figure 4. 23: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 5)64 Figure 4. 24: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 6)65 Figure 4. 25: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 7)66 Figure 4. 26: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 8)66 Figure 4. 27: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 9)67 Figure 4. 28: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 10)68 Figure 4. 9: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 11)68 Figure 4. 30: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 12)69 Figure 4. 31: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 13)70 Figure 4. 32: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 14)70 Figure 4. 33: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 15)71 Figure 4. 34: Bar char t of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 16)72 Figure 4. 35: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 17)72 Figure 4. 36: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 18)73Figure 4. 37: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 19)74 Figure 4. 38: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 20)74 Figure 4. 39: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 21)75 Figure 4. 40: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 22)76 Figure 4. 41: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 23)77 Figure 4. 42: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 24)77 Figure 4. 43: Bar chart of respondent response on Cultural Diversity (CulD 25)78 Figure 4. 44: Scatter plot for PS and HCD81 Figure 4. 5: Scatterplot85 Figure 4. 46: Histogram85 Figure 4. 47: scatterplot of standardised residual against power distance86 Figure 4. 48: Histogram for assumptio ns testing88 List of Tables Table 1. 1 Structure of the research8 Table 2. 1: Five cultural dimensions [as referred by Hofstede (2005)] and attributes drawn from the literature17 Table 3. 2: Coding/Item Generation From Literature To Measure Project Success (DV)30 Table 3. 3: Coding/item generation from literature to measure Cultural Diversity(IDV)30 Table 3. 4: Participating Organizations (Coded)33 Table 4. 1: Respondent perception of Time, Cost and Quality50Table 4. 2: Employee perception of effective team performance51 Table 4. 3: Respondent perception on project management process quality53 Table 4. 4: Respondent perception on satisfying organisational goal and purpose55 Table 4. 5: Employee perception on benefits to client, stakeholders and users56 Table 4. 6: Respondent perception on efficient conflict management58 Table 4. 7: Respondent percentage on benefit to organisational60 Table 4. 8: Cronbach Alpha for project success (PS)78 Table 4. 9: Cronbach Alpha for Cultural Divers ity (CulD)78 Table 4. 10: Factor analysis for project success80Table 4. 11: Factor analysis for Cultural diversity80 Table 4. 12: Pearson correlation of variables82 Table 4. 13: Correlation statistics82 Table 4. 14: Descriptive statistics of correlation81 Table 4. 15: ANOVA88 Table 4. 16: Model summary89 Table 4. 17: coefficients table89 Table 4. 19 : Independent Sample Test93 1. 0 INTRODUCTION A diverse workforce, built of so many people of different backgrounds has a high contribution to how organizational objectives and goals are achieved due to the availability of a mix of people with completely different understanding, emotions, thinking and attitudes.But does this affect the success of projects executed in these organizations? Thus, an understanding of the impact of different cultural dimensions is effective in identifying how organizations with cultural diverse employees attain successes in project undertaken in their organizations and knowledge of whether the differences in culture or nationality have a positive or negative effect on their organizational success is important.The increasing globalization trend today is coupled with surge for the need of skilled labor and has seen the global migration of people from every part of the world to different countries creating a web of organizations with so many cultural diverse employees working together in the same organizations. The impact of the cultural differences is fast becoming the focus of so many researches as it tends to have a relationship with how organizations employing cultural diverse staff function.This research explores the relationship between the well known cross cultural theory of Hofstede and the determinants of project success outcomes among Private sector organizations in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia with an emphasis on Private workplace employee relationship and interaction and how the differences of their culture helps or stands as a barrier in their actualization of their goals and objec tives.BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The differences that are inherent in people such as their dressing, religion, languages and behaviors in their society and organizations values and shows how this differences in people is related to the way they interact with their environment, environment in this context refers not only to their physical environment but also to the people they have to deal as they go along with their everyday life.Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia is located on the eastern part of Malaysia with a population of about 300,000 people of the 25,581 approximate Malaysia population (Salleh 2007), consisting of Iban, Chinese, Malays, Berawan, Lumbawang, Malanau, Indian, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Bidayuh, Penan and other non-indigenous groups such as Europeans, Arabs and Africans etc. f different diverse backgrounds and religions and this collection of people are the overall make up of most of the Private sector workforce located here. The impact of these diverse work forces of people is sometimes overlooked and ignored which tends to undeniably affect how managers and employees relate with their counterparts of different cultures. This has an effect on workplace relationship can be a limiting or contributing factor to how their organizational goals are achieved on the long run.However, there have been a lot of researches carried out on cultural diversity among manager and on organizational themes, but the true