Lord Of The Flies Character Analysis - 982 Words

The Downfall of the Boys in Lord of the Flies â€Å"Things are breaking up. I don’t understand why. We began well. We were happy.† (Golding 87). In this statement, Ralph realizes that his life, and those of the others’ on the island, is going to hit rock-bottom. All goes terribly wrong when the beast is introduced by the littlun with the mulberry patch on his face in Chapter 2. The beast is the reason for all the chaos in Lord of the Flies. The beast is an imaginary creature that frightens all the boys, and yet, it stands symbolically for the savagery that exists within all human beings. As the boys develop their fear and grow more and more certain of the presence of a beast, they also become more and more savage. William Golding uses the†¦show more content†¦This monster is the one that arises when humans are placed in dire situations. â€Å"He was a chief now in truth, and he made stabbing motions with his spear. From his left hand dangled Piggy’s broken glasses† (Golding 186). This quote reveals the darkness lurking within Jack’s soul. Jack showed his true colors when he assisted in the killing of Simon, but also when he stole Piggy’s glasses. The need to survive overcame the need to show empathy to survive. Glasses are a necessity for certain individuals. Piggy needed them to survive and yet the driving force of Jack’s inner beast overcame his sense of logic and empathy. Another example of the monster waiting to be awakened is Piggy’s death. â€Å"Ralph heard the great rock before he saw it †¦ The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee †¦ the body of Piggy was gone† (Golding 200, 201). Roger, during a momentary sense of exhilaration, rolled the boulder that killed the handicapped Piggy. These moments in the book allowed for savagery to run triumphantly; thus, resulting in the collapse of the boys’ lives. In addition, a major debacle in Lord of the Flies was the power that was gained through di ctatorship, and the beast can be used to symbolize this concept. Beasts in general, like the Lochness monster or the Boogeyman, are fictitious but very powerful and they use their power to intimidate adults and children alike. The beast represents power, strength, andShow MoreRelatedLord Of The Flies Character Analysis1584 Words   |  7 Pages Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is a story about a troop of boys who are on a plane out of war-torn England. However, their plane crashes and strands them on an island without any adults. The boys, who are anywhere from age six to age twelve, must learn to survive not only the elements, but each other as well. By the end of the story, at least three of the boys have died, two of which were killed knowingly by other boys on the island. When the boys first arrive, they appoint Ralph as chiefRead MoreLord Of The Flies Character Analysis807 Words   |  4 Pagesstranded the more they think they will never find civilization, making them turn inhuman and careless. As their behavior gets worse they end up killing their only source of survival but eventually get rescued. In the novel ,†Lord Of The Flies†, written by William Golding, the character Piggy represents human intelligence, Ralph illustrates leadership, while Jack symbolizes social chaos. Being the civilized one in the group, Piggy tries to calm everyone down, but also being the most vulnerable one becauseRead MoreLord Of The Flies Character Analysis940 Words   |  4 PagesAll people have evil inside them, sometimes deep enough for it to not come out. William Golding’s novel Lord of The Flies theme is that all people have evil inside them, and only rules and order can keep them from acting upon it. Ralph’s character disputes this theory because of his knowledge and wisdom, him seeking civilization and his leadership skills. Ralph seeking for civilization helps prove that he is not leaning towards the evil inside him. For example, the signal fire which is used toRead MoreLord Of The Flies Character Analysis947 Words   |  4 PagesAustin Curtis Ms. Tantlinger Honors English 10 2 January 2018 Title In William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, a group of children are deserted on an uncharted island due to the conflict of a world war. As the boys live on the island, they begin to have conflicts among themselves, and Jack, an older boy on the island, begins to become power-hungry. Jack falls far from the rules of society as he is overcome by the power of the mask, Jack also conceals his humanity by using his war mask; GoldingRead MoreLord Of The Flies Character Analysis1161 Words   |  5 Pages The novel â€Å"Lord of the Flies†, written by William Golding, follows a group of british schoolboys on their fight for survival. After their plane crashed on an island, the boys must work quickly and alert someone of their whereabouts. The main character, Ralph, opens the story as â€Å"a fair boy† meaning the favourite or the most promising of a group. Leading the boys was a job Ralph took on proudly and all was sain in the world. The boys aren’t on the is land long before the idea of order starts to fadeRead MoreLord Of The Flies Character Analysis1322 Words   |  6 PagesIn the novel ‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding, a group of schoolboys are marooned on a tropical island after their plane crash-lands on it. At first, the boys see it as a fun adventure but it doesn t take long for them to descend from boys to savages. The novel ends with the boys being rescued, but not before the death of several of them. In the novel, the character of Jack personifies the the evil that lies within man. This is shown through Jack’s tendency towards violence, him becoming aRead MoreLord Of The Flies Character Analysis1009 Words   |  5 PagesFor centuries people have accepted living side by side with good and evil, as they will for years to come. This philosophy is demonstrated in the allegorical novel, Lord of the Flies written by William Golding. Set in an unknown time period, during an atomic war, in which, the attemp t to take a group of schoolboys to safety fails and they crash into a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean instead. As the boys realize there is no adult survivors, they celebrate their newfound freedom and try to establishRead MoreLord Of The Flies Character Analysis778 Words   |  4 PagesTo what extent do people feel dependent on those who provide good to society? William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies, brings out the realities of society. Through multiple characters and relationships, the boys on the island learn of these harsh truths. The death of Simon leads to the deterioration of the boys on the island, proving that once good is removed a society will collapse. Ralph expresses prominent changes at the loss of Simon. Chief of the island, Ralph must keep law and orderRead MoreLord Of The Flies Character Analysis1368 Words   |  6 PagesPicture life today without a structured government: no morals, no laws, and no persecution. People would be able to act however they wanted, without thinking about the consequences. In his novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses characters and symbols to provide a complex perspective on the lack of society and its effect on people’s behavior. Golding himself served in the military for five years, and he fuels the plot with his own experiences with corruption. In the text, a pack of BritishRead MoreLord Of The Flies Character Analysis932 Words   |  4 Pagesdesires, power and committed some immoral acts in their life but at what point do these assets effect the amount of corruption present in a person. Lord of The Flies is a 1954 novel written by Nobel Prize winner William Golding. With the stand out themes of savagery and corruption it can be clearly seen why this book has such a large audience. Lord of The Flies is an allegory based around the events of war and destruction going on in the world at this time. The Following is a 2013-2015 crime drama Tv show

Social Psychology - Spin Doctoring Essay - 1296 Words

Social Psychology Week 4 â€Å"Spin Doctoring† 1. Which path(s) to persuasion is/are present in the global warming case? I believe that both central route and peripheral route paths to persuasion are used in the global warming case. Central route persuasion is evident in global warming because people are more globally conscious and aware of the issues concerning our planet than they were decades ago. People are more concerned now about protecting our planet and better informed, thus, global warming, its causes, and ways to reduce our carbon footprint are of great concern to the public. The hydrocarbon producers, one of the communicators, credibility is lessened against other communicators such as Greenpeace, because many in the†¦show more content†¦Their global warming message is delivered via YouTube, television, and print media. Al Gore’s book and movie, â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth† created the most â€Å"buzz† with people and got them talking about global warming. This demonstrates the truth †Å"†¦that the major influence on us is not the media but our contact with people.† (Myers, 2008 p. 242) â€Å"†¦ 18 to 29-year-olds, the age group generally most concerned about global warming and most likely to say the problem is underestimated†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Saad, 2009) is the audience for the global warming message. Their attitude toward global warming will probably remain unchanged as â€Å"†¦ early-adult experiences are formative partly because they make deep and lasting impressions.† (Myers, 2008, p.245) The message that global warming can greatly harm the planet and that one must act to stop it evokes favorable thoughts in that one is saving the world, a very positive thing to do. In summary, the global warming case uses a combination of central and peripheral routes of persuasion, both based on fact and involvement as well as based on acceptance of authority and personal and social influence. 2. How does the tobacco industry example fit into our understanding of impression management? Impression management should be the motto of the tobacco industry. The example fits impression management to a tee. Although clear evidence exists that smoking causes lung cancer, theShow MoreRelatedSpin Doctoring718 Words   |  3 PagesWeek 4 Homework Spin Doctoring Which paths(s) to persuasion is/are present in the global warming case? Both paths can be present in this, or any case. The peripheral route could occur if people who are listing, watching or discussing the global warming case are conserved with cues, such as fear of the ice caps melting. This route can occur when people are induced by incidental cues, such as fear, or attractiveness, likeness to the listener, or desire, or any of the opposites (Myers,

