Midterm Exam free essay sample

Utopian Stories After reading the short stories thought this semester, I have found that many of the Utopian stories are thematically the same. A Utopian story is a short story or novel in which someone pays the cost for perfection in society. There are three short stories that are most thematically alike those are: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson in 1948; The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin in 1975; and Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. in 1961. I have chosen these three stories because someone pays the cost in each of these stories and the results in each of them are the same. The elements of plot, characterizations, settings and symbols of each of these stories are alike. The story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is about village who stones a villager, old or young, once a year, for good crops and harvest. This person is chosen by a draw from a box. We will write a custom essay sample on Midterm Exam or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As in the lottery, the short story entitled The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K Le Guin is about a community that isolates and eglects a child for a perfect community and in Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. he community is restrained by handicaps so that everyone can be equally perfect. All of these stories plots have the one person that is tortured or killed for everyone elses happiness. Someone has to die or be neglected for perfection, they become sacrifices and not willingly. They are chosen unfairly or are held back of their gifts. The characterizations in each of these stories are simply innocent. None of the main characters had a choice and if they rebelled they were still put to death. In The Lottery Mrs. Hutchinson seems to be a normal mother and a great wife. She was doing as women in that time should have done, and she was late because she was doing the dishes. She was innocent. In The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas a young boy is neglected and frowned upon as a sacrifice. It is not said that this boy had done anything to deserve this, or that he was chosen because of his behavior. He was innocent and very young, most likely pure. In Harrison Bergeron both the mother and father were a normal family however the father had to wear a handicap to make im less intelligent and Harrison was a normal boy that was smart and talented however he disagreed and paid a cost. I believe that all the characters were treated unfairly. They all seemed to be nice and normal. The settings and Symbols of each of the stories are in a small village or community. A smaller community is easier to control and persuade. I think that the symbols are similar they are all restraints in a way or isolation. Stones were used in the lottery and when thinking of a stone I think of something cold and hard and very uncomfortable. In the Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas they used a basement to keep the boy in. When thinking of a basement I think of a dark cold place also very hard and uncomfortable. In Harrison Bergeron they used handicaps that were probably uncomfortable and the loud sounds in their all very uncomfortable. In conclusion I believe that these three stories were all thematically alike. The Lottery, The Ones Who Walk away from Omelas, and Harrison Bergeron were all great stories and I would recommend them to anyone who would like to read a utopian story.

Insufficient information in research topic Essay Example

Insufficient information in research topic Essay Example Insufficient information in research topic Paper Insufficient information in research topic Paper When you obtain an order branded write my research paper what is your first reaction? The most prudent thing to do is to contact the customer. You need more information to be able to process their request. You need to know if write my research paper is an open research paper in terms of the choice of the thesis statement or whether the customer erroneously omitted this information. The customer needs to explain if there are special instructions in terms of formatting, reference styles or restriction on the age of the reference materials. The customer needs to state when they expect to receive the draft paper and subsequently the final paper. You need to enter into an agreement with the customer on the charges, the means of payment as well as when the payment is due. How long should be the paper and what does the customer really expect to be captured in terms of the content? They need to let you know the level of writing for which the paper relates. Is it an undergraduate paper or is it a PhD dissertation. This will also help you decide on the personnel who will handle the order. It is more than clear that write my research paper is an insufficient information in research topic which doesnt allow the writer to proceed with assignment and start writing. You have no topic to write on and no knowledge of what is expected of you. You have no bench mark in terms of customer expectations against which to assess your progress. Gather as much information as possible and ensure you are at par with the customer in terms of what they expect of the final product. You need also to exchange contacts to ensure you keep in touch for consultation and reporting on progress. Until all these issues are ironed out, do not proceed to writing.

Australian Company Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Australian Company Law - Essay Example Tom and Adam are in a partnership business even though no written agreement has been made. Partnership business can be established through written partnership deed, orally or by estoppels through the actions of the partners1. Rule 6 (3) of the Partnership Act is mainly used by the courts in determining the existence of the partnership relationship. This rule provides that sharing of the profits and losses is enough evidence of existence of a partnership. Joint ownership of property or sharing of the gross returns does not necessary create a partnership association. According to the case of Smith v. Anderson (1880), partnership business must intent to carry on business and not domestic transactions since the repletion or continuity of business transactions will be evidence of a partnership business2. Adam and Tom must be aware that every partner other than in limited partnerships, or incorporated limited partnerships can act as an agent of the business and his actions are binding to t he business.. Partnership business is not regarded as a separate legal entity thus third parties will be contracting with the partners as individual agents of the business. In the case of Mercantile Credit Ltd v. Garrod (1962), the courts held that partners have the capacity to bind the firm and third parties must not have the knowledge that such partner lacks the authority to transact on behalf of the business3. There are numerous advantages and disadvantages of Tom and Adam conducting their business as a partnership. The main advantages of a partnership business include the ease of formation. Partnership formation does not require many legal formalities but only business registration and business permits. Partnerships offer certain tax incentives since each partner share of profits is added to his or other sources of income and taxed as personal incomes. Partnership business allows for flexibility since the partners can easily alter the partnership deed that contains the rights an d obligations of each partner, the profit and loss sharing ratios and liability of each partner depending on the nature of the partnership. Partners can access 50% CGT discount since they hold an interest in each business asset as an individual. The partners also share losses, decision making and responsibilities of running the business. However, Tom and Adam must also understand the disadvantages of partnership form of business since partners are jointly and severally liable for the liabilities of the business. Partnership business lacks continuity since dissolution can be occasioned by the death of the partner, or disagreements of the partners, bankruptcy of a partner, and retirement. It is difficult to transfer the ownership of the partnership business and partners have unlimited liability for the debts of the business. Since Tom and Adam have the intention of expanding their Winery business, I would advice them to form a limited company since their liability will be limited and their business will be a separate legal entity that can incur debts, sue or be sued. A limited company will allow them easy access to expansion capital. Tom and Adam will be able to easily transfer their ownership in the company through sale of their shares to third parties. Limited Liability Company will allow Tom and Adam to limit their tax liabilities since the company is taxed on its own entity. However, there are many legal formalities and strict regulations that guide the registration and operations of

Homeostasis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Homeostasis - Essay Example As body needs to respond to any disturbance in the internal milieu very quickly therefore initial response of the body is a reflex response usually takes place through peripheral controlling systems, especially nervous system. Failure of homeostasis causes diseases disease and sometimes death. Major systems controlling homeostasis in the body are nervous system and endocrine system. These systems have got their own specific characteristics which make them integral components which help maintain homeostasis: There are some physiological set points related to various systems in the body. Whenever there is disturbance to these set points body responds to this change and tries to bring the situation back to normal. This reversal of disturbance or change is necessary to keep an individual healthy and alive. Some of these conditions or parameters are: Central nervous system (CNS), autonomic nervous system (ANS) and endocrine systems work together to maintain these parameters within normal limits. Any change in the set points is detected and recognized by these systems and efficiently maintained by these systems with the help of feedback system. ... 6. Adrenal medulla: adrenaline - adaptation to stress; 7. Pancreas: insulin - regulation of blood glucose level. Physiological set points There are some physiological set points related to various systems in the body. Whenever there is disturbance to these set points body responds to this change and tries to bring the situation back to normal. This reversal of disturbance or change is necessary to keep an individual healthy and alive. Some of these conditions or parameters are: Body temperature: regulated close to 37 C Blood pH: kept at 7.4 Arterial blood pressure: maintained around 120/80 mm Hg Maintenance of blood glucose level Maintenance of fluids and salts, osmoregulation Central nervous system (CNS), autonomic nervous system (ANS) and endocrine systems work together to maintain these parameters within normal limits. Any change in the set points is detected and recognized by these systems and efficiently maintained by these systems with the help of feedback system. Initially, most of the time, nervous control takes this initiative of maintaining homeostasis o short term basis; afterwards, endocrine system takes the responsibility of responding change in the internal milieu. Homeostatic system functions following the "feedback mechanisms". Although, negative feedback system is utilized most of the time but in a limited number of situations positive feedback also gets itself involved (Wikipedia 2007; Biology Online). All feedback systems work in a systematic and well organized way, the major components of a feedback systems are: Sensors; Signal transmitters; Control center and Effectors. Sensors are directly involved in the situation, which disturb the internal environment of the body they relay signals to the central