impact of its effects on these organizations performance is quite limited to a wider sphere of cross-country organizations and not attributed to places such as Miri. Just as a the combination of different sounds produce music(good) or noise(bad), so does a combination of people of different diverse background could also have results that could be positive or negative in organizations.PROBLEM STATEMENT During a formal peer coaching session with some colleagues of different cultures, it was easy to recognize the effect that working in Malaysia with others of di verse backgrounds had on diverse employees in carrying out their daily work, in other words, general job satisfaction and if this views could be shared by others of different cultures working in similar multi cultures environments.Were they generally satisfied with their jobs or are they just there ââ¬Å"working to get their daily breadâ⬠. A study of the effects of cultural diversity on a joint Russian and British project showed that there is a relevance of cultural differences to project success and that it could affect the output of the project (Murray-Webster and Simon 2004).Their analysis of the project led to the discovery that although all factors that are necessary for the success of the project were in place, there was an underestimation of how diverse teams could guarantee the success of that project and that it is appropriate that organisations conducting projects should have relevant understanding of the differences in work behaviour and individual preferences of th e diverse project teams.Success of projects in organizations has been attributed to the existence of a comfortable work environment that encourages a workforce where employees feel empowered to exert maximum efforts that enable job satisfaction and comfort, with the ability to be able to deal with uncertainties that may arise. This also puts a stress on the organizations managers and insists that manager should be able to create an atmosphere were goals are clearly nderstood and employee participation is high (Belassi 2007). Kendra (2004) attributes that there is a high rate of failure in projects in organizations which was due to factors such as poor working relationships between employees, lack of trust among team members and proposes that the importance of organizations promotion of a shared cultural value could help in improving their project success rate.Kendraââ¬â¢s suggestions were based on organizational culture but on an individual level of analysis (were cultural divers ity is less observed from) could be related and the impact could be seen from a much expanded view as these refers to groups of people with different backgrounds and understanding based on their cultures.Following Geert Hofstede (2005) in showing the way countries react to different cultures, there are some outstanding views on the application and adaption of the 5 dimensions of Hofstede on the basis that, although, it was correct, it seemed to be based on just Hofstede assumptions using only country values and it has to be seen from other perspectives which they broke down to be individual, organizational and country (Kirkman, Lowe, and Gibson 2006).An analysis of the individual level of cultural diversity would help in justifying this statement and thus this research shall be aimed at the individual and organizational level of cultural diversity with managers as our focal point. The willingness of employees to accept and succumb to the issues from difference in culture has a high impact in organizational success. mployees in cultural diverse organizations should have an understanding of their culturally diverse counterparts as it helps to improve their team efficiency and communication which are essential to induce success in the organization, thus cultural differences should not be ignored but appreciated and welcomed in cultural diverse organizations, in other to attain their organizational goal and objectives (Frey-Ridgway 1997).In other to achieve favorable outcomes by organizations, it is necessary to assume differences in people in an individual sphere and not in the category of culture based differences that is accomplished with a comfortable work atmosphere portraying equality between people (Day 2007), with an understanding and respect for the individual differences that are inherent in people and embedded in the organizations everyday processes (Magdaleno and Kleiner 1993).In the Malaysian context, the Malaysian employee is said to be Collectivist by nature, and are more open to their local subordinates than an outsider or foreigner in their workplace, but does this have an impact on their culturally diverse counterparts in the same workplace. Nelson and Quick suggests, the Malaysian culture is collectivist in nature but only a section or department of these people (Nelson and Quick 1997). The question arises here is ââ¬Å"are managers from Miri private organizations have the same value for Hofstedeââ¬â¢s cultural dimensions? â⬠RESEARCH OBJECTIVESThis research aims at identifying how Hofstedeââ¬â¢s cultural dimensions in Private sectors of organizations in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia affects the determinants of project success and the main objectives of this research are as shown below * Identification of the Impact of Hofstedeââ¬â¢s Cultural Dimensions on determinants of Project Success among Managers in Private Sector Organizations in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia * Whether heterogeneous group of managers coming from different nations get higher project success than the homogeneous group from Miri private sector organizations.The objectives will be achieved by doing a study on Managers from Miri private sector organization, which at least employ 2 managers from different nationalities. OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS AND TERMS The following terms are associated with this research, Hofstedeââ¬â¢s cultural dimensions, project, project management process, project success, intercultural communication. A proper definition of these terms would provide a better understanding in the research. Hofstedeââ¬â¢s Cultural DimensionsHofstedeââ¬â¢s cultural dimensions developed (1980-2001) as a measure of culture