Macbeth: A King in Name Only Essay

â€Å"I am, indeed, a king, because I know how to rule myself† (Pietro Aretino). Effective kings know how to rule themselves and their people. Throughout William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the protagonist shows that he lacks verity, or the ability to be truthful. Similarly, Macbeth is in need of stability. Finally, Macbeth shows that he lacks patience. The characteristics that Macbeth demonstrates in the play suggest that he is an ineffective ruler due to his lack of verity, stability, and patience, several qualities which Malcolm describes as required of an effective ruler. Being truthful is a necessary and important characteristic for a ruler to be effective. A ruler who lacks verity will be challenged and others will not trust him. A ruler needs the support of his people and can gain their respect by being truthful. Throughout the play, Macbeth shows a lack of truthfulness to many people, including himself. When Macbeth finishes discussing the details of how he and Lady Macbeth will murder King Duncan, he leaves her by saying, â€Å"[Go], and mock the time with the fairest show: / False face must hide what the false heart doth know† (Mac. 1.7.82-83). Macbeth is telling Lady Macbeth to act like a welcoming and friendly hostess for their special guest, Duncan, while hiding her dark desires to kill him and take his rule over Scotland. Early in the play, this shows that Macbeth is very untruthful and wants other people to think the opposite of what he is thinking. This parallels the theme of appearance versus reality because Macbeth wants his wife to look like she is friendly and warm, but in her heart know her intentions of killing the king. After killing Duncan, Macbeth regrets his bad choice, but then lies when he is talking to Banquo about the witches’ prophecies by saying, â€Å"I think not of them† (2.1.22). This demonstrates Macbeth’s lack of verity because he tells Banquo that he is not thinking about the witches’ prophecies, but he certainly is. Macbeth’s over-ambitious nature causes him to be untruthful in his thoughts and his actions. His thoughts are now starting to take control of his actions. Not only does Macbeth lack the truthfulness required of an effective ruler, but his stability is also questionable. To be effective, a ruler must exhibit stability. He must be calm and be able to control his emotions. He cannot  make careless or irrational decisions and must act in the best interest of others, rather than focusing on himself. Demonstration of this quality through these actions is important in winning trust and respect from those under his rule. Macbeth’s mental stability starts to deteriorate and this leads to impure and insane behaviour. Macbeth is still contemplating killing Duncan, when he has a hallucination and says: Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling, as to sight? or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? (2.1.33-39) Macbeth sees a dagger with drops of blood all over it, the blade pointing to Duncan and the handle to him. This suggests that fate is telling Macbeth to kill Duncan. This shows Macbeth’s mental instability because he is imagining the image of a bloody dagger, which indeed suggests that he is unstable and not fit to be an effective king. Macbeth’s mental deterioration starts to show even more when he sees Banquo’s ghost at a banquet he holds for his lords. Macbeth appears to get angry at the ghost of Banquo when he slams his cup down saying, â€Å"Avaunt! and quit my sight! let the earth hide thee! / Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; / Thou hast no speculation in those eyes / Which thou dost glare with† (3.4.93-96). At this point, even Macbeth’s guests start to question him and Lady Macbeth tries to calm him down. This suggests he is feeling guilty from all of the evil deeds he has committed, especially the murder of his dear friend, Banqu o. Throughout the play, Macbeth’s instability causes him to commit selfish and illogical deeds, which leads to great chaos in Scotland. An unstable ruler will cause chaos in his land and will therefore be an ineffective ruler. Since Macbeth’s mental state is quickly deteriorating, he is being forced to make quick decisions which he does not think through. Finally, in order to deal with people effectively, a strong ruler needs patience. People have different opinions and needs and a ruler must react to challenges calmly,  taking time to consider all facts to make decisions in the best interest of the country. A ruler who shows patience becomes more approachable to his subjects who trust the ruler to make good decisions. Macbeth does not demonstrate this quality and his lack of patience leads him to make irrational decisions and to overthink things, thus contributing to his downfall. Macbeth’s great ambition controls his actions and makes him more impatient. Macbeth shows his ambition early in the play, after he and Banquo receive their prophecies from the â€Å"weird† sisters. At first, they question the prophecies they receive, but then Macbeth becomes impatient and wants to be king as quickly as possible and against all odds. At the king’s palace, he proves his impatience by saying, â€Å"The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step,/ On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap† (1.4.48-49). Macbeth means that he must either stay where he is right now, or he must commit evil deeds to get what he wants, which is to become king. This shows he is impatient because the prophecies could have meant that Macbeth was going to become king by fate, but instead he took it into his own hands to become king. He did not want to wait for fate to take its course. It is Lady Macbeth who persuades Macbeth to kill the king and she fuels Macbeth’s ambition by calling him a coward and unmanly. He feels that he has to prove himself to Lady Macbeth, so he follows through and kills the king rather than taking time to think through the consequences. Macbeth again proves his blind ambition and shows his impatient nature when he prepares to kill the king. Macbeth recognizes his blind ambition because â€Å"[he has] no spur/ To prick the sides of [his] intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself,/ And falls on the other† (1.7.25-28). Macbeth admits his ambition and says that this is the only reason he can give for wanting to kill the king so quickly. Macbeth’s impatience and ambition later lead him to kill Banquo and Macduff’s family in order to quickly remove obstacles he perceives are in the way of him becoming king. Macbeth’s impatience to become king continues as he becomes an ineffective ruler and disrupts the order of the once happy Scotland. The protagonist, Macbeth, brings chaos to Scotland because of his lack of verity, stability, and patience, all qualities which Malcolm states are necessary for a good king. Macbeth shows he lacks truth through his many lies. That he also lacks stability is proven in his many hallucinations. Finally, Macbeth’s impatience is proven through  his blindly ambitious murders. Macbeth is clearly an in effective ruler, but if you were king, would you know how to rule yourself? Works Cited Shakespeare, W. Macbeth. Toronto: Canadian School Book Exchange, 1996. Print.

