Create a Code of Ethics for a fictitious company for this assignment Coursework

Create a Code of Ethics for a fictitious company for this assignment - Coursework Example The resort is just 5 km away from the beautiful orange plantation. We provide elegant luxury with all the modern comfort in accommodation. Wild Orange resort has 50 individual suites with 2 specialty restaurants delicate to pure south Indian food, Aruvi and the Seasons multi cuisine restaurant , Teyla the a coffee shop and a library bar, called Vajra, which offers finest beverages and best cigars. We provide room service facility and 24 hr laundry. Our priority is complete satisfaction of our guests. We want every guest at Wild Orange resort to leave with an unforgettable experience. We believe in our people and we aim at the care of our employees as of our guest. We also follow to give the best training to our employee’s to make the vision of wild orange resort real. In our business Guest is our priority, then our team members and at last profit, this is the driving force of Wild orange resort. Mission Statement Our mission statement is directed towards our guests, associates and investors. Guests- We believe in uncompromising guest service by exceeding the guest expectations with high levels of service standards. Associates – We respect our associates as we do our guests and therefore work towards their growth and development. Investors – We are committed to provide maximum returns to our investors through our careful and dedicated business practices. Director’s message Dear Associates, Wild orange resort has witnessed incredible success over a period of time, from its humble beginning to nation’s most famous tourist resort. The achievement of this level was possible because we believed in very simple principles and ideas such as personalized guest service, Optimum utilization of nature’s gifts, and care for our employees. Wild orange resort will see tremendous growth from now on where the company will be transformed to a hotel chain with new resorts opening. In order to impart the growth history we had developed a bu siness code of conduct which each and every associate is bound to follow. Let’s have a pledge to follow the code of conduct, for the success of our company. Sincerely Executive director Nalinaj Raveendran Guiding Principles: Wild Orange Resorts have strong guiding principles. As far as wild orange resort is concerned, it has a strong foundation of its values and code of ethics. We believe in providing our guest with personal care and attention. Each guest who stays at Wild orange resort must remember his/her days in the rest of their life. Detailed and elegant service is the priority of our resort which makes it an unforgettable experience. Our people are valuable and they are nurtured to deliver their best towards uncompromising guest satisfaction. Our training program aims at developing professional skills of the employees which ensure better standards of service and also motivation for employees. We are committed to the nature as we are located in one of the most precious and beautiful locations on earth. We practice eco friendly products and services which contribute to nature and we help the local community. Core value – The Company that mutually represents associates and Guests. Purpose of Code: Wild orange resort plans to continue its growth trend in future too. For this trend to be continued, we need a set of strict time tested and proven code of business

Personal Identity and the Self Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal Identity and the Self - Essay Example Who am I? What am I? Have you ever wondered and kept on thinking about this mysterious question. You would have come across many answers like you are alive because of your brain or you are surviving because of physical existence of your body But does one really think he is just his body, or just alive due to the grey matter situated in the crown of his head. No this seems so absurd, at least for me. I am really convinced that I am only the soul. Soul is that minute particle of energy which is much lighter and smaller than atom and which gives me the immortal life that no death can conquer. I cannot be the brain for the very reason that when my brain stop working my breathe goes on. Same way, when my body is paralyzed I still keep on living. When seeing from both the angle of body and brain, the thing which keep me alive and blissful is my soul, my eternal soul. This concept of soul can be alien to many, but it is one truth which is eternal and divine. It is not right to say that we a re body, or we are alive because of brain as these are just instruments which give our soul chance to perform its duty on this earthly plane. Soul is the part of the God, but still separate from God, and has a motive of merging with God at end of its life cycle. We were created from God and have to merge with God after taking birth in different forms and times. Body and brain is nothing but some physical instrument which gives us reasoning and decision making powers. It may be surprising to many, if I tell you that we had to take many forms like plants, animals and human to complete our life cycle and ultimately merge with the divine. Yes, we survived through many years and strayed in many forms and eventually we get enlightened and get salvation. According to (Jerrry,1978,pg .3) â€Å"Survival means surviving no more no less. I have no doubts that I shall merge with beings, plants will take root in my remains, and the chemical that I am will continue