Arts In The Education Of Young Children Education Essay Free Essays

Art is an first-class signifier for immature kids to show feelings, thoughts and their apprehensions about themselves and the environing as they see it. They enjoy experiences in ocular art, music, play, motion and dance. Piaget ‘s influence of drama a critical human features besides categorise drama as activities of humanistic disciplines such as playing music, doing and executing dramas, painting images and reading novels. We will write a custom essay sample on Arts In The Education Of Young Children Education Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now These experiences allow them to be originative, inventive and expressive ( Swanwick, 1988 ) . Loris Malaguzzi as cited in McArdle ( 2003 ) states that humanistic disciplines open a window of chances for kids to utilize a 100 linguistic communications, a 100 custodies, a 100 ideas, a 100 ways of thought, of playing and speech production. My statement on the importance of humanistic disciplines in immature kids instruction will be with specific illustrations from ocular and music. Fraser ( 2005 ) states that in many parts of the universe the preschools have rich resources of art stuffs like clay, pigments, montage stuffs and play dough available but rarely integrated into the plan. The instructors rarely promote the kids make usage of the stuffs other than for centripetal geographic expedition. In our preschool and many other preschools in Singapore it is merely displayed as a show piece to demo new walk in parents coming in for questions that such resources are available but they are non liberally used in the plan. Duffy ( 1998 ) states that to elicit kids ‘s originative and inventive experiences sufficient infinite to work and easy accessible resources must be offered to them. The esteemed Reggio Emilia early childhood plan that Singaporeans believe has a civilization of holding pedagogues who consider art non in isolation but integrated as one of the 100 linguistic communications kids use to look into and stand for the universe ( Fraser, 2005 ) . An i llustration will be exposing clay, wood, stones, shells and dried grass that are beautifully laid on the tabular array for kids to believe how birds use clay to construct their nests and the instructor scaffold the kids to propose how the kids can research with the stuffs themselves. These art signifiers provide immature kids with chances for self-awareness, societal interaction, geographic expedition, use that stimulate their senses and enhances their acquisition and originative thought. Spencer ( as cited in Swanwick, 1988 ) states that art should non be dissociable from instruction as leisure but occupy the leisure portion of instruction. Pulling is cardinal to all ocular communicating and yet in a recent study by Clement in1994, 60 per centum of the instructors do non cognize how it might best be taught and they requested further in service preparation if they are to learn the art course of study ( Cooke, Griffin and Cox, 1998 ) . Cooke, et Al. ( 1998 ) states that pulling arouses imaginativeness and it helps in entering their observations in other countries of course of study. The beauty of the kids ‘s work in Reggio ‘s 100 linguistic communications of kids, exhibit the undertakings that utilize kids ‘s symbolic linguistic communications, which include pulling, painting and building clay modeling. Cooke, et Al. ( 1998 ) states that representational drawing are ocular communicating which is comparatively easy to read and is used in different civilizations at different times throughout history. Children in Reggio Emilia usage drawing as the fastest and most direct manner of seting their thoughts across and doing them seeable. This processes show the kids ‘s manner of doing sense of the universe through representation. They spontaneously use pulling as a linguistic communication to stand for their thoughts to show their emotions and pass on the thought of immature kids. Kolbe ( 2001 ) states that ocular humanistic disciplines is an unbelievable powerful tool that enables kids to explicate things to themselves and to others. Children understand their potencies for personal looks by experimenting with art stuffs and procedures. They develop good motor control, linguistic communication and job resolution schemes, societal accomplishments and aesthetic consciousness and grasp. Children early exposure to ocular humanistic disciplines in Reggio Emilia enable them to hold deep apprehension of making high quality art. They are introduced to line, coloring material, forms and signifier, form and texture. Lines are everyplace and kids are introduced to forms such as long, short, thick, fat, heavy, thin horizontal, perpendicular, diagonal, jagged, smooth, uninterrupted and broken. Children are besides introduced to the names of colors as primary and blending two primary colorss to do secondary colorss and observe sunglassess of colorss such as warm, cool, dull, light, pale and dark. Shape and signifier refers to the country of an object or image, lines or colorss that create boundaries within a image that create forms. Children can pass hours gleefully making three-dimensional representations of things they see utilizing clay, dough or blocks and introduced to vocabulary such as unit of ammunition, ellipse, trigon, wide, narrow and broad. In images and three-dimensional graphicss, kids can look out for represented or contrasting colorss, lines, forms or combinations of these elements. Texture refers to the haptic quality of objects, either in existent life or simulated by combination of art elements in a image. Children may look for and screen out objects of different texture to make a image. They could besides look at a image and conjecture if an object is unsmooth, smooth, furred, prickly, slippery, difficult or soft. The rules of the ocular humanistic disciplines are unity, beat, proportion, design, balance, harmoniousness, contrast and repeat. Pulling picture and working with clay hence should be the nucleus countries of ocular art plans and should be offered daily, so that kids come to understand and utilize these media for cognitive and expressive intents. There are cumulative phases in a kid ‘s development and as psychologist, Eleanor Maccoby ( as cited in Swanwick, 1988 ) mentioned that development occur in a consecutive order and Maccoby ( as cited in Swanwick, 1988 ) mentioned that the series of kids ‘s imperfect development is at a reasonably standard timetable. Swanwick ( 1988 ) states that the influencing factors are the familial heritage and the environment illustration the place, school and society where the kid is exposed. Piaget ( as cited in Swanick,1988 ) states that feeling of power is the pleasance of a kid researching and get the hanging the environment and an illustration is the babe larning to reiterate a vocal sound or agitate a rattling continuously. Music is representational and Swanwick ( 1988 ) states that the kid is able to copy and the kid is able to make new relationship through imaginativeness. Swanwick ( 1988 ) besides states that the critical human features play is per se bound with playing musi c. A kid ‘s self-generated music behavior through Piaget ‘s theory of meaningful drama triggers imaginativeness than the structured music instruction. Winston ( 2010 ) states that playing is a verb applicable to the originative procedure illustration instrumentalists with melodious and harmonic possibilities to the development of accomplishments practised through playing. The right hemisphere of the encephalon maps and probes have shown that the right encephalon has particular maps of the sensuous, the spatial and the intuitive that all helps in the imaginativeness procedure ( Swanwick, 1988 ) . If instructors work with a standardized theoretical account, the kids ‘s inventive qualities are lost as they are tuned merely to the creative activity of music of what the instructor ‘s learn them to compose ( Young and Glover, 1998 ) . Learning music is bound by the theoretical trigon of command, imitation and imaginativeness and the rhythm is continues with the kid ‘s different phases of growing and besides when larning a different musical instrument. A kids ‘s first response to the music before they turn one twelvemonth old is the tone by larning to reiterate what they hear and master the tone. The following phase will be copying the physical motion in relation to the beat of the music and it occurs between 18 months and 2 old ages old. Around the age of four kids are able to build inventive vocals and to scaffold their cognition a good acquisition environment is essential.Their natural intrinsic musical endowment the kid manifest can be farther developed through extrinsic schoolroom larning environment. Andress states that music play country should pull kids to trip wonder so that they will be motivated to affect in doing and reacting to music. Opportunities should be given to kids to make their ain music with broad picks of musical instruments available and besides to listen to others music and learn to copy the music that they prefer. Music should be integrated as portion of the plan in the schoolroom and pick of single and group musical activities should be provided. The activities should be combination of child-directed or grownup facilitated as a group. The type of musical activities can be composing and improvizing with instruments and voice, notating, listening to music, playing instruments, singing invented or canonic vocals. The activities can be interconnected to complement one type of activity to do it more lively and disputing for the kids. The adults function will be placing the kids ‘s potency and help the kids in developing their musical competency and enjoyment. The importance of humanistic disciplines can merely be felt and appreciated if the lead comes from the Education Ministry. Singapore instruction system is structured with accent on the degree Celsius onfucius philosophy on meritocracy. They give strong support in the acquisition of Science and Mathematics related topics but really small support on humanistic disciplines. Gifted kids on Science and Mathematics ( Ministry of Education, 2012 ) are identified at an early age of nine and specially groomed to heighten their familial capablenesss. Parents by and large feel that Science and Mathematics are more of import than humanistic disciplines and many kids who have natural endowment and involvement in humanistic disciplines are non given the chance to supply an environment. Our authorities besides do non supply avenues for kids with natural endowments in humanistic disciplines to be identified and specially groomed. I am besides one of the luckless individual whereby I loved ocular hum anistic disciplines but I was non given an chance because during my clip technology topics were favoured so that we can procure successful and high salary calling when we grow up. If importance in humanistic disciplines is given at the primary and higher degree instruction I believe parents perceptual experience on the importance and the demand for presenting humanistic disciplines at an early age will alter. This will promote preschool pedagogues to give more accent on incorporating humanistic disciplines in the pre-school course of study as day-to-day activities. How to cite Arts In The Education Of Young Children Education Essay, Essay examples