Discussion

Violating my copyright privileges is definitely not a good thing. I am all for sharing music. If music was not shared, some of the smaller acts would never be recognized. As for my scenario my employment and income is based off of music sales. In this case I am not okay with it. The Fair Use Act seeks to protect people from others reproducing their content without consent.By people sharing my music they are violating the fair use act cause I did not give this music away for free in the first place.. The reduction in my profits is a terrible thing. I am not sure how to stop copyright infringement. There really is no way to stop people from sharing music unless we make it more affordable. This also hurts the artist who is signed to a record label. The record label takes a percentage of sales for promoting and distributing the material.If we could aka music available digitally that can help reduce the cost of an album. It eliminates packaging and shipping. There really are no legal reme dies to pursue In my opinion. By suing fans you will create a bad name and make people not want to purchase your material. It is hard to sue everyone as well. Some people cannot be caught. All we can do Is find a new way to deliver music that will not be able to be copied and distributed. Tunes Is a great example. Discussion Many papers have been writing on the subject of exploitation of the poor by multinationals and there is no easy answer or solution to satisfy both sides; economists and ethicists are continuously debating on the back of the increasing expectations from the consumer population for firms, to behave socially and environmentally responsibly. The Economist Approach The world of business is no romance; it is a place populated with various stakeholders and the survival and long-term success of an MEN is dependent on meeting the needs of these stakeholders.Friedman's free market school of thought from the ass is still relevant today: the key role of a business is to satisfy the needs of these stakeholders (Penn. 2009). As a CEO, I would justify my global strategy very simply; doing business with the bottom Of the economic pyramid (BOP) is part of the global strategy of any MEN and ignoring this segment would be a failure on my part to my primary stakeholders.While the billions of people in t he world who survive on $2 a day may seem to have little purchasing power, ‘the sheer number of these individuals makes up a potential market of trillions of dollars as disposable income† as suggested by Parallax and Hart (2002). With a little vision to the not so far future, it is easy to imagine that as developing economies become transient economies, these billions of people â€Å"move up the income distribution ladder and swell the ranks of the lower-middle and middle income tiers† (Parallax,C.K. 2005). In emerging markets, the BOP has needs as much as the top of the pyramid but they do not have the same income, therefore I would adopt different distribution, packaging and pricing tragedies for that specific segment. The Ethicist Approach As a businesswoman, I would want to keep a strong ethical reputation and as a CEO, I would want my firm to keep a strong ethical brand image and not be seen to be exploitative.While my primary role would be the pursuit of eco nomic performance, acting socially and environmentally responsible would not have to be contradictory as part of my strategy planning. Porter and Kramer (2006) have argued that a firm's social responsibility initiatives must be aligned with its overall strategic direction to be truly effective, that is, profitable. When planning my strategy for doing business with the BOP, I would ensure that managers of all levels in the company are truly aligned with the CARS values. Loud ensure that the decision-making process when considering Foreign Direct Investment (FED) would not just be driven by the economical outcome but also by the â€Å"ethical attitude† and practices of the country receiving the investment. The long-term effect of investing in countries involved with corruption for example would both me as person and would not fit with the corporate image and profile, would hope my firm would want to achieve.Therefore, in my view, conducting business in a responsible way, social ly and environmentally, with the BOP can deliver on the â€Å"triple bottom line' and exploiting that segment of the pyramid does not mean the exploiting the people in it. Discussion Organizational management is a variety of tools and assets that must be managed well in order to be successful. Patients are our number one stakeholder in health care and health care is a business that requires a strategic mindset to steer a health care facility not only in profitability but also in innovation to keep up with new medicines and technology.Having a strategic mindset not only look at the present but also looks at the past for mistakes that as a health care manager can learn from to ensure those stakes will not happen again, but also looks abroad to the competition and future projects which can bolster opportunities to capture more patients for the facility. The key elements of organizational strategy, according to Patrice Spats and Stanley Abraham IS, † It requires identifying who its competitors are and how it might best them. It means accurately identifying its consumers and knowing what they want.It entails determining whether it can produce the kinds of servic es consumers want to buy, whether it has the people and organizational structure to make it all happen, and, most important, how to make a profit when all is said and done. â€Å"(Spats, & Abraham, 2013, peg. 1. 4) These key elements are in direct relationship with a strategic mindset because these are the blueprint to be successful in healthcare. Profits is a key element at the end of the day is what matters, yes we want to cure diseases and help as many people as we can but if you have no money to find those initiatives than unfortunately you will become bankrupt.Everybody has the capacity to learn traits to become a successful health care manager but you have to have the motivation and drive to learn these traits. There are many resources to help and guide you to develop a strategic mind but you have to be motivated to take the time and learn and develop those traits. Discussion Please use as a basis for your discussion the following question: Do you think the events of this chapter (Chapter 2) are isolated instances of business malfeasance, or are they systemic throughout the business world? I don't think events in Chapter 2 are isolated instances of business malfeasance. From the cases of Enron, Arthur Andersen and World, it's easy to find some similarities.All of them focused on short-term revenue and ignored the long-term development and companies' integrity and reputation; all of them couldn't successfully solve the interest conflict between â€Å"people on the top† and current and respective shareholders. For companies, the main goal and theme is to make more profit in general. A stably raising stock price satisfies the board of directors as well as attracts investors to make investment.To achieve this goal, there are two ways to go: one is following all the audit and accounting ethics when directing the company, which may be slow but stable and beneficial in long term; another one Is cheating and walking on the borderline of ethics, which can make a lot revenue In short term but prohibits the company's healthy development in the future. Obviously, companies In those cases In Chapter 2 chose the second way. However, I can hardly say that they are symmetric problem In the business world.Although there are some bad apples In the tree, there are more companies which aim to long-term healthy development and obey rules and regulations. I agree with Currant's opinion that there Is a give and take relationship on both sides of companies and investors. The two-side relationship urges companies to follow their policies within ethics, especially In current world where there are more Acts to regulate behavior of corporations as well as technology and Internet makes Information more transparent.

Discuss the effectiveness of the opening chapter of ‘Great Expectations’ Essay

Charles Dickens was a very famous writer who was born 7th February 1812. One of most famous books is ‘Great Expectations’ which was serialised in 1860. ‘Great Expectations’ is about a young infant boy called Pip (Philip Pirrip) whose mother, father and five little brothers are all departed. His sister Mrs Joe Gargery and her husband Mr Joe Gargery, a blacksmith, then looked after Pip. The novel ‘Great Expectations’ begins very swiftly and promptly, as the start of the novel sees Pip visiting his deceased family. I think this is very effective in a story like this because straight away Dickens wants to show Pip’s isolation and fear, as he stands alone before his families’ gravestones at the start of the novel and how he explains that his sister ‘brought him up by hand’, this means that his sister would beat him if he did something wrong. This was not uncommon at the time when this novel was written because in the 19th Century, orphans and convicted criminals, like Pip and Magwich, were very badly treated and physically abused; the treatment that these unfortunate people suffered was inhumane. Dickens knew that this was not right so one of the main reasons why Dickens wrote this novel was to inform and notify the audience about the mistreating of orphans and convicts. He tried to change society by writing other novels as well based on the same principal such as Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickelby. In the story I think Dickens describes the environmental scenery very effectively as he describes Magwich in the same way. Also the bleak environment works well together with the isolation and fear of Pip while alone in the graveyard. There is a good comparison between the description of the environment and with the description of Magwich as they are both described as bleak, grim and frightening. The environment is described as † Bleak, desolate place overgrown with nettles, and the dark, flat wilderness beyond the churchyard† and the convict is describes as † A fearful man, all in coarse grey†. I think Dickens has purposely done this to make the opening chapter more effective to the audience and more alarming to Pip. However even thought Magwich is describes as frightening and horrendous, the way Dickens describes him and the language that he uses, make us feel quite sympathetic towards Magwich, † torn by briars, stung by nettles, soaked in water, smothered in mud etc†, this quotation from the novel makes us feel sorry for the unfortunate convict. Dickens’s storyline and words also makes us feel sorry for young Pip as in the past he has lost his Mother, Father and five younger Brothers and the fright of being ‘held hostage’ by Magwich. In addition to Magwich’s fright Dickens also produces some humour from the things Magwich says. For example when Magwich requests that Pip go and fetch him a file and some wittles, however if Pip does not fulfil Magwich’s requests then a young man will cut out his heart and liver, this make the novel more enjoyable for the audience. † You fail and your heart and liver shall be torn out†. Dickens’s effective use of language and words presents us with an understanding of Pip’s fear and isolation throughout the novel. As stated before Dickens uses high-quality description of his characters, this makes them stand out from the rest and become more vivid. I think this is because as Dickens was growing up his father was always in debt and in and out of prison, so Dickens was sent to work at the young age of 12 and Dickens stated ‘They were the most terrible times of my life’. From this I have come to the conclusion that Dickens created Pip from his own experience in life and because Dickens actually lived like Pip, it makes him sound more realistic and believable for the audience. Dickens lived like Pip and experienced the brutal treatment for himself. The novel ‘Great Expectations’ is actually being told by Pip himself, but not as a child, as an adult looking back at when he was younger. This is very effective and is successful language by Dickens, as it gives us an adult opinion and perspective of a child’s life. We know that the narrator is a mature one, because he talks about his childish conclusions of his family by looking at the inscriptions on their gravestones and how his ‘infantile tongue’ could only make out the name Pip from his full name. â€Å"From the inscriptions, I drew a childish conclusion that my mother was freckled and sickly†. In the 19th Century children were horrendously mistreated as they were sent to work in dirty, odious factories from the age of 10. At the time orphanages did not exist so orphans were hired by people for odd jobs, who paid them just enough to survive. Convicted criminals were also very neglected at this time. Dickens picked up on this and decided that society needed to change, so Dickens wrote this novel, not only to earn a living and entertain but also to inform and notify the audience about the mistreating of orphans and convicts. He also tried to change society by writing other novels based on the same principal such as Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickelby. Here we encounter a similarity between chapters one and eight, because in chapter eight Pip goes on regular visits to see Miss Havisham who is very rich and cultured. Nonetheless as Pip gets to know Miss Havisham he realises that she is not the person that he expected because when we get to know Miss Havisham we realise that she is quite sadistic and cruel, as she wants to avenge men for her past adversity. Miss Havisham is very rich and cultured so she should know better than to be sadistic and heartless towards Pip. This relates to the opening chapter because in it Pip encounters Magwich the old, ill-fated convict who seems fearsome at the time of the meeting. However as he gets to know Magwich, he realises that Magwich is quite kind and gentle. This is in contrasts with chapter eight because Miss Havisham seems nice but he realises she is cruel and in chapter one Magwich seems fearful but is really kind. Chapters one and eight relate to each other quite well because both Miss Havisham and Magwich are not what they seem to Pip and first glance, this is an example of the old saying ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’. It is because of Dickens’s excellent choice of words and language that these two chapters relate so well together, and this is something that Dickens does throughout the novel. It is also because of Dickens’s choice of words why his main character is called Pip; because the word Pip means a seed from which things grow. This is true of the text because Pip does grow throughout the novel from a young orphan to a rich gentlemen, so the name Pip is a very interesting name for this novel. The social and historical setting in this novel is in similarity with the real life environment at the time as in the novel Magwich the convict has been very badly treated and is very adverse, this also happened in the environment at the time that this novel was wrote. Also the brutal abuse of Pip the orphan is similar to the exploitation of the orphans in the surrounding atmosphere. By reading this novel we can get a rough idea of the physical abuse that the orphans and convicts suffered at the time, I think this is very useful because it would have been a very good real-life novel. On a whole I think that chapter one of ‘Great Expectations’ is very effective by the choice of language and words used by the famous, experienced writer Charles Dickens. However if we look at chapter one in relation to chapter two I think that chapter one and chapter two go together to make a unit, Nevertheless chapter one is still very successful.

