Expanding your business to China Essay

There are many advantages to expanding your business to China. Not only is China considered one of the largest economies in the world, it also has a vast emerging market that is still growing (Startup Overseas). Although China has embraced many Western Business ethics and practices, there are still numerous cross-cultural differences that can make it difficult to succeed without sufficient research and knowledge of the culture. Examples of these cross cultural differences include the Chinese’ attitude toward work and workplace, the labor laws, and how Chinese businesses collaborate with other organizations. More differences include how we market and sell a product, and how pricing differs between our two countries. Perhaps the most important differences are those of ethical positions, such as child labor and sexism. A Chinese worker’s attitude toward the job and the workplace depends on what position they have in an organization. China is considered a collectivist society, which means the majority of people within the society act in the interests of the group and not necessarily themselves (Geert Hofstede, 2010). The United States is considered an individualistic society and emphasizes the importance of the individual. This also applies to the way these countries do business. A collectivist business may have a team of workers contributing to satisfy all the customers, whereas an individualistic business may have several individual representatives who each have their own client list. Another difference in the workplace is how large an organization’s Power Distance is. Power distance is the acceptance that all individuals in the society are not equal (Geert Hofstede, 2010). China has a very large power distance, which means its’ workers accept the fact that there is a hierarchy within the organization, and they know their place within that organization. They expect power within the business to be distributed unequally. The United States has a lower Power Distance acceptance, which means that workers don’t accept that power is distributed unequally within the organization, and they expect to be treated as equals to even the people in the highest positions of the business. The Chinese also accept that decision making comes from the top, whereas in the U.S., everyone wants their suggestion and opinion to be heard, and they do not always accept decisions that are made within the organization. The  differences between Chinese and U.S. labor laws are subtle, but still worth mentioning. In China, a normal working week is 44 hours, with a maximum of 48 hours (only 4 hours of overtime is allotted). In the U.S., a normal working week is 40 hours, with overtime paid on any hours worked over that 40. Maternity leave is up to 3 months paid in China. In the U.S., Maternity leave is up to 12 months unpaid (at the company’s discretion). Surprisingly, women in China make 80.5% of what men in the same position make, whereas in the U.S., women only make 70% of what men make in the same position (Guo). In China, businesses tend to put an emphasis on personal relationships between business partners. An initial business meeting will consist of getting to know the personality and lifestyles of the one you are entering into a relationship with (Graf). Chinese business owners will want a loyal friendship when considering associations. This system of social networks and influential relationships that facilitate business and other dealings is called guanxi (Mah, 2012). In the United States, owners of a business as well as the workers within that organization strive to keep their personal and professional lives different. Though some partners end up being friends, and many workers build friendships outside of the workplace, it is not the intention at the start of a business relationship. Gift giving is also a large cultural difference. In the United States, if a gift is given at the start of a business meeting, or the start of an association, it can be seen as bribery or a way to make businesses feel obligated in working together. Chinese organizations are much more accepting of gifts although certain etiquettes must be followed in order for the gift to be given in good faith (Culture Crossing Guide). For example, gifts must be nicely wrapped and may not be opened right away unless prompted to do so. Also, do not give any gifts such as clocks, flowers, or cutting instruments as it is considered disrespectful. Negotiation style is a major difference between the United States and China. In China, social context, personal relations, and non-verbal behavior are very important in negotiation. There are usually many people from the  company who attend the meeting to discuss any topics that need negotiation. Americans value legal contracts and documents over personal relationships, and do not put as much stock in body language. American businesses usually only send one or two people do the negotiating on behalf of the entire company. For the purposes of this paper, let us assume that an American Company has seen great success with its toy product. This company is looking to expand its business to China. There is usually a demand for toys in any country and in China, 17.1% (roughly 223 million) of the nation’s population is under 14 years old (Central Intelligence Agency). Research also shows that the total retail sales of toys in China have increased by 14.2% since 2010 (HKTDC Research, 2014). The Design of this toy would have to be carefully rethought, particularly if it is a doll or Barbie type toy. The doll would have to be remanufactured to suit the needs of the children in China. Skin Color, Clothing, and accessories would all need to be redesigned. For example, although most girl-intended American Dolls wear pink, pink is considered a gender-neutral color in China. The color white is also associated with death and mourning, so any â€Å"wedding dress† dolls would need to be recolored to the traditional Chinese color of red (KaiWen, 2010). The clothing of the doll would probably have to become more modest. In looking at Chinese dolls, most are dressed in Geisha style robes. The United States dolls tend to show more â€Å"skin.† The packaging of the doll would also have to be translated to Chinese. The company would also need to avoid any symbolism that might offend Chinese parents or even the government, such as any American paraphernalia, like the flag, or anything with a religious context, like a cross. Imagine the price of this toy is $5.00. The value of a $1.00 is equal to 117.78 ( ¥). That would mean that the exchange rate on the toy would be $588.90. But with the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) factor, we know that China’s market exchange rate is .6 (World Bank, International Comparison Program Database, 2014). This means that China would actually pay 60% of what the United States would pay for the toy. The price of the toy would be  353.34  ¥. This price could be adjusted depending on competition in the Chinese market. The American company would also need to increase the price based on exporting costs. A sale price, or discounted price, in China is also different from what a sale price would be considered in the United States. In the U.S., if a product is on sale, the advertisement might say â€Å"10% off.† In China, they advertise the percentage of the price that you would pay for, in this example â€Å"90%† (Tyson, 2014). Good times for sales would be around National Chinese Holidays, such as the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), May Day, or the Mid-Autumn Festival. Several sales channels can be used to promote a product in China. Traditional avenues include major shopping centers, specialty stores, and franchise chains. There is also the internet platform and many sites such as Amazon or Baby.tmall.com. One of the best ways to break into the toy market in China is to have the toy include educational or technological aspects. This would help broaden the available channels of the toys to include museums, zoos, and electronic stores. This is very different from the United States, who tends to promote and market to the different genders. Most American toys are either for girls or for boys; there aren’t very many gender-neutral toys. Just like in the United States, China has import and trade regulations. Some of these regulations include import inspection (Regulations for the Administration of Inspection of Toy Imports and Exports), attention to the potential danger of toys, China Compulsory Certification (CCC), and standards such as plush toy fillings should be even and of an appropriate softness with no hard objects inside. It is also worth noting the Standardization Law of the People’s Republic of China, where four levels of standards are stipulated: national standards, industry standards, local standards, and enterprise standards. This company will have to adhere to all of these standard and regulations in order to export the toys from the United States to China. Another option for the company would be to open a factory in China, or use a preexisting Chinese toy factory to manufacture the toys and sell / distribute locally. In order to reach the more rural  areas of China, this company might consider making a deal with a Chinese company that already distributes to those small towns and rural areas. If this company does decide to open a factory in China, or utilize a preexisting factory, it will have to deal with ethical issues such as child labor, and sexism. Child labor has been a widely controversial issue for many years. The PRC Law on the Protection of Minors was first passed in 1991, and the newly revised Minors Protection Law entered the force in 2007. Many International rights documents have also been implemented by the UN (Library of Congress). Although the child labor conditions have been described as â€Å"improved† in China, there are actually no statistics or documentation to back it up. We still hear reports of Child Labor issues existing in China. As a company looking to do business in China, it is important to set certain standards within the organization that do not support and do penalize child labor. Although women in China make a higher percentage of what men make (80.5%) than what women in American make compared to men (70%), there is still a lot of sexism in the society and the culture of Chinese businesses. For example, women must always greet men first, and it is not acceptable for women to look men in the eye. Women are not allowed in higher or executive positions within the organization. Women are still expected to meet a nice man, get married, have children, and take care of the household. Not to mention the fact that having a son is extremely preferable to having a daughter in most Chinese families. While this behavior would be considered abhorrent (mostly) in Western cultures, foreign businesses may actually benefit from China’s oversight in regards to women. Foreign businesses may hire the talented women for executive positions that Chinese businesses have ignored or cast aside (Harris, 2010). While there are many differences between the Chinese culture and ethics from those of the United States, expanding a business in China can be mutually beneficial and successful. There is a balance between Chinese and American societies and laws that must be found, or all parties may be unhappy. Before growing your business to a foreign country, much research and planning must be done. Or, as the Chinese proverb says, â€Å"if a thing’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.† Works Cited Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.). The World Factbook: China. Retrieved from Central Intelligence Agency: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html Culture Crossing Guide. (n.d.). China. Retrieved from Culture Crossing Guide: http://guide.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student.php?id=43 Geert Hofstede, G. J. (2010). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. New York: McGraw-Hill USA. Retrieved from The Hofstede Centre. Graf, R. (n.d.). 10 Major Cultural Differences Between China and the United States. Retrieved from Hubpages: http://hubpages.com/hub/10-Major-Cultural-Differences—China-and-the-UnitedStates Guo, B. (n.d.). China’s Labor Standards: Myths and Realities. Retrieved from academia.edu: http://www.academia.edu/165449/China_s_Labor_Standards_Myths_and_Realities Harris, D. (2010, 12 16). Sexism in Cina. A Good Thing for Foreign Business? Retrieved from China Law Blog: http://www.chinalawblog.com/2010/12/sexism_china_style_a_good_thing_for_foreign_busine ss.html HKTDC Research. (2014, 09 18). China’s Toy Market. Retrieved from HKTDC Research: http://chinatrade-research.hktdc.com/business-news/article/China-Consumer-Market/China-s-toymarket/ccm/en/1/1X000000/1X002MRF.htm KaiWen. (2010, 11 09). Ask the Chinese Girl. Retrieved from Blogspot: http://ask-a-chineseguy.blogspot.com/2010/11/colors-in-chinese-culture.html Library of Congress. (n.d.). Children’s Rights: China. Retrieved from Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/law/help/child-rights/china.php Mah, R. (2012, 11 23). Cultural Differences Between America and China. Retrieved from World-Class Business Etiquette: http://www.etiquetteoutreach.com/blog_new-york-etiquetteguide/bid/92662/Cultural-Differences-Between-America-and-China Startup Overseas. (n.d.). Expanding a Business in China. Retrieved from Startup Overseas: http://www.startupoverseas.co.uk/expanding-a-business-in-china# Tyson, K.

