Human Resource Development and Management Critical Thinking Mod 5 Essay

Human Resource Development and Management Critical Thinking Mod 5 - Essay Example Every employee possesses different positive and negative qualities which need to be molded to meet the requirements of a business. Every individual has strength and weaknesses, but training brings out the best in an employee. Training alone cannot bring productivity and performance standard in an employed but a development process also need to be followed by the managerial level. As per (Career NZ) â€Å"Workplace training, also known as trade or industry training, involves learning and earning money while you work†. There are certain steps in training and development procedure and that need to be followed. Analysis: Analyzing means understanding and evaluating the abilities and skills of individual employees. This is the primary stage and an important one to initiate training process. According to (CMI, 2003) â€Å"Analyzing what the training needs are is a vital prerequisite for any effective training programmer or event†. Without a proper analysis training can procee d to be a disastrous process. In this stage, a training manger can glance deep into the positive and negative qualities of an employee. This helps the manager to assess the refinement needed in a person to come up as a quality staff. Planning: When a training co – coordinator or manager conduct analyzis, he has in mind the ways to plan a training procedure. As per (Johnson) â€Å"Designing an effective training program for an organization is a challenging task. You need to be highly organized and have a clear idea of what you need the training program to accomplish†. A training structure cannot be formulated if the individual employees are not studied in a calculative manner.Planning is secondary to analysis as only after analysis can a manger lay out what elements need to be included or excluded in a training program. As per(Ajlouni,2010,pg 56-65)â€Å"The process of identifying training needs is carefully thought out programmer that needs to be carried out with sens itivity because success of a training programmer may be crucial for the survival of the organization†. Execution :This is the third and a very important stage in training and development phenomenon. Here, the manager execute or put in practice the training plan. Here , each individual is educated about the organizational objective and the qualities needed for an ideal employee. During a training program , the main objective of a manager is to develop the personality and performance standard of the employees participating. As per (Seeklander,2009)â€Å"Sloppy attention to detail, or a lazy work ethic during training sessions will result in imprinting a technique wrong into our subconscious mind† Development: Development is the ongoing educational activity occurring in an organization as a part of a training program. A development process involves many educational techniques which will enhance the productivity and performance quality of an employee. In the journal, (Truit t, 2007) writes thatâ€Å"Positive training offered to employees may assist with reduction of anxiety or frustration, which most employees have experienced on more than one occasion during their employment careers†. Feedback – Feedback is an important process in all these stages of training and development session. This gives an outline and idea to the training manager about the experience of the trainees. According to (Raemdonck, 2012, pg24-48) â€Å"

John Calvin and the Protestant Reformation Essay Example for Free

John Calvin and the Protestant Reformation Essay This paper is devoted to the period of Protestant Reformation in France and the key figure of this process- John Calvin. John Calvin was a Protestant theologian and the developer of the famous Calvinism theology as a system of Christian church. He is well known for his written works and his teachings, but not many know about his role played in Michael Servetus’s execution. These and some other issues will be discussed in this research. John Calvin was born under the name of Jean Chauvin in Picardie, in France. His father sent him to Paris in 1523 to get ready for the priesthood. There Calvin studied in College de la Marche and then in College de Montaigu till 1528. As he was doing quite well in ecclesiastics, he gained the chaplaincy and the curacy of Saint Martin de Martheville from his native city (Tracy, 1999). In 1529 Calvin resigned chaplaincy for the benefit of his younger brother, but however two years later he resumed and was holding it till 1534 (Gordon, 2002). Calvin proved to be a good student, but his father, who by the year 1528 had problems in relations with the ecclesiastic authorities in Noyon, took a decision, that his son should study law instead. John didn’t argue and went to Orleans, to