Business Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Business Decision Making - Essay Example The individual, the community and the social and political hierarchy that constitute the system, now face new risks brought forth by the choices they have to make or will make in the future. This is a result of the deluge of information, the flooding of goods in a free market economy and the proliferation of environmental and scientific awareness that conflict with other pieces of information, alternative goods and concepts that are readily available at a flick of a finger. These aforementioned conveniences and awareness are sometimes deemed liabilities in contemporary society as access to specialized knowledge and the profound understanding of risks have deemed it difficult for societies to formulate institutional and collective decisions. However, individuals, with their predilection for personal control, are in some ways encouraged by consumerism and their ability to purchase and thus, decision-making can easily be generated in the personal level. The present transition of societies from industrial to knowledge societies has significantly affected not just individuals but also the economy and our political structure as well. With the societies' and the individual's volume of knowledge at the effortless disposal increasing at a high-speed rate and doubling every five years, the rise of the new social order founded on knowledge is inevitable (Stehr, 2001). The swift metamorphosis that our society will undergo in the near future will affect our politics and our democratic ideals. Nico Stehr asserts that knowledge is not just a 'constitutive' factor of the market economy but a fundamental 'organisational principle' upon which we base our very existence - even our way of life (2001). Living in a knowledge society only means that we systematize our social and political structures on the basis of what we know. This has significant implications in that knowledge and technology have freed us from the clutches of religious, military an d monarchic hegemony - monolithic institutions which are now considered obsolete. However, it is important to note that the political system's regulation of social circumstances, involving mainly careful planning, controlling, managing and forecasting of the aforesaid social conditions, has increasingly become difficult as society has faced fragility. This is not brought about by the emergence of the global culture and economy or the 'economisation' of social relations but the disappearance of political power in the face of increasing knowledge. The rise of a more hierarchal society which sprang from the attainment of knowledge has become more noticeable in more liberal democratic states as equality of knowledge of complex issues plaguing many democracies around the world is necessary for political legitimacy - one which arises from democratic participation (Teune et al, 2001). The key concept that most citizens consider is the legitimacy of the hierarchy in the political realm whic h could not be achieved unless democratic participation is encouraged and effected. For democracy to work, the surfacing of the informed citizenry which is passionately involved in participatory democracy is necessary. Understanding of these complex issues, however, requires the use of knowledge, and with the shaping of the general public to a robust knowledge society, differences and conflicts in opinion and ideas usually hampers the swift promulgation of policies that are necessary for the

American old film class Gone with the Wind and Red River Essay

American old film class Gone with the Wind and Red River - Essay Example But when we go through the actual history, we could realize that the slave trade was a peak cause for the out burst of the civil war, and also we could understand the slave trade and the treatment of slaves, the minimal or zero freedom given to them even to make decision in their daily activities etc. This aspect seems to be missing in this film, though the term ‘darkies† has been referred to the black slave characters who appear in the screen, is one of the influences of the history and the sentiments of the civil war. The photography of the Old South, the plantations of the Tara, where the heroine wants to take refugee with her family, is all resemblances of the Civil War period. But then the cinematic effect could be identified as aloof from reality. The character of Mammy, one of the happiest of black slaves is found out to be an exceptional slave, as she seems to be a very happy person, utilizing the full freedom in her household. This aspect, as mentioned above deviates from the historical notion or the Civil War notion of how a salve was treated during that time. Freedom was a constraint for the slaves during the Civil war time. Coming to the Red River, the cattle herding, which was found out to be the most profitable income for the cowboys and which also gave a good recognition for the cowboys during the time when Chisholm Trial was opened. This event was also taken place during the time of Civil War. On the whole both the movies were centered on the years 1850-1870. The location, Texas, where the film was shoot is yet another point for the success of this movie. But coming to the point of cattle herds that were driven through the trial, is becomes quiet doubtful whether the cattle herds shown in the movie driven by Dunstan really bring out an accurate picture or effect of the original historical incident. Because it has been recorded in many history books that there were thousands and

Marketing concept Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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How Multi-sensory Teaching Materials helping students with Dyslexia Essay

How Multi-sensory Teaching Materials helping students with Dyslexia - Essay Example Knowing how each of these components affect the other makes the school teachers and school administrators have a better idea on how they can improve the overall learning experience of students with learning disability. A case-based investigation was conducted to test the difference between the use of pure visual and hearing sensory with the use of multisensory teaching materials which does not only stimulate the students’ visual and hearing sensory but also their kinaesthetic (motor memory) and tactile (hands) sensory. The research findings revealed that the use of multisensory teaching materials is better since students with dyslexia can have visual dysfunction, hearing impairment or both. This study also provided some ways on how to apply a whole school approach when implementing the use of multisensory teaching materials in the local schools. Defined by the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, dyslexia is â€Å"a brained-based type of learning disability that specifically impairs a person’s ability to read† (NINDS, 2010). Even though the level of dyslexia varies from one person to another, it is common for students with dyslexia to have problems with reading, writing, and spelling out words. With a gender ratio of 3.29 boys to 1 girl, Cantonese-speaking Chinese children in Hong Kong between the age brackets of 6 to 10-1/2 years old were found to have an incidence rate of 0.66% dyslexia cases (Chan et al., 2008). Despite the high incidence rate of dyslexia among the Cantonese-speaking Chinese children in Hong Kong, there are still a lot of middle and high school teachers who are inadequately prepared to teach students whose academic reading and writing skills are below the average level (Strickland & Alvermann, 2004, pp. 1 – 13). Modifying the teaching methods and educational environment are necessary to enhance the

Ole Wever and the Idea of Securitization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 233

Assignment Example e 12 workweeks of leave in a 12 month period and twenty-six workweeks of leave during a single 12 month period in the instances when one has to care for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness in instances where the eligible employee is the spouse of a service member or even a parent, son, daughter or next of kin. In the first video, while Mark will need more time, 2 to 3 days every week for his chemotherapy which push his total leave weeks to between 14-15 weeks for the year, and the fact that he will still need some time off at the end of it all, Danielle cannot do anything about extending the FMLA leave for him since the act is very clear about an employee being entitled to twelve workweeks of leave in a 12 month period. In the case of Lucy, the fact that she refuses to disclose the main reason for which she will require the leave makes it difficult to determine whether she will qualify. However, in the case that she still qualifies, then it would be difficult to allow her 2 months off if she has already exhausted his recommended 12 weeks. This will be left to the HR to determine. In the third video, the fact that the employee is pregnant makes her qualify for the FMLA leave for 12 weeks. However, since she has already used 3 weeks to take care of her mother will leave her with only nine weeks hence her request for three more weeks could only be considered in the event that her mother was a covered service member in which case she would be entitled to twenty six workweeks of leave during a 12 month period. and Families of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources, United States Senate, One Hundred Fourth Congress, Second Session, on the Implementation of the Family and Medical Leave Act, May 9, 1996. Washington: U.S. G.P.O, 1996.

Marketing an Australian Wine to Hong Kong Wine Market Essay

Marketing an Australian Wine to Hong Kong Wine Market - Essay Example The growth in Hong Kong wine market is attributed to the abolishing of the duty on wine by the Hong Kong government. About 40% of the US$ 1.3bn worth of wine traded annually in London is bought by consumers in Hong Kong and China (Franz, 2008). Similarly, according to Parker (2010) a glass of wine raised by a Hong Kong resident is likely to have come from the Australian vineyard. The Australian wine industry considers Hong Kong as a major market. Because of the abolition of duties and taxes on wine in Hong Kong, exports from Australia to Hong Kong has increased manifold. Australia is an important source for high quality beverages including wine for Hong Kong’s restaurants. Hong Kong’s strategy to become the hub for wine trading in the Asian region presents opportunities for the Australian wine producers and for providers of wine-related services, like storage and auctioning (Dfat, 2010). Hong Kong enjoys locational advantage as far as wine auctions in the region are con cerned. The total wine auction sales in the region reached $160 million and now along with the United States, Hong Kong has become one of the two most important centers for wine auction (Hong Kong Digest, 2011). This is the reason that Australian wine makers, Brown Brothers, are eyeing Hong Kong to market its products. Hong Kong has the potential to influence trends in the region through events such as Wine and Spirits Fair which attracts audience from mainland China and other countries. Brown Brothers offers the most seasoned and diverse ranges of quality wine. Decrease in taxes makes cheaper wine popular (Asia Travel Tips, 2011). The Hong Kong youth between 21-28 years would prefer cheaper wines as they are yet to be established in life. Thus this study aims to evaluate marketing of wine to this segment. An external environmental analysis would help Brown Bothers understand and formulate the marketing strategy for Hong Kong. The external environment can be analyzed based on the po litical, economical, socio-cultural and legal environment, along with the wine sector in Hong Kong. Wine sector in Hong Kong Hong Kong’s alcoholic beverage market faced distortions because of the excessive duties on wines and spirits (APCO, 2010). The prices were artificially high and the local residents as well as the expatriates were forced to choose lower-quality beverages which impacted consumer choice. Hong Kong had very high level of taxation on wines compared to its neighbors and this increased illegal smuggling of alcoholic beverages. This caused loss of government tax revenue. The Hong Kong Wine & Spirits Industry Coalition (HKWSIC) used the services of APCO to represent the views of the consumers and the industry. Study and presentation of the results by APCO forced the Hong Kong government to abolish the taxation on wine products. External environment analysis Political environment Hong Kong is governed by the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Regio n of the People's Republic of China (Dfat, 2010). Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region and is a capitalist society enjoying high political stability. It has an ‘executive-led’ system inherited from the British Colonial Administration. The Chief executive is appointed by Beijing after election and has the power to initiate legislation (Dfat, 2010). There is limited democracy as it still follows the Basic Law approved in 1990.