Internet and Target Customers Segment Essay

1. Based on the three customer personas, which customer segment should Ontela target? Ontela should targe the teen segment. The size of the segment is big and wide, they are usually early adapters of technology (lots are tech savvy) their purchasing power is huge,. Moreover, the segment is substantial, and can make ontela increase its revenues. This segment uses the internet alot and the social network, e.g. facebook,. There can be the domino effect and more friends may join this service. As youth tend to imitate one the other. They spend lots of time in the internet and marketing in the internet (banners, PPC, etc) doesn’t cost a lot and very good to start with. Ontela shouldn’t target the 2nd’ persona because the segment is not big enough, old fashion and the revenues aren’t expected to increase. It is a work tool and therefore it is a niche. 2. Create a positioning statement for your chosen target persona and identify the key themes that should be emphasized in the messaging for the PickDeck service to this segment: Positioning statement: Specifically designed for people who treasure their memories captured in mobile phone and have been frustrated with the cumbersome process of manually transferring photos off their phones, Ontelas’s Picdeck is a quality innovative mobile phone service that promises an easiest way to transfer pictures off their camera phones by automatically uploading those to a desktop, e-mail or favorite photo sharing and social networking sites with no click and best price. The key themes are: **send and save your pictures in one click **easy to use **share with your friends and family easily 3. What are the risks of using qualitative persons to select target customers segment?

Media and propaganda

The strike at California State University, associated with allegedly low salaries of the staff has been covered by a number of mass communication media. The present paper is intended to compare the messages from different sources, analyze and find media biases and the elements of propaganda. As the preliminary results suggest, most articles are biased, and one of them emphatically urges Americans to support the action.The first article in the scope, written by C.Arjentera and published in the Monterey County Star places accents and emphases in quite an unusual way. For instance, the article first and foremost describes the strike: â€Å"The union has announced that a strike, which would be the first for our system, would be a series of two-day rolling actions that would move from campus to campus sometime in April or May. Eventually affecting all 23 – including CSU-Monterey Bay† (Arjentera, 2007, p. 5).Furthermore, the author provides the criticism and claims of the dis satisfied faculty member who states that union is likely to decline after the introduction of the tradition of job actions. The paper also includes the local officials, but presenting their views, the article implicitly claims that the administration is merely concerned about the deterioration of education quality in the university, which might appear during the strike.The true cause of the strike is presented only at the end of the article: â€Å"Faculty and administrators agree CSU instructors are paid less that peers at comparable institutions in other states† (Arjentera, 2007, p. 5). As one can understand, the author seems to have kept in mind the features of human perception (the leading paragraph is most likely to be memorized) and deliberately placed the negative messages concerning the strike and the perceived poor professionalism at the beginning, whereas the participants’ problem are mentioned very briefly in the concluding chapter.On the contrary, the articl e at NBC.com is much more neutral and contains neither positive not negative propaganda. Its structure can be outlined in the following way: 1) a brief, but comprehensive idea about the strike; 2) the real extent of the problem (figures); 3) quotations of faculty members’ statements; 4) administration’s view on the problem and the statement of the need for compromise. The article seems to cover different views on the job action –from positively enthusiastic to extremely cautious, most importantly, there are real people, who stand beyond these messages: â€Å"We don’t understand why they feel they can’t make some kind of reasonable offer to us†. – Canton says†; â€Å"Well what about students? How do we make them competitive?How do we make sure the faculty (is) competitive? It’s not just about administrators†, said San Francisco Sen.Leland Yee† (http://www.nbc11.com/news, 2007). This means, the officials are in reality aware of the multiple sides of the situation and pay attention not merely to the strikers’ manifested needs, defended through a degree of pressure, but also at the possible positive outcomes, rather than putting forth the claims like ‘If we don’t reach consensus, the quality of education will fall’, implied in the previous paper.The official CSU site describes the event not merely as a PR-action, but as a pompous event: â€Å"John Travis, the president of the California Faculty Association, called it â€Å"a truly historic day† (Gavios, 2007). As one can understand, due to the fact that the web-page belongs to the university, it is supposed to highlight the subjective importance of the action for the staff, rather than in broader social context. Thus, the article describes the extent of the strike and its features – for instance, the author notes that the job action is not a traditional strike, as it doesn’t infringe upon the students’ interests and implies almost no withdrawal from work, merely walkouts and picketing.The implicit message in this focus is understandable: the author tries to show how the strikers care about their learners and how successfully they combine their labor with the protest. Furthermore, the paper contains no opinions of state officials and administration, narrowing the focus to few union members and the possibility of the introduction of additional efforts, if the strike at this stage is fruitless. Although this article contains certain biases like shifting accents, it cannot be classified as propaganda, as it simply resembles a position statement and the extent of support the strikers have received.The final paper I would like to analyze is the article by Leland Yee, which contains the elements of explicit propaganda and is performed in extremely emotional tone, which infer the senator’s   deep sympathy for the underpaid laborers: â€Å"It is no wonder the fa culty at our state universities are voting in overwhelming numbers to go on strike. I, like many other legislators, students and taxpayers, share the faculty’s frustration† (Yee, 2007).The official completely consents to the participants’ demands, moreover –restates them different times and argues that even the support from higher education network, which has doubled the teachers’ salaries over the two last years, nevertheless doesn’t fill the income gap, when comparing professors from CSU and other universities. The basic message the article underlies is: ‘Well-educated and professional staff should not be discriminated and discredited with low salaries’. The author finally encourages his audience to join the strike: â€Å"Please join us in bringing much needed transparency, accountability and public access to our institutions of higher education by supporting SB 190† (Yee, 2007)As one can understand from this analysis, o nly one article contains no biases, which is the paper on NBC.com, whose author seems impartial, consistent and logical, as the article is structured very soundly: the first paragraph answers all vital questions like â€Å"When?†, â€Å"Why?’, â€Å"Where?†, â€Å"Who else is involved?† (whereas Arjentera’s and Yee’s papers omit some of these questions in the first paragraph) ; in addition, the paper contains the fragments of opinions and standpoints,   which are different in nature and tone. Arjentera’s article contains too much words like â€Å"reject† or â€Å"refuse† as well as negative statements, pointing to the deficiencies rather than to goals and the possible steps towards compromise.Moreover, it is written in quite pessimistic spirit: â€Å"Union leaders dispute that most teachers would actually receive that much and disagree over a merit pay proposal† (the concluding paragraph) (Arjentera, 2007, p.5) . Thus, the author implies that the action is to certain degree pointless. Yee’s and Gavious’s papers are explicitly optimistic, and both seem to take the strikers’ side.Although the latter paper is situated on CSU site, it doesn’t contain any radical positions, but it can be declared as biased nonetheless, as the author doesn’t include the true impact of the strike on students and California state budget, yet he notes that the teachers will not miss many lessons. Yee’s paper contains explicit propaganda and the promotions of the strikers’ interests. Due to the fact that the author is the influential political figure, his request to support the participants is extremely strong in terms of its power over public consciousness.In conclusion, I would like to post my recommendations for citizens, who wish to learn more about the events. NBC.com has appeared the most reliable and credible source, but I wouldn’t like to advertise or p romote it – in fact, to launch critical thinking, it would be enough to read or listen to the news from three-four different sources and think carefully not merely on the strike itself, but also consider its financial side and outcomes for the state budget as well as the possible improvement of education quality at the university.Reference listArjentera, C. (22 March 2007). CSU faculty authorize a strike. Teachers still negotiating with college system. Monterey County Herald, p.5.NBC news. (21 March 2007). Votes Are In; CSU Strike Looms. Available online at: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/Gavios, J. (22 March 2007). Faculty Union for California State U. Authorizes ‘Rolling Walkouts’ if Contract Negotiations Fall. Chronicles of Higher Education. Available online at: https://www2.calstate.edu/mediacenter/