to make their contribution to life†. This cycle goes on, until the soul in our self gets brightened and purified to join with the divine power. It is our aim, to find God in our self and understand it and nurture it and then surrender it to Divine power. We cannot be the body, how can I be the body? If then if my leg gets amputed then I should cease to exist. Does it happen? No, it won’t. If my whole body gets paralyzed until my neck, I keep on speaking .So what is keeping me alive, yes it is the soul undoubtedly. It is hidden in our body, and can be reached only by long lasting meditation and submerging in ultimate self. It very well cannot be the body, which keeps on changing according to the age and time. One may think what happens to this soul, once the body gets destroyed. Yes! This is a very valuable question and the answer is also valuable indeed. The soul never dies, never get destroyed and it remained as an immortal energy .The body is just a covering, a temple for the soul to reside, it re mains there witnessing all the actions of the body and mind. It lies in the body behind the subconscious mind and witnesses all the deeds good and bad. People don’t realize the soul because we are in the illusionary world, and this veil of ignorance keeps us away from the reality. The reality is only experienced when listen to the self and look inwards rather than outwards. If the self was just the body, then there would have been no purpose to this life. It is like we are here just to eat sleep and mating. We just need to give pleasures to the bodily organs and do not even have to look further for happiness and bliss. â€Å"A person’s â€Å"having a soul† is not, for example, a special form of possession or ownership .What we need to understand is that person’s â€Å"having a soul† is not a form of possession or ownership at all†(Rosenberg,1998,pg.58).Soul is the beholder of the body and the mind, and everything we think and do is witnessed by soul and affect the soul. Good deed and bad deed does make the soul pure or

Tootsie Roll Paper Essay Example for Free

Tootsie Roll Paper Essay Tootsie Roll Industries Inc. Loan Package The financial statement of Tootsie Roll Industries provides insightful details into the  financial activities of the decades old organization. A financial statement is the â€Å"summary report that shows how a firm has used the funds entrusted to it by its stockholders and lenders, and what is its current financial position† (Financial statement, 2012). The company is known for products such as Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Roll Pops, Caramel Apple Pops, Child’s Play, Charms, Blow Pop, Blue Razz, Cella’s chocolate covered cherries, Mason Dots, Mason Crows, Junior Mints, Junior Caramels, Charleston Chew, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Babies, Andes, Fluffy Stuff cotton candy, Dubble Bubble, Razzles, CryBaby, Nik-L-Nip and El Bubble (Kimmel, Weygandt, Kieso, p. A-2, 2009). Strong financial statements aid Tootsie Roll Industries in the submission of a loan package to increase company’s total liabilities by 10%. A loan package requires research to ensure that all details are met as well as a ratio analysis of liquidity, solvency, and profitability ratios. The company must justify the reason for the need of the loan, such as expansion, inventory purchases, or debt retirement. Finally, Tootsie Roll Industries must provide an explanation of how the company plans to use the proceeds from the loan as well as how loan approval might affect the company. â€Å"A loan package is the collection of documents associated with a specific loan application† (Loan package, 2012). Loan packages are instrumental in the startup and growth of many small businesses because it provides initial funding and support. The process begins typically with a cover letter, which  includes the business background, business nature, loan amount, loan purpose, repayment terms, loan benefits, business profile, and management experience (U.S. Small Business Association, n.d.). The borrower must provide proper documentation including Form 4: Application for Business Loan, Form 4-a: Schedule of  Personal History, Form 1624: Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion Lower Tier Covered Transactions, and Form 1846: Statement Regarding Lobbying (U.S. Small Business Association, n.d.). Lenders and borrowers must work together in order to apply for the most applicable loan to the business. According to U.S. Small Business Association (n.d.), â€Å"Borrowers should provide complete financial statements for the last three years including balance sheets, income statements, and a reconciliation of net worth as well as a current (no more than 90 days old) interim financial statement† (Business Financial Statements). The borrower must also provide projections to the creditor. The projections predict a year out or the positive flow of cash, which includes earnings, expenses, and the reasons behind the projections (U.S. Small Business Association, n.d.). The borrow should include documentation to assist in the predications such as contracts of lease proposals, franchise agreements, purchase agreements, articles of incorporation, plans, specifications, copies of licenses, letters of reference, letters of intent, and contracts partnership agreement (U.S. Small Business Association, n.d.). If the borrower does not provide the proper documentation to the creditor, then the borrower is not likely to receive loan approval. Financial statements are key supporting documents to the loan package.