Scientific Management †Frederick Taylor Essay Example for Free

Scientific Management – Frederick Taylor Essay Abstract Frederic Taylor was one of the pioneers of management theory. His work was a product of the Industrial Revolution and the strict societal views and class structures of that day. Although scientific management is often criticized today, its key principles are still applicable in many areas of work and life. Scientific Management- Fredrick Taylor Employee management techniques and procedures are central to the effectiveness of a business. Every business must find a way to complete the tasks necessary for it to provide its goods and services to the marketplace. Because a business is unable to act unless all of its employees, from interns to the chief executive officer, act as a single team to achieve the goals the business has established, it is essential for a business to determine how it can affect these employees to have them produce the results the business needs. Today many management techniques and theories tend to center on the personality or character of employees and how best to affect people based on their psychology or personalities. For example, some theories center on the motivations that can drive a person to take action, others on how persons react to different management styles. Management theories today recognize that employees are a key part of a company and that management theories are not just about controlling employees. Management theories must consider how to motivate and encourage workers to perform their jobs. Management theories, however, must also consider the value of employees and that employees have different personalities and goals. There also is an understanding that there cannot be one management theory that works on all employees equally, on all types of businesses, or for all managers all of the time. The differences in setting, work, employer, manager, and employee must all be considered today. The most effective management theories of today are not meant to apply to all situations. Their developers understand that different situations and people require different  methods and techniques because today society understands that all people have individual needs and offer different potential. At the time of the industrial revolution, however, there was a belief that laborers and managers were different classes of people. The thought was that people should be treated differently based on their social status. Management techniques were not concerned with â€Å"who† an employe e was. Instead, management techniques were more concerned with assuring managers had order and control over employees, similar to the way a parent has over a child. While the goal was the same as it is today, to achieve company goals, the belief was that labor had no role to play other than to follow orders. There was no thought or expectation that a laborer could have any knowledge or character that the employer may benefit from. At that time it was the role of management to train or convert a person into what the company needed. When management though of employee or labor training, what it thought about was not training that would benefit the person the employee was. Instead, training was thought to be geared to improving the production of the employee for the benefit of the employee (Berdayes). The management style that was developed in this society, which remains one whose principles are still relevant today, was â€Å"Scientific Management†. It was a style geared to determining the best methods management could require employees to follow so that work was done most efficiently and productively (Berdayes). In fact, Taylor once indicated that managers/employer had to understand that: It is only when we fully realize that our duty, as well as our opportunity, lies in systematically cooperating to train and to make this competent man, instead of in hunting for a man whom someone else has trained, that we shall be on the road to national efficiency. This statement clearly indicates the view that any man could be trained to simply follow a procedure and that would lead to great results. However, to fully understand scientific management it is important to understand the mind of the man from whom it originated: Frederick Winslow Taylor (Roper). Frederick Winslow Taylor was a member of the middle or upper middle classes of his time (Guru). He was born in 1856 into a family of Quakers, who believed in â€Å"plain living,† (Guru). His father was an attorney and Taylor graduated with a degree in industrial engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey (Guru). As can be expected, based on this resume, Taylor was a part of management. In fact, while he worked his way through school, his jobs were those of a skilled worker, not a laborer (Guru). He worked in a metal products factory as a machinist where he eventually became a foreman (Guru). Then, he was promoted into the role of a research director and â€Å"finally achieved the position of chief engineer.† (Guru). The fact that Taylor was born into a family headed by an attorney and his ability to attend college, even though he worked, seems to attest to the fact that he was from the higher classes of the time. Student loans and programs by the government were not available at the time to assure that students could afford an education if their families were unable to pay for them. Taylor’s jobs, although he worked as a machinist for years, also indicate that he was never a laborer on an assembly line or a member of that class of workers that was lowest in the society of the time. Taylor’s views, therefore, can be seen to more closely aligned to those of managers and employers than to labor. A person’s view point is greatly shaped by their upbringing and life experiences. Taylor’s life is almost empty of any contact with, or connection to, an average laborer. Taylor’s father was very successful as an attorney. Taylor spent his early teen years in private schoo ls in France and Germany (Stearns). He then attended the famous Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and was set to attend Harvard University Law School (Stearns). Society at the time of Taylor’s life was very different from the democratic and accepting society of today. Those who lived in Taylor’s circles did not associate or interact with those in the lower classes (Stearns). People were expected to be born in a certain class and die in that class. People obtained the education expected for their class members to have, they worked in jobs their class was expected to obtain, and they were presumed to have intelligence, feelings, and thoughts which their â€Å"class† was stereotyped as having (Stearns). Taylor is often perceived as looking â€Å"down† on the lower classes and the laborers of his day (Schachter). This was the era of the Industrial Revolution, where people were being looked at by employers and those who were building the American industrial complex, as machines (Stearns). Just as a motor’s part can be replaced, employers thought of employees are interchangeable parts of the machinery of the assembly line (Stearns). Indeed, there are several  documented instances where Taylor speaks of workers as lacking in intelligence or being lazy in their work (Schachter). In particular, there is one instance in which he observes a German bricklayer doing his job and describes him as lazy and unintelligent due to the way he performs his work (Schachter). However, in reality this â€Å"simple† man, was not only working full time as a bricklayer, but had also managed to purchase a parcel of land and was in the process of building his own home, on which he would work after his normal twelve hour day was over (Schachter). This was the stereotypical view of laborers, that they had no purpose, role, or life, nor could they benefit society in any other way than as labor, or a part of the â€Å"industrial machine†. In fact, it is this view of so much of humanity as being nothing more than parts of a large industrial machine that people such as Max Weber began to look at the way in which society was devaluing humanity (SJSUIE). It is interesting, however, that while Weber’s management theories were meant to humanize production, in the areas of sociology, his theory of management was one that also can be seen as evolving out of a fixed view of class and social structure. Weber’s â€Å"ideal bureaucracy† formulated a system of management in which a firm hierarchy was put in place (SJSUIE). Through this system all involved were to firmly know and understand their responsibilities and duties (SJSUIE). Another system of â€Å"rules† for the new industrial complexes that were developing came from Henri Fayol (Holmblad). Fayol’s work went beyond that of Weber to provide more guidance for management as to their roles (Holmblad). Fayol established the five principle roles of management at this time: to forecast and plan; to organize; to command; to coordinate; and to control (Holmblad). Both of Weber’s and Fayol’s theories are interesting concerned only with the structure of management or the role of