Nursing Clinical Negligence Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nursing Clinical Negligence - Assignment Example The issues which are required to be considered in the risk assessment process are the activities in the context of physical and emotional environment and organisational culture. Moreover, considering the potential number of patients who are likely to be affected, and potential consequences of the hazards are few of the major considerations of a clinical risk assessment process (Logan & Johnstone, 2012). During the process of risk assessment, the implementation of a set of effective and simple steps can be practiced by the nursing staff. The steps associated with an effective risk assessment process have been provided hereunder. The study provided rich understanding regarding the risk assessment process in clinical practice. It has been learnt that the steps associated with risk assessment is a set of simple technique that enables the healthcare institutions to avert different types of clinical risks or hazards. In nursing practices clinical negligence is often reported which has a severe impact on the well-being of patients. Correspondingly, the understanding derived from the study regarding the effectiveness of the risk assessment process and associated steps can be applied to reduce any instances of clinical negligence. Allnutt, S. H. & et. al., 2010. Clinical Risk Assessment & Management: A Practical Manual for Mental Health Clinicians. Justice Health. [Online] Available at: http://www.justicehealth.nsw.gov.au/publications/handbook-february-2011.pdf [Accessed November 09, 2014]. Boland, B., 2010. Clinical Risk Assessment and Management for Individual Service Users: Policy and Procedures. NHS Foundation Trust. [Online] Available at: http://www.hpft.nhs.uk/_uploads/documents/the-trust/freedom-of-info/disclosure/clinical-risk-assessment-and-management.pdf [Accessed November 09, 2014]. Department of Health, 2007. Best Practice in Managing Risk. National Mental Health Risk Management Programme. [Online] Available at:

Nutrition project 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nutrition project 2 - Essay Example Write a brief (one-page) summary of your interview. Pay a visit to your favorite fast food restaurant. Ask an employee to provide you with nutritional data on the meal you most commonly order there. Most national fast-food chains make this information available to customers. If it is not available in person, use your Internet access and look online. Some fast food restaurants make this information available on their websites (for example, McDonald’s or Burger King). If it is not available, ask at the restaurant for precise ingredients and serving sizes, and use Appendix A in your textbook to figure out the nutrient profiles yourself. What is the serving size for each item? How many calories in each? How much total fat is in your favorite meal? How much saturated fat is in each item? trans fat? Assume that you consume an average of 2,000 kcal a day. What percentage of your recommended daily fat intake is provided by this single meal? What percentage of your total energy? Go to your local grocery store or health food store and check out the labels of three different brands of â€Å"protein bars.† Try to find similar flavors for each brand (e.g., chocolate, lemon, etc.). For each item, document: Make a chart comparing your findings. Based on your data, rate the bars from most to least nutritious, and provide the rationale for your rating. Finally, calculate the average price of a protein bar. How much protein are you getting for your money? How does this compare with the cost of other â€Å"portable† sources of protein, such as yogurt, prepackaged cheese and crackers, or a peanut butter sandwich? I interviewed a middle-aged lady friend who suffers from Type II Diabetes. She was first diagnosed with the condition three years ago. She found out about her condition after visiting her family doctor following recurrent bouts of feeling sickly. During her check-ups, the doctor tested her blood sugar levels that were high. At first, the diagnosis was

Literature and Film Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Literature and Film - Coursework Example Sile finds a wife and Stride faces his opponents and overthrowss them. However, both the stories do not end in the hero's glorifications. While Sile gets a wife, his other conflict is a notorious boy in debt of him and while Stride gets pass the cowboys, he still needs to avenge himself from those wanting him dead. This is concluded by someone else's dignity or courage being sacrificed to actually uphold the hero's glory. Sile's wife decides to finish off once and for all someone in debt of him through beating him up, thus gaining the fear of being in debt to Sile by the entire Zongo steet. Stride on the one-hand, held bait the Greer's by letting them go into town as his messenger, only to find Mr. Greer dead, but his enemies in hot pursuit of him, falling into his bait of luring them into the desert. In the end of both stories, one is left thinking if both heroes actually deserve to be called the heroes. Because, inasmuch as they altogether attained self actualization and peace of m ind in the end, the underdogs and the people they have outwitted actually did the dirty job for them. The difference between Mallam Sile and Seven Men From Now is their portrayal of a strong hero. In Mallam Sile, the hero is ironically puny and small, almost helpless, but gets his way at the end. In Seven Men From Now, he is a brave cowboy, dashing, fearless and wise but also is brave enough to face a cowboy "duel". The conclusions also vary by Sile getting his peace and restoration, while Stride, chasing after his sheriff position, in which the audience is left hanging if Stride actually makes it or not. Sile's love interest also becomes his wife while Stride's was left hanging in the end. Was there retribution at the end Definitely, and that is the biggest similarity of both the film and the story. It is a matter of the good guys finishing on top while the bad guys die, perish, or made to pay debts. Where is That Voice Coming From and Bullitt The overpowering similarity in the film and in the story, is again in the character. Although the dilemmas, the means of killing and the moral compasses of the stories were also similar, one justification boils down to the characters' essential trait: Indifference. Both characters are indifferent to the fact that what they are doing is actually getting a human life. They have been indifferent, to a certain point, so as they do their job well, achieve their goal and actually affirm themselves, whatever the means they do it so, and without consideration of the people involve. Of course, both means were by shooting. The essential difference of the two, is that Bullitt actually contemplates his guilt at the end, but, does he repent We do not really know for sure. On the one-hand, the protagonist of Where is That Voice Coming From actually owns up to his killing and is actually happy about doing so. Their drives and motives for killing are also very different. In Where is that Voice Comi ng From, the actual motive could be deeply rooted through hatred and envy, it could even be a racial slur. But in Bullit, the motive to kill was actually to do his job, and to bring about justice to the other people criminals have killed in turn. Second-guessing oneself is an essential theme in both the stories as well. In Bullitt, it literally is second guessing-that is having the wrong person accused of

Political Economy of Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Political Economy of Communications - Essay Example Herein, it should be noted that the major distributors of 19th and 20th century Nickelodeon era were pioneers of motion pictures namely Thomas Edison, George Eastman and more. It was the moment in the history of film developmental era that distributors like Thomas Edison monopolized the market of motion pictures. This paper is a clear understanding of the readings that have been selected for undertaking political economic analysis. Investors in the US film industry were one of the major cultural shifts that were noted in the 19th century. With the advancement of technology, the field developed to the extent in 20th century when motion pictures were being broadcasted with the help of celluloid. This further provided recognition to the filmed entertainment. However, the pioneers were the ones who had control over the equities (Litman 15). In order to gain capital, more and more innovation was needed in this newly born economic sector. It is for this reason that Thomas Edison used all h is engaging resources in order to sell motion pictures. The fact remains that capital that was being received by filmed entertainment did not exceed much until the nickel arcades spurted up. In order to gather larger groups of consumers, an arena was needed where people could experience entrainment resulting in buying products from the distributors (Bettig and Hall 110). The invention of Kinestoscope and camera stands allowed the filmmakers to record films more than a minute duration. A penny was the minimal cost for viewing the motion films. It was much needed that the hold of the industry was divided among more people because the filmed entertainment was merely being provided to the upper classes only (Meehan 48). The domestic companies such as Bio-graph and Vita-graphs helped in taking the films to middle class as well. As discussed in Meehan’s study, these domestic companies joined hands with the international companies as well that were focusing distributing of films acr oss borders in order to gain the hold of international markets. By this time, it was evident that motion films were now out of pioneer control i.e. Thomas Edison and George Eastman. Films were no longer limited to the premises of penny arcades, parlors etc. as more and more people ushered to experience filmed entertainment within exhibitions (Meehan 52) At this point of the film development, exhibition criterion became a new way to earn money. This rather made film industry became a serious economic contributor for which increased entrepreneurs joined the field as filmmakers and distributors. According to Betting and Hall, the increase in filmmakers and points of exhibitions, there was an avid need of increasing the crowd for viewing the films (Litman). It was for this reason that the rate of per viewing was kept flat. One viewing cost remained one penny for a long time for which films were made from ten minutes to sixty minutes. The change in films was increased so that the Nickelo deon (penny theatres) could have stayed flocked. At this point, films were made a regular entertainment as an accepted culture (Bettig and Hall 62). This helps us understand that the economic model that was applied at the origination of the film was to keep the cost minimal by making sure that the production was limited as well. It is one of the reasons behind film duration to be no more than sixty minutes (Bettig

Public affair class media material plan Case Study

Public affair class media material plan - Case Study Example A committee member reckoned that, â€Å"the international students form a huge part and we are conscious of their different problems and they should therefore feel encouraged and safe while applying for courses in the United States†. â€Å"The main reason for this press release is to address the problem of online courses that are increasing radically† added another committee member. It is challenging for the department to control the number of colleges that are advertising for international courses online since we do not have control or access to the information that is released to people all over the world. In this regard we are therefore, looking for ways to control the number of these adverts over the internet and engage other government department to help in curbing the problem. The Department of International Students has received these complaints from citizens currently in the United States and in other parts of the world. We want to reiterate that although it is possible to control the problem within the country the same cannot be replicated in other parts of the world. This is because some of the messages the students receive are scams and they may originate from the home country. We are advising all students that although the terms and conditions for some and not all of these institutions may seem credible it is advisable if they could contact us so that we can get the information and relay to them whether it’s credible or not.We are looking to engage other student bodies and organizations in other countries to get their view on the methods that they use to eradicate the problem and see what we as a department can use to help the students. â€Å"However, as aforementioned, the student bears the highest responsibility since they make the independent choices on the best courses that are in line with their abilities and interests†, concluded the