study law at the university there. In a year he moved to another university and took classes of Andrea Alciati. During his studies at both universities Calvin was very much under the impact of Melchior Wolmar, who was a leader of humanist ranks and was a supporter of Reformation ideas. When in 1531 the father of Calvin died, he had to come back to Paris and take up study of Hebrew. In 1532 John spent another year in Orleans as a student of law again. In spring of the same year he paid his own money for publishing the text of Seneca’s De Clementia, adding his commentary. This was a confirmation of his humanistic views in connection with the Roman Church. At the same time the ideas of Reformation were rapidly spread in France, Calvin however was moving step by step to his position, he wrote in his commentary to Psalms that he â€Å"was too obstinately devoted to the superstitions of popery to be easily extricated from so profound an abyss of mire. (Barth, 1995). One of his friends, who also shared the ideas of Reformation, was Nicolas Cop. When he became the rector of Paris University, they decided to use the chance to present their comments concerning the Reformation in front of cultured and intelligent audience. In November 1533 Cop held a speech in the Church of the Mathurins, which they gave the title â€Å"Christian Philosophy†, meaning the Gospel. The relation, he built between Law and Gospel, was closely connected to the ideas of Luther. The final part of the speech was however independent and more concentrated on the one of the features of Calvinism, namely – salvation. The speech had all chances to produce a vivid impression on the audience and to attract supporters, but Cop spoke negatively about the hierologists of Sorbonne and called them â€Å"sophists†. This certainly caused their indignation, they sought for support from the government, and Cop had to escape. Calvin followed him due to their known close relation, but risked to return very soon. He couldn’t get rid of his fears, that his support of Reformation ideas could be followed by imprisonment, like it was the case with some other reformers. He decided to become a wanderer in 1534, all the time changing his name. Two and a half years he was going from place to place, was imprisoned in Noyon, visited Paris, where he met Servetus for the first time. In Orleans he published his Psychopannychia, confutation of the theory about sleeping soul between death and the Last Judgment (Gordon, 2002). In 1535 Calvin visited Strasburg under the name of Basel. There he finished his Institutes of the Christian Religion, about the book he wrote: My objects were, first, to vindicate my brethren whose death was precious in the sight of the Lord; and next that, as the same cruelties might very soon after be exercised against many unhappy individuals, foreign nations might be touched with at least some compassion toward them and solicitude about them. † (Barth, 1995). After he had published this work, he worked in Ferrara in the court of Duchess Renee. A year later he met his younger brother Antoine and his half-sister Marie in Paris. He traveled with them to Strasburg, but because of the war, had to go to Geneva, planning to remain only one night there. But Farel Guillaume, one of the like-minded persons, convinced him to stay there. Two years he spent at the side of Farel, but still the city could not stand the significant reforms offered by the Reformers and on Easter Monday in 1538 they both were ordered to leave the city. Calvin traveled to Strasburg, where he became minister to the French refugees in the Church of St. Nicolas (Brady, 1994). Two years later he married Idelette de Bure, widow of Jean Stordeur of Liege, an Anabaptist, whom Calvin managed to turn into pedobabtist. They had a son, who lived only several days. Idelette de Bure died in 1549 and Calvin never married for the second time. Calvin didn’t have the plans to return to Geneva as his financial situation was rather poor at that moment, but very soon he got the opportunity to improve his position. In Strasburg he managed to practice the reform, which he could not launch in Geneva, and his fame started to grow very quickly. He received an offer to come out with a course of cathedral lectures. In 1539 Cardinal Jacopo Sadoleto sent a letter to Geneva, asking for it to be returned to Roman obedience and Bern government gave the right to answer to Calvin. There were serious changes in the government of Geneva, and as a result the friends if Calvin won the power in the city. For the second time Calvin followed the arguments of Farel and went to Geneva. He knew perfectly, that there were a lot of his enemies, and that not everybody was ready to support him, but his faith in God was his major support. The government prepared a house for him and a corresponding salary. His work in Geneva started, the city