Competitive Advantage and Globalization

Competitive Advantage and Globalization When a company is oriented to globalization strategies, it focuses on overcoming the national barriers in market and industry with references to coping with financial and cultural issues. Today, it is possible to speak about the company’s competitive advantage when the company can operate successfully globally and according to the trends associated with the globalization processes.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Competitive Advantage and Globalization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Fortune 500 firms develop their globalization strategies basing on the local success which once was achieved with the help of the effective use of the firm’s resources. That is why, it is possible to state that the resource-based competitive advantage is the necessary factor for promoting the Fortune 500 firms’ globalization strategies. Competitive advantage is the ability of the company to implement unique and eff ective strategies which provide the significant advantage over competitors within the industry (Barney, 1991; Barney, 2001). Basing on the modern globalization trends, it is necessary to note that competitive advantage should be supported with references to following the principles of sustainability. Moreover, the company’s capacities are assessed referring to the customers’ interests in the brand. As a result, the Fortune 500 firms create their competitive advantage with the help of the internal resources used. Barney distinguishes between the physical capital resources, human capital resources, and organizational capital resources (Barney, 1991). To succeed within the market, such companies as Google, Toyota Motor, Microsoft, and Wal-Mart focus on using the valuable and rare human capital and organizational capital resources as the main forces. Less attention is paid to physical capital resources because they are more imitable. The success of the company is in develo ping the unique strategy or approach in order to win the advantage (Barney, 1991). That is why, the Fortune 500 firms work out globalization strategies basing on the resources which are difficult to imitate or substitute. The strong and effective organizations as well as quality employees are perceived as the internal strengths of the Fortune 500 firms. Operational Barriers to Success To operate successfully within the highly competitive environment, companies should concentrate on improving their strategies in order to propose new opportunities, services, and products for their customers. As a result, successful companies should orient to the further movement and be progressive in comparison with their competitors (Gopalakrishnan, Kessler, Scillitoe, 2010).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Being at the path to their success, the company can become challenged by a lot of difficulties or barriers associated with the problems in the company’s advertising, production, communication with customers, organization, or culture. Moreover, the progress of the company is often based on using innovation in technologies and organization. Focusing on the barriers to adopt innovative practices and processes, it is possible to determine three preventive factors. Barriers to innovation can be discussed as factors which prevent the company to adopt and implement innovative practices which can significantly improve the production process or organization’s structure and strategies. From this perspective, the discussed barriers prevent the company from the further progress within the market where competitors can use innovation actively. Nevertheless, it is possible to examine barriers from the positive point because the implementation of innovation is often associated with significant risks, and the focus on barriers help the company develop the mo st adequate and appropriate variant of implementing the definite innovation in the process. Three barriers are the lack of budget, the improper planning and forecasting, and the individual factor. Thus, in spite of the fact that the company is oriented toward developing and creating the advantageous value, the implementation of innovation cannot be realized because of the lack of the necessary budget. The problem can depend on the inability of the senior management to distribute the financial resources appropriately in order to focus on the long-term goals and gaining more profits because of implementing innovation successfully (Russell Taylor, 2010). The change of priorities in distribution of the resources can contribute to overcoming the discussed barrier. The next barrier is the improper planning of the innovation implementation into the company’s processes. To guarantee the effective implementation of innovation, it is necessary to develop the detailed plan. Strategic m anagers can fail while developing the appropriate plan because they focus on the immediate positive results and benefits (Russell Taylor, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Competitive Advantage and Globalization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Furthermore, the implementation of innovation is associated with significant shifts and changes within the company. The fear of changes and impossibility to forecast the outcomes prevent companies from implementing innovations successfully. That is why, managers can overcome the barrier focusing on planning as the extremely significant stage in the implementation process. Furthermore, it is important to pay attention to the individual factor as the significant barrier to adopt the innovative practices. Employees as well as managers can reject changes without references to their necessity and advantages because of needs to change approaches, to train to use new technolo gies or schemes of work, or to work following new requirements and standards (Gopalakrishnan, Kessler, Scillitoe, 2010). To overcome the barrier, it is necessary to concentrate on the additional training for employees and on providing the information about clear benefits of implementing innovations which can change the traditional working processes. References Barney, J. B. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99–120. Barney, J. B. (2001). Resource-based theories of competitive advantage: A ten-year retrospective on the resource-based view. Journal of Management, 27(6), 643–650. Gopalakrishnan, S., Kessler, E. H., Scillitoe, J. L. (2010). Navigating the innovation landscape: Past research, present practice, and future trends. Organization Management Journal, 7(4), 262–277. Russell, R., Taylor, B. (2010). Operations management: Creating value along the supply chain. USA: Wiley.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More

The Best of Daily Writing Tips in 2011

The Best of Daily Writing Tips in 2011 The Best of Daily Writing Tips in 2011 The Best of Daily Writing Tips in 2011 By Daniel Scocco First of all happy new year to all the Daily Writing Tips readers! Rest assured well keep sending you our best writing tips in 2012. Below youll find a compilation of the most visited posts we published in 2011. Make sure you havent missed any! 100 Mostly Small But Expressive Interjections 7 Grammatical Errors That Aren’t 100 Beautiful and Ugly Words 10 Latin Abbreviations You Might Be Using Incorrectly 100 Whimsical Words Should You Self-Publish? 50 Problem Words and Phrases 20 Classic Novels You Can Read in One Sitting Who Cares About â€Å"Whom† Anymore? How Spelling Diverges Between American and British English 10 Words That Don’t Mean What You May Think They Do 10 Comma Cases in Which More Is More 10 Pairs of Similar-Looking Near Antonyms 150 Foreign Expressions to Inspire You Is â€Å"They† Acceptable as a Singular Pronoun? 50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid 10 Intensifiers You Should Really, Absolutely Avoid The Other N-Words 7 Editing Pet Peeves 8 Steps to More Concise Writing Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Types of Narrative Conflict20 Words Meaning "Being or Existing in the Past"Using "zeitgeist" Coherently