those in management (Holmblad). The viewpoint taken by both of these theories is that the important part of management is the managers and labor merely has to follow their managers’ orders. This is perfectly in li ne with the view taken of labor at the time period. It is in this society that the theory of scientific management developed. Taylor was convinced that efficiency and productivity could be obtained through the use of study of motion and the use of that work to develop efficient production methods (Wrege). As Taylor argued, the techniques of science, so respected in society, could be applied to labor  (Salvendy). This would permit the discovery of the most productive means of building a product or completing a process in the production of that product (Salvendy). Taylor believed people needed to be observed to understand the movements involved in their work (Salvendy; Wrege). These individual movements then could be further broken down to help identify the procedures necessary to accomplish them (Salvendy). In the end, Taylor would develop a production method, similar to the way machines are now designed, that would produce the most units in the least amount of time (Berdayes; Guru). Workers were instructed on exactly how to accomplish a task and were not to deviate from the procedures designed by Taylor ( Salvendy). Taylor’s scientific management was a great success during Taylor’s lifetime (Schacter). Because the term â€Å"scientific† was associated with the work, and as Taylor devised human body diagrams to â€Å"prove† how its movements were the most efficient, the theory gained great respect and generated great debate (Berdayes). One commentator argued that scientific management was a process in which â€Å"the person’s activity is thereby reduced to repeating a fractional operation at the tempo of the machine. At the extreme of this approach the person is simply subsumed as one more mechanized component of production with precisely specifiable fuel, cooling, and other operational requirements,† (Berdayes). Throughout the study the laborer in scientific management was reduced to a laboratory animal that was observed in its environment and after the study was reduced to a machine part in how they were required to work. The method was not loved by all or praised by all, regardless of its success. Interestingly, however, unlike Weber or Fayol, Taylor f ocused his improvements for the industrial complex at the level of the labor pool, not that of management. His theory appealed to management because it provided clear cut order and direction for workers, but it was based on the need to have workers follow a certain order. This too meant the theory worked on a principle of hierarchy, in which management controlled, but at least Taylor saw that labor also played a role in production. It has been said that Taylor’s methods were driven only for the benefit of management, but Taylor did not feel this way (Schachter). There is some evidence that Taylor’s deep devotion to labor studies and motions to find the most efficient work process may have been a way to help keep management from taking advantage of workers (Schachter). During the industrial revolution  managers would pay many laborers by the piece, say at a rate of $0.02 per nut or bolt produced (Schachter). Often, to earn more, workers would quickly develop faster means of production (Schachter). When that happened, however, management would then change the piece rate they paid because, they told their workers, their fast rate of production meant the work was too simple and should not be so highly paid (Schachter). Taylor may have wanted to keep management honest and felt that by developing a clear work process management could not harm labor for efficiency improvements (Schachter). If this view point is correct, then Taylor’s scientific management may have been a way to help labor (Schacter). He may have believed that through scientific management labor would have a proven way to show management that they were acting as best as they could, hence avoiding any arbitrary actions by managers (Schacter). Taylor’s insistence on the use of written instructions, training, and incentive payments to workers can also be said to signify his belief in the fact that scientific management was a benefit to both employees and management (Guru). Unfortunately, however, that is not how Taylor’s work is remembered today, even though his work is still a part of current management studies (Wagner). Even as the Twentieth Century dawned people were disdainful of Taylor’s scientific management (Roper). The theory was believed to be too dehumanizing (Roper). However, scientific management’s worker efficiency and work processes were still valued, but th ere was a demand for theories that also involved human relations (Roper). For the first time consideration was given to humans who worked at all levels in a company or firm. Workers were looked at as â€Å"sentient† beings, not just as â€Å"tools† who were part of an industrial machine. Finally, it seems, management and workers were viewed as mutual participants in work and the managerial process. This was the main problem with scientific management, and the reason for its disfavor as the Twentieth Century continued (Roper). Society also changed and labor itself placed demand on management and wanted to participate in how their work was to be structured and performed (Roper). In fact, scientific management was once so looked down upon that it was considered a form of slavery (Roper). Detractors argued that management was supposed to be more concerned with the humanity of the people who were being managed than with management needs or desires to â€Å"slave drive† people into production (Roper). Some argued that it  would be better t o motivate and encourage workers to product through the establishment of more humanitarian wages, working conditions, work hours, and job security (Roper). This is one of the times when there were a great number of people convinced of the need for a communist revolution and it was often workers, who suffered the worst working and living conditions society had to offer, even through the First World War, that championed such movements (Roper). The theory of scientific management, as society developed, has been strongly disfavored (Wagner). As society moved away from the conditions that existed during the industrial revolution and left behind the strict beliefs in social class and a person’s proper place in society, the belief that labor had to be â€Å"instructed† into how to perform each minute step of their jobs was seen as insulting (Roper). The view that the lowest level employee would not understand how best to accomplish a task, and that, indeed, there was only â€Å"one best way† to perform a task, was discredited (Roper). However, parts of scientific management are still recognized for the work Taylor completed in the principle of efficiency (Taylor). Seen as a social philosophy, instead of a management theory, scientific management does have application, at the personal level, to everyone who needs to complete a task, from a baker to a zoologist (Roper). Scientific management can be viewed as an early introduction of the principle of efficiency in labor and society. The idea that through thought and observation a person could perform regular tasks faster and more easily remains a very important part of work and life in our busy world. References Berdayes, V. (2002). Traditional Management Theory as Panoptic Discourse: Language and the Constitution of Somatic Flows. Culture and Organization, Vol. 8(1), pp. 35–49. Guros on Managing People. (NA). Fredrick Winslow Taylor: (1856-1915). Kerns, D. (2008). History of Management Theory. San Jose State University Industrial Engineering, SJSU ISE. 250. Retrieved September 23, 2008, from http://www.kernsanalysis.com/sjsu/ise250/history.doc Holmblad, K. (2008). Some effects of Fayolism. International Studies of Management Organization, Spring 2008, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 30 – 49. Roper, M. (2001). Masculinity and the Biographical Meanings of Management Theory: Lyndall Urwick and the Making of Scientific Management in Inter-war Britain. Gender, Work and Organization, Vol. 8, No. 2, April 2001. Salvendy, G. (2004). Classification of Human Motions. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomic Science, March–April 2004, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 169–178. Schachter, H. L. (1989). Frederick Taylor and the Public Administration Community: A Reevaluation. (Albany: State University of New York Press). Stearns, P.N. (2007). The Industrial Revolution in World History, Third Edition. New York: Westview Press). Wagner, T.S. (2007). An Institutional Economic Reconstruction of Scientific Management: on the Lost Theoretical Logic of Taylorism. Emerald Management Review, Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 105 – 118. Wrege, C.D. (2008). F.W. Taylors Lecture on Management, June 4, 1907: an Introduction. Journal of Management History, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 209 – 213.