Leadership and Cross Cultural Analysis of Australian Organizations

Question: Discuss about theLeadership and Cross Cultural Analysis of Australian Organizations. Answer: Introduction The match of globalization and internalization is growing each day. Presently, the successful business entities must work across cultures. Therefore, leaders have to, listen to the people's voice, and understand what the voices may be telling them. Globalization has given birth to the multi-cultural organization where employees from more than one country are working together. Companies are finding multicultural employee engagement as lucrative but managing a multinational organization is tougher than a locally based company is. Human resources in this organization are required to perform at all operational levels in the entity both locally and internationally. In such situation, the risk of cultural differences is inevitable. In countries such as Australia, cultural diversity is a valuable asset to the Australian industries as pointed out by Shwalb, Shwalb, Lamb (2013). Therefore, it is essential for Australian business to acknowledge the economic and social contribution of a culturally diverse workforce. The Australian industries and organizations should take advantage of the cultural diversity so as to effectively improve the level of competitiveness in customer service. The aim of this paper is to identify and critically analyse communication strategies a leader should counter inherent to cultural diversity in Australia. Also, the paper will critically examine how leaders can address ethical issues inherent to Australian Multinational Companies (MNCs). The paper will then conclude with a critical analysis of an optimal leadership mix that should be aligned with multicultural workplaces in Australia organizations. Communication Challenges a Leader would Expect about Cultural Diversity in Australia Bochner (2013) assert that, communication is a key factor towards the success of an organization. In addition, effective communication in multi-cultural Australian organizations faces a myriad of challenges. Overcoming communication barriers in organizations is an essential aspect. Communication is more than trading word; it incorporates emotions and people intentions. Leaders in Australian entities have to be taken through proper training interventions such as the program to build listening, writing, and conversational skill (Chhokaret al.2013). Additionally, leaders should make sure that they learn verbal and nonverbal communication and negotiation skills. Leaders in Australian organizations have a challenge in acknowledging and celebrating cultural differences, ethnicity, faith, and language among the workforce. Therefore, leaders are likely to face communication hurdles when managing cross-cultural differences as denoted below. High and Low Context Communication Levels This communication barrier was brought forward by Edward Hall, a cross-cultural researcher and an anthropologist. He studied the cross-cultural aspects of the world, and thus came up with a set of behaviours known as the high and low context communication processes. Communication using high and low means relates to the background and the nature of events happening. Low and high context communication processes are one critical theory in cross-cultural researchers (Greenfield Cocking, 2014). These principles apply to multinational institutions in Australia. High-context communication can be very sensitive when a manager is dealing with human resources. In high-context communication, information cannot be efficiently transmitted as the managers encounter human resources that communicate more implicitly. Therefore, the intended message is heavily interpreted basing on the overall situation and may lead to the information being considered as ambiguous. On the other hand, low context comm unication culture asserts that the communication culture tends to be individualized and fragmented. In Australia, some human resources prefer individualized communication. In this communication channel, the content of the messages is clearly spelled out. Significantly, the message is transmitted directly and clearly to the receiver. Communication is direct, dramatic, open and based on real intentions. Although this communication channel seems to be open phased, the; leaders may fail to get the comprehensive details regarding the subject matter. When leaders in Australian industries are communicating with nationals from Asia (Korea, Japan, and China), they are likely to face high context communication barrier. Asian societies are homogenous in aspects of information and work experience as denoted by Huesmann Eron (2013). Also, most messages are not necessarily in the form of words. Information is mostly transmitted through gestures, space use or even silence. Leaders in Australia o rganizations may not be favoured by this type of communication because it may be hard to decode the details of the information. Verbal Communication This type of language occurs when the sender intends to communicate feelings through words and language. Leaders are faced with language barriers as a diverse workforce is characterised by different cultures and background. Language fluency is an essential social aspect that is vital in helping managers to improve the organizational effectiveness and enhance their negotiation skill. Leaders are faced with the hurdles of getting the meaning of a context when the other person fails to express him/herself fully. In Australia, some staff from China, Japan, and Korea lack effective command of English, whereas English is the most commonly used language for intermediaries in Australia. Good command of English helps to reduce and avoid misunderstanding and communication failures (Lefcourt, 2013). Poor Interpretation Skills Leaders in Australian corporations cannot fully understand the feelings and expression of staff under them. Junior staff needs to have knowledge of another language but also be familiar with nonverbal cues, cultural practices, values and customs of the language of operation. Leaders who may not possess value and norms of a country may have communication difficulties during their earlier stage of operations. Additionally, Australian leaders may face problems in trying to understand the nonverbal cues used by junior staff in their entities. Some nonverbal cues include kinetics such as facial expressions and eye contacts that enables the actual communication to be carried successfully or smoothly. Leaders in Australia should have the complete knowledge of nonverbal cues among various staff. For instance, in Thailand silence is a sign of respect. The Dutch workers only use gestures from the upper part of the body. Managers who fail to understand some of these nonverbal cues face difficul ties in understanding the message communicated as denoted by Marsella et al. (2013) Management Style A management style is a form of communication channel that link the leaders and subordinates decisions. The organizational culture is a factor that influences management style. For instance, Australian managers are faced with the hurdle of solving problems when dealing with Chinese and American employees. As the American problem-solving skills advocate for competing for a form of problem-solving, the Chinese prefer the centralized orientation style approach. Moreover, the Chinese staffs are not used to listen to their superiors as they tend to despise a team perspective (Kupper et al., 2013). Therefore, management behaviors of different leaders majorly affect the process of communication and essentially require a clear understanding of how to deal with staff from different cultural backgrounds. Staff Behaviour For any organization, the subordinate staff is a valuable asset. This is because the success or subsequent failure of any organization depends on the employees. Each employee brings knowledge skills and experiences into the body. Therefore, employee satisfaction is a form of communication regarding Australian MNCs progress. Leaders in Australia MNCs face instances of employee dissatisfaction, which is detrimental to the wellbeing of an entity (Lamb, 2013). Therefore, managers should ensure staff productivity through staff empowerment within an organization, which will elicit staff satisfaction. Ways leaders can address ethical issues related to cultural diversity in Australia To effectively manage the ethical issues affecting the operation of an organization, a good leader needs to have a clear understating of the organizational design that can effectively shape the culture of the organization. In his study, Edwards et al. (2013) denote that a perfect organizational design helps in ensuring productivity, effective communication, and long-term innovations in an organization. To address an ethical issue such as cultural integration, the MNCs leaders have to create a perfect environment where people can work effectively and efficiently (Alcntara et al., 2013). Most of the entity ethical issues can be tracked to a perfect organizational design. For instance, Australian MNCs system sales and production department ethically work in harmony as two separate units. In such a system, the work done through information sharing and the provision of incentives determines the performance of the whole entity. The perfect performance design has been the main drive towards the growth in performance with an ethical working environment in many Australian MNCs. Without moral planning or intervention programs, Australian MNCs leaders can find it difficult to align its objectives towards their growth strategy. As a result, these leaders have adopted a hierarchical ethical culture within their organizational design as pointed out by (Englis, 2013). Hierarchical culture has proved to be essential to Australian MNCs management in maintaining regulatory control. Additionally, many Australian organizations use rotations in their operation such that there is flexibility in the administration of duties. In this manner, the employees feel respected and in their duties as equality in job performance is embraced resulting to unity in the successful performance of the organizations. In their study, Beugelsdijk et al. (2014) point out those leaders of different Australian business organizations embrace innovation in the process of addressing some of the pertinent ethical issues affecting the organizations business strategy. To address an ethical issue such as efficiency in production, Innovation forms one of the core strategies in an organization. Based on this, the production managers are hired after every three years so that they can inject some fresh, innovative ideas into the improvement of strategic business processes (Norton et al., 2014). Therefore, Australian MNCs embrace high volume delivery with a rigid culture combined with tight controls that avoid excess. Entities that have expanded into a global brand experience large economies of scale. Therefore, the companies have maintained functionally distinct department and teams that are pivotal to decentralized ethical decision-making to ensure the ideas and opinions of both the employees and the customers are as well given priority (Holgersson et al. 2016). Organizations operate in a volatile market, where the unpredictability of events is evident according to Bochner (2013). Development teams have hence come up with a flexible work plan that reacts to customer ideas and calls for improvement in the services offered by these organizations. Incentives and rewards are aligned with business purpose and strategy, and each department is paid according to the value it has brought into the entity. For instance, the sales teams can be rewarded for customer retention. Australian MNCs adoption of flexible controls in its organizational design can be attributed to the successful adoption of cultural diverse ethical strategies that promotes different skills and ideas that are a characteristic of a culturally diverse workplace. Various Australian organizations also train their leaders to embrace corporate ethical organizational culture and strategies that embrace diversity in every workplace. Corporate culture has strengthened clear leadership ability for delivery of solutions to mid markets, enterprises, and strategic service providers according to Edwards, Marginson, and Ferner (2013). Failure of organizations to embrace ethical, cultural diversity may cause institutional ethnocentrism. The negative consequences brought by institutional ethnocentrism include lack of motivation and slump in organizational productivity. Leaders of organizations faced with institutional ethnocentrism hence develop an ethical, cultural competence action plan to solve these management mentalities (Olwig Gullov, 2013). With the aim of promoting diversity in the workplace, many