Compartive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Compartive - Essay Example But they needed the state to maintain peace and order, provide them with essential services, and settle their quarrels and conflicts. Thus, in a social contract to which they voluntarily consented, they created the state for the purpose of promoting and preserving their natural rights to life, liberty and property. Hobbes’ social contract was not really a special contract, since there was no contract or covenant between the ruler and the subjects. The sovereign had no obligations to his subjects nor could they limit his exercise of absolute power. It was John Locke who painted a picture of liberty of citizens and authority of government in tones which were far moderate than that of Thomas Hobbes. Men in a state of nature could make use of their perfect freedom for their own good, since they were reasonable men. To John Locke, men did not abuse their Liberty. They did not threaten the lives of their neighbors. He wrote: Though this is a state of liberty, yet it is not a state of license†¦. The state of nature of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges everyone; and reason, which is that law that teaches all mankind who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent; no one has a right to harm another in his life, health, liberty of possessions. 1 Locke’s social contract favored men quitting the state of nature to form themselves into a civil society. In this society men instituted the state where a social contract or covenant was formulated between citizens and government, a trustee which they could dismiss if it did not maintain the freedom and equality that men originally knew and enjoyed. In other words, when government no longer served the citizens’ interests and welfare, it might be resisted or overthrown. Why, because government had violated its obligations under the social contract to the extent that it had broken it. What were these obligations? The government as trustee had to protect and

Women Trafficking around the world Research Paper

Women Trafficking around the world - Research Paper Example This trend is expected to grow in the future with the fact that it is highly profitable, lowly investigated and few traffickers are usually prosecuted. In the Middle East, trafficking in women and girls is a prevalent crime where the victims are usually discriminated against by the prevailing cultures and customs. Some laws in the region do not even recognize human trafficking as a crime, which is why the crime continues to fester in the region (Murphy, 2001). Though victims of human trafficking are usually sold for reasons like slavery and forced labor, trafficking for sexual exploitation is still the biggest problem faced in the region. In most states in Arab regions, trafficking for sexual exploitation is not restricted. This is because some countries in the region have retrogressive laws that discriminate against women and favors the men. For example some countries allow temporary marriages, where the man decides when the marriage ends, which means that women and girls can be use d as sex slaves. Another supporting factor is that the women and girls who are caught up in the trafficking syndicates are usually prosecuted as illegal immigrants, which only serves to increase instances of human trafficking. ... The other economic factor that contributes to the women trafficking is the demand for cheap labor in destination countries. For example, Saudi Arabia demands for a lot of cheap labor, so women and children are trafficked from other countries and forced into slavery in this country. The other main cause of women and girls trafficking in the world is the increasing demand for sexual services. In the Middle East, women are usually discriminated against and can be exploited for sexual services Anti-Slavery International (2006). The traffickers understand that victims of human trafficking do not usually have any real rights in the countries of destination, so exploit this chance. Most of the women trafficked into these countries are transformed into sex slaves and commercial sex workers to earn a revenue for their masters. This increased sexual abuse of trafficked persons is recognized by the UN as a cause of increased demand for sexual services and should be addressed separately. The oth er reason why there is an increase in women trafficking is the fact that there are retrogressive laws in the destination countries. As already mentioned, some of the countries of destination of trafficked women and children do not recognize the rights of these women and children. Government lack of control and the lack of laws that prohibit women trafficking serve to increase its instances. For example, lack of legislation that expressly prosecutes human traffickers means that it is going to continue. In many countries, human traffickers are not sufficiently investigated or prosecuted. Domestic violence and organized crime are two other reasons that usually