turned into his main, but not the only one, center of activity. Geneva was a place, that gathered a lot of refugees from Holland, Italy, England, Spain, who were ready to listen and to support the ideas of Calvin. Also a number of students visited his lectures. His fame was growing, and more and more people were standing by him. At the age of fifty-five he died because of a disease. For Geneva he left one hundred and seventy dollar, faith, education and reconstructed government. Calvin chose Apostle’s Creed as the basis for his ideas, at the same time closely relating theology and ethics. Calvin’s reformation was practical, with the strongest emphasis on the doctrine of predestination; he tried to teach people of the city to refer to it as a cornerstone of the Christian faith. Opposed to lenient views concerning grace and sin, propagated by the Roman Church, the Augustinian doctrine recovered in his words. Calvin did his best to change the face of Protestantism, as he managed to address openly and directly the matters, which other reformers didn’t know or didn’t want to discuss (Brady, 1994). His main target was the proper organization of the church governance and social organization of the church in the city. He was said to be the first politic leader, who was able to build the social organization based on biblical principles. He brought very significant innovation, namely by incorporating church into the government of the city (Cameron, 1991). In the middle of 1550s the structure of Geneva was changed completely in accordance to Calvin’s ideas. As a result Geneva became the most important center of Protestantism in Europe and attracted the persecuted refugees from other countries. The branch of Calvin’s reforms became the prevalent branch of Protestantism from the seventeenth century. Calvin had the same problems as Luther with Anabaptists. On the 16-17 of March in 1537 he had a public meeting with them, and using his strong argumentation disposed of their ideas, as confirmed by Council of Two Hundred. Along with a great number of supporters Calvin had his opponents as well. Calvin played a very important role in the execution of Michael Servetus – â€Å"the Spanish physician, radical reformer (Anabaptist), and unitarian. † (Gordon, 2002). In 1531 Servetus published his ideas denouncing the Trinity, which was the key doctrine Catholics and Protestants could agree about. Three years later Calvin agreed to meet Servetus in person in Paris, Servetus however didn’t appear. From 1546 till 1548 they exchanged letters, trying to convince each other, but finally Calvin had to stop the correspondence, as it was growing more and more rancorous. In 1553 Servetus was sentenced to death in absentia by Inquisition in Spain for spreading heresy. Calvin provided very important evidences to support the conviction. Servetus escaped from the prison, but was again arrested in Geneva on the initiative of Calvin. This time he was sentenced to burning on a stake, which took place in 1553. Then Servetus was buried together with the copy of his last work De Trinitatis Erroribus. Servetus was the only one, who was sentenced to death for his religious beliefs during the lifetime of Calvin, and there is finally no agreement about the correctness of Calvin’s actions concerning this issue. Hundreds of years later modern Calvinists do not support the actions of Calvin towards Servetus. Nowadays persecution, and what is more death sentence for religious beliefs and positions, seems to be barbarous. Calvin was certainly not the only reformer. The ideas of Calvin and Farel were really close, but Farel was a missionary, a preacher and not theologian or even less a statesman. Calvin, being French would probably not be able to spread his influence so successfully either in Zurich or in Wittenberg, as Zwingli and Luther did it. Calvin was much younger than Luther and Zwingli and had an advantage of having a good foundation for spreading his ideas. He managed to build a system based on their new ideas. He proved to be better organizer and better thinker, at the same time lacking their genius and activity. His life was not as dramatic as those of Luther or Zwingli; he didn’t possess that genial humor or was able to raise popular enthusiasm. And still he remained the most influential Reformer of the Protestant Church. References: Barth, K. (1995). The Theology of John Calvin, tr. by G. W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans. Brady, T. (1994). Handbook of European History, 1400–1600: Late Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation. Leiden and New York. Breen, Q. (1968). John Calvin: A Study in French Humanism. Cameron, E. (1991). The European Reformation. Oxford and New York. Gordon, B. (2002). The Swiss Reformation. Manchester, U. K. , and New York. Tracy, J. (1999). Europes Reformations, 1450–1650. Lanham, Md.