Borrowings in Classical Music Between Countries, Composers, Different Essay - 1

Borrowings in Classical Music Between Countries, Composers, Different Ages - Essay Example The opera Fidelio was performed in 1805 and was the only opera of L. Beethoven. 1805 was a watershed between German Classicism and German Romanticism marked a new era in German music and artistic movement. The opera Fidelio belongs to German Classic era depicting domestic comedy and high seriousness of social landscape. The artistic movement of this age was open to every foreign idea, new or old, and interested itself in every accessible literature. It was partly because the artistic movement was not deeply rooted in the national life that it drew so much of its matter from foreign sources, until as critics have seen a desire for national originality began to arise, in advance of patriotism. It is obvious that the free use of the intellectual and artistic capital of German’s neighbors was an advantage, even a necessity for Germany in her backward condition; these countries themselves had freely plundered superior civilization in their own day as every 'young' literature must; these in their particular made no secret of his immense debt to France and England. That the results of these borrowings were not always fortunate goes without saying; Insel Felsenburg and Die schwedische Grà ¤fin have few of the merits of the work of Defoe and Richardson. But what is perhaps peculiar to Germany in this matter of imitation is that the habit became so deeply rooted that even national pride could not affect it much, and came in fact, by a natural compensation, to claim this very receptivity as a national virtue (Breuilly, 2001). The German nation, narrowly confined geographically and politically disunited, cannot be expected to produce one, and, speaking just after the French Revolution, Goethe hesitates to wish for the upheaval that would be required in Germany to prepare the way for classical works. But his words indicate that it is by no means certain that he would have disapproved of the Nationalism of modern Germany if he could have lived to see it (Gagliardo 19 91). He might have looked upon it as a necessary stage in the evolution of truly classical German literature.

Letter of Motivation Essay Example for Free

Letter of Motivation Essay Today’s world is like an open book. We people now have information at our fingertips and that has helped us in drastically improving the way we live. This change in our world, into one huge global entity can be attributed to the communication revolution that our world underwent. From the radio to the computer, the developments in the field of electronics have intrigued me since childhood. My interests became my passion and motivated me to pursue my Bachelor degree in Electronics and Communication. My quest for hands-on experience motivated me in making a radio receiver in my third semester of Bachelors. But after finishing my B-Tech, I realized that I had mastered only the basics and that there is still a lot more to learn to truly comprehend the nuances of the subject. This led to my decision to pursue a Master degree and broaden my knowledge base. I believe that being able to pursue a Master Degree program in Hochschule Darmstadt will also be a motivation for me to further study and research in a field that has interested me for so long. My decision of applying to Hochschule Darmstadt, for Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies is based mainly on the course structure and the various research opportunities that I will encounter there. The eminent panel of experts handling the various topics and the resources of the university assures me of the studying experience that I hope to have. As part of my Bachelors project I did a MATLAB based project named â€Å"Copter Eyes† with introduction of a new Video Mosaicing technique. My project brought forth a comprehensive technique of real time color Video Mosaicing which invited the attention and funding of two major Institutions namely â€Å"Center for Engineering Research and Development (CERD)† and â€Å"Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment (KSCSTE)†. As part of the mini project of my Bachelors course, I have also worked on a microcontroller based device that works on various modes and functioned as ASCII transmitter and receiver, Pulse Width Modulator, IR Tester, Capacitance and Frequency Meter, Signal Generator, Voltage meter and Logic Probe . This small endeavor of mine was greatly appreciated by my lecturers and has been adopted by the Communication Laboratory of my college. My initial idea for the Bachelor project was a communication based project, but due to the lack of technical knowhow I was not able to go through with my project. I believe that with the knowledge pool in Hochschule Darmstadt I would be able to work on this project and also hopefully on other new ideas. I have an interest in teaching and I am currently helping many Electronics and Communication students with their MATLAB based Engineering projects at the â€Å"Institute of Human Resource Development†. I am a firm believer that knowledge grows with spreading and my teaching helps me enrich myself and the young minds of India. I am also an active member of an international organization called ICPF (Inter Collegiate Prayer Fellowship) whose vision is to impact the new generation with the Lord’s Word. I was also the coordinator of â€Å"Electrino Association† of my college responsible for organization of seminars, project expos and technical fest in the field of electronics and communication. I have won many prizes in technical fests and technical quiz competitions. I am also a sport enthusiast and have won many prizes in athletics, especially in long jump. I believe that my involvement in extracurricular activities helped me to become a dynamic and responsible person. It is my greatest desire as a student, to pursue Masters Studies in a course that would help me stand out in a crowd, from a university that can offer an enriching and exciting academic life, so that I can propel my career with an excellent start. I sincerely hope that considering my academic record and my interests, I would be able to associate with your prestigious university in successfully pursuing a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies. I also hope to contribute to the research work being conducted in Hochschule Darmstadt and thereby gain significantly from the expertise that the university has in this prospective field.