A cultural analysis of Greece Essay Example for Free

A cultural analysis of Greece Essay This paper presents a cultural analysis of Greece and how this translates into the countrys business practices. The importance in such profiling can be seen in the emergence of many cross-cultural studies that aim to come up with an effective theoretical framework that guides international companies to relate to other companies from different countries with different cultures. One of these frameworks was formulated by a series of national studies conducted by Hofstede in which the author identified cultures according to five indices. Basically, Hofstedes approach presents that culture can be described as a set of characteristics ingrained or wired-in to the brains and the psyche of the members of a particular society thereby affecting behavior. With such understanding according to national cultures, cross-cultural managers can therefore make use of this information that can serve as a basis for cross-cultural and international initiatives of the organization. In application, this paper examines Greece according to Hofstedes five dimensions and how this translates into the countrys business culture; this paper then compares this with the business culture in the United States. The conclusion then leads to the identification of the different points of compatibility and conflict, and the areas which the Greek and the American business cultures can reconcile for a more successful business communications and relations. Global Business Cultural Analysis: Greece I. Section One Introduction Communication plays an important role in any cross-cultural relations, and in the aspect of business, communication in the international context spans beyond language and includes protocols, perceptions and other elements pertaining to business practices. According to Hendon, Hendon and Herbig (1996), the challenge is that although two or more parties are trying to reach an agreement aiming to serve each others interests, cultural factors whether in terms practice and perception significantly contribute to the processing of information that would lead to either the success or the failure of the negotiations or the management strategy should international companies decide to operate together. As Hendon, et al. (1996) pointed out, cultural aspects influence managers, thereby affecting their behavior; this also reflects at the organizational level thereby the degree of the embodiment of the national culture of these companies is constantly present. Cross-cultural issues have become crucial given that more and more businesses are taking advantage of the opportunities brought by globalization. One of the issues that emerged from this is that there was an identified potential point of conflict based on the precept that the differences in the values of the different groups may lead to problems, thereby jeopardizing the advantages offered by the global and international markets (Fontaine, 2007). As a result, international organizations have invested in cross-cultural management initiatives in order to create the most effective approach should the company reaches the point of venturing into foreign operations or cross-cultural negotiations. In addition to the organizational dimension in cross-cultural issues are the elements that can further influence the operations of any business. Kanungo (2006) identified that globalization ha also created a significant impact to the consumers behavior now that they are aware of the strong global forces; technological innovation; and the environment. These elements do not only represent modifications in terms of the markets and the societies global businesses cater to but also the potential overall shift and cultural perceptions that resonate at various levels, from the individual to the organizational behaviors. Which is why given that globalization has become a phenomenon that represents present-day reality (Steger, 2003), even companies who are not internationalized are still subject to many global forces such as buying or selling their supplies from sources overseas. It is also possible that the company may have to work with a foreign employee or a worker from a different cultural background. In any case, the instances of a cultural add-on has become more and more regular (Berger, 1998, 124). However, it is important to look at the many theoretical foundations on cross-cultural studies, especially as to how national cultures are perceived as an important influence in organizational and management behavior. There is one distinctive studies that can be considered to have created a substantial buzz in the entire context of cross-cultural studies: Geert Hofstedes four dimensions, which would later add another component. Hofstedes studies gave way to conclusions that would help in the different approaches towards understanding different cultures, and how these can also create effects at individual, organizational and national levels. Hofstedes Four Dimensions One of the most commonly used model in cross-cultural studies is Hofstedes four dimensions; these dimensions emerged from Hofstedes studies on 40 different countries in which he identified four major prevailing factors in terms of the cultural aspect (Bjerke, 1998): ? Power distance ? Uncertainty avoidance ? Individualism/collectivism ? Masculinity/femininity In order to understand these four dimensions, it is important to look at how Hofstede views culture and how this plays a role in global business applications. Hofstede is renowned for his research on differences among countries in terms of their culture and how these differences are essential. Hofstede operated based on the concept that comparisons among cultures can play a significant role in the making the right decisions based on the acquired information about other cultures; this is deemed helpful when it comes to making negotiations and even designing business strategies should companies decide to enter a foreign market. Hence, Hofstedes works have been founded on how the differences of these cultures are influential to behavior across may social levels. Hofstedes dimensions tend to generalize groups, hence, for instance, multicultural nations are taken as a singular culture (Fontaine, 2007). The four dimensions Hofstede formulated are the main indicators that can identify the points of similarities and differences across these many national cultures (Vinken, Soeters Ester, 2004). His studies on many national cultures have therefore served as a reference point among many cross-cultural managers. Hofstedes approach is known to adapt a more scientific approach as he argued that cultures can be measured and analyzed (Hofstede, Neuijen, Ohavy Sanders, 1990); such can be seen not only in his database which analyzed countries according to their measures in power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism/collectivism, and masculinity/femininity but also in terms of how these factors can impact many organizational tasks such as business negotiations. Culture is therefore an important indicator of behavior and at the same time, it acts as a binding force that defines a group, a society or a region. The four dimensions Hofstede identified are based on how a culture can be also defined according to relations, attitudes and values; in specific contexts, it can be observed that these four dimensions that pertain to Hofstedes definition of culture the programming of the mind that differentiates one group of another (as cited in Fontaine, 2007, 125) presents a predictable framework of characteristics. A fifth dimension was also introduced by Hofstede by including Confucian framework to his dimension, and he identified this as the long term/short term orientation. The long term/short term orientation, a recent addition to Hofstede/s dimension, was founded on the perceptions of time, and how this can affect the behavior of people. This dimension was based on the Confucian orientation with respect to past, present and future, and for Hofstede, this fifth dimension can reflect a societys perception of time, especially as to how this affects their perseverance and regard for values, and how societies also wish to command respect and gain stability (Jacob, 2005). This orientation is seen as an important component as this can reflect how some people can act as based on their expectations with respect to time, such as, for instance, whether their actions are motivated by long-term causes or their short-term goals. The power distance aspect refers to a cultures orientation towards authority. This orientation includes how people understand power and how power works in their communities. With this component, power distance serves as an indicator of equality such as whether some cultures tend to be more democratic or practices a great amount of inequality (Hofstede, 2001). Another index identified by Hofstede (2001) is the uncertainty avoidance. Generally, this refers to how society can tolerate uncertainty. This therefore shows how a culture may be more comfortable in a more structured and rational framework because the tolerance of ambiguity is low whereas some societies may tend to live in the uncertainty, hence, their systems do not adhere to strict rules. Individualism/collectivism pertains to how a culture tend to be more individualist and autonomous or the spirit of the collective fills the members of its society (Hofstede, 2001). In the former, there is a greater sense of independence because the individual is encouraged to think for himself or herself. A collectivist culture, its opposite, tends to have a greater degree of influence according to the social or cultural psyche and norm. Although individuals can be said to initially come from defined groups such as families, the degree of cohesion across social levels differs from one culture to the next. Last but not the least, the masculinity/femininity index measures gender roles in a culture, especially as to how each of these genders are positioned in the society. The values among these two genders are among the fundamental elements in any