Difficulties discussing patient sexual health

Difficulties discussing patient sexual health Hesitancy In Taking History From A Female Client Sexuality assessment and counseling are part of the nurse’s professional role, but only few nurses integrate this awareness into practice in a proper way. Getting a sexual history is an inbuilt piece of the client meeting, however, numerous health care professionals neglect to address this subject with their clients. This could be credited to distress that numerous healthcare professionals may have with the subject (Shukla, Yourchock Coutcher, 2013). During my community rotation of reproductive health at Salimabad colony, the family I was assigned to was a 4 membered family living in 2 adjacent apartments with 4 bedrooms. Only one lady was at home with whom I conducted my interview. She was the mother of 3 daughters. I started with the general components of history, such as information about their family members, their education, and their health status etc. She was responding to my questions in a decent manner without any hesitation. After that I asked the client about the problems related to her reproductive health. Her reply was pretty awkward. She replied that I don’t know how to explain it to you because you are a male student. I felt very uncomfortable with her reply that I didn’t even try to intervene in between and explore more about her concerns. At the time of the incident I felt terrible and disregarded. I found the response of the client very bizarre. I also felt helpless because at that time I was not able to figure out that what I should say to the client to make her comfortable. In the wake of confronting the dismissal from the patient, numerous questions popped into my brain. First and foremost, what made the client so uncomfortable? After all I told her that the information won’t be disclosed to an irrelevant person. Secondly, why did I hesitate to intervene to make the client comfortable? Moreover, why didn’t the client realize that I was there to help her? If she’d tell me about her problems than I could’ve guided her about the solutions. I reflected and analyzed the possible causes because of which the incident occurred. According to Magnan, Reynolds Galvin (2005), various hindrances exist to consolidating thought of patient sexuality into nursing practice, including individual, institutional, patient-related variables and Personal elements, for example, nurses’ attitudes about sexuality and sexual behavior. There are a lot of barriers concerning poor healthcare like, social, religious, cultural and economic. Among these socio-cultural is the most crucial. In a developing country like Pakistan, the culture and religion have more significance than any other aspect of life. According to Walston (2005), Involving men in reproductive health is particularly challenging in countries whose culturally defined gender roles may hinder men’s participation. For establishing an effective and therapeutic communication, it is necessary for a healthcare professional to overcome these barriers. To overcome these issues, the healthcare professional shouldn’t be hesitant while taking the history about reproductive health. According to Jayasuriya Dennick (2011), there are many barriers within the learner. The first and the foremost is the deficiency of knowledge. A few students omit a sexual history in light of the fact that they dont comprehend its applicability to a specific clinical situation. It is less demanding to ask an intrusive question if one comprehends the pertinence of the inquiry and is thus ready to advocate it – both to oneself and to the client. The second barrier within the learner is problems with terminology. In sexual history-taking, students may be confronted with vocabulary or behavior with which they are unfamiliar. According to Jayasuriya Dennick (2011), students may be hesitant to seek clarification, particularly where sexual activity is concerned, for fear of appearing sexually inexperienced, or unversed in sexual behavior. The third barrier is the concern about patient’s perception of student. Students some of the time express worry about picking up clients trust or bringing on offense by their inquiries (Jayasuriya Dennick 2011). The other set of barriers is barriers within the learning environment. The most significant barrier of this set is cultural barriers. According to Jayasuriya Dennick (2011), in some cultures, sex is allied by shame. This feeling of taboo penetrates into medical culture as well. Indeed, healthcare professionals who do talk about sexual wellbeing may limit themselves to medical’ issues such as infections, while evading issues relating to sexual lifestyle. While reflecting on my role, I realized that I shouldn’t have kept quiet. I shouldn’t have hesitated and should’ve intervened and said something to make the client comfortable. I should’ve shown professionalism which might have helped the client understand and realize the purpose of taking the sexual history. If I encounter similar situations in the future, I’ll try not to hesitate and along with that I’ll try to make the patient comfortable by telling her the significance of taking the reproductive health history. After studying the literature now I know that for an effective communication, health care providers should respect the feelings, sexual values, lifestyle and social norms and limitations of the client. And they should have the current knowledge about regarding sexual health. In addition, talking about reproductive health can be difficult for clients and health care providers as well, but continuous practicing and use of effective skills can promote communication and it will also help to ensure the best possible care (Association of reproductive health professionals April, 2008). As we know that students learn a lot from clinical experiences so for that purpose, students could watch a specialist take a sexual history from a client or they could watch a video of the same methodology or they could partake in a role-play activity (Jayasuriya Dennick 2011). In conclusion, involvement of male in reproductive health is also necessary as female health care providers to promote a healthy sexual life. Male involvement in reproductive health can be achieved through the use of effective therapeutic communication skills, training and practice, current knowledge regarding reproductive health so that a better role can be played as a nurse. References Magnan, M., Reynolds, K., Galvin, E. (2005). Barriers to addressing patient sexuality in nursing practice.Medsurg Nursing,14(5), 282. Shukla, V., Yourchock, B., Coutcher, M. (2013). Overcoming Barriers Regarding Sexual History Taking: Case Reports.Journal Of Therapy Management In HIV Infection,1(2), 3639. Walston, N. (2005). Challenges and opportunities for male involvement in reproductive health in Cambodia.Phnom Penh: POLICY Project/Cambodia. Jayasuriya, A., Dennick, R. (2011). Sexual history-taking: using educational interventions to overcome barriers to learning.Sex Education,11(01), 99112. Association of Reproductive Health Professionals. (2008, April).What You Need to Know Talking to Patients About Sexuality and Sexual Health. Retrieved from http://http://www.arhp.org/uploadDocs/sexandsexfactsheet.pdf

