Curriculum Development and Design Essay

These programs arose from the thinking of a group of pioneers who believed that the educational approach that had been developed by medical education innovators at McMaster University was also most relevant for the preparation of occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Consequently, a group of educators from both institutions, Mohawk College and McMaster University, combined their skills and created a vision that became the diploma programs in occupational therapy and physiotherapy. This approach was problem-based learning, and was used as the foundation for both programs from their inception to the present day, across three different iterations of curriculum. One of the key innovations to the way in which the college programs were taught was the combination of using faculty from both the university and college to teach all courses. In the 1980s, a degree completion program was launched that provided graduates of the diploma program a chance to upgrade their qualification to a bachelors degree from McMaster University. This was particularly important since the minimum credential for entry to practice had been raised to the baccalaureate level by the professional associations. In 1989, the program moved completely into the university setting and the graduates were granted a BHSc(PT) or BHSc(OT), a bachelor degree in health sciences. Ten years later, in 2000, candidates were admitted to the entrylevel masters programs in occupational therapy and physiotherapy. The Pedagogical Framework: Problem-based Learning As briefly referred to above, the occupational therapy and physiotherapy programs at McMaster University have a strong history with and legacy of problem-based learning. While the initial curriculum models were strongly influenced by the inaugural undergraduate medical curriculum, time and confidence presented opportunities to create our own models. These models reflect the special nuances of each discipline. Problem-based learning is recognized as having begun at McMaster University, in the medical curriculum, and was in response to critical concerns about the nature of more traditional learning models in medical curricula. The intention was to create an approach to teaching and learning that was learner-centered, yet based upon clear objectives and evaluation criteria. The key difference was the expectation that learners would be facilitated and guided rather than taught (Barrows and Tamblyn 1980; Neufeld 1983; Saarinen and Salvatori 1994). Both the occupational therapy and physiotherapy programs at McMaster University have embraced these ideas, although with differing degrees of connection and commitment to the original model. In fact, true problem-based learning models should naturally emerge from each individual context and culture. There is no â€Å"right† way although there is a growing recognition of a common set of principles and elements that can be applied to determine the â€Å"problembased-ness† of a learning environment (Maudesley 1994; Walton and Matthews 1989). Problem-based learning principles tend to become grouped in two distinct categories: first, the values upon which problem-based learning is based and second, some characteristics that are held in common understanding as being critical to the core of problem-based learning. Underlying values include: partnership, honesty and openness, mutual respect, and trust. Core characteristics incorporate: Chapter 2 Curriculum Development and Design 13 i Learning which is student/learner-centered i Faculty roles that are those of facilitator and guide i Learning scenarios which form the basis, focus, and stimulus for learning i New information and understanding that is acquired through self-directed learning (Baptiste 2003 p. 17) Consequently, there is a continuum of problem-based curricula from pure through hybrid models. The masters entry-level physiotherapy and occupational therapy programs at the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University continue to be based upon problem-based principles. Although both programs are very different one from the other, there are also many common elements and approaches that are celebrated. Examples of these similarities are cited throughout this book, particularly in the chapters focusing on evidence-based practice and ethics education. Approaching the Task of Curriculum Renewal Perhaps one of the most overwhelming, yet exciting, tasks with which to be confronted is the opportunity and challenge of developing a new curriculum. This task is made even more daunting when circumstances provide a chance to do something different based on external forces and not a need to change because â€Å"something is broken†. Over the past few years, and in several years to come, many educational programs in rehabilitation science are facing this situation. The changing nature of the entry-level credential for occupational therapists and physiotherapists demands that faculty undertake a detailed review of curricula, to determine the optimal approach to moving toward graduate-level preparation, or, at the very least, complete a review of existing curricula models to identify their responsiveness and congruence with emerging practice expectations and demands. Approaches to such a massive task can vary from ensuring the preservation of what is good from the existing curriculum to making a total shift and adopting a radically Table 2. 1. Principles for curricular change and innovation Rationale should be articulated explicitly Overall goals should be reiterated constantly throughout the process Continuing communication is essential, coupled with a clear rationale Ensure that the intended change is in response to a defined and recognized need or purpose Ensure that the innovation is seen as a high institutional priority Focus on pedagogy and not on resources for implementation Foster strong leadership support Identify incentives for faculty participation Gain faculty buy-in for the curricular blueprint Involve the active teaching faculty throughout the process Anticipate potential barriers to change and develop strategies to address them Recognize the potential need for and value of negotiation Adapted from Guze (1995) 14 Sue Baptiste, Patricia Solomon 2 new approach and design. To have an optimal effect, options to be considered should bear relevance to the pervading culture of the institution and environment within which the curriculum is to thrive. Also, decisions must be made concerning the pedagogical choices of how learner-centered the curriculum should be, and what particular educational modalities are the best for the circumstances. This chapter will address the entire picture of curriculum development and design, from the first conversations about how to engage in the renewal process through making decisions about methods of teaching, approaches to learner assessment, and preparation of entry-level practitioners for the emerging practice contexts. Guze (1995) provided a clear and succinct discussion of several core principles that can guide curricular change and innovation (Table 2. 1). The following is an overview of these principles. Where to Begin? Motivation for curriculum renewal can come from both internal and external forces. External expectations from regulatory and professional bodies are tending to impose standards for new practitioners that require: i Preparation at an advanced level of clinical reasoning and judgment i The ability to assume roles that require autonomy and a strong sense of professional ethics i Engaging in their professional role from the first day of practice, in a conscious nd moral manner that requires reflection and self-awareness Regardless of whether the motivation for curricular change stems from a desire to do something differently or better, or from outside influences, the task is one that requires careful planning. However, it is imperative that any planning process recognizes the need to dream and envision what could be, to create a model that will exemplify those visions, and to produce a graduate who is well prepared to face the complexities and challenges of emerging practice. When developing a curriculum, four general questions must be asked: i What is the purpose of the curriculum? i What educational experiences can be created to fulfill this purpose? What is the most effective manner in which to organize these educational experiences? i How can we determine that the purpose has been fulfilled and the goals attained (Wiers et al. 2002)? Another very critical element of any change is the recognition that the cultural context is a key in managing change successfully. Hafferty (1998), when reflecting upon the realities of a medical school curriculum, discusses the existence of informal and hidden curricula as well as the formal curriculum. He posits that, in order to induce a lasting change, the entire organizational culture needs to be engaged to facilitate stud ents and faculty alike in embracing and working with change. When facing the task of curricular reform, redesign has to occur not only in terms of content, but also in relation to the Chapter 2 Curriculum Development and Design 15 educational processes that enable the learning to take place. This is the difference between reforming the syllabus and reforming the curriculum; the overall learning environment of the educational program and institution is changed (Burton and McDonald 2001). Once the decision has been made to reform the curriculum, a first step is to complete an environmental scan and situational analysis that explore the educational and organizational environment within the institution, to determine what will facilitate the proposed changes. By defining a clear and newly articulated set of riorities and guidelines, changes that are being made within the curriculum will be given the vehicle through which impact can be made upon the surrounding environment (Genn 2001). This strategy is part of the first overall phase, the planning p hase. This is when the need for change is established and the vision for change is designed. It is during this phase of development that the non-negotiable elements of structure and process are determined. For example, within the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University, both the Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Programs were already designed as two-year, twenty-four-month, curricula. Also, the province of Ontario mandates that all masters programs are two years in duration. Therefore, the decision was readily made, based on these graduate program regulations and history, that the new masters entry-level curricula would be twenty-four months long. One key commitment was clear and that was to the foundational philosophy of problem-based, selfdirected learning utilizing the application of these principles to small group, large group, and skills-based learning experiences. Wiers et al. (2002) provide a clear and helpful outline of ten general steps of curriculum design within a problem-based learning context (see Table 2. 2). While this rubric is structured around the specific processes inherent within problem-based learning development, most of the guidelines can apply broadly across any curricular development process within any pedagogical framework. From the onset, all faculty members at McMaster University were on board regarding the need to undertake the development of entry-level masters curricula in both occupational therapy and physiotherapy. Both disciplines had undergone dramatic changes in the preceding two decades, largely focused upon the growth of foundational science and evidence for practice. Professional practice models had emerged for both professions and provided a strong backdrop against which to create fresh ap- Table 2. 