society because one tends to dominate the other, if not, the attempt to equalize roles can be said to be also present in some cultures (Hofstede, 2001). In addition to the aspect of the relevance of power in these roles, this indicator also describes whether the country is masculine or feminine; the former associates the culture as more assertive and competitive, thereby embodying the male characteristics whereas feminine cultures are viewed as caring and more modest. The strength of Hofstedes approach is that the study and the gathered data have come up with a set of information that generally describes the national cultures thereby demonstrating a general sense how people in a certain country can be expected to behave. The five dimensions have served as an important framework and Hofstedes model has served many nation-level researches especially as to how the applicability of his collected data can be regarded to be valid at a certain point (Smith, 2006). However, the model is not without any criticisms as this brings the issue on how many dimensions must be used as a means to measure culture (Smith, 2006). Another study conducted by Blodgett, Bakir and Rose (2008) that the model has limitations especially as to its validity among individuals. From this, it can be gathered that applicability of Hofstedes framework mainly gives a good reference for a cultural overview of nation, but in more specific terms, there is still some debate as to the design of a more effective cross-cultural analysis model. II. Section Two Greek Culture: an Overview Greece can be easily associated with its glory during the antiquity, with the country immersed in a rich culture of intelligence and might, in addition to the production of several works of art and architecture that can be considered to still have an influence in the modern world. Hence, Greece has always had the impression of classicism, especially with the mark left by Hellenism in the world and Greek history transcending fact and has become an interesting subject for literary works. From political thought to mythology, Greek as a culture remains to be an object of fascination, especially as it has founded an important definition where the Western world begins in this Mediterranean archipelago. Culture can be basically defined through customs and traditions, and in Greece, albeit its development into modernity, has maintained a strong grasp for tradition; this tradition is defined by the roles played by religion and paganism in the country. Greece is dominantly Orthodox Christian although some variations of the faith, as determined by paganistic influences, can be seen to be present and also vary from island to island. This is why Greek culture is generally regarded to have a higher degree of mixed beliefs and that Greeks also tend to be superstitious (Buxton, 1999). Early Greek civilization has demonstrated a significant amount of intellect yet at the same time, the society was also driven by its mythological past. Such combination can be seen to present an attempt to balance myth and reason, and in modern Greece, this can be seen to have developed as modern Greek society remains to take pride in its past through the continuous presence of its customs and traditions, yet at the same time, modern Greek culture has demonstrated significant social changes that have take place in the last century. This is discussed by Mouzelis (1978) who mentioned how societal values remain to be dictated by its core values, and these core values, evidently, play a significant role in the definition of a societys culture. The economy, in the past centuries, has created a significant impact to the social development of any society, and Greece, as it moved on to the modern times, had adapted to these changes. In the social context, Greece had demonstrated the ability to adjust to these new economic demands, and its society, inevitably, has redefined social classes. Its economy also started to redefine itself especially as to how it would define its role in the modern world. All in all, the modernization of Greece has created a degree of impact to its modern culture, but interestingly, Greek culture has strongly maintained what it has always been. As previously mentioned Greek culture has been distinct in terms of the roles religion plays in the lives of the people; this religion fuses the more organized leanings of the Christian Orthodox Church and the more paganistic or mythical practices that many Greeks still practice today. In addition to customs and traditions, Greek culture has maintained its strong identity across many cultural facets, from its art, music, food and wine. The Greek people has demonstrated a strong sense of resilience considering the number of wars they had to endure in the modern times. These wars include its conflict with the Ottomans in which the country fell under rule for a long time, the Balkan Wars, the First World War, and the Greco-Turkish wars. The country also fell under military dictatorship from 1967-1974. With their wounded past, the Greek people had redeveloped a strong national character that had adapted to the realities they faced, especially as Greeces glory would seem to be stuck more in the past and the modernity seems to have favored more the Western nations (Chilton, Dubin, Edwards, Garvey, Fisher, Ellingham, 2008). Interestingly, as Greece would struggle to find its place in the modern world, the Greek society and the people had gone through periods of diaspora in order to escape the conflicts at home. Those who were left behind would be stuck in the chaos of the country in which the economy would find a hard time adjusting to the greater powers coming from the western world, more specifically Europe. The Greek people experienced lack of opportunities in addition to poverty, especially as the country would prove to lack in enough economic resourcefulness until recently. Greece, for a significantly portion of the 20th century, was under-developed, but it was not until in the 1980s that the country would start to catch up and become more integrated with the rest of Europe (Chilton, et al. , 2008) There are some interesting factors in Greek culture that can be regarded to have influenced attitudes of its people. One of these concepts is filotimo. Although hard to translate, filotimo generally refers to the Greeks love for deep honor that they should possess; this goes well with anther important Greek characteristic of integrity which is about behaving as an upright individual. Although a sense of deep honor, as a translation, does not provide enough interpretation of the concept, filotimo can be considered to refer to a character that is highly desirable, but basically, it can be associated with a sense of self who is intrinsically good (Makedon, 1995). In addition to the concept of filotimo, modern Greece had emerged with additional cultural concepts in terms of character, and these are leventia and palikaria. Leventia refers to a sense of manly excellence thereby emphasizing the importance of having certain male characteristics. Leventia is paired with palikaria which also refers to the same meaning. As pair, possessing or being leventia and/or palikaria is about the ability to survive through hard times, especially if the individual or the family has been subject to a critical amount of duress. Having leventia and palikaria can gain an individual substantial admiration from those around him because of the display of a strong sense of self as seen in courage or proactiveness that addresses the source of any problem (Makedon, 1995). Last but not the least, albeit its painful periods of oppression, the Greek people have a great amount of love towards freedom. The love for liberty has always been a Greek characteristic, as seen from the ancient Greek civilization to the modern Greek society. Many themes in the Greek arts have portrayed the importance of freedom, and evidently, as the cradle of democracy, Greek culture had long wanted to fight oppression and aimed for a more liberal and democratic society in which they get to possess a certain amount of freedom despite the restrictions posed upon them (Makedon, 1995). Generally, these characteristics show how modern Greece have managed an important element of its identity, and that is its Orthodox church; however, despite the practice of orthodoxy, this aspect of freedom is practiced in such a way that the Greek people remains to have an open mind towards its paganistic past. In a way, the Greek culture can be regarded to have managed to lessen the conflict between mythos and logos, and today, the Greek people has been finding ways to make room for the modern and how it fits to its long standing tradition. Greek Business Culture Studies on the Greek business culture has had references to Hofstedes cultural framework. In terms of the scores of Greece according to Hofstedes four dimensions, Greece has the following measures in these four indices (Hofstede, 2001): ? Power distance index: 63 ? Individualism: 35 ? Masculinity: 57 ? Uncertainty avoidance index: 112 In terms of Greeces score in the power distance index, this score shows how its people, according to Hofstedes framework, demonstrates the emergence of the social classes in Greek society. This is to say that people are aware of the powers that are present in the society and they know their place with respect to that power. The score of the country in this index can be considered to be average, hence, demonstrating that although people do recognize the presence of inequalities in its society, they see the presence of means to get over certain barriers. The median score for this index is 55, and with Greece at 63, the amount of inequality is above average yet not as drastic as compared to other countries. Basically, this shows how hierarchy plays in the society which can be considered as a paradox considering the Greeks love for liberty and democracy. In a sense, such score shows how the Greeks have embraced reality and that certain powers have created a strong influence in the country. The next score shows that the country has lower measures