Answering 8 questions on Marketing 301 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Answering 8 questions on Marketing 301 - Essay Example The basis for market segmentation is a factor that is consistent to a particular market segment. Consumer market segmentation is done on Geographic, Demographic, Psychographic, and Behavioural basis. On the other hand, Business market segmentation is done on Location, customer type and Buyer Behaviour. Q2/Ans. Production differentiation is simply an effort by firms to differentiate their products from competitors' products or their own product line. It is done to attract particular segment of market. It is a mean to highlight the differentiated aspect of your product to create its value in the eyes of customers. It is a source of competitive advantage to firms and thus helps them generate higher revenues. It works in close connection to market segmentation since with segmentation, firms identify the market segment, which they want to cater with their products, and then with product differentiation, they attract that particular market segment to the offer they have developed for them. Q3/Ans. Consumer goods are goods that are utilized directly by consumers to satisfy their needs while business goods are those goods, which are used by manufacturing, or service-providing firms to use in their value chain to produce final goods or services to the consumers. One of the many examples of consumer goods can be potato chips that are consumed directly by consumers. ... Q4/Ans. New product process is the process of offering a new product to the market. The whole starts of with Idea generation. A new product idea can be obtained from consumers, competitors, sales people, company's R&D and many other sources. Then comes the idea screening process in which unsound concepts are screened out to cater only the ideas that are feasible. Three questions are answered during the process. Will the consumer benefit from the idea Will it be profitable Will be feasible technically to work on that idea Then the process of concept developing and testing comes where the whole product mix shapes up. Then business variables are decided. For example, what will be the selling price What will be the volume of production and what will be the breakeven point Then a prototype is made and is test marketed. The technical implementation is carried out on the idea with further commercialization to promote the resulting product or service among the target market. Q5/Ans. The retailing mix constitutes of 6 Ps as compared to 4 Ps of marketing mix and they are: Product, Price, Place, Promotion, personnel and presentation. Product means what benefit firm wants to give its consumers from the product or what will be the functionality of the product. Price tells at what price the product will be sold. Place tells what will be the mode and geography of distribution of product. Promotion tells what will be the technique (advertising, public relation, sales promotion) used to promote the product. Personnel plays the key role in promotion and the presentation describes what will be the aesthetics of promotion to attract customers. Q6/Ans. A Retail life cycle

Art Review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Art Review - Assignment Example The painting has drawn much debate down the centuries because of the facial expression displayed on the painting. The Mona Lisa now is on display in Paris at the Louvre. In my opinion, the Mona Lisa is the greatest work of art of all time because of the skillfulness and difficulty of the piece. Da Vinci was an artist who often spent many years on one painting, so it is no surprise that he took so long with this one. The best works of art of those that force the viewer to think about what the painting represents; in this case, Da Vinci paints the facial expression that could be interpreted in one of two ways. In my opinion, the smile of the woman in the painting is not a real smile but a forced one; she may even be hiding something beneath that smile. Rembrandt, full name Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, is considered to be the most famous painter and artist in Dutch history. Many of Rembrandt’s pieces of art contributed to what some experts refer to as the â€Å"Dutch Golden Age.† Early on in his life, Rembrandt was a successful portrait painter but his career did not flourish as much as his early promise showed. Later in life, Rembrandt taught many young Dutch painters how to cultivate works of art. The Night Watch is recognized as one of Rembrandt’s most famous works of art. However, it has also provided much controversy and debate around the militiamen in the painting. This painting was crafted right in the middle of the Dutch Revolt against the Spanish. What may be considered unusual about this painting is that a captain of a Dutch militia group commissioned the painting and paid Rembrandt a large amount of money to do so. However, during this volatile time, it was not uncommon for militia groups to pay for their portraits to be painted. While there are many people in the painting, the light focuses only on two main figures at the front and a

New Doha International Airport Design and Construction Research Paper

New Doha International Airport Design and Construction - Research Paper Example Area 3 includes airport terminal facilities, while Area 4 includes landscaping and support buildings for the airport. The New Doha International Airport is designed to cover more than 22 square kilometers of land, which amounts to about one quarter the size of the old city of Doha, and about 3 times the size of the existing airport in Doha. The airport is designed to cater to as many as 50 million people, 2 million tones of luggage, and also handle as many as 320,000 aircraft takeoffs and landings per year. â€Å"By opening day, as many as 8,700 passengers can go through the terminal complex in a single hour. The airport’s eastern runway will be 4,850 meters long, only150 meters shorter than the longest commercial runway in the world at Ulyanovsk-Vostochny International Airport in Russia. By opening day, the 350,000+ square meter passenger terminal facility will be the largest building in Doha, covering an area equivalent to 50 full size football pitches. As such, it will be bigger than Doha’s City Center Plaza which has an internal area of 290,000 m2. Flights and passenger processin g facilities will be organized in a way to minimize walking distances for various travelers. Moving walkways will also help to shorten the distances to the contact gates. The new airport check-in and retail areas alone will be big enough to squeeze in ten wide body aircraft. When completed, this area will be about 12 times bigger than the retail and check-in areas at the existing facility, making the journey through check-in much quicker, and the shopping experience more varied.† (Airport Technology - New Doha International Airport, Qatar). The New Doha International Airport is designed to be one of the most advanced airports in the world, and will serve as home to Qatar Airways, which is a leading airline worldwide. The airport is designed to be able to handle operations of some of the biggest passenger planes in the

Nature Strongly Influences Early Human Development. Discuss Essay Example for Free

Nature Strongly Influences Early Human Development. Discuss Essay Both nature and nurture play an important role in early human development. However, people have always wondered that our gene which we inherited from our parents or environmental factors influenced the most. This has been a mysterious around the globe for centuries. This essay will analyze that nurture is the most important. Nature which is the heredity from our parents plays a huge role in the development. Our personal characteristics were determined by the genetic structure of the fertilized ovum. The decision of our sex, hair color, eyes color comes from the gene which we inherited from our parents. Another example for the affections of gene on the development of human is that, a twin who was separated for almost 35years with different life history still share the same interest and personality when they meet each other. Moreover, because of the genetically programmed maturation , children’s behavior after birth flows the same as the time schedule of their innate ability such as rolling over, sitting without support, standing while holding on to furniture, etc. Although we see that nature influenced human the most, what really influences the development is nurture. For instance, even if all children go through the same sequences of motor behaviors, different children will go through the same stage at different rates. What’s more, the extension of motor behaviors can be hastened by extra stimulation or practice that infants received. As we can see, a child who was given an extra practice of walking everyday began to walk earlier than children who didn’t practice. Also, the development of speech is accelerated if an infant is encouraged and stimulated to speak. According to the belief of John Locke, babies have blank minds after their births. Their minds only improved from what they’ve learned and experienced through their senses. They do not inherit from their parents. Similarly, according to John B. Waston and B. F. Skinner, the nature of human can be adaptable. It doesn’t really depend on the heredity of the child but it does depend on the training that the child has received. He also stated that he can turn any infants to any kind of specialists such as lawyer, doctor, artist, or even thief and beggar regarding to his training but not their race of ancestors, tendencies, talents or abilities. In conclusion, either nature or nurture influenced new born infants in their own ways. It seems they can back up with strong supports. However, nurture influences more than nature because it has a strong power to alter our natural form and can possibly turn us into somewhat different. In my opinion, I also believe that nurture has a strong impact on children’s development because from my personal experience, I have to study in order to get the knowledge and skills and my lifestyle just adapt to the environment around me.