Hangzhou Wahaha Food Group Management Essay

Hangzhou Wahaha Food Group Management Essay In the global market today, culture has gradually seeped into our daily lives. People can no longer work within their own comfort zone, but the current business markets requires a need to step out of peoples comfort zone to explore the wonders of cross cultural working culture. Like a coin, Culture has its flip side though it has been considered as one of the main factors in shaping and accounting for successful business attempt. However, culture has always been considered a sensitive topic among people, companies and even the nations. In the recent years, many multi-national companies have not yet grasp the culture of the country which they are operating or selling their products in. By using case studies of Danone Vs Wahaha and Renault Vs Nissan in our research, we attempt to compare the vast differences in national culture between France, China and Japan using Geert Hofstedes 6 dimensions of defining and interpreting culture. In 1996, Chinas Hangzhou Wahaha food group, Frances Danone group and Hong Kongs Bai fu qin corporation decided to form a joint venture named Wahaha. In this joint venture, Danone attempted to enter the china market using Wahaha brand that is well-received by the Chinese. However, problems started to arise when Danone become the biggest shareholder in 1998; thus producing resentment from the Chinas Wahaha group as they felt that Danone has misled them from the very beginning. To worsen the problem, Hangzhou Wahaha food group that is managed by Chairman Zong was accused of breaching the contract by establishing non-joint ventures which have infringed the interest of Danone, claiming that the Hangzhou Wahahas establishment of the nonjoint ventures as well as the illegal use of the Wahaha trademark has violated the clause started in the contract. After which Wahahas Chairman Zong was sued into courts by Danone in California and Italy, he further created a series of small companies produc ing the same products as the joint venture. The Wahaha Vs Danone case has significantly depicted a dispute between ownership rights. If reading were done further in depth, conflicts between Danone and Wahaha may be caused by unawareness of the cross cultural differences between France and China. Nissan Vs Renault Nissan, a Japanese company and Renault, a French company have decided to come together to work on a joint project. Both companies were well known for their distinct corporate cultures and brand identity. The joint project was formed as both companies shares a single joint of strategy for profitable growth and community of interest. However, Nissans management style strongly encouraged group performance while the Renault focuses on individual performance. Communication between the top management and employees were not clear and direct, therefore resulting in misunderstanding within the company. The conflict arises between the 2 partners was due to Nissans employees assumed that Renault was another company similar to them by encouraging group performance. However, Renaults management style belongs to a much more individualistic approach, making the Nissans employees felt uncomfortable of having the feeling of losing their family atmosphere. Communication between the Nissan employees and Renault employees broke down; Nissan did not understood what were Renaults main objectives and their company goals in their partnership with Nissan. Some of the Nissans managers felt frustrated and opposed to the entry of Renault representative on Nissans board. The managers were old employees, and they felt that employees should be promoted according to their seniority instead of individual performance. The breakdown of communication is also caused by the differences in their language. With such a significant difference in their management style, there is a need in cross cultural awareness f or the business joint venture to be a successful one. Geert Hofstedes 6 dimensions According to Geert Hofstedes cultural research studies, he has interpreted that culture can be classified into 6 different dimensions; Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism Vs Collectivism, Masculinity Vs Femininity, Long term orientation Vs Short term orientation. The table below shows the different scores allocated to the different dimensions for France, China and Japan France China Japan Power Distance 68 80 54 Uncertainty Avoidance 86 30 92 Individualism Vs Collectivism 71 20 46 Masculinity Vs Femininity 43 66 95 Long Term Orientation Vs Short term Orientation 39 118 80 ** INSERT THE VALUES MEANING Power Distance Power distance deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal it expresses the attitude of the culture towards inequalities among us. Power distance can be defined as to the extent to which the less powerful expects and accepts that power is distributed unequally. (Geert Hofstede,2001 ) In comparison of France, China and Japan, China belongs to a society where the people believes that inequalities is acceptable where there is a presence of a powerful employer-subordinate relationship which the subordinate will abide by all rules and regulations set by the employer. France on the other hand may be prone towards a more hierarchical organization system where the attitude towards managers are more formal. Japan belongs to a more hierarchical society where the Japanese should be conscious of their hierarchical position in any situations. All decisions made must be confirmed by each level of the management and finally by the top management. Individualism Vs Collectivism In the dimension of Individualism Vs Collectivism, Individualism can be identified as the high degree of independence a society maintains among its members. It relates to peoples self image in terms of I while Collectivism can be identified to be the opposite. In a individualist society, people tends to only look after themselves and their direct family only while a collectivist society consists of people belonging to a group that takes care of them in exchange for their loyalty.(Geert Hofstede,2001) Comparing the 3 countries, there is a significant difference; China belongs to a highly collectivist country where people act at an interest of a group. In this norm, personal relationships prevail over the task and company. However in France, there is a certain degree of independence a society maintains among its members. The French prefers individual and private opinions and work relationships between the employer and employees are contract based where everyones focus is on the task itself. Communication within a individualist company would be direct where everyone can give their opinions freely if they do not agree. Referring back to the Nissan Vs Renault case, it has clearly shown that Renault (France) encouraged a more individualist approach by promoting individual initiatives and hoped that the employees are promoted through individual performance. Direct contacts between the top management and employees were encouraged in their individualistic approach. Japan similar to china belongs to a highly collectivist society, this can be shown through putting their harmony of group above the expression of individual opinions and the Japanese have a strong sense of shame for losing face. In the Nissan Vs Renault case, Nissans employees feel that it is important to have a family atmosphere in their working environment. The managers of Nissan felt frustrated and opposed to the entry of Nissan as they felt that promotions should be done according to seniority, not individual performance. This clearly shows that Nissan (Japan) belongs to a collectivist society. Masculinity Vs Feminity Masculinity Vs Feminity is another dimension where we can infer that a masculine society will be driven by competition, achievement and success. It is a value system that starts in the school and continues throughout organizational behavior. On the contrary, a feminine society will be driven by caring for others and quality of life. It is one where quality of life is the sign of success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable. (Geert Hofstede, 2001) In China, Leisure time to the Chinese is not as important compared to the status and better salaries. Such examples can be found in students as they care very much about their exam scores and ranking as the main criteria to achieve success or not. France belongs to a relatively feminine society. It may be due to their famous welfare system, securità © sociale where the French are only required to work 35 working hours per week and entitled to 5 weeks of holidays per year. France cares greatly for their quality of life and focuses more on work in order to live the reverse. Competition in the working environment is usually not encouraged and flashy signs of success should not be shown in the public. In the Renault Vs Nissan case, Nissan is shown to be treated males and females equally. Some of the female employees were offered several managerial positions in the company. Japan, a total opposite from France has a highly masculine culture. It is usually shown through competitive situations between groups, not individuals. Their famous workaholism is also another expression of their highly masculine culture. In Japan, women find it difficult to climb the corporate ladder due to their masculine norm of hard and long working hours. Contrasting Renault in the case study, Nissan belongs to a masculine company which managerial positions are only offered to the male employees, not the female workers. Uncertainty Avoidance Uncertainty avoidance has to do with how the society deals with the fact that their future will not be known. The unknown elements will bring about ambiguity and different cultures will react to the ambiguity in different ways. The uncertainty avoidance can be defined as the extent to which the members of a culture feels threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these. (Geert Hofstede, 2001) The high degree of ambiguity can be seen from the Chinese as their language is often full of ambiguity that can be seen as confusing for the westerners. It is shown that the Chinese are comfortable with ambiguity and seen to be adaptable and entrepreneurial. 70%-80% of Chinese businesses tend to be small to medium sized and family owned. France on the other hand tends to have their teachings and training done in a deductive approach. In the management level, rules and securities are ensured to create a stress free working environment and a certain level of expertise are welcomed. A change of policies can also be seen as a stressful event. Japanese is one of the few countries that have the highest uncertainty avoidance score. It may be due to the fact that Japan is constantly threatened with natural disasters such as earthquake, volcanoes eruptions that most Japanese are always prepared in any kind of situations. In the business environment, a lot of time and effort are put into feasibility studies and all the risk must be worked out before the project can proceed. Long term Vs Short term orientation In the Long term Vs Short term orientation, a long term orientation can be seen closely related to teachings of Confucius and can be separately interpreted as dealing with societys search for virtue. Long term orientation can be defined as the extent to which a society shows a pragmatic future orientated perspective while Short term orientation shows a conventional historical short term point of view. (Geert Hofstede, 2001) China belongs to a long term orientated society whereby persistence and perseverance is seen to be normal. The Chinese are thrifty and tends to invest in long term projects such as real estate. They also recognized that the government is by men rather than being influenced by external factors such as god or the laws. France on a contrary is a short term oriented society; there is a great respect towards traditions, cultures and their language. In business related issues, the French tends to focus on short term results and therefore, companies are usually driven by quarterly results. They do not focus on saving and the management style is based on self-reliance, personal achievement, hard work and managers are judged based on short term results. In Japan, people lives their lives guided by virtues and good examples in life. There is a hint of long term orientation in the constantly high rate of investment in RD, even through difficult times. This is all done for the sake of a steady growth for market share instead of a quarterly profit, thus increasing the durability of the company, serving the stakeholders and the society for many generations to come. From the graph above, it has shown that the cultural differences between France and China is distinctly difference in terms of their power distance, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty avoidance and Long term orientation. With that significant difference, there is furthermore a need to focus on the awareness of cross cultural differences between the 2 country in order for the joint venture between Wahaha and Danone to be a successful one. By relating back to the case study, Danone, the French company may not understand the ambiguity in how the Chinese operates in Wahaha and may misinterpreted their good intentions. Likewise, for Hangzhou Wahaha, it is founded by the Chairman Zong who started the company from a small company which may be very much more family-owned. Chairman Zong may not have a vast understanding of how international joint ventures works and can end up leading to bigger misunderstanding and conflicts which results in the failure of the joint venture or business at tempts. Given an example from the case study; Zhang Cheryl(2001) stated that the interpretation of losing control is different between the western society and china. In the western society, the meaning of losing control may not be treated at a personal level. However, losing control in china is equally be meant as losing face, and losing face in this case study would refers to losing the power to make decisions which puts Chairman Zong of Wahaha in a disrespectful situation among his employees. Wahaha therefore insist to runs normally in their daily operations in order to keep their face. To worsen the situation, Wahaha perceived it was losing face when Danone established other IJVs with their competitors resulting in Wahaha being less motivated to settle their conflicts and disputes between each other. From the case study, we have seen how important cross cultural awareness is important in shaping and cultivating a good business attempt. In comparison of France and Japan, there is still a significant difference in the 6 dimension index from Hofstedes theory. In the Nissan Vs Renault case study, the difference in management style, breakdown of communication, different cultural values and language barrier are factors which may have caused a conflict between the 2 companies. One of the major problems may be the different management style; where Nissan is prone to work in a family like atmosphere. However, Renault focus on individual performance where individual employees only cares about their own results. Nissan can also be seen as a more masculine society which managerial positions are only offered to male employees while Renault treats all employees as it can be shown that several managerial positions were taken up by female employees. In such a different cultural environment, it is important that both companies should have cross cultural awareness for the