of individualism thereby showing that Greece is a highly collective society. This shows how Greeks have a strong regard for family and community, and how individuals are strongly influenced by their environment. Kessapidou and Varsakelis (2002) mentioned that when Greeks enter an organization, there is already the expectation that the Greek employee expects to work for this company for the rest of his or her life, and at the same time, in exchange for this loyalty, they expect that the firm will also look after their family. The next indicator is masculinity, and Greece scored slightly above the global average of 50 (Hofstede, 2001). This is an interesting score as generally, the Greek society has demonstrated the strong male influence in terms of their position in the family and the society. The roles between males and females have been regarded to be also more distinctive, in which case the women know their positions and the limits of their power and influence. The uncertainty avoidance index shows the highest score for Greece, and based on this, there are many rules that prevail in the Greek society. Again, this is an interesting score because this contradicts the Greeks love for freedom, but then again, such rules and restrictions may have brought the Greek people to be hungry for more liberty in its societies. The many bounds in Greek society can be seen in its history where the country went through oppression through foreign occupancy and dictatorship. Overall, as employees, Kessapidou and Varsakelis (2002) discussed the characteristics of Greek employees, as follows (273): For Greek people, the working culture is based on sense of honour, dignity, loyalty, and sense of duty reflected in the Greek word filotimo which is similar to the concept of face as reported for China in these societies, filotimo or face becomes an asset for organizations. In cases, however, where expectations are not met, the personnel can be alienated. From the results of Hofstedes study, Greece can be summarized as high power distance, strong uncertainty avoidance, collectivistic and masculine (Joiner, 2001, 232). This profile, as translated into Greeces business culture, strongly demonstrates its association with societal values. According to Hofstede (2001), among the four indicators in his cultural model, the most relevant in the aspect of organizational design can be attributed to power distance and uncertainty avoidance which is why these factors are important in assessing the relationship of national cultures and the organization. In the organizational context, the Greek business culture shows a strong sense of hierarchy and the partenalistic relations that exist in Greek companies; this is evident in the high score in the power distance. In further putting this with respect to Hofstedes description of this dimension, the Greek society as well in Greek organizations, there is the accepted presence of inequalities in terms of the distributio of power. The acceptance in human inequality, interestingly, may not fair well with the Greek fundamentals on democracy but apparently, such cultural characteristic is more of an indicator of a strong sense of respect towards authority (Joiner, 2001). Leadership is therefore emphasized in Greek organizations, and in business, there is much dependence on the companys leaders when it comes to making decisions. Such cultural factor can then be attributed to the historical development in Greece which, accoding to Psychogios and Szamosi (2007), lived in a society with the centralized Greek political system that highlights the powerful state and the large public sector (8). In terms of the reflection of Greeces high uncertainty avoidance index, many studies have actually revealed that groups with hih uncertainty avoidance index demonstrate a fear of making decisios, hence, the presence of many rules that can be easily referred to. In Greece, according to studies by Bartholomew (1995), Bourantas, et al. (199), among others (as cited in Joiner, 2001), fear of decision-making has been found among Greek managers and subordinates, hence, much of these activities are left to the upper management. There is indeed the influence of culture in terms of the business own practices. Although this may not be true in all cases, the general perception towards Greek businesses reflect how the business culture have its foundations according to its societal values, these values are which influenced by the countrys culture. III. Section Three In Comparison with the US Business Culture Based on Hofstedes cultural model, Greece scored high in power distance index, masculinity and uncertainty avoidance index, whereas it scored low in individualism. These scores translate to the Greek business culture of centralization, concentrated power, more distinct gender roles, and high reliance on the organizations to take care of the employees family. Greek employees are also found to possess the characteristics of loyalty, integrity and dignity, as guided by the concept of filotimo. In comparing this to the American culture, the contrasts can be immediately seen the differences in the scores Hofstede gave the United States (Hofstede, 2001). The US scored high in individualism, low in power distance index, uncertainty avoidance index, and long term orientation, whereas in terms of masculinity, the US scored above average. The similarities can be therefore seen in the masculinity aspect in which both shows that gender roles remain to be differentiated in the American business culture. However, the similarities end there. Based on the scores, the American culture can be described as highly individualistic, with a greater sense of equality and fewer rules thereby showing greater tolerance in new ideas and beliefs. Basically, the American business culture does embody these characteristics. As the country embraced capitalism and industrialization earlier than Greece, the countrys business culture tends to have a more progressive and liberal approach. There is a strong presence of market economy forces in the United States, and employees are also driven by the economic opportunitis presented to them. One of the important aspects in the American business culture is the presence of competition, and competition is present not only among businesses but among individuals as well (McCraw, 2000). Hence, unlike in Greece where a bulk of the important responsibilities are left to upper management, American organizations and their employees grab these opportunities to hold more responsibilities because it means more opportunities for them to gain better positions. Competitive is therefore a characteristic of the American business culture, and this makes sense according to the results of the scores of the United States according to Hofstedes model. Although these scores and comparisons between national and business cultures can be regarded to be applicable, it should be noted that the degree of relevance may not be true in all cases. In addition to the challenges as to the validity of Hofstedes model (Blodgett, et al. , 2008), there is also the case of change that can possibly take place at social and business levels. As discussed in the first section, the applicability is limited as to the relevance of national cultures to business cultures although the fundamentals of a national culture tends to become apparent generally. For instance, the Greek concept of filotimo can be considered to be true even at business levels, and at the same time, the collective spirit can be seen in how many Greek corporations are family-owned. Such is true in the case of the United States in terms of the masculunity scores. Although in some instances gender roles remain defined in the US, in the business world, more and more women have started to hold significant positions across many organizations. Therefore, the relevance of national culture perceptions are only true up to a certain extent but information such as those gathered by Hofstedes studies serve as useful references to the basics of the social and business dynamics in a country. IV. Section Four Opening an American Business in Greece Based on the scores in Hofstedes cultural framework, the USAs national culture distance from Greece is at 3. 47 according to 42 surveyed American firms in the country (Kessapidou Varsakelis, 2002). With this number, it can be assumed that there will be greater difficulty in the successful establishment of the American company in Greece; however, this may not be the case, and the same is true even if the company has a Greek affiliate. According to Kessapidou and Varsakalis (2002), the strength lies in the Greeks characteristic to be collective, hence, they tend to comply with the requirements of the company. In addition, the concept of filotimo can drive Greek employees to perform better, thereby filotimo, in a sense, serves as a source of competitiveness, which is compatible with the American busines culture. However, there may be some problems in terms of the management aspect between the American and the Greek managers, or the Greek managers needing to comply with the demands of American management practices. Although there are highly centralized American companies, the delegation of power and responsibility is one of an American companys assets, hence, should decisions need to be made, even some subordinates may step in and show a sense of leadership. This may intimidate Greek managers and employees, especially if the firm would have American employees working in the Greek operations. In addition, the Greek employees may think that the Americans are too aggressive and ambitious in the workplace, thereby possibly creating a rift among the employees. Hence, the recommendation is that prior to the establishment of the American operation in Greece, both sides need to be educated about the cultures they are about to encounter. Since that Greece is going to host the company, the American company needs to comply more with the Greek culture, but since it is the American company that is going to establish the business, the Greek employees and managers also need to