Geely Company Analysis

Geely Company Analysis When globalization becomes a circumstance, many companies try to open oversea market. Here, we’d like to take a look at a Chinese private-own automobile company Geely. As china’s top car maker, Geely abstracted the world’s eyes recently. In 2004, Geely plans to export 5,000 vehicles to the Middle East, South America and North Africa after shipping 1,000 cars to Syria in the fourth quarter of 2003 at US$4,000-$6,000 each. This year, Geely wants to open US market. But with many strong competiters in car manufactory in US, with weak reputation around chinese product, How does Geely find an appropriate approach to develop its business? This paper will try to find the answer. First, we will introduce Geely background to help reader know its history and present situation. Then we will do SWOT analysis and Entry mode comparison toward its current status to find a better approach for Geely to enter in US. We will cover chapter 4 and chapter 14 in this paper. Company opportunity Although it’s hard for a new automotive manufactor enter in US market, which is roughly saturated and full of strong competitors, Geely still has its own advantages and oppotunities. Its super-low price becomes a brick to knock the door of US low end vehicles market. Some other famous and successful brand bulid a good model for Geely in car image, design etc. Also, US market is huge and American people have a high consumption, if Geely can catch the oppotunities, the chance to success will be great. Now, let’s take a look at its company background. Company background Geely automobile company was found on March, 1997 in Zhe Jiang China. It is a private own automobile company. The registered capital of this company is RMB 20 million. In 2001, Geely automobile became the first approved private company in terms of automobile manufacture in mainland China. The chairman of the company is Li Shu Fu. He has good relationships with the Chinese government leaders and Zhe Jiang province government leaders. China has high economic growth rates since 1980s. Many Chinese people make a lot of money every year. Most of them want to own cars or need cars for many easons. So the Chinese car market become bigger and bigger. It provides a good opportunity to Li Shu Fu and his employees to realize their dream: â€Å"Make the best Cars, ordinary People Can Afford. † Geely automobile company hires many workers to produce different styles cars in Zhe Jiang province and operates big business in mainland China, Middle East, southern America and Africa. The operatio n of the company can affect the economic growth of Zhe Jiang province. So, Geely automobile company always gets support from the Zhe Jiang province government. Gerry automobile company is focusing on low-income market in mainland China. In the first half of 2003, Geely Company produced 34360 units of cars and renews the lowest prices of its products in the automobile industry, so the company shared 3. 84% of the total Chinese car market. At the same, the company made technical cooperation agreement with German Rucker Company. The cooperation agreement helps Geely automobile to improve its products’ quality quickly. This company gets success in domestic market after its first car launched off in Linhai City Zhejiang Province. On June, 2003, the one hundred thousand Geely care launched off in Zhejiang Province. This company has import & export license and the ISO 9001 quality system certification, so it is very easy for the company to export its products to other countries. Gerry Company tries to enter in international market since its foundation. The company sells its products or establishes extensive trading relationship in different countries and areas since 2003. It seems to get success in Middle East, Southern American and Africa because the company exports large quantities of products to those areas per year. This company is looking for the opportunities to enter the U. S. market now. S. W. O. T Analysis Since we have assumed that Geely has its potential to open the automobile market in American, then the next step is to analyze the company and automobile industry environment. One of tools is provided by our text book called â€Å"S. W. O. T† analysis which stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (Sulivan, 2002). * Strength A strength could be defined as something a company is good at doing or a characteristic that gives it enhanced competitiveness. It may include aluable physical and/or human assets, an achievement or attribute that takes the company in a position of market advantage, alliances or cooperative ventures, and so on(Thompson & Strickland, 2001, p117). For Geely Automobile Company, low cost of physical and/or human assets is one of the major strengths. As we know, although Chinese labor cost is not the lowest in the world, its cost is still much lo wer than lots of industrialized countries. Besides, the average cost of raw materials, plant, and land is also cheaper than some western countries. Moreover, Geely does not only have low cost labor but also has lots of valuable human assets. In 2003, Geely recuited some experienced managers into their team including former the General Manager of SAIC Volkswagen, Vice President of FAW Volkswagen Group, President of Dongfeng Automobile Institute Research, Chief Representative of German BMW and General Manager of China region after service company of Benz Company. These lower-cost advantages make Geely achieve its low price strategy among other competitors. On May, 2003, Geely sparkplug automobile popularization and renovate the newest and lowest price of automobile in the automobile industry. For instance, Geely makes some low-priced sedans. One of those is under the brand name, Haoqing minicar which is the cheapest on the Chinese market, at just 32,000 yuan which converts to $ 3,867 U. S. dollars. Some company’s alliances or cooperative ventures also build up its strength. On Dec. , 2002, Geely made contracts with Daewoo International Co. , Ltd and Maggiora S. p. A, a famous Italy automobile project group with respectively to develop CK-1 and CI-1 automobile project. On June,2003, Geely made a technical cooperation agreement with German Rucker Company. * Weakness A weakness is defined as something a company lacks or does poorly or a condition that makes the company at a disadvantage. A weakness may include lack of financial support, poor brand image or reputation and so on (Thompson & Strickland, 2001, p117). As we mentioned that Geely is a private owned company in our company background section, it is more difficult for them to get financial support in order to expand market or R&D. Furthermore, even though it made strategy corporation with several Shanghai and Zhejiang commercial banks, from an international perspective, â€Å"the lack of a strong relationship with a large bank with lobal connections† (Sulivan, 2002, p512) seems to be a big weakness for them. The second weakness is the reputation of Chinese products. For example, every time we, including Europeans, Americans even Asians, mention made-in-China products, we probably are talking about most of toys, shores, textiles or cheap electronics, but fewer of high-tech products. It is true for Chinese automobile manufacturers such as Geely that in order to open western markets they still have a long way to build their product images. * Opportunity It is no doubt that America has one of the most favorable automobile markets in the world. The political and businesses environment such as regulation are stable and well-developed. The income per capita is also ranked at top. Besides, its infrastructures such as freeways and national transportation network are also well built. For automobile manufacturers, they can either open luxury car markets or focus on mid-income or lower-income consumers. For foreign car makers especially from Asia, Japanese opened American market in 70’s and Korean opened in 90’s; the next might be from China. Threats Like opportunity, a threat is also viewed at whole industry level rather than each single company. In the automobile industry, the most common threat is a lot of competitors. There are not only many worldwide well-known brands such as General Motor, Ford, Toyota, Martz-Benz which produce different kinds of luxury automobiles for high-or-mid income consumers but also lots of small m anufacturers such as Hyundai, Geely, or Chery (another Chinese automobile company) which focus on lower-income market. Another threat is fueling fears. Since Asia economy boom, the demand of natural resource such as petroleum is increased dramatically. However, nowadays, the oil reserve is decreasing. Due to the high demand and short supply in oil, consumers start to consider not only the prices of automobiles but also the ability of gasoline saving while they purchase the cars. The change of consumer purchase behaviors will directly affect automobile manufactures’ market strategy and R&D. In sum, S. W. O. T analysis is very helpful for both domestic-oriented and international-oriented companies to analyze internal or external economic environment. However, after finish this analysis, there is another analysis to do – country analysis before we choose an appropriate entry model. US Country Analysis In US, automobiles play an important role in our daily lives. We can not finish our duties without driving a car. According auto Automotive News, there are 16 million cars in US. Most of the car sales are not made US car companies. US made cars sales is around 44. 9 %. That means 55% of cars sales in US are from foreign company. Japanese cars are the most sales cars in US. There are a lot of reasons why the Japanese cars are popular in US market. First, Japanese cars are better quality and lower price than US cars. Second, the Japanese cars saves their customers in gasoline cost. Because gasoline price increases so quickly, the US economy is experiencing a inflation problem. The daily life product prices are in a rise. People have less spending power than before. The market for cheap cars will increase year by year. On the other hand, people who have higher income still want to buy an expensive car. Most of the rich people want to buy Europe cars, such as BMW, Mercedes Benz, and Audi. As for the cheap car market, Korean cars are taking over most of the sales. China automobiles may have a good chance to break into US market, because China may be more competitive than Korean cars. The car come from China also consume less gas. It is may have a good opportunity to break into US market. Entry mode Since the objective for Geely Automotives is to eventually dominate the U. S. low end vehicles market, the most appropriate way for Geely automotives to do this would be through the direct exporting along with sales subsidiary method of entry. Geely will start out by selecting markets that are more susceptible to buying Chinese vehicles such as California and certain parts of Texas. Additionally, this process is set up to allow Geely to move carefully, develop a good foundation in the U. S. markets and if the future looks favorable then Geely may eventually grow and expand from there. Since China already has some of the lowest labor costs in the world, Geely automotives may be able to leave their manufacturing plant in China and the cars will then be directly exported to the U. S. from China. Once the cars arrive then Geely U. S. subsidiary will be responsible from there on and transport the vehicles to the dealerships for sale. To augment the exporting process, Geely will open up sales subsidiary dealerships in the selected locations in California and certain parts of Texas. The function of these sales subsidiaries will be sales, customer support and along with repair and maintenance on the vehicles. The management team will be also be imported from Geely’s headquarters in China, whereas sales, customer support and mechanics can be hired locally, since there is a good supply of well trained car salesmen in U. S. already. While a sales subsidiary dealership may be more expensive to set up in the U. S. than a simple sales branch, the sales subsidiary will be better for long term growth and the expenses should be off set by higher revenues earned from the subsidiary. According to Dr. Sullivan in Exploring International Business Environments, a sales subsidiary will also be better for long term growth because a sales subsidiary will allow Geely to â€Å"1. Be closer in touch with end-user needs. 2. Have more control over distribution channels, And 3. Being perceived by customers as more committed to the market. † ( 263). Dr. Sullivan also notes that the major disadvantage of a sales subsidiary is in finding sales personal with the right mix of experience, language skills and willingness to work for foreigners. However this should not be a big issue for Geely since there is a large Chinese population in California and many well trained sales people. (263). The major thrust behind Geely’s entry mode is to expand through economies of scale even if it means sacrificing short term profits. Lawrence Ang, executive director of Geely describes it clearly when he said in a recent news update: â€Å"We're the most aggressive market player in pursuing price-cuts and economies-of-scale strategies,† Ang continues by explaining that â€Å"Market share is relatively more important for us in the near term than profit margin because China's auto industry will experience a trend of declining profit margins in the next couple of years,† Furthermore, Ang concludes that â€Å"†We need a critical mass. Then we can push down our per-unit costs, leaving room for maneuvering on pricing. † (china. org. cn) Case study†¦ Hyundai Motors To understand the effectiveness of this entry mode better, let us look at Hyundai as an example. Hyundai first entered the U. S. market in 1986, their timing was perfect because it was a time when most automobile manufacturers were striving to dominate the higher-end markets, and this left plenty of room in the low end vehicles market. Hyundai took advantage of this by providing affordable cars for college students and lower income families. Hyundai also started out by exporting to Canada and later to the west and east coasts of U. S. where these markets are more liberal to foreign cars. Hyundai’s success was immediate, setting a record by selling their 100,000th Excel in just seven months of their first appearance. (Hyundai. com). With the American car manufacturers slowly loosing market share and Hyundai moving up in their target market, this could be the perfect opportunity for Geely to enter the U. S. market and reproduce Hyundai’s astounding results. Conclusion Eventually, as U. S. has huge demand of automobile, and slowly looses its market share to the Asian automobile manufacture, and as Hyundai moves to higher-end markets, this presents an opportunity for Geely. According to S. W. O. T analysis, Geely has its strength on low cost of natural resource and labor, and opportunity on focusing large demand of low-income consumers but the threat on powerful competitors, and weakness on poor reputation. Thus, if Geely could fully utilize its strength and opportunity, and build up its reputation by improving its qualities, we strongly believe that Geely could successfully enter U. S. market, and has high chance to capture part of U. S. automobile industries.