Porter’s notes

Porter’s notes Porters notes that ‘firms, not individual nations, compete in international markets.How does this statement help to explain some of the major challenges facing MNEs .How do the determinants of national competitive advantage help explain how companies can maintain their economic competitiveness? Porters note that firms and not individual nations compete in the international market is a statement that is very valid and cannot be overemphasized. The involvement of nations in the international market is just to weigh and to justify their existence in terms of the total output in term of production from the nation. A nation with a high production rate will be rated high in terms of its GDP which is the market value of the total amount of goods and services made within the borders of that particular country in a calendar year. This makes nations to encourage firms to establish in their countries while they provide conducive environment for such firms to operate. These firms are always beneficiary to the people of the nation by providing employments, goods and services, income to the government, and most importantly increase the GDP of the nation. The standard of living of people in the nation increases by a reasonable income per capita. However, firms not individual nation competes in international market (Porters; competitive advantage) and faces various challenges to have a competitive advantage over other firms in the same industry. Competitiveness is often confused with productivity. Productivity refers to the internal capability of an organization, while competitiveness refers to the relative position of an organization against its competitors. These two important concepts are often confused and interchangeably used. For example, in his famous book, The Competitive Advantage of Nations. Porter (1990, p. 6) says that the only meaningful concept of competitiveness at the national level is national productivity. Competitiveness may also have a distinctly different meaning at different levels of analysis — product, firm, industry, and nation. Porter (1990, p. 33) says that the basic unit of analysis for understanding competition is the â€Å"industry,† while the title of his book refers to â€Å"nations.† He also says that firms, not nations, compete in international markets. (http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/eb046319 ) To grow to the level of becoming a MNE, the company must have achieved to an extent in its home country before extending the production/services to the other country. In modern international competition, firms need not to be confined to their home nation; they can compete with global strategies in which activities are located in many countries (Michael .E. Porter, The Competitive Advantage of Nations). In achieving this, lot of things have to be put in place and various principles regarding to location of an industry have to be considered. There are various challenges been faced by multinational companies but first and foremost, I will like to explain what a multinational company is, and what it entails for a company to be a multinational. Moreover, I will like to look into reasons why companies go multinational and considering the major challenges they will have to overcome, using typical examples. Mullti-national Corporation (MNC) or transnational corporation (TNC), also called multinational enterprise (MNE), is a corporation or enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. Multinational corporations (MNCs) are corporations that own or control production or service facilities outside the country in which they are based.(United Nations, 1973, P. 23) The rise of Globalisation has forced and enabled more companies to venture abroad in order to thrive for more profitability: bigger market, cheaper raw materials, and lower labour costs. However, MNCs have also noticed that the more countries they enter, the more ethical issues appear. At best, even when MNCs are dealing with one only one culture, they are already facing ethical difficulties; as they encounter two or more different cultures, it would become extremely problematical. http://www.cheathouse.com/essay/essay_view.php?p_essay_id=50620#ixzz0fA3KI9ss Some of the major challenges firms faces includes; economic weakness, price competition, terrorism, higher expense, environmental concern, change of government/regulation problems, health problems/hazard, government policies etc. . By following the globalization campaign, multinational companies supply chains can be enriched, high costs work force can be transformed and potential markets can be expanded. Consequentially, competitive advantages of companies can be strengthened in a global market. Otherwise, some problems are met in the changed environments in foreign countries at the same time. The changed environments can be divided into four main aspects, namely, cultural environment, legal environment, economic environment and political system problems. All the changed environments make problems to multinational companies. In particular, problems which are caused by changed culture environment are the most serious aspect of running a multinational business. . (http://www.oppapers.c om/essays/Discuss-Management-Problems-Facing-Multinational-Companies/120224) Firms in various industries faces different challenges whether domestic or internatonal, this could be explained with the five competitive force where all the challenges are embodied. The five competitive forces according to Porters are: The threat of new entrants The threat of substitute products or services The bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of buyers The rivalry between the existing competitors. These five competitive forces determine the level of competitiveness and the structure of various industries. Porters five forces is a framework for the industry analysis and business strategy development developed by Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School in 1979. It uses concepts developing, Industrial Organization (IO) economics to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. Attractiveness in this context refers to the overall industry profitability. An unattractive industry is one where the combination of forces acts to drive down overall profitability. A very unattractive industry would be one approaching pure competition. Three of Porters five forces refer to competition from external sources while the remaining two are internal threats. For proper and qualitative understanding, it is useful to use Porters five forces in conjunction with SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). Five Forces Analysis assumes that there are five important forces that determine competitive power in a situation. These are: Supplier Power: Here you assess how easy it is for suppliers to drive up prices. This is driven by the number of suppliers of each key input, the uniqueness of their product or service, their strength and control over you, the cost of switching from one to another, and so on. The fewer the supplier choices you have, and the more you need suppliers help, the more powerful your suppliers are. Buyer Power: Here you ask yourself how easy it is for buyers to drive prices down. Again, this is driven by the number of buyers, the importance of each individual buyer to your business, the cost to them of switching from your products and services to those of someone else, and so on. If you deal with few, powerful buyers, they are often able to dictate terms to you. Competitive Rivalry: What is important here is the number and capability of your competitors if you have many competitors, and they offer equally attractive products and services, then youll most likely have little power in the situation. If suppliers and buyers dont get a good deal from you, theyll go elsewhere. On the other hand, if no-one else can do what you do, then you can often have tremendous strength. Threat of Substitution: This is affected by the ability of your customers to find a different way of doing what you do for example, if you supply a unique software product that automates an important process, people may substitute by doing the process manually or by outsourcing it. If substitution is easy and substitution is viable, then this weakens your power. Threat of New Entry: Power is also affected by the ability of people to enter your market. If it costs little in time or money to enter your market and compete effectively, if there are few economies of scale in place, or if you have little protection for your key technologies, then new competitors can quickly enter your market and weaken your position. If you have strong and durable barriers to entry, then you can preserve a favourable position and take fair advantage of it. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_08.htm Nations role too could not be undermined in any international business. Using thePEST analysis (Political.Economical, Social and Technological), one will see that firms/industries can only flourish in areas where there is a stabilised political, economic, social, and technological activity. Considering the case of dell in Brazil, dell was at a point of dilemma just because of political issues (change of government). For multinational companies, political riskrefers to the risks been faced when a host country l make political decisions thatwill prove to have adverse effects on the multinationals profits and/or goals. Adverse political actions can range from very detrimental,such as widespread destruction due to revolution, to those of a more financial nature, such as the creation of laws that prevent the movement of capital. For example,after Fidel Castros government took control of Cubain 1959,hundreds of millions of dollars worth of American-ownedassets and companies wereexpropriate d.Unfortunately, most, if not all, of theseAmerican companies had no recoursefor getting any of that money back. (http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/06/politicalrisk.asp) NATIONAL COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE NEW TECHNOLOGY-new possibility of producing/design of new product NEW OR SHIFTING BUYER NEEDS-change in priority THE EMMERGENCE OF NEW INDUSTRY SEGMENT CHANGES IN GOVT REGULATIONS SHIFTING INPUT COSTS OR AVAILABILITY http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do;jsessionid=B68DD8C0CD4FB01EF762C29BE22E6C93?contentType=ArticlehdAction=lnkpdfcontentId=1668938 How do the determinants of national competitive advantage help explain how companies can maintain their economic competitiveness? Porters Diamond Determining Factors of National Advantage Increasingly, corporate strategies have to be seen in a global context. Even if an organization does not plan to import or to export directly, management has to look at an international business environment, in which actions of competitors, buyers, sellers, new entrants of providers of substitutes may influence the domestic market. Information technology is reinforcing this trend. Michael Porter introduced a model that allows analyzing why some nations are more competitive than others are, and why some industries within nations are more competitive than others are, in his book The Competitive Advantage of Nations. This model of determining factors of national advantage has become known as Porters Diamond. It suggests that the national home base of an organization plays an important role in shaping the extent to which it is likely to achieve advantage on a global scale. This home base provides basic factors, which support or hinder organizations from building advantages in global competition. Porter distinguishes four determinants: (http://www.themanager.org/models/diamond.htm) Factor Conditions The situation in a country regarding production factors, like skilled labor, infrastructure, etc., which are relevant for competition in particular industries. These factors can be grouped into human resources (qualification level, cost of labor, commitment etc.), material resources (natural resources, vegetation, space etc.), knowledge resources, capital resources, and infrastructure. They also include factors like quality of research on universities, deregulation of labor markets, or liquidity of national stock markets. These national factors often provide initial advantages, which are subsequently built upon. Each country has its own particular set of factor conditions; hence, in each country will develop those industries for which the particular set of factor conditions is optimal. This explains the existence of so-called low-cost-countries (low costs of labor), agricultural countries (large countries with fertile soil), or the start-up culture in the United States (well developed venture capital market). Porter points out that these factors are not necessarily nature-made or inherited. They may develop and change. Political initiatives, technological progress or socio-cultural changes, for instance, may shape national factor conditions. A good example is the discussion on the ethics of genetic engineering and cloning that will influence knowledge capital in this field in North America and Europe. Home Demand Conditions Describes the state of home demand for products and services produced in a country.Home demand conditions influence the shaping of particular factor conditions. They have impact on the pace and direction of innovation and product development. According to Porter, home demand is determined by three major characteristics: their mixture (the mix of customers needs and wants), their scope and growth rate, and the mechanisms that transmit domestic preferences to foreign markets. Porter states that a country can achieve national advantages in an industry or market segment, if home demand provides clearer and earlier signals of demand trends to domestic suppliers than to foreign competitors. Normally, home markets have a much higher influence on an organizations ability to recognize customers needs than foreign markets do. Related and Supporting Industries The existence or non-existence of internationally competitive supplying industries and supporting industries. One internationally successful industry may lead to advantages in other related or supporting industries. Competitive supplying industries will reinforce innovation and internationalization in industries at later stages in the value system. Besides suppliers, related industries are of importance. These are industries that can use and coordinate particular activities in the value chain together, or that are concerned with complementary products (e.g. hardware and software). A typical example is the shoe and leather industry in Italy. Italy is not only successful with shoes and leather, but with related products and services such as leather working machinery, design, etc. Firm Strategy, Structure, and Rivalry The conditions in a country that determine how companies are established, are organized and are managed, and that determine the characteristics of domestic competition Here, cultural aspects play an important role. In different nations, factors like management structures, working morale, or interactions between companies are shaped differently. This will provide advantages and disadvantages for particular industries. Typical corporate objectives in relation to patterns of commitment among workforce are of special importance. They are heavily influenced by structures of ownership and control. Family-business based industries that are dominated by owner-managers will behave differently than publicly quoted companies. Porter argues that domestic rivalry and the search for competitive advantage within a nation can help provide organizations with bases for achieving such advantage on a more global scale. Porters Diamond has been used in various ways. Organizations may use the model to identify the extent to which they can build on home-based advantages to create competitive advantage in relation to others on a global front. On national level, governments can (and should) consider the policies that they should follow to establish national advantages, which enable industries in their country to develop a strong competitive position globally. According to Porter, governments can foster such advantages by ensuring high expectations of product performance, safety or environmental standards, or encouraging vertical co-operation between suppliers and buyers on a domestic level etc.