Australia MNCs outsource employees and other subsidiaries from cross borders (Singapore and Taiwan) through ethically monitored induction processes whil e inculcating their culture as the newly acquired partners. This induction minimizes the culture gap that may exist after amalgamation and promote diversity in the operational and behavioral skills of the employees. Australian firms have adopted a system that also surveys the ethical procedures and standards for the induction approaches for every organization that encompasses the perfect knowledge of the market culture. The induction approach encompasses macro concerns of quality, culture commitment, and values of an entity as pointed out by Holgersson (2016). Organizations corporate cultures endeavor to power a diverse working environment where society, people, and business applications are ethically accessible and securely connected. Embracing corporate culture has thus been one of the forefronts in addressing ethical issues that exist in Australian MNCs. Leadership styles and behaviours that align with managing a culturally diverse workplace According to Karin et al. (2014), leaders can utilize cross-cultural leadership theories to maintain strategic change within the organizations they manage. Specifically, Australian MNCs have used the Integrated Cultural framework leadership theory proposed by Hofstede in the process of their operations. Managers have used this leadership theory to analyze culture across companies and industrial (Lcke et al., 2014). Precisely the theory has been reliable and valid with the following precepts according to Reeve et al. (2014); Capability to influence - Members of an organization can affect decision-making in the organization to some extent. Managers are poised to reduce marginal regard to inputs to increase motivation and performance among the staff. Comfort with Uncertainty It denotes the extent to which members are comfortable while taking any risk about their responsibilities in the organization. Achievement positioning- It indicates the extent to which members are assertive, goal oriented, and achievement assertive Collectivism Vs individualism- It is the extent to which individual is compared with the group loyalty as effective in the organizational performance is a united effort. Impartiality- It is the extent when equal chance exists for advancement Time Orientation- It illustrates the extent to which organizational goals and missions of an organization are focused on the present, the past and the future. Company employees should not be focused doing on the future strategic plan for the enterprise. Space Orientation. This represents the extent of the physical layout of an organization, whether private or a mix of both aspects. Hofstede proposed that the leaders should establish strategic management groups that will address Australian MNCs problems and find common ground of building trust among the employees in the diverse workplace. As a result, a good leader ought to give the suppliers, employees, and customers voice to increase their corporate matters affecting the operation and service provision of their organizations (Kupper et al., 2013). Additionally, such organisations can create a cross-cultural and strategic problem solving ideas situation by creating an electronic comment box for employees and customers to comment regarding the operation of the organization (Takahashi, 2012). Moreover, they may implement surveys on customer satisfaction and supplier engagement. Such platforms encourage efficient management team established on the vision and mission entity that encourages a sense of ownership among employees in the cross-cultural environments (Wang et al., 2014). Moreover, they should incorporate branch groups in making vital decisions in an entity. Further, an organization ought to promote teamwork among them members of the facility. The baseline of trust is created by having a better understanding of collaborative efforts of every employee within the organization despite the cultural differences among them according to Lefcourt (2013). Hofstede grouped 100,000 IBM employees from different 40 countries for analysis. He came up with four key aspects in which cultures would emerge (Shwalb et al., 2013). Specifically, he asserted that Power, Individualism, Masculinity/Feminist, indulgence, pragmatism, and tolerance were some issues that affected organizational culture. Presently, the concept of cultural dimension and cultural distance has remained pertinent (Thomas Peterson, 2014). However, if the management applies them simplistically, they may be problematic. On the other hand, Shalom Schwartz, an Israeli Sociologist, claims that some cultural aspects such as behavioural effectiveness overlap Hofstede dimension. His leadership theory was known as behavioural effectiveness and it included gender balance and performance orientation as some of the cultural issues affecting organizational culture. In addition, Shalom leadership theory denoted that self-indulgence is a pertinent issue affecting corporate cultures. Specif ically, in some ways, the whole enterprise of business culture relies on the assumption that identifiable dimensions such as self-indulgence. Studies from business psychologist Oded Shankar denoted that there is a need to move away from the traditional notion of cultural distance. Managers should run away from dealing with pre-existing cultural pole differences and embrace on cultural friction, which focuses on peoples interaction with a different culture (Lamb, 2013). When the managers embrace the frictional culture, they may realize that culture plays a significant role in Australian MNCs success. Even though determining the cultural impact in an organization is challenging, it is clear that the drivers of the global workforce are the culture portrayed by the internal factors affecting an organization (Cullen Parboteeah, 2013). The labour force in an organization should thus subscribe to the organizational culture of so as to remain competitive in the current global management system (Marsella Pedersen, 2013). Multinational companies who have the global presence are poised to soar in profitability resulting to employee s from different cultural backgrounds bringing in innovation and creativity to the organization. As a result, the diverse cultures from various employees form the core of the MNCs cultural background. Many foreign engagements fail at the interaction levels. Additionally, many suggest that failure of negotiations at the primary level can be accredited to employ dissatisfaction. An organization that fails to embrace cultural diversity have witnessed fall in market share. For instance, the automotive industry has seen a break in promising links. Promising ties between Daimler and Chrysler and between Volvo and Renault subsidiaries in Australia has broken off due to cultural differences (Culbertson Chen, 2014). The managers in the automotive industries failed to embrace different cultural differences, therefore, blending mistrust between workforces in this auto industry. Reeve et al. (2014) denoted that analysis have revealed that managers of Daimler ad Chrysler and between Volvo and Renault had excessive stronger central control which felt like culture imperialism thus bringing out developmental problems especially for junior employees. Given the cultural differences in different co untries, it may be difficult for HR to set a common factor towards all cultural differences. Organizational cultures can be confined in external manifestations rather than an inside force that shapes an individual expression in life. Conclusion Many Australian multinational companies and organizations have different corporate cultures tailored to different business situations. What matters most is the overall design alignment with the market, which the company operates. Hierarchical organization culture has incorporated the right flexibility, right incentives, the right resources, and the right people. Moreover, entities have embraced the core cultures and functions that operate its strategic business. The flexibility of this organizational culture enables an objective system to adapt to any market with ease. Therefore, leaders have to listen to the peoples voice and embrace cultural diversity of all stakeholders in within the organizations so as to embrace a culture of respect, trust, and effective long-term performance. References Alcntara, P., Pilar, J. M., Del Barrio, K., Garca, S., Porcu, L. (2013). A cross-cultural analysis of the effect of language on perceived risk online.Computers in Human Behavior,29(3), 596-603. Ang, S., Van Dyne, L. (2015).Handbook of cultural intelligence. Routledge. Beugelsdijk, S., Slangen, A., Maseland, R., Onrust, M. (2014). The impact of homehost cultural distance on foreign affiliate sales: The moderating role of cultural variation within host countries.Journal of Business Research,67(8), 1638-1646. Bochner, S. (Ed.). (2013).Cultures in contact: Studies in cross-cultural interaction(Vol. 1). Elsevier. Chhokar, J. S., Brodbeck, F. C., House, R. J. (Eds.). (2013).Culture and leadership across the world: The GLOBE book of in-depth studies of 25 societies. Routledge. Culbertson, H. M., Chen, N. (2013).International public relations: A comparative analysis. Routledge. Cullen, J. B., Parboteeah, K. P. (2013).Multinational management. Cengage Learning. Edwards, T., Marginson, P., Ferner, A. (2013). Multinational Companies in Cross-National Context: Integration, Differentiation, and the Interactions between MNCS and Nation States Introduction to a Special Issue of the ILRReview.Industrial Labor Relations Review,66(3), 547-587. Englis, B. G. (Ed.). (2013).Global and multinational advertising. Psychology Press. Greenfield, P. M., Cocking, R. R. (2014).Cross-cultural roots of minority child development. Psychology Press. Huesmann, L. R., Eron, L. D. (2013).Television and the aggressive child: A cross-national comparison. Routledge. Holgersson, C., Tienari, J., Merilinen, S., Bendl, R. (2016). Executive search as ethnosociality A cross-cultural comparison.International Journal of Cross Cultural Management,16(2), 153-169. Karin, J., Lawter, L., Brockerhoff, M., J. Rutigliano, P. (2014). Cultural impact of human resource practices on job satisfaction: a global study across 48 countries.Cross cultural management,21(1), 55-77. Kaynak, E., Herbig, P. (2014).Handbook of cross-cultural marketing. Routledge. Kupper, N., Pedersen, S. S., Hfer, S., Saner, H., Oldridge, N., Denollet, J. (2013). Cross-cultural analysis of Type D (distressed) personality in 6222 patients with ischemic heart disease: A study from the International HeartQoL Project.International journal of cardiology,166(2), 327-333. Lamb, M. E. (2013).The father's role: Cross cultural perspectives. Routledge. Lefcourt, H. M. (Ed.). (2013).Research with the locus of control construct: extensions and limitations. Elsevier. Lcke, G., Kostova, T., Roth, K. (2014). Multiculturalism from a cognitive perspective: Patterns and implications.Journal of International Business Studies,45(2), 169-190. Marsella, A. J., Pedersen, P. B. (Eds.). (2013).Cross-Cultural Counseling and Psychotherapy: Pergamon General Psychology Series(Vol. 93). Elsevier. Norton, M. I., Neal, D. T., Govan, C. L., Ariely, D., Holland, E. (2014). The Not?So?Common?Wealth of Australia: Evidence for a Cross?Cultural Desire for a More Equal Distribution of Wealth.Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy,14(1), 339-351. Olwig, K. F., Gullov, E. (Eds.). (2013).Children's places: Cross-cultural perspectives. Routledge. Pinar, W. F. (2013).International handbook of curriculum research. Routledge. Takahashi, K., Ishikawa, J., Kanai, T. (2012). Qualitative and quantitative studies of leadership in multinational settings: Meta-analytic and cross-cultural reviews.Journal of World Business,47(4), 530-538. Thomas, D. C., Peterson, M. F. (2014).Cross-cultural management: Essential concepts. Sage Publications. Turner, B. S., Abercrombie, N., Hill, S. (2014).Dominant Ideologies (RLE Social Theory). Routledge. Reeve, J., Vansteenkiste, M., Assor, A., Ahmad, I., Cheon, S. H., Jang, H., Wang, C. J. (2014). The beliefs that underlie autonomy-supportive and controlling teaching: A multinational investigation.Motivation and Emotion,38(1), 93-110. Stahl, G. K., Tung, R. L. (2014). Towards a more balanced treatment of culture in international business studies: The need for positive cross-cultural scholarship.Journal of International Business Studies,46(4), 391-414. Shwalb, D. W., Shwalb, B. J., Lamb, M. E. (2013).Fathers in cultural context. Routledge. Wang, D., Feng, T., Freeman, S., Fan, D., Zhu, C. J. (2014). Unpacking the skillcross-cultural competence mechanisms: Empirical evidence from Chinese expatriate managers.International Business Review,23(3), 530-541.