is the dominant metric of culture as it closely relates to many cultural attributes from many different countries. This study also had used the largest sample for an empirical study on employees of IBM with employees belonging to 66 countries. This study helped to a large extent in bridging the gap between two different/dissimilar cultures (Yoo, Donthu, and Lenartowicz 2011). The five different dimensions are Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Collectivism, Long-Term Orientation, and Masculinity.The last dimension was taken from ââ¬ËConfucian work dynamismââ¬â¢ (Yoo, Donthu, and Lenartowicz 2011). Culture defines an individual in terms of distinction of people from another group (Kelley and Fitzsimons 1999). (Gomez-Mejia and Palich 1997) suggests that to measure differences in culture we need to calculate the cultural similarity indicators. The five dimensions of Hofstede in this study will be taken as the cultural similarity indicators. Cultural Difference The cultural differences refers to the individual differences in the cultures of people living together in a common society.By neglecting cultural differences and the refusal for its acceptance has been a problem and as Garcia (2011) suggests in her study of the long non-acceptance or recognition of cultu ral diversity in Europe and how it stands as a problem to the new Europe and the need for an understanding and education on the issues of cultural diversity for promotion to individuals of the future so as to cultivate an early awareness of it. The cultural difference in this study is identified from the nationality of the participants (managers from private sector organizations). Project SuccessProject success can be said to have been achieved when a project is completed with all objectives and goals being fulfilled. Defining project success can be in different ways, for software developers it could be on-time delivery, for designers it could be appreciation of a design, for a project manager it could be on-time, budget completion that meets the required quality of the output. Project success in this research is being defined by success factors which serve as characteristics by which the objectives of the project can be said to have been successful completed.These factors used in t his research as a defining measure of success for projects are, time, cost, budget, efficiency of the project teams, conflict management and project management process, ability to satisfy the organizations goals, finally, benefits to stakeholder, clients and users. Project A project can be defined as any endeavor that has been undertaken to achieve a goal (Project Management Institute 2004). Project Management process A process is a set of interrelated activities and actions performed to achieve a predefined result.Project management processes are activities that are taken to achieve a project objective. The project management process quality as used in this research refers to the effectiveness of the project management process in the execution of the project. METHODOLOGY The study was carried out following the approach as suggested by Kumar (Kumar 2005) listed below: * Formulate research problem * Compile literature review * Develop the project schedule * Establish a research desig n * Collect and Analyze and process the data Suggestions and improvements * Establish research conclusions * Finalize report STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT The report comprises of 5 chapters and is structured in table (Table 1. 1) below: Table [ 1 ]. 1 Structure of the research Chapters| Description| Chapter 1. 0 Introduction| This chapter gives us an overview of the report and introduces us to the background of the research, aims and objectives of study and operational definitions of the terms used in the research. | Chapter 2. Literature Review| This chapter consists of reviews of available literatures on project success and Hofstede cultural dimensions. | Chapter 3. 0 Research Methodology| This gives an idea of the overall research process while. It gives us a summary of how the research will be undertaken including the research design, literature review, population and sample, data collection instruments and process. | Chapter 4. 0 Analysis of Research| This chapter presents a detailed analysis of the study based on findings in addressing our aims and objectives and answering our research question| Chapter 5. Recommendations and Conclusions| This chapter gives a summary of the findings in the research study and addresses the value of the research with recommendations for future researches| 1. 0 INTRODUCTION This research shall be accomplished using management studies and articles from past researches by Authors with a focus on Cultural Diversity and Project Success, the identification of past findings in the study of cultural diversity and project success and an exploration of how these findings are related and contribute to this study.Subsequently a look into the main aims of project management in accomplishing project within the confines of time, costs and quality, management responsibilities as well as the contribution to achieving organizational project success. UNDERSTANDING PROJECT SUCCESS The Project Management Institute defines a project as a temporary en deavour undertaken to create a unique product, service or result (Project Management Institute 2004). From this definition, it can be clearly seen that the word temporary means that it has an end time or duration and being unique means that it has an expected level of requirement or quality.The goal of every project is to be completed within the confines of time, cost and quality and a failure in any of these factors usually has a relational effect on the others and can undermine the overall goal of that project. For a project to be successful, an understanding of the project objectives and scope by the project team is essential. Recognising the actual needs of the client and satisfying those needs is what actually counts in saying the project was completed successfully, and these all depends on the three factors of the project completion in time, within the budget and with the required quality maintained.Although, it is inarguable about the Time, Cost and Quality