Resistance To Change A Critical Analysis Management Essay

Resistance To Change A Critical Analysis Management Essay Now a days organizations are required to make changes for their survive. It is very important to response quickly to the modern technological advancement and competition to internal and external levels (Edmonds, 2011). So change is a everyday experience in private and governmental organization for its development. The purpose of this study is to analyse the issue of managing organizational change by various approaches. The paper will argue concisely on the factors of resistance to change and how the resistance is handled for successful implementation of a change plan through reviewing relevant literature on the topic. It will further examine the scope of effective management of organisational change process. In this paper, the analysis into effective management of resistance to organisational change is achieved through three main sections. Firstly, change is defined in the light of organisational development. Secondly, factors influencing change and resistance to change are discussed analytically in two consecutive sections. Finally, it discusses management of resistance to change elaborately before concluding the motion. What is change Change is defined as any alteration of the status quo (Bartol and Martin, 1994;199). Organizational change may be defined as new ways of organizing and workingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. (Dawson, 2003: 11 ). Breu and Benwell (1999), Ragsdell (2000) as well as Bamford and Forrester (2003), define organisational change as the process of moving an organisation from some present status to new status whether it is planned or unplanned. Organizational change is a form of difference from its long term old position to introduce a new idea and action for better performance and adjustment of new environment (Schalk et al.,1998). From different perspectives , we can observe different types of changes but in generally organisational changes can be classifieds into two types- incremental and radical (Ragsdell, 2000; McAdam, 2003; Milling Zimmermann, 2010). Literature argues that the incremental change is a small scale change on its present structure and functions which is continuous, on the other hand radical change involves a large-scale basic change (McAdam, 2003; Cunha, et al, 2003; Romanelli Tushman, 1994). Furthermore, Beugelsdijk et al (2002) argue that, organisational change process initially begins with radical change and follow the incremental change that creates a prospect or a threat. In contrast, Del Val and Fuentes (2003) state that change is a general procedure of response to organisational settings because real changes are not only incremental or transformational but also a mixture of both. However Bamford and Forrester (2003) have further classified organisational change as planned and emergents.The planned approach organisational change highlights the different status which an organisation will have to shift from an unacceptable position to recognized desired position (Eldrod II and Tippett, 2002). The emergent approach change suggests that it is an unpredictable and undesirable continuous process of adjustment to changing circumstances (Burnes, 1996, 2004; Dawson, 1994). But uncertainty of circumstances create emergent approach more significant than the planned approach (Bamford and Forrester, 2003). So, it is import to any organisation to identify the requirements for its prospects, and how to deal with the required changes and it is the unseparable strategy of an organization (Burnes, 2004; Rieley and Clarkson, 2001).Managerial proficiency is very much needed for successful change (Senior, 2002). Although for the existence and effective competition successful management of change is highly required (Luecke, 2003; Okumus and Hemmington, 1998). Factors Influencing Change: Hughes (2006) argues that, different factors can influence organisational changes, from the effect of internal control, to external rolls in consumer behaviour, or changing the business settings. The most common reasons are: Legislation, incorporation or attainment, competitive market, world economy, Structural change, technological advancement and Strategic re-organisation. Moreover, Haikonen et al (2004) argue that different important internal and external factors which influence change as policy, structure, control system, organisational culture, and power distribution. Moreover, Saka (2003) state that the external factors as national or international rules and regulations influence the organization to accept new strategies to survive in changed situation. Furthermore, many other factors related to market competition, economic growth, and living standard also oblige organisation to commence change programmes for update and manage the external forces (Beugelsdijk, et al, 2002; Breu Benwell, 1999; Carr Hancock, 2006). Consequently, the technological advancement create internal and external demands to generate the capabilities of organizations and assess their strategies regularly (Harris Wegg-Prosser, 2007; Ragsdell, 2000; Shaft, et al, 2008). Finally, Eisenbach et al (1999) also recognized different factors that compel change such as innovation, new technology, workforce, productivity and working quality. Similarly, McAdam (2003) and Mukherji and Mukherji (1998) emphasize that availability of skilled employees, changing customer behavior, free flow of information and cultural change make very impact on organization for modification on their activities and compel it to readjust or large scale change for transforming from deadlock to effectiveness. Finally, internal change factors like leadership, organizational culture, employee relationship, workload, reward system, internal politics, and communication system compel the organization to take up change strategy (Bhatnagar, et al, 2010; Potter, 2001; Van Marrewijk, et al, 2010; Young, 1999).On the whole, Breu and Benwell (1999) as well as Rees and Hassard (2010) emphasized the development of capabilities of managers to evaluate the situation exactly from different factors to effective management of resistance to change program. Resistance to Change Resistance is a phenomenon which affect the change process by slowing down its starting, obstructing its accomplishment and rising its costs(Ansoff, 1990; Del Val Fuentes, 2003; Young, 1999). In contrast, resistance is a manner that tries to maintain the status quo, so it is comparable to inertia which tries to avoid change (Maurer, 1996; Rumelt, 1995). Similarly, Jansen (1996), Potter (2001) as well as Romanelli and Tushman (1994) argue that organisational change permeates resistance from the persons as their calm sector are influenced by creating stress, insecurity and uncertainty. Moreover, Ford et al (2002) as well as Reissner (2010) support that resistance comes about since a change program threatens existing status, or causes fear of supposed consequences like trouble in personal security and apprehension about new capability and skills to perform in the changed surroundings.On the other hand, resistance by workforce may be seen as a general part of any change process and in t his manner a valuable source of knowledge and useful in learning how to manage successful change process (Antonacopoulou Gabriel, 2001; Bhatnagar, et al, 2010; Bovey Hede, 2001). Furthermore, Antonacopoulou and Gabriel (2001) and Lamb and Cox (1999) argue that unusual community will resist any change program for various reasons including misunderstanding, inconvenience, negative rumor, economic proposition, low tolerance for change and fear of the unknown. However, the observation of annoyance in long standing custom associated with change initiatives finally contribute in the appearance of resistance, mainly from middle managers who resist for the reason that of the fear of threat to their current position and supremacy (Marjanovic, 2000; Ragsdell, 2000; Saka, 2000). Moreover, in manipulative business environment, where major focus is on productivity and centralisation, occurrences higher rate of resistance than manipulative business units having a more open culture, giving freedom to explore new capacities and technologies (Mirow, et al, 2008; Valle, 2002).Accordingly, Lamb and Cox (1999) and Trader-Leigh (2002) indicate that dispute of resistance in public sector is much higher than that of private sector.However, Bovey and Hede (2001) as well as Del Val and Fuentes (2003) discover that when change principles and organizational principles are usually different then the workers show resistance to change while individual anxiety, ineffective management, failure precedent, little inspiration, insufficient tactical vision and pessimism are several sources of resistant. So, if the ground of change is not well planned and competently managed then the employees may prevent the change initiatives and they will apply protection policy to resist because of apprehension that they will be oppressed by others (Bovey Hede, 2001; Perren Megginson, 1996). Nevertheless, Jones et al (2008) argue that employees do not generally resist the change, but rather theoretical undesirable results of change or the process of execution the change.For that reason, all managers are necessary to give appropriate concentration on human and socio-cultural issues to obtain a distinct policy for successful implementation of change.(Diefenbach, 2007; Lamb Cox, 1999). How to manage Resistance Resistance to change is an important matter in change management and participatory approach is the best way to manage resistance for successful change(Pardo-del-Val et al., 2o12). Potter (2001) and Ragsdell (2000) support that resistance to organisational change have to be observed as a prospect and preparing people for change as well as permitting them to vigorously participate in the change process. Furthermore, Conner (1998) affirms that the negative effects of resistance occurred from major changes can be minimize by open discution. Moreover Judson (1991) asserts that effective change can be committed and resistance can be reduce by commitment and participation of employees. In addition, contemporary managers required to examine and categorize all the stakeholders as change worker, impartial, conservatives or resistor as per their function in resistance to change so as to apply obligatory approach upon the definite form of people so that they feel like accommodating the change pr ogram willingly (Chrusciel Field, 2006; Lamb Cox, 1999). Moreover, it is essential to engage people in all stages of the procedure for successful completion of change where effective communication of change objectives can play one of the most important roles (Becker, 2010; Beugelsdijk, et al, 2002; Frahm Brown, 2007; Lamb Cox, 1999). Accordingly, Potter (2001) as well as Van Hoek et al (2010) suggests that for managing resistance to change successfully, organisations must build up the capability to predict changes and working approaches to the changes and thereby engage the employees to face the challenges sincerely with complete preparation. Similarly, Caldwell (2003) and Macadam (1996) propose that smooth running of organization managers should be open for involvement of employees at every steps of decision making process and productivity. Moreover, usually resistance happens as a result of misinterpretation among peoples and hence, in each change program it is essential that everyone concerned realizes the reason following the change from upper level to the lower level where training and cooperation may speed up the procedure (Beugelsdijk, et al, 2002; Bovey Hede, 2001; Johnson, 2004; Taylor, 1999). In addition, at the moment of crisis and ambiguity people require results, accomplishments and successful communication which will assist reduce anxiety and eventually produce enthusiasm for change amongst the employees (Hill Collins, 2000a; Potter, 2001). Consequently, the new public management emphasizes new type of policies which presume a flexible, open and more creative structure and therefore proactively illustrative targets, setting superior examples and creating exciting position might be regarded as a number of core leadership capabilities essential for routing change (Beugelsdijk, et al, 2002; Chrusciel Field, 2006; Harris Wegg-Prosser, 2007). Moreover, Aladwani (2001) rationalizes that opening human abilities of the workers by permitting them to use their intelligence being innovative at work takes place to be important where the function of managers have to be renamed from manager to trainer as to donate continuously on self-confidence building all over the business. Furthermore, alongside the background of rapidly growing technological improvement and deregulation since the early 1990s, ritual approach can no longer arrange the modern perception of shocking ambiguity and insistent change relatively dispersed organisations are probable to authorize the employees (Caldwell (2003; Harris Wegg-Prosser, 2007). In addition, Andrews et al (2008) and Caldwell (2003) have the same opinion with Frahm and Brown (2007) that not like the conventional top-down bureaucratic systems; the present managers must receive bottom-up participatory strategy by discussing with stakeholders. Caldwell (2003) more recommends that change managers should uphold possession of the change approach along with the stakeholders by connecting them in the process, who distinguish the authenticity of the business and it is usually they who grasp answer key to the problems. Lastly, as contextualization is the main element of any societal and organisational change, in the twenty-first century circumstance, the status quo is not a suitable preference and organisations must get slant and vigorous for the modern world of digital convergence (Carr Hancock, 2006; Harris Wegg-Prosser, 2007; Milling Zimmermann, 2010). Moreover, Bamford and Forrester (2003), Diefenbach (2007) and Eisenbach et al (1999) consent that in the growing approach to managing change, elder managers transform themselves from administrator to facilitator and the major accountability of execution vest on the middle managers. Also, Diefenbach (2007) more highlights that middle managers should cooperate with peers, divisions, consumers, dealers and also with the senior managements as if they are the key player of organisational change programs. Furthermore, Bamford and Forrester (2003) as well as Diefenbach (2007) consider Lewinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s (1958) three step model of freezing, unfreezing and refreezing, have supported that prior to effective implementation of any new manners, the old one has to be untrained.