Mise en Scene in the Film Yellow Earth :: Movie Film Essays

Mise en Scene in the Film Yellow Earth The Film Yellow Earth uses its own unique style of editing within the frame to portray its aesthetic qualities, which is known as mise en scene. The scene where father is plowing the land with Gu by his side is the best example of mise en scene. This scene is important because of its possession of a unique camera angle, loose framing, and deeper hidden meaning, which contribute to the overall effect of the movie. First and foremost, this scene uses a low angle shot. In the shot the camera tilts the camera upwards while getting a whole shot of father and Gu in the frame while also getting the yellowish hills and sky in it as well. The director uses a low angle shot in order to convey the meaning of how important the land was to the people. If he would of chosen to do a high angle shot it would have denied the reader of viewing the yellowish hills in the background. Those hills are symbolic of the trapping qualities of both fates, nature and society, the core principle of the movie. It was the spectator’s figurative position that was closely tied to the views of father and Gu. Next, Yellow Earth uses editing in the movement through its use of loose framing. In the scene, the characters had full motion. The director used this full motion of father and Gu in order for the viewer to get a glimpse of the actual work that took place. This strenuous manual labor would be grueling for any man. This work showed the viewer that the family was trapped in a life chained to the fields of rural China, a fate that young Cuiqiao wished to escape. Lastly, this scene does a great job by creating a symbolic, underlying meaning of what father actually believed in.