factors for projec ts success, Dennis Lock suggests that the success of a project, though judged from these three objectives depends on some other factors and actions undertaken during the project and certain of these factors relate directly to employees in the organizations, such as; a strong support for the project and its manager from higher management, sound organizational quality culture, good project communication, well motivated staffs and a quick and fair resolution of conflict (Lock 2007).These views of other related factors that contribute to project success are instrumental to the measurement of project success and a project that is successful can be subsequently tagged as successful if these factors are met. Measuring project success In the determination of project success, it is essential to establish how we define it. The most common measurement of project success is by the measures of the success factors and the critical success criteriaââ¬â¢s. From previous studies there is an unden iable difference between both terms. uccess factors are said to be measures that are put in place to ensure that the project becomes successful i. e. what must be done right to achieve the project success, while the success criteria are the indicators or benchmarks that are used to refer to a project as being successful (Cooke-Davies 2002), in other words, what has been achieved in the project that allows us to say that project has been successful. Basing the measurement of project success as used in this research is based on the simplicity in understanding it as they can easily be recognized and applied.There are so many factors that can be used to define project success (Prabhakar 2008) and these project success factors are industry dependent, thus there is a contrast in measuring the success of an IT project, a construction project or projects from other industries. A brief literature on the factors for measurement of projects from three industries will help to provide a connecti on between these factors or a general success factor for these project completions.For this purpose a look at the factors used in measuring project success from these industries, the construction industry, IT industry and a World Bank project. Chan (2001) developed a framework which he used for measuring construction projects, and he suggests that the success of a construction project can be measured by factors beyond the project management goals of time, cost and quality. Construction projects are different from other types of projects in the way they are taken and rely on different processes that might not be significant in other industries projects such as the IT or software development projects.Factors such as safety might not be important in describing a software development project success as it doesnââ¬â¢t have to deal with the use of equipments or machineries that are hazardous and although they could be considered but their impacts are too minimal to really have an impac t. Baccarini (2004) suggests that project success is dependent on criteriaââ¬â¢s based on two components which he called product success and project management success. He discussed that project management success depended on the project processes and stresses the importance of stakeholders and a good managerial process being in place.Product success has to deal with the final product or output of the project and how it satisfies the purpose of execution. Both of the components identified by Baccarini consists of underlying criteriaââ¬â¢s which he used for the measurement of project success which are quite similar to the same criteriaââ¬â¢s used by other researchers and are listed below. Project management success component * Meeting time, cost and quality requirements Project management success component * Meeting time, cost and quality requirements * Project management process quality Satisfying stakeholder project management process expectations * Project management proc ess quality * Satisfying stakeholder project management process expectations Product success components * Meeting project owners strategic organizational objectives (client) * Satisfying user needs * Satisfying stakeholder where they relate to the product (users/customers) Wateridge (1998) suggests that in the IT industries, project success can be measured by some factors which he observed from studying other researchers work on project success measurements.His (Wateridge 1998) research led to his conclusion that IT projects success can be measured through the factors of; Meeting user requirements, achieving purpose, meeting timescale, meeting budget, user satisfaction and quality. An analysis of World bank projects (Ika, Diallo, and Thuillier 2012) suggests that the failure rate of these projects in Africa was at about 50% until 200 and also that these failures can be attributed to managerial and organizational factors, including poor project design, stakeholder management, delays, budget and in execution coordination.The findings from the study suggested that project success criteriaââ¬â¢s that are effective in accomplishing success in these projects can be said to be in the measures of Time, cost, clear objectives, countries, benefits, impacts, sustainability. Atkinsonââ¬â¢s studies (1999), on project success, have been widely used as a model by most researches in the measurement of project success. Atkinsonââ¬â¢s model for measuring project success was derived from the primary project success measurement criteria of time, cost and quality and he accomplished his by dividing project into three stages, the delivery stage which was concerned with the efficiency of the project management process measured by Time, Cost, Quality and efficiency of the project management process; the post delivery stage which measured the product (resultant system), the product requirements and its benefits to stakeholders and another post delivery stage which measured th e benefit and impacts to users and customers (Atkinson 1999).Based on these arguments, a list of project success factors that can be used as effective measures of success in projects are listed below, * Time, cost and quality are essential for project success * Efficient team participation is necessary for project success * Efficient project management process helps in improving project success and establishing a clearer objective * Ability to satisfy the organisations goals and purpose * Benefits to the user * Benefits stakeholder * Good conflict management * benefits to the clientsCULTURAL DIFFERENCES Understanding Culture and Cultural Difference Edward Hall defines culture as ââ¬Å"the way of life of a people, the sum of their learned patterns, attitudes and material thingsâ⬠(Hall 1980). Geert Hofstede (2005) defines culture as ââ¬Å"the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the member of one group or category of people from anotherâ⬠. Programming of the mind as proposed by Hofstede refers to the thinking patterns of every individual developed by their learning through their lifetime.Following Hofstedeââ¬â¢s theories on cultural diversity, it can be inferred that there is an underlying impact on organizations and while some researchers argue that, cultural differences brings creativity and innovation into organizations, others seem to contend that it leads to complexities and indecisiveness. Explicably, these theories will be applied into this research to understand the role of cultural diversity in an organizational framework. The cultural differences refer to the individual differences in the cultures of people living together in a common society.By neglecting cultural differences and the refusal for its acceptance has been a problem and as Garcia (2011) suggests in her study of the long non-acceptance or recognition of cultural diversity in Europe and how it stands as a problem to the new Europe and the need for an unders tanding and education on the issues of cultural diversity for promotion to individuals of the future so as to cultivate an early awareness of it. Hofstedeââ¬â¢s Cultural Dimensions theory Hofstedeââ¬â¢ 5 Cultural DimensionsGeert Hofstedeââ¬â¢s (2005) studies on cultural diversity helped in proposing a systematic framework for Identifying cultural diversity based of the different values of people which is known as the cultural dimension theories. His work on cultural diversity by breaking down the different values into 5 dimensions by studying different cultures has been accepted by so many researchers in the study of cultural diversity and has become one of the focal points in the study of cultural diversity.Hofstedeââ¬â¢s cultural dimensions divided cultural diversity by comparing values between countries and he observed that different countries had different cultural values which he grouped into Power distance Index, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty avoidance an d later on, Confucian dynamism or Long-term orientation. EXHIBIT-1 ____________________________________________________________________ Power distanceHofstedeââ¬â¢s (Hofstede and Hofstede 2005) power distance dimension explores the extent to which the less powerful members of an organization or institution within a country expect that power is distributed equally or unequally. This dimension stressed that individuals in a particular institution or organization in a country were not equal and points out the views of power holders in the country and the general acceptance by other less powerful members of the country. Individualism This dimension emphasizes the degree to which members of a society maintain interdependence among its members.Hofstede (2005) used the relationship of a society of being individualistic or collectivists by nature, individualistic cultures tend to have the attribute of being self committed and are more concerned with their self values and also their immed iate families only. Collectivists on the other hand are more group oriented and members of the collectivist society are expected to be loyal to their groups. Loyalty in a collectivist society was important and overrides societal rules and regulations. MasculinityThe masculine society is driven by competition, achievements and success with an emphasis on being on top, this dimension stresses the manliness of cultures and their zeal in trying to be the best. Collectivist societies on the other hand tend to demonstrate a leaning towards feminine values of caring for others and quality of life. This dimension clearly identifies societies and cultures with distinction between male and female roles in the society and stresses on sexual inequality between the male and female species of human beings (Hofstede and Hofstede 2005).Uncertainty Avoidance This dimension illustrates how a society accepts the unknown, Hofstede (2005) defines it as a the extent to which members of a culture feel thr eatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created institutions and beliefs that try to avoid these unknowns. Rules and norms are usually much emphasized in societies with high uncertainty avoidance rates and there is a fear for taking risks. Time Orientation This dimension was adapted from the teachings of confusions and was meant to illustrate the rapid economic development of some Asian countries.This dimension emphasizes on the societal values of having a long-term or short-term orientation, and this dimension stressed on how these orientation helps to achieve success using china and other Asian countries as a focus (Hofstede and Hofstede 2005). Organizations today usually promote a long term orientation or short term orientation, long term orientation tends to work with the idea of future success and goals. ____________________________________________________________________ The Effect of Cultural Difference on Project SuccessCultural differences amongst team has been attributed with some negative outcomes such as conflicts, misunderstanding and poor performance (Matveev and Milter 2004). The study suggests that cultural diversity created problems in communication, coordination and control, team dispersion within teams and further suggests that an intercultural competence model for use with multicultural teams depends on three components; cultural knowledge, skills, and personality orientation.Cultural knowledge relates to the understanding of cultural diversity amongst teams and a recognition of cultural differences in communication styles and interaction, fostered by being skillful in understanding and communicating