Can nurses do to Reduce Malnutrition in Hospitals

Can nurses do to Reduce Malnutrition in Hospitals Reducing the incidences of malnutrition that often occurs during admission to hospital has been a priority within the nursing care profession for many years. There have been various explanations for this such as lack of staff, patients not able or are unwilling to admit they require assistance, poor use of assessment tools and care pathways. A key factor in the prevalence of patients presenting with malnourishment is the disturbances patients endure during mealtimes, such as ward rounds, non urgent medical interventions, housekeeping activities and visitors. This essay will explore the incidences of malnutrition, and those who are most at risk and the changes that have been made to reduce such incidences. Change management should be regarded as an ongoing process, which requires good communication, planning, positive leadership and cooperation. This essay will endeavor to explore the change management processes, leadership and team management skills used in the implementation of protected mealtimes. It will explore the negative aspects and problems encountered when implementing a change and the ongoing management skills required to maintain such changes. For many patients admitted to hospital, in particular the elderly, malnutrition is a common occurrence. It is the nurses fundamental duty of care to provide patients with the highest of care possible, a major requirement for any human being to survive and live a healthy life is the intake of a healthy nutritious diet, be that by conventional methods or artificial measures suitable for the patients state of health at that time (Royal College of Nursing 2007). Studies into hospital malnutrition show that as many as four out of ten elderly patients admitted to hospital are already malnourished and as a result of a hospital admission as many as six out of ten elderly patients, become malnourished, their situation worsens and their illness very often escalates (Age Concern 2006; BAPEN 2007). The NHS Improvement Plan (2004) set standards to deal with the increasing incidences of malnutrition within hospital settings; it has become apparent that these examples of good practice recommendatio ns have not been implemented in every hospital in the country, as incidences of malnutrition continue to exist. Davidson and Scholefield (2005) reports that inadequate nutrition can lead to longer hospital stays, impairs the recovery of patients and increases financial costs; several hospitals have indeed planned and implemented changes to reduce such incidences but on the whole have had limited success. The authors found that constant interruptions from drug, rounds, clinical activities and lack of nursing staff being on the ward at mealtimes (due to lunch breaks coinciding with mealtimes) all accounted for patients being provided with very little or on occasion no nutritional intake at any given mealtime. Savage and Scott (2005) does agree with this statement to some extent but argues that it is all to easy to blame nursing staff alone, it is the responsibility of each individual NHS trust to implement managerial changes and policies and ensure that they are monitored, evaluated a nd improved to provide the best care possible for each patient. Mamhidir et al (2007) argues that since the implementation of protected mealtimes in some hospitals there is substantial evidence to suggest that patients, particularly the elderly benefit immensely; patients gained weight, healing time reduced, were discharged earlier and mealtime experiences were a more pleasant experience for patients as well as nursing staff. Mooney (2008) argues that there is evidence to suggest even after hospital trusts have been presented with unarguable evidence that malnutrition is a major problem and a catalyst for longer hospital stays, only 43 percent of those trusts have not yet provided evidence that they have implemented schemes in order to reduce hunger and malnutrition. The Hospital Caterers Association (2004) further comment that mealtimes should not primarily focus on the provision of nutrition, it also makes way for social interaction between patients and carers, they further commen t that in general the quality of the food provided is not the issue, the inability of the patient to be able to feed themselves is far more the worrying issue. Council of Europe (2003) comment that hospitals should be designed to be patient centred, ensuring that the delivery of nutrition is flexible and all deliverance of care is set within a framework; all staff should work together in partnership to ensure that incidences of poor nutrition are dealt with. Repetitive reports of malnourishment is evidence enough to suggest that current practices are no longer working, change is a necessary force to ensure incidences are reduced. It is the responsibility of the leader to ensure this is tackled (Age Concern 2006). Change Management can be described as the process of developing a planned approach to change within an organisation. The objective should be to maximise the collective benefits for all stakeholders involved