Womens Status in Mid 19th-Century England free essay sample

It takes a considerable leap of the imagination for a woman of the 21st century to realise what her life would have been like had she been born 150 years ago. We take for granted nowadays that almost any woman can have a career if she applies herself. We take for granted that women can choose whether or not to marry, and whether or not to have children, and how many, Women of the mid-19th century had no such choices. Most lived in a state little better than slavery. They had to obey men, because in most cases men held all the resources and women had no independent means of subsistence. A wealthy widow or spinster was a lucky exception. A woman who remained single would attract social disapproval and pity. She could not have children or cohabit with a man: the social penalites were simply too high. Nor could she follow a profession, since they were all closed to women. We will write a custom essay sample on Womens Status in Mid 19th-Century England or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Girls received less education than boys, were barred from universities, and could obtain only low-paid jobs. Womens sole purpose was to marry and reproduce. At mid-century women outnumbered men by 360,000 (9. 14m and 8. 78m) and thirty percent of women over 20 were unmarried. In the colonies men were in the majority, and spinsters were encouraged to emigrate. Most women had little choice but to marry and upon doing so everything they owned, inherited and earned automatically belonged to their husband. This meant that if an offence or felony was committed against her, only her husband could prosecute. Furthermore, rights to the woman personally that is, access to her body were his. Not only was this assured by law, but the woman herself agreed to it verbally: written into the marriage ceremony was a vow to obey her husband, which every woman had to swear before God as well as earthly witnesses. Not until the late 20th century did women obtain the right to omit that promise from their wedding vows. In 1890, Florence Fenwick Miller (1854-1935), a midwife turned journalist, described womans position succinctly: Under exclusively man-made laws women have been reduced to the most abject condition of legal slavery in which it is possible for human beings to be held under the arbitrary domination of anothers will, and dependent for decent treatment exclusively on the goodness of heart of the individual master. (From a speech to the National Liberal Club) Every man had the right to force his wife into sex and childbirth. He could take her children without reason and send them to be raised elsewhere. He could spend his wifes inheritance on a mistress or on prostitutes. Sometime, somewhere, all these things and a great many more happened. To give but one example, Susannah Palmer escaped from her adulterous husband in 1869 after suffering many years of brutal beatings, and made a new life. She worked, saved, and created a new home for her children. Her husband found her, stripped her of all her possessions and left her destitute, with the blessing of the law. In a fury she stabbed him, and was immediately prosecuted. If a woman was unhappy with her situation there was, almost without exception, nothing she could do about it. Except in extremely rare cases, a woman could not obtain a divorce and, until 1891, if she ran away from an intolerable marriage the police could capture and return her, and her husband could imprison her. All this was sanctioned by church, law, custom, history, and approved of by society in general. Nor was it the result of ancient, outdated laws: the new (1857) divorce act restated the moral inequality. Mere adultery was not grounds for a woman to divorce a man; however, it was sufficient grounds for a man to divorce his wife. Signs of rebellion were swiftly crushed by fathers, husbands, even brothers. Judge William Blackstone had announced that husbands could administer moderate correction to disobedient wives, and there were other means: as late as 1895, Edith Lanchesters father had her kidnapped and committed to a lunatic asylum for cohabiting with a man. As a Marxist and feminist, she was morally and politically opposed to marriage. Among the rich, family wealth automatically passed down the male line; if a daughter got anything it was a small percentage. Only if she had no brothers, came from a very wealthy family, and remained unmarried, could a woman become independent. A very wealthy woman might make a premarital agreement for her wealth to be held in a trust fund, but in the majority of cases marriage stripped a woman of all her assets and handed them to her husband. Fitting in rather uncomfortably, even hypocritically, with this state of affairs was the concept of woman as a goddess placed on a pedestal and worshipped. This contradiction has been described admirably by R. J. Cruikshank. The Victorians, who tackled many big problems successfully, made a fearful hash of the problem of woman. Their moral dualism, their besetting weakness of dreaming of one thing and doing another, might be amusing in architecture or painting, but it involved endless cruelty towards flesh and blood. Woman in the abstract was as radiant as an angel, as dainty as a fairy she was a picture on the wall, a statue in a temple, a being whose physical processes were an inscrutable mystery. She was wrapped by the Victorians in folds on folds, and layers on layers of clothes, as though she were a Hindu idol. She was hidden in the mysteries of petticoats; her natural lines were hidden behind a barricade of hoops and stays; her dress throughout the century emphasised her divorce from reality. She was a daughter of the gods divinely fair and most divinely tall; she was queen rose of the rose-bud garden of girls; she was Helen, Beatrice, the Blessed Damozel, the Lady of Shalott. A romanticism as feverish as that could only bring unhappiness to its objects. From reading Victorian novels and watching television costume dramas it is easy to forget that the vast majority of women were working class. Born without a penny, they began work between the ages of about 8 to 12 and continued until marriage. A womans fate thereafter depended on her husband. If he earned enough to support her she would usually cease work, otherwise she worked all her life, taking short breaks to give birth. Anything she earned belonged to him. Barred from all well-paid work women were forced into a very small range of occupations. Half were in domestic service and most of the rest were unskilled factory hands or agricultural labourers. Almost the only skilled work for women was in the bespoke clothing trade, but even that was ill-paid and low-status. Seamstresses became a cause celebre in the 1840s. Prostitution was rife in Victorian England, the majority being casual, resorted to only when there was no alternative. Without the safety-net of a welfare system and with all wealth in the hands of men, it was to individual men that women were forced to turn and to sell themselves when desperate for subsistence. Womens clothing symbolised their constricted lives. Tight lacing into corsets and cumbersome multiple layers of skirts which dragged on the ground impeded womens freedom of movement. Between 1856 and 1878, among the wealthy, the cage crinoline was popular as it replaced the many layers of petticoats, but it was cumbersome and humiliating. Sitting down, the cage rode up embarrassingly at the front. The skirts were so wide that many women died engulfed in flames after the material caught fire from an open grate or candle. In 1851 Elizabeth Miller designed a rational costume in the U. S. which was publicized by Amelia Bloomer. It consisted of a jacket and knee-length skirt worn over Turkish-style trousers. It was regarded as immodest and unfeminine and was greeted with horror and disdain, despite its obvious utility. A presentation was given in Hastings, with the speaker Miss Atkins dressed in one of the Bloomer outfits. Women were indoctrinated from birth to accept their lowly status and yet many did rebel, and some analysed, criticised, and published books on womens situation. An excellent review of these can be found in Dale Spenders Women of Ideas (Pandora 1982). During the early to mid-nineteenth century the social order was being challenged and a new philosophy was emerging, imbued with ideals of liberty, personal freedom, and legal reform. Black slavery was being criticised and challenged, and was abolished, and working class men demanded that the right to vote be given to them and not just to a few thousand landed gentry. It was in this climate that women like Barbara Leigh Smith began to think that women, too, deserved to be emancipated from their enslaved status.