Pepperoni Pizza Essay

My favorite food is pepperoni pizza. I believe my father’s pepperoni pizza is the best and most delicious pizza in the whole wide world. I love everything about my dad’s pizza but what I love the most is the smell, the exquisite taste and the fact that it is an affordable meal. Just by looking at the slice of pizza on my plate makes me hungry. The dazzling cheese dripping down the crust and the red spicy pepperoni dancing on the top of the melted cheese drives me crazy. The smell is priceless; the crisp baked crust with warm melting mozzarella cheese and sweet rich ripe tomato sauce makes my nose want to inhale the whole pizza. When I take the first bite of the luscious pizza I feel a party of flavors celebrating in my mouth. I also enjoy eating peperoni pizza because it is such a practical and affordable meal. It is not expensive to buy a pizza from Pizza Hut, or to even cook one at home. It is a really easy to put an entire meal together with a pizza. I have three choices when it comes to getting a pizza; I can order one, I can go to Pizza Hut and eat there, or my best personal favorite option, I can ask my father to bake one. His pizzas are the picture perfect scene that literally invites you to take a bite. The flavor that never fails, and the touch of love my father adds to my plate, make his pizza my favorite thing to eat in the whole wide world.

Steps to Create Graphics

This would allow students to envision their own color schemes and not initially be influenced by the colors the model project incorporated. In order to understand the layout of the stage where their set design is intended for, displayed an image of a stage I created using Google draw. I also downloaded artwork from a disk sent to me from the company where we licensed the musical. This was saved and used as the original source of set design inspiration. Finally included in the collection was one Of the first steps of the unit; a pencil drawing of the set design which was also created by a student.I scanned the document to my Macomb and saved it as a JEEP Audience The audience for this instructional unit consists Of 6th graders in my Theatre Arts class at Dutchmen Creek Middle School. The male population of the school is slightly larger at fifty-one percent, than that of the female population, which is approximately forty-nine percent. Fifty-eight percent of the learners are Caucasian. African American students comprise thirty-four percent, six percent is comprised of the Hispanic population, and two percent is of the Asian ethnicity.The students are enrolled in Theatre Arts for a nine week period before transitioning to another related arts course. The school overall has above level standardized test scores, been granted the Palmetto Gold Award for three consecutive years for growth in PASS testing and has been recognized for the prestigious National Schools to Watch award for the 2013-2014 school year. Gifted and talented classes are offered to students, including Geometry and English l, and more opportunities for direct instruction are offered via enrichment classes for remediation and additional academic assistance.Furthermore, the students at Dutchmen Creek Middle School are provided with teachers who train in and implement collaborative instruction and project based learning activities that help to reach each type f learner and bridge learning making it rel evant to the real world. Teams of instructional leaders work diligently to develop strategies to meet challenges the public education system faces today. Recently, the school received an â€Å"excellent† overall rating on their 2014 state report card.Schools are given an absolute – or overall – rating, which is calculated using test scores and a growth rating which grades improvements made from the previous year to the current year. Additionally, the fine arts department performing groups consistently 3 receive superior ratings in Chorus, Band, Orchestra, Theatre and Visual Arts at tideway events. Process The process for this graphics collection, basically entailed 5 steps and are listed below: Step 1: Take a picture of the intended subject, download it and save it as a JEEP.Email it or save it in Google drive where it can be accessed any time, anywhere. Step 2. In order to focus on the project, save the picture to a picture editing tool such as photo, click on the pencil which is the editing tool , click the â€Å"crop† button on the right hand side, move the automated square over the desired portion of the picture, and click on the â€Å"done† button. Save the picture by clicking on the â€Å"save as† from the file menu and label the picture using the word cropped so the original picture will stay intact.Step 4: Transpose the edited picture to black and white, which will allow students to select their color schemes without being influenced by the model. Using photo, click on the on the â€Å"effects† button, select the â€Å"black and white† icon, and add the level 2 â€Å"vignette† option Step 5: Download An image of the original desired set design picture from the disc provided by the Wizard of Oz leasing company Tans-Whitman and save s a JEEP file. This served as the original 1st step in the set design unit.Step 6: Creating an original image was accomplished through Google Draw, which is a fea ture of Google Drive, is very simple to use and utilizes the following steps: a) go to the website HTTPS://drive. Google. Com 4 b) Create a background. I chose to simulate stage lighting using different clip art and lighting streams. These are readily available on Google draw and can be inserted with a simple click of the mouse. C) Insert text using the â€Å"word art† feature simply by clicking on the insert Dutton, choose â€Å"word art†, type the appropriate words into the box provided and place it on top of the background.