The Rain Child, Margaret Laurence

The Rain Child, Margaret Laurence Margaret Laurence (1928-1987) is one of the most beloved writers in Canada, she was made a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1972 that shows her popularity. Also The range and the quality of her work made her the most recognized and accomplished of the writers of the 1960s (New 265). She began to write from age 7, but none of her stories was published until she moved to Africa, where she lived for seven years because of her husbands job. Her first published fiction, the Uncertain Flowering, was followed by several short stories, published in various journals, that were collected in The Tomorrow-Tamer in 1963. The Rain Child is one of these short stories, which sets in Africa and was influenced by Laurences experience as a minority there. Moreover, she recognized the division between their [Africans] traditional ancestral past and their contemporary partly Westernized present (New 265). The plot of the story is quite simple; an African girl, Ruth, who has been educated in England moves back to Africa with her father, and becomes a student in Eburaso Girls School where the narrator, Miss Violet Nedden is the English teacher. Her integration, her identity problems and behavioral changes are told by Miss Nedden. These themes can be found in the other short stories as well, because they focus repeatedly on outsiders trying to cope with their own identities (New 266). In addition, Laurence shows special sympathy for those, both African and European, who no longer fully belong anywhere (The Oxford Companion ti Canadian Literature 634) in her short stories. The main motif in The Rain Child is identity because every main character has identity problems. The narrator, Miss Nedden is an English woman who moved to Africa to teach and she has spent there twenty-two years, but she did not become a real African, however she has adapted herself to the circumstences more easily than her boss, Miss Hilda Povey. Miss Povey is more close-minded than Miss Nedden as she says at the beginning of the story, twenty-seven years here [Africa]. . . and she still felt acutely uncomfortable with African parents. Miss Nedden is more open-minded, for instance, she gives up to teach Daffodils and turns to Akans poetry, and she joins to the girls when they go to the Odwira. On the contrary to her achieved integration, Miss Nedden keeps her English identity, for instance, her garden chair which is like a throne for her, and the reader also can sense the superiority over Africans in her thinking. However, she also cannot be a real English woman after spending so m any years in Africa. As she says it at the end of the short story: I think of that island of grey rain where I must go as a stranger, when the time comes. The other main character, Ruth, is also struggling with identity problems because she has lived in England before she moved back to Africa with her father. She seems African with her brown skin but she cannot speak the Twi, the language of the area and she does not know a lot about the African culture and traditions. For her, everybody seems strange and somehow barbarian with the traditional African clothes that they wear after classes and their weird beliefs, for instance: Yindos talisman. She does not feel as she is at home, she wants to go back to England: I wish I were back at home. Ruth becomes happier when she meets David, an English boy, but he makes her shocked when he says: I know youre not the ordinary kind of African. Youre almost almost like a like us.. It is not enough for Ruth, therefore she runs away to the forest and at the end of the short story she leaves the school and goes to another in the town. Ruths father, Dr. Quansah also has got some kind of identity problem. He has worked in England for many years and there he has had friends but he cannot find any neither European nor African in Africa. As he says: I still find most Europeans here as difficult to deal with as I ever did. And yet I seem to have lost touch with my own people, too.. He has got a mixed identity, because he also keeps western habits, but in a way he remains African in his thinking. For instance: he eats western food, wears European clothes and speaks English, but he is not identical to Europeans because he resents the Europeans racism. The theme of identity also brings up the question of race and culture. Ruth is an African girl because of her roots, but she has been brought up in a different culture, therefore she feels herself more English than African. However, in the eyes of other people she will remain African, she cannot be truly English, as David says she is just almost like them. On the contrary, the conclusion of the short story is about the power of culture above race. Race is insignificant and artificial, Laurence is saying; culture is real and inviolable. (Craig 115). In addition to culture, the traditions have got important roles in the short story, for instance, the senior girls are allowed to wear the traditional, colourful African dress. The main traditional event in the story is the Odwira festival. There happens something shocking to Ruth when she sees Kwaale and a boy doing the Shoot an arrow ritual. The boy shoots an imagenary arrow to Kwaale and she shows her naked body to him. It is a reminder that women are the source of life, however Miss Nedden is not sure that Kwaale and the boy really know about this customs meaning or origin or they just care about the beat of their own blood. Also the title of the short story is connected to African culture because when Ruth was born her mother called her an African name which means ËÅ  child of the rainËÅ  . Her English name, Ruth is also interesting because it can be seen as a biblical refernce. Ruth in the Bible was a poor, foreigner woman and her story shows the triumph of ingenuity and courage over tough circumstences. This is a bit sarcastical because in The Rain Child Ruth is neither ingenious nor courageous because she does not want to be a part of her new country. Laurence used mainly Ruths story to tell problems with which a whole nation and generation faced at that time. The themes identity, migration, alienation, integration, race, sense of belonging she put in The Rain Child show a great sense of understaning towards these people. Laurences [style] embraces conscious symbolism while it strives for the immediacy of ordinary experience (New 265).