among cultural diverse members and their personal orientation towards accepting what is represented as culturally diverse, in other words, their reaction towards diverse cultured members based on their emotions and behaviors. Previous studies tend to show an alignment to this understanding of the effect of the differences in cultura l dimensions on Project success.Tukiainen et al. (2004) also affirms that cultural differences in project organisations produces creativity in problem solving but it also leads to problems of higher ambiguity and suspicion among members of global project teams. They also argue that cultural differences, in global projects, leads to problems in the outcome formulation of projects, project execution and outcome assessments, suggesting also that the existent of locus of power also affects the interaction between project teams. Table [ 2 ]. : Five cultural dimensions [as referred by Hofstede (2005)] and attributes drawn from the literature Cultural Diversity| High Index| Low Index| Power Distance| * High discipline within employees. * Poor employee-top management relationship. * Poor group decision making. | * Greater awareness of their responsibilities. * Poor group supervision. | Individualism (Low Individualism is usually collectivist). | * Poor decision making based on individual ju dgment. * Low conflict identification. * Poor teams. * Good decision making due to greater creativity and innovation. * Emphasis on team work. * Better conflict resolution. * Good group relationship. * And interdependence. * Higher job commitment. | Uncertainty Avoidance| * Low acceptance of innovative ideas. * Low creativity. * High Risk avoidance. * Better product quality. * Less ambiguity| * Better precision in handling tasks. * Better job satisfaction. | Masculinity (Low Masculine Index are Feminist)| * Greater efficiency in handling task. Good productivity. | * Better work relationship between employees. * Better decision making. * Lower job stress. | Long Term Orientation (Low index are short term)| * Task executions are based on attainable ideas. * Adherence to tradition * Persistency in achieving goals. | Greater goal orientation. | The effect of cultural diversity in teams can be seen from Higgsââ¬â¢ (1996) study based on 4 of the cultural dimensions of Hofstede. He sugg ests that each of the dimensions have underlying advantages.It was easier to see the impact of cultural differences through the identification of patterns in management styles and motivations and effective cultural diversity management is related to certain positive factors of team performance which he stated as; a shared understanding and commitment to team goals and objectives, a clear understanding of team member roles and contribution, an understanding of the value of diversity and an effective pooling of knowledge and skills (Higgs 1996). The 5 Cultural dimensions and their nderlying characteristics are shown in table 2. 1. HYPOTHESES DEVELOPMENT H1: All the Hofstedeââ¬â¢s Cultural dimensions relates to Project Success among managers of private sector organizations in Miri The above hypothesis is drawn based on the past findings of a relationship between Hofstedeââ¬â¢s cultural dimensions and its influence on managers and project success. Based on this hypothesis a regres sion model has been generated to test the varying relationship between each of the 5 dimensions of Hofstede as shown below, Y= 0+1 X1t+2 X2t+â⬠¦ p X5t+et Where p= no. of independent variables and t= no. of respondents. A hierarchical regression analysis will be conducted based on the model below with the 5 cultural dimensions of Hofstede as predictors. PSt = 0+1 PD1t+2 IND2t+3 MAS3t+4 UA4t+5 OAS5t+et (Where PSt = Project Success, 0 is a constant (the intercept) that describes the value of PSt when all Xsââ¬â¢ are 0, PD = Power Distance, IND= Individualistic, MAS = Masculinity, UA = Uncertainty Avoidance, LTO = Long Term Orientation, t= no. Of respondents, et = error term)H1a: There is a relationship between Power distance in managers (in private sector organizations) in Miri and determinants of project success. The above hypothesis is drawn from the following literature review; In a project organization context, Power distance can be a negating or contributing factor to how t heir project goals are accomplished that depends on how the relationship between subordinates of different organizational level such as managers and employees influence the achievement of their organizational goal.Kââ¬â¢Obonyo and Dimba (2007) in his study of the impact of cultural diversity on human resource management in Kenya claimed that the impact of the Kenya high power distance index creates a barrier between managers and employees in which employees see themselves as different from managers, while the managers are reluctant to allow the employees to engage in such things such as decision making. High power distance relates to the difference in equality between employees and top management which in turn affects how decisions are made in such organisations, decision making is not collective and the top management makes all the decisions.This emphasizes that in countries with a high power distance index, decision making is not a collective process and most decisions are usua lly taken by top management alone without the employee involvement. Power distance is relational to poor employee-top management relationship, with decision making only done by top management. Uncertainty avoidance high dimension was attributed with the non acceptance of innovative ideas and behaviors and low job mobility, that is, employees were more satisfied with their current job situations (Kundu 2001).Another study on the effect of cultural diversity using Hofstedeââ¬â¢s first 4 dimensions was done on construction industries in Singapore and china (Pheng and Yuquan 2002). They suggested that low power distance is prone with less supervision of employees and decentralisation of task. High Power Distance was relevant and would have a similar effect on quality effectiveness in both high and low power distance cultures. (Kull and Wacker 2010) Higgs (1996) suggests that each of the dimensions have underlying advantages.Low power distance index in organisations tends to create