Culture Analysis of Toyota Essay

ABSTRACT This case study analyses the corporate culture of Toyota by using two theories and then analyze the national cultures of Japan and USA by using two theories and its impact on the corporate culture of Toyota. The models of â€Å"Edgar Schein† and â€Å"Charles Handy† will be used to analyze the corporate culture of Toyota while the models of â€Å"Greet Hofstede† and â€Å"Fons Trompenaars† will be used to analyze the national cultures. Afterwards the case study will discuss the climate of Toyota and the impact of the same to its success. Also the case study will analyze the reasons as to why the Toyota Company had to face failures and whether the company culture had any impact in the same. It will also point out on how the culture of Toyota had become inflexible over a period where the company was facing rapid expansions in to other countries and how it had impacted the success of the company. Finally the author will provide with suggestions and advice as to how Toyota could do in the future on developing their corporate culture. Toyota was established as a commercial vehicle manufacturer in 1937 with a capital of  ¥ 12 million. By 1948 Toyota’s debt was 8 times than its capital value. In 1950s Toyota studies US plants, including Ford, and supermarkets during a 12 week study visit. They see little improvement since his previous trip but use supermarkets as a model for just-in-time production. Toyota entered the US in 1958 by launching its model the Toyopet. It established its first overseas production unit in Brazil in 1959 and entered the European market in 1963. Besides manufacturing, the company started a global network of design and R&D facilities covering the three major car markets of Japan, North America, and Europe. The company underwent rapidexpansion in the 1960s and exported fuel-efficient small cars to different countries across the world. By the early 1970s, Toyota‘s global vehicle production was behind that of only GM and Ford. The oil crisis in the late 1970s gave a major boost to Toyota, with many people shifting to smaller, fuel-efficient cars, where Toyota had a significant presence. In 1988, Toyota opened its first plant in North America in Georgetown, In 2000, Toyota‘s global production exceeded five million vehicles. By November 2003, Toyota‘s market capitalization touched US$ 110 billion. In 2006, Toyota became the third largest car and truck seller in the US, surpassing Chrysler Group LLC13 (Chrysler). In 2007, Toyota with sales of 2.6 million vehicles overthrew Ford from the second position in the US auto market. About two-third of Toyota‘s workforce was located outside Japan at that time. In July 2008, Toyota replaced GM15 as the largest automaker in the world. In the financial year 2008, Toyota emerged as the largest automobile manufacturer in the world. 2. National Culture & Toyota Culture 3.2. What is Culture â€Å"Culture is not something you can manipulate easily. Attempts to grab it and twist it into a new shape never work because you can’t grab it†- Prof.John P. Kotter â€Å"Culture† could be defined as â€Å"the sum total of the beliefs, values, rituals, rules & regulations, techniques, institutions, and artifacts that does characterize human populations†. Sociologists generally talk about the term socialization process, referring to the influence of parents, friends, education, and the interaction with other members of a particular society as the basis for one’s culture. These influences result in learned patterns of behavior common to members of a given society. 3.3. National Culture 3.4.1. National culture according to Fons Trompenaars model Fons Trompenaars teamed with Charles Hampden-Turner and developed a theory on culture. Universalism vs. Particularism – Universalism cultures are strictly rule-based behavioral cultures where particularistic cultures tend to focus more on the exceptional nature of present circumstances. Toyota had been a company who was working on relationship based culture where they have even treated the suppliers as of their own. They value these relationships and trusts that through such practices they will achieve success. Specific vs. diffuse – This the manner which the organization or the culture handles their communications (Low context vs. High context) it is obvious that the Japanese belongs to low context and it was the case in Toyota as well where they value long term relationships with employees and its suppliers. Individualism vs. Collectivism – Individualism is about the rights of the individual. It seeks to let each person grow or fail on their own, and sees group-focus as denuding the individual of their inalienable rights. Communitarianism is about the rights of the group or society. It seeks to put the family, group, company and country before the individual. It sees individualism as selfish and short-sighted. It is clearly proven that Japanese works as groups and all team members and senior managers altogether will decide together on many strategies. Inner-directed vs. Outer-directed (â€Å"Do we control our environment or work with it?†) – An inner-directed culture assumes that thinking is the most powerful tool and that considered ideas and intuitive approaches are the best way. An Outer-directed culture assumes that we live in the ‘real world’ and that is where we should look for our information and decisions. The Japanese culture had strong beliefs on thinking power. Even at Toyota they created their own environment through introducing TPS and Toyota way. 3.4.2. National culture according to Greet Hofstede’s model National cultures can be described according to the analysis of Geert Hofstede. It has five dimensions –†¢ Power Distance, †¢ Individualism, †¢ Masculinity, †¢ Uncertainty Avoidance, †¢ Long-Term Orientation. Japanese national culture had a huge influence in corporate culture of Toyota even though they had their operations stretched towards the other parts of the world. Power Distance – By means which you could understand â€Å"the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally†. As per the table given below, it shows that Japan has more power distance than of USA culture. It’s clear as where all the strategic decisions were taken through the head office of Japan through a hierarchical layer who had more authoritative power. Most of the decisions were dependent on fewer individuals. Individualism – Individualism is the one opposite of collectivism that is the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. â€Å"Individualism pertains to societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after himself or herself and his or her immediate family.† In Toyota all employees were treated equally important, referred as knowledge workers and everybody was given the freedom to come up with ideas. As per the table given below USA can clearly been seen as individualistic culture where as Japan is more towards Collectivism culture. Masculinity – is the degree to which ‘masculine’ values like competitiveness and the acquisition of wealth are valued over ‘feminine’ values like relationship building and quality of life. According to the table, both Japan and USA are having high Masculinity characteristics but it’s much higher on Japanese cultures. In Toyota, they were obsessed to overtake their competitors and become as the largest automaker in 2008 simply to prove their power proving masculine approach towards their competitors. Uncertainty Avoidance – focuses on the level of society’s tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. A High Uncertainty Avoidance ranking indicates the country has a low tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. This creates a rule-oriented society that institutes laws, rules, regulations, and controls in order to reduce the amount of uncertainty. Japanese try to avoid uncertainty by planning everything carefully. Japan is a culture that depends on rules, laws and regulations. Japan wants to reduce its risks to the lowest and proceed with changes step by step. The United States scores a 46 compared to the 92 of the Japanese culture. Uncertainty avoidance in the US is relatively low, which can clearly be viewed through the national cultures. In Toyota, you could see that they make all the related parties (Supplier, Designers, Engineers, Dealers and Partners) involved in the manufacturing process right from the designing stage to marketing the product so that they produce exactly what is needed with minimum risk. Long-Term Orientation – focuses on the degree the society does or does not embrace long-term devotion to traditional values. High Long-Term Orientation ranking implies that the country embraces to the values of long-term commitments and respect for tradition and where long-term rewards are expected as a result of today’s hard work. This is very evident as Toyota has spent much revenue and focus on R&D activities even at tougher times. Hofstede’s Dimension of Culture Scales When considering these factors, it is obvious that Toyota (which comprises with Japanese culture embedded to its organizational culture) will have a significant impact to its culture when working in USA as USA culture is much more different to than Japanese culture. 3.4. Culture of Toyota 3.5.3. Toyota’s culture according to Edgar Schein’s Theory Schein’s three levels of culture model were developed in the 1980s. Schein identifies three distinct levels in organizational cultures: 1. Artifacts and behaviors 2. Exposed values 3. Basic Assumptions Artifacts of Toyota – Artifacts are the visible elements in a culture. Artifacts can be easily recognized by people. Artifacts can be dress codes, furniture, art, work climate, stories, work processes, organizational structures etc..Toyota’s artifacts could be * Fuel efficient vehicle manufacturer * Concentrated highly on maintaining quality and minimizing waste. Basic Assumptions of Toyota – Basic Assumptions reflect the shared values which are within the specific culture. These values oftentimes will not be especially visible to the members of the culture or the external parties. Assumptions and espoused values are possibly not correlated, and the espoused values may not at all be rooted in the actual values of the culture. This may cause great problems, where the differences between espoused and actual values may create frustrations, lack of morale and inefficiency. Toyota, when they ventured in to U.S. is when conflict in culture start to appear. Japanese corporate culture often conflicts with American management styles is partially due to a basic underlying assumption of Japanese culture. * Japanese Corporate Decision-Making involves group where Americans make decisions as individuals. * Japanese management is much more focused on relationships with their employees than rules to ensure corporate goals are met. * Managers in Japan depend on the honor system to get work done, relying on their workers’ trust and good will * The traditional structures and the hierarchy maintained by Toyota * Functional managers acting as mentors to other staff to understand the values and the culture of the organization * Chief engineers played a vital role in the organization’ * All employees of all levels were treated as knowledge workers * Encouraged all employees to communicate in simple language and encouraged them to be a part of different clubs & groups to share ideas amongst them. * Personal relationships were valued on a higher level 3.5.4. Toyota’s culture according to Charles Handy Theory Charles Handy gave a classification to the organizations culture into range of four cultures. The four cultures he discusses are Power’, ‘Role’, ‘Task’ and ‘People’. Power Culture – Power is concentrated in a smaller group. Power radiates out from the centre, usually a key personality, to others in the organization who send information down to other departments, functions or units. After the Toyota Company had established after global expansion over different continents, the main decision making power was still with headquarters which reflects the control was centralized to Japan headquarters. Role Culture – This culture comprises with several functional units of the organization which have to implement the decisions. The strength of the culture lays in specialization within its theses functional units. Interaction takes place between the functional specialism by job descriptions, procedures, rules and systems. Toyota showed lot of signs of role culture. During the Manufacturing process, they got the Engineers, suppliers and all the other related parties involved from the designing part to the sale of vehicle. Also they treated all employees as equal and each employee were given the opportunity to give their suggestions or express their feelings. Also Toyota had separate divisions operating for separate functions such as Sales, Finance, Legal, Manufacturing and R&D. Task Culture – Such cultures are of organizations which are much involved in R&D activities. They will create temporary task teams to meet their future needs. Information and expertise are the skills that are of value here. In Toyota it was not much shown this type of culture but since Toyota were very aggressive in intensive R&D activities and they emphasized the fact that engineers to spend more time on core engineering and technical skill acquisition, it shows a little bit of task culture in existence in Toyota. 