2. Ten general steps in curriculum design for a problem-based learning (PBL) environment 1. . 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Give rationale for the curriculum and form a planning group Generate general educational objectives for the curriculum Assess the educational needs o f future students Apply general principles of PBL to the curriculum Structure the curriculum and generate a curriculum blueprint Elaborate the unit blueprints Construct the study units Decide on student assessment methods Consider the educational organization and curriculum management model Evaluate the curriculum and revise as appropriate Adapted from Wiers et al. (2002) 16 Sue Baptiste, Patricia Solomon 2 proaches to the preparation of graduates for entering practice. While both the occupational therapy and physiotherapy programs undertook curriculum renewal at the same time, the physiotherapy program had engaged in an ongoing process of change across the preceding five years. Many of the issues, concerns, and changes addressed and implemented by the occupational therapy program had already been addressed by physiotherapy. Therefore, this chapter will focus predominantly upon the initiatives inherent within the curricular shift within occupational therapy, although reference will be made to processes within physiotherapy as appropriate. Designing Our New Programs Deciding upon the overarching constructs that would determine the final curriculum model was a complex and dramatic process in many ways, and one in which everyone was eager to participate and have a chance to have input. At the onset of the development of the occupational therapy program, three faculty retreats were held that progressed from a totally unstructured brainstorm of what would be perfect, to a detailed accounting of core curricular elements in the context of a delivery structure. In the initial retreat, all full-time faculty members together with some part-time members participated in a â€Å"blue-skying† day-long session during which everyone spoke of their dreams for the perfect curriculum. What if we could do what we wanted? What if we did not have to be concerned with logistics like room bookings? – and so on. This exercise provided us with a high-level ppreciation of the values and elements that were important to us as a collective. It was from this beginning â€Å"fantasy† that the next level of planning emerged. The second retreat was more structured and focused upon the creation of a continuum for learning that resulted in the overarching framework for the cur riculum, together with the delivery methods. A process was followed whereby we decided upon a central construct around which the whole curriculum would evolve, namely, â€Å"occupation†. To support this core notion, there were several longitudinal conceptual threads that represented continua of thought such as: wellness to illness, simplicity to complexity, local to global, and unifaceted to multifaceted. Through this process, we were able to identify the starting place for the first study term, and to create a high-level framework for the progression of the total curriculum (see Table 2. 3) In physiotherapy, the process began similarly with a faculty retreat; however, the focus varied slightly. Initial discussions identified elements of the curriculum that we Table 2. 3. Occupational therapy curricular framework Term 1 2 3 4 5 6 Content theme Wellness, health, and occupation Person, environment, and occupation Development, disability, and occupation Youth and the development of self Adulthood and disability Complexities of contemporary practice Chapter 2 Curriculum Development and Design 17 alued and wanted to maintain and those needing less emphasis. Through ongoing curricular evaluation and feedback, we identified new areas that needed to be included in the emerging curriculum and other areas that needed to be enhanced. These areas were discussed within the context of the changing practice of physiotherapy and the knowledge and skills required by the physiotherapist in the new millennium. The decision was made to use a curricular framework that incorporated a modified â€Å"body systems† design, as current physiotherapy practice and clinical specialties were aligned with this model. Inclusion of a Community Practice/Community Health unit allowed or a focus on emergent health care roles in the community and on integrating health promotion and disease prevention into practice. The faculty recognized that while many physiotherapists identified their practice in an area related to the body systems, increasingly clinicians were faced with more complex patients with multiple system involvement. Hence, the final unit of study focused on integrated practice dealing with clients with complex multisystem health care problems. Following the initial planning process, it is now time to initiate the plan. It is during this time period that the â€Å"unfreezing† of old organizational patterns and the introduction of innovations into the educational environment take place (Burton and McDonald 2001). Often, while there is a strong commitment to engaging in the conversations that lead to the design of a changed reality, it is a very different matter to start â€Å"doing† and actually making that changed reality come to life. A cooperative internal environment is essential for the realization of that initial dream and therefore it is well worthwhile for planners to engage in a transparent and collaborative experience that enables maximum participation and open debate. A process of this nature is characterized by collaborative problem solving, effective communication, abilities in conflict resolution, and a cultural expectation of working together in harmony that guides the overall enterprise (Burton and McDonald 2001). Therefore, it is of importance to determine at the onset the values and behaviors by which the development experience will be approached to set up structures and processes that will ensure that the best attempts at making it so will be expended. During the initiation period, we experienced intense interest and levels of emotion from all participants regarding the manner in which the planning and the visions for the two disciplines would be evolved and realized. As mentioned previously, we had determined that the existing problem-based learning principles would remain but that the key changes would be realized through the manner in which the content was introduced to the students and through which the continuum of learning would evolve. Similarly, we were committed to maintaining a student-centered approach. One core difference was to be the manner in which the experiential component of professional preparation would be integrated more centrally into both curricula. Previously, the curricula were designed in a more traditional fashion whereby the clinical fieldwork experiences were placed at the end of each study term and were linked directly to the area of academic focus for the preceding learning block. By definition, once the overarching concepts of the curricula were determined to be different from the previous models, then fieldwork placements would become less strictly aligned. This was reinforced more heavily in the occupational therapy program which was originally designed around developmental stages and central practice populations. Students would face a more eclectic approach in their clinical learning; therefore, both programs determined that learning around professional issues and practice expectations should be interwoven through the longitudinal axis of the curriculum. 18 Sue Baptiste, Patricia Solomon Redevelopment Within a Problem-based Learning Culture 2 As with any problem-based learning system, the small group learning unit is the nucleus of the whole curriculum. However, the success of problem-based, small group learning is supported by the strategic use of large group interactions for the imparting of theoretical and expert knowledge, while still maintaining a problem-based learning philosophy. Similarly, the application of problem-based learning principles is a critical piece of one-on-one learning and synthesis of knowledge and information throughout the academic and clinical components of the curriculum overall. Both the physiotherapy and occupational therapy programs elected to continue to utilize problem-based learning methods in a manner that celebrated the development already achieved over twenty-five years of curriculum development. This has evolved over time very differently in each program. For example, during the planning process for the occupational therapy curriculum, efforts were made to define new models for tutoring and many were identified and put into place. During the second year of the occupational therapy program, the problem-based tutorials occur only once weekly. This allows additional scheduling time for including the evidence-based practice courses and is also in response to the difficulties many practitioners are experiencing in gaining release time from employers to participate as tutors. In this new tutorial model, tutors are required to participate in only one weekly session with two or three tutors’ meetings across the term instead of weekly. Application of problem-based learning principles in large groups has been maintained and, in fact, enhanced particularly in the clinical skills sessions. Students often are placed in small groups (different groups from their core tutorial group) and provided with opportunities to explore assessment tools and intervention methods. Through these group experiences, the students apply a problem-based learning approach to the identification of learning issues, the uncovering of essential information and resources, and the synthesis of their understanding of the tool or technique. Integration of Experiential Practice Preparation Within a Problem-based Learning Framework As mentioned earlier, both the physiotherapy and occupational therapy faculty groups were committed to ensuring the integration of academic and experiential learning into the curricula from the beginning, and were focused on developing innovative models for the synthesis of practice preparation into the core academic units. It is important to note that the work related to integration commenced at the very onset of the curriculum planning process. In the case of the occupational therapy program, there had always been sessions held throughout the full curriculum that provided opportunities for the Clinical Placement Coordinator (now Professional Practice Coordinator) to inform, advise, educate, and monitor students in preparing for their practice experiences and in checking in with them following these experiences. However, a greater focus on such integration was placed within the masters entry-level curriculum model in order to ensure that students were being prepared to meet the enhanced expectations of a graduate program. Chapter 2 Curriculum Development and Design 19 Evaluation Within a Graduate Problem-based Learning Framework There should be clear and close linkages between how students learn and how that learning is assessed. Therefore, some information will be presented here relative to