in the change and minimise the risk of failure implementing the change. Change involves assessment, planning and evaluation; changes in which people are nursed should always be focused on the benefits patients will receive if change is implemented (National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence, 2007). Welford (2006) writes that there are many theories which explore the need for change; the goal should be the provision of the highest quality of care, each individual involved in the delivery of such care should work together, be committed and supportive of each other during times of change. Change within a team which leads to new practices and ideas affects each individual differently; it can be a very daunting task for some and for others it is embraced to allow for personal development and the sharing of knowledge (Murphy 2006). There are many theories which uses steps or phases that can evaluate if a change is needed and if the changes that are implemented work. For the purpose of this essay the author refers to a popular theory developed by Lewin in the 1950s which requires three stages to implement effective change the acceptance and participation of all those involved in the area requiring change. The first phase, commonly referred to as the unfreezing stage of this theory requires the participants to acknowledge the need for change; evidence should be provided to encourage new thinking and beliefs about current practices. Hallpike (2008) writes that there is evidence to suggest that teams can be divided into groups who have their own individual opinion on certain regimes, practices and care deliverance. This can be said for the provision of nutrition to patients. In this particular study the author reports that some team members did not think the re was a problem with the current provision, some were not convinced that changes would be made and others did not have faith in a holistic approach across the team. In this situation it is the responsibility of the team leader to persuade all the team members that the need for change is necessary in order to provide the best service possible, that the whole team work towards a common goal. Welford (2006) discusses the second phase of Lewins theory; describing this stage as the moving stage, allowing individuals to voice their own ideas, experiment with different regimes, it allows time for reflection, to discuss positive or negative findings. Past practices may have seen some team leaders adopt the belief that employees were seen to work better when the leader provided strict job descriptions and a clear plan of what was expected of them; their opinions and ideas were not of value to the overall success of a team. Major (2002) argues that for a leader to adopt such thinking will on ly lead to flaws and a feeling of negativity within a team; the leader should adopt good communication skills and openness to allow for effective team building, positive group dynamics, all working efficiently and productively. Dennis and Morgan (2008) suggests that although change is the responsibility of the service provider, input from the service user is without doubt a valuable tool in assessing if a change is working for the greater good. Feedback, regardless of being positive or negative ascertains if the change has been a positive one. If the new change has a detrimental affect to the service user then the change has been a negative one, this requires a return to the freezing stage to allow the team to make further changes to increase the benefits to the service user. The authors further comment that managers should be seen as advocates for the service user; it should be the responsibility of the manager to challenge team members over poor practice, poor attitudes and resist ance to change for the better. Conflict within a team leads to unrest, a disbelief that change is for the greater good leading to a dysfunctional team. The third phase of Lewins theory can be commonly referred to as the refreezing stage, where new ideas and behaviours become a new or common practice. Pearce (2007) argues that to name this phase as such denotes that the change remains static, leaders should continuously strive to make changes for the better, communication across the whole team allows for individuals points of view to be exposed and discussed; feedback on how a new change is working is necessary in order to achieve the highest levels of quality care. Leadership styles become a key issue when developing, implementing and upholding change. Motivation of staff also plays a key role in the acceptance of change; leaders should demonstrate that they are a good role model, adopt a friendly attitude towards team members, accepting of criticism and be willing to provide positive feedback, when the team endeavour to believe in and implement the change (Darlington 2006). Corkindale (2009) argues that leaders need balance their role within a team to ensure that they do not become too over familiar with individual team members, as this may lead to team members relying too heavily on the leader to make all the decisions and authority may be compromised. Murphy (2006) writes