Strategic Development of Apple Corporation

Strategic Development of Apple Corporation Executive Summary This paper dwells upon strategic development of Apple and contains certain recommendation on implementation of the most appropriate strategy. The company is famous for its innovative approach and high quality of products and services provided.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Strategic Development of Apple Corporation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the corporation holds quite a small market share and some researchers note that the company should expand. Researchers refer to growth of such markets as South America and Asia. It is stressed that Apple could benefit from producing products for millions of potential customers at lower prices to make Apple products more available. Nonetheless, this approach is unlikely to be effective as it may lead to loss of the market share Apple has now. Appearance of Apple in the market of low-priced consumer electronics will make it develop new strate gies to remain competitive in the market where Asian (Chinese and Indian) companies produce very cheap products. Therefore, the company has to focus on innovations. The present evaluation is based on secondary research. Works on Apple’s strategic development are analyzed and certain recommendations on how to improve the strategy used are provided. The present research may lack for data on the company’s expenditures but available information on Apple’s revenues illustrates effectiveness of the strategy employed.. Recommendations provided include the following. The new strategy should be comprehensive and involve research, innovation, quality and social responsibility. The company has to produce really innovative products which would shape and redefine the market. The use of green technology and contributing to development of communities will enable the company maintain its favorable image among its customers. Introduction Apple is one of the most successful compa nies and it is famous for its effective strategic development. The corporation managed to remain one of the leading producers of consumer electronics and software even after the recession and financial crisis of 2008. It is necessary to note that the company has to operate in one of the most competitive markets, the market of consumer electronics. This industry is booming and companies all over the world are trying to enter it and occupy certain niche. It is noteworthy that Apple is facing hard competition on the part of Asian companies that produce cheaper devices with similar options. At present, Apple again has to choose an appropriate strategy.Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, before going into detail on the strategic development, it is important to mention major peculiarities of the company, its history and market. Apple announced that its revenue for second quarter of 2014 (ended in March) was $45.6 billion (Apple reports, 2014). The company is growing and its profits are increasing accordingly. Apple is famous for its â€Å"impressive† products: iPad, iPod nano, iPhone, Apple TV, iPod touch, MacBook, MacMini and so on (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson, 2012, p. 16). The company started in 1976 as a computer business and has provided innovative products, which is regarded as one of its strategies and advantages. In 2003, Steve Jobs, a charismatic leader, introduced one of Apple’s products iTunes Online Music Store as a â€Å"turning point for the music industry† and â€Å"landmark stuff† which could not be overestimated (Hitt et al., 2012, p. 16). Jobs was right as it was a great success. It is noteworthy that the company had an inspiring leader who set the major strategic path for the business. After Jobs, Apple still has really effective leaders: Tim Cook, Craig Federighi and Jony Ive. These executives share Jobs’ vision and keep focusing on their high end share of the market. Apple is a globally operating company with over 50,000 employees and it has a vertical structure (Daft, 2014). Admittedly, it is difficult to have a horizontal structure for a global business. It is also important to note that the market of consumer electronics is very competitive. Thus, Apple’s iPhone has to compete with products of such companies as Samsung Electronics, Motorola, Nokia. As far as computing and software is concerned, the company has such competitions as Google, Microsoft, Micromax (India) and Xiaomi (China) (Grobart, 2013). It is necessary to add that the market of smartphones is quite saturated with cheap products produced in Asia. Worstall (2013) stresses that a phone at $700 is unlikely to compete with a smartphone sold for $200 and $300 especially in such markets as China, India, Brazil and Russia. Therefore, researchers see two major strategies applicable for Apple.Adver tising We will write a custom term paper sample on Strategic Development of Apple Corporation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Strategic Issues These strategies are concerned with the choice of the market share for the company. At present, Apply occupies quite a small share of the market. Apple’s products are seen as luxury and exclusive devices and services. The use of these products suggests that the user pertains to a specific group of privileges consumers (or simply lives in a developed country with strong economy). As Cook puts it, â€Å"There is always a large junk part of the market† (as cited in Grobart, 2013). Leaders of Apple tend to remain in their niche and do not think about expanding to larger markets. Nonetheless, some researchers see another option. They stress that Asian, South American and Russian markets are becoming a target for many companies. For instance, Worstall (2013) stresses that the potentia l of consumer electronics BRIC region (which includes Brazil, Russia, India and China) is increasing and people are more willing to by app-capable devices. Admittedly, people living in the area will not pay $700 for a phone as they have numerous cheaper alternatives produced in China and India. Notably, Apple is capable of reducing some costs and providing cheaper products. Nonetheless, Apple can lose its status of a company providing exclusive products and services. At that, researchers emphasizes that even though the company can introduce cheaper products they will be still unable to compete with $100-200 devices. Brief Literature Review Innovation There are numerous ideas on strategic development and each company can choose the best option in accordance with its goals and values. Jaruzelski and Dehoff (2010) claim that Apple has always used a strategy of innovation. The researchers stress that Steve Jobs did not try to make the company’s products cheaper or more available to consumers as he wanted to make innovative things that could change the market and the world.Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This strategy made the company one of the leaders in the global market and many companies are trying to keep up with standards set by Apple. Jaruzelski and Dehoff (2010) consider experience of successful companies operating in different markets and infer that the strategy of innovation is winning in the contemporary business world. Heracleous (2013) calls the strategy used by Apple the Quantum Strategy. According to the researcher, it implies â€Å"the ability to balance intense efficiency in operations with outstanding serial innovation and addictive product design† which â€Å"command premium pricing and redefine markets† (Heracleous, 2013, p. 92). The researcher evaluates the strategy used and concludes that it is effective as the company remains the leader and has its small (but profitable) market share. Importantly, the researcher stresses that this strategy enables Apple (as well as other companies using the same strategy) are able to set trends and standards and , as a result, they are one step forward. Davis and Olson (2008) also emphasize effectiveness of such way of development and notes that most successful companies employ the strategy of innovation. The researchers also add that it can be difficult to utilize this strategy as it needs significant funds especially when it comes to RD department. Nonetheless, the innovative approach helps companies achieve high results as well. Other Components of Success It is noteworthy that apart from innovation, researchers acknowledge that operational excellence is also central to the company’s success. Sharma (2012) argues that Jobs inspiring vision and focus on innovations could not ensure Apple’s success which was achieved by a combination of innovative approaches and operational excellence. According to the researcher, the company is successful as high quality and precision are major values shared by employees. Loads of companies choose this strategy and focus on quality and its i mage. They are valued for these characteristics and customers eagerly buy their products. Clearly, this approach is appropriate for many industries but consumer electronics is not one of these spheres. This industry is evolving rapidly and a company which fails to introduce new products often loses its customers. Jaruzelski, Loehr and Holman (2011) also mention the importance of an effective culture. Apple is famous for its culture based on principles of innovation attention to details, excellence and responsibility. The authors note that culture is a key to successful implementation of innovative strategies. The researchers stress that culture is a set of principles all employees follow. Employees of Apple share company’s values and the corporation manages to come up with new products periodically. Analysis of the Strategic Issue Winning a Larger Market Share As has been mentioned above Apple is facing a strategic issue. The company is growing and entering new markets as exp ansion is one of the most effective ways any successful company chooses (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble Strickland, 2012). It is possible to expan in a number of ways. For such global corporation as Apple entering new markets is beneficial. Apple is already operating in developing countries but still occupies rather small market share. To ensure profitability and growing revenue, the company may choose to introduce cheap devices and occupy a larger market share. As has been mentioned above, many companies choose this approach in order to obtain millions of new customers in such regions as South America, Asia and Russia where vast majority of people cannot afford expensive products. The choice of this strategy will lead to sub-issues such as reducing costs and marketing new products. Thus, Apple will have to invest into development of cheaper models of existing devices or new cheap devices. Thus, RD costs will increase but there are chances that it will be impossible to reduce the price of existing products or new products to $100-200. More so, products at such prices will hardly differ from those provided by other companies (in China or India). Furthermore, development of cheaper products may extrude attempts to produce innovative products and services. There are chances that Apple will lose its status of a producers of innovative and luxury electronics and will lose its value. It will inevitably become one of many companies producing affordable products and will have to compete with a variety of other producers. The company’s marketing managers will have to come up with a wide advertising campaign and a marketing strategy to introduce new cheaper products. The company will have to make people know that Apple products have become more affordable. The use of this strategy will also require the change in the company’s corporate culture. The company has focused on innovation and exclusiveness. These values are inappropriate for a company that aims to ge t a larger market share and sell more affordable devices. Admittedly, all these changes need additional investment. All in all, this strategy is associated with too many risks and doubtful benefits. A larger market share will enable the corporation to increase its revenue due to sales volumes. Nonetheless, low prices of products and services will not lead to significant increase in profits. More so, the company risks entering a market with significant competition and, at the same time, lose its advantageous competitiveness. Therefore, this strategy is unlikely to be successful and should not be implemented. Holding the Same Market Share Another option is to stick to old strategies. Thus, Apple may hold its market share and remain a global producer of innovative and exclusive products. This strategy was already checked twice during severe crises within the company (Sharma, 2012). Adherence to the old strategy will involve significant investment into RD as the corporation will focus o n producing new innovative products. However, this investment will lead to increase in revenue as Apple’s customers are eager to buy from the company as they get something more than a device. They get a sense of being a part of a community of people who value innovation and quality (and those who can afford it). Marketing of new products will also need additional investment. People should know about novelties. However, this advertising is likely to be successful as customers will learn about a new innovative product which they will want to purchase. It is noteworthy that the company’s culture will not be changed and such values as quality, innovation and responsibility will be promoted. Admittedly, effective culture often translates into success. Discussion Methods Used The present assessment is based on the secondary research. Works on strategic development of Apple and its performance as well as data available on the official website are analyzed. Evaluation of the s trategy used is based on analysis of its effectiveness. It is possible to note that the use of this methodology can be associated with certain limitations. Hence, such research may lack for data on the company’s expenditures (especially when it comes to RD) as the works used contain information on revenues rather than losses. Nonetheless, the corporation’s revenues suggest that the strategy which is being used is effective and there is no need to choose another path. Though, it is possible to highlight some spheres in Apple’s strategic development which may need improvement. Research It is necessary to note that the company’s leaders emphasize their adherence to their old strategy of innovation. They do not intend to try to compete with low-priced products in emerging markets. The company’s CEO argues, â€Å"We are not in the junk business† (as cited Grobart, 2013, n.p.). As has been mentioned above, this strategy has proved to be effective and, hence, it is no time to change it. Admittedly, the company is growing and its revenues increase, but it is essential to continue developing and innovating (Thompson et al., 2012). Therefore, the strategy should be based on the principle of innovation and precision. In the first place, the company should focus on development of a number of innovative products and services. It has been acknowledged that Steve Jobs always felt what would be successful among customers (Hitt et al., 2012). However, serious competition requires more specific data than senses or beliefs. Thus, the company needs to invest into marketing research. It is essential to understand what customers expect and what exactly they need when they are buying this or that device. It can be beneficial to find out what customers value in Apple products and services. It is possible to implement an internal research but it is better to address a marketing research company which can provide information on the global marke t rather than a particular country. RD Apple’s RD department is very effective as it has come up with a variety of innovative devices. Nonetheless, it is possible to invest into further development of the department. The company employs more than 50,000 people worldwide and it can be a good strategy to launch a wide training campaign. Employees from different countries have to participate in mutual projects. Employees from abroad can travel to the USA and work on major projects. This can facilitate development of the company’s RD. The company has had certain criticism on development of different models which do not differ significantly from previous ones. Thus, Daft (2014) notes that it is difficult to come up with innovative products and companies often try to modify products which have already become hits. However, extensive modification will lead to customers’ tiredness and dissatisfaction. It is important to introduce genuinely innovative products as well as services as this will attract new customers and will satisfy needs of loyal ones. Quality The strategic development of the company should also involve particular attention to the products’ quality. It is well-known that Steve Jobs â€Å"routinely† returned products to the laboratory and emphasized that â€Å"Apple must build the best products, period† (Hitt et al., 2012). This should be a motto for each employee and a part of the company’s culture. Quality control of the company has to be strict and no flaws can be allowed in products sold. This is one of advantageous peculiarities of the company and it is essential to maintain this image. Marketing As has been mentioned above, this strategy does not require excessive advertising. However, each new product has to be advertised through the Internet, TV and print sources. The focus of each advertisement should be innovative nature of the product. Existing and potential customers have to associate the compa ny with innovation and development. Social Responsibility Some companies focus on revenue or RD and fail to be socially responsible. Apple should remain a responsible corporation which contributes into development of communities. Development of new products has to be implemented with specific attention to environmental or social projects. The use of green technology also pertains to innovations and this is a beneficial direction for the company (Hitt et al., 20). Social responsibility of Apple is another advantage of the corporation and this should remain unchanged. Conclusion On balance, it is possible to state that Apple is now facing the need to choose whether the corporation tries to get a larger market share or remain in its niche and continues producing innovative products. Analysis of works on strategic development of the company suggests that Apple should adhere to its old strategy as it proved to be successful. It is associated with fewer risks and it is likely to keep the company in its leading position. The strategy should be comprehensive as it cannot be confined to a vague concept of innovation. Thus, the corporation will have to invest into RD and control departments to ensure that the products provided are innovative and high-quality. Apple will also have to pay attention to proper marketing of new products and it is essential to focus on such concepts as quality, innovation, exclusiveness and social responsibility. Finally, the company has to be involved in a variety of social and environmental projects. The use of green technologies and contributing to development of communities (especially in regions where the company operates) should also be a part of strategic development of Apple. The use of this strategy will enable the company to maintain its status of an innovative company which shapes people’s ideas on electronics, software and life. Reference List Apple reports second quarter results. (2014). Retrieved from apple.com/pr/library /2014/04/23Apple-Reports-Second-Quarter-Results.html Daft, R. (2014). The leadership experience. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. Davis, A., Olson, E.M. (2008). Critical competitive strategy issues every entrepreneur should consider before going into business. Business Horizons, 51(1), 211-221. Grobart, S. (2013, September 19). Apple chiefs discuss strategy, market share – and the new iPhones. Bloomberg Business week. Retrieved from businessweek.com/articles/2013-09-19/cook-ive-and-federighi-on-the-new-iphone-and-apples-once-and-future-strategy Heracleous, L. (2013). Quantum strategy at Apple Inc. Organizational Dynamics, 42(1), 92-99. Hitt, M., Ireland, R., Hoskisson, R. (2012). Strategic management cases: Competitiveness and globalization. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Jaruzelski, B., Dehoff, K. (2010). How the top innovators keep winning. The Global Innovation 1000, 61(1), 1-16. Retrieved from strategyand.pwc.com/media/file/Strategyand_Global_Innovation_1000_2010_How_Top_ Innovators_Keep_Winning.pdf Jaruzelski, B., Loehr, J., Holman, R. (2011). Why culture is key. The Global Innovation 1000, 65(1), 1-16. Retrieved from strategyand.pwc.com/media/file/Strategyand-Global-Innovation-1000-2011-Culture-Key.pdf Sharma, A. (2012). As Apple’s success attests, operational excellence isn’t everything, but it is essential. Strategic Vision. Retrieved from tbmcg.com.cn/misc_assets/newsletter/OpEx_0812_Apples_Success.pdf Thompson, A.A., Peteraf, M.A., Gamble, J.E., Strickland, A.J. (2012). Crafting and Executing Strategy. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill Publishers. Worstall, T. (2013, January 18). Apple’s basic strategic problem: Market share or profit margin? Forbes. Retrieved from forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/01/18/apples-basic-strategic-problem-market-share-or-profit-margin/