3. How does Japanese consumer behavior differ from Essays

3. How does Japanese consumer behavior differ from Essays 3. How does Japanese consumer behavior differ from western consumer behavior? Japanese consumers have different preferences for goods, different attitude about things they want from retailer than their American counterparts. Unlike Americans, Japanese consumers do not place a sole determinant of value on price. The physical presence and packaging of the product is just as important as the actual product itself. Also, Japanese consumers have a luxurious taste, but they want to save money, but are picky about quality, they steer clear of cheap goods and inferior products. Base on the case, shopping is spread throughout the week in Japan and is done on bicycle or by foot, rather than car. Walmart did not provide a print version of their deals prior to going shopping in their daily newspaper called chirashi, Housewives like to compare prices prior to going shopping, and without that option, housewives got confused and frustrated and went elsewhere. 4. Can private brands be internationalized? Another major arm of Walmart's Japan strategy is the aggressive introduction of private brands. Walmart is famous for exclusive store brands in the US that are inexpensive and perceived as a good value by US consumers. The recent economic downturn has provided further impetus to Japanese retailers to speed the introduction of private brands nearly 70% of Japanese retailers and 90% of Japanese super markets now stock private brands. Walmart has been remaking Seiyu in to their own image progressively and adopting radically different strategies than their competitors Remodeled stores to be American Walmarts and remains to be seen if Japanese consumers will be attracted to them. Finally, embraced the Chirashi (paper leaflets) and hoping that "Everyday low prices" remained in Seiyu announced that it would be honoring the Chirashi of its competitors too.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Essay and Study Ideas

'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' Essay and Study Ideas The Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells the fictional story of Ichabod Crane, a schoolteacher who competes with another suitor for the hand of Katrina Van Tassel. However, instead of getting the girl, Crane ends up experiencing a very strange and spooky event. Written by Washington Irving, the short story was first published in 1820 and continues to be a popular Halloween tale today, especially because it includes a ghost story about a mysterious headless horseman.   A short piece of gothic literature filled with pranks and humor, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is one of Irvings most enduring works. While the story prompts scares and laughs, it also warrants discussion and literary analysis. Here are a few questions about The Legend of Sleepy Hollow that you can use for study or conversation.   Essay and Discussion Ideas What is important about the title?What are the conflicts found throughout the story?  How does Irving reveal character?What are some of the themes? How do they relate to the plot and characters?Is Ichabod Crane consistent in his actions? Is he a fully developed character? Why?Do you find the characters likable? Are the characters persons you would want to meet?Discuss some of the symbols in the story.Compare The Devil and Tom Walker with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. What is similar and what is different in terms of plot, storytelling, and themes?What is the primary purpose of the story? Do you find the purpose important or meaningful?How essential is the setting to the story? Could the story have taken place anywhere else? Does the setting represent or allude something?What supernatural or surprising events are employed by Washington Irving? Do you find these happenings believable?What is the role of women?  Does the story end the way you expected? Why?Would you recommend the sto ry to a friend? Would you read other works by Washington Irving based on your reading of this story?

Colorado Water Supply to California Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Colorado Water Supply to California - Essay Example This water is around 95 million acre feet and while most of it is absorbed by the forests and rangelands, some 16 MAF goes into rivers and creeks from where it is supplied to 4.6 million people in Colorado alone. Colorado has a legal obligation to serve other states and thus 8.8 MAF of water goes to south western states including Utah, Nevada, California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico. Even though California is dependent on Colorado for water supply, it needs to understand that water resources of the state are limited and droughts are common in Colorado causing even faster absorption of water. Colorado finds it increasing hard to serve a state as big as California and there are concerns about possible water shortage. California is a huge state and in order for Colorado to supply water, it needs to extract additional 6 MAF of water from reservoirs and storage systems. This has largely had a huge burden on Colorado's water system and during some heavy droughts, its agriculture, recreation, municipalities, and the environment suffered a serious blow. But Colorado is legally obligated to supply water to California due to several interstate compacts, international treaties, and court ordered apportionment. While the state is suffering because of heavy demand of water and not adequate supply, it has managed to somehow been the main supplier for decades. However this will increasingly become difficult as Colorado's population increases. Colorado's population is expected to increase by another 2.8 million by 2030. And this would mean greater demand for water. Colorado would then need an additional 630,000 AF of water supplies to meet its new obligations. Colorado is working on different plans to increase its water supply. Some of these include planning for new reservoirs and dams, expanding existing storage systems and conservation. Summers also place an additional burden on Colorado's water supply. As summer arrives, not only the demand for water increases, the supply also shrinks due to evaporation and heat. This puts Colorado in a precarious situation. We need to understand that while many neighboring states depend on Colorado water, the supply is still not enough and these demands are placing a huge burden on Colorado's capacity to generate water. 1 ("Colorado wrestles", 2007) California needs to exploit other ways in which in can meet the water demands of its people. Placing excess burden on one state is highly dangerous for the health of the state and its people. California has also been warned to limit its dependence on and use of Colorado water. The state is currently drawing much more water than it has been allotted but promises to reduce its dependence by 2015. In a news article, it was reported that, "Dubbed the "4.4 Plan," it lets California receive surplus Colorado River water that would otherwise go to the other states, in return for California's pledge to reduce reliance on the river within 15 years. California is entitled to 4.4 million acre feet of water a year under the 1928 Boulder Canyon Project Act. That agreement was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1964. Nevada is allotted 300,000 acre feet. Arizona gets 2.8 million acre feet. An acre foot of water is about 326,000 gallons, or roughly the amount needed for an average family of five fo r one year. In recent years, California's annual draw has grown to as much as 800,000 acre feet above its allotment."2