3. Corporate Climate 4.5. What is corporate climate? Climate is defined as the recurring patterns of behavior, attitudes and feelings that characterize life in the organization. Climate impacts employee attitudes and motivation which directly impact on business performances. 4.6. Was the climate correct in Toyota The corporate climate in Toyota was set right at the beginning and lost its way when the expansion process was taking place. As we all know, Toyota has been valued as an organization which been driven through its values, processors and philosophies. Their main focuses were initially on understanding the requirements of the users through intense R&D activities and fulfill the same while maintaining high level of quality. For such they had developed mechanisms such as TPS or Toyota way. The Toyota Way was invented, discovered, and developed over decades as talented Toyota managers and engineers, learned to cope with its (Toyota’s) problems of external adaptation and internal integration. Managers understand the challenges and context that led to active on-the-floor problem solving, not theoretical, top-down exercises. Communications were very strong amongst the functions units. With the rapid expansion and the globalized diversifications being carried out (more broadly in USA), Toyota turned in to an ambition driven company that ignored its traditions. The practice of conveying the Toyota way to an alien culture was an uphill task and a costly exercise. Also there were signs that the top level of the company had its own issues. 1995 when Okuda became the President, he made some dramatic changes to the long lived traditions of Toyota culture by cutting costs, increasing focus on product development and revamping of the product designs. Under his leadership, Toyota went on massive overseas expansion in a rapid phase but the cultural development and the processed values were not conveyed in the same phase. Once the expansions were set the focus/objective of the company became to be the largest car making company in the world beating GM. They were obsessed with this new vision. In parallel to this new vision somewhere in early 2000s, they launched the CCC21 cost cutting program. Due to such many of Japan employees were reduced from overseas plants and due to such the transferring of age old quality practices and corporate philosophy couldn’t be done to its subsidiaries. And finally due to new vision of being the largest car maker, more of production was focused than quality and Toyota looked for suppliers who could produce parts at a lower cost. Due to cultural change and knowledge gap between suppliers and Toyota, series of downfall in quality was observed later in Aug 2009. 4.7. Areas which went wrong with culture As per the case study it is evident that the two countries naturally have different cultures and they will impact the new venture which has cross cultural dynamics. In Toyota culture, they were very concerned on the values and the processor and the people involved. It’s much towards the Japanese cultural influence. But with the expansions, such practices were not effectively transferred to the employees of USA where they were part of a different culture. Even though they set up different division set up in different parts of USA all the main decisions were taken from the headquarters which was in Japan. The overseas divisions were not given much authority. Also another facture was that in Japanese culture they need lot of paperwork to take a decision where in USA culture they take quick decisions. Due to such several crucial decisions could not be taken on time leading to losses and at times up to legal penalties. And the Rigid structures and the Hierarchy were not helping the operations or were not letting the company grow towards the future. As the decision making was solely with the headquarters, it did not empower or give an opportunity to the managers in the USA offices as they were to follow set orders or tasks. 4. Suggestion for way forward 5.8. How could Toyota do better in the future When managing cross cultural issues, it is important that both parties spend a considerable amount of time on understanding each other’s cultures. It is very important that while the top level managers concentrate on the new diversification, the product lines and the bottom lines, they should strategize on how to manage the cultural issues as well. Toyota could have send the senior managers to USA prior to the expansions to really understand the culture of USA and same way they could have brought in the senior managers who were to be recruited from USA to Japan so they could have an deeper understanding of their corporate culture and the values. Same way they must be flexible on the structures and the Higher achy of the company by empowering the other unit heads to take decision and to be innovative from their end and back them on their decisions. Instead of adopting a culture where rewards are given on growth or production, it could be a combination of such and encouragement workers to perform better in order to collectively improve the company. More relationships could have been built with the suppliers and the dealers in order to maximize the production output and to develop the exact required features. The workforce in the USA plants to have a combination of Japanese and USA employees even at the senior levels. This way the touch of the original Toyota values and philosophies will not die fast and could be incarnated to the other employees as well. While trying to be the leader in automobile market, its not advisable to use only the cost leadership. It’s shown in the case study and in many other articles which done by industry experts that due to severe cost reduction practices, Toyota lost its core value which is Quality on its product. Hence it’s always good to have a mixture of strategies when conquering a market. Another aspect is Quick decision making. It is very important that when workings with a culture like USA who are keen on quick decision making, Japanese should react fact to situation otherwise will be at the risk of obtaining losses. R&D activities must be focused on the correct path as such practices will define the future of the company. If the R& D was done properly at Toyota they wouldn’t have acquired so many losses through recalls and poor product designs. And the sharing of information is a definite need when dealing with cross cultural matters. Since both cultural parties are new to each other such communications would bridge the gap. 5.9. Measures which they could take to effectively embed the proper culture to its employees As mentioned earlier, studying the involved cultures is an important process in any organization. For an example, the company which I work for (which is a leading Optical service provider in the country), they closely monitor the culture of the suburb or the region which they think of expanding before taking any key decisions. Same way, Japanese senior managers could have stayed in USA for long enough to get a grasp of their culture and understand their values and way of doing things. Understand the culture of the market which you are entering is a key strategy. Secondly they could have brought in the USA managers whom were to take up senior position in USA plants much prior to the installation of the factories as n induction programme or as an apprentice programme so that the Japanese managers could really transfer the cultural aspects and the values of Toyota which has been practiced for the past decades successfully. In my organization we do such practices as we recruit employees from the region where we are planning to expand to and place them at out head office so that they will be well trained and would really understand our values. Similarly, we send one of our senior staff or Managers to the newly opened branch once its stetted up to be there for a certain period so that he will be an mentor to the others and also he will bring in the details of the prevailing culture of the said region. Another thing Toyota must do is to empower the Managers from the said culture so that the decision making and other practices would be much more effective and related to the actual requirement. For this I could again take my company where all the branches are operated as separate profit centers and the Branch manager is empowered to take decision on behalf of the organization on many operational and at times on some strategic matters. Also for the employees of the two cultures to have much closer ties, Toyota could use the prevailing technologies such as social networking sites whereby they could get the employees of two cultures to meet up on a virtual world and get to know better and even to share ideas amongst them. This way the belongingness and the team work will develop amongst the employees. In our organization, we organize staff day outing, workshops, outward bound training programmes and other get-to-gather activities whereby they will get to know each other better and share their ideas amongst them. 5. Conclusion As most of the solutions are given in the previous paragraphs, the following points to be considered when managing cross cultural issues. When applied to cross cultural management of organizations different corporate cultures can be identified and proactive solutions must be developed to ensure compatibility between all parties and its cultures. And each culture must be valued as they are similarly valuable to both parties. When recruiting new employees it is very important to mentor them about the prevailing corporate culture and the values attached to these cultures. Train and socialize current employees to be more receivable for the coming alien cultures. Change and be flexible on organizational structure to give employees more control. Empower employees to make decision about their jobs. The long lived traditions and the best practices should not be neglected at any time and more importantly the culture plays a very vital role on the organizations success. 6. Reference http://geert-hofstede.com ICBT Study materials www.lindsay-shervin.co.ul www.changingminds.org www.businessmate.org