business venture to be successful. Importance of national culture As discussed above, The analysis and evaluation between Danone Vs Wahaha and Renault Vs Nissan (France, Japan China), we have identified and come to an understanding that both companies have failed to understand and account for each partys culture thus leading to main issues such as communication breakdown, management problems and conflicts. Previously where this essay has analyzed and critically evaluated the two different case studies of Danone Vs Wahaha and Renault Vs Nissan (countries France, China and Japan), what we have identified is that that both companies have failed to understand and account for each others culture because of the failure to do so, main issues like communication breakdown, management problems and conflict happens. It is therefore crucial for large multinational companies to be exposed to the different international cultural differences as in their daily operations they are exposed to multiple national cultures. This suggests that managing across borders introduces substantial complexity because it forces multinationals to attune their practices and approaches to each and every cultural context they operate in. In the previous section, Geert Hofstedes 6 dimensions index were discussed to evaluate the two case studies. It has shown that each country would have its own significant difference from the 6 dimension index from Hofstedes theory. Failure to appreciate and account for them can lead to issues like strain relationships between employees and employers or between stakeholders, communication breakdown between management team and drag down business performance. Each country has a unique cultural perspective and approach to certain situations and hence it is important for companies to strive to understand and support relevant programs or strategies in each region. However, based on Geert Hofstedes research on national culture, he has demonstrated that organizations can no longer ignore the impact of national cultures on organizations cultures particularly for multinational companies. It is also clear that in the current times, the implementation of positive organizational cultures and effectively merging of national cultures into organizational culture is critical for positive business performance and outcomes. Newman Nollen (1996) state that there is no one best way to manage a business. Differences in national cultures call for differences in management practices. One of their conclusions also states the importance of the congruence between management practices and the national culture should be in harmony in order to produce better performance outcomes, therefore pinpointing in another way the importance of cultural differences. Therefore, the management team of a company should pay extra attention to national cultural differences as it may influence the effectiveness of the strategies and decisions that the company makes. In addition, it may also affect the managers management style too. Therefore as a start, multinational companies should understand and be aware of the different types of national culture as well as adopting a fitting organizational culture themselves to account for international culture differences towards their employee, employers and well as their customers. Organizational Culture Greenberg and Baron (1997) define organizational culture as a cognitive framework consisting of attitudes, values, behavioral norms, and expectations. These values stated have a strong influence on employees behaviors, thinking, and behavioral patterns. For example, if a company is in the international business industry, having a culture that encourages diversity and adaptability will support its performance. In turn, the employees behaviors and thinking may be affected overtime and will react positively to diversity within their company and welcome it. In current times, companies operate in an increasingly complex and global environment where they are conducting more and more business in foreign countries. Apart from serving a global diverse marketplace, multinational companies would also consists of a diverse staff. As such, companies are faced with the challenge of managing a culturally diverse workforce. Martin (1992) and Goffee and Jones (1996) also demonstrates that strong cultures exist where employee values are unified and aligned to the values of the organization hence creating a sense of belonging and loyalty toward the company. Organizational culture is also an effective control mechanism for managing employee behavior. Therefore, this is a need for an organizational culture that fits to the needs of the company and its employees. Influence of Organizational culture Organizational culture shapes the way people do business, the way they do things varies across different countries. As such, same organizations of different national origins may have to do things differently and bearing in mind the culture of the nation or origin in which they operate. This certainly impacts on policies, communication strategies, organizational structure, human resources, recruitment and retention. Organizations particularly multinational companies can therefore no longer afford not to consider the national origins of countries where there operate and the degree to which the national cultures of these origins affect organizational culture when doing business. Organizational culture precedes employee behavior. Managers have the ability to influence and manage organizational culture. When this is done effectively, employees will too express those values positively through their behavior. To elaborate, if a typical organization has an extensive range of people who have international differences, the company would then need to foster a cultural diversity culture among its employees to create a mutual respect for the different cultures. This also in turns enables their employees to reach their full potential. The company should also portray the cultural diversity aspect of the organization in their mission statement. Edgard Scheins Three Levels of Culture Apart from Geert Hofstedes 6 dimensions of defining culture, there is another famous culture theorist, Edgard Schein that devotes all his effort into comparing and identifying the organizational cultural differences. According to Edward Schein(1992), Organizational learning, development, and planned change cannot be understood without considering culture as the primary source to change. Schein has categorized culture into 3 different levels: Artifacts, Espoused Values, Basic assumptions and values. Three Levels of Culture (Schein, 2004, Organizational culture and leadership, 27) Schein defined that culture is first seen through artifacts such as visual organizational structures or tangible items. Underlying artifacts is the values such as strategies, goals and philosophies. The core of the 3 levels would be assumptions such as taken for granted beliefs, perceptions, thoughts and feelings through experience. Applying Scheins 3 levels of defining culture into Wahaha Vs Danone and Nissan Vs Renault case studies, a person would first judge a person through tangible and visible elements. In Nissan Vs Renault case study, the Japanese employees from Nissan first perceived Renault as a company from France with elements such as language, or even particular dress codes from the French employees. Underlying that judgment through visible elements would be espoused values such as how the organization represents itself through official statements or philosophies present in the company. In Renault, the common culture within the employees is that the top management focus on individual performance and everyone is equal to vie for the managerial position. Vice versa for Nissan, the common culture within the company would be Family first mantra which promotes the family-like atmosphere in the company. With the diverse differences between the 2 companies, conflicts would arise when the 2 companies espoused values are not aligned with one another. Lastly, the core element would be the shared basic assumptions which are usually deeply integrated into the culture and usually unconscious, thus people find it difficult to identify from within. Edgar Schein argues that the different cultures which people belongs can affect the different assumptions we would make about a particular situations based on our own values. According to the Wahaha Vs Danone case study, the assumption of losing face to Danone was nothing close to personal; however Wahaha views losing face as a disrespect among the employees. Such situations would cause a dispute between both companies who has diverse differences in their national culture. From the previous case studies from Wahaha Vs Danone and Nissan Vs Renault where they are example of companies that have failed to grasp the culture of the country and to adopt a fitting organizational culture. Now, using a case study on Google in our research, we will attempt to evaluate how Google makes use of national culture and their organizational culture to account and shape for international differences using Edgard Scheins Three Levels of Culture theory. Google Google is a worldwide company that has strong practices in diversity. Google culture revolves around their mission: to organize the worlds information and make it universally accessible and useful. (Corporate Information, 2011) Google consists of a diverse staff, and supports a variety of cultural norms. Through this cultural norm, Google encourages and supports the diversity of its contacts and employees. Diversity is an essential component of the culture and business at Google. Google has employees that speak many languages to cater to the diversity of their consumer base. In fact more than half of the results Google provides to its customers are outside of the United States (Corporate Information, 2010). Diversity is distinguishable in all parts of Google such as their employees, offices, products, and customers. Therefore, when employing people from different cultural backgrounds, companies may benefit from generating a unified organizational culture. Googles Culture As Google consist of a diverse staff group, it shows the importance of having a strategically appropriate culture, a culture which will fits the needs of the organization, its employees and the marketplace. At Google, we dont just accept difference we thrive on it, we celebrate it, and we support it for the bene ¬Ã‚ t of our employees, our products, and our community. (Google Annual Report, 2010) Google has embraced diversity and integrated it into their culture and into their core culture statement. The manifestations of Googles culture are analyzed by evaluating the artifacts at Google (Gagliardi, 1992). Through looking at the various aspects of Google, it is shown that Google has an integrated and informal culture (Martin, 1992), which comprises of four key elements. Mission Innovation Fun Reward Using Edgard Scheins Three Levels of Culture, it is first defined and seen through the artifacts such as visual organizational structures or tangible items. Google supports diversity of norms in each office by utilizing local expressions of each location, from a mural in Buenos Aires to ski gondolas in Zurich, showcasing each offices region and personality (Corporate Information, 2010). One of the key aspects of Googles culture is that they promote communication between the employees. Googles office and cafes are designed to encourage interactions between employees within and across teams, and to spark conversation about work as well as play. Social interactions stimulate knowledge and learning breakthroughs. Without communication, there is no way to express thoughts, ideas, manage differences and feelings. Communication plays an important role in keeping and maintaining values and relationships necessary to keep the system of the organisation united. The next level of culture would be the exposed values which are the strategies, goals and philosophies. Daft (2003) stated that managing a global environment requires managers to have the ability to manage change through innovation and creativity. Therefore, the employees in Google are motivated to contribute their suggestions and ideas. Most of Googles work are project based hence employees are required to team up and pursue the project. The team may consist of a diverse group of members. Through the concept of a group project, members would then need to learn to accept one another and work together. This enhances the communication between Googles employees and hence they share a unified common goal and vision. As Google consists of a diversity of staff and most of the work is project based, conflicts are bound to happen between the employees. Therefore, conflict management between employees and respect for cultures must be structured and organized for the many cultures and diversities. This notion requires much research, training, and awareness to be spread throughout the company. One strategy that Google implement is to create awareness of international differences is by organizing national cultural events such as The 6th Sense: Diversity Week in India and Diwali and Google Mela to develop cultural intelligence to the employees and international cultural competence. Cultural intelligence integrates the three interrelated elements of knowledge, mindfulness, and behavioral skills. International cultural competence goes in depth to a complex skill that make use of cognitive, affective, and behavioral learning to effectively engage in successful cross-cultural relationships. The purpose of these cultural events is that the employees would generate a culture-specific understanding of the other and positively regard of the other. Through these events, it will groom and educate the employees on cultural awareness. During such events, Googles employees are able to interact and appreciate each others culture; consequently, an accommodating culture and organizational behavior is then established within the organization. The next level of culture would be the assumptions such as taken for granted beliefs, perceptions, thoughts and feelings through experience. Googles employees are passionate and self-motivated, and the company empowers them to a certain degree to make responsible decisions. Therefore, employees could get the opportunity to innovate and unleash their imagination and ideas. After analyzing all of Google culture characteristic, using Deal and Kennedy model of organizational culture (Deal and Kennedy, 1982), Google most likely falls into the work hard/play hard culture. Characteristics of the culture include high levels of activity and where employee has to take few risks. We have identified that most of the work that Googles employees faced are project based and employee have the freedom of choice to complete their project in any way they would like. Another characteristic of this culture includes ensuring that quality accompanies the high levels of activity. Google integrates the concept of the 70-20-10 Rule where they are encouraged using 70 percent of their working time on central business functions, 20 percent on related business functions, and 10 percent on areas entirely of their own choice (Google Corporate Information, 2012). In addition, due to stiff competition the employees are also passionate and motivated to develop one by continuously contr ibuting ideas, suggestions to potential profit gaining activities though their meetings. Through the concept of organizational culture on how they are establish and