the evaluation methods developed at McMaster University in the occupational therapy and physiotherapy programs. Student Evaluation. In the preceding years, the two programs at McMaster University had been very involved in designing evaluation/student assessment tools that reflected the principles of problem-based learning and provided students with opportunities to integrate their academic learning with their growing professional awareness and identity. Most of these tools are built around the basic problem-based learning process of exploring a learning scenario that has been developed to address the objectives for the particular learning unit. Essentially, problem-based evaluation needs to be congruent with the underlying values and principles of problem-based learning. Traditional methods of assessing students’ knowledge tend to be contradictory to these principles and therefore should not be applied out of context. Problem-based learner assessment should: i Be congruent with the underlying problem-based learning process illustrated by the development of learning scenarios based on real life practice situations i Mirror the problem-based learning process of reflecting on a practice scenario, efining learning issues, researching, synthesizing, and synopsizing the learning with application to the defined case i Involve personal reflection and enhanced awareness of individual critical think- ing and clinical reasoning skills F aculty Evaluation. As with student assessment, the evaluation of faculty is central to the maintenance and enhancement of a problem-based learning culture. And, similarly, faculty evaluation is built into the roles played in any given learning context. In the case of the small group tutor role, faculty members are evaluated by each student and provide a self-evaluation to students during the course of the group process. Following the completion of the small group experience, students evaluate the faculty member as well as the overall course, and these ratings are provided to faculty and placed in their file for attention at times when promotion, tenure, and merit increase decisions are made. For those faculty members, practitioners, and others who facilitate large group sessions in both theory and practical skills, similar evaluations are completed. This process has been in place over many years and has not changed since the advent of the new curricula. However, the items being evaluated have altered to reflect the expected level and scope of graduate teaching. Student Self-assessment: Development of the OTPPI. Students admitted into the occupational therapy program are not expected to have any prerequisite courses completed during their undergraduate education. This has been the case from the very beginning. In the program itself, there are no formal courses that provide students with basic knowledge related to the foundational sciences that underlie occupational therapy practice such as anatomy, physics, biochemistry, sociology, psychology, and anthropology. It has been the long-held belief that in a pure problem-based learning 20 Sue Baptiste, Patricia Solomon 2 environment, the learning is accomplished through the horizontal meshing of various areas of knowledge and information; that through the integration of these sciences and bodies of knowledge, students can gain the understanding they require by using real life situations as springboards for integration and synthesis of all inputs. Consequently, recent efforts were expended to develop the Occupational Therapy Personal Progress Inventory (OTPPI), a tool that was developed from the experience of the undergraduate medical program over the past few years (Blake et al. 1996; Cunnington 2001). The OTPPI focuses on foundational knowledge that our students need in order to become practicing occupational therapists. It is not a test of the application of that knowledge in practice. The examination consists of 90 multiple-choice questions developed with the expectation that a â€Å"star† student would be able to answer by the time of graduation. There are three main domains included in each examination: biology (this includes anatomy, physiology, etc. ), social sciences (this includes psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc. ), and research (this includes statistics, research methods, ethics, etc. ). The breakdown of each examination is 40 percent biology, 40 percent social science, and 20 percent research. The examination is generated each term and students in both years have the same examination, with the expectation that the students in second year will achieve a higher result than those in the first year. Students receive a detailed report with their scores and a profile of how they have progressed over time. They are provided with information about their total score as well as a breakdown on each of the three domains. They also receive a zone score, which is an indication of how well they have performed on the test in comparison to the other members of the class. Students in the yellow or red zones may want to review their scores in more detail and make learning plans to address gaps that may have been identified through the examination. This tool is designed as a self-assessment measure, the individual results of which are known only to each student. We have made a conscious choice that results are not used in the summative evaluation of the students, and are intended to provide the learners with a sense of how they are progressing in accumulating knowledge relative to the basic sciences of their discipline. The students are expected to use that information to set plans in place to address weaknesses (e. g. , through problem-based tutorials, individual assignments, etc. ). The OTPPI has been a pencil and paper test so far, but steps are being taken to convert it to a web-based format. While the occupational therapy program has undertaken this initiative on a pilot basis, initial responses would indicate that students are finding the process helpful to them, although this is very new at the time of publication. Integration of Evidence-based Practice Skills into the Curricula. The integration of skills related to practicing in an evidence-based manner is seen to be critical to both programs. A detailed description of the models adopted by the occupational therapy and physiotherapy programs is found in Chapter 5. In both programs, there is a strong commitment to evidence-based practice as a central onstruct for the curriculum and a natural partner for client-centered and problem-based principles. Conclusion Since their inception, the masters entry-level programs in occupational therapy and physiotherapy have presented opportunities to revisit our history and legacy in health sciences education. In order to reflect on the overall process, the general steps for curriculum design offered by Wiers et al. (2002) will be revisited (see Table 2. 2). Chapter 2 Curriculum Development and Design 21 For us, the rationale for the curriculum was clear both from an internal and an external perspective, and the notion of forming a planning group was a natural approach to the task. Our profound commitment to involving our broad academic community was illustrated through the involvement of a wide range of individuals encompassing full-time, part-time, and sessional faculty members as well as members of the wider practice community. Such involvement was realized throughout the planning process and continues through such individuals’ representation on our Education, Curriculum and Admissions committees. The need to define clear general educational objectives for the curriculum was also recognized at a very early stage. We found that being able to determine the goals and directions from the outset served to facilitate the planning that followed. Assessing the educational needs of future students was assisted by our own knowledge concerning the entry-level competencies demanded by our professional regulatory colleges. Also, the connections we have with our practice communities and past graduates were invaluable in providing a background for determining the shifts necessary within the curriculum to fulfill practice expectations. Similarly, the same thoughtful reasoning was used to consider the differences of teaching and learning between undergraduate and graduate approaches to education. Applying general principles of problem-based learning to the curriculum was not a concern for us, given our long history of internalizing this philosophy. Specific difficulties arose when converting the undergraduate courses and assessment tools to the needs of a graduate program. Nevertheless, problem-based learning in many ways is a gift for this transition since it resembles closely the natural proclivities of graduate work – smaller groups, self-directedness, learner autonomy, and a degree of freedom to determine learning directions. Structuring the curriculum and creating a blueprint became different experiences for physiotherapy and occupational therapy. As mentioned previously, while the planning processes looked ostensibly similar, the manner in which the final curricular models were derived was very different (see Tables 2. 3 and 2. 4). However, after the master models were created, the processes for elaborating the blueprints and constructing study units were again very similar. Methods of student assessment tended to remain grounded in the familiar processes and tools that we had developed across our history with problem-based learning. However, as each curricular element emerged throughout the planning (e. g. , evidence-based practice, ethics, clinical skills, fieldwork) so did innovative ways to enhance the student assessment processes that were already strong. Details of these innovations will be discussed in the book chapters relating to these specific areas. Consideration of the educational organization and curriculum management model required particular attention since our lines of accountability had shifted, with the Table 2. 4. Physiotherapy curricular framework Unit 1 2 3 4 5 6 Content theme Fundamentals of physiotherapy practice Fundamentals of musculoskeletal practice Fundamentals of cardiorespiratory and neurological practice Advanced neurological practice Community practice Integrated practice and professional transition 22 Sue Baptiste, Patricia Solomon 2 move to the School of Graduate Studies. Two slightly different models of governance emerged, with the Admissions Committee being the only shared group between physiotherapy and occupational therapy. However, both governance models reflect a central group responsible and accountable for curriculum and another group that oversees general program functioning. Curricular evaluation remains an ongoing responsibility and expectation. Chapter 13 provides a particular model for curriculum evaluation that was used by the occupational therapy program, the Program Logic Model. However, there are many ways in which faculty members can retain a clear image of what makes up a curriculum and what indicators are critical to evaluate for the success of the program overall. The three years of planning and launching the new curricula at McMaster University were years of extremely hard work, high energy and output. As we see each student cohort graduate, and receive feedback concerning our students and graduates in practice settings, we feel heartened that we appear to be on the right track. We know, however, that curriculum development is an ongoing process.