Child development research :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The article entitled An Analysis of Schema Theory and Learning Theory as Explanations for Variance in Adolescent Adjustment to Divorce is a research done with adolescents to see how well a child and his or her parents adjust to divorce. The researchers are trying to find a way to help children deal with divorce. The researchers are trying to see if there is a connection between a child?s age and their sex that affects the way they adjust to divorce. After trying to see if these two factors are connected, researchers then also study to see if a child?s relationships with his or her parents also have a role in the child?s adjustment. This research was done to help understand if schema theory had something to do with the children?s adjustment when it came to divorce. With all the possibilities, the researchers wanted to narrow it down using the schema theory. The schema theory is said to be a way of thinking, and not wanting to change what you know.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another article entitled Assessments of Trust in Intimate Relationships and the Self Perception Process is about trust and how every health human relationship should have it. This article tells about how trust is what gets two people to work together, side by side, and help make their bond stronger.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Holmes and Rempel looked at the different issues people had with trusting their partner. The participants had to go through a couple of different tests to see how trust issues interfered with the relationships they shared. This research goes over how an individual gains trust and how certain factors can affect it. An individual?s personal experiences could even affect a relationship they share. They may have gotten traumatized before. This also shows how one person in a relationship trusts their partner, and then how another set of participants in another relationship have problems. Article 1: Abstract An Analysis of Schema Theory and Learning Theory as Explanations for Variance in Adolescent Adjustment to Divorce Learning theory and schema theory were used as different reasons for how adolescents deal with divorce. Different types of questionnaires were given to children by the students at Stellenbosch University. The adolescents who participated in the study took Antonovsky?s Life Orientation Questionnaire, Hudson?s CAM and CAF questionnaires, a bunch of questions that measured how the adolescents felt about divorce, and questions about the adolescent?s life. The schema theory was not found as the main reason, the results stated very little proof of the way an adolescent acted as being the means by which the adolescent dealt with his or her relationship with its parents, or the how the child adjusted to the divorce.

once upon a midnight dreary :: essays research papers

â€Å"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary†, is one of the most famous poetry lines in America. Edgar Allan Poe had a life most people would think of as crazy. He wrote a famous poem called â€Å"The Raven† that is very strange like most of the poems he wrote.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Edgar Allan Poe had a devastating childhood and a dark life as an adult. He was born January 19,1809, under the name of Edgar Poe. His father soon abandoned Poe and his fate is unknown. When Poe was two years old his mother died. John Allan who was part of the Ellis and Allan Tobacco Merchants then adopted him. Poe attended many schools because he could never manage to stay in one school very long. In 1826, he went to the University of Virginia for not even one year and was kicked out because he never paid his gambling debts. Poe started living a dark life after he was kicked out because he had to live on the streets. He married his 13-year-old cousin Virginia Clemm in 1836. He was happy until 1847 when Virginia Clemm died. He was so unhappy that a year later he attempted suicide. The circumstances of Poe’s death remain a mystery. But after a visit to Norfolk and Richmond for lectures, he was found in Baltimore in a pitiable condition and taken unconscious to a hospital where he died on Sunday, October 7, 1849. He was buried in the yard of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, Maryland.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Raven† is a very great poem that has many literary devices and has great meaning. Edgar Allan Poe wrote many poems but â€Å"The Raven† is probably his most famous poem. â€Å"The Raven† was chosen because in 4th grade my teacher read it to the class and since then it has had a lot of meaning. This poem is about a †rapping at my chamber door† and then he realizes a raven causes the rapping on his chamber door. The raven is always saying â€Å"Nevermore† and then he goes so crazy he kills himself. He dies because the speaker says â€Å"And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor/ Shall be lifted- nevermore!† â€Å"The Raven† contains many literary devices such as symbolism, metaphors, sensory images, and personification. The raven symbolizes the character conscious. A metaphor in â€Å"The Raven† is the raven being a â€Å"a thing of evil† which is represented through out the poem.

Clarkson Lumber Company Pro Forma Statement Essay

Assumptions. We build pro-forma statement mostly based on the assumptions given in the case. Other assumptions are following. At first, we assume that the tax rate is an average of tax rates for the past three years which is 20. 1%. We use this tax rate to calculate the provision for income taxes for following years. Next assumption is that we take Mr. Dadge’s approximation for the initial rate as the interest rate, 11%. Since Mr. Clarkson finished payment to Mr. Holtz in 1995, we assume that only the bank loan to Suburban National Bank and Northrup National Bank are the interest-bearing liabilities for 1996 through 1999. For account payable period, we calculated two numbers, 53. 62 days for 1995 and 54. 86 for the first quarter of 1996. We used the payable period for 1995 to calculate the accounts payables for the forecasted years because, as mentioned in the case, Mr. Clarkson’s business has some seasonality so hat the payable period for the only first quarter of 1996 would not fully reflect for a whole year. We decided not to include 2% discounts for early payment to the suppliers on our income statement because of the payable period. We also assume that Mr. Clarkson issued no new equities and paid no dividends during the forecasted years. Only source of the change in the net worth is the net income for the same period. New credit line. The new credit line of $750,000 would be sufficient only for 1996 and 1997. The bank loan would exceed the credit line to 858,000 and 1,109,000 for 1998 and 1999, according to our pro forma statement. Without the approval of the bank, Mr. Clarkson would not be able to expand his business at the current growth rate after 1998. With the assumption of sales growth rate of 25%, the external financing required has become double from $493,000 in 1996 to $1,109,000 in 1999. Since the new credit line is fixed at $750,000, Mr. Clarkson would have to find other ways of financing the operation such as issuing new equity.

