Preview

Demographic Factors Research

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3690 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Demographic Factors Research
Running head: DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS RESEARCH

Demographic Factors Research
University of Phoenix
MMPBL 560
Managing in a Cross-Cultural Environment
October 19, 2009

Organizations around the world are experiencing the effects of cultural and global diversity. Kellogg, Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Arbor are four companies introduced in this paper. They have been researched in order to identify how each company is affected by demographic factors, how these factors are managed, and what systems are implemented to enhance the success of the business; thus, this paper illustrates the key course concepts and their application to the best practices of these companies. The dynamics and dimensions of diversity in an increasingly global business environment can challenge the demographic factors of most organizations. Basically, Kottak and Kozaitis (2003) declare, “In the 21st century, the overwhelming majority of the world's population, along with a large percentage of the populations of the United States and Canada, will be descendants of the non-Western groups” (Ch. 1, p. 29). In other words, organizations will need to learn how to manage the complexities of a diverse workforce. Among these complexities, organizations will encounter demographic factors such as age, race, education level, religion, political party preference, sexual orientation, and gender (Kottak & Kozaitis, 2003). Because of these diverse factors, organizations need to be prepared to recognize the individuals’ behavior that is influenced by culture, values, and beliefs. To illustrate, culture refers to people’s identity in their traditions, customs, and way of life (Kottak & Kozaitis, 2003). In fact, Kottak and Kozaitis (2003) declare that culture is all encompassing. In essence, it is important for organizations to know that individuals are influenced by popular culture as well. Therefore, individuals in a diverse workplace need to understand and respect each other’s



References: Arbor. (2009). Arbor education and training. Retrieved October 17, 2009 from http://www.arboret.com/ Hanft, Adam. (April 1, 2005). What you can learn from starbucks. Retrieved October 13, 2009 from http://www.inc.com/resources/marketing/articles/20050401/starbucks.html. Hawkins, D., Mothersbaugh, D. and Best, R. (2007). The Economist. Consumer behavior: building marketing strategy Kellogg Company. (2009). Kellogg company. Retrieved October 17, 2009, from http://www2.kelloggs.com/General.aspx?ID=466 Kellogg Company. (2003). We act with integrity and show respect in everything we do. Kembell, B. (April 2002). Catching the starbucks fever: starbucks marketing strategy. Missouri State University. Kottak, C. P., Kozaitis, K. A. (2003). On being different: diversity and multiculturalism in the north american mainstream McDonald’s. (2009). Our story. [Online]. Available: http://www.mcdonalds.ca/en/aboutus/index.aspx (2009, October 16). Monash University. (2009). Briohny’s report. [Online]. Available: http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/business-economics/marketing/3.3.2.xml (2009, October 16).

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Gap Analysis: Riodoran

    • 1703 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Kottak & Kozaitis. (2003). On Being Different: Diversity and Multiculturalism in the North American Mainstream (2nd ed). New York: McGraw-Hill.…

    • 1703 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    * Zack Higbee, Chen yee Liaw, Calvin Ting, Kelvin Tjho, Michelle Ton. (2008). the future of Starbucks. Available: http://www.mcafee.cc/Classes/BEM106/Papers/2008/Starbucks.pdf. Last accessed 29 September 20 11.…

    • 4211 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    REL134 ModernChallenges

    • 1335 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Lott, B. (2010). Multiculturalism and Diversity. A Social Psychological Perspective. Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons Inc.…

    • 1335 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The concept of diversity has broadened in scope in the recent past, evolving from the concept of mandated quotas and affirmative action, to the reality of a diverse workforce being capable of providing quantifiable business value. A variety of external factors have influenced the conceptual evolution of diversity within the workplace. For example, globalization of markets has provided the concept of diversity with an opportunity to demonstrate a clear competitive advantage. A native understanding of the cultural values, norms and business practices of a foreign market can give an organization a clear advantage over their competition. Another area where diversity offers advantages is in the area of innovation. It can be argued that "a multi-cultural workforce translates into a richer variety of approaches to work-related problems and processes. Such approaches, in turn, are conducive to innovation that raises business performance" (Rajan & Harris, 2003).…

    • 1275 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Starbucks

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages

    While discussing about the business ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) of any business organization, it is necessary to mention that although both the concepts might overlap each other as far as their operations are concerned, yet their goals remain the same for the organization. While ethics involve the individual actions within an organization, the CSR constitutes the organization’s performances and activities as a whole that have direct influence on its stakeholders, customers as well as on the environment. In the present times, organizations are found to have become more concerned about CSR and thus several measures can be found to be considered in this regard (Mullerat, 2010, p.48). The present study focuses on learning about the CSR activities of Starbucks Company and the different issues that the organization addresses.…