Gmr Case Study: Managing Hr in a Global Environment Essay

I. TERMS OF REFERENCE This report is a case study of GMR International Company, which analyzes the different components and challenges of Human Resources Management faced by GMR in a global environment and through a theoretical review, establishes possible improvement strategies towards the creation of best practices. II. METHODOLOGY This report is part based on the interview held with the HR manager of the company complemented with primary research from books and electronic sources listed at the references and lecture and seminar’s contents. 1. INTRODUCTION In a global market, how companies manage and handle their employees determines a key strategic role that ultimately creates a competitive advantage. Companies operate on an international operational level locating outbreaks in different countries and facing different cultural challenges. â€Å"Managing resourceful humans requires a constant balancing between meeting the human aspirations of the people and meeting the strategic and financial needs of the business.† (Torrington, Hall and Taylor, 2008, p.3) A company through any domestic and internationalization process must identify the basic needs of its employees in relation to their business guidelines, creating a balance between strategic and operational resource management. Businesses are valued for their intellectual capital and are projected by the management of intangible assets The purpose of this report lies in the evaluation of the different variables that a global company such as GMR must study, understand and reflect on its corporate strategy for the optimal development of their global operations, based on a adequate personnel management and the creation of sustainable policies for the management and development of intangible capital. 2. GMR INTERNATIONAL: COUNTRY PROFILE GMR Group is a Bangalore headquartered global infrastructure major with interests in the Airports, Energy, Highways and Urban infrastructure, with its International Headquarters based in London. GMR holds interests, directly and through its part ownership of InterGen, in 15 operating power plants with over 8,800MW of generating capacity. In addition an impressive portfolio of approximately 12,000MW of gas, coal and hydro plants are in various stages of construction and development both in India and internationally. GMR has shareholding interests in 4 international airports (New Delhi International (P) Limited; GMR Hyderabad International Airport; Sabiha Gokcen Airport LTD; GMR Male International Airport Ltd)) handling 40 million passengers p.a and 9 road projects exceeding 700 kms of paved roads. GMR is fully committed to the development of infrastructure assets, and in the past two years has raised over US$ 3 billion for the development of airports and another US$ 2.2 billion for the development of power and infrastructure assets including US$1.1 billion for the acquisition of 50% of InterGen N.V, a global power generator. The Group through the dedicated GMR Varalakshmi Foundation, manned by committed professionals is actively engaged in Education, Health, Hygiene and Sanitation, Empowerment & Livelihoods and Community-Based Programs, reaffirming its grass root presence as change agents of society in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility. 3. RECRUITMENT â€Å"Recruitment is defined as searching for and obtaining potential job candidates in sufficient numbers and quality so that organization can select the most appropriate people to fill its job needs.† (Dowling, Engle and Festing, 2008) â€Å"Recruitment is the discovery of potential applicants for actual or anticipated organizational activities. Two conditions must exist for selection to occur, (1) the organization must have a candidate whom it is willing to employ; (2) the candidate must be willing to accept an employment offer. Recruitment is the process of finding applicants who meet both of these conditions.† (Andrews 1993) â€Å"Organizations do not operate in a vacuum, and recruitment drives are one of the times an organization has direct contact with the outside world. Amongst other factors affecting recruitment, are the framework imposed on legislation and that no organization will want to spend money on unnecessary activities.† (Foot and Hook, 2005) 3.1 Recruitment Strategies There are 4 recruitment strategies, which are defined as such. These are 1. Ethnocentric 2. Polycentric 3. Geocentric] 4. Regiocentric Ethnocentric| Polycentric| Geocentric| Regiocentric| Ethnocentric is a belief in the superiority of one’s own ethnic group. The firm basically believes that parent-country nationals are better qualified and trustworthy than host country nationals.| Polycentric is a belief that local people know the local environment better than outsiders.| Geocentric is the notion that the best people should be employed, regardless of their nationality.| Regiocentric is the variation of staffing policy to suit particular geographic areas.| 1.Based on Paul Coldwell’s seminar slides, 2011. GMR International uses all four of the above-mentioned strategies, depending upon factors mentioned below, * The requirements of the job position to be filled in. * The position of the job in the hierarchy of the firm. If the job were a high position one, they would use the geocentric approach; and if it were for a more junior position, they would probably use a polycentric approach. * They would not like to waste too much time or money on the hunt for the right candidate. * Even when they are looking for a candidate for a high position job, they have certain restrictions to be cautious about from the UK Border Authority and the Government. When using the geocentric approach. E.g. The Head of Airport is an Italian working in South Africa and would report to the UK. Because he was an expert on airports, he was hired for the job. E.g. recently, when trying to bring in a Malaysian to UK, the UK Border Authority refused his sponsorship, so it did not work out. When using the polycentric approach. E.g. When looking for administrative support, GMR looks for local people to do the local jobs, as they would not like to waste the time and money to do a whole UK or EU based search for something small such as skills. 3.2 Challenges for hiring people at GMR International * GMR, as a brand, is not that well known in the UK and tit is also not as strong as some of their competitors, therefore, there is a hurdle of recognition. * GMR International is a non EU and non US organization * People are varying of working for a company, which is Indian by origin, yet headquartered in London. * People are not prepared to leave their jobs to work for a company with less work experience; limited recognition as a brand; and with limited track record. 3.3 Outlining the Recruitment Process â€Å"In the process of recruitment, in the first instance, sources of prospective employees are located. In other words, from where the employees would be available. Thereafter, these sources are approached and efforts are made to attract the interested people to the organization.† (Foot and Hook, 2005) The recruitment process at GMR International is not too different from those of other companies in UK. They look at the activities set out for the year ahead and map it out according to the capacity that they have in their organization. When they do this, there are obviously, some gaps that need to be filled in, in order for them to work on some projects. In order to fill in these gaps, the organization makes certain decisions as to how to do this. This can be done by 4 methods, 1. They could recruit temporary people 2. They could get people on contract 3. They could get that particular piece of work done somewhere else (outsource) 4. They could hire someone to do that job When they go ahead and choose the fourth option, they look at as to how to approach the market, in the following ways, * E- enabled vehicles – for the more junior staff as a lot of such recruitment takes place on web based applications. * They do not give much importance to the employees referral program * They tend to use agencies; search firms for the bigger, more senior positions * For the more junior staff, they recruit within UK. * As the position increases with seniority, they tend to engage colleagues from other offices to help them out, in case it can be managed within the GMR family. 3.4 Post Recruitment & Selection At GMR, they are not very firm in their services to keep an employee with them. They do not have a support system or an evaluation program. â€Å"Normally, at a firm, there is an evaluation program and a support system for the first 6 months. In this program, they make a check on the new employee on day 1; week 1; month 1; month 6. While, they have tried to be stricter in this aspect and tried different techniques for keeping an employee happy and with them, it has not always worked well with them. 4. EXPATRIATES With globalization shaping our world, organisations are trying to expand their marketplace in order to increase their competitiveness. In the industrialized countries, international working has become a common feature and the contact between different cultures becomes a regular thing in people’s social and professional lives. â€Å"International HRM involves striking an appropriate balance between global integration and local adaptation in terms of resourcing, training and developing personnel, reward and performance management, employment relations including communications, and health and welfare† (Porter, Bingham and Simmonds, 2008, p.400). So in this process of internationalisation, companies need to move people around and they have to make sure that they do it in an effective way because of the high costs involved. Expatriates have to deal with the changing they are going to occur, in culture, workplace, country and many more, the company must be sure to prepare them appropriately in order to get the best from their experience both in the new location and back home when they finish their period. According to Tayeb (1996), some companies such as Natwest in the UK, Philips in the Netherlands and Groupe Total in France conduct extensive international in-house seminars. In these courses they cover national culture differences, family adaptation, local politics and laws and international finance, more over some firms send their future expatriates, together with their family, to special language courses. Paul Colwell, former lecturer and HRM manager at Regents College states that an expatriate cost on average $250.000, or even more, which shows the importance of a good HRM strategy. An expatriate should receive the right support before, in the mean while and after his experience abroad. Before he leaves, the company should prepare him to live in another country, through teaching the culture aspects (food, climate, politics and laws, standard behaviour etc.), suggesting him not to sell his house in his home town, because if something goes wrong with his experience it would be way better to have some place in which he can to return. The language is an important factor in order to make him effective in his new workplace and the company should provide him the possibility of language classes to attend. All of these pre-departure trainings should be joined by the whole family, in fact while for the local employees the company don’t care about their family affairs, when you take in examination an expatriate the whole family becomes the company’s business. Experience shows that the majority failures in expatriate’s program come from family problem and complaints. After the departure, a good way of managing expatriate, according to the theory, is to take care about their house in the origin country (rent it or doing the maintenance needed) and to find a house where they are going to live in the new country, taking in consideration the location and the comfort they might need. A good communication with the expatriate during the whole experience should be maintained in order to prevent possible problems and to show him that the company doesn’t leave him alone. The company should take care of the partner job in the new country (or/and hobbies) and register their children in schools in order to make sure that the employee’s family is comfortable in the new location. The return of the expatriate is an important moment, too often underestimated. The company priority is to make sure not to lose all the money it has invested on him by making him decide to change job. An interview at the return it is a necessary step, as offering him the right position deserved in the company and not the same job he had before he left in order to maintain him motivated and happy, so they are not losing all the know how he gained through his years abroad. The period of the experience abroad it is variable, but following Paul Coldwell experience 3 years is and ideal length, because after that the employee may lose some of the attraction and interest in the job and start to decrease his learning. 4.1 GMR Policy Following the interview with the GMR HRM Manager, we found out that they do very little for their expatriates, mostly because they just started their internationalisation and they are a medium entity in the business. They don’t offer any pre-departure preparation, leaving it to the employee’s arbitrariness, they only thing they offer is a period of time that they could spend in the new country with their family in order to decide or not to go. GMR take about their VISA and immigration laws, moreover they find and pay the house in the new country, making sure that it is nice and well located. Moreover they pay for the double taxation (when it occurs) and they offer help in moving their employee’s furniture when requested, paying for it. Their typical expatriate appointment last 2 years, according with GMR HRM manager. As seen so far their expatriate strategy is very poor and just offer little helps to their employees, leaving a high risk of failure and waste of money. 4.2 Proposed Plan GMR in order to increase their competitiveness should set a better strategy for its expatriates. First of all the pre-departure preparation should be compulsory for everyone who decides to apply for an expatriate experience and should comprehend the whole family (especially for language classes), because they shouldn’t take the risk that their employees arrive in the new country and they are not able to integrate in the new position. GMR services to their expatriates, such as find a house, take care of the VISA and pay for the possible double taxation, are a good starting point but it is not enough if they want to make sure their expatriate’s program will be more effective. The company should take care of their expatriates’ proprieties in their home country, they definitively have to be more connected with their employees’ partners, in order to find them a job in the new country that would fit their current position, or/and taking care about their hobbies and their children necessities (such as school and sports). Eventually they have to develop a better repatriation system with complete feedback interviews and placing them in the position they deserve in order to gain value from their experience. 5. CULTURE â€Å"The collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the member of one category of people from another† (Lewis, 2006, p. 17) 5.1 Organizational Culture â€Å"The culture of an organisation refers to the unique configuration of norms, values, beliefs, ways of behaving and so on that characterize the manner in which groups and individuals combine to get things done. The distinctiveness of a particular organisation is intimately bound up with. (Brown, 1998) It is always said that the knowledge sharing culture is part of good knowledge management initiative. It is said that effective collaboration and communication across a whole organisational structure spreads knowledge throughout. In order to change the current culture of the organisation the change needs to be initiated at individual level. Employees have a sphere of influence along with their own individual knowledge, and this is where he believes a knowledge sharing culture can begin. GMR as an Indian based company, headquartered in Bangalore with offices in different countries as well such as U.K, Turkey, Singapore and Dubai, have identified the need of bring the different cultures together. As this company has to hire multicultural staff as part of their induction programme, most of their staff goes to India, to learn GMR history, values and operations through education workshop and its annual performance reviews. Working for an Indian company, which has strong culture and values and beliefs, employees have to manage the transition from their experiences. GMR has employees from the multicultural regions. Whereas, it is an Indian family business organisation and they glue the bonds whether it is Singapore, Turkey or Dubai. They share their values to India and initially they engage with their employees for first 4-5 years of the company to give them awareness about the company whether they can live by them and able to promote them to other positions. That is how they bring multicultural nationalities under the GMR brand. Therefore, there is a lot of difference between the 2 cultures. There are a lot of differences and similarities between the companies in which people have seen few things before in their previous organisations or the things they haven’t seen before, in GMR. â€Å"Individuals will have to adjust for the organisation but organisations will not adjust for individuals.† As GMR is an entrepreneur company, it has a very high regard for social responsibility. It has a set of values and cultures that can be shared and they are not company confidential. 5.2 Shared knowledge Culture is a shared phenomenon that people develop over time in response to shared experiences, which engender agreed values and mode of behaviours and which foster a similar outlook on the world. Working patterns that encourage people to engage in closed co-ordination and communication, which encourage them to identify the same problem and share the certain solution, and goals will be conducive to the formation of sub culture. (Brown, 1998) In GMR has focused knowledge transference culture among their 500 employees on the multiple layers. Employees have ongoing dialogues with the CEO on the day-to-day basis and once in a month everyone comes over for a breakfast in order to promote feedback in two-way direction. The biggest challenge for GMR is that how they leverage the knowledge within the Indian organisation with international organisation and back and forth. As Indian organisation is very process orientated and has a lot of process put in place around knowledge sharing. It hasn’t gained that much attraction outside India as it could have. The company is still improving in the knowledge sharing aspect. The firm still need to put some enthusiasm in the knowledge sharing as knowledge sharing is not a common concept in UK, Turkey, Singapore and with the Bangalore colleagues and then back to the international locations. Whereas, people think it’s a burden instead of an opportunity. They need to change the mindset of the people that they can learn something by being a recipient of knowledge.

Indian Cheese Industry

Market Analysis: The Indian Cheese Industry| September 18 2010 | This Report gives a market study of the Indian cheese industry, key players and their market shares and strategies. It contains a study about the scope for growth in this sector and a SWOT analysis of the same. | Indian Cheese Industry| INDEX Sr. No| Topic| Page No. | 1. | Overview| 1| 2. | Market Size and Growth| 1| 3. | Key Players| 1| 4. | Analysis of Individual Players4. 1. Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) 4. 2. Britannia New Zealand Foods Private Ltd. Industries Limited (BNZF)4. . Dabon International Private Limited4. 4. Imported Cheese Market4. 5. Regional Players| 33781011| 5. | SWOT Analysis of the Indian cheese industry5. 1. Strengths5. 2. Weaknesses5. 3. Opportunities5. 