Leadrship Development and business Ethics Coursework - 1

Leadrship Development and business Ethics - Coursework Example Druyun later retired from her government position and joined Boeing. However, both Druyun and Sears were later fired for ethical misconduct based on the allegations from the US Department of Justice. When an internal probe into the ethical issues was conducted it was discovered that Druyun and Sears were involved in unethical activities and that the Boeing chairman Philip Condit was also involved in the discussions. With both Sears and Druyun pleading guilty of ethical misconduct they were both slapped with fines and respective terms of imprisonment. In another ethical issue, Boeing was accused of having accessed trade secrets of its competitor, Lockheed Martin and for which a former top executive was charged with ethical misconduct. Several other such ethical issues cropped up during the tenure of Condit. In one such case it was alleged that Boeing had manipulated its financial statements in order to clinch a merger with McDonnell Douglas. Another law-suit was filed by female employ ees of Boeing accusing the company of discrimination by lesser pay for the women employees and refusing their promotion. In addition the company was also accused of racial discrimination towards its employees especially African Americans. Condit was also known for his romantic liaisons with the female employees at Boeing. Later following two ethical scandals on the issue of bribes and sexual harassment, Condit resigned from his post of CEO which was then taken up by former President and Chief operating officer, Harry Stonecipher. Less than two years later Stonecipher had to resign his post due to an extramarital affair with a female Boeing employee that stood to violate the code of conduct of the company. Thus major ethical issues within the company involved CEOs who are expected to set and follow ethical standards. And most of the issues involved financials stakes and personal interests. While the

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

Reconstruction - Essay Example This is regardless of passing of 13Th, 14Th and 15th amendments intended to grant Blacks more rights besides voting. For instance, Northerners during Lincoln’s regime felt the then incumbent president was extremely slow in effecting significant laws meant to make Blacks enjoy similar privileges like any other citizen. Therefore, they ended up pressuring the president though at his pace he was capable of seeing some plans towards Blacks’ freedom realized. However, Johnson who was his successor proved to be totally against Blacks’ freedom and the entire reconstruction process thus causing confusion besides making it less efficient. Therefore, Dubois was right when he termed efforts exhibited during reconstruction era intended to make Black men Americans citizens were â€Å"splendid failure† because racism, utter segregation and ill-treatment of Blacks continued to be the norm of the day. During then, Blacks unlike other people continued to experience utter i ll treatment from their white counterparts especially in the Southern regions. This was to the extent of not having legal protection against open vandalism subjected on them and eventually no actions put in place to bring those responsible to the book. According to New York Times, Blacks were â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.quietly endeavoring to make arrangements to dispose of their property and emigrate to States where their persons will be secure against unprovoked assault, and where their property will be protected against vandalism† (â€Å"New York Times†). This is because somehow the government of the day contributed to Blacks’ woes especially during Johnson’s era who contrary to Lincoln exhibited little interest in ensuring they were safe. Therefore, Blacks opted to relocate to the regions where they would receive fair treatment as advocated by Northerners. Relocating in this case seemed as an effective solution to their woes because Blacks during then felt u nease to report to the legal authorities any incidences of injustice fearing intimidation and victimization. Hence, theirs was a completely losing battle especially in equaling whites because the government of the day favored only the latter. Reconstruction era despite the then authorities seeming to recognize Blacks’ presence and dignity, it was hard for them to enjoy same privileges as their white counterparts. This is especially during Johnson’s regime, which was extremely opposite of what Lincoln anticipated to implement though being slow to ensure Blacks’ safety. According to Special Field Orders there were â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦400,000 acres along the Georgia and South Carolina coasts abandoned by white planters be confiscated and divided into 40 acre parcels (Mooney, 15).† Conversely, all these plans Johnson revoked them leading to immense loss of homes, crops and land besides making numerous dreams of freed slaves undergo â€Å"unexpected miscarria ge†. This incidence besides others and even hatred towards Blacks acted as sure prove African Americans during reconstruction epoch were not even near to be â€Å"true citizens†. Therefore, they were only in foreign state where the central regime pretended to care about them but in real sense openly exhibited the contrary though using laws to do so. This is evident in Litwack’s sentiments citing, â€Å"

Banking System in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Banking System in America - Essay Example In the United States of America, separate financial regulatory structures are in place to regulate the Insurance and financial securities aspects of the banking sector at the State and the Federal level and. these regulatory agencies are controlled by the Federal government in conjunction with the State governments. In the United States of America, there are laws that are enacted to prevent money laundering, anti-terrorism laws, laws that are meant to prevent usury lending, anti-fraud and privacy laws, and laws to promote lending of money to people with small incomes, all this fall under the banking sector. This paper discusses the performance of the banking industry in America. In effectively discussing this aspect, this paper will give the industrial characteristics of the banking sector in United States of America. It will review the pricing, efficiency and profitability of the banksin America as well as analyze environmental factors that drive the Banking sector in America and th ereafter access there impacts. This paper seeks to answer the following questions, What are the industrial characteristics of the Banking sector in United States of America? How efficient is the banking system in United States of America in providing services to its people? What are the environmental factors that influence the performance of the banking system in America and what are its implications? The banking system in America is regulated by The National Banking acts of 1863 and 1864 and they are responsible for the creation of the banking system in the United States of America and any other legislation created, needs to be in accordance to this laws. This act promoted the development of a currency that could be used all over the United States of America and it supported withholding of bank assets which includes financial securities offered by the treasury of the United States of America. The National Banking Act recognizes the office of the treasury regulator whose role is to control the value of the United States currency and ensure that banks don’t collude to manipulate the American currency, the dollar. Banks in United States of America are characterized by the notion of relationship banking. This characteristic of the United States Banking system is for the purposes of maintaining profitability . Relationship banking refers to a situation where banks provide financial services through an intermediary. In the United States of America, banks practice these aspects of financial system. The main aim of banks in applying the principles of relationship banking is to enable them acquire information about a client to be used in the long run. These aspects of banking is important because it reduces the cost of gathering information about a client through many transactions and the information gathered, banks can use them to introduce other services in the economy and finally through this system of relationship banking, banks and their clients build a re putation through constant financial interactions and therefore facilitates negotiations of low cost loans. The American banking system is also characterized by emergence of private banks. American banking system allows expansion of commercial banks opened by individuals or companies. This was made possible by the requirements of The National banking act of 1863 which allowed competition in the