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is important for managers to be educated on diversity, and have an understanding of the differences in their workforce’s population, because it will improve performance potential and increase employee satisfaction. There are numerous benefits to valuing diversity. With each unique combination of gender, ethnic background, culture, and life experiences, each person brings a different set of strengths, skill sets, and approaches to problems. According to Bell, (2007) , “Valuing diversity can benefit organizations in the areas of cost, resource acquisition, marketing, creativity, problem solving, and system flexibility”. An employee’s satisfaction is much higher when they feel accepted and valued for their unique qualities.…

    • 1059 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    As a manager in today’s workplace, managing diversity is as important as meeting deadlines and completing initiatives. “Diversity refers to difference in people, including their age gender, race, religion, cultural background, education, mental and physical disabilities, sexual orientation and other dimensions,” (Hitt, Black, & Porter, 2012, p. 187). In many cases, effectively managing diversity will directly attribute to a business’ success or failure. To manage diversity effectively, managers must get acquainted with today’s changing workforce demographic. In this paper, diversity will be explored with highlights on gender, age, religion, and occupation.…

    • 2065 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The changing US demographics, increasing globalization of business and pursuit of effective competition make it imperative for companies to implement programs for diversity training. The ability of organizations to manage a diverse workforce will be a major determinant of their continued survival and success in becoming world class corporations (Miller, 1994, para 1).…

    • 1832 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In this society when one person thinks of diversity he or she might think of race, but it also includes ethnic and cultural aspects that might be in the workplace. Society has come a long way and many changes have taken place, therefore many businesses need to learn how to adapt whether it is through training seminars or from firsthand experience.…

    • 1092 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The demographics of organizations are rapidly changing as more growth occurs globally. Sodexo and Principal Financial Group are among the top 50 to be recognized as being able to manage diversity effectively. It is important for organizations to grow in the global market to keep up with the economy. The growth of the company increases the importance for all levels of employees to interact with people different from themselves. The companies have adopted various training methods and other programs such as flexible work schedules. The employees of the businesses can benefit from the contributions the companies have incorporated to contribute the effectively managing diversity.…

    • 1200 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The United States has moved to participate within the global market economy and must prepare its new workforce for this change. Global diversity refers to the ability to handle challenges that arise when employees from different countries work together. Primary catalyst causing workplace diversity is the demographic shift of US population and therefore the US workforce. Demographic studies show that the composition of the population is more diverse than ever. The diversification of the American workforce is already present in the workplace. Today’s economy and a nationwide shortage of skilled workers challenge the organizations ability to recruit and retain a high quality and diverse workforce.…

    • 226 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The United States is and will continue to be a very diverse place. More than 8 million legal immigrants came to the U.S. between 1981 and 1990, and an undetermined number of undocumented immigrants enter the United States each year. In addition, the United States includes people of many religions, languages, economic groups, and other cultural groups. In order to be a successful manager in today’s very diverse society a manager needs to be open and understanding of cultural differences, different ethnicities, and gender differences among employees. Diversity is the presence of people from a wide range of backgrounds all possessing different traits. Some possible contributors to diversity include but are not limited to differences in age, race, ethnic origin, culture, physical abilities, religion and sexual orientation. As the text book states, ‘bringing diverse workers into an organization is seldom a seamless transition.’ People tend to prejudge and place stereotypes or generalized beliefs that all members of a group possess the same characteristics from different cultures, race, or sex; this must be overcome. To be effective, managers and employees need to recognize, respect, and capitalize on each other’s differences. By being diverse in its employees, a business has a better opportunity for new ideas and growth potential.…

    • 757 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Though it would seem that hiring a diverse workforce would be extremely advantageous to any company that wishes to compete on the global stage, the issues that are faced when attempting to blend the differences of race, gender, and age are too great to be ignored.…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Organizations employing a diverse workforce can supply a greater variety of solutions to problems in service, sourcing, and allocation of resources. Employees from diverse backgrounds bring individual talents and experiences in suggesting ideas that are flexible in adapting to fluctuating markets and customer demands (Greenberg, 2004). This is key in developing new innovations for multicultural market of the business. As the market gets more and more diverse, a diverse…

    • 1028 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Diversity Management

    • 1718 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Diversity is even more relevant due to the interconnectivity of global markets. The world no longer operates in silos, nor do businesses. To remain competitive, organizations must understand the preferences and needs of their diverse customer base, which may include ethnic and cultural groups that go beyond simply race and gender. The intricacies of knowledge necessary to serve a wider market share require that organizational leadership rely upon a conglomeration of ideas.…

    • 1718 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays