Target: A Management Analysis: 4000 words sample

This report will discuss the management of Target, covering their history, mission and vision, culture, basic managerial functions, SWOT analysis, goals and objectives, and management issues.

Contents

Toc 

Executive Summery

 

The 8th largest retailer in United States that named "TARGET" is the division of Dayton Company of Minneapolis. They continuously delivered the innovative outstanding value. They train their employees to give the customers great level of satisfaction and hospitality. Every team member is highly encouraged to innovate and contribute ideas. Moreover they discover the solutions as an important part. This report focus on the management issues that will focus on any technical setbacks or issues a business might face that for poor communication between different sections or constant change and difficult employees who have a hard time to doing what they are told to do. This can cause poor morale. Thus affects the efficiency and productive levels. This company has Mission statement which can be drawn by the key points of one organizations’ mission. This statement consists with convenience, Reasonable prices, Exceeding expectations, Community engagement and Community giving. The Objectives for target organization are the brief to medium-term targets and objectives that the organization sets to realize the greater vital objectives set for the long. This company has some components. These components consist with specific, measurable, accomplishing, practical and opportune. And this also focuses on some basic managerial functions. These functions plan to describe the instruments to achieve the aims. Then organizing this can achieve the goal easily. After that it directing and staffing. Then reporting and budgeting set for the product's development. This company has Wide range of merchandise which is the biggest strength. It has many competitors like Walmart, Amazon. The retail business capital intensive is easily replicable. This company has many managerial skills and functions. This report has focused by those all managerial terms.

 

Introduction

 

So to begin with today we will be covering about one of the 8^th largest retailers in the United States that we know as “TARGET”.  We will be covering about how target came to be in existence about its roots and the history behind the first establishment of it as the discount division of the Dayton Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1962 to how it started then expanding its operations and introduced new store formats under the Target brand in the 1990’s. We will then talk about what Target stands for with its brand Mission and Vision that will take us further into what their purpose is and how they have went on to achieving customer satisfaction over the years with their famous slogan “Expect more, Pay less”. It will take us further as to how Target decides on their product and deliver outstanding value to it and continuous innovation. 

Next we have their culture of team leadership and program that talks about how target provides endless opportunities as a retailer to the customers as well their employees. It emphasizes on how they train their employees to give their best on customer hospitality and reaching the highest level of consumer satisfaction and their culture to work as a team in meeting all the new challenges and tackling them whilst having fun at the same time. This pushes them to stay ahead in the ultra competitive retail market today and hold onto their niche and get more efficient thus providing consumers with the best shopping experience. Every team member is encouraged to innovate, contribute ideas and discover solutions as an important part of a world class team which then takes us to the basic managerial functions that tells us about each and every employee as a contributing member to the corporation and how they bring about the most efficient performance in their assigned sectors and tasks and the role they play behind the smooth operations of Target. Then we will move onto the SWOT analysis that is a strategic planning technique used to help a person or organization identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats related to business competition or project planning which helps to build a businesses strong points as well as to address what they are lacking. 

It helps to minimize risks and to take the greatest possible advantages of chances for success. As a business it is also important to set about certain goals and objectives to reach that enable us to push to our greatest potential and take the business to new heights and keep a clear vision of the long term as well as build strategies to accomplish them and set about a competitive edge above potential competition. Lastly we will focus on the management issues that will focus on any technical setbacks or issues a business might face that may be poor communication between different sections or constant change and difficult employees who have a hard time doing what they are told to do which can cause poor morale which thus affects the efficiency and productive levels. How a business deals with these issues and works together to bring about an effective solution is what we will discuss about in further details which will then lead to us concluding our report.

 

Mission Statement Analysis

 

According to their website the mission statement of Target is “To make Target the preferred shopping destination for our guests by delivering outstanding value, continuous innovation and exceptional guest experience by consistently fulfilling our Expect More. Pay Less. Brand Promise.” This consciously created statement portrays that Target has good experience of the business and posses the resource to achieve their desired place in the market. 

Given below is our breakdown of the mission Statement of Target: 

 

1. Preferred shopping destination: Target has the reputation of being a destination in its attempt to deliver this part of the mission statement, where consumers never actually lose what they are looking for. It is true that time is an expensive and precious asset that should be used wisely, and Target helps its customers do so by giving them what they want to buy. In fact, Target makes sure of this by classifying all its items in such a way that any consumer can easily select what they are looking for, from grocery, personal care to appliances, and every other thing they need. 
2. Delivering outstanding value: This is the indication them delivering products in a reasonable price. In a report published by Remi Rosmarin in Business insider where he said “Target is less expensive than any local retail store”. According to Lucian Arye Bebchuk, Allen Ferrell as they found on their survey they have found that consumers think that Target is cheaper than Walmart and Target offers up to 25% discount of a lot of products than its competitors. 
3. Continuous innovation: Target claims that they are one of the innovative companies and this claim is baked by the Fast Company they stated “In the face of these challenges, Target has nimbly adapted to the preferences of the modern consumer.” Target has 1800 stores spread throughout USA and according to the city or neighborhood they are in the store size varies. Target also has very unique line of in-house brands and they have also acquired a lot of cult favorite brands like Project 62, Quirky kids, Cat & Jack. They recently introduce Disney store in store. More than $1 billion sales are annually generate by their in-house brands.
4. Expect More: As a member of a community Target has been taking a lot of responsibility as a corporate and delivering on them. Target is making 100 soccer fields scattered all over USA. They also donated $3 million in 2017 for disaster struck places in USA. Their team members volunteered 1 million hour every year. They do a lot of good work for the community and the community has a very positive opinion about them.

 

On a nutshell Target does standby with its mission statement and is delivering upon it. They are not a retail giant like Amazon or Walmart and that is why they are not that much mechanical like them. 

 

Leadership style

 

Leaders can direct using the traditional “command-and-control” traits. These are like top-down leadership, class systems and profit-driven values. There are five types of leadership styles that can define “Target”. Those are:

 

1. Directive Leadership: A Culture of Consistency: 

Directive leadership uses a pyramid structure, with power moving starting from the top. Those at the top give those at the base explicit directions and undertakings. This style doesn't support an authoritative culture of joint effort in which administration is described by discourse, receptiveness, or cooperation. Order administration is known for its consistency. 

Our leaders build up explicit qualities and personal conduct standards, and others are relied upon to follow. The colleagues need adaptability and dynamism to meet changing business sector powers or conditions with advancement and imagination. Also, colleagues are bound to purchase in to entire framework change when their voices have been heard in the arranging cycle.

 

2. Transformational Leadership: A Culture of Inspiration:

Transformational leadership is tied in with investigating what characterizes our association's way of life and making changes to improve it. Transformational leaders start by uniting colleagues to give legit criticism. Workers distinguish difficulties and openings, just as close to home objectives and goals. At that point, pioneers adjust the association's objectives and qualities to those of its colleagues while likewise outlining a course for positive commanding change. The general objective is to provoke innovative feelings in representatives by mirroring their own objectives and qualities. Things like status and cash are momentary inspirations. Revolutionary authority divisions’ colleagues by assuring them that they are working for a reason greater than themselves.

 

3. Servant Leadership: Culture of Inclusion:

Servant leadership flips the hierarchical pyramid, making an air where everybody fills in as a pioneer. The leader's responsibility is to set up a suggestion's visionary objectives and arranged course. At that point, the chief serves in a help part as representatives’ work to accomplish these targets. Worker pioneers center around serving authoritative partners and the bigger network. This administration part is the thing that recognizes worker initiative from other authority styles. In our association enables workers by remembering them for the dynamic cycle, then, enable representatives by accepting a help job that assists representatives with achieving authoritative objectives.

 

4. Participative Leadership: Culture of Innovation:

By the democratic approach, participative leadership works on build consensus between team members. Besides for the transformational leadership and servant leadership, the participative leadership earns trust and commitment to achieve whole-system change. Leaders are always make the final decision, but they do so through a process of compromise, collaboration and consensus; which building that engages all team members. 

 

5. Authoritative Leadership: Culture of Compliance:

Authoritative leadership set the visionary bearing of associations and unmistakably clarifies the jobs that singular workers will play in that drawn out vision. This leadership shows others how it’s done and move representatives to follow yet they can likewise make an average culture that smothers cooperation, advancement, and expert turn of events. Workers know their place in the hierarchical progressive system and aren't urged to digress. This reflects conventional order and-control excellences like top-down initiative and the customary pyramid-designed progressive structure.

Most of the time Authoritative leadership and directive leadership share a number of behaviors. The biggest difference is that power can be more distributed under the directive leadership. A responsive leader might set the goals. And deliver specific instructions and tasks to subordinates who are under directive leadership.

 

Organisational Structure

 

 

 

Basic managerial functions

 

There are six types of essential managerial functions

 

Planning: They vary from benefit amplification to expanding the pie's objective piece or diminishing the costs. Usually, they are foreordained by top management. The primary objectives portray the points, and the sub-objectives depict the instruments to accomplish the ends. 

 

Organizing: They are a bit pricey, but the quality is excellent. They are useful to open and totally air  right A few kinds of arranging steps like Threshold Wall Cabinet Thai charming little cupboard are an ongoing expansion to the main washroom water closet.  This is a raw bar intended to hold towels in the restroom, and some s-snares initially made to have a shower curtain, and the pieces of jewelry are effortlessly arranged and don’t get tangled. Oxo Containers These compartments under our kitchen sink and I love them. 

 

Directing: Cell-based treatment abuses changed human cells to treat the ailment, yet it focused on application in explicit tissues, particularly those lying somewhere down in the body where direct infusion is unimaginable has been risky.

 

Staffing: Targets head workforce staffing and enrollment solutions. Strong Talent, great employers. Target coordinates these rapidly and effectively with the consideration they deserve. It truly is only that basic.

 

Reporting: As probably the biggest manager in the United States, with stores in more than 1,800 communities, we have a critical chance to drive change and work to convey happiness to all families today and tomorrow genuinely. 

 

Budgeting: A Budget is essential to arrange for how much your business ought to spend on costs and how much income it should cover those expenses. Target costing happens as an item is being developed. This technique includes utilizing statistical surveying to choose at what value the item will sell, then setting an objective for the measure of profit. These targets ought to be selected during the products improvement.

 

SWOT Analysis

 

Strengths   Very satisfactory customer experience. They provide this experience by keeping their stores clean as well as the shopping carts and with well trained staffs.  High purchasing power over suppliers. Since they buy in such a huge quantity they have the power to ask for lower price from suppliers. Because of this they have achieved economics of scale.  Huge assortment of products. Target sells a huge range of products from groceries to furniture’s. They even have variety of designer apparels. Portfolio of exclusive in-house brands. They have 25 exclusive in-house brands which provides higher profit margin. They have most attractive store-in-store alliances with many powerful brands. They have Starbucks and Disney stores inside of their stores in major cities.

Weakness   They are unable to cut costs like Walmart. Since the stores of Walmart are not well maintained they cut their price which makes it harder for the competition.  Higher price. The price of Target is higher than other competition especially on the grocery department compared with Walmart, Amazon and Costco.  They are lagging behind competition in the E-commerce department and their mobile app is not as efficient as Amazon and Walmart.  Less presence in the international market. They are not that present in the international market compared to Walmart and Amazon. Though they have over 133 stores in USA but very less stores outside of USA.

Opportunity   Better delivery system. They have introduced one day delivery system which has a huge impact on their revenue.  Reward program. They have introduced Redcard Reward loyalty program, which offers more discount for the members on top of the discount they are already providing.  Partnership with CVS for in-house pharmacy. After acquiring CVS Target has a pharmacy in their every store, this increases the amount of potential customer number.  Small sized stores. The store size of Target varies according to the location they are at. Because this they have the opportunity of incurring lower costs in less populated areas.

Threats   The competition is increasing and very fierce. It is tough for Target to compete against giants like Amazon who take losses of billion dollars without getting a scratch on their capital. These giants can take losses to undercut the prices of Target. The change in customer preference is another major threat. The customers now days prefer more mechanical stores for lower prices.  Target is basically high competitive and low margin industries where the barrier of entry is very low. Vulnerability of the economics. Since majority of the Target are in USA they are directly linked to economy of USA. This is proven right in 2020 when the USA economy took a huge hit because of COVID-19.

Objectives and strategies

 

Target’s current mission and vision articulations, ‘to make Target the favored shopping goal for our visitors by conveying exceptional esteem, nonstop development, and an uncommon visitor encounter by reliably satisfying our Anticipate More, Pay Less brand promise’ are missing in lawfulness and clarity. As is specified within the company’s 2010 Corporate Obligation Report, Target Enterprise centers on the categories of instruction, environment, well-being, and security & readiness. The company takes these four categories of responsibility a step advance to the sub-categories of secure communities, solid living, motivated understudies, and feasible hones. In expansion, the company is guided by its commitments to incredible esteem, the community, differences, and the environment, which is recognized within the company’s key arrange. (UKE)

The Objectives for Target corporation are the brief to medium-term targets and destinations that the association sets to understand the more prominent crucial goals set for the long.. The organizational goals are vital in forming asset allotment inside the target organization as well as in deciding the approaches, plans and forms that are implemented in Target Corporation. These are a few components of targets of Target Corporation.

Specific: All destinations set by the target corporation are particular and clear. This makes difference workers, as well as directors, oversee and keep up centre on the targets and the conclusion result that ought to be accomplished. At the same time, particular goals make difference directors decide aptitude and development. 

Measurable: Target Corporation is also quantifiable. This implies that all objects can be followed for advance. This is often critical for target enterprise because it makes a difference in assembly due dates. The component of measurability is included in goals by including Quantifiable criteria for deciding advance and objective accomplishment. 

Accomplishing: Target Organization is feasible in that they thrust the workers out of their consolation zones but stay conceivable to attain.

 Practical: This implies that target enterprise sets goals keeping in see the organizational assets and constraints to be able to realize goals viably and inside time. 

Opportune: Target Organization is moreover time bound in that they have an indicated begin and wrap up date. The convenience of the targets makes a difference target organization keep up sense of criticalness in workers. (George, 2020)

 

Management issues

 

In 2017, There were a few Management issues the one is target had misplaced its chief showcasing officer, chief computerized officer, and the head of its basic need division. Over the final two a long time, the company had too seen the chief legitimate officer, chief shipper, chief human assets officer, and chief stores officer positions changed hands. As it were two of the company's 11-member official group remains from when Cornell got to be CEO. Whereas revolution among administrators may essentially flag a company moving procedure, it's regularly agent of more noteworthy issues, such as differences over vital heading, destitute execution, a repulsive work environment, or indeed destitute recompense. Numerous of the later abandonments compare with issue regions for the target. Online deals had slacked behind those of peers and development had moderated, which likely clarifies the flight of chief computerized officer Jason Goldberger, and the company's basic supply methodology had long been tangled as well, driving to abundance decay. (Bowman, 2017).

Conclusion

 

Target is the greatest retailer and is headed to contend with Walmart on global scale. They are one the most network arranged retailers in USA. They have made a specialty retail portion for them while not being reckless about their essence like Walmart. Pioneers can coordinate utilizing the customary order and control characteristics. These resemble top-down administration, class frameworks and benefit driven qualities. Mandate authority utilizes a pyramid structure, with power moving beginning from the top. Our pioneers develop unequivocal characteristics and individual direct guidelines, and others are depended upon to follow. The associates need versatility and dynamism to meet changing business segment powers or conditions with progression and creative mind. By then, pioneers modify the affiliation's destinations and characteristics to those of its partners while similarly delineating a course for positive directing change. By then, the main serves in an assistance part as delegates' work to achieve these objectives. By the popularity based methodology, participative authority chips away at fabricate agreement between colleagues. More often than not authoritative initiative and order administration share various practices. The organization takes these four classifications of duty a stage advance to the sub-classes of secure networks, strong living, inspired understudies, and possible sharpens. In extension, the organization is guided by its responsibilities to inconceivable regard, the network, contrasts, and the earth, which is perceived inside the organization's key mastermind. The Objectives for target association are the brief to medium-term targets and goals that the association sets to understand the more prominent fundamental destinations set for the long. Over the last two quite a while, the organization had too observed the boss genuine official, boss transporter, boss human resources official, and boss stores official positions changed hands.

Bibliography

 

Retrieved from UKEssays. (November 2018). Strategic Plan For The Target Corporation. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/marketing/strategic-plan-for-the-target-corporation-marketing-essay.php?vref=1

 

Bowman, J. (2017, April 19). The Motley Fool. Retrieved September 2020, from The Motley Fool: https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/04/19/3-signs-target-inc-needs-new-management.aspx George. (2020, March 10). essay48. Retrieved September 2020, from essay48: https://www.essay48.com/case/33474-Target-Corporation-Mission-Vision

 

Fagaly, M. (2018, March 13). The 5 Types of Leadership Styles That Can Define Your Organization's Culture. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://ideas.bkconnection.com/the-5-types-of-leadership-styles-that-can-define-your-organizations-culture?fbclid=IwAR3kmKjXK767FvJFlFxuRobc5oP51tBAZAwRdgC_dY10cQIa5eMbcUi9lec

 

Fagaly, M. (2018, March 13). The 5 Types of Leadership Styles That Can Define Your Organization's Culture. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://ideas.bkconnection.com/the-5-types-of-leadership-styles-that-can-define-your-organizationsculture?fbclid=IwAR3kmKjXK767FvJFlFxuRobc5oP51tBAZAwRdgC_dY10cQIa5eMbcUi9lec

 

Boris, G., Jeremiah, L., Jesse, P., & Cheng, J. (2020, February 21). The Culture Factor. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://hbr.org/2018/01/the-culture-factor

 

Workplace, O. (2019, September 27). What Is Team Culture In The Workplace? Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://www.opensourcedworkplace.com/news/what-is-team-culture-in-the-workplace-five-ways-to-build-company-culture

Kate, M. (2019, April 3). How to Create a Great Team Culture (and Why It Matters). Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=3323993

 

Target, C. (2020). Purpose & history: Target Corporation. Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://corporate.target.com/about/purpose-history

Farfan, B. (2019, August 05). Target's Mission Statement: Delivering Outstanding Value. Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://www.thebalancesmb.com/target-mission-statement-2891827

 

Anitsal, I., Anitsal, M. M., & Girard, T. (2013). Retail mission statements: Top 100 global retailers. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 12(1), 1.

Bebchuk, L. A., & Ferrell, A. (2001). A new approach to takeover law and regulatory competition (No. w8148). National Bureau of Economic Research.

 

Rosmarin, R. (2019, July 31). A study breaks down who has the best prices between Amazon, Target, and Walmart in 5 different categories - here's where to shop for what. Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-vs-target-vs-walmart-who-has-best-lowest-prices

Fast, C. (2018, January 01). Target: Most Innovative Company. Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://www.fastcompany.com/company/target

 

Appendix

 

Names	Id	Contribution
		Mission Statement, SWOT Analysis and compilation of the report.
		Executive summary, Culture of team leadership and organogram.
		Objectives and strategies, Management issues and conclusion.
		Introduction and conclusion.
		Basic managerial functions

 

 

 

 

 

An investigation into culture shock in international students studying at ICP - 5000 words Dissertation

Experiences of Cultural Shock among International Students at ICP: A Research Study

Dive into a research paper exploring the experiences of cultural shock among international students at ICP. Discover the major themes of interaction with teachers, classmates, and academic tasks. Explore the hypothesis that Asian and Middle Eastern students at ICP are more prone to cultural shock, supported by findings related to power distance and social mentality.

Keywords:

1. Cultural shock among international students

2. Experiences of international students at ICP

3. Themes of cultural shock

4. Interaction with teachers and cultural shock

5. Interaction with classmates and cultural shock

6. Dealing with academic tasks and cultural shock

7. Hypothesis on cultural shock among international students

8. Asian and Middle Eastern students and cultural shock

9. Power distance and cultural shock

10. Social mentality and cultural shock

Abstract

This research paper explores the experiences of cultural shock among the International students of ICP. The findings of the research suggests that the international students at ICP encounter experiences of cultural shock following three major themes. These are interaction with teachers, interaction with classmates and dealing with academic and organisational tasks. The main hypothesis of the research is,International students of ICP coming from Asian and Middle Eastern countries are more prone to cultural shock than the international students from other countries, which is approved by the findings. Differences in power distance and in social mentality (i.e. collectivist vs individualist) are found to be the main reason behind this inference. 

Contents

• Abstract    
• Introduction:    
• Research aims and objectives:    
• Hypothesis:    
• Literature review:    
• Methodology:    
• Analysis and discussion:    
• Reflexive account:    
• Conclusion:    
• References:    

Introduction:

Tarry (2011) inferred that that going abroad to study could induce the effect of transforming cultures. Language plays an important role in this process. However, along with having to learn in a foreign language, the international students are often faced with religious and cultural taboos in regards to social behavior, sexual mores, gender relations, social rules and lifestyles. Because of such challenges, a potential for conflict and disruption in the life of these international students is observed. Zhou et al. (2008) argues that facing a new culture can have both positive and negative effects. International students can get enlightened by gaining deeper insight into the culture of the host country, which could heighten self awareness and enhance appreciation for foreign cultures. On the other hand, these students can experience cultural shock where their deep-rooted beliefs and perspectives are challenged, which in turn could threaten their sense of identity. Under such circumstances, the sense of well-being of international students could also be threatened (Forbes-Mewett & Nyland, 2008). 

This study aims to identify how the international students at ICP experience cultural shock. The findings will help understand the underlying causes and will help formulate potential solutions to the detrimental effects of cultural shock. 

Research aims and objectives:

This study aims to identify how the international students of ICP (International College of Portsmouth) experience cultural shock. The research will explore themes and patterns by analyzing the experiences of the students. 

Objectives:

The research objectives are as follows:

1. To analyze the experiences of cultural shock among international students of ICP to identify certain patterns.

2. To determine which nationality of ICP students experiences cultural shock more significantly. 

3. To explore the underlying factors that contribute to the experiences of cultural shock among the international students of ICP. 

4. To recommend ways in which detrimental effects of cultural shock can be reduced among the students of ICP. 

Research questions:

1. To what extent are international, students of ICP are affected by the varying culture in the UK?

2.  What are the underlying factors that instigate cultural shock among the international students of ICP and how do they cope with it?

Hypothesis:

International students of ICP coming from Asian and Middle Eastern countries are more prone to cultural shock than the international students from other countries. 

Literature review:

As Devito (2019) infers, cultural shock can often act as the first step towards developing cultural beliefs in an individuals. Either the individuals could get a fresh perspective on their own culture, which might lead them to respect their own culture and heritage more, or the new perspective could also enable harmonious assimilation of the existing culture with the new cultural experiences. These changes occur through the stages of crisis, recovery and adjustment (which are the stages of cultural adjustment, the first of which is the honeymoon phase). Alternatively, cultural shock can also induce a ‘fight or flight’ response where the international students either thrive to stay safe from any psychological harm or abandon the culture altogether. 

According to Maslow’s need hierarchy, there are five distinct needs of human beings.  These are physiological needs, safety and security needs, love and acceptance, self-esteem, and self actualisation. It has been inferred that while the lower level needs i.e. physiological needs, safety and security, love and acceptance may be common across all cultures, the higher level needs might not be applicable to collectivist cultures. This is because in collectivist cultures the higher level needs are related more to the interactions of individuals to different social networks. In simpler terms, in collectivist cultures, the higher level needs tend to be defined as the contribution of individuals for the furtherance of group needs rather than the furtherance of their own needs. In individualist cultures, the contributions of individuals sets them apart from the masses which facilitates the fulfillment of higher level needs (Gambrel & Cianci, 2003). When international students coming from collectivist cultures encounter the norms posed by individualistic culture, then their practices and beliefs are often deemed inappropriate and unnecessary which is one of the major contributors to cultural shock. As a result of these, international students might often struggle to fulfill higher level needs and in some cases the fulfillment of lower level needs might also be obstructed.

Hofstede’s cultural dichotomy model reveals some major differences between eastern and western culture, mainly by using the collectivist and individualist dimensions and the large power distance and small power distance dimensions (Hofstede et al., 2005). It was found that these two dimensions had the most profound effects on individuals when it came to cultural conflict. The power distance dimensions signifies the extent to which the members of any particular society accepts that the power in institutions and organizations are distributed unequally. IN simpler terms, power distance defines how lower ranking individuals react to higher ranking individuals in any particular organization or institution. In a society with low power distance, lower ranking individuals are usually not very concerned when they are around higher-ranking individual. However, in a society with high power distance, the lower ranking individuals show adequate respect to the authority of higher-ranking individuals. On this note, Dyson et al., (2008) found that, when international students from Asian countries come to UK, the first aspect they are conflicted with, is the relationship of the native students with the teachers. As UK is a country scoring low in the power distance index, the Asian students find it difficult to adjust to the existent norms. In some cases, the practices that adhere to high power distance societies are quite alien and confusing to UK nationals, which often subjects the Asian students to social embarrassments. 

According to Chung (2018) cultural shock encompasses the feeling of uncertainty, anxiety or confusion that individuals experience when they move to a society with a different culture than their native one. While cultural shock can set in any time an individual visits a different society, it is most profound when an individual moves to a new country for studying or settling down. Hence, Students who migrate overseas are usually affected by cultural shock. According Ward et al. (2020) the ABC model of cultural shock explains three dimensions of human experience when faced by a new culture. The Affective dimension refers to disorientation, bewilderment, confusion while experiencing, and different culture. The behavioral dimension refers to the confusion towards the behavior of others in the new culture. The cognitive dimension refers to the incapacity of understanding the bizarre social experiences. Due to cultural shock, it becomes difficult, especially for students, to adapt to the new dynamics, which in turn severely affects their academic life. Prince (2015) adds that, cultural shock affects mental health of students, which can often deteriorate their overall well-being. Along with sliding grades, and deteriorating health, students might find themselves incapable of coping with the changes, and give up on their academic aspirations altogether. Even though such instances are quite rare, the effects of cultural shock should not be overlooked as suggested by the author. 

As Jingfan et al. (2019) suggests, cultural shock is a result of clash between the worldviews, values and behaviors of internal culture. In addition, values, language, gestures with new meanings, dissimilar social customs, loss of reinforces like music and food, and lastly identity crisis, are also contributors to cultural shock. Wu et al. (2015) argues that, the interaction between the individual and the new culture has more profound influence inducing cultural shock than the new culture itself. The authors also add that, the detachment of the individual from the old culture and his/her inability to experience the elements of the native culture contributes to cultural shock as well. On the other side of the spectrum, cultural shock could bring about positive outcomes as suggested by Salisbury et al. (2013). Students can develop a “thicker skin” which could help them endure more adversities down the line. Moreover, they will be indirectly forced to learn the new language for blending in. Once an individual is able to overcome the cultural shock, the opportunities of expanding their social and professional circles, expand. Adapting to the environment while facing crises could lead to the improvement of individual communication and social skills that could help them cope with future challenges better. 

Mesidor & Sly (2016) have identified some common symptoms of cultural shock that are observed among international students. First, students experiencing cultural shock always seem to need help. No matter how skilled or knowledgeable they are, they always seem to doubt their abilities because everything they know seems to be invalid in the new environment. Second, due to the peer pressure to adapt to the new culture, international students can often find themselves alone and avoid social gatherings. What starts as a symptom of cultural shock can often lead to introversion and complex disorders associated with eating and sleeping. Mizuno (2012) adds that international students often feel homesick as they crave their native culture and its elements. Due to this homesickness lingering constantly on the back of their mind, it becomes difficult for them to concentrate. Moreover, the author suggests that the individual becomes resentful towards the people from the new culture. As a result, it becomes difficult for them to build social relationships and blend in. 

Wenhua & Zhe (2013) found that in the UK, students form Asia and other developing countries faced more difficulties than students from western European countries did. This is because, the cultural differences between UK (a developed country) and other developing countries are much more intense than that with European countries. As a result, European students find themselves more at home when they come to study in the UK, compared to Asian students. The authors also added that, in regards to academic progression foreign students also faced problem due to cultural differences. To begin with the academic culture is vastly different from their native one, especially for Asian students. As a result, the students found it difficult to adjust with the culture and the language barriers worsened the situation. They also found the library structure and services to be a bit overwhelming. All these contribute to academic incompetence. These drawbacks coupled with cultural fatigue, where students are overwhelmed due to receiving and processing loads of cultural information within a very short time, increases the chances of deteriorating their academic progress further. 

Wu & Hammond (2011) has identified some cultural shocks that most international students coming to the UK experience. First, the people here are very polite and the norm is to apologize and show gratitude at any opportunity they get. Such practices are not normal in Asian countries. Secondly, consumption of alcohol is a common practice among UK students. In most Asian countries, alcohol has a very bad image. Newsome & Cooper (2016) added that in the UK, the culture is very individualistic as a result, individuals rarely talk about their feelings. As a result, it is often difficult to get to know somebody on a personal level, which produces social barriers between international students and native UK students. Moreover, the author also suggests that the international students who have false assumptions about the host culture, especially in regards to its similarity to their original culture, have a harder time adjusting to the host culture. The adjustment process becomes more challenging when the students have unrealistic expectations about themselves and family. The students who do not hold preconceived notions are less likely to attract stress than the ones who do hold preconceived notions (Sovic, 2008). 

Ramsay et al. (2007) suggests that in order for international students to survive in an alien host culture, social support is the key ingredient. Social support is primarily defined by the access to friends and family members in times of crisis or need who could help nurture a positive self –image. Scanlon et al. (2007) adds that inadequate social support could increase the chances of dropping out due to the severe mental stress exerted upon students. As students go through several detrimental experiences along with cultural shock, like racism and insecurity, it is of utmost importance that they have a social group with whom these experiences can be shared and who can help them cope with these experiences. On the other hand, Zhang & Brunton (2007) found that the international students who primarily came from collectivist societies, had difficulty coping with individualistic culture and experienced loneliness. As a result, they were not able to form a social group who would be able to support them through the bad experiences. This affected their mental health and in turn had a severe effect on their academics. 

Sawir et al. (2008) found that international students were often alienated, confused and bewildered as they had unpredictable encounters when they presented themselves as foreigners. In addition, the host nationals are usually oblivious to the culture and practices of the international students, which makes it difficult for the international students to establish new social contacts which makes them feel more isolated and alienated. The authors also stated that the international students are caught in a “limbo status' ' they cannot identify themselves as insiders or outsiders, but just as temporary foreigners. As a result, they are demotivated to formulate social relationships with the host nationals and avoid any discomfort that might arise from conflicting cultures. 

Methodology:

Research method:

The research undertakes a qualitative approach where the responses of respective students are analyzed from different perspectives to determine common themes and patterns that could be applicable to a broader population. To accomplish this, the study utilizes one-on-one interview method. Using an interview schedule containing open ended questions the one-on-one interviews will been conducted. The open-ended question, allows the respondents to provide in depth explanations of their experiences, which helps in the qualitative analysis from multiple perspectives. 

The interviews are recorded electronically and the key points and major information are accumulated, coded and analyzed for reaching the results. The emotional aspects of the responses were deliberately identified and kept aside while presenting the data, in order to keep the findings free of biases. This helps present the data as it is.

Sample size:

ICP has a total of 25,000 students. Among them around 5,000 are overseas students from over 150 countries. As the study focuses on the international students of ICP only, the theoretical population for this research is 5,000. Among these 5,000 students, the study acquires information from 20 overseas students, which is the sample size for this study. 

Sampling strategy:

The respondents who have just started studying at ICP and are in their first year of education are not allowed to take part in the study. 20 participants will be chosen at random from the remaining number of international students. Among the 20 students 5 European, 5 African, 5 Asian and 5 American students will be selected. Hence, the study follows a stratified random sampling method. 

Exclusion criteria:

As the study uses a stratified random sampling strategy, all approved students will have equal opportunity to become participants. However, there is one exclusion criteria that has been determined to maintain the relevance of information required to answer the research questions. 

Students in their first year of study will not be allowed to participate in the study. This is because, though the students in their first year experience different forms of cultural shock, they are usually not able or willing to express their feelings. Therefore, if the responses of first year students and other students who have experienced cultural shock for years are analyzed simultaneously, a large spectrum of data might come up that could reduce the accuracy of the findings. 

Data collection:

The data collection process will take about 5 days. In the first four days, 5 respondents will be interviewed each day following the sampling frame. Each day the data will be organized, coded and electronically recorded for the final results. 

On the 5th day the coded data will be accumulated and a session of discussion will be held among the members, to identify the relevant information and refine them further for a more focused analysis. 

Data analysis:

The data extracted from the prior interviews will be analyzed in this phase. Moreover, as all the information will be available simultaneously, a theme or pattern will be identified. This theme will help the study to prove or disprove the associated hypothesis. Moreover, descriptive information will be extracted from the coded data that would potentially help answer the research questions. 

Based on the analysis, the main areas of concern that need focus, will be identified. This will help to produce appropriate recommendations to counteract the detrimental effects of associated experiences. 

Reporting:

While presenting the final report, key points of the responses to each of the interview questions will be provided in paragraphs. The findings will then be compared to existing literature to justify the relevance or observe the deviation. If deviations are observed, probable causes will be analyzed and identified. 

Lastly a reflective account will be provided which will elaborate on the experiences acquired while conducting the study. This will also help to shed light upon the shortcomings and determine the aspects that could have been done more efficiently. 

The focus of this report will be to add value to the existing knowledge of cultural shock and inform relevant authorities about the measures that could be taken to prevent the detrimental effects of such a phenomenon. 

Analysis and discussion:

In this section the findings from the one-on-one interviews will be analyzed and their relevance to the existing literature will be explored. The findings have been categorized into some key themes that have been identified from the responses. The analysis will be presented based on these key themes. The themes that were identified are as follows:

1. Interaction with teachers at ICP.

2. Interaction with classmates at ICP.

3. Dealing with academic tasks and organizational activities at ICP

Interaction with teachers:

The most prominent cultural shock that the international students at ICP experienced was interaction with teachers, especially the ones coming from countries that score high on the power distance index. 

Most international students were brought up with the idea that teachers are individuals with authority and are entitled to utmost respect. Some interviewees narrated their experiences on this matter. 

A student said:

‘When the faculty members walk into the class, I usually stand up to show respect, as I was taught by my parents. But in most cases, I find my classmates in disagreement with the gesture and often the teachers also suggest against it’

Another student said:

‘Through my school and high school, I was taught to never address my elders by their name, let alone teachers. I am used to addressing my teachers as sir/ madam. However, in the UK, as the term is related to Knighthood, I am often ridiculed and made fun of when I use it to address my teachers accidentally or on purpose’

Another interviewee commented:

‘I am not used to teachers being so friendly. As a result, when I try to communicate with them I find myself in a rather awkward position and am often unable to respond to their cordial conversations. This has severely affected my performance in the class.’ 

From the responses it is understood that the international students often find it difficult to communicate with Teachers not because the teachers are not accessible, but because their approach towards students are far more accommodating than what the students are used to. Moreover, the gestures of international students towards the teachers, being different form the norms of UK, are often disagreed with and suggested against.

This finding is synonymous to the findings of Dyson et al. (2008) where it was found that students belonging to societies with high power distance face difficulties adjusting with societies with low power distance. As the respondents for this particular theme came from countries where the power distance is high, i.e. the individuals with low power foster a sense of respect and fear for the individuals with higher power, that they are finding it difficult to adjust to the low power distance culture of ICP in the UK. As UK exhibits a low power distance, teachers are more accommodating towards students of each other, which widens the scope of communication amongst them. However, as the international students are not used to such access, they are finding it difficult to communicate with the teachers and get answers to the questions they might have regarding their lessons. As a result, some of their academic performances might be deteriorating which is in line with what Ward et al. (2020) suggested through the ABC model of cultural shock. According to this model, the students are bewildered and confused with the teachers’ approach and are incapable of understanding and coping with the relatively bizarre experiences, they are having due to their own cultural practices. If this trend persists, and the respective international students are unable to cope and overcome these challenges, they might give up on their academic aspirations altogether, due to repeated failed attempts at excelling, which was suggested by Prince (2015). 

Interaction with classmates:

As international students at ICP spend most of their time with other class mates, the interactions between them formulate most of their cultural experiences. From the responses of the internationals students this theme was induced, where the cultural experiences, especially that of cultural shock, have been highlighted. 

In this regard, one of the respondents said:

‘My classmates are not that open to sharing their experiences or their thoughts on personal issues no matter how much we interact with each other throughout the day. We hang out a lot and do projects together, but at the end of the day, they seem very distant when it comes to sharing. This in turn discourages me to share my thoughts and experiences with the issues I’m facing’

Another respondent commented:

‘Whenever I feel homesick or have had a bad day, I tend to seek advice from my friends/classmates as I did back home. But whenever, I approach them with a particular problem that I am facing, in most cases, I am confronted with a generic reply like “Don’t worry, everything will be alright” or “Somedays are good, some days are bad, you have to learn to deal with them”.’

One other respondent commented:

‘I don’t get much time to interact with my work colleagues, as a result the only viable social circle consists of my classmates. But, whenever they decide to hang out, they tend to drink and go to clubs which is not ideal for me. Hence, in most cases I am left out and I often feel lonely.’

From the responses, it is understood that UK natives are not that keen on sharing thoughts and personal experiences, at least with their social peers. Moreover, as one of the respondents commented on receiving generic responses on pressing personal issues, it is understood that the UK natives are not interested in interfering with other people’s lives. 

From the generic responses of UK natives studying at ICP, it is understood that the culture is individualistic which approves the findings of Newsome & Cooper (2016) which specifically points out that in the UK, people rarely talk about their feelings because of being individualistic. Such behaviors make it challenging for the international students of ICP to establish social relationships that could help them get through tough times. On the other hand, it is observed from the response of one of the respondents, that he/she expected advice from respective classmates as he/she is used to taking advice from prior classmates in his/her home country. As a result, the findings of Sovic (2008) are also proved true, which found that the students, who hold preconceived notions about the host country, attract more stress. Here the respondent thought that the classmates would act similarly to the prior ones. However, when reality struck, the respondent was found disappointed and consequently stressed for not being able to find a solution from expected sources. 

Moreover, from the responses it can be understood that International students at ICP had a difficult time forming genuine social relationships, as the UK natives were not interested to get involved in other’s lives. Originating from collectivist societies, the expectations were not in sync with what the UK culture fosters. This finding is synonymous to the findings of Zhang & Brunton (2007) who also suggested that the international students are often affected by loneliness, which was found in one of the responses. 

Lastly, According to Wu & Hammond (2011) one of the common practices among UK students is alcohol consumption, which is often a cultural shock to international students especially who come form Asian and middle Eastern countries. As we observed form one of the responses, that alcohol consumption and clubbing is not ideal for one of the international students, the findings of the literature are confirmed. In most Asian and middle Eastern countries, drinking alcohol is considered taboo due to religious restrictions, as a result it is often difficult to adjust with a culture where alcohol consumption is a common practice. 

If the students keep experiencing social isolation as found in the analysis, then in accordance with the findings of Scanlon (2007), inadequate social support could increase mental stress exerted upon students and the chances of dropping out could increase. Along with the deterioration of mental health, academic career will also be jeopardized. 

Dealing with academic tasks and organizational activities:

As this study deals with international students coming to study at ICP, it is important to understand how these students deal with the academic tasks and other organization tasks, build a significant portion of the experience here at ICP. Following are some responses that helped in deducing this theme. 

One of the International students said:

‘When I first started studying here, the most challenging part was grasping the language and the accent. Even though I understood what was written in the book, due to the language barrier, I found it quite difficult to understand the perspective and explanations of the teachers. As a result, I fell behind on my studies’

Another respondent added that:

‘At the very beginning every organizational task seemed very alien to me. I struggled to understand the process of paying fees, getting a library card, finding necessary resources and much more.’

One respondent commented:

‘My classmates were very helpful when I started studying here and was oblivious to the system. They were so helpful that I experienced a bit of inferiority complex as I couldn’t do anything significant for them in return.’

From the responses, it is evident that one of the major issues the international students face while studying at ICP is the language barrier caused by the unique British accent. The jargons and the gestures used during class lectures are often new to the students which inhibits their learning process. This finding coincides with the findings of Jingfan et al. (2019) where language, gestures, accents etc. were found to be some of the major factors contributing to cultural shock. 

The findings of Wenhua & Zhe (2013) are reflected on some of the responses. There the authors of the paper found that individuals coming from different economies with different degrees of development, struggle with even the simplest tasks in the UK as these is very new and confusing, at least at first. Here, the study found that International students at ICP struggled with making library cards, finding appropriate resources, and depositing tuition fees which is in line with the aforementioned literature. 

Lastly, some of the students found the helpful nature of their classmates very beneficial as well as overwhelming. It was beneficial because they were able to navigate through the new system, which would have been very difficult otherwise which is synonymous to the findings of Ramsay et al. (2007) where it found that social support is the key ingredient for surviving in a host culture. On the other hand, it was overwhelming because the UK natives were too helpful. This finding is congruent to that of Wu and Hammond (2011) where they identified the extremely polite nature of UK natives as one of the cultural shocks to international students. 

From all this discussion, it is proven that students from Asian and Middle Eastern countries  experience culture shock more intensely than the ones from European countries. This is because, most of the respondents narrating negative experiences of cultural shock were from Asian and Middle Eastern countries whose cultural dynamics are very different from that of the UK's.

Reflexive account:

The reflexive account is produced using Gibbs’ reflective cycle model. The stages are as follows:

1. Description: While collecting the data I was able to meet students from different nationalities and hear their stories. The process of collecting data and analyzing them to find specific themes was very challenging and very eye opening. 

2. Feelings: While conducting the research, the process felt very intimidating at first because we had a lot to do within a short time. However, as we progressed and we were able to complete each step, I felt more confident which drove me. 

3. Evaluation: The process helped me gain a new perspective into foreign cultures. It has also helped me develop some sort of cultural sensitivity. However, in some cases the respondents became emotional while sharing their negative experiences, which was very hard to handle. 

4. Analysis: I think as we were able to relate the findings of our research with the findings of the literature reviewed, our analysis part went well. Though our data collection phase was quite unorganized, we finally were able to code them and zero in on three specific themes. Therefore, the coding part of our data collection stage went well. 

5. Conclusion: I learned that taking preconceived notions into a research could affect the outcomes, as I found my notions to be very conflicting with what was found. This is because my perspective was very different from the perspective of the respondents, which I did not take into account. But during the data collection phase, I could have structured the questions in more subtle ways that would prevent respondents from getting emotional while expressing negative experiences. 

Conclusion:

In this study we found three main themes while exploring the experience of cultural shock among the international students of ICP. These themes are interaction with teachers, interaction with classmates and dealing with academic and organizational tasks. From the findings of the research, it is understood that teachers and classmates play significant roles in shaping the cultural experiences of International students at ICP. Hence, in order to counteract the negative effects of cultural shock, there should be provisions for student counselors with whom the students can share and receive advice on their culturally conflicting experiences. Secondly, as the students might find it difficult to let go of their practices (e.g. standing up when teachers enter, addressing them as sir etc.) instantaneously, teachers might help them by addressing the issues in person and by respecting their practices among others. This will not only help them to overcome inconsistent practices, but will also set an example for native UK students to respect cultural differences. Lastly, all students should go through a cultural sensitivity training before starting their academic year, so that they are not disrespectful towards foreign cultures and are able to accommodate students from all over the world without any conflict.

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