Methods Of Minimizing Delays Construction Essay

Methods Of Minimizing Delays Construction Essay A successful construction project is accomplished when the project is completed and hand over to the owner within time, costs, specifications and quality required and to the satisfaction of stakeholders. Thus, completing a construction project on time is vital as it secure the rights of the participating parties on the project. When a project is delayed, it will cause the resources employed to be exceeded as what has been planned. This extra use of resources will lead to disputes and claims arise as extra costs will be incurred to complete the project by the participating parties. Abd El-Razek et al. (2008) identified that delay in construction project is considered one of the most common problems causing a multitude negative effect on the project and its participating parties. Delays are insidious often resulting in time overrun, cost overrun, disputes, litigation, and complete abandonment of projects (Sambasivan and Yau, 2007). Many projects are of such a nature that the client will suffer hardship, expense, or loss of revenue if the work is delayed beyond the time specified in the contract. Then, again, delay has cost consequences for the contractor: standby costs of non-productive workers, supervisors, and equipment, expenses caused by disrupted construction and material delivery schedules and additional overhead costs (Clough, 1986). Delay on project will affect the parties to the contract involved. Issues regarding entitlement to extra costs or prolongation of time for the project may arise as consequences to the project delay. Questions arise as to the causes of delay and the assigning of fault often evolves into disputes and litigation (Bolton, 1990). Thus, it is very important to find out the methods with relevant to its causal factors of delay so that the effects of the delay on the project can be reduced. This is because the project delay itself and also the resolution of disputes are both a waste of resources. It is important to predict and identify problems in the early stages of construction and diagnose the cause to find and implement the most appropriate and economical solutions (Abdul-Rahman and Berawi, 2002). Several researches had been carried out to studied and recommended on methods to minimize delay in construction industry in their studies of investigating causes or causes and effects of delays in either specific types of construction projects or in general, representing the overall construction industry. 3.2 Methods of Minimizing Construction Delays Assaf et al. (1995) in the literature review of his study of investigating the causes of delay in large building projects in Saudi Arabia, noted that studied by Chalabi and Camp (1984) suggested that in developing countries, where workers are relatively unskilled, adequate planning at the very early stages of the project was important for minimizing delay and cost overruns in most projects. Chan and Kumaraswamy (1997) conducted a study to survey the causes of construction delays in Hong Kong as seen by clients, contractor and consultants, and examined the factors affecting productivity. This study also suggests some useful pointers towards minimizing the problems causing delays on construction site. Following are the recommendations: The relationship between success on site and strong management teams underlines the need for effective site management and supervision by contractors and consultants. Manpower, at both the technical and the managerial levels, should have their own knowledge updated by continuous professional development schemes. This may be in the form of short training programmes or day release courses in educational establishments. Insufficient knowledge of the sites causes many delays in projects. The investigation of site conditions, together with the design of groundworks and foundations, should be thorough, complete and clearly presented before commencement of construction so as to reduce the impact of any unforeseen ground conditions. Effective data communication between various groups and levels involved in a project, emphasizes the need for efficient methods of information processing in the construction industry. To accelerate the communications and decision making among all parties, appropriate overall organizational structures and communication systems linking all project teams should be developed throughout the whole life of the project. The roles and responsibilities of those involved in the project team should be clearly defined, and the designated decision-makers should also be clearly identified. Comprehensive strategies need to be formulated to minimize variations, whether client-initiated or consultant-initiated, wherever possible. A clear and thorough client brief is considered the most useful strategy for reducing variations. Contingency allowances may be incorporated for inevitable variations. These allowances may be better quantified by using risk analysis techniques. Strategies should also be formulated to mitigate the impact of such inevitable variations after obtaining the consultants advice, together with the contractors inputs, on their cost and time implications. Value management techniques may be useful both when developing the design from the brief at the conceptual design stage, as well as in limiting any variations to those that are absolutely essential. The differentials in perception between the different groups of participants in the industry should be noted and discussed in suitable fora, with a view to bridging the gaps and avoiding or resolving some of the avoidable problems that have been highlighted herein. The results of the foregoing survey should be taken into consideration in developing a construction time prediction model for local building and civil engineering construction industries, as has been planned in the next phase of this research programme in Hong Kong. Noulmanee et al. (1999) investigated causes of delays in highway construction in Thailand. They suggested that delay can be minimized by discussions that lead to understanding Aibinu and Jagboro (2002) conducted a study to survey the problem of construction delays in Nigeria. The study was carried out to examine the effects of delays on the delivery of the projects in Nigeria and some recommendations were made to minimize the effects of the projects delays. A questionnaire survey was done over 61 construction projects to determine and assessed the impact of the delay projects on its delivery. Time and cost overruns were found to be the common effects of construction delays. The recommendations made to reduce the impact of the construction delays were: Acceleration of site activities coupled with improved clients project management procedures; and Inclusion of the contingency allowance in the pre-contract estimate. Chan and Kumaraswamy (2002), in their study of compressing construction duration in Hong Kong explored strategies used to compress construction durations for various types of building projects. The paper sought out the critical factors that contribute to the faster construction procedures in Hong Kong. The authors recommended specific technological and managerial strategies to be used to reduce the construction durations. Odeh and Battaineh (2002) in the study of causes of construction delay in traditional contracts suggested that to improve the situation of delays, a joint effort by all participants in the construction industry is needed by: Enforcing liquidated damage clauses and offering incentives for early completion. Developing human resources in the construction industry through proper training and classifying of craftsmen. This calls for providing incentives such as offering a tax deduction on money spent on training, and for authorizing trade unions or other agencies to regulate, follow-up on training, and classify trades. Developing human resources also applies to construction engineers who usually lack adequate managerial skills. There is an urgent need for offering training courses in scheduling, time and cost control, information systems, and management of human resources. Adopting a new approach to contract award procedure by giving less weight to prices and more weight to the capabilities and past performance of contractors. Adopting new approaches to contracting, such as design-build and construction management (CM) types of contracts. Such contracts reduce delays by limiting owner interference, improving the design, and improving the contractual relationships among all parties to the project. Frimpong et al. (2003) give some recommendations minimize delays in the study of causes of delay and cost overruns in the construction of groundwater construction projects in Ghana. Their recommendations are as follows: Appropriate funding levels should always be determined at the planning stage of the project so that regular payment should be paid to contractors for work done. In order to improve contractors managerial skills there is need for continuous work-training programs for personnel in the industry to update their knowledge and be familiar with project management techniques and process. Effective and efficient material procurement systems should be established within projects. Material procurement has the potential to cause major delays to construction projects. Therefore, material procurement process should be executed properly by improving procurement process in order to avoid supply delays. Developing effective and efficient technical performances in the groundwater industry through different types of training programs. The training should cover project planning, scheduling, time and cost control, and the information systems. There should be adequate contingency allowance in order to cover increase in material cost due to inflation. Nguyen et al. (2004) studied the project success factors in large construction projects in Vietnam. Factor analysis was employed to categorize these success factors perceived by 109 respondents from 42 construction-related organizations. The success factors identified in this study were: Clear objectives and scope; Commitment to project; Top management support; Timely, valuable information from different parties; Effective strategic planning; Awarding bids to the right designer/contractor; Continuing involvement of stakeholders in the project; Frequent progress meeting; Adequate funding throughout the project; Availability of resources; Absence of bureaucracy; Community involvement; Clear information and communications channels; Accurate initial cost estimates; Systematic control mechanisms; Competent project manager; Multidisciplinary/competent project team; Comprehensive contract documentation; Up to date technology utilization; and proper emphasis on past experience. Five critical success factors were identified: Competent project manager; Adequate funding until project completion; Multidisciplinary/competent project team; Commitment to project; and Availability of resources. Obviously, the factors shown are mostly human-related factors. This implies that people play a decisive role regarding the success or failure of a project. Further, factor analysis uncovered that most of the success factors can be