4. Threats| 1212131314| 6. | Market Segmentation| 14| 7. | Trends in the Indian cheese market| 15| 8. | Observations| 15| 9. | Summary| 16| 1o. | Key Government Contacts| 17| 11. | References| 18| The Indian cheese Industry 1. Overview Except for the popular Indian variety of cottage cheese-Paneer, India is not traditionally a ‘cheese nation'.But, with the growing saturation of cheese consumption in the West and encouraging successes in other ‘non-cheese' Asian countries like Japan and China; overseas cheese producers are eyeing the Indian market for its huge promise. The organised cheese industry in India is at best in its nascent stage, accounting for less than 1% of total dairy production and largely limited to urban consumption. Though cheese was first marketed in India under the brand name ‘Amul', from the popular Amul butter stable in the late 1970s, it attained an identity of its own only as late as 1990s. 2.Market Size and Growth rate The organized cheese industry in the country as of 2006, is valued at Rs 250 crore (US$ 50 million), with a volume of more than 8000 tonnes. The industry growth rate is estimated at about 10%-12% per year in terms of volume and 16%-17% per year in value terms. Current household cheese penetration is 5%, with about 50% of consumption being limited to cities. Mumbai and Delhi together capture half of the cheese market. Within cheese products, around 60% of the market is dominated by processed cheese, 30% by cheese spreads and the remaining 10% by flavoured and specialty cheese. .Key players The Indian cheese market is dominated by Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation that uses the brand name Amul and Britannia New Zealand Foods Pvt. Limited, using the brand name ‘Britannia MilkMan'. Amul is way ahead of competition and owns about 60% of the market. Britannia has about a 25% share. Other players are Dabon International Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French dairy company Bongrain S. A and other regional brands like Mother Dairy and Vijaya. These companies have a 10% market share.The remainder 5% of the market is taken by imported cheese brands, retailed in specialty stores. Table 1: The Indian Cheese Market Key players Brand(s)| Estimated Share of Market (%)| Amul| 60| Britannia MilkMan| 25| Le Bon, Regional brands e. g. Mother Dairy, Vijaya| 10| Imported brands e. g. Kraft, Laughing Cow| 5| Fig 1: Pie chart showing % market share of the major players 4. Analysis of individual players: 4. 1. Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) 4. 1. 1. Company Profile: Amul is the leading brand name for products produced and marketed by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF).GCMMF is an apex body of milk co-operatives in Gujarat and heralded the ‘white revolution' in India that turned the country from having a milk-deficit to the largest milk producer in the world. GCMMF also markets milk powder and dairy whiteners under the Amulya and Sagar brand names. Amul is the oldest and the most established dairy brand in the country, with its first product, Amul butter, being marketed since 1946. Today, the company has its roots deep in the dairy market and is increasingly focusing on the value added segment that includes health drinks, cheese and dairy based desserts.Turnover in 2005-2006 was US$ 850 million with a year-on-year growth of 29%. 4. 1. 2. Cheese Perspective: Amul brands and markets itself as the largest vegetarian cheese producer in the world since all its cheese varieties are made from microbial rather than animal rennet. This immediately makes the brand's' cheese products favourable in a country with the most vegetarians in the world. Also, it sources its cheese form buffalo milk, which is popular in India. 4. 1. 3: Products The various products produced by Amul are shown in the table below.Table 2: Cheese Products by Amuls Cheese Product| Description| Maximum Retail Price| Amul Pasteurised Processed Cheese| A cheddar cheese| 400g: Rs 86 1 kg: Rs 163| Amul Cheese Spreads (in three flavours)| Combination of Cheddar and soft cheese. | 200g: Rs 32| Amul Emmental Cheese| Specialty Swiss cheese which is sweet, dry and ha s a hazelnut aroma| 400g: Rs120| Amul Pizza Mozzarella Cheese| For use in pizzas| 200g: Rs 43| Gouda Cheese| Specialty Dutch cheese. Manufactured under a Swiss technical collaboration in the North Eastern Himalayan state of Sikkim.   | Amul chiplets| Individually packed single serve cheese cubes| 200g: Rs 50| Amul Malai Paneer| Indian cottage cheese| 100g: Rs14200g: Rs 26 1kg: Rs 115| Amul cheese slices| For sandwiched and burgers| 100g: Rs27 200g: Rs52| Amul Pizza| Frozen pizzas| Rs 30| Its cheese business grew at 18% in 2005-2006. GCMMF exports cheese to the tune of 600 tons, making it the largest cheese exporter in the country. The export market includes the Middle East, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the United States of America; countries that have a large Indian population, and the neighbouring countries of Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal.A very rewarding strategy for Amul has been to also enter the cheese dependent food product category. It produces over 300,000 frozen pizzas (using mozzarella cheese), priced at a mere Rs 30 apiece. This has provided strong competition to international brands in the market which traditionally only sell pizzas at their retail outlets and at much higher prices. 4. 1. 4. Strategy: As its product lists, GCMMF has capitalized on the value added segment with a wide range of Amul cheeses. The Amul brand represents ‘value for money' to the Indian consumer and its cheese portfolio is competitively priced and of assured quality.The company has been aggressively marketing its cheese products, to the extent of even moving away from its umbrella brand strategy and introducing a new mascot, the Amul Cheese Boy. When low cost pizzas were introduced, GCMMF adopted an innovative and successful strategy of increasing sales of an elitist product (cheese) by reducing the price of another elitist product (pizzas). Especially since 2005, the company has focused on expanding its already strong distribution network to smaller cities as cheese d emand has rapidly expanded beyond the large metros. . 2. Britannia New Zealand Foods Private Ltd. Industries Limited (BNZF) 4. 2. 1. Company Profile: BNZF is a joint venture company founded in 2002 by Britannia Industries Limited (BIL) and Fonterra Co-operative Group of New Zealand. The company focuses entirely on the dairy business, with cheese being its flagship product. The other products it sells are dairy whiteners, butter, ghee (Indian clarified butter) and a malt drink- Anlene. All products are marketed under the ‘Britannia MilkMan' brand.BIL (known as Britannia Biscuit company until 1979) has essentially been a ‘biscuit company', that had humble beginnings in Calcutta in 1892. Its big break came during World War II when the Indian Government contracted it to supply biscuits to the armed forces and since then it became a market leader in the biscuit segment. In 1954, the company also began producing and selling bread and it was as late as 1997, that it entered the dairy industry. In 2002, Forbes Global rated BIL as one of the top 200 small companies of the world and as a strong and trusted brand in India.The Wadia Group of India along with Groupe Danone of France are equal shareholders in ABIL, UK which is a major shareholder in Britannia Industries Limited. Fonterra Cooperative Group is New Zealand's largest company and amongst the ten largest dairy companies in the world. The dairy expertise and global experience for the Joint Venture comes from Fonterra Cooperative while Britannia's contribution is its brand name, large distribution network and the understanding of the Indian market. Like BIL, BNZF also comes under the umbrella of the Wadia Group of companies.Its turnover in 2005-2006 is US$ 24 million with about 50% coming from processed cheese, 30% from the dairy whitener and the remaining 20% from butter and ghee sales. 4. 2. 2. Cheese Perspective: BNZF only sells in the processed cheese segment and has five variations of processed che ese in the market, besides a cheese dip product. Over half of the company's revenues come from the processed cheese segment. BNZF cheese is priced at a premium in the market; one reason being that the cheese is sourced from cow's milk (unlike Amul that sources its cheese from buffalo milk). . 2. 3. Products: Cheese cubes, Cheese singles (regular and Slim variants), Britannia Milkman Malai Chaska- a soft, fresh and creamy ‘dairy spread,’ which has a mild, tangy taste, Britannia cheese spread in different flavours like Masala Herbs, Spicy Cilantro, Peppy Pepper etc. , and Pizza cheese. 4. 2. 4. Strategy: Rather than focusing on competitive pricing, BNZF has adopted a ‘three-pronged strategy’ of: Freshness (lower pipeline stock), Availability (improve distribution network) and Visibility (more shelf space at modern trade).At present, cheese products, contribute to around 50 % of the Rs 120 crore turnover of the dairy product company (which markets its products under the brand name Britannia Milkman) while its Diary whitener contributes to 30% and butter and ghee together account for 20 %. 4. 3. Dabon International Private Limited 4. 3. 1. Company profile: Dabon International Private Limited is wholly owned by the French dairy major Bongrain SA. The company began as a joint venture with Dabur India in 1996, but in June 2005, Dabur exited from the business.The company said that they had decided to exit because cheese and milk products were a ‘non-core' business for them. Dabon is the only international cheese company to produce and sell cheese in the country, using the brand name Le Bon. It has a state of the art facility in Noida, near Delhi. Despite having made losses, the company has been in an expansion mode, offering a selection of processed cheese products. Adapting to Indian tastes, it has also recently introduced in Delhi and Mumbai, Indian cottage cheese with the brand name ‘Le Paneer'. Dabon markets its cheese to both the retail and institutional sector. . 3. 2. Cheese Perspective: Dabon focuses on the processed cheese segment, catering to both the retail and institutional markets. In the former, it has been targeting families and children (like the other brands) and in the latter category, it has standard and customized products for fast food chains, hotels, flight caterers and restaurants. Some of its institutional clients include Domino Pizza, Papa John’s Pizza, Oberoi Flight Services and the Ambassador.Besides drawing on the international cheese portfolio of its parent Bongrain SA, Dabon has realized that to compete, it has to cater to ethnic tastes. Le Paneer', the Indian cottage cheese variety was recently introduced as a brand in Delhi and Mumbai. 4. 3. 3. Products Table 3: Dabon Products for the Retail Sector Cheese Product| Description| Maximum Retail Price| Le Bon Creamy n Sancky Cheese Portions| A ready to eat snack, targeted at children. | 6 portion pack – 114g – Rs 36 Single portion – 19g – Rs 6| Le Bon creamy Cheese spread (Bottled spread in two flavours: Plain and Black pepper)| Marketed as a low fat butter substitute, with 60% less fat than butter. Both flavours: 200g-Rs 45| Le Bon Tasty Cheese Slices ( Two flavours: Plain and Black pepper)| A ready to eat snack, targeted at children| Plain: 170g- Rs 57 Black Pepper: 170g- Rs 59| Le Bon Grate n Garnish Cheese| A mild processed cheese for grating and garnishing. | Comes in 4 different pack sizes: 100g – Rs 24, 200g – Rs 46, 400g – Rs 86, 1Kg – Rs 185| Le Bon Paneer| Indian Cottage cheese| 200g: Rs 26 400g: Rs 50| Table 4: Dabon Products for the Institutional Sector Cheese Product| Description| Creamy n Sancky Cheese Portions| Suitable for in-flight meals, mini-bars and breakfast buffets.Available in 19g portions| Creamy Cheese spread (Two flavours: Plain and Black pepper)| Suitable for Italian food, baked dishes and dips| Individually wrapped che ese Slices (Two flavours: Plain and Black pepper)| For burgers and sandwiches. Available in 17g portions| Grate n Garnish Cheese| An all-purpose mild processed cheese for grating and garnishing. Available in 1kg blocks| Cheddar Processed Cheese| All-purpose cheddar processed cheese. Available in 1kg blocks| Le Bon Paneer| Indian Cottage cheese. Available in 200g and 400g packets| 4. 3. 6. Strategy:Dabon has played it safe in the Indian market so far, confining production and sales to the popular processed cheese and Paneer segment. It capitalizes on the fact that it uses international world class production techniques with a focus on quality and hygiene. Bongrain SA obviously believes in the potential for cheese in India, increasing its investment in the country despite having its joint venture partner Dabur pull out. 4. 4. 1. Imported cheese Market When the Indian government removed quantitative restrictions on consumer products in 2001, it was expected that imported products would flood the market and pose a threat to local brands.International cheese companies have established agents to market their products and enter the Indian market. The three main importers are: Bel Fromageries  which introduced its Laughing Cow brand in 2001 and more recently, Kiri cream cheese. Kraft cheese is presently available only in specialty imported goods stores. However, the company is planning to enter the Indian market and its strategy is to have an extensive reach into small retail outlets in the country. The company also aims at a presence by introducing ‘affordable products with the right attributes that meet local consumer needs'.Boursin a large French cheese maker announced its entry as an importer of cheese into the Indian market in November 2006. Boursin will be traded in the country by RRO, which has a tie up with Unilever for marketing and distribution. RRO is an established importer of international branded consumer food items. Boursin is a 100% Vegetarian Cheese since it is made without animal rennet. The product is available in four varieties in the country: Boursin Plain, Bourisn Garlic and Fine herbs, Boursin Pepper, and Boursin Shallot and Chives.Boursin Cheese is available at several leading food outlets in the country. 4. 5. 1. Regional Players: Encouraged by the success of Amul, many state dairy cooperatives have entered the cheese segment. These cooperatives have capitalized on their existing brand strengths to capture a sizeable market share in their region. Prominent regional players are: Table 5: Regional Players in the Indian Cheese Market Company| Brand ;amp; Regions| Cheese Products| Other Products|Mother Dairy India Limited (wholly owned by National Dairy Development Board)| Mother Dairy (North India, Mumbai and Calcutta| Individually wrapped slices, Cheese spread, Cheese cubes and Paneer| Liquid Milk, Yogurt, Ice creams, Dairy Whiteners, Butter, Frozen vegetables, Fresh fruits and vegetables, Vegetable oils and Fruit juices| Milkfed (Punjab State Cooperative Milk Producers Federation)| Verka (North India, Mumbai and Calcutta)| Cheese spread, Processed cheddar cheese, Natural cheddar cheese, Cheese singles and Paneer| Flavoured milk, Lassi, Yogurt, Butter, Ghee, Milk powders, Malted drink, Ice-creams, Milk based Indian sweets| Andhra Pradesh Dairy Development Cooperation Federation (APDDCF)| Vijaya (Predominantly South India based)| Processed cheese| Sterilized Flavoured Milk, Paneer, Indian sweets and Buttermilk| Of the above listed players, Mother Dairy is the largest, with aggressive growth plans in the cheese business.The company's strategy is to focus on the large children’s segment, with two successful marketing campaigns in 2006 – aimed at the child consumer, and to have a better relationship with retailers. As part of its strategy to increase its national presence, Mother Dairy also plans to improve its distribution network and increase the shelf life of its cheese – so as to increase its reach in the country. Mother Dairy's sales for cheese are increasing at about 30-40% a year. Two other state cooperatives that produce and market cheese are the southern states of Karnataka (Nandini brand) and Tamil Nadu (Aavin brand). These two brands though, essentially maintain a state presence rather than a regional one. 5. SWOT Analysis of Indian cheese industryFor developing a sound strategic plan for the cheese industry and mainly for the marketing and brand recognition, first a detailed analysis is required to be done. For this reason, a SWOT analysis of the same is done as shown below: 5. 1. Strengths: The Demand for cheese is ever increasing with change in the consumption pattern of consumers. In the mass consumption category, Indian consumers are more ready to buy off the shelf. Paneer, which all the major cheese producers are marketing as a branded product, was traditionally homemade. Secondly, with greater international exposure, rising incomes and brand affiliation; the demand for niche cheese products has increased.Amul was an early mover in capitalizing on the demand for specialized cheeses like Gouda and Emmental. The profit margins for companies are  quiet reasonable since competition is not very fierce like in the Indian telecom sector. The availability  of raw material is abundant since India is the world’s largest milk producer, accounting for more than 13% of world’s total milk production. India has abundant technical  manpower which can be professionally-trained; a technical human resource pool is available. 5. 2. Weaknesses: One of the biggest problems in the marketing of cheese is the lack of existing infrastructure, especially cold chains from the producer to the consumer.Existing players, especially Amul that also uses such facilities for its other dairy products like milk, already has a fairly well established national network. However, new entrants, including importers need to make extra in frastructural investments. This can be quite daunting for companies that are making a market entry into the dairy and cheese industry, particularly with limited existing knowledge of current distribution issues. The lack of cold storage facilities cause the biggest problems to regional players who are trying to gain a national presence. They neither have existing infrastructure nor the financial muscle of international companies. To improve logistical issues, some regional players, like Mother Dairy are positioning their plants in different geographical regions.Many regional cheese brands are currently not able to retail nationwide because of the limited shelf life of their cheese products. For example, Mother Dairy, a subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board and a hugely successful retailer has confined most of its sales to the northern belt. Its reason- the shelf like of most of its dairy products including cheese is only about 10 days. . India being the second largest c ountry in the world and a land of distances, most regional producers do not have the advanced packaging, processing and distribution technology for geographical expansion 5. 3. Opportunities: The increasing incomes of the people due to a strong growth in the GDP allow huge potential for growth. The cheese industry is growing at almost 20% per year.The explosion of retailing in India will probably have a significant impact on the cheese industry; it will provide the cheese manufacturing companies with better distribution networks which will result in an increase in sales. There is a phenomenal scope for innovations in product development, packaging and presentation. I. e. Indianization of cheese by coming up with various different flavours suited to Indian tastes. E. g. Dabon, in acknowledgement of customer preferences for indigenous cheese, has customized their portfolio to include paneer. Efforts to exploit export potential are already on. Amul is exporting to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka , Nigeria, and the Middle East. Following the new GATT treaty, opportunities will increase tremendously for the export  of agro-products in general and dairy products in particular for the local players.There is scope form improvement in Food Technology to increase the shelf life of cheese and thus increase the nationwide presence of cheese products. 5. 4. Threats: Importing cheese, especially for mass consumption faces two main stumbling blocks:   i) High costs: Added to the high cost of importing cheese, importers often also have to invest substantially in a distribution network due to the lack of cold chains. Indian consumers are price sensitive and importers find it difficult competing against local, better priced brands, which are also in synch with the local palate. ii) Inordinate time lag in supplies: Due to logistics and the duration of the import process, replenishing stock takes at least a couple of months, making it difficult for importers to cater rapidly to demand v ariations.Competition among Sellers: The two pronged strategy that sellers will follow in the next few years is i) To increase the size of the market through greater awareness, and ii) To increase availability of cheese products to the expanded market. The Amul and Britannia brands have the strongest national dairy brand identity. To compete with these established brands and gain national presence, other cheese retailers will resort to heavy marketing. Cheese advertising budgets alone are likely to be around 2%-4% of total revenues. Advertising strategies could include, for e. g. cross selling with complementary food products and offering free cheese tasting sessions. In the past couple of years, for example, Mother Dairy has already been pursuing aggressive advertising strategies.One successful promotion in Delhi and Mumbai was the â€Å"Cheese khao superhero ban jao† (Eat Cheese to become a Superhero) event, where kids buying cheese at retail outlets were invited for a phot o- op – dressed as superheroes with a framed photograph presented to them. Another helped the company bond better with its retailers. In November 2005, retailers in Delhi displayed banners proclaiming, â€Å"Cheese ke saath bees ki cheez† (Buy Cheese and get Rs. 20 worth of freebies), a proposal where, if a consumer bought Mother Dairy cheese, the retailer would offer her free purchases worth Rs 20 from the store. Both these innovative campaigns were hugely successful in brand awareness and sales.Conclusion: The study of this  SWOT  analysis shows that the ‘strengths’ and ‘opportunities’ far outweigh ‘weaknesses’ and ‘threats’. Strengths and opportunities are fundamental and weaknesses and threats are transitory. Any investment idea can do well only when you have three essential ingredients: entrepreneurship (the ability to take risks), innovative approach (in product lines and marketing) and values (of quality/et hics). 