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buy custom Esta Noche essay Esta Noche is poetry that does inspire me emotionally in the sense it does bring out that character of the maid against the gays. In the first instance it is emotionally shocking to have a maid amidst the gays and in gay club. What is likely to happen does leave me with sadness and uncertainty. In addition, Esta Noche does create anxiety to me generally. The fact driving this is the unpredictable environment that the presence of the club and the maid creates. This is the emotional effect that the work is able to create and inspiration of in me. According to Dickinson (2010, Pp. 5), the author plays on literacy conventions by adopting specific ways of spelling words and the sense in which he arranges the words to invent sentences and their conjunction into longer texts. This is depicted in the following excerpt; . . . She tosses back her hair - risky gesture and raises her arms like a widow in a blood tragedy, all will and black lace, and lip-syncs "You and Me against the World". . (Osborne, Murdocca, Brovelli, 2008. Pp. 14). To play against the literacy conventions used by the author I opt to shorten sentences; for example, "You and Me against the World" could instead be us against the rest, and make them more precise and achieve clarity of facts and details (Gregorie, 2008. Pp. 10). Substituting the words with synonyms is my option in literacy conventions used by the author. Esta Noche does create very positive impressions in me. I devour from the reading the sense of anxiety and mechanisms of handling it under some uncertain circumstances and create a relief. In addition, I derive from Esta Noche the extreme of undertaking unpredictable circumstances as I strive to achieve a goal or objective. The maid did not hesitate to take part despite the uncertainty surrounding her presence in the club. Thus, I too drew the sense of matching ahead with courage towards accomplishment of a mission. Further more, the reading has instilled me the need of attaining precision in all undertakings which was built on the fact that if a drag queen`s wig becomes dislodged, she is undone (Hooper, 2007, Pp.6). This has made me more careful in my doings. Buy custom Esta Noche essay

Famous Quotes About Success - A Collection

Famous Quotes About Success - A Collection We may think that we know what success is, because we tend to define success as if it were a goal. In reality success is more of a journey than a destination. Read these famous quotes about success to find out more. Basil KingVictory becomes, to some degree, a state of mind. Knowing ourselves superior to the anxieties, troubles, and worries which obsess us, we are superior to them. Malcolm ForbesVictory is sweetest when youve known defeat. Eric HofferWe are told that talent creates its own opportunities. But it sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own talents. James E. BurkeWe dont grow unless we take risks. Any successful company is riddled with failures. Milton BerleWe owe a lot to Thomas Edison - if it wasnt for him, wed be watching television by candlelight. Henry David ThoreauWe were born to succeed, not to fail. William BarclayWe will often find compensation if we think more of what life has given us and less about what life has taken away. Paul J. MeyerWhatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon... must inevitably come to pass! Ralph HalfWhen ability exceeds ambition, or ambition exceeds ability, the likelihood of success is limited. Gary SiniseWhen I think of work, its mostly about having control over your destiny, as opposed to being at the mercy of whats out there.

How does buying a cup of coffee from Starbucks affect the environment Dissertation - 2

How does buying a cup of coffee from Starbucks affect the environment - Dissertation Example Starbuck’s, use of non –recyclable cups of synthetic nature can pollute the planet greatly and can cause irreversible damage to it. Starbucks being a huge food chain have captured the coffee market globally by taking on the increased demand of coffee lovers. They also maintain their good will by means of powerful advertisement they display in the international business arena. This coffee chain have spread over much part of the globe and have influenced people many people in buying their product , as it is assured to be the best and perfect in the market. This coffee chain has attempted to take action to make it products eco – friendly, but was not successful in its efforts. Seven stores of Starbucks in Manhattan have launched a cup-recycling program in collaboration with Global Green USA’s Coalition for Recovery in an effort to reduce the usage of non – recyclable in their coffee chains (Mohan ,2009). Much of the countries on global level, are facin g natural adversities because of the extreme exploitation and pollution of the nature. Even though the governments and legislations of various developed and developing countries create strategies and plans to implement environmental protection, less can be seen in action.

Hardware Clouds--Pros and Cons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hardware Clouds--Pros and Cons - Essay Example Traditionally, clouds only support the software services wherein the hardware component is provided by the end users. However, due to increasing complexity of the technology as well as changing requirements, it becomes more costly and beneficial for the firms to also use hardware clouds. Apart from this, hardware clouds can help organizations to save costs on infrastructure development, construction costs as well as energy savings. (Low, Chen, & Wu, 2011) 2. The portability of the hardware clouds wherein firms offer hardware cloud servers packed in containers and can be plugged even from parking lots suggests that the companies can take advantage of the portability offered by hardware clouds. 3. Hardware clouds are completely scalable in nature therefore organizations can actually tailor them according to their own requirements. Off-the-shelf hardware often cannot fulfill the exact requirements of the organizations however, due to scalability of the hardware cloud, it offers a viable alternative to gain access to hardware tailored exactly according to the requirements. Though the above benefits of hardware cloud computing can be sufficient enough to allow firms to go for such organizational shift in terms of managing information technology resources however, hardware clouds may not fulfill all the requirements of the companies. Hardware clouds may not be beneficial under following conditions: 1. One of the key areas where hardware cloud can fail to provide results is the issue of performance. Especially on the public clouds, many organizations may be sharing the same hardware therefore the performance may slow down. Further, even with the dedicated hardware, extra load on the hardware can slow the execution of processes and thus result into loss of efficiency. (Sharif, 2010) 2. Single hardware clouds function in single point therefore the failure of the hardware can shut