grouped under four categories, here titled the four COMs: Comfort concerns ensuring that resources, efforts and leadership are well aligned for the implementation of the project. It includes adequate funding throughout the project, comprehensive contract document, availability of resources, continuing involvement of stakeholders, and competent project managers. Competence requires having appropriate technology, experience, and specialties available for the project. It includes up to date technology utilization, proper emphasis on past experience, multidisciplinary/competent project team, and awarding bids to the right designer/contractor. Commitment ensures that all parties concerned with the project and all levels in the management hierarchy of each participating organization are willing to manage, plan, design, construct and operate the facility harmoniously. It includes commitment to project, clear objectives and scope, and top management support. Communication helps clarify and disseminate all necessary project information and status to all internal and external project stakeholders. The project will then have the opportunity to avoid failure and reach for success through the achievement of team-spirit and a sense of ownership. It includes community involvement, clear information/communications channels, and frequent progress meeting. Koushki et al. (2005) recommended some suggestions which could be used to minimize time delays and cost overruns in the study of investigating the delays and cost increases in the construction of private residential projects in Kuwait. They suggested that the owner of a new residential project in Kuwait to: Ensure adequate and available source of finance; Perform a preconstruction planning of project tasks and resource needs; Allocate sufficient time and money on the design phase; If cost-effective (depending on the size of the residential project), hire an independent supervising engineer to monitor the progress of the work and ensure timely delivery of materials; and finally, the most important factor of all, Select a competent consultant and a reliable contractor to carry out the work. Assaf and Al-Hejji (2006) suggested some recommendations that pointed out by all parties which are the contractors, consultants and owner to minimize and control delays in construction projects. Owners should give special attention to the following factors: Pay progress payment to the contractor on time because it impairs the contractors ability to finance the work. Minimize change orders during construction to avoid delays. Avoid delay in reviewing and approving of design documents than the anticipated. Check for resources and capabilities before awarding the contract to the lowest bidder. Contractors should consider the following factors: Shortage and low productivity of labour: enough number of labours should be assigned and be motivated to improve productivity. Financial and cash flow problems: contractor should manage his financial resources and plan cash flow by utilizing progress payment. Planning and scheduling: they are continuing processes during construction and match with the resources and time to develop the work to avoid cost overrun and disputes. Site management and supervision: administrative and technical staff should be assigned as soon as project is awarded to make arrangements to achieve completion within specified time with the required quality, and estimated cost. Consultants should look to the following points: Reviewing and approving design documents: any delay caused by the consultant engineer in checking, reviewing and approving the design submittals prior to construction phase, could delay the progress of the work; Inflexibility: consultants should be flexible in evaluating contractor works. Compromising between the cost and high quality should be considered. Finally; Architect/design engineer should focus on the following issues: Producing design documents on time: Architect/engineer should set a schedule to complete design documents on time, otherwise result in a delay of work completion. Mistakes and discrepancies in design documents: they are common reasons for redoing designs and drawings and may take a long time to make necessary corrections. Ibnu Abbas Majib (2006) in his study of causes and effects of delay in Aceh construction industry, Indonesia suggest some methods which can be employed to minimize construction delays. A total of thirty five methods of minimizing delays were identified in his study. The most effective methods of minimizing delays identified are to: Ensure adequate and available source of finance until project completion; Competent project manager; Availability of resources; Frequent progress meeting; Awarding bids to the right/experience consultant and contractor; Use of experienced subcontractors and suppliers; Multidisciplinary/competent project team; Accurate initial cost estimates; Competent and capable of clients representative; Use of appropriate construction methods; Perform a preconstruction planning of project task and resources needs; and Project management assistance. Abd El-Razek et al. (2008) conducted a similar study of causes of delay in building construction projects in Egypt from the point of view of contractors, consultants, and owners suggested that in order to significantly reduce delay a joint effort based on teamwork is required. Fugar and Agyakwah-Baah (2010) emphasized in their study of delays in building construction projects in Ghana from the perspective of clients, consultants and contractors that the adequate and timely provision of financial resources in building construction project management cannot be over emphasized. This is because the finance is the hub around which everything else revolves. Everybody and everything connected with construction is adversely affected by lack of sufficient cash flow. They made the some recommendations as follows: Construction clients must ensure that funds are available or adequate arrangements for funds are made before projects are started. The long and bureaucratic processes involved in honouring payments to contractors in Ghana must be shortened for efficiency and contractors payments must be honoured as and when they due in strict compliance with the provisions of the contract. Contract provisions which allow contractors to claim interest on delayed payments must be strictly enforced to serve as deterrent to clients. The idea of establishing a commercial bank for building and construction is worth revisiting so that contractors can have access to credit in times of liquidity difficulties. On the other hand, to overcome some contractors ineptitude which correlates directly with delay factors such as underestimation of cost, time of completion and complexity of projects, poor scheduling and control and poor site management, the researchers recommend the following actions. The Civil Engineering and Building Contractors Association of Ghana must institute measures to ensure that its members go through continual education so that the technical and managerial competences of contractors who belong to it can be improved. The acquisition of a certain number of credit hours in continual education should be a criterion for membership renewal. The Ministry of Works and Water Resources, the body responsible for the registration and classification of contractors wishing to execute public projects, must insist on its requirement that contractors must have in their employment certain key technical staff as a condition for registration. Above all, effective ways must be designed to verify the list of staff produced by contractors in support of their application and to ensure also that these key staff positions are continually filled by technically competent individuals. Summary 53 methods of minimizing delays were identified from the review of literature above. These methods will be used to develop questionnaire for surveying purposes. Followings were the methods identified: Perform a preconstruction planning of project tasks and resources. Continuous update manpower, both technical and managerial. Thorough and complete investigation of site conditions. Clear information and communications channels. Clear and thorough client brief. Include of the contingency allowance in the pre-contract estimate. Use value management techniques when developing the design from the brief at the conceptual design stage, as well as in limiting any variations to those that are absolutely essential. Accelerate site activities. Improve clients project management procedures. Enforce liquidated damage clauses. Offer incentives for early completion. Adopt a new approach to contract award procedure by giving less weight to prices and more weight to the capabilities and past performance of contractors. Adopt new approaches to contracting, such as design-build and construction management (CM) types of contracts. Determine appropriate funding levels at the planning stage of the project. Effective and efficient material procurement systems. Competent project manager. Multidisciplinary/competent project team. Commitment to project. Allocate sufficient time and money on the design phase. Hire an independent supervising engineer to monitor the progress of the work. Pay progress payment to the contractor on time. Minimize change orders. Avoid delay in reviewing and approving of design documents. Check for resources and capabilities before awarding the contract to the lowest bidder. Number of labours assigned should be enough and be motivated to improve productivity. Contractor should manage his financial resources and plan cash flow by utilizing progress payment. Continuous planning and scheduling during construction. Site management and supervision: administrative and technical staff should be assigned as soon as project is awarded to make arrangements. Produce design documents on time. Avoid making mistakes and discrepancies in design documents. Consultants should be flexible in evaluating contractor works. Compromising between the cost and high quality should be considered. Clear objectives and scope. Frequent progress meeting. Top management support. Timely, valuable information from different parties. Effective strategic planning. Award bids to the right/experience consultant and contractor. Continuous involvement of stakeholders in the project. Availability of resources. Absence of bureaucracy. Community involvement. Systematic control mechanisms. Comprehensive contract documentation. Up to date technology utilization. Proper emphasis on past experience. Use of experienced subcontractors and suppliers. Accurate initial cost estimates. Competent and capable clients representative. Use of appropriate construction methods. Project management assistance. Idea of enforce contract provisions which allow contractors to claim interest on delayed payments must be strictly to serve as deterrent to clients. Establishing a commercial bank for building and construction so that contractors can have access to credit in times of liquidity difficulties. Design effective ways to verify the list of staff produced by contractors in support of their application and to ensure also that these key staff positions are continually filled by technically competent individuals.