aw areness on employees responsibilities and a high power index creates discipline. H1b: There is a relationship between the Societal Collectivism (Individualistic/Collectivist) attribute of managers (in private sector organizations) in Miri and determinants of project success. The above hypothesis is drawn from the following literature review; Individualism and collectivism illustrates the nature of relationships between peers in different countries.Individualism relates to countries in which there was a low relationship between individuals and is more centered on self while collectivism were countries that are more group oriented (Brewer and Sunil 2011) . Thus, it can be inferred that collectivism contributes to better decision making based on the collection of minds and the interpersonal relationship that exists between them. Kundu (2001) suggests that high individualism contributes to individual decision- making, while collectivist nations had less individual decision making.Vosede k (2007) researched into the effect of cultural diversity on outcomes of work group tasks based on the individualistic and collectivist dimensions of Hofstede in relation to group and task conflicts. He (Vodosek 2007) suggests that when it comes to cultural diversity in organizations, three types of conflicts were present which he referred to as Relationship conflicts; characterized by incompatibilities between members of culturally diverse organizations and having the attributes such as tension and annoyance.Task conflicts were characterized by group member disagreements based on the non acceptance of decisions, ideas and opinions and lastly process conflict which was characterized by disagreement on how task should be done or handled. He also suggests that there was a general acceptance of opinions between people of the same group, than those of other outer groups and aligns that the organizational outcomes where harder to actualize in culturally diverse groups due to problems in their process, errors in communication and perceived prejudice that is associated with cultural diverse groups.Cultural diversity from his studies was related to group satisfaction and indicates the way the group performed in handling tasks. Kââ¬â¢Obonyo and Dimba (2007) also suggests that employees in collectivist nations were more involved with group decision makings due to the good relationship and closeness between employees but were very poor at top management appraisal to employees.Subsequently, Kokt (2003) in his studies of the impact of cultural diversity on team performance in south Africa, suggests that team formation was more negatively realistic in cultural diverse groups than culturally homogeneous groups and that the problems in cultural diverse teams was more based on language, communication (Canen and Canen 1999) and the non recognition of the ability of cultural diverse individuals to be loyal to their groups but, that cultural diverse teams were also attributed with a better management of conflicts and engaged more diverse ways in problem solving and creativity which was positive to organizational success.His findings also suggests that assertiveness which is an individualistic nature had a negative impact on quality effectiveness as it was characterised low group decision making and poor conflict identification. (Kull and Wacker 2010). Collectivists are generally more committed to their jobs (Higgs 1996). H1c: There is a relationship between gender differentiation of social values (Masculinity/Femininity) among managers (in private sector organizations) in Miri and determinants of project success. The above hypothesis is drawn from the following literature review;Higgs (1996) suggested that while masculine dimension tends to promote efficiency and increased productivity, feminine dimension tends to personal service and custom building. The view of cultural diversity as an edge to gaining competitive advantage by organizations is important in achieving organizational goals. Feminine dimension tends to contribute to better job satisfaction with organizations of countries of high index as it stresses more on interdependence between employees and reduced stress (Brewer and Sunil 2011).Low masculinity dimension countries had a good decision making process and lower job stress, while High masculinity cultures had a higher work performance Kââ¬â¢Obonyo and Dimba (2007). H1d: There is a relationship between uncertainty avoidance or the fear of unknowns among managers (in private sector organizations) in Miri and determinants of project success. The above hypothesis is drawn from the following literature review; A low uncertainty index is associated with lesser ambiguity and lesser fear of tasking risks, with a staff who were less ambitious (Pheng and Yuquan 2002).Uncertainty avoidance dimension is effective in improving quality as cultures with high uncertainty avoidance index are more aware of their process controls and ensured the use of quality standards based on the international organisations for standardization (Kull and Wacker 2010). Higgs (1996) found out that high and low uncertainty avoidance creates lower innovation and precision respectively. H1e: There is a relationship between Long term orientation for goal accomplishment among managers (in private sector organizations) in Miri and determinants of project success.The above hypothesis is drawn from the following literature review; An important factor associated with project success is Quality which depends on an effective quality management system. Study of (Kull and Wacker 2010) on quality management in Asia based on the Globe dimensions which are adapted from Hofstedeââ¬â¢s dimensions suggests that future orientation (Hofstede Long term short term orientation) is not significant in improving quality, though, short term orientation are more goal oriented while long term orientation depended on past ideas which are more attainable.T he long term orientation is being used in this correlation but it was not used in Hofstedeââ¬â¢s research on Malaysia and so there is no scoring available for the dimension in Malaysia, but can be significant if we derive any result for this particular cultural dimension.Hofstede (2005) in his study suggested that this