PEST Country Analysis: Cuba

PEST Country Analysis: Cuba ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost I thank my teacher who has assigned this term paper to bring out my creative capabilities. I express my gratitude to my parents for being continuous source of encouragement and for all their financial aids given to me. I would like to acknowledge the assistance provided to me by the library staff of Lovely Professional University. At last my heartfelt gratitude to my friends for helping me to complete my work in time. BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT Country Origin Cuba is one of the largest islands in the Caribbean which was once inhabited by tribal people when Christopher Columbus visited the island during his first voyage. He discovered it and declared it as a territory of Spain 1762 this country was briefly held by Britain before being returned in exchange for Florida. A series of rebellions occurred during the 19th century which failed to end Spanish rule, but increased tensions between Spain and the United States, resulted in the Spanish-American War, finally led to Spanish withdrawal, and in 1902, Cuba gained formal independence. American trade dominated Cuba during the first half of the 20th century. It was helped by US government policy measures assuring influence over the island. In 1959, Dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown in a revolution led by Fidel Castro. Cuba-United States relations froze while the island showed its faith towards the Soviet Union, which kept its economy running in spite of being US against Cuba. After the dissolution of the east-west-confrontation Cuba remains as one of the only Communist countries in the world. Past business Cuban business has mainly revolved around United States Soviet Union. Before 1958 everything was allright between US and Cuba and trade was carrying smoothly between them.In March 1958, when an armed conflict broke out in Cuba between rebels and the Fulgencio Batista government an arms embargo has been in effect. In July 1960, in response to Cubas new revolutionary governments seizure of US properties, the United States reduced the Cuban import quota of brown sugar by 7,000,000 tons, under the Sugar Act of 1948; the Soviet Union responded by agreeing to purchase the sugar instead, as Cubas new government continued to take further actions to confiscate American businesses and privately owned property. In 1963, the 1963 U.S. embargo was reinforced in October 1992 by the Cuban Democracy Act (the Torricelli Law) and in 1996 by the Cuban Liberty and Democracy Solidarity Act (known as the Helms-Burton Act) which penalized foreign companies that did business in Cuba by preventing them from doing business in the US. The justification provided for these restrictions were that these companies were trafficking in stolen U.S. properties, and should, thus, be excluded from the United States. The European Union resented the Helms Burton Act because it felt that the US was dictating how other nations ought to conduct their trade and challenged it on that basis. The EU eventually dropped its challenge in favor of negotiating a solution. PEST Analysis (P)olitical factors Cuba is a communist state. The departments of the state and the Cuban Communist Party are closely connected and their power is mainly devolved from the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers. Their National Assembly which has legislative e powers consists of 614 members. Their next elections for the provinces and nation are due in January 2012, the municipal elections in April 2010, even though there is only one legal party which is namely the Cuban Communist Party (PCC). The head of state and government of Cuba is Raà ºl Castro Ruz. (E)conomic factors The consumer prices, or inflation rate, rose by 3,4 % in 2008 which is, compared to other countries, an average figure, because they are number 47 on the world list. The Cuban labor force counts 4.962 million people of which 78% work in the state sector and 22% in the non-state sector. This figure scores them number 74 in comparison to the labor forces around the world. The unemployment rate is low compared to other countries as they only have 1,6 % jobless people and rank place 13 in the world. This rate even improved by 0,2 % from 2007 to 2008. The buying power, GDP per capita, of each Cuban was $9,500 in the year 2008. Compared to other countries they rank place 108 in the worlds list, but seeing that the values improved over the years from 2006 until 2008 by $1,000 per capita, their score is still positive. Cuba produces several agricultural products such as sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice,potatoes, beans and livestock. Main export goods are nickel, fish, citrus, coffee, tobacco products, sugar and its by-products and medicines. A 2008 estimate for their export of goods is $3.78 billion which makes them number 119 on the list of countries by exports. Their main export partners are China, Canada, Spain, the Netherlands and Iran. Goods that have to be imported are petroleum, food, machinery and equipment and chemicals. Their main import partners are Venezuela, China, Spain, Canada and the USA. (S)ociological factors Cuba has a population of estimated 11,451,652 people. The population grows by 0.233 % each year. 18,3 % of these people are between 0 and 14 years, 70,4 % are between 15 and 64 years old and 11,2 % are 65 years or older. Therefore the average age is 37,3 years. 65,1 % are white, 24,8 % are mulatto and mestizo and 10,1 % are black (2002 census). The most dominant religions are Roman Catholics and Protestants. Nearly the whole population is able to read and write (99,8 %) at the age of 15 which enables them to pursue a good education. The majority (76 %) of the population preferably lives in urban areas. (T)echnological factors Cuba is a recognized leading country in the field of biotechnology, but there are still sectors that lack development. Internet access is for example only provided by one provider at high costs which shows an inadequate telecommunications infrastructure. The information technology system in Cuba still has to be improved, because the profitable sectors such as tourism and biotechnology require good and continuously updated communication structures and instruments which are not sufficient at the moment. Castro sees that modern communication and computer networks are necessary for the economy and is willing to open new doors in order to make this possible. (Information technology in Cuba, 2009) Cuba World Economy In 2005 Cuba had exports of $2.4 billion, ranking 114 of 226 world countries, and imports of $6.9 billion, ranking 87 of 226 countries. Its major export partners are China 27.5%, Canada 26.9%, Netherlands 11.1%, Spain 4.7% (2007). Cubas major exports are sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, and coffee; imports include food, fuel, clothing, and machinery. Cuba presently holds debt in an amount estimated to be $13 billion, approximately 38% of GDP. According to the Heritage Foundation, Cuba is dependent on credit accounts that rotate from country to country. Cuba holds 6.4% of the global market for nickel which constitutes about 25% of total Cuban exports. Recently, large reserves of oil have been found in the North Cuba Basin. BUSINESS CULTURE OF CUBA DRESS Dressing is quite informal in for both men and women, For men: Depending on the situation, a guayabera shirt with nice slacks may be as formal as it gets. Business casual for a warm climate should suffice. For women: A pair of pants and nice shirt should do. Skirts are fine as well. Jeans and business casual attire are generally acceptable. TITLES AND BUSINESS CARDS Titles are very important and it is best to address people directly by using their professional title (or Mr., Mrs., or Miss) followed by the surname. It is advisable, although not required, to have one side of your business card translated into Spanish. Present your business card with the Spanish side facing the recipient. There is no specific ritual surrounding the giving of business cards. MEETINGS Arriving on time for a meeting is important even though you may have to wait 30 minutes or more. There is usually 5-15 minutes of small talk before getting down to business. It is best to allow your host to begin the business discussion. It is considered acceptable to interrupt someone who is speaking. NEGOTIATIONS Cubans value relationship building and harmony so it is important to avoid hard selling, pressure tactics and any sort of conflict or confrontation. Decisions are made from the top down and can take sometime. GIFT GIVING Gifts are not brought to a first meeting. When giving gifts it is best to bring something very modest as anything else could be misconstrued. COMMUNICATION STYLE Cubans tend to be direct and some what louder than what the norm is in North America. GESTURES Cubans tend to speak very quickly and loudly. They use their hands and bodies for emphasis when speaking and tend to be emotionally expressive. Cubans will point by puckering their lips in the direction or person they are referring to. Wrinkling or scrunching up of your nose usually means, huh or what? Geert Hofstedes Model After seeing some of the business culture and countrys culture we can draw some conclusions based on the five dimensions of the above mentioned model. POWER DISTANCE As Cuba is a Communist country, it is expected to have higher power distance than other capitalist countries. Geert Hofstede has not conducted his survey in Cuba so there arent any scores regarding it. INDIVIDUALISM Vs. COLLECTIVISM In Private sector individualism is practiced to achieve results with greater efficiency. While the majority of Cuba which is communist in nature has a greater faith in collectivism. LONG TERM ORIENTATION On observing the past and future business culture of Cuba, we can easily comprehend that in past it was more of short term oriented. Now while the country is growing , it has become more of a long term oriented country. HALLS MODEL High Context Cubans seem to pretty much fall in this category. I would like to state that because they behave in the following mentioned way :- Less verbally explicit communication, less written/formal information More internalized understandings of what is communicated Multiple cross-cutting ties and intersections with others Long term relationships Strong boundaries- who is accepted as belonging vs who is considered an outsider Knowledge is situational, relational. Decisions and activities focus around personal face-to-face relationships, often around a central person who has authority. HRM PRACTISES IN CUBA Human resource management (HRM) practices in Cuba are still incipient and close to what may be called the traditional Soviet-style model. In other words, HRM in Cuba mainly comprises a set of practices that emphasise cost control and administrative concerns, resource allocation being controlled by the administrative hierarchy and not by the market characteristics. Additionally, human resource management is an undervalued function compared to other areas. Those who are not good enough for anything else, go to the HR function, as one manager noticed. Within the last few years, and in the context of perfeccionamiento empresarial, new concerns with the quality of human resource management have arisen. The new goals, in industries that aim to achieve a competitive position in the international arena, include the development of staff competencies. Capacitacion (qualification) became HRMs recent major buzzword in the country. Qualification is the major human resource management challenge for Cuban companies, and is viewed as a necessary means for achieving a series of new business goals, including quality, customer service and independence in the execution of work, all of which are new descriptors in the national business vocabulary. The new market-oriented logic, which is emerging particularly in the globally exposed tourism sector, is far from being the normal. That is possibly one of the reasons why so many people try to work in tourism, the other being easier access to foreign currency. This has led to what is called the inverted pyramid: a hotel waiter can earn more money (in tips) than the best university educated specialist or work hero. Macro-level administration of human resources is thus being challenged by micro motives and is forcing companies to develop and implement incentive systems that stimulate individual motivation, while trying to respect the ideological orientation towards a more altruistic and disinterested motivated behaviour, such as the one mentioned above. In fact, as a traditional rule of the Cuban enterprise, incentivos (incentives) are non-material. They are called spiritual incentives, and may include a letter, a diploma, an appreciation from the company or, at a more material level, a dinner including lobster. Managers attitudes towards the effectiveness of material rewards are highly ambivalent. On the one hand, they deny the importance of material incentives. On the other hand, they enthusiastically refer to the possibility of obtaining material rewards in the more progressive firms. BUSINESS GROUPS OF CUBA SHERRITT INTERNATIONAL Sherritt International is one of the biggest business giants of Cuba that operates in Cuba Canada. Sherritt International Corporation is a diversified natural resource company that produces nickel, cobalt, thermal coal, oil and gas, and electricity. It also licenses its proprietary technologies to other metals companies. Sherritts 293.1 million common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol S. The company also produces oil from assets in Cuba, Spain and Pakistan, and manages 376 megawatts of power generation capacity in Cuba. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTISES The most important HRM practices practiced in Sherritt are HR planning (i.e. to forecast and foresee the future business and employee needs and plan for them) Recruitment and selection job descriptions, selection tools, background checks, offers Compensation (i.e. methods, consistency, market) Employee relations (i.e. labor agreements, performance management, disciplinary procedures, employee recognition) Mandated benefits (i.e. social security, unemployment insurance, workers compensation, COBRA/HIPPA) Optional group benefits (i.e. insurance, time off benefits, flexible benefits, retirement plans, employee assistance programs, perks) Payroll (i.e. internal vs. external options, compliance) Recordkeeping (i.e. HRIS, personnel files, confidential records, I-9, other forms) Training and development (i.e. new employee orientation, staff development, technical and safety, leadership, tuition reimbursement, career planning) Employee communications (i.e. handbook, newsletter, recognition programs, announcements, electronic communication) RECRUITMENT SELECTION The process of hiring begins when new recruits are sought and ends when their applications are submitted. The result is a pool of applications from which new employees are selected. Compensation Compensation is the remuneration provided to an employee in return for his/her contribution to the organization. It is an organized practice that involves balancing the work-employee relation by providing monetary and non-monetary benefits to employees. Training Training is also provided for increasing the knowledge and skills of people for a specific purpose. It helps the trainees acquire new skills, technical knowledge, and problem-solving ability etc. It also gives an awareness of the rules and procedures to guide their behavior thereby improving the performance of employee on present job and prepares them for taking up new assignments in future. Performance Appraisal Performance appraisal is a method of evaluating the behavior of employees in the work spot including both quantitative and qualitative aspects of job performance. A process in which employees strengths and weaknesses are identified to improve the performance on the present and future jobs. Performance appraisal is a systematic review of individual or a groups performance on the job. Pay Roll Section: After employee placement/joining the recruitment section handovers the details of the employees enclosed in a file to the payroll department. Pay Roll process starts from 25th of every month. First part is attendance, which will be coming from last 26th to 25th of the month. Salary is paid for 1st to 31st but attendance is calculated from 25th to 26th of the month. The Pay Roll department then looks after the following aspect of the employees. HSEQ HEALTH, SAFETY, ENVIRONMENT AND QUALITY (HSEQ) Every job involves certain risks. In order to provide a safer and healthy atmosphere at work place HSEQ is strengthened at all levels in the company. There is a possibility of occurrence of risk either from external and internal sources. External sources hear referred to infrastructure and internal sources referred to Behavior of employees. HSEQ is involved in regulation and controlling the risks involved in jobs. Bibliography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_america http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Countries/Latin-America/Cuba.php http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_exports http://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/geos/cu.html http://www.cuba.com/index.php?catid=280cuba_info_record=Useful%20information%20of%20 http://www.indexmundi.com/cuba/demographics_profile.html http://www1.american.edu/carmel/ms4917a/cuba.htm http://www.phpclasses.org/browse/country/cu/