5. Market Segmentation: In terms of market segmentation, all the Indian cheese brands cater primarily to the retail sector. On the other hand, Dabon International Private Limited and Bel Fromageries have a retail and institutional client focus.The insitutional sector, comprising fast food chains, restaurants, in-flight caterers and hotels also source their cheese from private dairy companies like Dynamix Dairy. Geographically, cheese is produced and marketed for domestic consumption. Amul Malai Paneer is only cheese product exported to the Middle East, Singapore and North America. Paneer is targeted at the large Non Resident Indian (NRI) population in these countries. 6. Trends in the Indian cheese market 7. 1. Production patterns The state cooperatives that market cheese like Amul, Mother Dairy and Verka have their own production plants and source milk from their cooperatives. Among international cheese companies, only Dabon Private Limited also produces cheese in the countr y, having its own plant in Noida, near Delhi.The only significant private player, Britannia, does not make its own cheese but has it produced by the Maharashtra based private dairy company Dynamix Dairy Private Limited (which has a technical collaboration with Schreiber Cheese, USA). Bel Fromageries, the global French company that sells Laughing Cow and Kiri varieties of cheese in India, imports cheese into the country through its agent, Rai and Sons, Delhi. 7. 2. Consumption patterns: Cheese consumption continues to be an urban phenomenon, with processed cheese and cheese spreads accounting for about 80% of the total cheese consumption. Also, cheese is mostly consumed by children and is yet to be part of the mainstream adult diet on a mass scale.The product mix and consumption pattern in India is unlikely to change drastically in the next few years. The largest demand will continue to be for processed cheese and cheese spreads. Children will continue to be the largest consumers of cheese. Of the predicted increase in demand, children will contribute to the largest proportion in tier 2 cities while it will be adults in the metros. To cater to this increase, it is also likely that cheese producers introduce new varieties of specialty cheese in the metros. 7. Observations 1. Increasing and Widespread Demand: Based on a multi-year study of dairy consumption patterns in China, Mckinsey predicts a growth in the demand for Cheese by 40% by 2011.With India having similar consumer trends- namely, growing incomes, westernization and urbanization – Indian demand is likely to mirror Chinese patterns. Two conspicuous outcomes are: i) There is likely to be a 25%-30% increase in demand in the metros and ii) There is likely to be a 5%-10% growth in demand in tier 2 cities as urbanization and modern consumption patterns extend to these cities. 2. Food technology improvements: In the next 3 years, regional players will be forced to adopt new technologies that enable the m to go national to survive. 3. Indianization of processed cheese: The next three years will see new Indian flavours of cheese being introduced in the processed cheese and cheese spread market.The Indian consumer has unique tastes with variations even across regions. Both Indian and International brands are likely to ‘Indianize' their cheese products with Indian flavours to attract a larger customer base. 4. Consolidation of Cheese Plants: The explosion of retailing in India will probably have a significant impact on the cheese industry. Large chains of supermarkets that have entered the country, like Tesco, would follow their global policies of tightening supplier margins that could put small cheese producers out of business. The supplier end will likely be dominated by huge national producers who can achieve sufficient economies of scale to be able to afford low margins.There will be a few such national cheese factories, supplying to various cheese marketers and retail chain s, who in turn brand cheese under their own labels. There is also a high probability that cheese importers like Kraft and Bel Fromageries begin domestic production to lower prices and increased availability of their products. 8. Summary The organised cheese industry in India is at best in its nascent stage, accounting for less than 1% of total dairy production and largely limited to urban consumption. The organized cheese industry in India as of 2006, is valued at Rs 250 crore (US$ 50 million), with a volume in excess of 8000 tonnes. The industry growth rate is estimated at about 10%-12% per year in terms of volume and 16%-17% per year in value terms.Current household cheese penetration is 5%, with about 50% of consumption being limited to cities. Mumbai and Delhi together capture half of the cheese market. Within cheese products, around 60% of the market is dominated by processed cheese, 30% by cheese spreads and the remaining 10% by flavoured and specialty cheese. Amul and Britann ia Milk Man are the lead brands. Overseas cheese producers are eyeing the Indian market for its huge promise. The explosion of retailing in India is expected to have its impact on the cheese industry also. This paper looks at the lead national and regional players as well as the consumption, production and marketing trends. 9. Key government contacts:Government Department| Responsibility| Contact Information| Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Animal husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (DADF)| The Department is responsible for matters relating to livestock production, preservation, protection from disease and improvement of stocks and dairy development, and also for matters relating to the Delhi Milk Scheme and the National Dairy Development Board. | The Secretary,   Telephone:+91 11 23382608 Email: [email  protected] in| National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)| A government organization, NDDB is the apex body of State cooperatives. Also provides training and consulting servic es. | Head Office: P. B. No. 40 Anand – 388 001 Gujarat, INDIA Telephone: 91-2692-260148/260149/260159/260160 Fax: 91-2692-260159/260165 Email: [email  protected] coop|Ministry of Food Processing Industries| The main central agency of the Government responsible for developing a strong and vibrant food processing sector; with a view to create increased job opportunities in rural areas, enable farmers to reap benefit from modern technology, create surplus for exports and stimulate demand for processed food| The Joint Secretary,   Telephone: Ph. : 011-26492476 Fax: 011-26493228 Email: [email  protected] in| 10.References: www. themilkweed. com

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Real EstateFinance and Investment summary and market report - Research Paper Example This model is quantified using plausible assumptions about rational appraisal behaviour in additional to knowledge of how the appraisal-based indices are constructed. This model can be inverted and applied to reported index returns to recover implied market returns. This alternative Geltner (1993) suggests is useful because the unsecuritized property markets may not be able to produce information on a timely basis and may have returns that can be predicted based on the information gathered from a review of previous research in the area. In accounting for the nature of the appraised-based indices Geltner (1993) indicates that RNI and EAI share a few similarities. However, there are also some differences in their base year; how they carry out their valuation; and the type and geographic location of the properties they value. Geltner (1993) then looks at appraisal smoothing at the disaggregate level. In order to obtain an optimal appraise current market values Geltner (1993) uses what h e describes as a simple Bayesian rule to estimate the property value at each point in time and outlines a â€Å"rational appraisal† model that can be used for that purpose. The model indicates the relationship between property-appraised values and market value. Geltner (1993) also presents a model to define the relationship between the reported index annual return to the underlying market annual return. This Geltner (1993) points out allows for the observation of index returns caused by the three behavioral events previously mentioned. In recovering the underlying market returns from the reported index returns that the closeness of the model the models used in observing behavioral phenomenon was taken as an indication of whether unsecuritized market returns are predictable. Geltner’s (1993) findings are not statistically significant to draw any conclusions. However, the overall impression from the graphs and other statistical data indicates that it may be possible to p redict unsecuritized market returns. Summary Article: Strategies of Focus Opportunity: Trends in Public-Market Commercial Real Estate Penetration from 1998 to 2003 Hess and Liang in their article entitled: â€Å"Strategies of Focus and Opportunity†, which was published in the Pramerica Real Estate Investors Research Report dated August 2004 indicated that during 2003 public real estate investment companies reduced their holdings in apartments and hotel properties in order to benefit from an increase in the demand for those properties. In the mean time they took advantage of the falling values of retail properties while maintaining their holdings in warehouses. This enabled them to strategically position themselves to gain from future increases in the market values for retail properties. Their strategies involved looking at the market for short term gains by buying when prices are at their lowest and selling when prices are approaching their highest point, at a time when inves tors were able to access loans to purchase such properties. These public real estate investment companies, consists of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Real Estate Operating Companies (REOCs) which must be publicly held and traded on one of the major stock exchanges in the US and Canada. Hess and Liang (2004) points out that in 2002 REITs took advantage of