that leaders need to adopt a style of leadership that suits the workforce; a laissez-faire approach can be seen as the leader not taking into account individual team members ideas, work ethics and commitment seriously, it can lead to a team feeling devalued and unorganised. The National Institute for Mental Health (2007) further suggests that leaders who show their commitment, by working alongside their colleagues, adopting and maintaining the changes themselves demonstrates a leader who is at the forefront in the deliverance of quality care. They further suggest that each leader will bring their own set of ethics, life experiences and education to a team, will often adopt their own style of leadership that may be a mixture of several styles moulded to suit the team and the area of practice they are employed to manage. Opportunities for team members to voice their opinions and concerns are invaluable; they are after all the main implementers of the change and wil l have be the first to recognise if the change has gained positive or negative results. The change can only work if leaders allow for reflection, discussion and adaptation of the change to suit each individual involved in the change process. A change that is difficult to implement or maintain will end in failure, this leads a team adopting negative feelings and a resistance to change in the future. Goleman (2000) suggests that to adopt an authoritarian approach, can at times be a positive approach to leadership especially if some team members resist change or there is a need to produce quick results. Goffee and Jones (2000) disagree with this statement and suggest that a good leader is someone who other people want to follow without bullying, threats or the fear of reprisals; they lead by communicating effectively and adopt a style of leadership that allows the team to understand what is expected of them. RCN (2007) writes that the only way malnourishment can be identified and managed effectively is with effective use of recognised screening tools.Perry (2009) argues that in many cases nursing staff are given the means and tools to assess a patient, but many are inadequately trained to understand the findings of the assessment or are unwilling to involve other health professionals in the care of the patient. A multidisciplinary approach to tackle such problems should be used. Protected mealtimes have been proven to be useful to not only the patient but to the whole care team, it allows for assessment in areas such as speech and language, mental health issues and other physical problems which can affect the nutritional intake of individuals. South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust (2009) reports that protected mealtimes affects and involves all staff within in the organisation from physiotherapists, domestic staff, maintenance staff through to outside professionals such as social worker s. It involves all areas of clinical practice where patients require nutritional intake, not only for patients who are unable to feed themselves but for those patients who require and deserve a quiet, interruption free period to eat, drink and relax. To maintain and monitor the change process and may require several attempts before the target is reached. takes time and may not always be successful first time. National Patient Safety Agency (2008) states that many clinical staff referred to the implementation of protected mealtimes as a hindrance to their daily routine, but once the benefits for patients as well as the staff members were explained they became more compliant and understanding for the need to change.

Censorship and Internet Essay -- essays research papers

Censorship and the Internet The Internet is the fastest growing and largest tool for mass communication and information distribution in the world. People use the Internet for communication, expressing their opinions, or obtaining unlimited information access. Nowadays, the issue of wether is it necessary to have censorship on the Internet is being argued all over the world. Censoring the Internet can protect children from strangers, filter unpleasant material and prevent young people imitating negative behaviour. However, it is apparent that filtering the Internet is against the freedom of information, anti-educational and it is difficult to develop people’s ideas and views. This essay aims to discuss the issue of restricted information on the Internet. It will be argued that censorship of the Internet interferes with people having a broad range of ideas, views and experiences. It could be argued that Internet censorship might protect children from interacting one-on-one with strangers on the Internet. Children are innocent, so they often trust stranger who they talk with via the Internet. According to National Opinion Poll (2000, cited in Allbon & Williams 2002:1), for the sake of receiving free samples, gifts or information or even to start up a friendship, one third of 7-16-year-old Internet users would give out their home address. Furthermore, a study by National Academic Press (2002:3) indicates that chatting with strangers is the potential harm to children becaus...