Obsession in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Birthmark :: Birthmark Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Scientific research concerning living organisims is usually beneficial. Most medical practices are beneficial; they are done to cure people from illness and to save people's lives. The only time when science borders on going too far is when it is used to alter people or animals -- for instance changing the genes of a fly to give it eyes on its legs. Making mutants like that violates the sanctity of life, and although it is condonable for research with flies, to do something similar to humans would be beyond comprehension.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is clear that Hawthorne does not look favorably upon manipulating humans with science. He is especially wary about using science to try to make things worse; "Do not repent that with so high and pure a feeling, you have rejected the best the earth could offer. ... I am dying!" says Chillingworth wife after she is "cured" of her birthmark, a large brown mole on the upper left side of her right arm.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chillingworth feels that this experiment is justified because his wife is nowhere near perfect, withstanding the birthmark. "...upon another arm perhaps it might, but ... you came so hideous from the hand of Nature that this slightest possible defect, which we hesitate whether to term a defect or a beauty, shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection." If she hadn't been so close to detestment, he would not have minded the birthmark, but because she is otherwise beastly, the birthmark stands out. Significant is the use of the phrase "earthly imperfection", which hints at Hawthorne's theme. By removing Georgiana's "earthly imperfection", Chillingworth is playing God. It is hard to say whether it was justified in my opinion, even if the experiment had succeeded. If I take the story literally, and put myself in one of their positions, it might be. But I don't think that this is what Hawthorne wants us to be concerned with; he wants to show us why it is wrong to try to change nature with science.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hawthorne's theme of tampering with nature can easily be applied to society.

To Diet or Not to Diet

> When we hear the word dieting, we immediately think of losing weight, counting calories, avoiding fast food and other stereotype characteristics. But dieting is a word that enfolds a larger group of people, than only the ones that want to lose weight. The definition says a diet is a special course of food to which a person is restricted, either for weight control or for medical reasons. For whatever reason a diet is followed, when can we conclude it is or isn’t recommended to follow a diet? Only a small group of people are restricted to following a diet. Also consider reading: Role of Chemistry in Domestic Activities ProjectIt’s not the people we think of first, the ones who need to lose weight, but it’s the ones who need it for medical reasons or elite sports incentives. For all rest, people like you and me, it is rather a question if we really need a diet with restrictive prescriptions. Why not just learn how to maintain healthy habits and live by them like a so called easy lifetime diet? Dieting requires behavioral changes that are not easy to adopt or maintain in the long run. A dieting plan with a balanced intake of foods may reduce your risks for chronic diseases.On the other hand, if you do not plan carefully, dieting may increase your risk of nutritional deficiencies. It is recommended to consult your doctor before embarking upon any diet plan. When a diet is for medical reasons, the medical benefits are determinative for executing the diet. But what about personal reasons? The biggest benefit of dieting is that you can lose weight, especially when you also engage in physical activity. There’s a large amount of possible diet programs on the market.These diet plans may be effective in helping you lose weight in the short-term and lose even more weight in the long-term when you increase your adherence to the diet. But why engage in a prescriptive way of eating, if you can do it easily with just eating healthy and make that your way of living without over-thinking what and when you should eat? Having healthy food habits without being in some calorie-counting diet, can improve your physical health, particularly when you consume a balanced diet of foods, allowing you to obtain adequate amounts of essential nutrients.A healthy diet plan emphasizes whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, beans, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, eggs, fish, poultry and lean meat; it also minimizes sodium, added sugars, cholesterol, saturated fats and trans fats. Weight loss from maint aining healthy eat habits is associated with reduced risks of chronic