dimension in workplaces had an emphasis on family values, in which these organizations where seen as closely knit families with attributes such as having a sense of thrift (saving for future), shame (fear of losing face which breeds commitments in Long term orientation), persistence in achieving goals and respect for tradition (sticking to traditional rules that could impede innovation). H2: There is a group difference between Malaysian and non-Malaysian managers (in private sector organizations) in Miri and determinants of project success.This hypothesis is developed to find out the inherent difference that exists between Malaysian Managers and Non-Malayasian mana gers in Miri in actualizing their project success based on this question, Do Malaysian managers get better project success than non-malaysian managers?. Appendix B shows an illustration of the past studies and the possible relationship between Hofstedeââ¬â¢s cultural dimensions at workplace and the project success. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND HYPOTHESIS H1c Project success Hofstedeââ¬â¢s Cultural Dimensions, (Power distance, societal collectivism, Gender Differentiation, Uncertainty Avoidance and Long term orientation)Power distance Individualism/Collectivism Masculinity/Feminism Uncertainty avoidance Independent Variables Dependent Variable Long term orientation H1a H1b H1d H1e H1 Nationality (Malaysian/Non-Malaysian) H2 Figure [ 2 ]. 1:Research Model Figure 2. 1 shows the conceptual framework above shows the relationship between the dependent variable and independent variables. The development of hypotheses is directed at answering the research questions and to investigate the relationship between Hofstedeââ¬â¢s cultural dimensions and determinants of project success. * RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 1. 0 INTRODUCTIONKumar (2005) suggests that a research project type is categorised based on three perspectives, which he listed as, * Application of the study * Objectives of the study * Mode of enquiry used in conducting the study This research type has been classified based on this three perspectives and this suggestion is being applied to how this research has being undertaken. Application of study In view of what this research seeks to find out, the research study is an applied research, applied research involves the use of traditional research methods in the collection of information in other to find out or enhance a phenomenon.Objectives of the research The research is a correlation research. Correlation research is done to discover a relationship between two or more aspects of a situation (Kumar 2005). Thus, this research is deemed to be correlation because i t seeks to explore the relationship which Hofstedeââ¬â¢s cultural dimensions have on project success among managers in Miri. Stangor (2010) suggests that an advantage of a correlation research is that it can be used in assessing behavior as it occurs in peoplesââ¬â¢ everyday life by measuring the research variables and trying to find the linking relationship between the variables. Mode of enquiryThis research employs a structured approach to how it is undertaken. A structured approach involves a research in which all the research process is predetermined. This research employs the use of quantitative research methods for data collection. A content analysis has been carried out to define the constructs and variables that will be used in creating the questionnaires for the quantitative analysis. (Hseih and Shannon) suggests 3 approaches of qualitative content analysis namely; conventional, directed, or summative. We have used directed approach which starts with a theory or relev ant research findings as guidance for initial codes.Due to time constraint the other two approaches cannot be taken which may have more error free coding. The justification for the use of quantitative method is based on the sample collection method, which involves the use of a set of self completion questionnaires aimed at measuring project success and identifying the different existing dimensions of cultural diversity. The research process used is based on research guidelines and operation steps as suggested by kumar (2005), as listed below * Formulate research problem * Conceptualization of a research design * Constructing an instrument for data collection * Selecting a sample Writing a research proposal * Collecting data * Processing data * Writing a research report FORMULATION OF RESEARCH PROBLEM The research was formulated based on the notion to identify an understanding on how cultural diversity can be used as a determinant of how success in projects is achieved in organisatio ns with cross-cultural employees of different diverse background. The cultural dimensions of Hofstede has been used in the identification of different cultural characteristics that are inherent in employees and these has been used as an underlying construct in investigating how it affects project success in these organisations.Kumar (2005) suggests that a main function of formulating a research problem is to decide what you want to find out in the research. CONCEPTUALIZATION OF A RESEARCH DESIGN A research design helps to provide a workable and doable detail on how a research question will be answered. It involves detailed information on the how, when and where a research is going to be carried out. An in-depth review of past literatures and studies concerned with a research is fundamental to creating a research design and a timeframe in which the research is going to be carried out is instrumental in establishing duration of the research.This research is carried out by identifying how managers in private sector organisations located in Miri view the impact of cultural diversity in their organisations on project success. The timeframe of this research is developed from the time-frame that was given by the department for the completion of this research and is shown in Appendix A. Kumar suggests that a thorough literature review helps to bring clarity and focus to the research problem, as well as improve the research methodology, broaden the researcher knowledge on the research area and conceptualize the research
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)