The Impossibility of Female Desire in Pygmalion and The Awakening Essay

In â€Å"The Power of Discourse and the Subordination of the Feminine,† Luce Irigaray argues that, because society uses a patriarchal language that privileges male-gendered logic over female-gender emotion, there is no adequate language to represent female desire. She writes that â€Å"feminine pleasure has to remain inarticulate in language, in its own language, if it is not to threaten the underpinnings of logical operations† and, because of this, â€Å"what is most strictly forbidden to women today is that they should attempt to express their own pleasure† (796). This inability to articulate female desire means that female desire becomes unutterable, something that cannot be expressed. According to Irigaray, this unutterable-ness of female desire in patriarchal language leaves only one option for women to attempt to express their desire and that is the act of mimicry or mimesis. Mimesis is not an attempt to represent female desire in patriarchal language; inst ead, mimesis is in attempt through the use of patriarchal language to reveal that female desire cannot be presented, a way to â€Å"make ‘visible,’ by an effect of playful repetition, what was supposed to remain invisible – the cover-up of a possible operation of the feminine in language† (795). Mimesis exposes how patriarchal language disallows or denies female desire by circling around the absence of that female desire, by making its absence perfectly clear in a patriarchal discourse. The concept of a patriarchal discourse, necessary to Irigaray’s argument, is an example of a shared interpretive community, a term coined by Stanley Fish that refers to a discursively-created set of ideas, beliefs, and interpretations that belong to a community or multiple communities. The most important aspe... ...etative community of patriarchal language, does not allow for the existence of female desire and kills what little life it had in Eliza in these last lines. In the end, the characters of Edna and Eliza reveal the impossibility of female desire, of their having desire, within a culture that cannot articulate or name it. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. Ed. Nancy Walker. Boston: Bedford, 2000. Print. Fish, Stanley. "How to Recognize a Poem When You See One." Is There a Text in this Class? The Authority of Interpretive Communities. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1980. PDF File. Irigaray, Luce. "The Power of Discourse and the Subordination of the Feminine." Literary Theory: An Anthology. By Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2004. Print. Shaw, George Bernard. Pygmalion. New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Print.

Fdi Walmart-Asda

Foreign Direct Investment Wal-Mart – ASDA Wal-Mart is an American company, based in Arkansas, USA that runs large discount department stores. The company was started in 1945 when Sam Walton open a store in Arkansas, the premise behind the company was to slightly undercut its competitors while still making a profit. This idea proved a large success. In 1962 the name Wal-Mart was established when Walton open ‘Wal-Mart Discount City’ store by the time the company was incorporated in 1969 it had expanded 38 stores spread over 3 states, again operating under the same premise of marking up slightly less than the competitors. ASDAs life began in 1965 with the merger of Asquith supermarkets and Associated Dairies, the name ASDA is an abbreviation of the two names ASquith Dairies. In 1968 ASDA bought two large stores from Government Exchange Mart (G. E. M) that were failing and in the first week of trading by ASDA the sales grow from ? 6,000 a week under G. E. M to ? 30,000. The space given by the size of the stores allowed ASDA to create its own range of goods, which is considered to be on of the reasons behind the company’s early growth. By 1981 ASDA had expanded out of its northern home south with a total of 80 stores. Unfortunately this time also seen the managing director leave the company to be replaced by John Fletcher whose ideas to improve profitability was to increase profit margin on branded items, this increased profits in the short term but lowered the companies price competitiveness, straying away from the company’s founding principals. This led to decline in customer numbers and Fletcher left the company just 3 years later. By the beginning of the 1990’s ASDA was falling apart it had bought a chain stores know as Gateway for a high price and was struggling due to it, and ASDA entered in a doomed loop of increasing prices and loosing customers. Archie Norman took over the company as CEO after the share holders revolted. Made some radical changes to the company, completely