conditions and diseases that include obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and cancer. It may also enhance your mental health and improve your self-esteem. And it works in the long term as it becomes your daily routine and at some point, you don’t even think about it anymore.The hard part about whether a diet or just eating healthy, is changing your eating behavior. At first, you may feel excited about the prospect of looking thinner and may adhere to the plan wholeheartedly. Over time, though, you may be tempted to eat the high-calorie foods you were used to eating before the diet. You may simply find the diet plan too restrictive to adhere to every day. Low rates of weight loss success are due to inability to adhere to dieting strategies in the long-term and that sustained adherence to reducing calories and increasing exercise is effective for establishing self-set dieting goals.T hat’s why a diet should be avoided. You might not have spectacular results in the short run, but in the long run you don’t find yourself struggling with just living the healthy life. Not only the fact you have to live by prescriptions, dieting may also cause medical problems. It can increase your risk of gallstones as rapid weight loss can result in a high probability of gallstone formation; they can occur even when prevention strategies are implemented. So called crash diets, is when energy intake is restricted by very low intake of energy, mostly by cutting down carbohydrates and fats, to lose weight quickly.The weight loss will occur, but other causes are the jojo effect (these diets can’t be maintained for a large period and as the body went into sleep mode with mostly loss of water, it tends to put on more weight after the diet), shortening in required nutrients, lack of energy and sleeping disorders. Automatically less bodily activity is done, what causes the breakdown of muscle tissue. In the long term, these diets only work against the goal of losing weight. Diets with smaller or no energy intake restriction and only a restriction of carbohydrates, cause a great weight loss as well but aren’t without danger either.Examples are the Atkins and South Beach diet. These diets contain a lot of saturated fat, what can lead to cardiovascular diseases. Because of the longer term, shortening of certain essential nutrients can occur. Dieting requires behavioral changes that are not easy to adopt or maintain in the long run. A dieting plan with a balanced intake of foods may reduce your risks for chronic diseases. On the other hand, if you do not plan carefully, dieting may increase your risk of nutritional deficiencies. It is recommended to consult your doctor before embarking upon any diet plan.As it might feel like a diet at start, weight control and other physical appearance incentives come automatically by just eating healthy, havi ng enough sleep and performing regularly in physical activity. It is about changing behavior and approach your goal judiciously – not jumping into some diet that offers you a quick solution for your primary goal, along with secondary consequences that may harm you more in the long run. Sources My education as a bachelor in nutrition and dietetics. http://webmd. com http://www. oxforddictionaries. com http//www. livestrong. com

Disneyland Hong Kong Essay

1. What led to the eventual woes experienced by Hong Kong Disneyland in its first year of operation? How should Hong Kong Disneyland rectify its market situation? The venture into Hong Kong by Walt Disney was a simple example of a large successful western company not doing its homework. The case presents a clear picture of the importance of understanding a foreign market thoroughly before doing business there. Several factors led to an unsuccessful first year of operations and a majority of these factors could have been avoided with a better cultural understanding in the planning stages. One of the culture differences that was obvious to Disney was the fact that the children are not familiar with the Disney characters. Disney has established its brand and is a marketing poster child in the United States, however this advantage goes out the window in a country such as china that has sheltered itself from the outside world until recently. Disney thought that making a meager attempt at introducing the characters before the launch of the park would help, however familiarity isn’t synonymous with brand attachment. As listed in Global Marketi ng Management by Kotable & Helson, â€Å"Cultural Distance† is one of the six external criteria for choosing a mode of entry into a foreign territory, which was not accounted for by Disney. Cultural distance also recognizes the fact that different cultures have different expectations. This was also the case with China. As stated in the case, â€Å"for the tourists of Mainland China, going to Hong Kong means a shopping experience, and so they choose the cheaper alternative