Socrates vs Thrasymachus

Any argument relies upon some fundamental agreement about the issue being discussed. However great the divide in opinion may be, there must exist at least some similarity in the participants’ manner of viewing the issue if a solution is ever to be reached. Book One of Plato’s Republic features a disagreement between Socrates and Thrasymachus about the nature of justice. The disaccord between their views of the subject is extremely pronounced, but there are certain underlying agreements which guide the course of the debate.One way to evaluate the validity of the arguments involved is to examine whether the assumptions at the root of the argument are in accord with this common ground. By my reading of the dialogue, Socrates’ reply to the first part of Thrasymachus’ definition of justice rests safely upon this common ground, whereas his answer to Thrasymachus’ second definition moves away from this mutually acceptable base, and is injured as a result. In exploring this topic, I intend to examine briefly Thrasymachus’ two-part definition of justice.For each of these parts I will evaluate one Socratic response and discuss it from the perspective of the â€Å"craftsman analogy† – an analogy which is initially used by common consent, but which Socrates adapts until its original usage almost disappears. Thrasymachus’ first definition of justice is easy to state, but it is not so immediately clear how it is to be interpreted. Justice, he claims, is the advantage of the stronger. On its own, such a sentence could imply that what is beneficial to the stronger is just for and therefore, beneficial to the weaker, and Socrates accordingly asks whether this understanding is accurate.Thrasymachus promptly responds in the negative. The interpretation he proceeds to expound upon can be summed up by adapting slightly his original definition: justice is that which obtains the advantage of the stronger. To support this definition, he points to the example of ruling a city. Any ruling class will fashion the laws of the commonwealth with a view to its own benefit, he asserts. Since it is just to obey the law, those who behave justly will be acting for the advantage of the rulers (whom Thrasymachus interchangeably terms â€Å"the stronger†).Socrates makes his first objection at this moment, but I will treat this here only incidentally: merely insofar as it allows us to see why Thrasymachus introduces the craftsman analogy. Socrates objects that rulers are, as humans, bound to make mistakes – to confuse their disadvantage with their advantage on occasion. In this case just obedience to laws would work to the ruler’s disadvantage. Thrasymachus responds promptly, saying that a man who makes a mistake in ruling is not at that moment a ruler in the strict sense, and introduces the craftsman analogy to support this idea.Insofar as a man is a craftsman, he will not make any mistakes; mi stakes are rooted in ignorance, and so can only occur when a man’s knowledge of his craft is incomplete. The quandary which Socrates introduces is thus avoided by Thrasymachus’ qualification that errors are never made by rulers as rulers. Though the analogy works at first to Thrasymachus’ advantage, Socrates promptly turns it against him in a new objection. All arts, he asserts, are exercised with a view to the benefit of the subject rather than to the benefit of the artisan.The doctor employs his medical art for the betterment of the patient, the pilot navigates for the safety of the ship and the sailors, and so forth. Like Thrasymachus, he identifies ruling as an art, and claims that ruling also is exercised with a view to the subjects’ benefit. Throughout the argument, Thrasymachus passively assents to Socrates’ individual points. But as we shall see later, he rejects the conclusion drawn from these. From an objective viewpoint, one immediately questionable aspect of this argument is Socrates’ idea that ruling is an art in the same sense that medicine and navigation are arts.Despite its potential weakness however, Socrates’ use of the analogy is the one part of the argument which Thrasymachus cannot question without bringing Socrates’ first objection once again into dispute. Thus this definition of ruling forms some part of the common ground I have previously mentioned. Although an objection such as this may affect the objective validity of the argument, it is important to keep in mind the fact that Socrates is not attempting to create an incontestable definition of justice at this point.He is merely answering an invalid argument by demonstrating its weaknesses in terms which correspond to Thrasymachus’ perspective. Agitated by Socrates’ line of reasoning, Thrasymachus proceeds to blurt out a revised version of his original statement. Thrasymachus claims that injustice is freer and strong er than justice and that it results in a happier life. As in the former definition, he does not consider so much what justice is as what it does; he rates the subject in regards to its advantageousness or lack thereof. Essentially, this definition is an extreme extension of the previous one.Also, the example he uses for support – that of a tyrant made powerful and thus happy through injustice – hearkens back to his initial definition as ruling being the advantage of the stronger. It is clear that Thrasymachus has not been convinced by Socrates’ last argument, despite his apparent agreement with Socrates’ points. He is arguing in different terms, but in actual substance this new development is little more than a bare contradiction of Socrates’ previous argument. He still supposes that the unjust will have the advantage, and does no more than give new evidence to support this view.He essentially declares: â€Å"You say that the proper ruler will con sider the benefit of his subjects and thus act justly. I say that injustice leads to a happy life and that craftsmen do aim at their own advantage. † Whereas the weaknesses in Socrates’ previously discussed arguments are more or less excusable, there are several factors in his next argument which make it very controversial. In opening this argument, Socrates asks whether a just man will want to overreach and surpass other just men. The two debaters agree that a just man will deem it proper to surpass the unjust man, but that he will not want to surpass his fellow just man.The unjust man, on the other hand, will want to surpass and get the better of everyone. Now Socrates proceeds to use the craftsman analogy to illustrate his case. With this case Socrates attempts to prove that those who try to overreach their â€Å"like† are bad craftsmen. Returning to the specific example of the doctor, he observes that a medical man will not endeavor to outdo another physician , but will want to outdo the non-physician. One flaw seems to appear at this point in the argument. Socrates, it would seem, has left no place in this for simple ambition here.If the first half of this analogy is true, there is no room for an artist to advance and improve his craft in a just manner, because unless he is unjust, he will not have any ambition to surpass his fellow artists. However this can be answered by a glance back at Thrasymachus’ concept of the artisan â€Å"in the strict sense. † No one is an artisan insofar as he is in error, so the true artist will be unable to surpass another true artist: ideally, the artist, insofar as he is an artist, will already exercise his art faultlessly.Socrates completes this argument by saying that the one who tries to overreach the artist can not have true knowledge of the craft. In other words, true artists will be able to identify one another and to recognize the impossibility of surpassing each other. Since the one who wants to surpass everyone in a specific art must not be an artisan, he is ignorant of this art. Thus, Socrates claims, the unjust man is really ignorant and therefore weak and bad. There is a marked distinction between this use of the craftsman analogy and former uses. Previously the analogy was used in reference to the â€Å"craft† of ruling.This was legitimate in the context primarily because Thrasymachus agreed to this use. Now however, the subject of the analogy is not ruling, but justice. Thrasymachus never explicitly agrees to this switch, and thus when it is made, the analogy no longer rests safely upon the common ground. It is no longer an example accepted by both parties and so its sole justification would have to rest on an objective view of the argument. So we have another important question to examine. That is, can justice be rightly considered a craft? Even if it can in a vague sense, would it be properly analogous to other crafts like medicine or navigation ?There are reasons to support a negative answer to this query. For one thing, it could be argued that justice is more a manner of acting, rather than a craft in its own right. Whereas it is nonsensical to say that one can, for example, read a book medicinally, or in a navigating manner (except perhaps as a figure of speech), one can exercise a craft or perform any action either justly or unjustly. Justice is more easily considered a measure of how well an action is performed than the action itself. The most important thing to note here is that Socrates has moved away from the common ground which has previously supported the argument.Before, the question of whether Socrates’ examples are objectively valid was not so crucial from one viewpoint. As long as Socrates was trying to demonstrate the illogicalities within Thrasymachus’ position, there was much to gain from arguments based on Thrasymachus’ premises, whether the premises were true or not. For this last arg ument, however, Socrates does not base his argument on these guides, but preserves the form of the craftsman analogy while changing it substantially. Thus this particular argument suffers and is at least of questionable efficacy.

Classroom Assessment Essay

Introduction Assessment is the process of obtaining information about a student academic status in school. According to Gronlund and Waugh (2009), assessment is a continueous process, and an integral part of the classroom instruction process. â€Å"It helps in determining learning readiness, in monitoring and improving learning, and in grading or clarifying students achievement † (p. V). The purpose of assessment is to obtain information about a student academic status in order to make decisions on how to help students, teachers and school improve. Proper interpretation of the assessment result is key component in deciding the implication for both the student and teacher. Interpretation of the results For the purpose of this assignment, the assessment results are based on a formative reading assessment used to measure the extent to which students have mastered a specific learning outcome for vocabulary unit in a hypothetical remedial reading class of struggling readers. According to Gronlund & Waugh (2009), formative assessment is used to monitor student progress during instruction and is designed to measure mastery of the learning outcomes of a limited segment of instruction. The test is a criterion- referenced because Assessment Development and Use According to Gronlund and Waugh (2009), careful consideration must be given in planning and preparing the assessment. Specific questions concerning the goals of the curriculum, instructional objectives, learning outcomes, and procedures for the assessment were major focus in developing the assessment (Gronlund and Waugh, 2009). The institution provided guidelines of what the students should know and able to do. As a result, reviewing the specific instructional objective outcomes and constructing relevant test items were keys in developing the assessment. In constructing each test item, addition, focus was given to the selection type and matching items to specific learning outcomes. Gronlund and Waugh (2009) stated, â€Å" Use the item type that provide the most direct measures of student performance specified by the intended learning outcome† (p. 76) Assessment Interpretation and Grading Gronlund and Waugh (2009), described two types of assessment interpretations. Norm-referenced interpretation compares an individual performance with others. Criterion- referenced interpretation compares the individual with himself and tells what and how each individual performs without comparison to others (Gronlund and Waugh, 2009). The assessment is criterion-referenced, and is one of many assessments throughout the course. The result from the assessment will be used to indicate the extent of which each student master the specific knowledge and skill taught in the unit. Grades assigned to the students work will represent the extent to which the instructional objectives have been achieved (Gronlund and Waugh, 2009). Students will be assigned a letter grade (A, B, C, or D) according to their performance on the assessment. Gronlund and Waugh (2009) stated, â€Å"letter grades are typically assigned by comparing a student’s performance to a prespecified standard of performance† (p. 192). The results will not be used to compare student performance against others, but will aid in planning instruction for future lessons. I chose criterion-referenced assessment as a means of helping students achieve mastery of the instruction, and improve learning by determining what they know and what they don’t know. Grading Rubric References Angelo, T. A. , & Cross, K. P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: a handbook for college teachers (2nd ed. ). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Gronlund, N. E. , & Waugh, C. K. (2009). Assessment of student achievement (9th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.