changing it management style and returning back to the companies base ‘ASDA price – Pocket the Difference’ In the 1980’s Wal-Mart continued to expand in to southern United States states and by 1987 had 1198 stores. The 1990’s saw continued growth it to other United States states such as New York and by 1993 the company had managed to reach one billion dollars worth of sales in one week. By 1995 Wal-Mart were well on there way in to foreign markets with 276 international stores, by the time Wal-Mart looked in to purchasing ASDA in 1999 it was the world’s largest private employer. After ASDAs struggling period in the early 1990s, its future was looking up towards the end of the 1990s. 1999 saw a large discussion about a ? 18 billion merger between ASDA and kingfisher, but this was no more than just a ruse to cover what was really happening to ASDA. The kingfisher merger was days away when Wal-Mart made a ? 6. 7 billion offer the ASDA could not refuse. Both ASDA and Wal-Mart had very similar ideas about management style and, giving the customer what they wanted, cheap goods. In addition both had spread out from just groceries in to other areas, such as ASDA’s George Clothing range. The Asda acquisition thrusts Wal-Mart into the midst of a government inquiry of supermarket pricing A regal entrance into the U. K. Chain Store Age, 10870601, Dec99, Vol. 75, Issue 13 The Time that Wal-Mart purchased ASDA may also cause them problems; in 1999 the office of fair trading asked the competition commission to look it to the possibility that supermarkets were bullying suppliers. Wal-Mart are an international brand they would have intended to use this to there advantage and ‘shop around’ for the cheapest goods, this investigation would have caused them to look closely at how they source there suppliers to ensure that they are not caught up in the inquiry. If it wasn’t for the kingfisher merger possibility Wal-Mart may have waited until the air had cleared over the investigation before attempting a purchase. Britain was always a big target for Wal-Mart to step in to, the United Kingdom shopping culture has always been very similar to the United States, ith the tendency to buy everything from one shop. But Britain was always Wal-Mart's great hope. Here was a country with an established supermarket culture. The natives shopped in similar ways to Americans (who tend to prefer large, one-stop excursions, unlike Germans, for example, who buy their ham from one store, their toilet paper from another) A long, long way from Bentonville. Economist, 00130613, 9/30/2006, Vol. 380, Issue 8497 The Asda acquisition provides Wal-Mart with a foothold in the U. K. , where it previously had no retail presence Knestout, Brian P. Wal-Mart Buys Britain! Eyebrows Arch! , Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, 1056697X, Sep99, Vol. 53, Issue 9 ASDA would have been considered a good step by the American giants Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart previously did not have a big grocery stronghold, where as with ASDAs backing there power would be increased. Where as Wal-Mart will give ASDA big purchasing power to enable cheaper purchases and therefore lower cost to the consumer. This was expected to cause a price drop industry wide in order for the other supermarkets to attempt to compete with ASDA / Wal-Mart. Much has been written about the good cultural fit between Wal-Mart and Asda†¦ Wal-Mart should also be able to improve Asda’s buying terms in both foods and non-foods. The result will be sharper prices and reduced margins that will progressively spread throughout British retailing. Asda’s expertise in grocery and petrol retailing may be helpful to Wal-Mart†¦ Rogers, David S, Possible Consequences of Wal-Mart's Acquisition of ASDA, European Retail Digest; Sep99 Issue 23, p51, 2p Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions are very useful when looking at how similar/different two countries are from one and other. The following graphs show both the UKs and the USAs scores relating to Hofstede’s Cultural Dimentions. As you can see from the chart both countries are very similar in each area, I will briefly explain what each category is and how it relates to Wal-mart / ASDA Power Distance Index (PDI), Looks at how business in the country are affected by the small members over the managerial positions. Wal-mart has always pushed its self in this area saying that every staff member is of equal importance, which would imply a low PDI. Which is what both the USA and the UK show, this means there is a large amount of equality between societal levels. Individualism (IDV), Looks at how an individual lives, either by his/her self in small family groups or in larger community based groups, where everyone helps each other. Again both countries are very close to each other, and both with very high scores, implying that both countries are very individualist. There are only 7 countries in the world according to Hofstede that have Individualism as there highest value the USA, Australia and the UK being the top 3. Masculinity (MAS), Refers to how the country is ran, a score around 50 implies that the country is very diverse in sexuality with equal opportunities for both man and women. Both the USA and the UK have scores of around 60 showing that each country is reasonably diverse even if slightly male lead. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI), Shows how much a country avoids new things and new ideas, until it is certain they good. The UKs uncertainty avoidance index is low, lower than the USAs and low over all, meaning that a new company entering the county is likely to be accepted, where as the USA is higher meaning they are untrusting of new companies, luckily for Wal-Mart they were investing in to the UK meaning a low UAI was good for them, but to avoid any problems the continued to trade under the know name of ASDA. Long-Term Orientation (LTO), examines the culture of the country. A county with a low Long-Term Orientation score tends to prefer to stick to traditional values, and doing as the society expects, where as countries with high long-term orientation scores look more to the future rather than sticking to historical values. Again both countries are very similarly rate but both are very low this was probably one of the reasons Wal-Mart continued to trade under ASDA in the UK so the traditionalist can continue to do there local shopping in the place they are se to under the name they are use to. One of the big problems facing Wal-Mart is that the supermarket industry in the United Kingdom is highly concentrated, and will face a larger amount of competition in a smaller area than they would in the United States. As well as a land issue, Wal-Mart had a tendency to build large stores on unoccupied land, where as in the United Kingdom spare land is scares and local governments are reluctant to allow the building of large American style retail outlets. In the United Kingdom, Wal-Mart will have to deal with a supermarket industry that is more highly concentrated than in the United States, a government probe on pricing as well as resistance by some local governments to the construction of American-style big box retail stores. A regal entrance into the U. K. Chain Store Age, 10870601, Dec99, Vol. 75, Issue 13 Wal-Mart made a very risky decision investing in ASDA when they did, considering ASDAs poor performance in the decade prior to the purchase. Their timing was probably slightly hastier than they would have liked, but die the kingfisher deal being imminent Wal-Marts directors had to make some quick decisions. As to not open rumours of the purchase to some other competitors the directors visited the ASDA stores as though they were the public to see if they believed that ASDA was a viable purchase and that they could make the company work for them. Wal-Mart and ASDA were built on similar core principals, cheaper prices for the consumers, and during the ASDA re-growth prior to the purchase ASDAs management style changed to one which put the store staff in a better place, similar to the way that Wal-Mart encourages. This meant that a purchase from Wal-Mart would have very little effect on ASDA in the short run which is good for the consumers and hence good for the business. The shopping culture in the United Kingdom was very similar to the United States with UK shoppers tending to buy all there goods from one place. However expansion may have been a problem for them and a large change from what they were use to in the United States but ASDA gave Wal-Mart a good step in to the European market. Bibliography A long, long way from Bentonville. Economist, 00130613, 9/30/2006, Vol. 380, Issue 8497 A regal entrance into the U. K. Chain Store Age, 10870601, Dec99, Vol. 75, Issue 13 About ASDA – History, http://www. asda-corporate. com/about-asda/history. asp (Accessed 10/02/2007) Frank, T. A. â€Å"A Brief History of Wal-Mart. The Washington Monthly. April 1, 2006 Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions, http://www. geert-hofstede. com/hofstede_dimensions. php (accessed 22/08/2008) Knestout, Brian P. , Wal-Mart Buys Britain! Eyebrows Arch! Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, 1056697X, Sep99, Vol. 53, Issue 9 Rogers, David S, Possible Consequences of Wal-Mart's Acquisition of ASDA, European Retail Digest; Sep99 Issue 23, p51, 2p Teena Lyons, Competition Commission inquiry into supermarkets, guardia n. co. uk, Wednesday October 31 2007