to Hong Kong Disneyland†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The case goes on to allude to the fact that the culture in China is one about dollars and cents – when a Chinese person spends his/her money, they are more interested in what they are physically getting. This is very culturally different from a Western vacation where relaxation and experience is the expectation. Disney does a great job at providing a  magical experience, but in my opinion this is what led to their struggle in Hong Kong – the Chinese tourists do not value that very magical experience that westerners do. There were also other factors such as neglecting to do homework on how Chinese tourists select a destination. The Chinese tend to have a strong relationship with travel agents where as in the U.S a vacation is generally booked online without any personal interaction. Failing to account for these small differences coupled with the lack of brand attachment created nothing but an overpriced theme park. All hope is not lost however! Hong Kong is a huge tourist market and there is plenty of opportunity, but the only way for Disney to rectify its market situation is to bridge the gap of cultural distance. One way to do this would be to add an educational element to their park. The case notes that the Chinese put a premium on education, and in this culture the parents are the ones making the decisions – so appeal to them and attract more people. If Disney wants to succeed it needs to also remember what made it so successful in the U.S. After year one it is clear that their brand is not established and would not do all the work for them, and must take the necessary steps to reestablish themselves all over again. It must create a magical feeling in every Chinese child hearts as well as fit the consumer expectations of their parents. 2. To what extend could Hong Kong Disneyland adapt its product to Chinese consumers without diluting its image? Hong Kong Disney obviously requires a lot of changes in order to be successful – but at what point to these changes start impacting its brand? Being such a different culture from Disney’s main operations, China presents a challenge in that Disney is at risk of tarnishing its name if it changes its product to suit the Chinese expectations. The best way to handle this would be to introduce characters and elements of the theme park that are brand new to China, and not introduce them anywhere else. Instead of using Mickey Mouse as the brand image they can introduce something completely new – and after due time this could be successful because it is not as though the Chinese consumer has any attachment to the already established brand, as a matter of fact they are not even familiar with it. It can also change the layout of its parks. China is more interested in taking home physical items  rather than memories so why fill up the park with aesthetically pleasing creations? Instead they can introduce bigger rides in order to allow for pictures. They can even put a super-sized mall within their park in order to establish a collection-type phenomenon surrounding Disney products in China. The text refers to this strategy as â€Å"International Market Segmentation.† A list of reasons is given by Kotable & Helson for the segment approach, and the first one is â€Å"Identifiable – The segments should be easy to define and measure.† A country like China certainly calls for this approach because of the potential dilution of brand image, however by keeping the Hong Kong Disney defined as just that – Hong Kong – the brand in the United States will be unharmed. 3. How should Hong Kong Disneyland address competition? Hong Kong Disneyland’s main competition is Ocean Park, a â€Å"homegrown† theme park. First Disney must recognize the advantage that Ocean Park has over them. Ocean Park has an advantage in that it understands the battlefield, so to speak. It is a Chinese company and it understands the expectations of its consumer. There is brand recognition and a little bit of loyalty since it was established in China. They have a popular educational segment which bodes well with the Chinese and generally provide a good overall experience for the price. They are recognized as the best way that Disneyland can separate itself is through differentiation – they have to make their product unique. Another way that they can address competition is by going after a different part of the market. As stated on Ocean Parks website, a midweek ticket is 320 HK which translates to about 40 bucks in US dollars. A potential opportunity might be to offer Disneyland as the premium option. At 40$, O cean Park offers a pretty cheap admission and there is not much room to beat their price, however by offering upscale restaurants and shops, Disneyland can capture the upper echelon of tourists. Through differentiation and a focused market, Hong Kong Disneyland can coexist with the large and established Ocean Park.